I have recently been labelled. My title is Executive Director of Aggie's Arts. This is the same role that I have been in since the beginning of Aggie's Arts... but it just seems bigger when you actually have the title. Plus, in recent months, Aggie's Arts has made some major changes and has grown tremendously, so I really do have more responsibility than ever before. I am a person who is comfortable in a crowd, comfortable in front of a crowd, and who enjoys being in charge. Of course, these are good attributes for a leader... BUT I know they can also be an Achilles heel.
For this reason, I recently began to pray for God to keep me humble. Soak that in for a minute... I prayed for God to keep me humble. What was I thinking?! You know the old saying, "Be careful what you pray for!" Today I can assure you that I was not prepared for God to answer this prayer. In the past weeks, I have been humbled.
A lot of this has involved Aggie's Arts things, but a lot of my lessons have also involved my family. Today I reached my breaking point. My oldest child, Mattie, has been having some serious problems getting along with her little brother, my youngest. Through the past weeks I have tried and tried to help them work through issues, teach them to respect each other's space, and to love each other well. It feels like we will take one step forward and two steps back. This morning was awful. The yelling was crazy, and I had to break up several physical fights.
By this afternoon, Mattie and I both were in tears. I have to say that I'm not a person that cries a lot. My sweet sister cries at everything... commercials, cards, you name it... she got all the crying genes! Me, on the other hand... You can know that if I'm crying - I am broken... my heart is broken, my will is broken, I am broken. Today I sat on Mattie's bed and cried as she cried. I realized that I have failed her. I have been trying to 'fix' her. And I have neglected to pray. I have neglected to involve our Father. And He has Humbled me today!
Today I am bringing my focus back to Him to restore the brokenness in the relationship between Mattie and Isaiah, and to restore the brokenness in my life. As much as it hurts and I do NOT like it... I am thankful for God keeping me humble. I need reminders that it's not ME that gets things done... It's not ME that changes my children's hearts... It's only HIM that can do all these things and more.
www.aggiesarts.com
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Quarry
Africa. Uganda. Kampala. Slum. Quarry.
Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and has a population of approximately 1.6 million people.
The average annual income of a Ugandan is around $300 to $400.
In the quarry, on an average day a worker can make about 2,500 Ugandan Shillings, which is about a dollar. This work includes leaving your family at home for the older children to care for the younger ones. It includes working in the direct sunlight of the Equator. A worker takes jerry cans (buckets) down to the bottom of the quarry, fills them up with rocks, and brings them out of the quarry. They then begin breaking the rocks down to smaller ones. The tools they use are primitive. No machines. Not even a heavy duty DeWalt hammer.
The slum area where most of the Aggie's Arts ladies live is called Banda. The Ugandan government gave this area to the Acholi tribespeople who were forced from their homes in Northern Uganda by the LRA. Banda sits directly beside this rock quarry. This is why most of the families in Banda have made use of the quarry. In the quarry, not only is the pay nominal, but it is also extremely dangerous. Rockslides are not uncommon. One of our ladies, Mary, has actually lost her husband and her mother in the quarry.
Once Aggie began this ministry and started making purchases from these ladies, it opened up a new realm of possibilites for them. In the five years since we began, our ladies have stopped working in the quarry. Now the ladies are able to stay at home with their families while they work. They are able to take care of their home at the same time they are working with the beads. Now, instead of breaking rocks, they are creating something beautiful! Something so beautiful in fact, that people come from around the world to buy them!
How wonderful that God has done this for our sweet friends! What a blessing it is to be a part of it all! I hope you will come on-board with us on this journey. A journey full of Christ's love. A journey of empowering families. A journey of joy.
www.aggiesarts.com
Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and has a population of approximately 1.6 million people.
The average annual income of a Ugandan is around $300 to $400.
In the quarry, on an average day a worker can make about 2,500 Ugandan Shillings, which is about a dollar. This work includes leaving your family at home for the older children to care for the younger ones. It includes working in the direct sunlight of the Equator. A worker takes jerry cans (buckets) down to the bottom of the quarry, fills them up with rocks, and brings them out of the quarry. They then begin breaking the rocks down to smaller ones. The tools they use are primitive. No machines. Not even a heavy duty DeWalt hammer.
 |
| Sylvia empties a jerry can of small rocks |
 |
| Several of our Precious Ladies |
 |
| Helen demonstrates getting to the small ones |
 |
| quite a rock crusher, huh?! |
The slum area where most of the Aggie's Arts ladies live is called Banda. The Ugandan government gave this area to the Acholi tribespeople who were forced from their homes in Northern Uganda by the LRA. Banda sits directly beside this rock quarry. This is why most of the families in Banda have made use of the quarry. In the quarry, not only is the pay nominal, but it is also extremely dangerous. Rockslides are not uncommon. One of our ladies, Mary, has actually lost her husband and her mother in the quarry.
Once Aggie began this ministry and started making purchases from these ladies, it opened up a new realm of possibilites for them. In the five years since we began, our ladies have stopped working in the quarry. Now the ladies are able to stay at home with their families while they work. They are able to take care of their home at the same time they are working with the beads. Now, instead of breaking rocks, they are creating something beautiful! Something so beautiful in fact, that people come from around the world to buy them!
 |
| Sylvia, Mary O., Grace, and Rose |
 |
| Mary A. showing us her new design of earrings |
www.aggiesarts.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)