Graduation:

I cannot believe graduation is so close - just five weeks away!! AHHHHHH!!! I am feeling a mixture of excitement and nervourness. It will be so sad and wonderful to mark the end of this time in the Institute, but also somewhat nerve wracking as I ponder...."what next". To be honest, my future in unclear. There is a lot of praying and talking going on and we will just have to wait and see what happens. But that being said there is one clear plan in action - after graduation I will be heading to Kenya to visit the Fergusons!! YAY!!!
www.fergusonfourblogspot.com

Then.... back to the States - yes I will be back in Orange County around the middle of June. I look forward to seeing and visiting with everyone. And I must admit the idea of a hot shower and power sounds so luxorious :D

But in all that I would like to ask for prayer. Pray that the Lord would reveal His plan. That it would be clear. That He would confirm or close this path.

Thank you everyone!

Blessings and Love
Helen

Update!

Prayer Requests:

• POWER!!!! We are really struggling in this area - the last outage was for over a week. It is inconvenient because of keeping food and computers and phones, but most importantly we cannot run our well. When power is out we have to go to boar holes to fetch water. It is not the end of the world, but is hard with so many people fetching water and intermitent rain.
  
• Physical protection - I have been battling inestinal parasites and have had a few falls. Also, we are going to be traveling a bit this week.
  
• Children - our kids just finished exams and will have their last week of classes this week. They will be on holiday for a few weeks. Pray that they use their free time wisely.

Mini Update:

Institute =

• Just finished "Child Training"
  
• Will be visiting other ministries in Uganda this week (Bethany Village, Watoto, Compassion, etc.)

Sponsorship =

• We finished letter writing with our primary students last week and will be working on Seconday students this week.

Family Group =

• Students are finishing first term this week
  
• Family will be going to YWAM camp in Jinja next week (however I am not able to go along with them as I am in class)

Updates

Hi everyone! I miss you all. I am struggling with keeping in touch and I am sorry for that. Power and internet access are a bit of an obstacle, but I must admit that I have not been making it a priority. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers daily!!! Thank you for your prayers and messages they mean the world to me.

I thought I should share I am having a bit of a hard time these days. It is hard to think that as I am surrounding by beauty and joy everyday, but things have just started to dig deeper into my own sins, relationship with the Lord, others, and future. I know that God is in control and trust in what He has planned and is doing.

Thank you again. I miss you all!

Love
Helen

Jinja

Last weekend we had a break from institute and headed off for a few days in Jinja. It is a town situated on Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile River. It was fun and very beautiful.

There are many spots labeled "the source" of the Nile, but this one seemed the most convincing. Although the picture does not seem very spectacular. Our guide took us out to a very ( I emphasize "very") small island and showed us this spot where the water was turning. He said that there had once been a big waterfall that water from Lake Victoria spilled over into the start of the Nile. This is actually the spot that William Speke claimed as the source.

Saturday

I thought I would share about Saturdays here. While in the States I would live for sleeping in and no schedule, Saturdays here are the hardest and busiests days of the week.

Typical Saturday:
8 am: Wake Up - Breakfast - Get Ready
9 - 11 am: Wash Clothes (by hand)
11 - 12:30: Other cleaning (pit latrine, sweeping, fetching water, etc)
1 pm - lunch
1:30pm - off to the village market (half hour walk to get there)
4pm - visit family group (play, garden, homework, etc)
6 pm - Dinner
7pm - Family Group OR Visiting with Friends

The funny thing is Saturday that I still look foward to Saturdays even with the extra work.

Institute Kitchen Staff

Auntie Florence & Jonathan
Betty & Mama Jane

The Tour Continues - Neighbors

Josh
Mike & Rachel

Edwin, Angela, & baby Edna

Kierstin - My Roommate!

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKKI!!!

Start of the Tour

Bathroom AKA Pit Latrine

House/Banda

Panorama View of the Institute

**More to Come**

Video

The video is coming!! By the grace of God and His blessing upon power, my computer, and the internet connection it will be soon. I have been loading for hours...no joke....gotta love Africa.

February

Greetings everyone!

Things are going well. The kids are back in school for the new term, it rained last night (Praise God - this is a wonderful treat in the middle of dry season) and I was finally able to get strong internet access today! :D

We are battling a bit of problems with power and water - so prayer would be greatly appreciated there.

I have made a movie of things here - but after waiting 40 minutes for it to load I accidently deleted it :( Since I am running out of power I will have to try again hopefully tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers!! I miss you all so much!!

Only in Uganda Moment:

(other than waiting 40 minutes for a webpage to load)

Harvesting a field of maize by hand! Last week everyone gathered to help harvest our community supply of corn! Such fun!!

Apology:
Sorry for the lack of posts! We have been having a bit of trouble with power and to get a good connection to the internet I have to venture out into mosquito territory. However, I am trying to get up early to work on things :D

What is new:
This week is "Envisioning Week" at New Hope. Every January the staff comes together to regroup for the new year ahead and reflect on why we are here. It has been an awesome time so far with some great speakers and incredible worship.

Fun Story:
I killed a giant cockroach last night! I was heading to the bathroom and when I opened the door there he was....but not for long. I think my fright fueled the killing blow to him.

** Stay tuned for a tour of New Hope*** Hopefully coming this week!!

Week One

Home Sweet Banda

Well I have been here for a week and it has been quite busy. I met my roommate, Kierstin, in London as we headed on to Uganda. We arrived at New Hope last Sunday and started settling into our new place. It has been a bit of work, but it fun to see the progress. Class started last week, we are 21 students in total ( 9 westerners & 12 Ugandans). I have developed a cold and have been struggling the last few days but hopefully will get better soon.

Only in Uganda moment: I was just passed by a group of 5 boys pushing tires for fun!

I AM LEAVING TODAY!!!!!

8:35 pm flight departs

Luggage - Check

Passport - Check

Tickets - Check

Chocolate - Check

Awesome Friends & Family Supporting Me - Double Check!!

Bye, Bye Brownie Bash

"Last chance" to say "Bye, Bye" to Helen Parks before she goes to Uganda

When: Stop by anytime between 7:00-10:00pm Tuesday Night

Where: 219 West Utica Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 ("UMC")

Activities Include:

> "Guess the weight ... of the luggage"

> "Bye, Bye Brownies" by Katie & Nikki

> An opportunity to give last minute travel advice, prayers, & hugs for Helen

RSVP: Give your name and a brownie count to helparks@yahoo.com

Merry Christmas from Colorado! I am spending some time with my family here in Colorado Springs before heading to Uganda next week. It has been an amazing time of spending time with the Lord and family. Also, lots of fun, snow, and yummy food! I hope you all have had a blessed day and season!

Merry Christmas from Colorado!

When do you leave?
Wednesday December 30th!
How are you feeling?
Every emotion possible...excited, nervous, happy, sad, thankful ... everything!
What will you be doing?
I will be training at the New Hope Institute of Childcare & Family and serving where needed.
What's the weather like?
When I arrive it will be summer, so hot and dry.
Is there anything you need?
Prayer...Prayer... and more prayer! Also, I have have raised my startup support for the first six months, but now need to work on monthly support.
Will you have internet access?
Yes! It will definitely be slower and more sporadic, but stay tuned for updates, stories, and pictures!! I am very excited to share the journey with everyone!

Praise Report!

• Injunction put on British Airways strike!
• Hotel in London layover booked!
• Plan set up for logistics when land in Uganda!

Thank you all for your prayers and support!!

Prayer Please

So as the time draws near things just get crazier and crazier. I am working on logistics for travel and arrival in Uganda. There are few things that I would greatly appreciate extra prayer for:

• British Airways Cabin Crew Strike
• Layover in London Hotel
• Arrival in Uganda -transportation to New Hope

Thanks!!