My Shattered Heart, Broken to Bless

God shattered my heart for the orphans of Uganda all over again. The tears fell. I knew I had to obey the tugging, the urgency He put on my heart to lift up my voice with strength, to lift it up and not be afraid. {see Isaiah 40:9} I'm lifting my voice on their behalf this rainy morning of June 4th, 2015.
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‪#‎SixtyFeet‬ is a ministry devoted to Jesus and reaching, serving with His love. Their goal is bringing hope and restoration to the imprisoned children of Africa in His name.
These children are the least of these. They do not have the freedoms we enjoy or the food/water in abundance, material needs covered. I am so blessed as an American it was a shock to see the poverty I came across in East Africa the first time. I took everything for granted and felt powerless to change anything I saw because the needs were so vast and great...seemingly impossible to fix.

After visiting "M1", the first prison found and the largest, I felt absolutely drained. Having to stare such desolation, injustice in the face was not an easy thing to witness.
The Lord encouraged me with the words of Katie Davis Majors,

>>> I am inadequate and can do nothing without Him. Even with Him, I can do very little. But as I do what I can, I am able to watch Him do what only He can...He will do it one person at a time. He is doing it one person at a time. And that He would use me just blows me away again and again and again. [ Kisses from Katie pg. 208,209 ]

My heart has never felt so heavy, weighted down as I went through the empty prison rooms. All of the children were busy eating a late breakfast of beans and posho outdoors since the heavy rains delayed the normal hour. I was thankful that they did not have to watch my expressions or be embarrassed by my presence there. Only a child here or there could be seen, but it was mostly empty.
Inside and outside the prison looked gloomy, cold, depressing, dirty. Bars separated each large room. Bunk beds lined the walls with lifesaving mosquito nets covering most. I could barely believe what my eyes were seeing...my mind and heart wanted to be in denial. But, it was impossible to ignore the ugly reality of what was before me.

The one thing I knew then and know now is that these children need EVERY assurance of God's love. Hope is essential...the hope of Jesus gives life to the broken. He trades ashes for beauty, turning the most unlikely things into untold treasure.


 By simply following the words of Jesus, it puts you in the position to share the Gospel as you first live it out and demonstrate it.

‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ {see Matthew 25}


It starts by going to these children who are sick and in prison and visiting them. Holding their hand, offering them a smile, an encouraging words, singing a song, laughing with them when laughter arises, playing "Miss Mary Mac" with a group of girls, passing out color pages, making bracelets, giving cards made especially FOR THEM. These are all seemingly small things, but they are huge for these kids. It makes them feel special, valued that someone would just take the time to spend with them. It opens the door to tell them of something, Someone greater!! To kids who have no earthly idea what love is because they have been deprived of it most of their life, if not all of their life, action helps define the word.

God sent His Son to...
To bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.-Isaiah 42:7
He wants His light to penetrate the darkest corners of the darkest places and circumstance with the Light of the world. My friends, those who are His children ARE the light of the world!! He called us that...

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."-Matthew 5:14-16

God's marvelous light is enough to expel the darkness. We carry it inside, it is who we are. My prayer is that when we are in Uganda, the light of Jesus will be so bright and strong that they will notice a difference. My hope is that they will yearn for the Light of the world, to get a better glimpse of Him. To want to know Him personally--to run from the darkness and be transferred into the Kingdom of light!

For, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." -Colossians 1:13
[photos via www.sixtyfeet.org]