Four hundred and eighty days later...

Four hundred and eighty days ago my life was forever changed when I stepped foot on Ugandan soil for the first time. Four hundred and seventy days ago my heart was broken when I came back home to the United States. Forty-seven days ago all my prayers were answered when I got the email saying that my application has been accepted to be an intern for Heal Ministries during the summer of 2015. In about two hundred and twenty-six days I am finally going back…

Do you ever wish God worked like a magic eight ball? I know this may sound like a silly question, but man do I feel like life would be so much easier if I could just ask God a question and then -poof- my answer would magically appear right in front of my face. Well, in case you did not already know, that isn't quite how this whole prayer thing works. As most of you know I have had one thing at the center of my heart, mind, and prayers for over a year now —Uganda. The ten days I spent there during the summer of 2013 were the absolute best days of my life, and I have been anxiously waiting to be able to return since the minuet I stepped foot back in the United States. 
If it had been up to me, I would have been to Uganda and back half a dozen times by now, but it hasn't been. The biggest lesson I have learned since returning home from my mission trip is how the Lord uses us for HIS plan in HIS timing. For so long I have known that God was going to continue to use me to serve his people in Africa, but how and when has been the biggest question. I am impatient. When I get an idea in my head I like to make it happen, but The Lord however doesn't work according to my silly plans. So I have waited, and I have prayed for the day when I would know with all my heart that he was ready to call me back to Africa, and I am so ecstatic to finally be able to share with you friends that THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!! 

During the summer of 2015 I will be working as an intern for Heal Ministries in Uganda at The James Place for a period of about six weeks. For those of you who do not know, I spent time with Heal during my last trip to Uganda and absolutely fell in love. The spirit of The Lord is alive at The James Place and it is more than evident that God is using Heal Ministries to bring the light and love of Jesus Christ to the people of Uganda. Heal Ministries serves the women and children of Jinja, Uganda by providing Christ centered programs that give women opportunities to learn so they can provide for their families. In Uganda there are very few job opportunities for women other than prostitution and brewing beer. By providing these women with English classes and business classes they become eligible to work much safer jobs that also pay more. In addition to taking the English and business classes the women are also required to take a Bible course that shows them how truly valuable they are not only in our eyes at Heal Ministries, but most importantly in the eyes of The Lord. The James Place also provides childcare and preschool for the children of the women of the program. Without child care these women would have no way to attend their classes nor have a job. Lastly, The James Place hosts a Kids Club every week for the children from the surrounding areas as a way to shower them with the love of Jesus while also providing them with a safe environment and some food. For more information please check out 
http://www.Heal-Ministries.org God answers prayers. If there was just one thing I could share with you today it is that. God is faithful and he knows the desires of our heart, but at the same time he knows what is best for our lives and how we can best serve him and his people. And if we let him — he will use us all for amazing things. It is far from easy opening your heart fully to The Lord, but hear me when I say friends— it is so so worth it. I am so thankful that The Lord is using me to serve his people on the other side of the world. I am so humbled to know that He is using me to do such amazing things in his name. But I am even more humbled by what he has done in my heart through the process of leading me back to Uganda. I still have a long way to go, not only in time but also in preparation for my trip. There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to how I am going to pay to get there and my safety and health once I am there. Im not going to lie — I'm scared. But I have faith. I have faith that the Lord will provide and that he has a plan. 

The Bible says in Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I asked the Lord to bring me back to Uganda, and he answered. Now I am asking again for the Lord to provide. I am also asking for your help. I need your prayers. I ask that you pray for Heal Ministries and their work at The James Place. I ask that you pray for my parents, because I know this is so not easy for them to let me do. But oh how I am thankful for their love and support, they truly are amazing. I ask that you pray that provision to pay for my trip comes. For me personally the hardest part about going on a mission trip is asking for help to get there. Unfortunately mission trips are not free, they are actually insanely expensive, and I cannot pay for it on my own. I do not like asking for help, and The Lord is definitely using this experience to humble my heart and teach me that sometimes you just can’t do it on your own. So this is me asking for help once again. If you feel like my mission is something you think God is nudging you to help support I am so so very thankful. I am collecting funds that will all go towards my airline ticket and cost of living while in Africa. I am also selling the most GORGEOUS beaded necklaces made by the women in Africa as a way to provide for their families. I am also willing to do any work I can to earn money to pay for my trip, so if there is anything I can do for you please let me know. Feel free to call, text, email, or Facebook me. I will post all my information down below! Lastly, I ask that you just simply pray for me and my trip. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord will use me for great things while I am in Jinja, and I can not wait to find out what those great things are. 

Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers. I am so excited to begin this journey once again and I cannot wait to finally have my toes in that red dirt once again. 

XOXO, 
Katie 



Facebook- Katie Browning
Cell Phone- 615-322-1536
Email- abrow159@vols.utk.edu 

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