Hello family, friends & prayer partners

Hello, greetings in Jesus Name...

Dear family, friends & prayer partners

The day arrived, and I was ready to go to the airport. Thanks to Belinda and Johan, who had driven me to Auckland airport. I remember Johan's advice to me: get a lounge closest to where you will board for your flight to Uganda. Everyone was so kind, all telling me where to go, but I still got lost. It was good to see Cindy and Vaughan at the airport of Auckland as well; it was lovely. My flight to Dubai was good; I had a spare seat beside me, so I spread out a bit and slept for eight hours, which made me feel good. However, when I had an 8-hour stopover in the Dubai lounge, I didn’t get the three hours I had paid for. Arriving at Entebbe, Uganda airport was hectic, with people everywhere. My glasses fell off as I reached to pick up my bags from the conveyor belt, and I saw a hand snatch them before I could see where they went. This caused me problems later in the week, as I needed to get new glasses, which cost 300 hundred thousand shillings. Unfortunately, I didn't get the ones I wanted; they were the wrong colour, so I got 50,000 shillings off them.

Finally I arrived in Kampala Uganda, where I will live for this time. I had hired a car to pick me up through Pastor Isaac. His daughter was there to meet me, and we were soon in the van and on our way to their home. It felt very familiar to me, just like China, with its smoke fires along the way, families of three or four on a motorbike, and the noise of traffic and people yelling to make themselves heard over the din. I took a few videos, thinking,

"Yes, I've done this before"

My first week was a big blur with jet lag, adjusting to the culture, and figuring out what food to eat. I didn’t feel like eating much anyway. I slept a lot, missing dinner times, but it was survival mode.

I met Mark Williams and his wife Susan, who work on wells, and talked to them about wells, gaining some good information. As it was their last Sunday at church, they had a Father’s Day celebration, and we were given traditional dresses to wear.

It was glamorous, heavy, and hot; I could not breathe as my lungs couldn’t expand. After several hours, I was so glad to get out of it. We said goodbye to the couple, and Pastor Isaac took them to their motel, leaving me at home with the children for two days.

The Ride....

The transport to the orphanage was quite something: I walked to the church for five minutes, got into the cab of a tip truck with stones in the back. Gloria and I went part of the way, then changed to a motorbike for the rest of the journey. The ride was an experience. The man in front was squeezed up over the tank of the bike, and I had my bag around my neck, hanging between our bodies. I balanced the suitcase on one knee so Gloria could get on first, then we shared it between us.

A gift...

At the orphanage, I met the director and head teacher. They took me around and showed me the facilities. The boys' dormitory was not good: two boys to one bed, sleeping head-to-toe, and not enough beds in total. I saw the security fence around the compound was unfinished, allowing children to wander off during the night. I asked for the cost to finish the fence and prayed; the Lord said to wait a bit. I went through all the classrooms and met the teachers.

The children spoke very good English, and it was wonderful to see how happy they were when the bell rang and they went outside. I took out a soccer ball and kicked it to the boys, who all started running after it. It was so good to see. The director mentioned that this never happens; they usually sit around sad and bored. Even the teachers were laughing, and a few of the men joined in as well. I did the same for the girls, and they all played too. Two people are responsible for putting the ball in the office after school. When the bell rang, we went back into the classrooms and gave out the shoes. It was more orderly this way. Of course, some didn’t get shoes because the sizes were too small, but I gave balloons to those who didn’t receive shoes. When it was time to leave, we returned the same way we arrived, on the back of a motorbike. The suitcase was empty, and we were happy.

Testimonials

“I just wanted to write and tell you about my daughter, one of the babies from China, to thank you, Sandra, for your part in her early life and your tireless work in China and to let you know what an incredible inspiration you are as you share your testimony of dependence on the Lord and His faithfulness to you through your amazing books. We adopted Anna Rose Nov. 5, 2007 at the age of sixteen months as a special needs baby. She had been in the House of Grace for only a few months I believe. You had called her Anne.We corresponded by email just a couple of times. You said she had a hard time sleeping and you would rock her and sing “Jesus loves Me” to her. Anna Rose is now 17. She is on the autism spectrum and is just amazing. The Lord has gifted her with incredible musical abilities. She plays the violin and cello beautifully. She can play long involved classical pieces from memory without reading any music. She learns them by ear. Her ears are extremely sensitive to all sounds. This can be a real difficulty sometimes, but also a blessing to hear and understand music. Anna is also very interested in learning Mandarin Chinese. Her sensitive, observant ears are definitely an advantage in learning the tonal language. Anna Rose loves the Lord. She talks to the Lord throughout the day and reads her Bible daily. Her grasp of spiritual things far exceeds her academic abilities. She has a strong desire to share Jesus. Thank you for your input in her early development. Thank you for your prayers over her and the love you showed her while she was in your home. I have just finished reading your three books. They are so inspiring! What a difficult, challenging, faith-building, exhausting, rewarding, God-ordained and sustained time you spent in China impacting so many lives! I am encouraged to trust God more, expect Him to provide and to share my faith. Thank you for sharing your testimony! I would love to follow your new adventure into Africa. Is there a way to keep up with what you are doing there? What are your needs in setting up the orphanage? Where will it be? May God’s blessing continue to be on you!”

We may make our plans, but God has the last word. Proverbs 16:18

The orphanage is a mixed school and boarding place; the local kids go home. Since then, I went with Pastor Isaac to have a coffee and shared the plans to build an orphanage for future generations. Pastor Isaac will make an appointment for us to go to the lawyers to find out the law regarding a foreigner owning land and what fees are involved. We went to see some land that was for sale. The land costs 19 million; I suggested 15 million, and we will think about it. He mentioned he has other land that is cheaper, so we will see next week. We need to ask people to name the orphanage because we have to register it under a name, and I don’t know what to choose. We need prayers for this. Last Sunday I received a donation from the Church, nothing less than a rooster! So I will enjoy it after a long and slow cooking. I’m blessed I have food!

If you would like to receive newsletters updates you can subscribe to my website or email me.

To learn more about the Lord's work in China, you can order the books by sending me an email, and if you wish I can also include a special note. We will soon have the books available in Spanish as well. All profits will go towards distributing books in various countries to Glorify God.

If you can help with anything or would like to donate to Africa here are the details; If you are overseas you will need the bank address (that you will find below) and Sandra's address, so you can ask for it at her personal email. But if you are in New Zealand you only need the account number. ANZ Bank New Zealand ltd corner of bank street & rust ave Whangarei northland area code 110 Swift Code ANZBNZ22 NAME: SJ KING ADDRESS: Upon request ACCOUNT NUMBER 06-0493-0566562-07 Is for orphanage Last two digits personal is 00 same number

God Bless you, Sandra King