A letter

To my sweet friends and family,

As you may or may not know, I took my first trip to Uganda this March on a short-term mission trip with my church. While there, I fell in love with this breathtaking country with these beautiful people so full of joy, but also of brokenness. Brokenness partly caused by a war twenty-plus years long, leaving 2 million people displaced and thousands murdered. As a result of the war, Congolese women were and still are being sex trafficked in to Uganda and little girls as young as 6 fall victim to child prostitution. This 20-year war may never end, and these women and children may never know life apart from suffering, but they can know their Creator. 

That's where Zion Project comes in. In a nutshell, Zion Project's purpose is "to walk alongside these women and children as they heal and start their lives again. We are called to love. To love the poor, the outcast, the unloved. To fight against injustice and to spread peace. So we do it, because we’re supposed to. But also because we were made to. And because we love our jobs. Because every day we get to love on a woman or child and see them grow into a more amazing person, and that is reward enough.” To learn more about Zion Project, please visit www.zionproject.org.

I will be traveling to Gulu, Uganda to work in the Rescue Home at Zion Project as a long-term missionary. I have committed for a year but am prepared to be in it for the long haul! It houses 18 girls ages 5-14 who have been victims of child exploitation, abuse, and neglect. They are provided a loving home, education, medical care and a Kingdom-centered environment where they can thrive and learn who they are in their Heavenly Father. My time there will be spent tutoring, counseling, loving on the girls, and spending time in the surrounding communities.

The ways Zion Project serves

•    Help survivors of the sex trade industry heal through counseling and discipleship.

·   Empower these women through alternative employment, such as tailoring and jewelry design.

•    Rescue and protect children at risk of sexual exploitation in our rescue home.

•    Educate the community in an effort to break the cycle through outreach and prayer.

'Why is God calling you to Uganda?' you may ask. Luke 12:48 says: "From everyone who has been given much, much has been demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I have been given so much. I truly believe that every life matters. I believe in stopping for the one. That I was created to love the way Christ loved us. That I can love each and every person He places in front of me because we are all His children. I believe every single person on this earth deserves to be loved and to know His love. And I have the opportunity to do that in His calling me to Uganda.

Here’s where you come in…

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…for the body does not consist of one member but of many." (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12)

You know you are in a God-centered dream when it is literally impossible for you to complete it in and of yourself. I would be honored if you would join me on this journey! I am asking that you would partner with me in accomplishing this goal in one of two ways:

Pray – If you will commit to praying for me, pray that God will provide for me more than I could ever ask or imagine; for a hedge of protection in my travels to, during, and from Uganda; for a steadfast connection and dependence on Him; and for a heart that grows more like His every day to pour His love on the women and children.

Give – My overall cost to live in Uganda for one year is roughly $12,000. If you will prayerfully commit to supporting financially, you can give:

One time gift through my church

(Tax-deductible donations can be made out to Aletheia Church with a sticky note with my name on it- please don’t write my name in the memo): *

Aletheia Church

P.O. Box 2637

Harrisonburg, VA 22801          

http://www.aletheiachurch.com/give

(If you choose to give online PLEASE e-mail me at hhuebner9@gmail.com so I can identify your gifts for me specifically- there are many donations made to the church and I will need to specify which are going to my fund)

           

*Donations made through my church are being accepted until December 15, 2012. Donations sent after that date must be sent to my PayPal account or to my home address.

One time gift directly to me:

PayPal to hhuebner9@gmail.com

or:    Hailey Huebner

        166 New York Ave.

        Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801

Monthly gift 

(PayPal account- these donations are not tax deductible)

Send to hhuebner9@gmail.com

I would absolutely love to sit down over a cup of coffee and chat with you about any questions or concerns you may have regarding Uganda, Zion Project, or my role there! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you will join me on this adventure. 

With bundles of love,

Hailey

Dreams.

 

 

“The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.”

I dream about Uganda. Alot. Little dirt-smudged faces, long fingers deftly crafting paper into beautiful creations, the sweet, smoky smell of downtown. Cries of "Auntie! Auntie!" as our Japanese-speaking bus pulls through the gate. Really appreciating a cold Fanta. Worshiping with the women as they sing and dance. Quiet times spent on the veranda watching women and children alike carry gallons of water on their head. Cherishing time with the Father because there is nothing to hide behind there.

I was only there a short time, but I miss it. I miss it so much I feel like my heart could explode. Sometimes I grow weary at the idea of having to wait to go back. Even more so at the idea of not going back at all. My heart is there. And I know full well that God could change my path and I may never get to return to Uganda.

And that's okay.

He knows every corner of my heart, and I long for my desires to be His desires. And every night, I go to sleep with the faith that He's got it under control. I wake up knowing the day is His. He has me right where he wants me, so for now I will miss Uganda and be grateful for my time there.

He will send me back or He won't, but no matter what, it will be okay.

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." -Hebrews 11:32-40

Love, Hailey

 

 

Worry, worry, worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25

How often do we worry about things? I know I worry literally every single day about one thing or another: if my cats are alright (don't judge me), if I'm going to find a job, what I'm going to wear tomorrow, if and when I'm going back to Uganda, I said something stupid and now I regret it...the list goes on and on. But what is the source of our worry?

A fundamental distrust in God.

A fundamental distrust in who He is, what He's doing in our life, and what His sovereignty. John MacArthur phrases it like this: "The way you handle problems, temptations, trials, difficulties, is a reflection of your view of God. If you understand the Lord and who He is and all His power and all His promise and all His resources and purposes and plans toward you and you also understand that He's always near, then where's the cause for anxiety? What are you going to be anxious about? If you understand that God is sovereign, God is loving, if you understand that God is in control of everything in your life for His glory and your good, if you understand that nothing is beyond the purview of God's control, if you understand that He's orchestrating everything for eternal purpose and you can rest in that confident faith, then you're going to be stable in the most serious times. "

Ohhh-kaayy. Easier said than done, I know. But we have hope in the fact that He is our Father and we can lean on Him. Every day, we wake up, take a deep breath, and say, "Okay, Lord, today is Yours. I trust You to use it as You see fit." He delights in taking care of us. He takes care of the birds in the air, of course He is going to take care of us! What a thought, right?!

On a completely different note, signed a lease for the house today, so excited to live with sweet friends. Our landlord is wonderful, so accommodating and kind.  

The kitchen and living room:

Cute, right? God is good!

Love, Hailey

First blog post wooo! Now, where to start? Weaalll...I originally started this blog to document my journey back to Uganda. Seeing as I'm about to sign a lease tomorrow for a house in Harrisonburg, obviously that's not happening at the current moment ;) 

So, I thought about deleting it, almost did, then decided not to. Why? Because of the title. And let me tell you, I spent a loooong time on that bad boy. Had to be a mix between creative and catchy, right? But, I didn't delete it because encountering love is something we all do every day. The Father's love. Whether you know it/choose to accept it or not, He loves you. Like a die-for-you type of love. 

SO. Sometimes I'll talk about my mundane life, sometimes I'll talk about crafty things (because I am literally obsessed with crafty things), sometimes I'll talk about food and cooking (also obsessed) and a lot of times I'll talk about Jesus :) Sometimes it may be cheesy, it may be silly, but I promise it will be true and I will be honest! 

I will probably also end up talking about Uganda a lot- for those of you who don't know, I went to Uganda a month ago for 10 days and completely fell in love with the place. Like hands down, head over heels, in love. Ever been somewhere that you just knew you were supposed to be there? I never had that feeling before Uganda and I realized that it is home, it is where the Lord is calling me to be. I had applied to go back this summer for a year plus but realized the timing was wrong, so here I am in good ol' Harrisonburg, VA; job-hunting, loving my church community, finally finding a place with two of my best friends and I am excited for what the year ahead holds :) 

Sorry if this was exceptionally cheesy, and I tried to make it as cheese-less as possible, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Love, Hailey