1 year ago...

At this time last year my team and I were on our way to Uganda! This trip was the most amazing experience of my life, and I'll never be the same because of it! 

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes…” – David Platt, “Radical”

Uganda Team Reunion!!

(So I finally decided to post about the reunion! Now that it's not fresh in my mind anymore, oh well!)

I wasn't sure it would ever happen, but some of the team was able to meet up for Kirk and Bradley's wedding! So we all got to see each other again!  Yay! 

4 of us (Rachel, Rosie, Hayley, and I) met in Georgia. We stayed in Albany (at Hayley's super cute house) for a few days catching up and enjoying our time together, just like old times (in Uganda! Crazy huh?)!

Rachel, Me, Rosie, and Hayley
(Photo by: Hayley)

Then we together traveled on New Year's Eve to Florida. We stayed in a Disney Resort, and I was so excited to actually go to Disney for the first time!

Disney World! Ahhh! :)

That night we went to a perfect little town called Celebration, Florida. They had a NYE celebration, and I'd have to say it was the best ever!!!! The fireworks show was unbelievable, and being there with awesome friends really made it even more amazing!!

(Photo by: Hayley)

The Grand Finale!!

The next day (1/1/11) was the wedding! And was is beautiful and amazing? Yes totally!! And seeing everyone from our trip to Uganda 7 months ago was priceless! We even got a picture! 

Everyone that was at the wedding and in Uganda together this past summer!
(Photo by: Hayley)

Bradley and I
(Photo by: Hayley)

Wedding Photobooth! Us with Ellie!

Then for our last day in Florida we decided to have some fun in Downtown Disney!! And of course shopping at the Disney shops for goodies to take back to our families. 

In front of "Design A Tee"
(Photo by: Hayely)

Me and Buzz Lightyear! :)

Ahhhh Florida! How I miss you!

Then on top of all that, on our way back Rachel, Rosie and I got to meet an amazing family that just adopted a little boy that we met at the babies home in Uganda 7 months ago!!! This little boy is 2 years old and we knew him as "David" then:

Rachel holding him in Uganda.

His new name is Charles Tucker and it was so great to get to see him again, not to mention in the United States with his forever family! No longer an orphan! Melissa (his mom) was so kind to give me some newspaper bead necklaces from Uganda! It was so amazing to get to meet her too, because she was the first one to find my Uganda blog and was able to get me in touch with the other families adopting from the babies home! It has been such a blessing to see the precious babies that we got to meet in Uganda, now with families!! I can't explain it! Other than: God is AWESOME!! 

Here we are with Charles Tucker and his mom Melissa!

Thanks for letting us come by to meet you and your family Melissa!!

Two Year Sponsorship Anniversary!

Wow! Is it 2011 Already!?!

Seriously, it still hasn't really sunk in that it is 2011 now! I just realized today that it is my 2 Year Sponsorship Anniversary!! I had to think about it for a minute and I am shocked that it has been a year since my first anniversary. It seems like only a couple months! But sure enough I looked back in my posts from January of 2009 and found the post I put together last year. So I guess that's the prof I needed! I knew this year seemed to be going by extremely fast, but this truly confirms it!

Last year I posted about how God first opened my heart for orphans and then later led me toward sponsorship. It has been an incredible journey so far. Since then, I have had the chance to: serve orphans in Africa, meet many adoptive families and their no-longer-orphan children, meet many other young adults/families that have the same passion for orphan care/adoption that I do, and see a total change in my life as I seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus instead of living for myself.

And looking back over the video that I made on last year's post I remembered that last year I didn't know there was a family out there for Tristan (at least not yet)! But now there is!!! And he will be home very soon!!! As you can imagine, I am beyond excited for him and his new family!! And from this point forward I shall call him William, since that is his new name!! :)

Here is a link to last year's post (sponsorship video included):

http://sharon-sharonspage.blogspot.com/2010/01/one-year-sponsorship-anniversary.html

Uganda Team Members Together Again!

(Left to Right: (Top:) Kirk, Eric, Jonathan, Bennett, Matt, Dane, Jonathan, Kayley, Hayley, (Bottom:) Rosie, Amy, Rachel, Ellie, Lauren, Me, Bradley, and Amanda)

This time we won't be in Uganda together, (sadly), but about half of us are meeting in Orlando, FL this weekend. Bradley and Kirk (both pictured above) are getting married on New Years Day! I am so happy for them, they are so amazing!! It's going to be so incredibly exciting to get to see everyone again that I got to travel across the world with 7 months ago! I know we will share many memories of our time in Uganda together, and I'm sure we will never forget all that it taught us! 

Something Worth Reading!

Another team was in Uganda this week and you will want to read about it! Wow, God is doing incredible things in the villages of Uganda (where I was just 6 months ago)! Reading about their experiences from this trip has me missing it more and more every day! Check it out here: 

http://www.safeworldnexus.com/blog/

Go

"If the Gospel brought death to Jesus Christ why would we think that in preaching the gospel it would be any less for us?...He says: 'If anybody would be my desciple he must take up his cross and follow me'. If it killed Him to give life to us, and He invites us then to do the same, why would we expect that it would be any less?... So, why haven't people gone? Something to do with gaurding our lives and living a normal life so other people can go?... They are not going to hear about Him usless we go! So would you?... This is voluntary, this is not a sentence of death at all. We're not sentenced to death. We're just privalleged to answer His call."

Win a Mission Trip to Ethiopia!

Check out this wonderful giveaway on My Crazy Adoption. Be entered to win a free mission trip to Ethiopia, and a new "Simply Love" t-shirt on. Pretty awesome or CRAZY!! :)




*Tomorrow starts the Crazy Love blog series. Are you ready?

In Case You Didn't Know...

‎::32 million people live in Uganda.::

::50% of the population is under 15. That means 16 million are under 15. WOW. 16 MILLION!?::

::Only 30% of the children attend school::

::1/3 people don't have access to clean water::

::8 doctors for every 100,000 people. 100,000 people?!::

::in 2006, at least 36% of Ugandans were living on less than a $1 a day::

::Uganda is roughly the same size as Oregon::

::There are at least 2.5 MILLION orphans::

So why Uganda???

WHY NOT?!!!

How could I say "No" to that face? 

(Photo by: Hayley)


I don't even what to think of all that I would have missed!!

3 months ago.....

Exactly 3 months ago today our team was about to board our first flight on our way to Uganda.

 It seems like such a long time ago and the memories are fading more and more everyday. I want to remember every moment about our trip, and I wish that were possible. But, since it isn't I have to keep reminding myself of what I saw, heard and experienced through pictures, videos, and stories from other team members. I'd have to say I learned so much from this experience and I am so very thankful God allowed me to take part in His amazing work!! Now that I have been to Uganda I can say I have seen their hurt, pain, brokenness, poverty, sickness, hopelessness, and loneliness with my own eyes. 

Now it is more real to me and it has CHANGED me!! While we were there we also saw true thankfulness, joy, happiness, and love. The people of Uganda are so different than what we see in America. They understand that God is their provider and he takes care of them, and with that they TOTALLY rely on Him. When any form of hope comes in their life, (weather it be a new well for their village, much needed medication, or some food for their family) they are TRULY thankful, so much so that they may bow down while shaking your hand, and also verbally thank you (many, many, many times). The children of Uganda are so precious and they are constantly full of joy. They were so very thankful for the smallest things (for example: a lollypop). 

Since I have been back several families have gotten in touch with me saying they were matched with some of the sweet babies that we were able to hold, play with, and love on at one of the baby homes. This has been so amazing, I am so thankful these babies will be able to know what it is like to have a family with a mom and dad and even siblings! This has allowed me to see that there was a reason that I felt so attached to the babies at the home, I was able to give some information and pictures to the families about their children, who live on another continent, and who they have been waiting for for so very long. 

This was my first missions trip and first time oversees and I believe it was the best choice I've ever made. It was a HUGE step of faith to say "Yes" to at first, there was a great amount of fear and doubt, and people advising me not to go at all, (but also a ton of positive support) and I couldn't have done it without the courage that God gave me. I can not even tell you how much I miss Uganda and I hope I can return someday! 

Need A Photographer?

If you live in the upstate of South Carolina (or know someone that does) and need a photographer for any reason I have a suggestion. If you click here it will take you to Ashton's photography blog. She is using the money to fund a missions trip (to either Africa or China) to care for orphans. She has a great heart for orphans and missions, and is an amazing photographer. This is a great way to get involved with caring for orphans if you aren't able to yourself for any reason. You will find the pricing details and more about Ashton on the blog.

Uganda Team Member's Photo Gallary

If you would like to see more photos of our time in Uganda, go here. You will find pictures from several different team members, and check back every once in a while to see new uploads. And you can also download any pictures that you want onto your computer, and they will be in good quality.

Video From Uganda!!

Untitled from Sharon Burick on Vimeo.

Leaving for Uganda today!

My bags are packed, and I am leaving in about 4 hours to meet the team in Atlanta! 

We have a flight to London tonight, with some extra time to do some sightseeing in the morning. Thursday night we fly to Nairobi Kenya (a last minute change), with about a 1 hour layover, then to Uganda by Friday. 

Not sure if I will be able to update this blog while I am there, but I will try!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Follow Us to Uganda

Your help has allowed me to serve in Uganda. Now you can see how your gift is making a difference more than 8,000 miles around the world. Check the following websites daily for updates, prayer needs, and photos during our time in Uganda. (Different team members will be posting throughout our time there and after we return).

http://etaala.org/blog/ 
(Etaala International)

www.howwillyouchange.com 
(Safewater Nexus)

And be checking this blog as well. I am not sure if I will be able to update it while I am there, but I will definitely be adding to it when I get back.

In just.....

MORE DAYS,

I will be getting on an

Bound for

to loving on these precious

and children for 2 whole weeks!

Baby pictures from: http://www.lovingheartsbabies.com/pictures.html

4 Months From Today....

I wanted to announce a very exciting opportunity that has come up for me to go to AFRICA!! Not too long ago a friend of mine invited me to go on a missions trip with an organization she has started called Etaala International (please check out the website). Etaala is partenering with another organization called Safewater Nexus (you can click on this link also). Together they have organized a trip to UGANDA from May 26th to June 10th 2010. During our time there we will be volunteering at a children’s village (a village made up of orphan homes), holding precious babies, serving at a local church to put on a VBS for the local children, possibly digging a well, and getting to know some amazing people. I can not begin to tell you how excited I am about this! This will be my first missions trip and my first time out of the country!!

I have always loved children and have always wanted to work with them in some way. I now have an awareness of children all over the world who have no one to love and care for them, no hope for an education, and no family at all. My hope is to begin working with these children, who are, by no fault of their own, orphans. On this trip I will have the opportunity to do just that, and much more.

I also just started a new blog, here is the link: http://journey2uganda.wordpress.com/