Mission Uganda Day 1-2

Day One
Today began with much excitement.  I quickly woke up for the alarm clock and got dressed and was ready to run!  I cut Brandon's hair, and was just about to get in the van when Kari, my team leader, called to tell me our flight had been canceled. It was due to bad weather in Chicago.  It was a crazy day in the Springfield airport!  Many people were told the only way that they would get out of Springfield and to Chicago was if they were to drive.  Not an option for me.  I HAD to get to D.C. by tonight in order to connect to my Ethiopian Airlines flight in the morning.  I prayed and had faith the God would take care of it. After three trips to the airport, I finally got on a flight out of Springfield!  I arrived in D.C. at 1:30 a.m..

Day Two
This morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at 7:00 a.m..  I met and make friends with Amanda, Valerie and Kari H.. I am getting very excited to get to Uganda!  The flight was a long 13 hours.  Not as long as the 20 hours we flew with Marley.  I sat next to a Japanese Canadian that was traveling t Ethiopia to do Humanitarian aid.  Good conversation.
We stopped in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to change planes.  I wanted to get out so bad!  It's as if I am drawn to Addis!  I suppose I will always be!
Finally, after a very rough landing, we have made it to Uganda.  Just looking out the window, I can see all of Ugandan's beauty!  Hills, mountains, green trees and grass, the lake!
We are staying a Adonia Guesthouse for the first few days.  It's nice and big enough to house all 27 of us.

We have to sleep with mosquito netting because of the high Malaria outbreaks.  I'm bunking with Amanda and we seem to get along just fine.  We are al so tired that we crashed as soon as we unpacked! We continued to walk around like zombies for the rest of the day.

Moses, from the 60 Feet mininstry, came by tonight to give us all the details for our visit ot M1 tomorrow.  There are about 250 kids there, most are boys and most are over 12 years old. I really don't know what to expect.

The things we take for granted

Hello everyone,

This is Brandon again.  As many of you know, Elisa is currently on a mission trip to Uganda.  While she is away, I took vacation to stay home with the kids.  During this time, it has kind of made me think about things.  About how when Elisa gets back, I plan on showering her with love, and affection, and maybe a gift or two.  Not just because I missed her, but because I forgot exactly how much work it is to run a household with a 2 year old and a 6 year old roaming the halls.  And that made me realize that we, as husbands, tend go get too comfortable with ourselves from time to time.

We guys (as in I), tend to forget that it is A LOT of work.  Running this child to a doctor's appt, running that child to swimming lessons, then to soccer practice, or a play group, getting all the meals and snacks prepared, putting the house back together after a day's worth of playing, and clean ups, baths, bedtime stories, bed, assuring them nothing is under the bed to get them back to sleep, and press the repeat button in the morning.  And sometimes doing so without getting anything done for yourself.  Now I know that my wife is a Superwoman in her own right, and she is awesomely great at what she does as a stay-at-home-mom, but getting the hands on experience (in her absence) has opened my eyes even wider than before.  That said, I now have a better understanding of how things are when I would normally be returning home from work.  And those things are my own assumptions.

Before I used to joke to her about "living" on Facebook, and checking emails in the evening most nights after dinner.  This is sort of a light-hearted complaint I hear from several husbands quite often.  Well now seeing the full-on routine of the day, and seeing that my kids have only two speeds:  Pedal-to-the-metal and Sleep mode, there is absolutely no time to sit in front of a computer during the day!!  So now I understand why she runs to check her accounts when I get home, because that is really her first opportunity to catch up on things.  So for that, I now feel silly, and apologize for thinking in my own head that things were not as they seemed.

So in short, I just want to tell her THANK YOU for all that she does and that I do indeed appreciate her.  I also have a whole new appreciation for single parents…….for those of you out there, I applaud you for all that you do.  This is a complicated enough job with two people involved, so I just can't imagine juggling the house, the kid's needs and work by myself permanently.  Just can't begin to fathom it.  So next Tuesday evening, I will be celebrating my wife's arrival back home!  I'm sure she will be blogging soon to share her experiences from the mission trip. Until next time……...

A BIG Thank You!

For the past month, I have been collecting hair goodies for all the sweet girls in Uganda and Ethiopia.  The response has been amazing!  I have collected approximately 770 headbands (that includes regular head bands and headbands with flowers/bows, 1oo ballies, 880 cloth elastics, 90 decorative elastics, 600 snaps, 27 combs, 5 quick beaders, 4000 rubber bands, 6 packages of sidewinders and THOUSANDS OF BARRETTES and BEADS!

I had to remove all the packaging and sort all like items to make packing everything much easier.

This is what YOU helped bring in!

I leave on Tuesday and will be back in mid-June.  I can't wait to share the pictures and videos of girls receiving your gifts.  Thanks so much, I could not have done it without you!

A special Thank You to Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care, Beads Braids and Beyond, and many others who helped me get the word out!  And to Twist Braid Snap for offering free shipping and matching all donations!  CHECK THESE SITES OUT…THEY ARE A MUST!

African Princesses

Do you want to be part of something big?  Do you want to help a little girl feel beautiful?  I am traveling to Uganda and Ethiopia with a team of 30 missionaries on May 31.  We are going through an organization called Visiting Orphans.  We will be working with several ministries and hundred of girls.

Here is where we will be:

• Cannan's Children's Home
• Amani Baby Cottage
• Return Ministries
• My Father's House
• Sixty Feet (The Children's Prison) Currently there are only 14 girls here out of 250 kids.  I want to bless the pants off of these girls and make them feel like queens!

I am collecting all kinds of hair goodies for these precious girls in Africa.  All the girls I will be loving on are orphans. Some have hair and some don't.  My dream is to shower these girls with hair accessories to make them feel beautiful!  Please help me by sending new or gently used hair accessories.  I will be collecting them until May 27.  

Some things that would be appreciated are:

Barrettes

Knockers

Rubberbands

Rat Tail combs

Sectioning Clips

Beads

Lots of Headbands (as many girls do not have any hair)

Here is a video of the last group that brought beauty to some precious girls!

Bows & Bows & Bows in Ethiopia from Kari Gibson on Vimeo.

You can mail these items to:

Elisa Hyman

P.O. Box 280

Willard, MO 65781

Sixty Feet

Sixty Feet is a new and awesome ministry serving children's prisons in Uganda.  Yes, you heard me correctly....children's prisons.  My mission team gets to be the first large team to partner up with Sixty Feet and serve and love on these children!  I'm sure there are so many questions that you have as do I.  I will do my best to share what I know about these prisons and these children.  I have not been there yet and will know much more after returning.

First, the locations and names of these prisons are not allowed to be shared on the internet, so they are referred to as M and M2.  M is for children ages 12 and up.  There are approximately 150 children there and about 140 of them are boys.  M2 is for children ages 11 and under and there are about 100 children there.

The children are in these prisons for many reasons, and I know of just a few.   Many were street kids that were dropped off by the government, to "clean up" the streets. Some are abandoned by there family.  Some were brought in for being disrespectful, and some for crimes.  Most of these children are orphans, not prisoners.

Some of the stories I have heard are just horrific.  I hope that these children will feel God's love through our team!  I just heard today, that the 250 children of these two prisons have nothing to keep them entertained.

I am the Sports and Games Team Captain for our mission team and am in charge of organizing donations with other team members.  If you are local and would like to provide some of the following donations, I would gladly pack them and share them with the children on my trip.

Items Needed

• Soccer Balls (deflated)
• Ball pumps and needles
• Parachutes (for games)
• Beach Balls
• Card games
• Board games (think compact)
• Jump Ropes
• or anything else that you think children 2-18 (mostly boys) would like to play with outside

I would also like to collect new underwear for all ages of children boys and girls!  

Please check out the link of Sixty Feet, and consider the ways that you may be able to help bring the love of Christ to these precious children.  If you are local and want to donate some of these items, please email me at hymanshouse@yahoo.com.

This video will give you a glipse of M and M2

God's Children from Sixty Feet on Vimeo.

Things I've Learned from My Kids

Hello Brandon again!! Making another "cameo" to post this article I wrote recently for Ozarks Marriage Matters News & Notes/Operation Us.  I hope you like it:

Fathering is not always an easy job. I would never, EVER claim to have this thing we call ‘fatherhood’ perfected, as I am learning new tips and tools to use to make my life, and my kids’ lives, better every day. I have learned that my kids have taught me a few things about being a good Dad.


LITTLE THINGS MAKE THEM HAPPY – As much as we love playing video games and watching television, I have learned that my kids especially love it when I get off of the couch or computer and get down on the floor and just play with them. Whether it’s wrestling around with them, playing tag in the back yard, or hide-and-seek, they really enjoy that quality time with me. On occasion, I will pick up a few empty office supply boxes, whatever I can get my hands on from work and take them home. My son and I have a ball building whatever his imagination wants! He likes me to build a wall of boxes and crash through them like the Incredible Hulk!

When I go on business trips out of town, one of my favorite things to do is go to the library and check out TWO of the same book (and one set of two books for each day I am out of town). I give my son one of the books, and I take the other with me on the trip, and I read his bedtime story to him over the phone. He ABSOLUTELY loves this, and I think it helps him feel more secure even though I am not home…..yes sometimes my suitcase gets quite heavy from the extra books, but my son is worth it.

DON’T ASSUME – I have learned that it is not realistic to assume that my children know what I am feeling or thinking if I don’t voice it to them, such as saying I love you. We know our kids love us, but let them hear you say it to them. Confirm it to them, over and over again. If I as a parent do or say something wrong to my son or daughter, I make sure I apologize to them verbally. They likely won’t learn to be genuinely sorry for something if they don’t hear it from you. Just don’t assume, they need to know that it is ok to show and share those kinds of emotions and actions.

THEY WILL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD – I have learned that our children are watching our every move! Meaning that, they take on more of our habits, our disposition and temperament than we believe at times. I have learned that because my son hears me say “Yes Ma’am/Sir, No Ma’am/Sir” (I’m still a good ol’ southern gentleman at heart!) he has no problem saying the same to adults whether I am in his presence or not. My almost 2 year-old daughter hears me say thank you, and she has started saying thank you for everything! My son sees me open doors for everyone, so he now opens doors and holds them for people. He sees me being compassionate and giving, so he mirrors my actions and does the same……in his own way.

I am so thankful that my kids are learning manners, and developing a giving heart. Most importantly, they see me adoring my wife, and being a loving and supportive husband to her. I am hoping my marriage will be a great example for them to follow in the future and help them make good decisions on their future relationships. Whatever we, as parents, show them, whether it be good-natured, dysfunctional, or anything in-between, that is what they most likely will look for as adults because that is what they were exposed to as children. Give them positive examples to follow, and as best as you can, be proactive instead of reactive. It can make a difference.

Spring Break 2011 - Houston

Brandon's has family in Houston, so off we went!  Quite the tour of Texas this trip was!  One of my favorite things to do in Texas this time of year is have a crawfish boil!  Yum!  This year, both of our kids enjoyed it!  Marley wasn't quite sure how to eat it...too funny!  Blogger is giving me a hard time with uploading the pictures so check out facebook.

Brandon and his Mom had a special date night at a Rockets game.  They had great seats and some awesome Mother and Son time!

Spring Break 2011 - Corpus Christi

We always enjoy visiting Corpus Christi.  It is very special place for me and Brandon.  We met in Corpus, were married in Corpus and were baptized together at this very beach!  Miles and Marley loved getting to take a break from winter clothes and play in the sand.  This was Marley's first time at the beach.  At first, she was scared of sinking sand and the waves.  She warmed up to it pretty fast and didn't want to leave!

 

 

 

The most memorable part of our trip was the quality time the kids spent with Mimi and Gigi.  Being raised a Navy Brat, I know what if feels like to not really know your grandparents.  Fortunately, our kids are able to see their grandparents at least two times a year. 

 

Spring Break 2011

What a great Spring Break our family had this year!  We traveled to go see both sides of the family in Texas.  The grandparents and the kids really enjoyed each others company.  I will be posting pictures throughout the week.  We took a tour of Texas, so there are many many pictures! 

Our first big adventure was Sea World!   Almost all of us had on our Simply Love T-Shirts!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we got to visit with the Salyer's again!  Marley got so excited when she saw Ru.  Ru was in the same transition home in Ethiopia as Marley.  Luckily, Ru's mama and me are GREAT friends! Our families have become great friends as well! 

What Does Crazy Faith Look Like?

While I am not the picture of a person that has complete crazy faith, I do strive to grow in my faith.  This past month I vowed not to worry and to have complete faith that God would provide in an amazing way for my mission trip and to exceed my goal and be able to give like crazy.  And He has!
It all started last summer when Kari announced that she was going to be organizing two mission trips in 2011.  I knew that mission trips would play a part in my life, but didn't realize how much God wanted it to be as well.  I emailed Kari and told her that I was interested in possibly the February mission trip to Ethiopia.  Just a week later, I found out that I was pregnant with a due date in April.  That pregnancy was a huge surprise.  11 weeks later I miscarried and got very sick.  As I was grieving that loss and lying in a hospital bed, I emailed Kari back and told her that I wanted in on the June Uganda trip.  She quickly responded with kind words and a "we'd LOVE to have you on our team!"  I turned in my application and deposit back in September and kind of put it on the back burner because it seemed so far away. 
In late January, I received and email telling me that my money would be due by March 1.  The panic began to set in. Really?!  I needed to raise about $3500 in around five weeks?!  During one of our monthly Ethiopian Adoptive Family gatherings, I was talking to another family that has participated in several mission trips.  They were a huge encouragement to me.  We calculated that all I really needed was $100 a day until March 1.  Just $100 a day....I could do that, right?!


The following is how awesome God has been to me in the month of February:

• January 30 - I blogged about my mission trip and vowed to not worry and have complete faith.

• February 1 - I begin to write letters to my friends and family asking them to support my mission trip.  I was reluctant to send them out at first, fearing what people would think. I was reminded by a friend that this is not for me, it's for a mission trip.  I am going to serve, to love on orphans and to raise money to meet needs.  I prayed over every single letter, asking God to open the hearts of my friends and family, making them want to give. 

• February 5-6 - I had my first bake sale at the Army and the Navy's drill weekend.  I prayed over every baked good, asking God to have people want to contribute.  I made around $300 this weekend!

• February 6 - I received my first large check from one of Brandon's co-workers.  I didn't even expect anything like that.  She gave me $100 check and said, "isn't God good?!"  

• February 15  11 a.m. - I was talking to a friend who was asking me about my progress.  I told her about the $900 I had raised.  I was excited until I realized that it was the 15th day.  According to my original goal, I should be at $1500.  I quickly put that fear and doubt out of my mind and trusted that the money would come in.
• February 15  5 p.m. - I went to the mail box and discovered two checks totaling $600!  That put my total at $1500 raised on the 15th day of my fund raising!!! I was meeting my $100 a day goal!  
• February 17 - Discussed the idea of a giveaway with two friends over lunch.  I was reluctant.  They convinced me that it was a fabulous idea and helped me work out all the details!

• February 22 - TWO unexpected refund checks came in the mail ON THE SAME DAY!!! One check may have been a coincidence, two is definitely not!  One check was for something we "overpaid?" and the other was for an overpayment of Escrow on our house.  Seriously, TWO unexpected refund checks in one day totaling $800!

• March 4 - It was the last day of my drawing for the iPad and Touch and we were having company over for dinner.  I decided since they are from Southern California and appreciate REAL Mexican food, that I would grill some fajitas.  I opened the sliding glass door to our back yard and the deck and found an envelope in between the door and the screen.  At first I thought it was a piece of paper Marley had been coloring on.  After I picked it up and saw Africa on the envelope, I squeezed it and thought it might be an adoption or mission t-shirt.  When I opened it, I about fell over!  I thought it was all ones and immediately called a waitress friend of mine accusing her of the generous gesture. She denied it.  After our dinner company left, Brandon was counting it as I was getting ready to end the drawing.  He told me I had been tricked, there were two $100 bills in the middle of all the ones.  Seriously!  Someone left me an anonymous gift of $328!

• March 5 - I drew the names for the drawing and announced that I had exceeded my goal by $1700!  

 If anyone has doubt that God exists, I wish you could have spent the last month in my shoes.  He has grown me so much this past month...I am in awe!  I haven't even left yet, but KNOW that I am supposed to go.  I don't even know how He is going to use me and I KNOW He is going to use me in great ways!  

I hope to continue raising money and items to make an even bigger impact!  I truly believe God is teaching me that if I just have COMPLETE CRAZY FAITH that He will be alive in my life!