We only have 10 days!!!

I am so excited about something that is coming to Kampala!

 

One of my many childhood memories I think about often, and when I look back, I always smile.

 

There is a play that my sisters and I, along with several of our childhood friends would watch

 

over

 

and

 

over again.

 

I remember us all gathering in the family room after a long day playing and we would watch

 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

 

This is an exciting and fun show about the story of Joseph in the Bible.

 

My friends,

 

this show is coming to Kampala!

 

I would love to share this opportunity with some of my street boys.

 

We try and do something special for the boys once every month.

 

This month, we will be taking 8 boys and 4 chaperones to this event at the local theater.

 

Would you like to help us?

 

Our goal is to raise $200.

 

But we have only 1 week to do it!

 

But I know with your help, we can do it!

 

For $20 you can sponsor one of my boys to go to the show. Your $20 will not only get a ticket into the theater, but will also provide him with a new outfit, pair of sandals and a meal.

 

You can send a tax deductible donation to this address: 

 

Stephanie Madrid

C/O Christ Presbyterian Church

24861 Tigris Lane

Hemet CA 92544

 

Checks can be made out to:

 Christ Presbyterian Church

 

 Make sure "Boy's Night Out" is entered as the memo so we can make sure your donation goes towards this event.

 

You can also make a non-tax deductible donation online at  

 

http://ssuubirefugeuganda.blogspot.com/

 

If you want to make a general donation towards our needs for this special day, you can make a donation in any amount and send it just as it says above.

 

Since we have so little time, if you are making a donation towards this event, please take the time to send me a quick email (madrid.stephanie60@gmail.com) and let me know so I can plan ahead.

 

Thanks so much for taking part in this special night out for the boys!

 

I'm so excited!

 

And remember...

 

We only have 10 days!!!

20 Year Struggle...

This isn’t the usually post you might see on my blog,

but since I usually write about what I am learning and how God is teaching me I thought I would share this.

This is something that I have long struggled with in my life (my parents can attest).

The daunting tasks that it requires will sometimes bore me or be too overwhelming to even interest me in beginning anywhere.

 I often find myself avoiding this at all costs, hoping things will improve

 tomorrow,

next week,

next month…

but it never does.

 I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m talking about.

Let me enlighten you.

I’m talking about

Keeping House.

Yes, you heard me right.

The conglomeration of many chores that some people find simple and routine sometimes feel too much for me to handle.

But I really can’t stand living in chaos.

It makes me crazy.

Recently, I was forced to take action in my own home.

 I could barely even walk in my front door (maybe a slight exaggeration...slight) .

I lost my chairs in the abyss and had nowhere to sit.

 I forgot there was a rug in my house (oh wait, there’s two!).

 Clothes hangers? How do those work?

Now, keep in mind I don’t have a huge house.

I have a sitting room, which doubles as a ‘kitchen’ (really just a table with a stove on top), and I have a bedroom and bathroom.

Pretty small. But it works well for me. And it was a mess.

Unsure of how to begin, I did the best thing I knew how to do in such a bewildering crisis; I googled.

“How to keep my house clean”

 “Organizational tips for small apartments”

 I even took to typing in “how to organize (insert section of house here i.e. closet, bathroom sink, shower, bed, refrigerator, etc.)

Pathetic? Probably.

Necessary? I thought so.

 While on Pinterest fantasizing about a cleaner house and looking at pictures of homes that seemed to be nicer and less dingy than mine,

I stumbled across a blog entitled Aqua Lane Design.

She had a wonderful blog post on how she keeps her house under control.

She had tips such as, "don’t go to bed without doing the dishes".

Sweep the floor after dinner every night.

Make your bed every day.

I was reading this and though it was revolutionary.

Of course I soon realized that it  really wasn’t.

These were things my mom had always taught me.

This was the way I grew up.

But in all honesty, I would rather feel the Ugandan sunshine on my face and enjoy the neighbors than be locked up alone in my house.

I sat in all seriousness, and wondering now if all my internet surfing had actually cleaned my house,

and with the realization that yes indeed, my mother was right again when it comes to keeping house (along with a boat load of other things).

I have a dear neighbor friend who lives on the same compound.

She sometimes sends her kids over to visit me.

She saw my house one day and I think she was scared that her kids would get lost in the abyss with my chairs and rugs if she ever sent them over unsupervised.

She encouraged me to clean up, and she helped me the whole way.

I was so thankful!

We got the work done rather quickly.

Now it’s clean, and I love my house! I enjoy being in it.

It is simple, but it works for my Ugandan life.  

I have enjoyed keeping it clean (I was up at 10:00pm last night cleaning and I was actually having fun!).

So, in an effort to keep the “theme” of the rest of my blog posts, what have I learned?

Well, mom is always right.

She knows how to keep house like a serious pro and I never had to go online to find out how to do it.

She definitely raised me right.

 I was simply in denial.

 Second, God has gifted me with such a beautiful little home on a beautiful compound in a country that I love, and I want to honor that and be a good steward.

 So here’s to my mom, and my new daily cleaning routine!

Praise God!

 

 

 

 

In Christ- My Home

   Well, I have been in America for the past two and a half months spending time with family and fundraising for my ministry, and in just one week I will be headed back to Uganda. This is such a bittersweet time for me. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to get back to Uganda- I can’t wait to get back to my boys- But there is also a part of me that aches at the thought of leaving my family in America yet again. Let me see if I can explain.

   For a while now I have been struggling with trying to find my home. If you were to ask me where I call home, I would answer without hesitation saying that Uganda is my home. This is where I have made my life, and more importantly, this is where God is calling me and where He has made my life. He has given me a family with the street boys and so many other people that I have been blessed to meet and get to know. When I was sitting at the airport in Uganda waiting for my flight to California, I was aching over the thought of having to leave this new family with whom God had blessed me.

Making memories with the kiddos!

    Now, I prepare to return to Uganda. I am leaving the family that has raised me and helped to make me the person I am today. It breaks my heart. I have three younger siblings that grow like weeds and I never know if I will even recognize them the next time I see them. I wonder if my parents’ eyeglass prescription will get a little stronger. I wonder if my sister will be pregnant with her second child, or if my new nephew will recognize me after I have been away for so long. I wonder if my dog is going to make it one more year. It hurts me to leave- this is my home, right?

My sweet 2 week-old nephew, Carter Alan.

   After living room conversations and Bible studies with my beloved family, I have come to the conclusion that I have no home; at least not an earthly one. Uganda is the place that I live most of the time, surrounded by the people I love. California is the place that I grew up and where my entire family lives.

   So, where is home? My home is in Christ. He is everything that I need. He is my provider, my comforter, my strength, my hope, my rest, my Father, and I can trust Him to remain faithful to me. What else do I need? Who else can provide everything that I need?

I live in Uganda. My family is in Uganda.

I live in America. My family is in America.

I live in Christ. He is my all.

This is the life that God has called me to.

Praise the Lord!