Uganda - Part 3

The greeting outside our door each morning.

This little boy is one of the Amazima kids.  He lives in the village and comes to the Kind. class at Canaan's.  He has Down Syndrome...such a sweet boy!

Our day at Amazima...a great bunch of kids.

These kids LOVE to sing - praises to their Jesus!  So moving to watch them worship.  They have 'nothing' by earthly standards... but have EVERYTHING in their hope and love of Jesus!

They just want to be near you... touch your arm.... sit on your lap... hold your hand.  They need to feel LOVED!

An incredible playground Amazima has just installed.  The kids have such a great time...
just being KIDS!

Amazing the TOYS the kids find to entertain themselves.  Such technique to keep this tire balanced as they run up hill.

The first part of their meal.  Lining up to get a hard boiled egg.  They crack, peel and eat before the main part of their meal.

Peeling eggs...

Biggest pot of rice I have ever seen... setting up to feed around 300 kids.

Rice, Beans, Chicken.... they cooked 50 chickens and 100 lb of rice (before cooking).

They eat everything with their hands... and NO they do not wash them first.

Teaching the boys how to throw and American 'foot ball'.

Kids loving on Jeff Slaughter.... (Jane - on the left - one of Katie's...)

Fun to meet Katie Davis and see her work in action.  

Walking down the street that connects Amazima and Canaan Children's Home... fun to be greeted by so many smiling children!

Each day we are blown away by God's creation... these little ones - made in HIS image... reflecting HIS love and joy!  Another full day of lots of play, love and tons of HUGS!!!
More to come...

Uganda - Part 2

My 'girls' - Vivian & Litisha.  Pray for 'Liti' - I had to take her to the hospital yesterday before we left for Kampala.  She has a bad cough and fever.  They gave her an 'IV' - (Uganda style) a shot in her vein.  They had to try two times to get it in the vein.  I held her while she screamed.... then wiped her tears and gave her lots of hugs and kisses.  I took her to her Auntie Jane because she needed to try to eat.  I was drained and fighting tears as I rejoined our team already eating lunch.  30 minutes later... when I walked into the yard - I was greeted by a smiling Liti.  She came running to me - with lots of hugs.  Not her typically 'silly self', but good to see her perked up again.  I had to leave shortly after, and I am praying she is getting better each day.  We will be back at Canaan's tomorrow evening.  How hard that these little ones get sick and have limited people around to give them the attention they so need.

Bret & his buddy - Eddy.  The little 'bully' at Canaan's... yet all smiles when Bret is around.  Very possessive  of Bret - way tooooo cute!

Quite a mix of animals in the back yard of a home as we walked the neighborhood.

Kindergarten class lining up for their cup of porridge mid-day at Canaan's.  This is the edge of their outdoor school room.

Passed this man on the road as he just filled his water at this water hole - a pipe coming out of the mountain into a muddy pit.  The water coming out looked somewhat clear - that is what they use for drinking, cooking and washing. 

Older ladies in the neighborhood... we stopped and took their picture... then turned the camera around so they could see themselves... they were very surprised... wonder if they have ever seen themselves before.

The homes we saw as we walked around the neighborhood.

Passed this mama carrying her baby on her back.

Hoping to load a video shortly....So much to tell you all about, but hope you enjoy these pictures!

Miss my kid - love you Liz, Ethan and Emma!

Uganda - Part 1

Unbelievable... Speechless

Those are the only words Bret & I could come up with to describe how we feel right now.  I will tell the whole story from beginning to end... once we get back to the states, but this is the first we have had internet access at a Cafe in town - so this will be short and sweet with as many pics as we can load.  

Our hearts are overwhelmed with these children!  Bret was the 1st person off the bus when we entered Canaan Children's Home.  I kid you not, he was MOBBED by about 35 - Kindergarten age kiddos.  All wanting to hug, touch and jump on him.... you almost can't walk they surround you so much!  The are ALL smiles... in dirty clothes... full of love and joy.  

Our days have been full of playing, hugging, talking, hugging, loving, and hugging some more.  I know God intended for Bret to be the 1st one off that bus....  :)

We just worked with a group called Pillars of Hope here in Jinja - they work with street children and have a program to help women get off the street from prostitution.... amazing stories... amazing work!

There are several 'little ones' who have 'claimed'  Bret and I .... you will see there pics below.  We are eating very well... Canaan cooks all our food... our feet and clothes are covered with the red clay dirt... we are constantly dirty.  They have not had rain for 6 months here... last night it POURED!!  so may muddy little ones climbing all over us this morning... LOVE IT!!

After the initial 'mob' died down... this is the crowd still wanting Bret's attention!

Shortly after arriving... the foot to the right belongs to Latisha... she came running to /me with a huge smile and eyes dancing... every time I step outside, she finds me!  She is 2 years old...such a bundle of energy and JOY!  She started to become droopy later in the day... not feeling good, so I walked her over to the hospital on the grounds - slight fever, Tylenol and off to her bed... but she told the 'Auntie" she didn't want to lay down... she wanted to stay with me, so I held her until she fell asleep.  Can you imagine not feeling good, running a fever, being 2 years old and laying in your bed by yourself with NO one to console or love on you?  How could I leave her laying there?

Try doing crafts with tons of little ones... every time we pulled out a marker it quickly disappeared!
Bret made TONS of paper airplanes.

When you pull out your camera... they come running!!

Pastor Isaac - founder of Canaan Children's Home... shared his testimony Monday night - unbelievable.
Please read a copy of it on their website - we are so humbled to be working with Pastor Isaac and his wife Mama Rebeka  taking care of the 107 children here at the home and 35 others in universities.
(holding my - Latisha)

http://canaanchildrenshome.org/

More to come.... I promise... running out of time!
Love to all!
Diana

Leaving on a jet plane....

... in 12 HOURS!

Amazed at how God has blessed us this week!

I have truly FELT your PRAYERS!

THANK YOU!!!

We are all very excited - a 'nervous excitement' to be exact!

Stay tuned....

Next post - from UGANDA!

1 WEEK...

...and we will be landing in Ethiopia on our way to Uganda.

I can not even put into words the incredible mix of emotions right now.

ALL of our money is in! 

We are SO thankful... HE is so FAITHFUL!

2 of 8 bags are packed,

the TO DO list is WAY too long...

but I am so at PEACE

and READY

to see what GOD has for us in UGANDA!

Stay tuned....

13 days and counting....

 I can NOT believe we are less than 2 weeks from
boarding a plane headed to AFRICA!

We have seen God's hand SO MANY times over the past 2 weeks!

Thank you for praying for our family...
we knew to expect the 'trials' the closer we get to our departure,
and there have been several recently...
but God is SO faithful
and we are walking forward...
knowing (and expecting) more attacks
but thankful for the army of PRAYER WARRIORS
surrounding our family!

All of our money is in...THANK YOU LORD!

...now everything extra goes to purchase things for the orphanages!

We have 2 bags packed full of donations and more for another one!

We are SO thankful for SO many
who have helped us in SO many ways...

Financially

Clothing Donations

Pull-ups Donations

$30 Donations for Mattresses

PRAYER

and encouraging words...

PLEASE PRAY for the final few days of preparation...

My current prayer:

"God prepare our hearts... for what YOU want us to see, feel and hear"

"Open our eyes .... "

"Be with my kids... calm their fears...
be very NEAR and REAL to them each day"

WE WILL BE BLOGGING FROM UGANDA....

so check back often for pictures and updates!!

....daily TRUSTING HIM!!

The Power of Prayer.... Please!

As I type this post

we are less than 25 days from boarding a plane and heading to Uganda!

God has given me an incredible sense of PEACE,

that I know can only come from HIM!

I said to Bret on Monday... we are in the home stretch,

 and I am expecting the trials to start hitting...

and they have this week. 

Nothing TOO BIG for our GOD... but things non-the-less meant to distract me, frustrate me,

bring me to tears, make me question (for a moment),

and have the potential to start me to WORRY.

BUT.... they have also BROUGHT ME TO MY KNEES!

I have felt the Lord wrap his loving, PROTECTIVE arms around me

and reassure me that YES

we are walking on the road HE has laid out before us...

we are following the CALL He is placing on our lives

KNOWING  that HE will take care of all the OTHER STUFF.

NOTHING is TOO BIG for our GOD!

I am humbly asking each of you to actively go to the throne of grace

on behalf of our family...

...to pray a hedge of protection around our kids - for their HEALTH

and PEACE of mind

as we go

...to pray for Bret & I as we get our final shots this week and focus on all the

details to be pulled together.

...to pray that the ENEMY would be bound - not able to cause doubt

and frustration in the little things...

...to pray that we will reach our final goal with the last

$1000 we need in the next

two weeks.

...to pray that we will be able to collect the rest of the donations we are hoping

to take with us .... ($30 mattress donations, kids clothes, sports supplies)

I know that God led me to Eph. 6:11-18 yesterday......

"Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,

but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world...

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor

so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.

Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 

Stand your ground,

putting on the belt of truth

and the body armor of God's righteousness.

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News

so that you will be fully prepared. 

In addition to all of these,

hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Put on salvation as your helmet,

and take the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

I AM CLAIMING THESE VERSES

AND PRAYING THEM OVER OUR FAMILY EVERY DAY!

 I am CONVINCED that AMAZING things are going to happen on this trip...

when the trials come - it is a SURE sign that you are DOING something

GOOD to further HIS kingdom...

 walking daily...

 

Uganda Update

I am amazed at how FAST time is flying by! 

We will actually be boarding a plane for Uganda in 31 days!

Oh my word.... did I actually say 31 days?!?! 

So much to do. 

We are getting SO very excited... and so are our kids!

It is fun to see them share in this experience even though

they will be staying here.

Our prayer is that God does amazing things

in the heart of our kids through this experience.

I am amazed at how God has been working in our lives.

It seems He is teaching us very valuable lessons - DAILY!

"Thankful"...

 is definitely the word that expresses how I am feeling right now.

We are only $1200 away

from reaching our total goal of $6000 for this trip! 

AMAZING!!!

We have truly been AMAZED and HUMBLED as we have TRUSTED Him ...

and watched the funds coming in.

We are also collecting DONATIONS for the different orphanages

and orphan ministries we will be working with.

If you are interested in....

• a mattress for an orphan - $30
• sponsoring an orphan to go to school (fees & materials) - $105 for the year
• donating a laptop - in good working condition for field work for one orphanage 

Please let me know... you can e-mail me:  dianaperkey@gmail.com

I was able to share with all three 6th Grade classes at our school today

about the opportunity they each have to GIVE

some of their clothes to the orphans in Uganda.

They can GIVE out of what they have been so BLESSED with...

not asking their parents for even $1. 

The kids are excited. 

It will be amazing I am sure to watch the donations come in -

their goal is to FILL 3 suitcases with clothes and used sporting equipment!!

I LOVE when KIDS want to GIVE and SERVE. 

That is WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!!

~We have several PRAYER REQUESTS~

1. Our flight arrangements are still up in the air (no pun intended) right now.  The main airline we were scheduled with has cancelled some of their flights which is effecting our plans.  Please pray that the flight schedules can get straightened out and booked with no additional fees or layovers.

2.  Pray for the remaining funds ($1200) we need to raise by February 25th.

3.  Pray for all the final team preparations before we go.

(learning music, getting lessons and activities ready for hundreds of orphans, collecting donations, etc.)

4.  Pray that God would prepare our hearts for what He has for us to learn in Uganda.  Pray that we will be equipped to be USED by Him for His GLORY! 

Thank YOU for traveling on this journey with us...

we could not do this without the love and support of our family and friends!

New Dates, New Power and New Mattresses ~

Lots going on in the Perkey House over the past week.....

#1

We KNOW that as we OBEY and FOLLOW what we are CONFIDENT God is asking us to do...

the attacks will come!

... and they started this week...

Our power went out in the middle of the night due to a break in our main line,

and for the next 17 hours - what a MESS.... no lights, no heat, no problem! 

Amazed at how God takes care of even the smallest details.

The warmest day we have had in two weeks... for a crew to be digging 4 feet

down in our back yard looking for the main power line coming to our house.

After hours of digging, multiple utility personnel on-hand, lighting candles,

wearing lots of warm layers, and laughing ALOT 

it was fixed and power was restored!

We were reminded of how much we TAKE FOR GRANTED the many

LUXURIES and BLESSINGS we have - like ELECTRICITY!

Focusing on being incredibly THANKFUL!!

We KNOW that we are in a BATTLE.... but we also KNOW

God's heart is for the orphan, and so we continue to

TRUST Him DAILY!

#2

Our Uganda Trip has been moved up a week!

Because of some scheduling conflicts they adjusted the travel dates,

and we are leaving one week earlier!

Prayer Requests:

*Lots of preparation details with the kids schedule here at home,

remaining shots, gathering supplies, etc.

*Raising the remaining funds needed for our trip- approx. $2000.

*God supplying the donations we would like to take to the orphanages.

*Details to be worked out so that we can do a VBS

with kids from the Karamojong Tribe - a very poor, outcast tribe.

(Many of which have never heard about Jesus!)

*Continued good health as we prepare to go,

travel and during our time in Uganda.

#3

Our Uganda Team is working on many DONATIONS

that we will be taking with us to the orphanages and orphan ministries we will be working with. 

 OUR CURRENT NEEDS:

Pull-ups - size 3T-5T

Mattresses for beds at one orphanage...

$30 to purchase a mattress for one orphan

(checks can be made to Visiting Orphans - tax deductible)

Dresses - (light weight) for 11-18 year old girls

- we will post other donation needs as we become aware of them -

If you are able to help out with any of the above, please e-mail me

at dianaperkey@gmail.com

and we can coordinate getting any donations you have.

Thanking God for His VISIBLE, daily faithfulness in our lives....

TRUSTING... and OBEYING!

We are learning to fully rely on Him and watch as He does amazing things! 

Our first big payment is due this week for airline reservations ~ $4000.

Money has been steadily coming in totaling $3220 as of last weekend. 

Then Bret shared with me that he had been reading in Psalms a week ago

and ran across this verse...

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God."

Everytime over the past two weeks when Bret has focused on just 'being still' God has been telling him to 'give the money away'.  You see we have some money saved for this trip, but we keep feeling like God is saying, "You need to TRUST ME to provide".  We knew we needed to give this money to others in need and let go of the control so we could give HIM the glory as we watch HIM provide the needed funds for our trip.

Not one additional dollar has come into our trip fund since Bret felt God telling him to 'give'.

So we obeyed this week... and 'gave the money away'.

A huge leap of faith... letting go of the safety net.

What a blessing to help a family adopting from the Ukraine, to help another family we personally know that is in financial need right now and to help one of the ministries for orphans in Uganda we will be visiting.

I SMILE as I write this with a few tears,

because I just checked our trip account and we have started to receive donations again!

How AWESOME is our GOD!

I know that HE is able to bless far beyond what we can imagine.

When we CHOOSE to OBEY what HE asks us to do, and TRUST that HE has it all in HIS HANDS.

So thankful for very VISIBLE lessons in FAITH right now!

Please PRAY with us as we RAISE the additional $500+ to meet our first goal this week.  Our next goal is the final $2000 needed by March 5th.

TRUSTING Him....

Amazed as HE provides....

Uganda Trip ~ UPDATE ~

Our first payment of $4000 for airline reservations is due January 15th...

and we are truly humbled and amazed as we watch God providing.

Our account is now up to $3220!

We need to raise $780 by next weekend.

Please pray with us that hearts will be touched... and challenged to join us on this journey.

We are so thankful for the support of so many!

God is GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

Worry, PEACE... and PASSPORTS.

I woke up last Sunday morning just feeling "out of sorts". 

I couldn't put my finger on it... but just seemed restless and irritated. 

We had decided as a family to stay home from church after a crazy weekend and just relax,
but as the morning began...

I sensed that I needed to spend some time in His house. 

So I hurried to get ready and went to church by myself. 

I honestly can't remember the last time I sat in church by myself... but I know the Lord wanted me to be "distraction free" so I could hear His voice.

Our pastor has been doing a series on MORE & LESS of Christmas.

Worship... More

Love... More

Give... More

and this week..... WORRY... Less!

He used the passage in Luke 2:8-15.  But focused on verse 14:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE ...
TO men on whom his favor RESTS.

He talked about how PEACE erases WORRY.

PEACE - an inner conviction that God is completely in control.

He challenged us...

1. Do we give Him ownership?

2. Do we see Him as our authority?

3. Do we PRAISE Him right where we are?

I love the phrase... When you give God the highest GLORY - God gives

you the deepest PEACE.

I went home feeling encouraged, but still felt a little 'on edge' ... and then opened my e-mail Monday morning to find my daily devotional from
Proverbs 31 Ministries (LOVE THEM!) entitled -

When You Don't Know What To Do.

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
2 Chronicles 20:12b (NIV)

It spoke right to my heart as Melanie Chitwood focused on the anxieties that we internalize as we try to 'figure out' all the issues and problems facing us in this life... instead of .."turning from these thoughts by thanking my sovereign God for all the ways He has been faithful in the past and all the ways I see His faithfulness in the present circumstances. I am learning to ask Him for wisdom for every little detail. And I am setting my eyes on Him as I wait for His answers.
What problems in your life seem unsolvable or unanswerable?  Turn from your own anxious thoughts, acknowledge you don't have the answers, and set your eyes on the One who does."

Do I Sense a Theme?????

Worry, anxiety, control, figuring it out on my own, etc....

- vs. -

GLORY, PEACE, PRAISE, FAITHFULNESS,  etc....

I realized that I had become overwhelmed by all that was swirling around me....

family, holiday planning, my job, kids, ministry, housework, projects

and seemed to have forgotten that it was not MINE to figure out...

A thought that our pastor left us with that Sunday that has stayed on my mind...

"Above all else, when God is what weighs on everything you do,
you will have HIS peace."

I am so thankful for how GOD very carefully and lovingly reminds me
of where my focus and priorities need to be...
on HIM and HIS GLORY.

As we celebrate the birth of His son so many years ago, and truly reflect on WHAT that means for each one of us today... let us not so easily become stress, worried and tired as we live each day to

HONOR and PRAISE HIM!

As the Perkey Family moves forward into the coming year... we are truly excited as we continue to follow His calling to go to Uganda in March.

Bret & I will be traveling with a group from Visiting Orphans
to work with several orphan ministries outside of Kampala, Uganda. 
We are in the initial 'fundraising' phase and have been humbled and amazed
as we have seen God providing. 
At the time of this post we have raised $2650
towards our January 15th goal of $4000. 
Our final goal is a total $6400 due by March 15th.

If you would like to make a donation to our trip,
or read more about what we are doing ...you can see that post HERE.

We are daily trusting God to provided the needed funding to enable us to go, as well as to take additional supplies greatly needed by the orphanages.

BREAKING NEWS.....PASSPORTS ARE IN HAND!

We were excited when our passports showed up in the mailbox today...
4 weeks from application!

We will be starting the process of vaccinations over the next couple weeks...
please pray for NO side effects!

We are thankful for each one of you and the role you have played in our lives over the past months.

Let me encourage you, as I have been encouraged this week.
FOCUS on JESUS and the PEACE that He alone can bring -
which erases DOUBTS and WORRY!

Walking daily... TRUSTING Him,

Calling us to go....

During this season of ‘Thanksgiving’ we are humbled at God’s many blessings.  We are truly thankful and blessed to have our continued health, family and friends so close, and three kids that continue to amaze us daily! 

God has been working in our lives, making it clear that His goodness towards us is ultimately to enable us to glorify Him by serving those who have the greatest need.  This new focus has placed within our family a passion for orphan care, specifically on the continent of Africa. 

As we have been searching for ways to best serve we have been given an opportunity to visit several orphanages in Uganda this March through a Christian non-profit ministry called Visiting Orphans.

Bret and I will be traveling with a team to support Amazima Ministries.  Our primary mission will be to serve as a part of their feeding program to the children of the Karamajong tribe.  This feeding program, which also provides for their extended families, allows the children to remain in school instead of being focused on working to support the basic needs of their families. 

Beyond securing the funds needed to travel to Uganda, we also hope to raise enough to deliver supplies and donations to this ministry.  We will also have the opportunity to help launch a new VBS program for orphans that is focused on ensuring that these children know of the love and saving grace of our Heavenly Father.   The author of the VBS program, along with Jeff Slaughter, who is writing the music, will travel with our team to the Karamajong tribe and to other orphanages in Kampala and Jinja.

We are humbly asking that you consider partnering with us on this trip by praying, encouraging and financially supporting us. 

Please pray for our mission,

that we may truly impact those that we serve.

Pray that they won’t see us,

but rather our Father and learn of His grace.

Please pray that we will return safely

and that our kids will do well during our absence.

Please pray that our team will have unity.

Pray also that God will teach us more about Himself

as our eyes are opened to a hurting world. 

The cost for the two of us to be a part of this team is $6400.

This includes our travel, lodging, meals as well as financial support for the orphanages.

We need to secure $4000 of this by January 15^th

and the balance by March 1^st. 

If you feel led to partner with us financially you can make a donation by check, payable to Visiting Orphans and mail to:

P.O. Box 668, Nolensville, TN  37135.

(please write “Diana Perkey” in the memo line) 

You can also make a donation on line HERE
We are excited to see how God will use this trip in the journey He has begun for our family. 

(please enter "Diana Perkey" as the designated team member)

James 1:27 - "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Become a 'follower' at the right of this blog to receive notifcations as we update regularly on how God is providing, how we are preparing, and how best to pray.  We need the support of many as we walk daily trusting Him every step of the way!



He asks us to LOVE....

God has been working in my heart in incredible ways over the past 12 months.  He has taken me to places I didn't quite know I could go.  He is challenging me ... STRETCHING me to think 'outside the box' in so many ways.  It is exciting, scary, hopeful, and incredibly crazy all at the same time... to take some very radical steps in the direction God is calling you to go.

As I spend time in His word, soaking up all that I can - I am amazed at the reoccuring theme... He LOVES ME!  I have grown up in church my whole life... singing the song "Jesus Loves Me This I Know"... but did I ever FULLY understand how MUCH He loves ME?  How often do we go through our day not stopping to think about what a gift each day is... how important every detail is to HIM!  I am realizing more and more that it truly is NOT ABOUT ME... but ALL ABOUT HIM.  Such a freeing feeling to refocus my thoughts and energy on ETERNAL things and not on all the 'stuff' I so easily get bogged down with.  It truly is a DAILY dying to myself and making much more of HIM and bringing HIM glory!

I have been doing alot of reading lately... Living Naked by Jeff Bogue, Radical by David Platt and now I am waist deep in Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  If you can read those books and not see anything in your life that needs to be completely changed....UNBELIEVEABLE!  I process and filter everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, completely different now.  'Things' have little importance to me ... serving, giving, loving.... mean everything.  I was hit between the eyes as I read chapter 5 this weekend.  Chan was pointing out that in 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 according to God we are here to LOVE.  There isn't really much else that matters.... God commands us to LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART... and to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF... PERIOD!  That's it!

How many times have I heard that but not really stopped to process what that means?  Everything else falls away from those two commands.  As I read the following passage I was SO challenged.... is THIS what LOVE looks like in MY life?

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends....faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

... I would have to say I have a lot of work to do.  It is a DAILY pursuing of Christ!  I don't know where this journey will take our family, but I do know that God is moving in MIGHTY ways...