She's Twelve Years Old Today

Today is her birthday.  Twelve years ago today she was born.  I can only wonder what that day was like.  Were her parents happy to see her?  Or was her mother worried about being able to take care of another child? 

All I know is that five years ago, her mother contacted Canaan's Childrens Home for help.  Her father died of AIDS and her mother was very sick with AIDS and could no longer work to help support the family.  There were older siblings that were left to fend for themselves, but she was too little.  She was seven then.

I met her in April when I stepped off the bus in the dark of night at Canaan's.  She grabbed my hand and informed me that she would be my friend.  She also grabbed ahold of my heart.  Over the course of the days that followed, I got to know this sweet girl a little better, the simple purity of her love and trust in her heavenly father, how she could be quiet and gentle and yet bold and beautiful, and how she cares for the younger children.  She is very intelligent.  She was 11 at that time and is attending 7th grade.  She wants to be a nurse.   She loves to sing and dance...oh, how I loved listening to her and watching her.  She even sang some of my favorite songs with me!  Of which I'd love to share the video, but I can't get it to load...   :-(

We had some good times together while I was there.  She was right beside me every possible moment.  On this afternoon I painted hundreds of fingernails and we sang songs.  If boys came up and wanted me to paint their nails, she was very quick to inform them, "You are a boy.  It isn't allowed." 

She was so sad the day I left.  There was no way to love her enough to combat her sadness in that short time.  Does she have a special friend every time a team comes?  Maybe, but I won't let go of her tender heart.  I can't.  She needs to have someone continually send her love and encouragement.  She needs to know how very special she is. 

On Friday I sent an ecard to Annet, one of the administrators at Canaan's, and asked if she might be able to show it to her for her birthday.  I received this email back from Annet:

Thank you so much for the card you sent. I looked at it together with Bridget. Ohh Shelli can you imagine Bridget didn't know her birthday. I hope this doesn't break your heart. I dont blame her since they never have anything special here.I am glad she now knows it. Tomorrow I want to challenge her to tell me what special thing she has done for her birthday. In that she will get to remember that day...

It did break my heart.  She didn't know it was her birthday! This sweet, joyful girl, with a cloud of sadness over her heart did not know her birthday.  I remembered she had told me she was born in 2000 and she told me she was 12, but when I got home and looked at her profile I realized she wasn't 12 yet.  Now I understand why she told me that.  Canaan's Childrens Home has 120 orphans that they are caring for.  They are doing well, but priorities lie with feeding and clothing and schooling these children.  As you can well imagine, there are no cupcakes for their birthdays.

hApPy BiRtHdAy

BRIDGET NABAKALU!

 

I call her my beautiful Ugandan daughter.  She calls me "mum."  Today, I will celebrate her birthday.  I will remember and relive our time together and pray again, as I do everyday, that God will open doors and make a way for me to go to Uganda again.  Relationships are being strengthened through our ability to email, fundraising is underway for helping Home Again Ministries with their current needs.  I feel so blessed to be any part of what is happending there.  I long to go back and see what more can be done for my friends and special kids in Uganda.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,

that we should be called children of God; and so we are.  

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  

Beloved, we are God's children now, 

and what we will be has not yet appeared;

but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,

because we shall see him as he is.

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

I John 3:1-4

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Happy Birthday Bridget!  Your mama Shelli in Kansas loves you!

Shelli

P.S.  If you have ever considered sponsoring a child but haven't done it because you'd like to know more and be invovled to a greater degree than just sending a check every month, please let me know.  I have taken on three girls at Canaan.  Two were my special girls I met while there and then I added a third when I got home, but it was a hard choice.  They all need our love and support.  I don't want any to be left out, but I can't support them all! Soon we will have hundreds of Karimojong children needing sponsors to support them attending their newly built school.  More about that later....