Teachers to Uganda

Last week JoAnna and I had to get our first round of shots.  Boy, there are a bunch! 

Hep A, series of 2

Hep B, seies of 3

Meningitus

Polio

Typhoid

Yellow Fever

H1N1

MMR/DPT

Vericelli

Not to mention malaria pills, and other meds.....so, since I have this fabulous Choice Care Card, and doctor's offices need to have at least Hep A and Hep BI thought I'd check into that.  So...I was told to make an appointment since I haven't been seen in a while. 

Once I got there, I was informed that my insurance would not cover any of the shots because I am an adult and they are elective shots.  Plus since they said I would be traveling, it would definitely NOT be covered. At least they didn't charge me for an office visit.  I think steam was coming from my ears once I left the place.

So let me get this straight, insurance companies would rather I get infected with Hep A/B or the like and treat me for the rest of my life instead of giving me something that will prevent the illness in the first place.  What a head scratcher.:(  Makes no sense.

We ended up getting all of our shots at the Passport Health, the one stop shop for travel.  Well, in our case, it's the three stop shop.  We have to get the accelerated shots for Hep A and Hep B since we will be out of the country on the day we would need to get the booster. 

Total cost for 11 shots per person...........$2,100!  What a rip off! 

I added some pictures of our lovely visit on shot day.  Quite humorous--check them out.

Happy Mother's Day,

As I write this, I am reflecting on how blessed we are to celebrate with moms who have poured in and prayed into our lives.  Then I think about the children of Uganda who lost their moms and grandmas to HIV/AIDS.

It was an appropriate day to share about God Cares School.  JoAnna and I were invited to speak at Crest Community Church on behalf of our mission trip to Uganda.  We shared what was on our hearts and it was perfect timing to recognize those children who need the hands and feet of Jesus to envelope them on our Heavenly Daddy's lap.  The Holy Spirit was there and was moving amongst His people.  It was a chance to let people know that we are willing to be sent and be used by the Lord to impact a little corner of the world for His kingdom.  It is also a step of faith to not only talk about doing things for the Lord, but actually walking it out.....a legacy for our own personal children and students to witness. 

The Lord is using this experience to allow His body of believers to take part in something bigger than themselves, to realize that prayer is powerful, and that any person of any age can participate in where He is moving.  There is not one specific organization "sending" us.  It's a tapestry of new believers, seasonsed believers, young, old, and members of His body coming together to fulfill His purpose.

So what do I want for Mother's Day?  A yellow fever shot and malaria pills so I can continue the quest that He has  put before me. I want the children in Uganda, and all over the world, to feel loved and valued because they have a father in Heaven who delights in them and sings over them. 

May the Lord richly bless you as you reflect on His love for you today and always.

Happy Mother's Day,

As I write this, I am reflecting on how blessed we are to celebrate with moms who have poured in and prayed into our lives.  Then I think about the children of Uganda who lost their moms and grandmas to HIV/AIDS.

It was an appropriate day to share about God Cares School.  JoAnna and I were invited to speak at Crest Community Church on behalf of our mission trip to Uganda.  We shared what was on our hearts and it was perfect timing to recognize those children who need the hands and feet of Jesus to envelope them on our Heavenly Daddy's lap.  The Holy Spirit was there and was moving amongst His people.  It was a chance to let people know that we are willing to be sent and be used by the Lord to impact a little corner of the world for His kingdom.  It is also a step of faith to not only talk about doing things for the Lord, but actually walking it out.....a legacy for our own personal children and students to witness. 

The Lord is using this experience to allow His body of believers to take part in something bigger than themselves, to realize that prayer is powerful, and that any person of any age can participate in where He is moving.  There is not one specific organization "sending" us.  It's a tapestry of new believers, seasonsed believers, young, old, and members of His body coming together to fulfill His purpose.

So what do I want for Mother's Day?  A yellow fever shot and malaria pills so I can continue the quest that He has  put before me. I want the children in Uganda, and all over the world, to feel loved and valued because they have a father in Heaven who delights in them and sings over them. 

May the Lord richly bless you as you reflect on His love for you today and always.

Hello All,

I am writing this on a very full and blessed Mother's Day.   JoAnna was blessed with a monetary gift card.  We thought we would stash it for our trip to Uganda for necessities while there.  When we realized that a fellow sister was in need, we decided to "pay it forward" along with what I had in my wallet.  We saw the Lord do what He does best....He mulitiplied our small gift as we acted in faith.  When we returned home that day, the Lord had multiplied what we had given away 10 fold.  You can never outgive God.    Please continue to pray for our trip...traveling mercies, health, provision, etc.

After 8 weeks of watching calories, doing two a day workouts, my husband Kevin was in the lead for the past 6 weeks.  It was the last week of the competition and the stakes were high.  We both moved to two a day workouts and he even wore plastics under sweats to cut weight (good ole wrestling background comes in handy).  He had lost another 2 pounds that last week.

Out of nowhere, his brother lost 11 pounds that week.  He also had wrestling experience and wore the plastics and sweats in the sauna for an hour.  He even cut out eating.  We thought Kevin would come in second, but he ended coming in 4th place and his brother came in second after his 11 pound loss! 

Needless to say, we didn't earn any fundage from this little experience, but it did give me something else.  My husband and I had been talking about working out together for our entire marriage (12 years people).  We finally had a common goal and we built mutual respect for each other because of it.  I'm not going to lie, my motivation was the money for Uganda, but I got healthy in the midst of this.  I also learned that I'm a little more competitve than I'd like to admit. I like leading a healthier lifestyle and I'm excited about the way my clothes are gettling a little baggier here and there. Altogether I have lost 14 pounds (11 since the official weigh in).  Can't beat that!  Plus I fit into a smaller size dress for my brother-in-law's wedding this past Saturday.

I was pretty disappointed on the final weigh in, but the Lord pulled through, as usual.  There was a big Easter celebration at Grandma's and the neighbor casually mentioned that he had been to Uganda before.  In fact, he was in Kampala.  We talked for two hours, sharing his insight and experiences that he had while he was there.  His information was encouraging because it showed me that the Lord was still in control of this adventure.  In fact, we received support  from other people that surpassed  what Kevin would have won in this competition. We are still several hundred dollars shy, but I know that with God, all things are possible. 

I came across this verse on Sunday....1 Corinthians 16:7 "I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some  time with you, if the Lord permits.....a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me."  I get the sense that this is the beginning of a life-long relationship between God Cares school, it's children, leaders, staff and the work that needs to be done.

I know this entire thing is not of me, but of the Lord.  I constantly have these people on my mind.  I can't shake it and the Lord gives me a little nugget of encouragement just when I need it.  He is so faithful.  Passports tomorrow and swap meet on Saturday!

You can make donations to Shauna Matsumoto or JoAnna Smith memo: Uganda Missions and mail them to 3411 Family Place, Spring Valley, CA  91977

The way this adventure is unfolding is totally the Lord.  JoAnna and I have had people come up and ask us how they can help or fundraise for this expedition.  I don't even know how they have heard about it because, quite honestly, we haven't exactly advertised to the masses (so, what I'm trying to say is that I don't exactly have a huge following on the blog right?)

Ok, so my brother-in-law is getting married April 10 and my sister-in-law Heather had the great idea to do a Biggest Loser challenge to lose those last stubborn pounds before the wedding.  A bunch of us bought into the idea and the prize is $500.  We started January 31 and have had faithful weigh ins every Monday.  Heather is really encouraging and diligent about getting the Leader Board out weekly.  So far my husband is in first place and I'm in third.  Keep them crossed that we can win the entire pot.  That being said, people I work with noticed that I have been passing on all the yummy treats and losing weight (11 pounds to date). When they asked what I was doing, I revealed the Biggest Loser challenge. They took off with the idea and are going to start the challenge at work by donating half of the money to our Uganda trip. How cool is that?

JoAnna and I had great fellowship and food with a good brother and we were able to share the vision of God Cares School with him, his neighbors, and another former parent of mine.  It is so good to get fresh ideas.

I am trying to figure out how to mass e-mail our support letter and stick it on the blog so it's definitely stretching me outside of my comfort zone....but I'm willing to learn.  I'm so techy challenged, but, as I tell my students, we are learning to do hard things and go outside of our comfort zones.  Can you get much further from your comfort zone than Africa?  Stay tuned for upcoming events! Still looking for a travel guru to help book cheap flights and will be hosting a luncheon to share the vision of God Cares School.

I just spent an hour on the phone with Degna Horton of UgandaBuyamba, God Cares School.   She was so helpful in answering my questions like, "What airline to choose, layover possibilities, scheduling dates, what to expect while I'm there, how the school system works, etc." 

It is so comforting to talk to somebody who has actually walked it out before me. Once the dates are nailed down I will get in contact with a teacher that is a long term missionary there at the school as far as what to bring to the "teacher table."  Our focus will be hands on activities, (JoAnna is AMAZING at this) and differentiated instruction to reinforce the concepts.  It's good to know that the lectures are all given in English....I haven't brushed up on Swaheli just yet .  Our job is to observe at first and then come up with ideas to make it come alive. Since luggage will be heavy, we were discouraged from taking heavy textbooks.  We found some great visual/hands on activities that we can take.

I also learned that  about 200 of the students enrolled actually live there so we will be able to spend some time with them both in and out of the classroom after school.  That will be my favorite part

Fundraising continues!  My wonderful sister-in-law Heather is a Pampered Chef consultant and she is currently hosting a catalog show on our behalf through the month of March.  If you are interested in some great kitchen gadgets, please check out the following:

Heather Isackson-Future Director 619-820-9900

heatherlynni@hotmail.com

www.pamperedchef.biz/heatherlynn

 You Are Invited to my Catalog Show-Fundraiser Honoring My Sister In Law Shauna and Her Mission to Africa!

Simply Place an order by phone, email or text me an order or  visit my website under Host Name:  Uganda God Cares School and 15% of the Show'sproceeds will go towards this fundraiser, Plus 20%of my  commission will be added.

See All New Spring Products with Pictures & details below or visit www.pamperedchef.biz/heatherlynn to view and shop the entire virtual catalog or shop by category.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer....still waiting for a dry weekend in San Diego so we can have that monster yard sale!

Today was a great day for fellowship, food and fundraising.  JoAnna and I were invited to share our vision of going to Uganda through a Blessings Unlimited Home Show via our good friend Codie Brenner. Blessings Unlimited has beautiful inspirational gifts for your home or office.  If you are interested in checking out their products, visit her webpage at http://codiebrenner.blessingsdirect.com. She will be closing out this show on Wednesday, February 24.  Please let her know that you would  like the purchase to go towards the Uganda trip.

We gathered at a beautiful home where we got to share our hearts with a few close friends. JoAnna brought a valuable object lesson.  She had a used up plastic bottle which she brought from the side of the road.  She made the analogy that the kids in Uganda are kind of like the bottle thrown to the side of the road....some view it as trash, but the Lord sees it having redemptive value. Just like each one of us. There are places where we feel neglected or lost, but the Lord sees the finished product and delights in us always.Zephaniah 3:17 "He will take great delight in you...He will rejoice over you with singing."

I was encouraged by the outpouring of love and prayer.  Codie's way of contributing to our trip is by donating all profits from the show to the trip.  We were blessed with $200 in donations on top of that!  Wow.

If  you have a great idea for a fundraiser, please post a comment.  The next obstacle we face is airfare....which airline, airport, travel route, etc. If you have airline miles you would like to donate towards a ticket let us know.  If you are a seasoned traveler and have some helpful tips for us, we'd love to hear your comments and suggestions to help us get the best rates.  Time is of the essence here!  May the Lord richly bless you.

It's the second week of planning, trodding, experimenting and growing!  The Lord has been faithful to have people come forward and use their talents and fantastic ideas to help make this vision become more of a reality. 

We have been blessed with the creative minds of so many wonderful people who have been down the mission trip path before and a supportive family that have been donating clothes and other items for a massive sale....donating the benefits to our cause.

We will be planning a yard sale in February.  If anybody has the urge to purge that ugly Christmas sweater from Aunt Eunice or bowling ball from Uncle Buford, please give us a holler so we can take it off  your hands.  Just send a comment and we can connect for a drop off or pick up.

One of the needs of Pastor Dongo's teachers is teaching materials.  Well....it just so happens that Education Corner in La Mesa is going out of business and closing its doors on January 31.  All things must go.  If you would like to swoop down on some great deals and want to send that in our suitcase of goodies for the teachers, just stop by 8320 Parkway Drive, La Mesa, CA (619) 463-1403.  It's a win-win situation....you'll be helping out  the owner by buying up merchandise, and you'll be helping out teachers who have next to nothing to supplement their current curriculum.

Next goal....nailing down a schedule and getting flight info for cheap!  Stay tuned...