Amani Baby Cottage

Hello all!! I wanted to share some of my experiences with you. I can't believe we have already been here 4 days and have been able to experience an incredible amount of Ugandan culture. Today I was able to go back to Amani Baby Cottage, which is a Christian orphanage for babies and toddlers. It is right down the street from Calvary Chapel. All morning I helped take care of the little ones who so desperately want someone to hold on to and love on. They all call me auntie...Auntie Erin. There are a few volunteers there, as well as the African "mamma's" who look after the children. These children have no parents and really no future. Luckily, many of them are being adopted out into Christian homes. I immediately feel a sense of hurt and pain for them and want to take them all home with me! Their smiles and laughter though bring me an immense amount of joy! Being able to play with them so that they feel loved and cherished is enough for me though it's sad to leave them at the end of the day.

This picture is of little Matthew and myself during playtime. It was hard to get a smile out of him, but finally I got him to smile the biggest two-teeth grin while swinging on a swing. Making them feel loved is a great gift to give. Jesus often spoke of His love for His children and wanting us to look after them especially the orphans. Being able to do this half-way across the world is truly amazing, and I would not want anything else than to see little Matthew smile.

~Erin