Monday, November 30, 2009

Check out our Thanksgiving Newsletter with beautiful photos and stories for all the lastest updates from the ground in Gulu, Uganda!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009












Vanessa


Vanessa pulls her orange skirt over her feet. Her shirt is covered with red hearts. She traces the ground as she cries. Her step father used to call men over to rape her. Used to pimp her and laugh as she cried behind the curtain.

Too small. Legs, too small for her age. She is only seven.

The tears gather in the middle of her pupils and spill down her face like drops of rain collecting on a window. Where is that smile, Where is that smile I love to see. Where has it gone? Started with the small boys and then later, the bigger boys. Used to sleep on a mat in the kitchen knees, to chest in protection but there is no protection for her. Her mother doesn't see her. Her mother beats her when she says it hurts.

I sit and I can't cry, can't cry for fear she will see mama lose all reserve. But as I'm crawling into bed I think of her crumpled frame, knees drawn in, tracing the dirt on the red floor, too vulnerable, too innocent to know what “sleep with me,” means, too young to know the word rape. The only verse as I pray for her that keeps crowding in my head is “the old has gone, the new has come,” and I tell Vanessa she has a new life here with us and I will never let anyone touch her again. I want to keep that promise, I want to keep that promise. I want to...

Later, I see Vanessa in a green dress smiling, laughing as she skips jumprope and tells me she wants to be a lawyer someday. I ask her why...and she says.... "for justice."

And I think...
me too.


You can sponsor a girl like Vanessa receive healing in our home at:
http://www.zionproject.org/donate.html

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Cross-Country Road Trip!!!

Dearest Family, Friends & Supporters,


I'm actually writing this letter from our Toyota double-cabin truck we were just able to purchase thanks to some very generous donors. We are very grateful and are super excited to have some wheels! :)

We're also really excited that at the end of December Tyson and I will be traveling back to the USA to spend some time with our families for Christmas and to do a pretty adventurous road-trip from Jan-March across the States to see many of you! We'll be living out of my little Honda civic so if you have free couches available we'd love to come crash with you.

Our hope is to start out in Virginia (N. Va, Richmond, & Charlottesville) and go south by the Eastern sea-board through S. Carolina, Georgia, Florida and then head West to Texas (Houston, San Antonio & Austin) towards Utah and hopefully if time allows out to California (SF, LA)

We'll be flying back to Uganda with a team the first week of March. Next year will be busy in Uganda so this may be our only time to come home and see our supporters and friends.

So, if you have a church or group you would like us to speak with about Zion Project, a really cool event, photo exhibit, or bead party you want to host, or you just want to hear about our experiences seeing God move in Uganda/you just really love us, please email back and we'd be happy to try and stop in your town. :) Let's try and plan now before the busy holiday season is upon us!

We miss you guys and look forward to any opportunity to spend time with you, bless you, and be blessed by you.

With love,
Sarita & Tyson