The details

You got the emotional reason for the trip, now for some actual details!

We will leave on the 30th of December (just enough time for Christmas and a birthday party for Silas) and be home on January 9th.

Angela, Alicia, and I are traveling with an organization called Visiting Orphans, and we are three of a 28 member team.

We are going to Ethiopia and Uganda. While in Uganda we will work with the following organizations...

Amazima Ministries

A ministry started by a now 20 year old girl from Brentwood, TN. Katie lives in Uganda with the 13 orphan girls she has adopted. She has given up life in Tennessee with a loving family, a boyfriend, college at Belmont, and the American Dream. She gave it all up, for pursuit of a calling to life more abundantly.

This ministry feeds around 1500 people twice a day, and has arranged sponsorships for around 400 children. These sponsorships provide children with school fees (there are very few public schools in Uganda), a uniform, socks and shoes, two hot meals a day, school supplies, and any minor medical care needed. The children are also discipled by the Amazima staff.

She is what we call "sold out", and I cannot wait to meet her and hear the sweet songs that are sung at her house on Saturday mornings when all of the sponsored kids come over.

Please follow the link to the right and learn more about this ministry and ways that you can support Katie and her work in Uganda.

Canaan Children's Home

According to the website, "Pastor Isaac Wagaba and his wife Rebecca began the children's home in 1996 with two abandoned children.

During the reign of infamous Idi Amin, when Pastor Isaac was laying on a heap of bodies, shot and left for dead, he heard a voice "Isaac, I have saved your life so that you may save the lives of my fatherless children...Isaac, I will be the father of those children through you."

Strengthened with energy from God, Pastor Isaac crawled from the pit and ultimately God fulfilled his promise, beginning with two abandoned children.

Today, in Buziika, near Jinja, Uganda, Pastor Isaac serves God who saved him to be a father of the fatherless, by directing a growing and vibrant orphanage and home for destitute children -- the invisible children of Africa."

I have heard that these kids can give an impressive reception so I am excited to see it for myself!

This orphanage recently had a major fire break out in their girl's dormitory and while no children were hurt the building was completely destroyed. Please pray for them as I can only imagine what a loss that was for those girls.

While in Ethiopia we will also visit an orphanage called Kid's Care, a Mother Teresa orphanage for children with HIV, and participate in a ministry to the street children. I do not know as much about these, but I will pass along any information I get.

Please prayerfully consider supporting one of these ministries!

And if you feel led, you can also support our trip by clicking on the "Donate" button to the right. All donations go into the same "Big Nanny and friends go to Africa" fund and any money that we raise over travel costs will be donated to one of the ministries listed above.