I'm dreamin of a white Christmas...jk

Well I am already seeing the end of another week in sight!! Really trying to figure out where time has gone...Christmas is ONLY 15 days away!!!! I kind of forget what season I am in right now! It just does not seem normal to be enjoying really hot weather and not one snow flake in the sky and trying to celebrate the Christmas season all in one. I was talking with a friend last nite about how different the Christmas season is here and he brought up a really good point. In America so much hype is put into the shopping and going to concerts and getting together with family, etc. that often even I forgot what the real meaning of Christmas is about!! Then there is Uganda...where there are hardly any Christmas decorations...some Christmas songs in the air...but overall they put their main focus on the reason for the season and that is Jesus' birth!!!!! So even though I will be a little sad I will not get to be with my family I do feel that spending my Christmas in UG will be good for me to refocus on what Christmas is really about.

So aside from that let me see...what all have I done in the last week...

1. Got to attend the World Aids Day Dance Competition at Watoto Church

2. Went to Ndere-African culture nite...again

3. Did some Christmas shopping for our secret santa exchange at some nice craft markets

4. Purchased some items from Living Hope's store...FYI very cool place and amazing beautiful crafts! And all proceeds go to benefit Living Hope women!

5. Hosted a BBQ at our apartments for all the volunteers and some other Watoto staff

Babies home update:

Beginning of 2010 Lord willing Suubi Babies Home will be up and running. This new facility will be able to provide care for approx. 100 babies. This is very exciting to be able to see continued growth in this area! There will be a lot of changes and babies getting moved from the current babies home in Kampala to Suubi. So a lot of prayer would be appreciated as staff and volunteers prepare for this. Another babies home is being constructed in Gulu. Completion is not expected until closer to March of 2010.

One of the girls in my elephant room started walking this week. Lily just keeps on growing and learning new things. It is encouraging to see these children taking new steps into their future. My little boy Chris is going to be moving back with his mom end of the month. I am very sad about this and yet happy he can be reunited with his mom. He came to Baby Watoto as a preemie and just cannot believe how far he has come looking back at the pictures of him when he first arrived!! God is doing a great work here!

Looking forward to our apartment's Christmas party this Sunday and the Christmas Cantata that Watoto Church is presenting next week!! There will be quite a few volunteers packing their bags and heading back home and new ones coming!! So it will be a bittersweet time!!

Continue to pray for protection and good health amongst the staff and volunteers. We do have several babies in isolation right now cause of a nasty rash that seems to be spreading amongst the babies! We are praying that this will be the solution to this problem!

Much love to everyone at home!!

For the children,

Kara

**featured in picture is Lily