525,600 minutes, how do you measure, measure a year?

As of today, I have lived in Uganda for one year. While that may not seem like long to some career missionaries who’ve been around for over 20 years, it is a significant amount of time. 365 days away from my parents and family. 8760 hours missing dear friends. 525,600 minutes without Smartfood white cheddar popcorn (I know, an odd craving that came to me randomly). 31,536,000 seconds lacking high speed internet as you know it.
On the other end of it…that has also been 31,536,000 seconds with the simple eyebrow raise to say “yes”. 525,600 minutes with uniquely creative minds. 8760 hours with irreplaceable children. 365 days of God revealing His wonder in new ways.
Half way through! Wow. I’ve done so much, but there is also SO much left to come. This year will be completely different from what I can tell already. I’ll be continuing to work at Heritage as a 1st grade teacher, living in the same apartment, tutoring people, etc. However, many of the people around me will be different: new 1st graders, new roommate and some new teachers, and the prospect of even some new minds to tutor. I’ll still see many of the children I taught last year sitting up smart in their 2nd grade room with Ms. Margaret, stay in touch with my friends from this past year, and continue tutoring and mentoring people of many different tribes and even nationalities.
The prospect of a new year is an exciting one. I’m ready to get back to work with 5 and 6 year olds. There is such an innocence to their moldable minds. I’ve been slowly preparing as I’ve got a few random teaching help books with games, lessons, dramas and activities to look through and plan out. This has gotten me more excited as I will get into my classroom this coming week to actually clean and set up!
Over the past 2 months I’ve done quite a bit of moving around. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Germany again, meeting my cousin Elizabeth there and traveling across Italy and Spain with her. What an AMAZING BLESSING, which I have yet to share about in detail, brought to me by a gift from a relative. I’ve been at my apartment in Kampala delving not only into 1st grade curriculums (making math games from index cards) for the up and coming year, but also getting into the word of God and stories that have revealed Him to me in new ways. I’ve gotten into my classroom a few times to work randomly, continued tutoring, and have showed some passers-through around this city. I also took a bus out with a friend to visit another cousin, Sarah, who is working in Western Uganda. While I was only gone for 5 days, I had a wonderful time seeing the hospital, living in a small home with a trek up the hill to the squat toilet, and fellowshipping with Sarah’s host family. The land out there is absolutely breathtaking. This past weekend I was up in Northern Uganda in the city of Arua where some great people, Billy and Joanna Coppedge, live. They are fellow missionaries with WGM. They recently had a new little girl, and Billy ventured into neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for an exploratory trip. So, while this was probably the last chance for me to see Arua while they are there, I took the opportunity to help out Joanna with her two beautiful girls, Elsie Jayne and Lucy Mae, both under the age of two. This was also a sweet time of being out of the hustle and bustle of the city and getting to see another side of WGM ministry in Uganda. Joanna is great to bounce ideas off of, so we had many good conversations as we hung out with the girls. I’ve really missed the sight of majestic mountains and the sound of a clear trickling brook living in the city, so this summer has been so refreshing for that!
All of that to say, while I have had a wonderful summer of seeing new things and ministering in ALL sorts of ways, I am ready for the school year to begin. Please pray with me as I get ready that I would be open and prepared for whatever is coming my way as a new term begins.
How has God been ministering to you in these summer months? For that matter, this past year?! I’d love to hear from you all on how this past year has been for you, and what new exciting things are coming up in the next year!
Here’s a quick verse that has touched my heart the past few weeks:
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” –Zephaniah 3:17
Praying you realize this is true in your life!