Laid To Rest

I am sorry dear ones, I wanted to send this out on Monday after the funeral, but just couldn't.

I wanted you to see the wake and funeral of our dear precious Jonathan, who his "family" laid to rest on Monday in the late afternoon.

If you read in my previous entry from last Saturday, late, you will know that he was fostered by one our our mommas and taken home to be their son early last year.

As Danyne our Director pointed out at the funeral, this one thing is our primary goal here in Uganda. To find families for our children and eliminate the word "Orphan". She said, "If this would have happened last year when he was still a orphan at the baby home, there may have been 4 of us at the funeral, a few volunteers, maybe a momma or two, but it happened today and look out and see how many are here. In a little over a year, and there is many, many (at least 150) people here today, that loved him and made him part of this family. He died having brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles...." In front of her, the small coffin sitting on a coffee table in the midst of the crowd under a large tree.

Earlier when we arrived, we were all ushered into a small small mud hut, in a room with a dirt floor. The small coffin placed on a mattress and Mama Katherine, sitting beside it with all the women around her. Crying out to "Jesu". We would pray and sing spontaneously, sometimes in English, sometimes in Ugandan, but what a blessed blessed praise service at the side of that coffin. We all know Jonathan was not really in there, for he is already with the King.

Tears were shed, grief poured out, but not the grief of those who have NO hope. It was beautiful and touched me like NO other funeral has touched me.

Know this, dear ones, God will prevail. The sadness and grief will pass, and we will continue to care for these children and fine loving homes with wonderful families such as Moses and Katherine who will take these children and call them their own and adopt them into their family. Exactly like God has done for us. He doesn't care about our past, where we come from, or what color our skin is or how. He alone has adopted us with an everlasting love and we can call Him Abba Father (Daddy God). I am so overwhelmed by this that I am now feeling goose bumps down my arms. Praise Him.

Please pray for Moses and Katherine as they continue on with life and healing.