Made With Love

Florence surrounded by the gifts I brought for her

When I went to Uganda in 2011 I had no idea what to expect.  We were asked to bring items to be distributed to the Compassion Sites we visited as well as things for our Sponsored Children.  I filled bags with crayons, stickers, gum, candy, bandaids, journals, markers, shampoo and soap.  I made photo albums for my girls with Bible verses mixed in.  I crammed two very full backpacks into the largest piece of luggage I owned and though I couldn't possibly fit anything else in them, I just knew I was missing something that would benefit the families of my girls.

This time, I'm taking a different approach.  Yes, I will cram as many art supplies, toiletries and goodies as will fit in my luggage, but for my girls I decided to make things a little more personal.  I'm most likely never going to see Florence again (she ages out of the program the week after I'm there) and though I pray I will see Specioza at least one more time, there are never any guarantees...2 trips to Uganda in 3 years is already more than I ever thought I'd be able to manage.

Specioza unloading her backpack of goodies

My roommate from the last trip, Ashley, knit a blanket for her boy, Joseph.  And I was impressed.  Material objects, though necessary to some extent, never compare to handmade items, literally woven with love. This time, I decided to knit my girls each a blanket.  Much to their dismay, they are going to be purple...my favorite color.

Back when we were standing with our feet in Lake Victoria, I asked the girls their favorite colors...orange and red.  When I told them mine was purple they looked at me like I'd grown a third eye.  "Why?" they asked, with furrowed brows.  "Uh, well, it makes me happy...it brings joy to my heart...I think it's pretty?" Was that a suitable answer?  I'd never had to defend my choice of favorite color before.

So, there it is, I'm making blankets for my girls in my favorite color, not theirs...but only because I already had a ton of purple yarn.  I'm knitting just straight knit stitches with a double strand...it's moving along quite nicely.  I've used almost 6 skeins so far and I'm about halfway done with the first blanket.

The first blanket...so far

I'm just looking forward to giving the girls something made with my hands, with love, for them.  A personal item that will hopefully show my girls that though they are far away, I think about them daily.

If you'd like to help support me in my journey to Uganda I would love prayers and if you're compelled to give a financial gift, the money will be used to cover my travel expenses as well as purchase items to be given to the Compassion sites I'll visit.  If you'd like to donate items, email me for a list of what is recommended.

To learn more about Compassion or to sponsor a child, click here.