An introduction....

Hi! I'm Jonathan.  I'm a 10yr old from Nashville, TN. (Sidenote: I will be 11 in March!)  Some of you may know my mom, Audrea (she's helping me write these blogs! HA!).  She's the founder of Love Feeds, Inc.  Last year my mom went on a mission trip to Bugabo Village, Uganda, East Africa.  Our friends, Christie and George Magera, are missionaries there.  Their ministry is called Ekubo Ministries.  Ekubo is Lugandan for "The Way".  They are helping the men, women, and children of Bugabo in many ways and most importantly showing them that Jesus is "The Way"!!  I love seeing the pictures and videos of the children in the village.  When my mom came back from her trip, she shared her pictures and videos.  I started wanting to go before my mom's trip, but after her trip I have wanted to go even more!

My "resolution" for 2012 is to go to Bugabo Village!!  Some may think that this is crazy for many reasons.  One being the fact that I have severe Hemophilia B.  It is a blood clotting disorder. My blood has less than 1% of factor 9.  That keeps my blood from clotting like it's suppose to.  I sometimes have bleeds inside my joints, muscles, and tissue.  My mom infuses me 3 times a week to prevent bleeds.  I don't have as many bleeds as I use to because of that.  I will not let that stop me!! Hemophilia keeps me from playing football and some other things that are considered "normal".  My mom has taught me to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't! That's really hard for me at times because I do love football!! I have played baseball for 4 seasons though.  I'm determined to not let it hold me back from this trip!! We will take lots of factor (the meds I am infused with through a port) and my supllies with us.  Mom will infuse me every other day.  Most of all, we will have FAITH that God will keep us safe while showing His love to the people there.  :)

I conquered one obstacle that was standing in my waya little over a month ago! See, I am afraid of heights.  So, i've been scared to fly.  I had never flown until Dec. 4, 2011.  Our friend, Sarah, took me on a one day trip to Panama City Beach, FL in order to see if I could handle flying.  Guess what!! I LOVE FLYING!!! :)  I even got to go into the cockpit, talk to the captain, and sit in his chair! :) (see pic below)

So, now we're planning my first trip to Bugabo Village with my mom.  As I said earlier, I love seeing the pics and videos from the village, but some make me sad.  I remember one where a little girl was digging through the trash.  She was trying to find something to play with.  That pic made me cry.  I felt so sad for this little girl.  There have been other pics of the children playing with sticks or bicycle tires.  My mom took a pic of a ball made from trash.  (see below)  Recently my mom showed me an article about a 9yr old girl who helped raise money for a playground for a children's home in Uganda.  This is something I would love to do for the children of Bugabo Village!  A playground is something that we take advantage of here.  There are several playgrounds here in my city that I enjoy.  Will you help me give the children of Bugabo Village a playground??   We will also be taking children's clothes, Bibles, and other things they need in the village.  We will be taking baby formula for babies in need there.  Some babies' moms have died, some moms have HIV/AIDS and can't naturally feed their babies.  Formula is a lifesaver for them!! You can help with any of that as God leads you!  There's a "Donate" button on the left side of this page.  You can donate directly through there.  If you want it to go toward the playground ONLY, please write "PG" in the subject line.  I will also be needing to raise funds for my trip there.  If you'd like to donate towards that, write Jon in the subject or "both" if you'd like funds to be split between the two. :) 

Some of the children in Bugabo Village

The "Ball"

We will keep everyone updated on different fundraisers we do and anything else that we feel led to talk about.  Please Share!!

Thanks for reading!

Jonathan