Jean's Joyful Journey

"A,B,C, easy as 1,2,3..."

2011-04-18T13:08:00.003-04:00

As I become more and more experienced in teaching English as a Second Language students, I think I get more frustrated with the English Language. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE teaching kids how to read, but there are times when you feel like a fool.

There are many sets of rules. And there are exceptions to all of them!

I tell you, I would not be able to learn English if it were not my first language.

For example:

-A rule states that if there is an "e" placed at the end of a CVC pattern word (like mat), then the "e" tells the first vowel to say his name (making the word mate). However, try doing that to the word "have". It doesn't work! But...if you add the word "be" in front of "have" and you get "behave", where the rule does work! There are many other exceptions to this rule sadly, but it works so well many of the times.

-the word pronounced "so" has 2 different spellings, so & sow. Why not soe also...just to throw it in there? and then there's the mix up of that simple word, "so" and why the end does not sound the same as the word "do"...noo....that would be "doe"!

-as I am trying to teach the difference between the "ch" and "sh" sound...the kids come across the word "chef"...need i explain?

-why is it that when the letter y is at the end of a word it has to make different noises? eg. why & really

-...and then there's words like "weigh". now really...why not just simplify and make it way???

I am so appreciative of the simplicity of Swahili and how easy it is to read, even if I don't understand everything! There are no weird spellings, everything is exactly how it looks! So if you are reading this and understand everything that I am writing, count yourself blessed!

Math on the other hand, is quite easy for my newest student. After entering my class one week ago, knowing only how to say "hello" in English, he is fully capable of competing with the other children in addition problem games and can figure out patterns and number sentences quite simply. At least Math is a universal language!

"Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon his shouldersrs

2011-04-10T08:55:00.005-04:00

I think I have a new favorite sound. Every time we have Communion at KIU, right after people are told to drink the "wine" there's a steady clinking sound. It's people placing their cups back on the desk in which they are seated! I know it might not seem like a special sound, but each time I hear it I smile, and with hundreds of these tiny cups being placed on wood, it's so symbolic. The wood brings a whole other aspect to the picture- in a sense, we were the ones nailing Christ to the wooden cross. It was our sin that held him there, just as the great hymn "How deep the father's love for us" affirms. We are the ones whose blood should have been shed on that wood. But Christ took that for us. Each one of those cups stands for someone who is accepting Christ's sacrifice and willingly saying "Lord, help me, a sinner". There's such beauty there.

"I never leave your hands, Your hands that shape the world are holding me, they hold me still..." ~JJ Heller

2011-04-10T05:42:00.011-04:00

Friday Heritage held their annual International Day at school. During the day classes did various activities to celebrate differences in nationalities. Last year 1st grade discussed farms around the world. This year we discussed clothing. I had a few different centers set up. One group colored in fun outfits of kids dressed up in their cultural outfits (including India, New Zealand, China, Native America, Scotland, etc.). Another group worked with Miss Agnes to look at actual clothing and jewelry from around the world. I took the last group of kids around the campus and we collected things that Adam and Eve might have used to make their clothes after eating the fruit. The kids had a blast glueing huge leaves onto paper to uniquely make a dress, a top & skirt, and lastly a pair of trousers and shoes.

That night, we had our International Dinner! Parents and Teachers brought in all sorts of food for hundreds of guests. Everyone also dressed in their Cultural dress. After eating, each country had the opportunity to present something. I was asked to sing the American National Anthem. Some Canadians taught the gist of Hockey. The Indians spoke of the World Cup Championship. The Germans sang. The Koreans did some hard core Taekwondo. Overall it was a huge hit and a beautiful night!

This week I got a package slip in my mailbox at school. I was very excited to be getting a package, so Saturday morning I woke up early to go into town to pick it. I began walking down the road to find a matatu going towards town. I found one going the opposite way, but knew that it would soon be turning to go back to the taxi park, so I hopped in. As we were going along, I noticed that they were letting everyone out, but no one else was getting in. I didn't say anything, and was happily sitting in the front seat so that I could get out if I needed to. Soon it pulled off to the side of the road and the driver told me to get another taxi. Apparently it must have needed some maintenance. I eventually got another matatu and went happily into town. Right before we got to the taxi park we heard a huge explosion and the man next to me ducked down into my lap. With hearts pounding we soon realized that the matatu in front of ours had their back tire explode. Praise God everyone was safe! We slowly pilled out and made our way to our various locations. I quickly walked up the hill and made my way to the post office. I asked around and finally found the window to pick the package. I handed them my slip and drivers license, then they went into a back room and quickly found it (shockingly). Then I signed some papers and they gave me back the license and package. Turns out it was from my dear friend Jill who taught Grade 2 last year! I had a meeting with someone in 2 hours which was somewhat downtown and had to find something to do. I started walking back towards the main road and remembered that Nakasero market was somewhere near by. Nakasero market is the fruit and vegetable market downtown. I'd never been before, but heard that you could get really unique things there, and normal things for super cheap. I found my way down and walked along the outskirts as people tapped me and whispered in my ear and called out mzungu. I eventually stopped at a stand as I was making my way deeper into the market and bought some okra, cauliflower and french beans. Then I started seeing strange things. Some looked like green fingers, others looked super juicy. At one stand I saw something that looked like miniatrue apples. I asked the woman what they were and she told me that they were indeed apples! I asked if they were edible, and she said yes. I asked if they were sour, and she said no. So, for about 40cents I bought a bag of about 12 of them. I had been seeing grapes, which for 1 kilo in a supermarket would cost you no less than $13, and the deeper I got into the market the lower the prices I was finding. Finally I found one who was offering them at 8,000/= (~$3.25) for a 1/2 kilo! Imagine. Less than half the price than the supermarkets! So I bought a few boxes for different people and continued to make my way out of the market. After being grabbed and hugged a bit too closely a few times I got out and made my way back toward the taxi park. I decided to stop in the supermarket along the way to check out the prices there of the food I'd just bought a few blocks up, and grab some snacks for the week. Happily situated, I boarded a taxi going back to the part of town in which I live. Unfortunately, it wound up turning a direction I had not expected, so I got off and made my way to the boda (motorcycle taxi) stage. It seemed my regular boda driver from that stage had been waiting for me. As I got closer, he hopped on his boda and motioned for me to get on. I got home, dropped my things, then headed back out to meet a friend. A few hours later we had worship practice at school. It was a blessing to sit with fellow believers and prepare for Worship night, which will be held on Maundy Thursday. That night my roommates and I headed home, prepared dinner, and watched a movie, then headed to bed.

This morning I woke up early again, this time to go to Church. I took a boda there, hiked up the stairs and enjoyed watching my friends dance their hearts out to African Music on African Sunday wearing their tribal outfits. It was a blessed service with communion and a great message. After greeting a few friends after church, I picked up a drum, hiked back down the stairs, up the hill and crossed the street to the Palace (the house that is used as a sort of community center for the KIU church which I attend) . As I opened the gate to the Palace I braced myself in case a herd of children came at me. Luckily because I had the drum in hand, only two pounced on me. I put the drum by the garage and walked back down to tent for Sunday School. It started out well, despite the lack of chairs this week, and even as I activly told the story of Balaam's Donkey, many of the children listened intensively. Some of the kids were able to act the story out to re-tell it even. However, the little ones started to rile the others up, and before I could start the game, we had to stop Sunday School all together. The other teachers were not there with me, so it was hard to control children who don't speak the same language. The older kids tried to help, but things went down hill fast. By the time I told the children the game was canceled a few other teachers mingled in. We told them that next week if they want to play a game they need to listen to the rules and behave. The kids left sadly, but as the teachers stood around to meet, they all came knocking at the gate again wanting to come in and apologize! How good of them! The came in a squatted and one by one stood up and said "I am sorry. Please forgive us." It was so cute. I just pray next week when they come, they won't run around like wild animals picking things up and throwing them or running away. I was pleased to see that they had learned not to beat each other from the Bible story at least (it's really a great one- check it out in Numbers 22).

I walked home, partly with some of the other teachers, then on my own. I was even greeted by someone who used to attend Sunday School with us while walking on the road. It was a beautiful morning until I heard someone calling out to me. I usually try to ignore people calling out to me, as I get a lot of marriage proposals and "hey babies". I've felt convicted lately of not showing enough love to the people around me, so I decided to stop and at least say hello. Apparently a bad move. Soon the driver was out of his car following me, asking for my phone number, e-mail and physical address. I tried to explain to him that I am not allowed to give out that information to people I do not know (it's true, I'm not), but he just didn't get it and kept following me. I lovingly told him that I am happy to greet him when I see him on the street and pray for him, but that I can not help him any more than that right now. He still didn't get it. At this point I just tried to ignore him and I ducked off into someone's driveway. I waited there probably 5 minutes until I finally heard the car start and it drive away. I waited another minute and peeked out to see that he was indeed gone. I arrived home safe and sound, and thankful that I have a guard should that man have continued to follow me home.

I do so love the people here, but being a single white girl gets a lot of unwanted attention. Praise God for his perfect timing and wonderful protection. Some of the events of my weekend might seem a bit scary, and in a way they can be, but I know that no matter what is going on around me, I am in God's hands. And right now, I'm right where he needs me, and thankful for His love that he gives us, to give to others. For the next few hours I shall take some much needed alone time, then have a prayer meeting and host someone for dinner.

So, if you've ever wondered what a weekend looks like for me, there's a pretty good snapshot.

Below you will see my roommates and next door neighbor with things not normally found in Uganda:

Christina with Oreos!

The tiny apples I got at Nakasero Market!

Karli enjoying the apple! It really did taste like an apple, but was super sour.

Jessie with Ice Cream!

Emilee with Ritz crackers.

Me with the grapes I got at Nakasero Market! They are SOOO good :)

"I walk the dirt roads of Uganda, I see the scars that war has left behind...every child in Africa is Yours"

2011-02-17T01:28:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow are Uganda National Elections. To you, this may not seem like a huge deal. However, if you know African history, there is SO much behind this type of event. People are asking so many things. Will we turn out like Egypt? Will people riot like in Kenya?

The facts: The current President Museveni has been in power for 25 years and is campaigning for another 5 years. People who were alive during "the wars" are afraid of change- they've seen so much bloodshed and are afraid that someone new might bring more. Museveni has kept the peace in Uganda. There is still corruption. People go up to the booth and fill out a paper, then walk away with the paper and put it in a box. Sometimes people will walk up to voters as they vote to persuade them otherwise. Many people are too afraid to leave their homes to vote. Most of my friends are stocking up on food to last them a few weeks. Schools are required to close for the election period, but Heritage is closing from February 16-23 (elections are the 18th). WGM Uganda is on lock-down until further notice.

Titus 3 tells us to "remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men."

Please pray for peace. Pray for rationale for everyone involved in the elections, as well as for the people of Uganda and the surrounding nations. Pray that as God is ALMIGHTY, He will choose the person who is most gifted and is a perfect fit for what this nation needs.

As I walk to school in the mornings, I can't help but look around in amazement as life unfolds before my very eyes. God's glory is revealed to me in new big and small ways each and everyday. Women slowly emerging, wrapped in their kitenges getting ready for the day. Old men already hard at work hammering rocks. Children rubbing their eyes as they dress in their uniforms and sleepily walk the long road to school, brooms in hand so they can sweep the classroom. The sun slow emerging over the mountainous rocks in the quarry. Chickens running wildly across the road (yes, i still laugh at this)! I wonder how I could ever leave this place. Yet, as we have it, my time is coming to a close in Uganda...for now. In June I am planning to return to the NJ/PA area in search of a job, masters program, and most of all, time with friends and family. Your support has meant an exorbitant about to me over the past few years. I have felt your prayers, and I continue to ask for them through these elections, the last term of school here, and as I look to re-adjust to a life in America. It's a great comfort to know that my steps are ordered by the Lord, and I hope that you find comfort and truth behind that as well!

As always, I would love to hear any prayer requests and updates from you! Philipians 4:6 famously says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." What are your requests????

I don't care to much for money, money can't buy me love -Beatles

2010-11-09T10:07:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago I finally attended a Wedding Meeting for friends at KIU. I'd been asked countless times to go to one of these weekly meetings for several different people I've known getting married here. In Kenyan culture at least, people in the community give money to couples to pay help them pay for their weddings. Because people are here in University, they don't really have neighbors from their village giving as much. So, there's a wedding committee at our church! It's actually a really neat idea. People help each other out so much here. They help them make arrangements, and they organize transportation for people to travel to the wedding and where people will stay, etc. I'd honestly been avoiding the meetings, not knowing what to expect. I finally went one week and was SO pleasantly surprised. I had a blast! Incredibly confused at first, but thankfully one of my friends was sitting next to me happily explaining what was going on. It felt more like a sort of auction than a meeting...but there wasn't anything being auctioned. First off, the seats were full, but someone said "I will sell my seat for 500UGX (~$0.25)" as I was walking up. They told me to sit down and put 500UGX in the bag that was going around. People kept calling out what seemed like nonsense to me. Things like "minus 1kUGX (~$0.50) Becky's account" and "give me 200UGX (~$0.10) to feel if there's anything inside of this box". Basically it's just a time to goof around in a fun way to raise money for someone's wedding. I finally figured most of it all out, and decided to give it a try. I called over the moderator and told him that I was putting in 1kUGX for everyone to stand up. Luckily Harrison did not announce that I was the one who did it (though my friend Ivy was the one who told me that was one thing that people do say) because people were not too happy that they all had to stand up. In order to sit down, they all had to pay 200UGX. Ivy looked at me and said something like "who did that???" I just stared at her and finally she figured it out. HA. By the end of the night I was just sitting there cracking up at the things that people were saying and doing. On the way out they just ask that you would give whatever you want into the bag. That way it's much more secretive as to who gave what, which I very much appreciate as a person who strives to not let my left hand know what my right hand is doing. If on the off chance you ever have the chance to attend one of these meetings, I would highly suggest doing so. It's great entertainment and you are not put out too much.

"It feels like chaos, somehow there's peace" -Sanctus Real

2010-10-20T11:58:00.003-04:00

This past weekend a group of teachers from Heritage loaded a van to the brim to venture into the bush. Literally, I walked through the bush- they even called it that! The reason? We were asked by a local pastor to go to his village. While there, we encouraged a local women's group (mostly widows or HIV+), preached in church, visited homes, fetched water and carried it back on our heads, played with the children, and trained some nursery school teachers. At the school there are 78 students and 2 teachers! And these are not teenagers. We're talking about 2 year olds who still have not been potty trained nor do they have the ability to talk. Grant it, there are many who can talk and are well on their way to knowing how to add. We helped them teach on Monday and figured out how we could best help them. Afterwards the HIS teachers met and discussed ideas, then two of us went and sat down with Florence and Tollo. It was tough trying to explain to them things that they had never heard of before, such as lesson plans and timetables. We were right down to the basics for these teachers who never even finished High School. By the end of our 2 1/2 hour meeting we had successfully gone through most of the subjects that needed to be covered. The next day was a test: would they be able to make it? Somehow...that's a common phrase here that's hard to translate the exact meaning. Honestly, I can't imagine a time without using that word now. One of the teachers did fantastically while the other one continued to struggle greatly. It's hard to really break ground in two days. There isn't much more that we could have expected. Only that we did what we could and brought them school supplies. Some of the other teachers painted wood with chalkboard paint, some played football with the new one we bought, others watched in awe as the kids jumped through the ropes we brought with us. There's a lot more that still needs to be done, but it was a good start.

One night while we slept on the hard cement floor, the soft rain pitter-pattered on the tin roof above our heads. Though the floor below was causing some discomfort, the sound of the rain brought peace to my heart. It was so quiet! Quite the opposite of what I'm hearing right now with a church service bellowing outside of my window. I'm used to the hustle of the city, my heart aches for peace. It may not seem like the most restful trip, and it was very overwhelming at times, but peace was restored.

At the same time that I was in the village enjoying the peace and quiet, my dear friends at KIU were being caned. The school has decided to hike up the fees for people who pay late. Every two weeks late, there's an additional $30. Now that might not seem like much to you, but to someone who is barely able to pay their school fees, $90 for being 6 weeks late is A LOT! So, the students took action and rioted. The highest level of military showed up to break up the rioters and push back the people who had stopped traffic on the main road by hurling rocks at cars. As the rioters retreated, some went and hid inside of the hostels (like dorms) where my friends live. The military followed them in with tear gas bombs and big sticks. Anyone who was found in the hostel was caned and told to get out. Luckily my friends were able to escape quickly and only got caned a few times. They ran out into the street and fled to their friends homes to stay. Since then, no one has spent the night in the hostel. They are all still scared that something will happen. I only learned of this today when I showed up and waited outside of my friends room in that hostel for bible study, only to learn that no one was there. Eventually another friend came by and took me to her room. She had come to get a change of clothes. She explained to me that this was her first time in this type of situation and as we walked the stairs going out of the hostel she explained how she still envisioned the men in black suits of armor were running and hitting them. There is 'peace' now, but people are still seriously fearing remaining in the hostel for the night. There is no resolution to the problem and people are still keeping it a secret whether or not people died. Rumors come up so quickly in these instances. Alas, Bible Study was canceled today, and tomorrow we are venturing off to Camp for a few days, so there will be a time for peace in their hearts. Please pray for these students. Pray that their school fees would come through so that they wouldn't need to fret about overdue fees. Pray for peace...I guess I could say that about so much of the world. I know that in Ecclesiastes we are told that there's a time for everything under heaven..."a time for war and a time for peace." In the states people don't experience war in their homeland, and they are so blessed for that. It's unavoidable here. My friends had nothing to do with those riots, but they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our world is full of differences, and so many of them are good, but I fear the extremes.

I feel like that so much here, like I am caught between two extremes. There's the obvious differences: color, food, class, etc. But there's so much more at a deeper level. It makes me wonder what God is doing inside of my heart. The song that goes with this title of this entry says: "Time to make right what has been wronged, it's time to find my way to where I belong. There's a wave that's crashing over me and all I can do is surrender. Whatever you're doing inside of me, it feels like chaos, somehow there's peace. It's hard to surrender what I can't see, but I'm giving into something Heavenly. Time for a milestone, time to begin again, reevaluate who I really am. Am I doing everything to follow your will or just climbing aimlessly over these hills? So show me what it is you want from me. I give everything...you're up to something bigger than me...something heavenly."

God is our peace. Even when we feel like we are surrounded by chaos, we can find peace. All we have to do is surrender to him. It's a great reminder, even on a daily basis when we come to small battles. We MUST just give it over to God, and he will bring peace. I pray that He brings peace not only to my friends at KIU or the teachers who struggle with 70+ students, but to you as well. He knows what best, and he will bring us peace. Praise HIM!

I can't see living without you-Sanctus real

2010-10-04T10:38:00.005-04:00

I sit here trying to rack my brain as to what I should blog about from the past 2 1/2 months. Do I talk about the tiny cockroaches crawling on my leg on a bus up to Northern Uganda? How about climbing a volcano with my brother? Or what about that time I took a night bus all the way to Kenya for one day to attend a wedding? Then there's the soccer match in which Uganda beat Angola 3-0! The most recent weekend adventure with a bunch of my KIU friends to an orphanage to wash clothes and dishes with Mama Mary as she cares for 38 orphans by herself? I'm starting to sound like I don't do any work...there's also the delightfully diverse snacks that my kids bring to class from sushi to sausages. Obviously I could go on, my life here is one adventure after adventure. That's not to say that these adventures don't come without challenges...they sure do! This school year has brought new challenges that I could not have even imagined possible. But with those hard times comes blessing as well. My walk to and from school is hilly, but perfectly beautiful, you see so much more when walking! The mosquitoes in this house are horrid creatures, but I am so thankful for the abundant trees in this yard! My class size has increased to 22, but thankfully I don't have any students who speak no English what-so-ever. I miss having Miss Agnes around to talk to and the wonderful teacher that she was (she's coming back in December after a maternity leave) but I'm learning so much about a completely different culture from my current teaching assistant from Armenia!

Through it all there's been a renewed sense of dependence on God. There's no way that I could have made it all of this way without him, and every morning comes the re-focusing of my mind on HIM. And every night as I bring a bag full of work home to do, I am reminded of how much there is to be done, not only for my classroom, but in the entire world around me!

Hopefully I'll be inspired very soon to write a much more detailed blog post on my life here, but in the meantime, if you care for more detail on any of the above stories, don't hesitate to ask ;)

"Lead me with strong hands...don't leave me hungry for love chasing dreams...Father show me the way to lead them..." ~Sanctus Real

2010-07-26T09:58:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a church with my bible open to Romans and some verses caught my eye. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15

There are still so many people who have not heard! Just this past month I met someone who said, "So Jesus is the son of God?" I've been making an effort recently to see people who are not following God as someone with a huge weight on their shoulders. They haven't allowed Jesus to come and share their burdens with them. I'm reminded of a great sermon I heard in Kampala by a visiting pastor. There was this great visual of people literally being tied to each other and having to move around with dead bodies being attached to their backs. I wish I remembered it better, but it was based on history. Jesus came and lifted those huge bodies off of our backs so that we would not have to bear them. How amazing it is to have someone HUGE share that burden with us!

As I prepare to leave tomorrow to go back to Uganda, I think about how it might be easier to see the burdens of the people there because of the poverty, but examining the heart is just as hard to do, and I am so glad that God is the one who does that! Sometimes with Americans it can be hard to see the burdens that are weighing them down. They seem to have so much. But the past 2 months in America have helped to show me in a new light that there is so much need here too! People always think of America as being this safety net, once you get here you're fine. Well...not so. The rich may be able to feed their children, but they can't seem to feed their own souls. And there are plenty of poor people here too. The poor are always with us, as Jesus said.

I want to encourage you to reach out to those around you, to all types of poor people. Poor in heart, poor is spirit, poor in funds...and help them to become rich in faith and love God. Those are the ones who get to inherit the kingdom of heaven as James 2 tells us. You don't have to be traveling thousands of miles to be reaching people. Start where you are. God is sending YOU to share, because after all, "how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?"

"So this is home" ~ Switchfoot

2010-06-10T12:05:00.001-04:00

Another e-mail I just sent out:

“He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” ~ Psalm 147:4-7

Plans change. Sometimes too fast for us to process them. 2 weeks ago today I walked off the plane from Uganda to go straight to a viewing. Although I didn’t get to say goodbye to my grandmother in person, it was SO needed for me to be here during that time for me to process things and say goodbye to the amazing person that she was. Sure, it’s been overwhelming at times, with all of that and culture shock flowing in, but I am constantly reminded by our great creator how much he loves us. Our heavenly father loves us more than we can fathom, and it’s so beautiful.

The night before I left Uganda, as I was heading into my apartment I glanced out at the stars one last time. The first constellation I saw? The southern cross! Living on the equator is a great privilege in the sense that you get to see parts of both of the hemispheres constellations. There are other times when I have seen the northern cross. Coming from NJ however, and being in the northern hemisphere I’ve come to treasure the sight of the southern cross. It was a beautiful sight that brought a joyful smile to my stressed face. The next night as I flew over Greece I looked up from the city lights below me to see another very familiar constellation, Cassiopeia. I’ve always loved the shape of Cassiopeia and how easy it is to find. I was in awe of how vast his creation was and how even from a plane high above the non-existent clouds I could look out and get a new view of that constellation…right next to me (at least seemingly so).

God has also been right next to me this whole time, and will be so during the next month and a half in the states. It’s been so great to be with my family in the past 2 weeks and process things with them. All of this to say, I will be leaving to head back to Uganda earlier than expected since I came home early. So, I would love to get together with people before I leave JULY 27^th. Please don’t hesitate to contact me, I am in New Jersey for the moment and doing a bit of traveling, including going out to Indiana for my missions 100^th Anniversary Celebration at the end of June. If you’re in the area, I’d love to meet up and catch up on your life!

It’s the things that are given not won are the things that you want- Gomez

2010-04-22T11:01:00.014-04:00

Allow me to preface this entry by saying that it is a long one, but it is also to help me remember my time North of the Nile…

A few weekends ago I went North of the Nile. That may not mean much to most of you, but if you’ve ever been to Northern Uganda, you know that people say that as you cross over the Nile river, things change. While I didn’t drive, rather I flew with MAF, I could still sense an overwhelming difference. Welcome to Acholi land. Acholi is a large tribe of people who live in Northern Uganda. I’ve experienced so many amazing things in those four days that I can hardly put it into words.

We flew through dark clouds that loomed above the Nile River as we slowly approached the first stop: Gulu. This was not my final destination, but we were almost there. As you can see from other posts of mine, I LOVE rainbows. Despite the bumpy clouds due to the ominous rain, I saw SO many rainbows in that 1 ½ hour flight. Vibrant ones. Rainbows have always seemed to have more color to me here than in America, and from the sky they are even more spectacular. It makes me wonder if the people in the camps down below thought anything of them. What were they seeing? For sure they were happy for the water to come and feed the dry earth and cool down the day, but were they aware of God’s promise that was hung above them? Only He knows.

As we landed in Pader, my eyes kept searching for something: an airport. Was there one? No. Well, technically the locals say that under the big tree is the airport. In reality, it was a long airstrip made of dirt.

Upon arrival to the compound where we would be staying and working, I quickly discovered something quite astounding to me. Emmanuel International, who I was going to be serving with, was there to support The Church of Uganda, Diocese of Kitgum. God works in ways that we may never understand. Three years ago I felt such a strong calling to pursue trying to work along side the Diocese of Kitgum. Nothing had worked out…at least that’s what I thought. Here I was, in what used to be a part of Kitgum, now fully understanding so many things that I had heard spoken of at the church that I attended during University. It may not seem like any big thing, but to me, WOW…

We were welcomed in with the customary signing of the guest book, formal greetings to the staff and then right to work discussing the children’s program that we would be running. This was only interrupted by fresh chapatti with eggs & then Reverend Kenneth wanting us to meet some of the farmers that they work with. We walked into the big hall for the first time to see 4 different groups of farmers. I was happy that we had already learned the word Apwoyo (ah-foy-yo), which respectively means hello, goodbye, and thank you in Luo.

Our first adventure really came with attempting to get into ‘town’ for lunch. The car keys could not be found…so we used a small locker-like key…successfully no doubt! We made it all the way there and back perfectly. Amazing.

Lunch in town came with my first experience with Boo (B-oh), a green in a soupy sauce made of g-nuts, tomatoes and onions. Not bad at all when I worked my way around the tomatoes and onions! I rather enjoyed it with my posho (a thick grainy block of food made from corn flour or cassava (a root) flour). When we finished our food Jill wanted to snap a photo of me before they took my plate.

I asked Jill if I had anything in my teeth, and she responded by claiming only that if I did it would make the picture better. I didn’t think to ask again until we were going back to the truck and kind stranger asked me if I had a mirror. I thought she said “no”. Turns out, I had something in my teeth. Thanks mister for pointing that out to me J

After resting a bit and reading at the compound, we hopped in the truck to head to another village to attend the Sports day for the district -a track & field event! I honestly had no idea what to expect. Upon arriving in a crowd of hundreds of children staring at us and calling out “muno (white person)” we were seated in the front row next to the man who organized the event. He is also the brother to someone who works at the mission. He was so kind to me explaining exactly how things were working. The first event we saw was the 3000 meter race. Yes, you read that right, three-thousand! They have these blocks that they clap together to start the race. He laughed hysterically when we informed him that in America at races people shoot off a gun. We all came to the same conclusion: that wouldn’t have the best effect in a land hit heavily by the LRA. He also explained to me that the woman holding up sticks at the finishing line was going to drop one each time the leader passed to count the number of laps remaining! Pretty clever. Some of the children must have been overwhelmed at the thought of running 6 more, because after only one lap they began passing out. The closest hospital is 1 hour away. There’s only 1 doctor in Pader town and some unofficial nurses. There’s no first aid anywhere. No physical trainers to slap an ice pack on a strained muscle. They just assign students to run and pull the kid off the track and walk around supporting them until they are functional again.

We also watched the 700 meter race in which kids picked bottle caps off the ground to determine which line they would start on. Of course there was lunch unexpectedly prepared for us, which we were not able to turn down. It was 5:30pm already. It’s really rude in this culture to turn down a meal when you visit someone. We were quite full and skipped our dinner that night.

When we returned back to the compound, there was enough battery on Terry’s computer remaining for us to huddle around and watch the movie Blindside. It has such a triumphal message of a child who has nothing, but is so strong nonetheless.

As we tried to fall asleep that night we heard a much different background than usual. I’m used to hearing dogs yelping, cows mooing, chickens crowing, babies crying, cars bumping along, and a whole slew of city-like mysterious sounds. Being in Pader, a small city without a single grocery store, was quite different. The only sounds to be heard? Frogs, crickets, a noise that sounded like tiny elves building with tiny little hammers. There’s really no other way to explain that sound…it was beautiful. I’d rather fall asleep to that sound than my fan any day!

The next day I woke up at 7 am to get ready for the main event- a Children’s program that we went up there to run. By 7:30 kids were already at the gate. Jill and I decided to go out and blow bubbles at them. It was hilarious as they didn’t know how to react, then slowly realized what to do and they got so excited! I then got to work blowing up balloons and making more play-dough. Others got chairs ready for musical chairs, mixed paint for kids who may have never painted before, or laid out crayons and coloring pages. Those kids were SO quiet as they sat waiting for us. It was touching how well they listen and are so eager to learn! Jill and I co-taught the story of the Good Samaritan. Two of the big elements of “Bible storying” are reading directly from the Bible, and getting your audience to tell the story back to you. So, we got the kids involved. They acted it out as I read the story from the Bible, then we had pictures and they had to tell the story back to us. We followed by sharing a bible verse and had the huge challenge of getting tons of kids in order it! Thank God that we had an amazing translator who is in charge of the Education Department on the compound. She was so precious and did a fantastic job. One of the words that I have handily learned in different languages here is ‘come’. ‘Jangu’ in Luganda, ‘kuja’ in Swahili and now I’ve learned ‘bean’ in Luo! Knowing only 2 words in a language may not seem like much, but those two words sure got the point across when trying to tell the kids where to go.

There were lots of special moments interacting with these children. One of them would have to include meeting Jack Johnson. I cracked up when one of the few kids I asked the name of was a famous singer. He didn’t understand why I was amused and so I quickly explained why. One sad moment was when I saw a picture that a child painted of an LRA truck with a dead body on it. Despite everything that those children have seen and gone through, they are so joyful.

While the children got their porridge, the woman who is in charge of Education there expressed her gratitude. It was incredibly touching how through the barred window she explained to me how much she had learned from me and urged me to come back again to do another program. In my mind I had thought of it as a fun time to bless the kids, not realizing the impact it would have on the people who work at Pader’s Diocese of Kitgum office.

The afternoon finished with the children washing their porridge cup in the stream and laying them out on a tin roof to dry, then onto dancing! I had great fun with the children taking the most random pictures and getting them to laugh hysterically at my crazy faces (after staring at me oddly, they did join in).

We left with the staff to get lunch at the same local joint we had enjoyed the previous day, although sadly the boo was finished, as well as the sweet potatoes and posho. I stuck with the rice and beans.

We went back to the compound and rested up a bit, Jill and I working on our Bible reading and discussing the little things we picked up along the way.

That afternoon we all went to a Home dedication ceremony. I’d never been to one of these before, or seen Acholi women dance in person (though I have in War Dance- definitely a movie to check out!). The entire community gathered around this vulnerable woman to celebrate with her. She had no family, but in a way that wasn’t true, all of those people around her were her family- they were holding her up and making sure that she had a home, something she hadn’t had in years. It may not have been a home the way that Americans would think of it, but it was a place of her own. That little mud hut on the outskirts of an IDP only cost the mission $125.

Imagine! Not being able to put down that basic amount of money for a home. Some of you may be thinking “why put up a home in an IDP camp? Aren’t they supposed to be encouraging people to go back home?” While it is true that the best choice would be to go back home, there are obstacles in the way: land disputes and water sources.

Before the war, people had natural springs to get water- however if these are not tended to, they disappear and move. It’s a big challenge to find new sources of water.

Not long after sitting down, some women came over, grabbed Jill and my hands and pulled us up to dance with them in their circle. It was not the easiest dance…and I don’t consider myself a dancer. Nonetheless, I was enjoying every moment and soaking it in. One old woman dancing next to me held my hand as we laughed and danced (see photo).

I was watching carefully to find the right foot movements, but in turn wound up messing up the hips, shoulders & neck movements. It’s so intricate! You’ve got to be coordinated to do that dance! At one point the ginormous pink flag that one woman was waving got caught on my face. I kept dancing, assuming it would flow off. After about 30 seconds of trying to dance blindfolded I eventually grabbed it and moved it off, not knowing if that was alright to do. It was, however, much easier dancing without the pink banner blinding me, though I didn’t master the dance. Walking back to our seats one woman called me over. Once I reached her I got down low to greet her, as is custom here. Upon doing so she pointed to my necklace, and then pointed to herself. Then pointed to my necklace and pointed to herself. I got the hint quickly that she was asking for my necklace. The very instant I went to pull it off to give it to her, she was happy to pull it off for me. In the same motion of taking it off of my blonde head, she swiped it happily onto her own brown shoulders, jumped up and began shouting her call of jubilation! I laughed it off as something funny and cute, all the while being told at my seat that it made her day and that she would be telling her grandchildren about me. I was humbled for sure. I have so much, and this one little thing that I was willing to give will be spoken about for generations. It’s too much to think of.

Before the official ceremony began, a few people gave speeches. Then, being the honored guests, Jill got to cut the ribbon as they prayed for the hut! We ducked down under the thatch to enter into the dark abyss. It was such a dramatic experience being in this tiny space with a woman crying tears of joy. A woman whose foot is so messed up that she couldn’t walk straight. Venturing out into the bright sun again, one of the first things I saw was another rainbow in the sky behind the truck. What an amazing experience…ending with seeing God’s promise.

The Reverend spoke some more, then some women danced more as we headed out. From the car window, I asked my friends if it would be ok for me to do the shout of jubilee. They kind of responded by saying, “You can do it? Sure, let’s hear it!” Almost the instant I did so, all of the women turned their heads and joined in with me and then they wound up cheering for me. I loved it! Three old ladies came up to shake my hand. Two of them were pointing to their eyes, and we later found out that they were wanting glasses because they couldn’t see. As we pulled away I did one last shout (if you don’t know what this sounds like, it’s a loud high pitched trill that turns into an “eee” at the end). I have to say, it feel pretty good to shout like that. I can see why they do it J

On our way back to the compound, we needed to stop for petrol gas. Being as every gas station in town was out of gas, we had to stop at Total for it. I’ve never seen an old fashioned pump in action, but this thing was literally pumping to get the gas out of the machine. The man on the other side churned a knob round and round vigorously until the appropriate amount was dispensed. Quite fascinating.

Dinner that night was made by Millie, a woman younger than me who is widowed with children and works for the mission. We ate under stars, talked and listened to some music. Everyone slowly left that evening, so I sat and sang worship songs while looking at God’s amazing galaxy. It was simply a blessing to be out in creation alone. It’s not very often that I get that privilege here.

Sunrise the next morning was amazing. And we got to eat donuts. What could be better? We started off super early for the 2 ½ hour drive to Gulu along a road to Kitgum then across a short cut to see more of the country. Reverend wanted us to see more of Acholi land in the deep bush.

We arrived at Reverends house early and greeted his family. We were ushered into their vastly decorated living room to drink chai and eat bread & butter. After resting a bit we were shown our rooms where we would spend the night in Reverend’s home. From the outside, the home doesn’t look too big, but when you enter the door you find a small courtyard leading to 4 bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and what seemed to be a study-ish room. The kitchen is a separate hut outside. I later learned the amazing story behind that home. We then went to a church that was on Reverends land in a school room. Some other pastors kindly sat between us muno’s (word for white person up north) to interpret for us. The youth group even got up to show us a special song and dance. Such talent in those walls. When the service was over Jill and I passed out sweets to the children. I even had some adults telling me they used to be children and asked for one :D I gave them one just for their creativity. Before we headed back to his home, Reverend showed us his father & sisters graves, then the place where he grew up (which was now just a plot of thick tall grass) then some of his land and all of his crops.

We went home to eat a wonderfully prepared lunch after getting to take a short nap. It consisted of Malakwang (Meh-leh-kw-ah-n) which is a green cooked with g-nut paste, simsim butter (sesame), water, tomatoes and onions, and then there was also another type of bitter green with simsim paste, all with sweet potatoes- an AMAZING meal cooked by his college-aged daughter.

After lunch the four of us got to go swimming with Reverends youngest son, Martin. He was scared to hop in the big pool, so we made sure to bring him to the deep end on horseback.

Upon pulling up to the Reverend’s home we were greeted on the roadside by a group of women dancing and singing. We were instructed to get out of car and follow them. This of course led to more dancing! I struggled to grasp the first dance, but totally nailed the second one when they were bent over holding sticks. Some of the women came over and cheered for me as I kept the beat and got my shoulders and feet moving in the correct pattern. Before it ended I just had to get my picture taken with a little old lady who was fully decked out in Uganda gear. She was so cute!

That night we went out to eat in town with Reverend’s daugher. I was totally blown away by the size of Gulu! I wasn’t expecting it to be filled with IDP camps, but there were just SO many buildings. Mbarara in Southwest Uganda is supposedly the 2^nd biggest town in the country, but I honestly think that this might have been bigger than Mbarara. It’s grown so much due to the number of NGOs basing themselves there. After dinner we drove Reverends daughter to the campus of Gulu University, which pretty much out in the bush outside of Gulu. She’s worked so hard to get where she is! On the way back to Reverend Kenneth’s home, the boys told us the story of Reverend’s capture by the LRA. He was with them for a solid week, then managed to escape while he was sent to pick sugar cane in the fields. At that time hotels in Gulu were expensive – the cheapest being 60,000/night (when most people still live on less than 2,000/day). So, Reverend Kenneth fixed up his home, sealing all of the cracks with tar so that no light could be seen from the outside, to make it appear as though no one was home. He then housed people in his home. The danger in that was that if the LRA came to a home and the owners refused to open the doors, the soldiers would kill the closest neighbors. The next day the entire community would angry with them for causing the death of innocent people. Thank God that LRA didn’t come knocking.

That night Jill and I discovered that we only had 1 bed net and 2 beds. So…we pushed our beds together and stretched the net as far as we could. That night I slept half out of bed net- waking up randomly to hear the boys next door claiming there were rats & cockroaches in their room.

The next morning was slow, reading the bible under the mango tree and watching the ducks waddle about the yard. There were some kids that came to greet us on the way to school… then brought friends back to greet us as well. It’s funny, yet normal to me now somehow, to be treated as a celebrity. People came to buy milk from the Reverend’s wife- they produce 30 liters a day- though most of it goes to orphaned kids that World Vision pays to feed. Before we packed the truck and headed to town we had a great breakfast of chai, rolls & butter and cassava chips. Mmmm…

Once in town we made our way to the Invisible Children (IC) office to check it out. Oddly enough, I was recognized by the man who does Communications and Education programs there. He had seen me at the IC ballet earlier this year. You run into people everywhere you go around here! In the boardroom he told us of all the projects they do here on the ground. I was really impressed at some of the things they are doing. This past summer they even ran a teacher-training program, sending US teachers to Uganda, and Ugandan teachers to the US!!! It’s so neat to see one of my passions being played out- teacher training in 3^rd world countries.

Before heading to the airport to leave we walked around the market in town. Our best find was the bells that women tie around feet while they dance! We each bought one to remember our amazing dancing experiences, and the amazing ways that we blessed people, but most of all that we were blessed by them!

In a way I wish I’d never left. Their culture is SO amazing and welcoming. I know they have problems, but with their joy that surpasses understanding, who wouldn’t want to be amongst that?

I never want to forget that joy. There’s joy to be found at any moment. Even in an IDP camp wearing no shoes and sitting in the dirt…there’s joy…in Christ.

I don't know which way to go, so I search the stars, basking in the glow- Bebo Norman

2010-04-18T14:16:00.004-04:00

The song "To find my way to you" which this title quotes might not be the story of my life, though I am across lines from the people I love, but it still moves me.

Stars speak to me even more. So when my dear friend Lisa Fish invited me to join her and some other missionary ladies to go star gazing on her birthday, I gladly accepted. That night I was still struggling in my heart over a pretty big decision that had to be made. Perhaps somewhere inside of me I had hoped that God would speak to me through his creation again. The next line in the song above is "...but they all fall down without a sound from the sky..." When we arrived at the hotel and made our way to the gardens, we found a nice dry spot on a bridge to lay out. Lisa said a quick prayer that included asking God for a shooting star. It seems like a lot of times we ask God for things, not quite expecting them to come true, but hoping all the while. In my head, this was one of those. At first we saw lots of twinklings above us, spotting the magnificently easy to find Orion, then someone pointed out the Southern Cross on the horizon. Since we live on the equator, we have a unique view of parts of both of what the 2 hemispheres view on a nightly basis. Soon we saw a small dash of light flash before our eyes, though there was a debate on what it actually was. Could it have been a bat? There were plenty of them flocking around our heads. We went on with our delightful conversation and before long it was quite clear what was going across the sky. A true shooting star! It started in the top right corner of my view and slowly shot down to the bottom left corner of the sky. It was beautiful as everyone started cheering and Praising God for what he gave us. I can still picture it so well in my memory. I'm a thinker...at least sometimes. That moment I was at least. We were talking about what a shooting star is: a star that has burnt out, thousands of light years ago. Thousands of light years. That's not any easy thing to grasp by any sense of the word. God has control over that whole realm. That star burnt out thousands of years ago. Imagine! God knew thousands of years ago that the 9 of us would be sitting on that bridge looking up at His marvelous creation asking Him to show us a shooting star. God knew! He knew that this childish request would be dawning his ears THOUSANDS of YEARS ago! He cares that much about us. We know that God knows all. But we can't know how little time affects God. I'm glad to accept that God knows, and I don't need to. Even when it's hard to not know what your future holds.

Since then, God has revealed himself to me again in a unique way. I was in a car going from Mombasa to Nairobi, Kenya. If you know Kenya at all, you'll know that Mombasa is a costal city on the Indian Ocean about an 8 hour drive from Nairobi. This long road, which is quite flat now, goes through a HUGE game park. On the way there we had seen some small antelopes, and I thought it might be nice if I could see more on the way back. I prayed that God would let me see either a giraffe or an elephant. Quite soon after uttering those prayers in my head I thought, 'How could I ask God for more? He has already shown me so much beauty. There are people all around me that haven't moved 30 miles from the place they were born and here I am asking for more than what he has given me? God, you don't need to show me that, you've given me SO much already and I am truly thankful!' And I really was. God had his own plan in mind. Hours later I drifted in and out of a daze, read some, snacked some more, and almost forgot about that prayer that I had made. We were out of the park boundaries traveling at a good speed when out of no where Brent said "Giraffes!" And low and behold, for a few glorious seconds I looked to my right and saw not only 1 but 4 giraffes standing 20 feet apart of the side of the road looking our direction. It was almost as if they were a part of a dominos game how well they were lined up, just waiting for someone to come and knock the first one down. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at what had just happened. Such beautiful and majestic creatures. God wants to bless us! Not only does He want to move giraffes out of a park and line them up on the side of the road just to be sure we see them, He wants to think thousands of years ahead of someones life just to give them a small gift of a shooting star. These are small things. They are not things that change our lives dramatically. Sure, it's fun to say "I saw a giraffe on the side of the road" (although most Americans seem to think that a normal occurrence for someone living in Africa, it's really NOT), but it's not life altering. It doesn't have anything to do with what my profession may be, how many children I have, or where I live. They are simply small gifts. Great ones, but small none the less. How awesome of a God we serve that he wants to do that for us! It blows my mind. We all have our days where we seriously struggle, the Lord knows that I've had mine even in the past few months, but behind them all is a God who cares immensely for us! I can't think of any other way to describe it. God want's to give freely and abundantly, and it starts with accepting His greatest gift for us, His life.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:16-18

Entertaining Angels while the night becomes history, host of heaven, sing over me- Newsboys

2010-03-17T14:31:00.006-04:00

Do you ever wish you could just freeze time, grab a magical tape recorder and press record? And by magical tape recorder, I don't just mean one that records sound. Besides adding in video that captures the detail in facial expressions, I want that recording to soak in the lighting of that moment. I long to hear the tiny sounds continue lingering and the faint smells trail into my nostrils. I want it to emit the intense emotions that were wrapped up in that instant of time.

There are so many moments that I wish I could convey to people, but am just not able to.

I guess that's why those moments are so special.

Tonight was one of those I think. I'll never be able to fully explain to you what it was like sitting in my Kenyan friends hostel (like a college dorm, but privately owned and rented out) room on her roommates bed. This week during bible study we finished discussing the story of Lot's Wife and the destruction that was brought upon her, even with God's AMAZING mercy on her family.

At the end of the study, questions were brought before us to ponder and discuss. Two of them in particular were highlighted by the girls: "Are you listening to God's Messengers?" and "When God asks you to go in one direction, are you 'looking back' or pressing forward?"

Lot's wife didn't listen to the Angels that God sent. They literally took her by the hand (I think it's fantastic that angels can hold your hand by the way) and dragged her out of the city- where she had left her heart. Her body left, but her heart was so much so in that place that she just had to turn back and look at it, causing her to turn into a pillar of salt. Did you know that even in the 2nd century people wrote about how they still knew where that pillar was? Imagine! All those years. I wonder what ever became of it.

I was totally humbled that one of them suggested that I could be an Angel sent to them. I quickly reassured them that I was not, but then one of them suggested that maybe I just didn't know it :D

We sat and discussed for a while stories that we had either heard or experienced ourselves in encountering angels or demons- because it says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that the devil can disguise himself as an angel of light. I sat there hearing lots of stories of witchcraft and things that people don't ever consider as a reality in America, but are so real. Terrible tales of people posing as Christians just to drag others down and murder their neighbors as a blood sacrifice to the devil. Not only did the ladies tell stories of demons, but also stories of entertaining angels. These women are so welcoming. That is one aspect of this culture that I love. They open their homes and wallets to one another so freely. One of the girls was saying how at her home, they always cook extra food everyday because they just know that at some point they will have a visitor- whether it be someone who is selling coal or a passing neighbor. They invite people into their homes, and are blessed by those people in return when they pray for them. It got me thinking of how closely people clutch their wallets to their chests, when it's God's wallet after all.

After we had all gone around and answered these questions and told our tales, one of the girls wanted to close us in prayer. She had a few more words to say however...she said that for a few moments she had been looking at her foot. We all giggled a little bit as she swiveled her heal examining it again. She carried on explaining that she was in awe of God, saying something along these lines: "God is the creator of this foot" she went on. "There is so much detail and so much effort. It is just amazing that this was formed by His hands. It's just amazing to me." It was so cute, so honest, and SO true. Take your foot out of those slippers you're wearing in that cold weather you've got and check out the detail. There's just the right amount of bones...and there is flesh. Underneath that flesh lies a world that I don't claim to understand, but am thankful that God has ordained it so.

I may not sense God as fully as I would like at this moment in time, or know specifically who his messengers are that surround me, but I can rest assured that he has mercy on those who love him. God rescued Lot and his daughters because of Abraham's faithfulness to God. Abraham bargained with God to get his relatives out of Sodom, and God loved him so much, that He went along with his request.

May we be faithful to HIM in all circumstances...we've so much to learn.

It's me, it's me, it's me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer

2010-03-06T00:42:00.003-05:00

I’m not really one to speak of spiritual battles, but if I have ever known one to be, it is now. There is a lot of evidence of war at Heritage International School, where the school is facing some rather large and serious issues. There is even evidence of battles in other areas of our lives here. Within our mission, nearly all of our vehicles have problems and have been put into the garage with very strange problems. Now we are left to walking and staying in at night- making it hard, if not impossible to do some of the ministries that I am involved in. Strangely even the weather here has been very odd, with large amounts of heavy rain coming during dry season, so much to cause a landslide killing hundreds of people. Even in my own life I have felt battles waging. I am not at liberty to give any details pertaining to the schools’ situation, but please please keep us in your prayers.

One HUGE praise is that one of our High Schoolers accepted Jesus into his heart after chapel today! He is Indian and comes from a “Jain” background. This is big news and we are all so excited to welcome him into the kingdom. Please continue to pray that he will be an amazing witness to his family and that we as a Christian family are able to continue discipling him.

Thanks so much for all of your support and for continuing to lift Uganda up in your prayers to the Almighty and Powerful Lord that we serve. The song "What a mighty God we serve" comes to mind, and it is so true!

Jesus, fill me with your Spirit Lord- Big Tent Revival

2010-02-13T01:39:00.024-05:00

This past week at Heritage International School was SPIRIT WEEK!

I have to say that this week is one of my favorites. I just love the chance to dress up like a nut. The themes this week were:

Wacky Tacky: Honesty

(Above: Me and Miss Eunice; 2 happy 1st graders; Teresa, Jill (2 teachers) and Obeti admiring the DOUBLE rainbow after school)

What I want to be when I grow up: Forgiveness

(Above: Lisa Mayo as an old lady; a builder & scientist; Teresa & me as a safari guide & singer)

Cartoon Character:

(Above: Lisa Fish as Larry the cucumber; Kristi & Me as Cheshire Cat & Queen of Hearts; 2nd grader as Pinnochio; some crazy 1st graders)

Pajama day:

(Above: 4 little ones playing as they untangle themselves; some 1st graders in their pj's)

Games day:

(Willy (support staff) helping out in basketball; handing off the egg; 2nd grader & me in the 3 legged race; My team...go blue!)

I admit that I was sunburnt and completely drained by the time 1pm came around on Friday, but never-the-less rejuivinated in spirit as I certainly felt younger :)

When I in awesome wonder consider all the works thy hands hath made- How Great Thou Art

2010-01-09T02:57:00.004-05:00

This year Christmas looked a bit different for me. Not only did I attend 4 different churches in 2 weeks time, but I also did so with my parents! We certain experienced different sides of life in each of those. We went to a Pentecostal Christmas Cantata on Christmas eve which was a HUGE show and was very well done. We went to the Anglican All Saint’s Cathedral on Christmas morning and heard an excellent sermon by the Kampala Bishop. Then on the next Sunday we went to the Orthodox Cathedral on the other side of town- my parents are Orthodox and wanted to experience a service here and meet some people- little did they no that we were to sit through a 4 hour service with no more than 2 bible passages said in English. The last was at our Kisugu Branch of Africa Gospel Churches (AGC), which my mission starts. I hadn’t been there in a long time, but it was good for my parents to see more of what my normal services are like. I usually attend KIU’s AGC and there are usually over 1,000 there, but with a mostly Kenyan population, most of them have headed back home for the holidays.

The weather was also quite different. Mid 70’s and cloudy with a bit of rain. On the East coast of the US, where I suspect most of you reading this are, it was cold and snowy, as many people dream of. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it!

My parent’s presence was such a blessing as they got to experience some unique aspects of my life here. They met people I work with within my mission, my co-workers at school, my current 1^st grade students (plus some students from last year that I treasure like Wasswa, Ha-rim and Ruben), Susan (who I am teaching to read-see entry below), and some of the AGC pastors and their wives (including Rebecca who makes the paper bead necklaces). Although they didn’t get the opportunity to meet any of my KIU friends, they did pass by the campus so at least they know what I am talking about when I speak of KIU now. In addition to meeting so many people, they also got the privilege to see several areas of this amazingly beautiful country. I brought them to the Entebbe Botanical gardens where we saw so many cool things! There were cinnamon trees, enormously tall palms, baobabs, Gerber daisies, vervit monkeys & colobus monkeys, storks, and so much more! Then my parents treated me to a safari at Murchison Falls! It is so beautiful up there with so many different terrains. We saw lots of animals such as water buffalo, Uganda Cob, Water buck, giraffe, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, wart hogs, and LIONS (up close and personal)! There were also tons of beautiful birds and got a special treat of spotting a genet cat walk up to our table after dinner one evening!

While I was wandering the rocks of the falls where the great river Nile converges and pours down hundreds of feet at an alarming rate and power though a gap around 20 meters wide the wonderful lyrics of How Great Thou Art rolled around in my head. The force of the water was loud enough for me to sing through a few stanzas as well without anyone noticing This creation that HE CREATED truly is an amazingly beautiful sight, enough to make a soul sing J

Before they left we also ventured to Jinja to see the Source of the Nile, Bujigali falls and some of that cute city. I really enjoy it there. My parents helped out in organizing the library at school and my mom even came in and told the story of Epiphany of January 6^th while my dad sang “We Three Kings”. It was a really neat time to share and a good way of teaching the children more about seasons in the church calendar. Some people didn’t even think there really were 12 days of Christmas, thinking it was just a song. It’s neat to see people learn!

While my parents time here wasn't always as beautiful as a flower, it was an eye opening experience to them I think. We got into matatus (15 passenger vans that they stuff with at least 16 people) and made our way down to Owino market (check out my article on jeans to discover a taste of what it's like), even drove through Christmas eve traffic. People say that it's unlike anything they've ever seen elsewhere. Some call it overwhelming chaos. Some call it adventure. I think of it as another glimpse of God's world that I am privileged to live in for the time being.

check out my pictures to the song "How Great Thou Art" on my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040516&id=30200100&l=654eb6f3b6

Joyful, Joyful we adore thee

2010-01-01T09:40:00.003-05:00

Joyous Christmas! I know, this is not the usual “Merry Christmas”, but as I sat in church this morning, we were reminded to think of it as more than that. It’s not just a “merry” thing. This commercial world that we seem to live in at times may think of it as such, but we know more.

“Merry” is defined in the Oxford American Dictionary as “cheerful and lively”. While the worlds’ most amazing life was brought into this world on this day, Christmas is more than lively. It’s more than cheerful. There was a lot of cheer that came forth from this truly glorious occasion over 2000 years ago. However, it’s SO much more than that. It’s magnificent, brilliant, heavenly. But at the same time, it was humble, meek, mild. This Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace was born so that He could be with us. He humbled himself to not only be born in a place where animals eat mush, but then give completely of Himself for us. It’s too much to even fathom.

Just a tid-bit from my Christmas e-mail that I sent to my friends and family. If you're not on that list, but would like to be, don't hesitate to ask! I remain, ever hungry for Him, and striving to be joyful always.

"Calm down, release your cares, the stale taste of recycled air" -Postal Service (yes, that's a band)

2009-12-26T12:10:00.008-05:00

As mentioned before, my 1st grade class has been working with the 10-12th graders on a big recycling project through out the month of November.

Lisa Fish, my friend and the High School Social Studies teacher partnering with me, has posted an entry on her blog about our last day working together on the project. We took a trip to the recycling plant! Complete with pictures of me translating, check out:

http://thefishlineonline.blogspot.com/2009/12/recycling-project-is-completed.html

Here's some pictures of the kids working together to make posters encouraging others to recycle on campus:

Our plastic competition winners, Logan and Jonah, work together to make their poster.

Star and Rora sit and watch others finish their posters.

Bhavik and Ethan proudly hang up their poster on the administration building.

Here's some of my pictures from when we made paper together:

Some of the other students watching the demonstration in the back.

Tiya and Jaden working to make paper from our pulp of used paper that we cut up into tiny

pieces.

I am so glad...I wanna thank you Lord-Third Day

2009-11-26T09:12:00.004-05:00

This last Thursday in November is a bit different for me than other Americans in the world. Any US citizen living outside of America at the moment would agree with me that our day is not viewed at the same. However, just because the location that I am in is not celebrating Thanksgiving does not mean I can't! In fact, even though I was teaching in school, I did teach the kids what it was. This year, I have looked up all of the holidays from the different countries that we are all from and we are going to learn about and celebrate them all! I'm really looking forward to it all.So, from an American living in Uganda...here's some of the things that I am thankful for:

Family: you really realize how much they are each worth living away from them all

Friends: who are so amazing in the blessings that they provide on a daily life

Teachers: Just now, as I was typing this, a fellow teacher from school called me to tell me that there was a rainbow in the sky!

Little friends: when we got outside to check out the rainbow we showed our little ascari's son (Obeti) the rainbow and said "Range" (rahn-gay) which means colors in swahili. We went up on the balcony and took a snap with him. Can you see the rainbow in the background? I'm also thankful for the little kiddos that I teach and am impacting- what a privilage!

Rainbows: it's just one of my pet cleeves. THEY are a-maz-ing. :D I started jumping up and down sceaming- in fact my friend who is visiting me thought someone had given me a gift I was so happy. Someone had- GOD!

God: He is my everything. My comfort, my provider, my shelter...yeah...He's great!

Flowers: i've kept my dying roses from my kids, which a neighbor finds silly, but they still bring me joy so why get rid of them? I'm thankful for the children who bring me flowers EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Music: I don't know how I could live with out it. I sing constantly and am so thankful for the ability to express myself through it.

Food: I've been trying new things and finding new things that I can eat...maybe I'm on my way to eating normal? Now that would be something to be THANKFUL for!

Chai Tea: Such a filling and comforting snack at the end of a day of teaching.

Skype: I am so thankful for the ability to actually communicate with people.

This list could go on and on... I pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful to our Lord for the little blessings in our lives.

I’ve learned to trust in you…in this place dreams are made- Hillsong

2009-11-26T08:53:00.003-05:00

Since January I've been teaching this wonderful woman of 34 how to read. She was in school until...preschool. She was forced to drop out of school when her mother fell ill. In order to provide for the family she had to find work. Now she is providing for not only herself but her husband and three children. So, she never learned how to read. This woman was hired by my mission in the past few years and my boss soon discovered her inability to read. What we didn't know is that her reading level really was...completely illiterate. She didn't even know the letters of the alphabet! The funny thing about living in Kampala is that you really do need to know a lot of languages- your tribal language(s), Luganda, and English. She already knew English well, so that was no problem.

As a Christmas present last year, my boss suggested that I invite Susan to learn how to read. She jumped at the opportunity and since then so much has happened. We meet once a week after she is done working at my apartment. She is really shy about her reading, so if anyone is ever around we sneak into my room and study together. You should have seen her light up at being able to read labels on food containers!

Last week I gave her a test. I wanted her to feel really motivated. At times it was hard to get her to study due to her frustration at feeling she would never learn. So, I put together a list of the words we've worked on in the past 11 months and quizzed her. In my mind, I had decided that if she got 75% of the words correct I would reward her with a bag of sugar (it may seem silly to Americans, but Africans LOVE sugar in their tea). And guess what? She totally exceeded my expectations! She got 80% right! I was SO excited for her! To think that in less than a year she's gone from not knowing her letters to taking interest in the signs that she sees all around her! She's really trying to put an effort into reading! Granted, we've still got a long way to go and are working on vowel sounds right now, but it is so exciting to see the joy in her eyes when she finishes a little book.

She's learning to read while I'm learning more about education here and adult education. The ability to read is so freeing and something that every eye reading this can easily take for granted. Reading can put dreams in our hearts and minds and bring us to new worlds! Just one more thing to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day in the states!

In this secret place I'll hide away that I might hear a simple word- Jennifer Knapp

2009-11-25T11:44:00.004-05:00

It's funny how telling a Bible story that you've heard since before you were 4 years old (the youngest age of my students) can have new effects on you 20 years. For instance, the story of Moses. That's the story I told my story 2 weeks ago in class. Last year, it's the story that my kids acted out in chapel. But this year, seeing as I have incredibly squirmy boys, I decided to take those kids out to the stream on campus to have a look at the papyrus!

I dramatically pretended I was putting a baby in the reeds, then jumped over pretending to be Pharoh's daughter, then jumped back pretending to be Miriam. The kids seemed to enjoy it and were really intrigued in the papyrus. It's something they pass on a daily basis, but never really thought about what it was.

We paused for a photo op before returning to our room:

It was good that we had this small exhibition, because more recently, along with our new recycling project (a blog will come soon about this) we had a man come in and teach us about paper. When he whipped out this huge dandelion like green twig, my kids knew what it was (compared to the high schoolers who were stumped)!

Will you pray with me that as I continue to teach these time-old stories, that they would sink into their minds and teach them something useful to their own lives? I am often trying to think of more and more creative ways to present these topics as they hit me in new ways as well. It's so neat to think that just 2 hours from here in the source of the great river that Moses hid in.

The lyrics to the title of this post are from a song that has been going through my head a lot in the past few months, and it's just such a reminder to take time to hide away...but not from someone like baby Moses. Hide IN the Lord! Just to hear that simple word that he is trying to whisper gently in your ear.

So we build, we build, we clear away what was and make room for what will be- Nichole Nordeman

2009-11-23T11:10:00.007-05:00

There's a new noise that is a major part of my daily life at school. At times, when this noise stops, it's deafening. The noise? Construction! I've been living with the sound of construction from the slow progress of building the un-funded chapel for the past year and a half, but that was rather quiet and we had the little kid playground in between us. This, however, is much needed bathrooms for the Elementary students and is moving rather quickly. It's usually something that we can handle, as God has gifted me with a voice that can become quite loud, but becomes a struggle during tests.

A view from my window:

One of my students is so fascinated by this whole process that he's often late to class. Here he is peeking inside of the cement mixer:

Beginning Infrastructure:

More progress:

The most recent- you can see my classroom right there- the one room school house :)

It's fascinating to me how building happens here with the long sticks holding EVERYTHING up!

The lyrics of the title of this entry come from a beautiful song. It doesn't really have all that much to do with the building of the bathrooms, but it does talk about a hammer and climbing up a ladder. Not that I fully understand all of the lyrics, but the ones that I do grasp, I love:

"the lie that we tell says it's better somewhere else. as if love flies south when it freezes. what I'm trying to say in some clumsy way is that it's You and only You for always..."

This cat’s on a hot tin roof-Brian Setzer Orchrestra

2009-11-13T14:55:00.002-05:00

The little things I see on a daily basis crack me up. People think it’s silly how excited I get over small occurrences, but I just can’t help it. Last week when we were sitting in traffic for 2 hours (yes, there is crazy traffic here too) I randomly saw a black cat walking across a hot tin roof. I could not control the laughter that came pouring out of my stomach. It was just so funny to me! I’d never seen such a thing, but heard the song, heard of the play and heard the book referred to. So to actually see it taking place was just beyond amusing.

Every time that I pass this one particular clearing which contains a collection of garbage I look for monkeys. I was told 3 ½ years ago that monkeys live in the forest just beyond the clearing. Seeing as I love monkeys…I naturally turn my head towards that lot when we stroll by. Well recently I saw these little movements down in the ground and urged the driver to set the gears in reverse to discover what was causing them. Sadly it was not monkeys, but mongoose instead! These little scavengers also bring me delight. When I was in a park over the summer they came running all around me feet looking for food. They are not the most friendly but also quite cute. The first and ONLY time I’ve ever seen monkeys in that site was about two months ago. My surprise and excitement filled the car as my friends saw how elated I was to have finally seen those adorable little creatures in that dump.

Another animal that makes me laugh is the chicken. The joke "why did the chicken cross the road?" makes so much more sense here. He simply needed to get to the other side! One of my friends and I created a joke to counter-act it: "Why didn't the chicken cross the road? Because he didn't want to get hit by the boda-boda (motorcycle)!" Take note that we did that while laughing at a chicken frantically turning around mid run after seeing a boda come flying his direction and ran back to his starting point safely. The noises they make in those instances are hilarious. My roommate knows me well enough by now that when she hears me giggle randomly in the kitchen, it's probably due to a ridiculous sound that a chicken just produced.

A new thing I’ve discovered in the past week or so is the sun. Yes, the sun has been around for centuries, and so has the grass that it glistens on, but I’ve seen them both in a whole new way. There’s this one turn by a police post right after the quarry that I notice something small covering the earth at dusk. There are those pieces of grass that are different from others- I don’t know what they are called but the almost look like miniature wheat. When the sun is at just the right spot in the sky, they turn red and glow. It’s just gorgeous. How can something so minute bring such joy to my heart? Only a God bigger than this universe could conjure up that sort of happy delight.

I love nature and the small creatures that our God has created. The word creative is not vivid enough for what I see in the world that surrounds me. That just means the ability to create something, and obviously God has that! There is one definition of creative that fits- "making imaginative use of the limited resources available". How true is that!? God had NOTHING and made EVERYTHING! Talk about limited resources. How about words like artistic? I see an artistic God in the colors are thrown at my pupils on my morning walk. Or ingenious? I see an ingenious God when I turn a freshly picked flower upside down (while checking for ants after being handed to me by a student) and see instead a fascinating pattern on a part of a flower that not many people pay close attention to. How clever is that? He put that there just for those people who take the time to glance at his effective originality. Keep searching for those moments that make you laugh, even if those around you don't realize why, God does :) He made them that way.

The children lift up their hands to Yeshua-10th Avenue North

2009-11-01T07:40:00.006-05:00

This semester's first grade chapel was a doosie. This year has been a stretching one so far. It's really different working with 15 boys and 4 girls. Most of them are Ugandan so even the parental involvement is surprisingly different.

So when it was time for me to get 1st grade ready for their chapel, I picked something that they really loved telling the story of...Noah's Ark!

We've also been learning about some of the different names that God has. One of the children in our class is named Emmanuel, which means "God with us". Earlier this year they had a homework assignment to find out what their name meant which really interested the children. So, this brought to mind a song that 10th Avenue North used to sing at camp called "God with us". As most of you know, I sing all the time. So I've been teaching the kids lots of songs through out the year so far. I have also been teaching the children some signs when we learn our word wall words to help them remember them more. So, combining these efforts I taught them to sign out the song "God with us". One of the lyrics is "The children lift up their hands to Yeshua, God of love, Emmanuel, God with us". Here's a picture a friend took of the kids signing that song.

The kids went on to move outside while I stayed inside the chapel. Just outside the door sat a small child squatting on the ground ready with the microphone. I started off by singing "The Lord said to Noah..." and he chimes in singing the wrong words- "to build me an archy archy." The crowd erupts in laughter. My kids all start screaming and standing on their tip toes to get a glimpse of how people were reacting. Oh my. I got the crowd and my children calmed down and corrected my student so we could start again. This time around things went much smoother with the lyrics, but the kids were still their rambunctious selves! In the process of me stepping out to get the weather people to come in for "it rained and poured...", the other children were in the ark singing "So Rise and Shine" and the animals on the ark decided to climb up onto the risers for some fun. Never a dull moment with these kids.

We ended by singing the chorus "I will cast all my cares upon you" and had one my students tell the audience what that meant which was really rather endearing.

While the chapel didn't exactly turn out the way I had originally intended, for the rest of the day I did have people walking up to me telling me how funny of a chapel it had been!

I am glad that week was over, as all in the same week was my class chapel, my assembly (where I taught the elementary school the song "He's my rock, my sword, my shield..."), report cards due, parent-teacher conferences and a special fellowship night with my KIU gals. Needless to say that Friday night I relaxed, but looked back on the week as a real experience and one where God was very VERY very present in my life! Praise the Lord for all of his goodness :)

Caught up in the crowd a million faces reaching for the stars that lost their places- Mending Point

2009-11-01T06:44:00.009-05:00

The glamorous side of Uganda is a fascinating one (not that I know much of that life in the US). One of my friends here found out about the Miss Uganda pageant and proposed that a bunch of us go to it. Some of us joined in when we found out that they had lowered the price to an affordable rate. The day of the event 3 of us hopped into the matatu taxi vans and went downtown to Owino to find some random dressy things to wear. Success! I wore a black top with sequins ($2) and black heels ($6) along with my designer jeans that I had bought the previous time around. We went early and hung out on the balcony of the hotel until the doors opened. I was happy we got there early because we were able to get seats that were fairly close to the cat walk. The whole event was really rather entertaining and another fascinating cultural experience. They had traditional dances, talked about the pride of their country, and even had a traditional dress walk. Just in front of us were the VIP tables. One of the guys we went with is casual and when no one was sitting at the table he went up and sat there. Soon there were 3 girls sitting at his table- Brenda (who designed the swimsuits for the competition), Angela, and the previous Miss Uganda. Before we knew it we had scored free tickets to the after pageant VIP dinner with all of the contestants! WOW! While it may have happened at 1am, it was so neat to meet these women and learn some more of their stories. My roommate and I even got our picture taken with the newly crowned Miss Uganda! We've stayed in contact with Brenda and Angela, even going to Brenda's wedding dress show the following night! Since then we have gotten together with the two of them several times. It's really neat to get to know someone with so many connections. They are both from Uganda and have fascinating stories of growing up through war, but rising above it and they both lived and learned in London for some time. One night when we got together I got to sing with Brenda's cousin's band in a hotel lobby! And I'm getting some more connections so I might get to sing some more! How exciting is that? Brenda called me the other day and said she was being my agent here :)

People all over the world live such different lives, even across the city from each other, and I consider it a privilege to get to learn more and more every day!

Lala Salama- song sung in Kenya meaning 'Peace, sleep well'

2009-10-11T08:48:00.013-04:00

This past weekend was a unique experience for me! I had the wonderful opportunity to join a group of over 100 Kenyan, Ugandan, Tanzanian, and Sudanese University students on an island retreat! It was put on by the UFC (United Faith Chapel) AGC (African Gospel Church) that our mission started at the local university, KIU (Kampala International University). My roommate and I joined them late on Friday. We went to the Palace (the building we hold meetings in by the school) to meet up with a few other students who were also joining late. It was 5 pm by the time we went out to catch a matatu (van taxi) to the Ggaba landing site. When we got down to the water we did some small shopping to stock up on drinking water, candles, etc.

We eventually loaded in a long skinny boat and started on our way with the sun starting to set through the clouds. It was already such a joy to be with people who really knew how to laugh! Just look at them all laughing!

It only took about half an hour to get to the ‘island’ (we are still not sure whether it was actually an island or was a place that would have been too long of a drive to get there otherwise). When we arrived we were lead to our dorm rooms to drop our things off. There were about 10 little houses on the property like this one where we all slept.

Then we headed down to the pavilion where the sessions were being held. As we walked down the path towards the water we were met with an influx of all the people heading up to eat dinner. It felt almost like a wedding line where everyone wanted to stop and hug Teresa and me- such an amazingly warm meeting! We all headed up for a dinner of Ugali (cassava or corn flour cooked in water), rice, beans and stew. After dinner we all headed back down the hill to the pavilion for an evening session which lasted until 9:30ish. After the evening meeting we all hiked back up to our respective rooms to prepare for bed. I happily fell asleep at around 10:30pm (when the power went off- it was only on from 7pm to then). This is where it got interesting for me-all throughout the night I was awoken by girls getting up to shower. And while they were up…why not sing at 4am??? Wow! Many East Africans shower 2 times a day or more! One of the ladies was SHOCKED that I shower every other day. She also thought it was funny that I like warm showers as she thoroughly enjoys her cold ones. Culture is so fascinating! Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much this weekend! We were pulled out of bed at 6:15am because we were all to do morning quiet time devotions down by the lake at 6:30.

While this is a wonderful blessing, I did not want to be awake earlier than a weekday on my Saturday. The Lord used it for good however…look at how focused this student is!

After quiet time we had whole group devotions until breakfast at 8am. For breakfast we had bread with blue band (veggie oil butter), a hard-boiled egg and chai tea (slightly different than American chai- the base is boiled milk with lots of sugar and black tea leaves). We then sat down for the next sessions, which lasted us until 2:30 pm with two 10 minute breaks. Lunch was rice with tomatoes and some stew. After lunch we went back down for more sessions until dinner at 9pm! That was some intensive learning that was just soaked right up by rigorous note takers! The only time they seemed to struggle in concentrating was when the half-dollar sized spiders dropped down from above! We had a two main speakers, a Bishop from Kenya and a Ugandan pastor, both quite talented speakers! Dinner was matoke and meat (which I did not partake of). That night was a bit better in terms of sleep. The next morning we again woke up at the crack of dawn for quite time. I took advantage of this and took lots of pictures around the water. It is so relaxing to walk around during the sunrise and snap away freely in peace. I’ve really missed nature living in the big city and soaked up the chance to take pictures of anything!!! Here’s some of my findings! This was a real gift to me!

After devotions we had breakfast: Sweet potatoes and matoke with chai…an interesting, but actually quite tasty, combo. We all journeyed back down towards the chapel and had a great church service of healing and restoration! Such a blessing for these hard working university students. Lunch oddly enough was porridge, which I really did not want to try at first and there was bread available so I opted for that. However, one of my friends pulled me over (someone who has been giving me HUGE portions all week) and convinced me to take a taste. He cooled it down for me to taste, and I sipped at it, finding myself really enjoying the gritty drink. It’s so healthy too! So he gave me some more and I drank it down. Here we are enjoying the deliciousness!

I’m amazed here how quickly some people can eat. I know that I am a slow eater, but wow! Some of my friends were telling me that when they were children either their mom would beat them if they did not eat fast enough or their brothers and sisters would come and eat it. Thus, they’ve learned to scarf down their food!

We started to gather up people to head down to the dock so we could begin our journey back to the big city. My roomie and I put my pack in the pile and loaded the boat expecting to leave fairly soon. An hour later we were being shoved off of the dock with water already leaking into the boat. You put 120 Kenyans in a boat who don’t know how to swim…and it’s quite an experience! There were not enough life jackets for everyone, so only people who had no experience swimming got one. Funny thing is, I had to explain to someone that if they are in water with a life jacket on, they don’t need to panic- just sit still and they will float. Imagine! They would have panicked, dragging those of us who do know how to swim down with them. The boat ride back was much longer, seeing as this was the ‘mini titanic’ and the motor was the same size as the small boat we came on. The time was well spent enjoying those around me, laughing, talking and singing all the way! When we got back to the landing site we slowly off loaded, and some of the gents rolled up their trousers and carried some of us ladies off so we wouldn’t get wet! Then some of the other guys went and bargained with several matatus to take us back to the Palace. We piled in and rode rather quickly down Ggaba road. The three of us (me, my roommate and her brother) got off at the main hostel of KIU and caught boda-bodas back home. I was warmly greeted by my little askari (guard- really, his son Benti) and threw down my things to lay down. I emerged 2 hours later, sun burnt and still exhausted to go to a meeting. As you can guess, I slept like a ROCK that night…my solid foundation laid.

It’s been so exciting even in the past week to see how those relationships have grown and to have really multiplied my friends over in Kabalagala. I’ve even learned more Kiswahili thanks to them! I am so grateful for their gift of friendship and it is such an honor to be teaching them what God and his followers have taught me.

If you want to see more pictures of this camp, go here to enjoy: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037435&id=30200100&l=8c098bc837

When my enemies draw near I pray that they will find that I'm protected and secure...I can lean against your throne and find my Peace-Jennifer Knapp

2009-09-11T09:46:00.010-04:00

School closed early today. There are riots througout the city.
The short of it is that one of the tribal Kings was coming into the city without proper permission to attend an event by the central government. People got upset, and there's been clashes between the Buganda and Government since Wednesday night. Rubber bullets are a clear mark of riots, as are the thick dark clouds of smoke rising from buildings and tires. People have already been killed downtown and on some of the outskirts. Luckily nothing has come that close to us- I have heard some things that I would rather not hear such as sirens and a gun shoot off. However, apparently sometimes the police here shoot off rounds up into the air during times like this. We were on lock down today at home, not being allowed to travel anywhere at all. Tonight my mission has said that we are allowed to go down the road, which will be nice to spend some time with some other people.

Please pray for peace. It makes me so sad to hear about all of this. People fighting over power is seems sad when the real Ruler of all is in Heaven and can handle it all. May peace reign.

Below are some pictures from school today. It was the end of Spiritual Emphasis week, so I praise God that we got to have the last chapel which was so INCREDIBLY moving! The spirit of the Lord was so evident that tears kept coming to my eyes. I also had to say goodbye to a beloved little student of mine who is returning to Italy to be with her mother who is very ill from cancer. That family could use continued prayer as well. They will be so missed, and they will miss their home of 10+ years, Uganda.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise God that I can lean against His throne to find my peace any time of day, any day of my life!

The morning started out B-E-A-UTIFUL!

During Chapel: A drama about God. Jesus said "Let the little children come to me"...and they all ran up to him!

Children being prayed over by teachers and parents.

Me praying over my student who is leaving to be with her sick mom.

We were so blessed to have a WHOLE STAFF communion service after the service. Here you see the second grade teacher Margaret serving Grace, one of the cleaners at the school.

Ilaria and me. I found that shirt at Owino last week...perfect for saying goodbye to my little Italian student!

These kids make me smile :)

One of my little 1st graders singing "Give us clean hands"

Don’t get comfortable- Brandon Heath

2009-09-10T14:27:00.011-04:00

So, the past year of showers in my humble little apartment have been interesting.

Here's a little journey of my bathroom:

Christina (the first roomie) filling up the back of the toilet when that wouldn't work.

The contraption that was added to mix the cold water with the boiling water so that it would not scald us. So we lived with a shower that we were constantly turning the handles of to just get a shower that would go through cycles of hot, cold, hot, cold.

Me, very confused about what to do (notice the lid still off of the toilet in the foreground).

Forward about 9 months- the kitchen sink stopped working, so we were washing pots in the bathroom. Meet Teresa, the new roomie.

This is the bucket shower method. Instead of fixing the shower, they took away the only way to shower without being burnt. Plus, we couldn't shower when there was no power- fun when it's gone for 5 days! So, we fill up this tub with boiling and freezing water, then use a pitcher to shower.

The next attempt at making our shower better. Meet "the widow-maker". There's a reason they are called that! I was the only one to try this little guy out. When I showered with it i got burnt and there were sparks flying out of the front of it where that switch is. That switch was supposed to help you if you wanted hot, cold or a mix- pretty sure it was wired backwards so I was trying to figure it out when the blue lights started flying. I stopped that shower quick!

THE NEW MACHINE! This thing may not seem amazing, but you have no idea how wonderful it is to have a warm shower in your home. It is a small tank so it's not a long shower at all, and there's not very much pressure, but it's great! And now we can have a cold shower when the power is off! There's even a little temperature gauge on this thing!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Don't forget to be thankful for the little blessings you have, and don't get too comfortable ;)

You’re never fully dressed without a smile-Annie

2009-09-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

This became evermore clear to me after my Owino experience this week. My one and only pair of jeans that I brought with me have two giant holes right above the knees and are not appropriate here. So, considering that I LOVE wearing jeans, I needed to find a new pair. Being that new clothes are a rare find here, and when they are found are really rather expensive, I ventured to the giant open air market known as Owino with 3 of my friends. This is a place that is very difficult to describe to someone who has never been before. It is also well known that you don’t take your camera there, or else I would have a picture. Truth be told, it would be difficult to capture the chaos of this place through a lens. I just went searching for a picture on google images, but nothing does it justice. It’s massive and easy to get lost in. They sell everything there! It’s a dark maze struggling to find your way through stacks of shirts, pinned pants, hanging winter coats, chains of shoes, and steaming matoke. I was happy to be with friends especially this time as I looked for jeans. I found one pair that seemed to fit me from holding them up and I was thinking about moving on because they seemed a bit long. But then I looked at the name brand: United Colors of Bennonton. Wow. The only reason I knew that this was an expensive brand was because I saw their stores all over the place in Europe this summer. I bargained with the man to bring down the price to around $7 and walked away feeling alright. I showed my friends and they were amazing saying that in the US they would have cost $150!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it. I never paid more than $25 for a pair of jeans! African just don’t have that sense of name brands and think only of what it looks like. I do enjoy that most of the time, but I am also looking for quality- so sometimes it is important to know what you’re looking at. However, I wasn’t quite sure that they fit me. So walking along I looked up and saw another stand smothered in jeans. As usual, the owner reached out his hand and grabbed my arm. I gave in this time because the jeans hanging on his makeshift wall looked pretty nice. He asked quickly started pulling some off the wall for me to look at, asking me if I wanted skinny jeans or boot cut. He asked me how big of a flare I wanted on them. He did at one point go to a few stalls over and borrow a tape measure. A lot of the things in this market come from Europe and I didn’t know my size, only in American numbers (which don’t really make sense). I watched amusingly as he measured my waist…backwards!!!!!! It didn’t really matter however, because he seemed to know exactly what he was doing (kind of). He suggested over and over again that I try them on. I looked around and laughed. How in the world was I going to try on a pair of jeans at Owino? The man wanted to hold up a dirty sheet with a few holes in it to cover me from the masses of people. I declined, but he insisted. I don’t know how he convinced me, but I instead got my roommate, Teresa, to do the holding of the curtain. It was so awkward. I peeked around as I slipped my capris off making sure that there were no gaps between the thin boards that made up the walls. I didn’t see any eyes, so I figured I was somewhat safe. I did however pull down my shirt as far as it could stretch, just in case. As I attempted to put first pair on I couldn’t help but smile and laugh the entire time. These trousers were a disaster. I put back on the linen that I came in. Then he found another pair that he was CONVINCED would fit me. So, back I went into the changing room made of a block with cardboard (on which I had to remove my shoes) and a coffin sized box on the side. This pair failed to slip over my thighs. He handed me one more to try and BINGO. Perfect! I couldn’t believe how well they fit! I did however have to curb my enthusiasm. If you show too much interest in a product, it is much harder to bargain down to a good price. The process began. He started at 45,000/= (around $21). Wowzers. That is just crazy- they see a white face and instantly think money and stupidity. Luckily, I know better. I explained that I could get new jeans for cheaper than that in the US and that I had just gotten jeans of good quality for a third of that price. He thought I was saying his jeans were not good quality- I quickly explained to him that his were, but that different makers means how long they will last. Plus, I asked Agnes (the assistant teacher in my class) how much they should be. Luckily, without too much haggling, I got him down to the same price as the other pair. I was happy to pay that because of the fact that I had never had a pair of jeans fit me so well since my pair that gave out in grade 8. It may have been an incredibly awkward experience changing in the middle of that market, but I am SO happy I did J

I can’t even count the number of times that I was tagged, grabbed, or cat called. I can’t recall all of the countries that people called out to us (“Hey Russian” “Hey Scottish” “Hey Obama! How is he doing?”, etc.). But it was worth it this time around.

I went with the intention of buying jeans. I got 5 shirts of all types, 2 pairs of jeans (that both fit amazingly), 7 oranges, a pile or tomatoes, a pile or potatoes, 2 packets of seeds, 4 mandazi, and an interesting story all for under $25. Amazing.

Where are the greener pastures? You [Christ] are my greener pastures –David Crowder

2009-07-27T06:42:00.002-04:00

Guards here in Uganda are kind of essential for people who live in actual homes, especially if you are a foreigner. I’ve had lots of them pass through my compound over the past year. From what I know it is due to the small amount that they are paid by the land lord. I can’t imagine what our guard gets paid. People quitting over a small amount being paid is a pretty big deal here. They are grateful for any job, and even the lowest of the normal amount that guards are paid is pretty dirt dirt cheap. The guard that we have now has been here for several months. I don’t know much about him, besides the fact that he is from the DRC and speaks Kiswahili and French. Neither of which language I am any good at…so hence the lack of knowledge. Along with him is his wife and what seems to be a 3 year old boy living with him. The set up for him is actually not that bad in terms of how housing goes for guards- he’s got a bedroom with a big bed in it (that’s all that’s in there I think), a room on the other side of the house-like structure where a refrigerator is held and there are some stools, then around the back of our apartments is an outhouse with a drop toilet and a bathing room. It may not seem like home to you or I, but it’s not all that bad. However, the wife does not have a job either. I’m guessing that they are refugees here- at least that was the story of my last Congolese guard.

I feel bad for them and wonder how much they are actually eating. The only time I ever see them eat is late at night sitting outside of their house on the ground with a little coal stove things and a pot. It’s really not that uncommon for people to only be able to afford one meal a day here. But that doesn’t make it any easier. Especially when I feel like I can do something about it. The hard part about that is what happens when I leave. I mean, while I’m here I can go out once a week and bring them back some bread, blue band (like butter), sugar and some soap, but once I’m gone, they are stuck again. And then…that is what they will come to expect, and won’t be able to find it. I know one woman in a village who worked for a mzungu that paid much higher than the normal house worker (and more than a normal person could afford here), then the mzungu left and since then she has not found a job because her standards have been raised and won’t accept less. I don’t want that to become true for my guard and his family. So, when I do bring back food it is sparatic and a surprise. Tonight I came back from a dinner with a team that is here to build for a school out on the island we work on, and I had some extra cornbread. So, when I came into the apartment I went to the kitchen, pulled out a napkin and placed the 3 remaining pieces on the red paper. As I walked outside to give it to them my mind scrambled to think of the words in either French or Swahili to convey the message of what this odd thing was that I was handing over. All I could come up with (as usual) was a mix of the two languages-“Bonjour, pour tu, maize…karibu sana, la la salama” A rough translation is “Hello, for you, corn…you are very welcome, peace sleep well”. Yeah…not the best, I know. When I steped out my door and closed it behind me so the mosquitoes wouldn’t seep in, I noticed that they were not eating. Now, I’m not sure if they have already eaten their meal, or are going to eat it later (people generally eat dinner here around 9:30ish at night). As I walked over the man sat up from his prostrate position on the gravel with child and reached out his hands while his wife got up from her stool to kneel and extend her own arms, as is the traditional way to receive. To give you some what of a better idea of these people…I’m guessing that the parents are younger than me. One of the pieces of corn bread slipped out onto the rocks below as I handed it over to the gentleman. Instantly the little boy picked it up and started saying repeatedly “asante, asante sana (thank you, thank you very much)” over and over and over and over again and stuffed the crumbling morsels into his mouth.

Sometimes life here becomes normal. Then there are moments like this that makes you beg and sit here dialoging with God about the best thing to do. Sometimes I wonder if there is an answer.

I know that people are hungry here right now. Especially in the northern part of Uganda, spread all across where there is drought which has lead to famine. Arua has not had a good rain fall since September of last year! It’s one thing if people are going hungry because they are too lazy to plant (which is the case sometimes), but quite another when there is not enough rain to plant, so the cycle continues. Then if you factor in the fact that the World Food Program has deserted the people they have been helping in Soroti & Gulu to move to the Karamajong area boardering Kenya, it gets complicated. I was told just yesterday that some people who have $300/month jobs are quitting because they see they can get free food. Please pray for rain. Pray with me that as God is seeking out the hearts of his children in Uganda that he would fill their stomachs as well. May God give us wisdom in sharing our blessings!

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

2009-07-24T12:51:00.001-04:00

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!

Let me take your picture, add it to the mixture, here it is I got you now- Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem (The Muppet Show)

2009-07-07T05:14:00.019-04:00

The photographer in me has been discovered. In the past few months I have been asked to take pictures for lots of people in all sorts of situations.

I’ve taken pictures for (sorry if the pictures are messed up or out of order!) a band made up of missionaries,

for a bunch of Ugandan musicians putting together a professional recording,

for a Ugandan worship music studio,

family shots for missionary prayer cards,high school graduation,

lots of youth group events,

Heritage School events and evenWorld Gospel Mission events.

Here is Michael, a baby that is being adopted by some friends of WGM here :)

Whew. It has kept me busy, but I sure have enjoyed it all the while. It gives me the opportunity to get to know more people, develop better photography skills and also to give something to people that they would not have had otherwise. So, while I’m still building up trust in our churches to take pictures of families, my photography skills are not being neglected.

If you give love, I’ll return the love and you will see so much more than you gave away- Third Day

2009-07-02T08:14:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks of this school year were bitter sweet. There was so much change. I had a wonderful time with the children. The end of 1st grade is such an amazing time. Over the past year they learned SO much! Most of them can now read at an appropriate speed and subtract numbers without using their fingers! It’s really rewarding to remember back to when they first came and some of them didn’t even know their letters to seeing them currently reading 60 words a minute! They did a great job for their last chapel, singing songs like “He’s my rock, my sword, my shield…”, “There were 12 Disciples”, and Alphabet bible song that was sung on a Psalty tape where they memorized lots of bible verses! I had gotten so attached to those kids over the past year that it was VERY hard for me to say goodbye. I tried holding back the tears until they were all gone, but the tears started flowing as the 3rd from last child was giving me the final ‘hand shake, hi-five, or hug’. Those last 3 I will probably never see again, as they are moving on, and it just broke my heart. I’ve really grown to love these kids as I’ve gotten to know them and their ways. Luckily my cousin Sarah was visiting me before she went off to work in a Hospital in western Uganda so I had a shoulder to cry on. I will continue praying for those kids for a long time to come. Please pray with me that they will continue to follow Jesus as they go onto Grade 2 and new challenges in their lives.
I would also love for you to start praying with me for the incoming Grade 1 class. I am a bit intimidated as there are around 14 boys and 3 girls. Yikes! There is no way to place the rowdy boys next to all the girls this time. We’ve still got a month before school starts, but it’s never too early to start praying for something!

In no man’s land, no ones to blame-Gomez

2009-07-02T07:18:00.000-04:00

The very first time that I can remember walking in No Man’s Land was 3 years ago when me and a few others snuck across the boarder to Kenya for a minute and then walked back. I remember clearly thinking about what no man’s land was, how cool it was to be where no one ruled me but God, and what would happen if something terrible went wrong here. I would assume that in this culture, a lynching would happen right then and there…mob justice. But it has often intrigued me.
Anyway, so for Spring Break this year, my two best buddies here and I went to Kenya the cheapest way we could…and loved it!
I can’t really sum it up too well, but I can give you an idea of what you did, then send you in the direction of my facebook albums from the trip to get a better idea. There you will find captions with the pictures too.
We took a bus to Nairobi which left at 7am and took 13 hours, arriving in Nairobi at 8pm with a driver there waiting for us. Luckily, World Gospel Mission has a big presence in Kenya- they started there almost 100 years ago! So, we got picked up and taken to a missionaries home to stay. In the morning we got picked up by the Duncans, the East Africa directors and dear dear people! They took us to the big Africa Gospel Church in Nairobi. That was really neat. One thing I really enjoyed about that church was at the end of the service, they had everyone stand up, then ask the visitors to stand up and walk to the back of the church to go meet the greeters. We did so, then they brought us up to a room where they had prepared tea for us specially! We all sat around and talked and just had great sweet fellowship with all different sorts of people! There was even a woman who had just become a Christian and her husband and children were still Muslim. Her husband didn’t know yet and she was moving up to be with him out in the bush in Sudan. She needs prayer. People do not respond well to things like that and she will not have much support out there.
From there the Duncans took us out to lunch, then to a Maasi Mara (that is the tribe that jumps so high and wears the red blankets with a big stick) market to do some souvenir shopping. Boy is stuff expensive in Kenya! One of the Duncan’s children took us from there to buy train tickets for the following day. That night we went out to eat with Robin, the sweet missionary that we stayed with, at Java House. That place is known for it’s coffee, but it had some wonderful hot chocolate too ☺ The following day we hung out and walked around and went to the Nakumat! Now that was culture shock…and they are opening one here! It’s like a Walmart, but more expensive. We got some great groceries to take with us on the train, then went early to the station. We got in a 2nd class sleeper car and readied ourselves for the supposed 12 hour journey to Mombassa. It really lasted 17 hours! But it was worth it by the time we got to see the beautiful Indian Ocean! I slept pretty well all strapped in on the top bunk, but Lacey and Christina did not do so well. We got a tuk-tuk (a motorcycle powered rickshaw that can fit 3 people) to the ferry. Stopped by Nakumat there to get some more food then got another tuk-tuk across to Amani Acre-a missionary guest house run by Africa Inland Mission. It was beautiful there. We stayed in a low key simple apartment right by the water for real cheap and even had a guard watch us when we were on the beach so that not too many men would bother us! It’s dangerous showing your knees in East Africa…all the men want to marry you! The next morning I woke up crazy early to watch the sunrise over the water. Oh wow was it beautiful! Such a gift from God after the crazy stressful testing that I had the previous week at school.I got lots of neat photos then went back to sleep for a bit. When we all got up we got a ride to the south side of Mombassa to go to a resort for the day. For only $5 we got to spend the day at a beautiful resort by the Indian Ocean with a swimming pool…and camels on the beach! That was on of Christina’s items on what I would call a bucket list- Ride a Camel. Check! The water there was so warm, it felt like I was in tea water. It was also clear so that I was not too afraid to swim in it…that is until the tide came in. So that day we got to just relax and swim in the pool and the Indian ocean and ride camels and then I searched for treasures in the sand ☺
Then we went back to the apartment and found the power out. So we put on the water to boil while we sat outside reading aloud to each other. We kept going into check on it. This was the longest time ever that it has taken to boil water…almost an hour!!!!! Eventually we got pasta cooked and ate by flashlight. The next morning we checked out and went to get bus tickets back to Nairobi for the night bus. We left our bags at the station and wandered throughout the town of Mombassa. Not the most interesting place to be quite honest. There’s only one sight seeing thing and other wise little restaurants. We went to go see if we could see a movie at the theatre, but there was only one movie playing that night when we would be gone. So we wandered around inside the Nakumats and Mr. Price shop and checked e-mail at an internet café. The night bus back was quite an experience! One that is preferably not repeated. Comfortable enough if you know the person sitting next to you. Otherwise you might wind up with an asleep mans hand under your bottom in the middle of the night. And it was SO hot at first, then SO cold. But, we made it back to Nairobi safely, and that is what counts! We got picked up and brought to drop off our bags at Robins and to wash up again before going to Nakumat for some food then going on a real African adventure! We first went to the feeding of the orphaned baby elephants and rhinos. Too cute! Then we went to the giraffe center where there is an endangered type of giraffe that used to live only in Uganda, but no more. That was an adventure in and of itself! We put food pellets in-between our lips and the giraffe could come and get it! So in essence, I kind of kissed a giraffe!!!! Then we went to Nairobi National Park for a safari. It’s the cheapest one around, and oddly enough, within the city limits! So, there are lions in Nairobi. Look out. That was beautiful. It was just amazing to be able to sit on the roof of the car and snap away with my camera. I loved just sitting and watching the Zebras. We didn’t see any of the cats (Lions/Leopards) but we got to see some neat things and enjoy the backdrop.
The next day we ventured back to Kampala on the 13 hour bus. While I loved Kenya with it’s donkeys, sheep, and Indian Ocean, I was happy to get home. From this trip I have concluded that Uganda is the friendliest and cheapest country in East Africa…I do love it here!

You drive me crazy- Britney Spears

2009-06-29T06:24:00.000-04:00

I am now an officially licensed Ugandan driver! I did have my International Drivers license, but that only lasts a year. The process for me to get my Ugandan license was mainly done by the missions offices here, but the final steps did have to include me. I had to take a morning off of school to drive across town with the man who was ‘taking care of it’ for me. While I forget the official name of our first stop, I remember what it was for and what happened there. It is where everyone who is bringing goods into the country has to go in order to declare things. Oddly enough, this is where part of the licensure process takes place…a large warehouse. I had to wait in a sectioned off room while the man I was with went behind the glass to talk to some people. He came back out and told me we would have to wait. I was anxious of course, wanting to get back to my room, so I gently reminded him that I didn’t have all day because I had to teach. A few minutes later he came back out talked to a man at a desk, then went back behind the glass, did a few mysterious things and returned. This is when he informed me that we could go. I was thoroughly confused. From here, he directed me to another warehouse a few kilometers away. Along the way I asked him some questions, which led him to inform me of the bribe which had taken place. Yes, in the government! Apparently what happens at that first warehouse is something to do with approval, which at that stage would have taken 4 days to clear. Really only a few minutes, but they like to take their time. So, a bribe is put forth to hurry it along. I didn’t bother asking how much. The next warehouse we went to is a company that the government hires for making digital licenses. I put in my information, then waited to be called. I sat and did some work until my name was called. From here, I proceeded to go to 4 different windows. The first was where they took my picture. Quite a neat experience actually. People are so friendly here. The two behind the desk talked to me, then took a few pictures. They even turned the screen around for me to pick which picture I wanted to use. Then they gave me a piece of paper and told me to go to a certain number window. I went there and waited in line and handed them the paper. They typed in info and printed out a piece of paper. I went onto the next numbered window and waited in a very long line, all to come out with the same piece of paper and head to the next window. At least at this window they gave me my temporary license and told me to come back in a week to get the real thing. The most amusing thing of all was that at each station that I went, each one told me that I had an amazing picture- ‘the picture of the day.’ I was able to come back 10 days later and pick up my license. Quite fun I must say to hold a drivers license of your own in another country. But at the same time, quite disturbing that it’s not only the cops who are corrupt, but the very system.

Jesus bring the rain-MercyMe

2009-06-29T06:19:00.001-04:00

So I realize that I have not updated on here in a long time. However, I've got a couple that I had written a while ago that for one reason or another, never got put up...so here goes!
This one was written between April 25 and May 13.
Sometimes it seems as though Africans think they are going to melt in the rain. Even the ones who clearly would be perfectly fine if they got a little bit wet, run as if their lives depended on it when the rain starts. The other day while finishing up my bible study for my discipleship group I heard the rain start coming down out of my window. Due to the heat of the day and my love of the smell of cool rain I decided to move my study to underneath the porch outside. It was beautiful for a few moments. A wonderfully calm rain was flowing slyly beneath my feet, but I was sitting back far enough from the ledge not to get wet…so I thought. That’s the thing about the rains here in Kampala, not only can you never tell when they are coming, but because of Lake Victoria being upon us, the breeze changes everything. The rains picked up along with the gusts of wind and before I knew it there were pin sized drops of water all over my book. Nonetheless, I continued my study right inside the door so that I could still admire the rain, but this time at a distance.
A quite memorable experience for me when the rain was not so far away was my boda-boda (motorcycle) ride in the rain. This is such a happy memory for me. I was in town with a friend in the afternoon and we had just left the new (and only) mega shopping center, walking down to catch bodas back home. That’s when the rain started. It was light enough and thought it would be fine. Little did we realize that there were no boda’s at that stage. So, we went on walking down towards the main traffic light where there’s another stage. It started to rain harder, but by that time, we were getting wet and there was no turning back. Eventually we crossed the road and convinced some men to take us back to my apartment for the correct price. Then the beauty came :)
What I saw in the next 10-15 min made me smile so big. Was I wet? Yes. Was I cold? Yes. Did the rain sting like needles? Yes. Did it really matter? Nope, not at all. Quite refreshing really. Here’s why. There were little kids playing and jumping in the rain, even some of them stripping down to their birthday suits to bathe in the puddles. Some of them stopped to scream and laugh at the muzungus riding bodas in the rain. The shopkeepers were standing in their open doors watching the world pass by. Women walked hunched over with their shawls meagerly covering their heads. The other people who were ‘stuck’ on a boda in the rain looked like turtles trying to hide behind their driver.
While the chill was just starting to overwhelm me, the exhaust from the cars passing by warmed me up. I had thought about putting my own shawl over my head, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. In fact, I kept finding myself wiping my eyes so that I could get better glimpses of the world surrounding me in that joyous moment of love that God gave me. I somehow wish that I had had my camera on me, but at the same time, there would have been no way to capture the experience that I had.
We arrived home safely and oddly enough, I was sad that the moment was over. I don’t know why the experience hit me so hard. The earth seems to become new after the rain comes. The air is crisp and has a marvelous smell. The rain slowed significantly as I walked up to my door, and I took in a deep breath to have the moist chill fill my lungs.

You give me joy that’s unspeakable-Newsboys

2009-03-29T16:01:00.001-04:00

Pet peeves- everyone’s got them. One that comes to mind for me is cotton tearing apart. I don’t know why, but whenever someone is pulling apart a cotton ball it sends shivers down my spine. For other people it might be scraping a knife on a plate, scratching nails on a chalkboard, talking to someone else while on the phone, etc.
I made a new friend a few weekends back that introduced me to a new idea. He called them Pet Cleaves. I’ve thought a lot about them in these last days. The concept behind them is not the little things that really bother us, but rather the little things that bring us joy. As you know by now, I like joy. This idea really intrigued me and got me thinking. The more I think about it, the more I like this concept. The name Pet Cleaves is suiting, though it can be confusing. I would like to pause here and emphasize that you should not look at the first definition of cleave (to split or penetrate something), but the second definition (to cling closely to). Things that bring joy are things that we need to cling to in order to get though a day at a time.
So my pet cleaves? They may seem a little bit odd, but whose aren’t? Looking down and seeing newly shaved legs. Getting to the end of a bag of chips to find that there’s an even number remaining. When the camera snaps at just the right moment to capture a child’s brilliant expression.
One of my favorites is when the sun breaks through the clouds in the form of visible rays. While sunsets and sunrises are breath taking and I love them, the sight of heaven shining down makes me stop and stare in awe.
When God works little things out perfectly, it’s a Pet Cleave for me. You never know how many of these things are put there by him. Maybe God just knew that you needed a little smile. Maybe God was sitting up there looking at his child and wanted to make you happy; what father wouldn’t want that?
I guess I’ve talked about a lot of others already in my post about what brings me joy here, but these are the smaller things. And I'm sure that there are so many more that I can't think of right now...
I’d really love to hear what some of yours are! Please write a quick comment if you think of any ☺

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd, yodel-odeli-yodele-i-o -Sound of Music

2009-03-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

As I was riding on the back of a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) this week, I happened to glance over to my right up off the road a few hundred yards. What I saw was not something that would surprise me in the least in a normal situation, but in this instance was hilarious to me. On that little hill stood a woman in grayish-black dress trousers, high-heeled shoes, a nice button up fitted white top, and a purse adorning her shoulder. In her hand? A rope. On the other end of this rope? A goat. That might have been all well and good too, but their stances were the kicker. It seemed to me that perhaps this woman was on her way home from her job when she happened across her goat who had escaped. So, she must have picked up the rope and started to lead it home. However, he did not want to go back. Basically what came to be was a tug-of-war between this goat and a businesswoman. She was pulling with all of her weight and leaning backwards, while the goat was practically sitting down. His front legs were reaching straight forward and his hind legs underneath him, behind still straight up in the air.
Needless to say, it gave me a good laugh. I’d expect any day to see a child pulling on a goat (it’s almost a daily scene) or to even see a woman yanking on that rope, but more so a woman in a big slightly ragged skirt and hair pulled up in a scarf…not a businesswoman.
I didn’t get to see the turn out of the situation as the boda was moving at a decent pace towards town. I did get into town to buy the next book in the series that I am reading, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. It’s about a woman in Botswana that starts up a detective agency after her father dies. Even though it does not take place in Uganda, there are still many similarities and things that make me laugh about all the great African cultures ☺ If you are looking for a new series, see if you can find them in America-I know it’s written by a Brit so I’m not sure. It’s a good, fun, suspenseful, and easy read.

Before I stand up to my feet, before I begin to feel this weak, satisfy me Lord- Tenth Avenue North

2009-03-20T00:35:00.001-04:00

One morning as I was making my way to school, I saw two boys standing together with their school uniforms on and bags attached to their backs. One boy looked down admiringly at the other. Chiefly looking at…his socks. Now both of the boys had white socks that were adorned with a blue stripe at the top. The taller of the two, the one admiring the other child’s socks, proceeded to bend down and attempt to hoist up his own socks. The shorter child’s socks where hiked way up, practically knee-highs. Perhaps the taller lad thought that the other boy’s socks were the correct height. His socks were, after all, only sticking out a few inches from his slightly polished black dress shoes. He seemed to try desperately to yank his own socks. What he failed to realize is that no matter how hard he tried, that was the highest his socks were going to go. His socks were not designed to go any higher- the most that was going to happen was that they might stretch, then in the end wind up sagging.
I feel like that is something we do a lot in life. Not tug up socks per say, but try to do things that we are not designed to do. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try our best, the Bible says that what ever we do, we should do it as if we are doing it for the Lord. However, sometimes we continue trying something that just isn’t meant to be. We all have our own gifts and talents. Just like I am gifted as a teacher, a singer, and possibly a photographer. I may use these talents to the best of my ability and sometimes not be satisfied in who I am. I get jealous of the people around me who converse so easily with teenagers. I am envious of people who are witty and come up with funny things to say to a perfect stranger. What I’ve got to realize is, is that I am not designed to be that person. Though the ever-famous Pride and Prejudice would tell me that it’s something I have to practice to get down to an art. My mind just doesn’t work that way, just as my body is not designed to jump long distances or allow my hair to hold curl. What is the use of trying to change something that is not meant to be? Right now I am sitting in bed and looking up at my wall where there is an orange piece of construction paper hanging. It reads “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing LOVE, that we may sing for joy and be glad all of our days.” Psalm 90:14. The purpose of me adorning my wall so is in the hopes that every morning when I wake up, I will be reminded of who allows me to rise. But that verse speaks to me more than that. It tells me to allow God to satisfy me in all that he has made me to be. I will sing for joy, for Christ has orchestrated it so!

In my dreams I see visions of the future and today we have today- Switchfoot

2009-03-20T00:28:00.000-04:00

It seems more and more I find myself a teacher. Not just a grade 1 teacher at Heritage International School, but in every aspect of my life. Currently I teach a Korean friend proper English, I teach a grown woman how to read, I teach a bible study for a group of young women in university, I teach a Sunday school class of local children with some university students, and oddly enough I’ve taught someone how to bake a cake! What’s amazing to me is how much the teacher in me has come out. In high school, I never imagined myself being a teacher. I wanted to be a famous singer, and quite frankly, I never thought I had the patience to teach. God proves me wrong every single day of my life, and for that I am grateful. Each and every one of us needs to be shaped and molded until we can see what God sees, and become what we have been created to be in Him. I know a person is not supposed to define themselves by their profession, but right now, that is at the core of who I am. I am a missionary. How do I spend my days and after school hours? Teaching. Teaching people of all ages, all different things. My cornerstone and reason for it all? Christ, as it shall continue.
As I sit here, waiting on my God to show me the plans he has for me this summer, I ponder that. Why have I been teaching so much? I’ve been entrusted with such a wonderful gift to have been trained as a teacher professionally…and I should use it. For the most part, I am super excited for these challenges!
Another part of me is yearning to break free and go off myself and take pictures of all the creation that surrounds me. Unable to do this with my lens currently in America, this craving is exploding. This speaks to me as well.
I know that God can use both of these tugs at once; it’s just the leading that needs to come now.
Please pray with me that God will give me a clear direction as to what I should do this summer. There are so many options to think about…and I want to, and need to be, in the center of His will. While I am waiting, please also pray that I will be content living in the now. Today all we have is today, and I need to give my all in everything that I am doing.

Day to day, where do you want to be? –Gomez

2009-02-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

A lot of times people write analogies about times of the day. In fact, even I in the 11th grade wrote a rather elaborate poem about the course of a life in one day, using different animals for the literary magazine. I remember compiling a rather extensive list of animals, their group names, mother/father label, baby title, etc. all of this for that poem…one that I’m not sure I could put my hands on today, perhaps in America I’d be able to.
However, that is not what this post is about. I love many different times of the day. In the US living on the East Coast, I loved the morning and having the chance during summer days to wake up before dawn and go and watch the sunrise over the ocean (though my mom would argue it was the sunset). Here, I also adore the sunrises. The colors that appear in the sky though my tiny glimpse of Lake Victoria is magnificent. Even as the sun continues to rise, up to 7:30 am, it’s a mystical time of day with the sun gleaming in through the dust that rises from the rusty earth. It’s often cool here in the morning, which gives warning to how hot the day will be. The colder the morning, the hotter the day will be. It rains a lot here, and not just during the rainy season. It seems that as the rainy season approaches in late March, the amount of rain is gradually growing, as my classroom will not so gladly prove! I am grateful for the rain, though it may cause me move the desks in my room to avoid being filled with water. It not only replenishes the thirsty land, but also cools us down. I’ve somehow grown to love the sound of rain on a tin roof. What’s funny about rain in Africa is the way that people disappear. You can be in the middle of getting petrol when it starts raining and the attendant will evaporate for 20 minutes because he is afraid of the rain. But through those times I am indebted to another learning experience in patience in my day.
Another wonderful part of the day is the night time. Though it’s not so safe for me to be out wandering the streets at this time of day, I can’t help but be drawn out of my home (still within my compound) to marvel at the stars. I know that I’ve mentioned them before, but I will never, ever cease to be amazed at that phenomenal creation of God’s! It’s a rare night when I don’t notice them. Orion’s belt and my ‘northern cross’ draw me and I find myself searching as I did with friends late at night in national parks in the US.
However, I think that my favorite time of day here is around 6:45pm. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s not necessarily the sunsets, because oddly enough that is not something I’ve noticed here. It’s not a good time for the photographer in me to snap away. Rather, I think it’s what happens to the people. There are so many people out at this hour, either making their way home or selling shoes on the street corner. As the light begins to fade, even the outskirts of the city become alive. It’s almost a homey feeling. I can’t figure out why. I grew up in horse country, not a city, though I’ve always loved wandering through lower Manhattan. People here are friendly despite the hustle and bustle. They are on a mission, but happy to stop along the way and interact with others to get things done. It’s also a relaxing time of day where things are drawing to a close and families seem to gather together again.
Have you taken the time to soak in the world around you recently? God has us each where we are for a reason, don’t forget to glance around at where that is from time to time, and at all hours to learn something new about Him.

What do I do to make you laugh, what do I do to make you smile, oh if only for a little while- Jennifer Knapp

2009-02-15T03:20:00.001-05:00

A theme that God has really pressed into my life is joy. I am called to “be joyful always.” In any circumstance!
So where is my joy? For me, it’s always been the small things. It’s in the snowdrop flowers that are blooming this time of year in New Jersey as the snow melts and brings hope. It’s in the black-capped chickadee’s twitter that I mimic. It’s in the rhyme my friends and I would sing as we drove into the dorm parking lot hoping to find an open spot.
So what are those small things that sustain me here? Some is in the people I see in my ministry. The kids in my class do bring me so much joy. They can be annoying, it’s true, but the little things they do make up for it. I’ve come to see joy in a unique way in each of them.
-One of my kids is the most animated child I’ve ever seen. When he is about to go somewhere, he’ll stop dead still, stare at you, then quickly stick his hands straight out in front of him, palms facing out and spine leaning forward, then run in place while continuing to stare at you intently making a funny noise you’d only expect to hear in a cartoon. Sometimes I catch him staring at me, then when I look at him, he says “What?” and shrugs his chubby shoulders. I can’t help but laugh.
-Another is as quiet as a mouse, but can dance and shake his petit hips like he hasn’t a care in the world. Switching on the cd player before Friday Chapel is quite a highlight for this!
-One of outgoing girls in my class who happens to be the principals daughter has the most contagious laugh in the world, I’m convinced. I have always been the type of person who laughs when I hear others laughing, even if I don’t think it’s funny. I just love the sound of laughter, as a few of my college friends can attest to. I used to get so much slack for laughing at one of my friends dumb jokes, but the simple fact that it makes him laugh makes me giggle with glee. This girls laugh does even more than that. Her laughter makes me want to make her laugh. I’ve often find myself having to hide my face behind a book because I am laughing at something I should not be condoning, but because of her laughter, I can’t stop. I’ve even made her promise to never stop laughing, no matter what.
-A few of the girls are always bringing me flowers and putting them on my desk. In fact, just this past week, four of them brought me a huge pile of empty seed pods. What an honor! To most people, it would appear silly, but the fact that these girls saw how I looked at this kind of seed pod the first time I’d seen it…and harvested that idea! They are paying attention to my every move. That scares me at the same time. To know that they love me and want to impress me so much that they spend two entire recesses collecting these things is so humbling and makes my heart grin a smile wider than it can handle. However, there are those times when I am not so aware of their presence and may get frustrated. I guess it is just a good reminder that I am a role model and always being watched.
-A certain child rarely smiles her brightest, but when she does, she gets cutesy and covers it up, but you can tell that even through those fingers that smile is beautiful.
-One little girl comes up to me from time to time and insists that she can’t go out for recess. She will claim that I am her BFF (Best Friend Forever) and she doesn’t want to leave me.
-It may seem sad, but this past week, one of the little boys in my class cried. The sad part is, it made me laugh. I’m not a heartless being, you’ve got to wait and find out why he was crying. We didn’t have real classes the next day, rather game day, so I didn’t assign any homework. This young child was crying hysterically over the fact that he did not have any homework that night! As I comforted him and explained that reading is always homework, he resisted my efforts to make him smile by singing a silly song. But as he hung his head I could see a smirk breaking out, and that warmed my heart.
-Joy comes in the stories that a small amount of my kids tell so magically.
-The sweet tender care for friends of one of the boys in my class warms my heart.
Oddly enough, it brings me joy to know that my students are willing to chase the cockroach that has just crawled through my shoe and kill it.
There’s a plant here called Yesterday, Today and Forever that I have grown attached to. It’s a bush that blooms deep purple flowers that slowly fade to white and then die. They smell absolutely marvelous. I only know where 3 are, but they tend to be on cycles so that I can usually find one in bloom when I am craving it. Even if you want to go out and buy a bunch of roses, you would only have to pay $3 for a beautiful bouquet!
One thing that I love about being here is the constant presence of baby animals. There is no spring. The animals have babies year round, so I always get to see baby cows, goats, chickens, and puppies.
When I least expect it, around once every other week there comes a point when I look up in the sky and see a palm tree (not that they are not everywhere!) and suddenly remember that I am in a tropical place. It’s not that I am not also reminded of this daily by the sweat running down my back, but I’ve always associated palm trees with the relaxing beaches of Florida the few times I went as a child. So when I look up and see palm leaves blowing in the wind backed by a blue sky with light and fluffy clouds, I am suddenly overtaken by a blissful calm.
As always, joy for me also comes in the form of music. It moves me. No matter where I am, and no matter what style of music, God finds some way to speak to me through it. Working in an International setting, I get to hear all sorts of stuff! And for that unchangeable joy, I shall be forever thankful.
Where are you finding your joy?

Well all the little ants are marching, red and black and tan –Dave Matthews Band

2009-02-02T23:47:00.001-05:00

Let’s face it, this is Africa people. There are bugs everywhere. Even in the nicest of places there is some form of bugs. The bug that L-O-V-E-S my apartment? Ants. They are everywhere. I can handle them coming in our front door, simply grabbing the broom and sweeping them out. I can withstand washing them down the drain 2 times a day in the shower as they build their hill near our drain. I can endure them crawling all over our garbage can and making their way up the walls into a little crack in the caulk. I can tolerate them crawling on the top of our refrigerator as long as they don’t get into my cereal. I can stomach it when they crawl on me or my clothes. My roommate can bear them crawling out of her light switch and onto her toothbrush. It gets a little harder to undergo when they show up on food that you forgot to put away for an hour or so after spending a whole evening making it. But the thing that I never expected, and grosses me out more than any of the above (which happen daily) is the following. One morning upon returning to my room after bathing I grabbed a q-tip to clean out my ear. Can you imagine what came out on that q-tip along with my ear wax??? That’s right folks…a dead ant. EWWWWWWW…I still cringe just thinking about it! That thing was IN me! It’s not like I’m a dirty person…I shower daily, brush my teeth and hair…but this is Africa. It’ll make you think twice about sticking a q-tip in your ear. I guess you can never be as clean as you might want to me, even without knowing it. I’d much rather have to wipe an ant off of my manzadi and proceed to take a bite any day.

Praise you in the heavens, joining with the angels- Everything that has breath

2009-02-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago in class my bible lesson on Jesus growing up in Joseph’s footsteps was nearing an end. The strangest thing about this lesson was the ending. We haven’t even talked about the crucifixion, but this was the first time the curriculum told me to tell the kids that they need to invite Jesus into their hearts in order to really follow him. I guess it follows through with the ‘following in his footsteps’ theme, I could stretch, but that connection was not so seemingly clear to my students. I’d mentioned the crucifixion in passing before and that we need to follow Christ, but this time they curriculum told me exactly what to say. I was instructed to let them know that I wanted to help them ask Jesus into their hearts and that they could come and talk to me anytime about it. This is the honest truth, and I would love to talk to the kids about this fact anytime, but it took me a bit by surprised. Truth be told, I hadn’t had the opportunity to read this lesson ahead of time, but was not expecting this from the topic I knew we were discussing. Not long after this lesson the kids were at their Library class and I was sitting in my classroom preparing for the next lesson. All of a sudden, the new girl in class came in and came running over to me excited and whispered in my ear as if there were a classroom full of kids listening. She said “Miss Jean, I want to have Jesus come and live in my heart”. I was so surprised. I barely knew this girl. I quickly said to her “That is awesome A, and you know what? I would LOVE to talk to you about this after lunch. But right now, the library teacher is probably wondering where you ran off to!” She had escaped to come and tell me this! :D I was overwhelmed as I sent her back to Library. I was excited but scared at the same time. I can’t fully explain the feeling, but I knew that no matter what happened, God had a plan, and that comforted me.
On the way to lunch some of the other students in my class asked me if any one had come and asked for Jesus to live in their hearts. I told them the truth, that someone had, but told them that it was up to that person to share. Sure thing, right after lunch she came barging into my room and said again “Miss Jean I want to have Jesus in my heart!”
I went and sat with her in the 1 ½ feet tall chairs and talked about what that really meant. She seemed to understand as we talked about it, I asked her some questions to find out more about her faith background. Just because I teach in a Christian school does not mean that these kids come from Christian families. Lots of people send them here because they like the environment and the good morals. All I had known about this girl who showed up at Heritage only days before is how incredibly insistent her father was that she be at Heritage- enough to go to board to expand my class size. We sat there and prayed together, I led her in accepting Jesus into her heart! The thing that I will always remember about this time with her was what she said to me shortly after the prayer. When we finished praying I looked up at her and said, “You know what is happening in Heaven right now?” A replied with a big cuddly grin “What?” I responded in excitement “The angels are singing! They are so excited that you have Jesus in your heart!” She questioned by saying “I can’t hear them.” She was befuddled. We proceeded to talk about how you can’t always hear the angels singing, but that right now they were having a party for her, welcoming her into the Kingdom of Heaven! After we talked some more about what her life has to mean now, and how she is changed and always has someone to turn to, she skipped on out to the remaining 3 minutes of recess. She had never been so happy to miss a recess before in her life.

Breathe in the familiar shock of confusion and chaos- Brandon Heath

2008-12-09T11:35:00.004-05:00

The next edition of "Things I've learned in Uganda"...

17. Take time to start a diesel. I’ve never driven one before, so I was more than happy to learn that you have to wait until the engine clicks before you start the car, or it will kill the engine.
18. “It is finished.” It’s the phrase that Jesus said as he hung on the cross, but has a completely different meaning here. A common occurrence in resturaunts when you order is for them to say to you in turn that “it is finished”, meaning that the last of it is gone, and you have to choose something else to order.
19. My stomach is not a missionaries stomach. I should clarify that I did already know this, but I am reminded of it quite often, and I’m not even out in the villages yet. Any recipes for good simple foods you would like to send my way would be appreciated it.
20. Expect the unexpected. As strange as it is, we’ve had three unexpected holidays. The first was when the king of the main tribe here died, and the second and third is a Muslim holiday that I’d never heard of , Idd. Idd has something to do with the moon, and how they have to see that it is full, if they can’t see it due to the clouds, the holiday is not the next day, but whenever they can see it.
21. Don’t talk about pants. Pants here are considered underpants, and the word trousers is the word that we in America would use for pants. Uganda used to be a british colony, so that tradition came from there.
22. Don’t go out past 6pm. Even if it’s still light out, there are some creepy characters. I was on a run one evening with a few other people, and a man came right in my face as I was running and said “Oliotya” and when I ignored him and kept running, he hit another muzungu woman’s arm.
23. Blinkers don’t mean that you are turning. If the right hand signal is going, it means it is not safe to pass. If the left hand signal is going, it means it is safe to pass. They are usually displayed after the car behind honks, asking if it is safe to pass.
24. Trees in the middle of a road. Instead of road blocks or orange cones, people just plant trees in the middle of the road to signify that there is work being done in a certain spot on the road.
25. Moe-squee-toes come in the house especially after 6pm. In Uganda, they don’t say mosquitoes the same, rather the way I spelled it in bold. When we’re home, we leave the doors open until around 6pm, after that the bugs come in a lot more.
26. Hit and run…please! If you are in a car accident and the car can still move…drive away! Otherwise you could quickly become part of a mob scene. The best thing to do is drive straight to a police booth and hope the one other in the accident follows so that it can be sorted out with the police…even though you may wind up paying a large fee because of skin color.
27. The word poop is a swear. Ugandans are shocked whenever you talk about bowel movements. They are fine with saying the four letter s word to talk about it, but never poop.
28. “I am paining”. This simply means that you are in pain, or the way we would say it in America is “I am hurt.”
29. Don’t walk in between people. In Uganda, it is considered very rude to talk in between people who are holding a conversation. They will even grab you and move you aside so that they don’t have to walk through.
30. “Jesus is the wiener man.” No, that is not what they are saying. Ugandan’s accent just makes it sound like that, but in reA.ty they are singing “Jesus is the winner man.”
31. Don’t talk about pants. People giggle if you say pants because they think of that word as underwear. It’s still embarrassing when you forget to use the word trousers sometimes.
32. Fruit really is like candy! For the first time in my life, I have to admit that fruit really is nature’s candy. The oranges here are different. Besides the fact that they are in fact green, they are so sweet and tart. It’s almost like eating sweet tarts. (For those of you who know me really well, my eyes even twitch like tangy candy makes them twitch!)

And check out the New Photo albums!!!
Including pictures of the Rain Festival, Nakigalala village church, Grade 1 Chapel, photo assignments from friends, and a monkey :D

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026782&l=2c589&id=30200100

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027121&l=57170&id=30200100

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026643&l=f3c07&id=3020010

There's a yield for what you've sown, I will not leave you all alone. -Matt Wertz

2008-12-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago on a Wednesday we had quite a rough day in school. By the end of the day there were only 5 people on green, 10 on yellow, 3 on green, and 1 on red. Towards the end of the day I found one of my posters had been tampered with. So, naturally I asked the class what had happened. No one owned up to it. Kids have quickly learned in my class and are afraid to admit to doing anything. However, they also know that they might not get in trouble if they tell me the truth. Because no one had admitted anything and the day had already been so rough, I picked up the bean jar. The bean jar is basically like a mason jar that has beans in it. Everyday the kids are good, they get a handful of beans in the jar. When the jar is full, they get to have a party (which was full of a movie, cookies, carrots and peanut butter, popcorn and digestives). If they are ever especially bad, some of the beans come out. I started taking out the beans one by one saying that I was waiting for someone to tell me the truth. A few kids quickly ran up and said “I touched it but it was this morning.” Or “I touched it but it didn’t break.” So, the right person was not owning up. I kept on pulling out beans and the kids were besides themselves and distraught. The one kid in my class who has never had his stick flipped called out “A and M broke it! (initials used to protect privacy)” I knew he was telling me the truth, as he has never done a bad thing in his short life since being adopted. M lied to me, but that is nothing unusual and owned up to lying and had to flip her stick 2 times. In my class if you lie to me, you go straight to orange. I don’t tolerate lying! I kept pulling out beans and by the look in A’s eye’s I could tell he was lying and about to burst into tears because he knew what was coming. Finally he admitted to it, ran over to his desk, flipped his stick to red (even though it was only supposed to be on orange) and then started screaming and crying. The bell had just rung, so I quickly got the rest of the kids in line and gave them their “handshakes, high-fives, or hugs” despite some of them telling me repeatedly that A was crying.

Sadly, I was already 2 hours late to a meeting so I also had to leave rather quickly. A does not have a good home life so Miss Agnes stays after school everyday to help him with his homework, or else it doesn’t get done. Plus, Miss Agnes has been with A for over a year now and knows him better, so she told me she would talk him down.
The next morning I talked to Miss Agnes about how A had reacted and what he had told her. Apparently after I left, he started throwing things and saying “I hate Miss Jean”. Imagine the drama in our lives? She talked to him about it and explained that it was not Miss Jean’s fault he was on orange. He was the one who told the lie. He would not have had to flip his stick if he had told the truth.
I took him outside and asked him if he was mad at me. He nodded yes. I asked him why, and he told me because I made him go on red. I quickly corrected him and reminded him that he indeed was not on red, but orange. We went into detail and talked about how if he had told the truth he would not have gotten in trouble and how it was not my mistake at all. He said that he understood, so I went on to talk about forgiveness and how I had forgiven him. I asked him if he knew that Jesus would forgive us too if we just asked for it. He told me “No, Jesus hates me.” This just broke my heart. In the past A has told me that he prays at night. From what I know he comes from a Muslim home, so I have been so confused by him. He has told me that when he prays at night by himself he thanks ‘God’ for punishing him. I quickly told him that NO, Jesus does not hate him. “Jesus loves you so much A! He just doesn’t like it when we lie or do other things that are sinful. Jesus loves you no matter what. He made you and is your father.” He seemed to understand a bit more, so I continued and I closed the conversation by praying and thanking God for his love and forgiveness and asking him to help us not to sin. This child is slowly opening up more and more. I just wish I understood more about his home life. That is truly one of the hardest parts of any teaching job, not being able to control how they are treated outside of the classroom.

"The dawn is breaking, a light shining through"- Howie Day

2008-11-08T06:58:00.001-05:00

The last few weeks of school has been a different experience for me. I can’t quite explain it, but God is doing something there. I’m actually starting to enjoy teaching these children. Now, there are still days like this past Wednesday where the kids are little horrors…only 5 kids ended up on green! However, despite the hard times, the kids are blossoming.
This weeks spelling tests were the best ever, especially for one child who at the beginning of school didn’t know his letters and this week he got a 5/6 on his test! The math test yesterday proved to be a success as well. Finally these kids are understanding the adding concept and how to draw out a word problem! Praise God, my first Parent-Teacher conferences went really well! One of the parents said to me, “You know, you may not have heard much about what the other parents are saying, but it’s a good thing. So many people are talking about what a good job you are doing with our kids.” That really touched my heart. A week or so after that, I had my first official observation by the principal of the school. I had to type up a lesson plan and fill out 2 pages about how I was going to run the lesson and reach the kids. I decided to teach Language Arts for the lesson since that is the main thing I am working on with these kids and also something I can expand on with my own creativity. We re-read a story together about kids on a walk looking for certain things. Then I pulled out a map I made of the school and we went searching for lily pads and a pile of rocks on campus using that map. When we came back we discussed it and did our spelling review worksheet and then exercised to our high-frequency words. I had a meeting the following week as a follow up with the principal. I got an “excellent” review! In fact, in the section where it said “Weaknesses” she had to ask me what to put in there! I was elated. I have never done amazingly academically so to be told I was “excellent” really lifted my spirits. After our observations, she is assigning us to observe other teachers so that we can better ourselves. She asked me at the end of the meeting how many teachers she is allowed to assign to observe me! Wow! Praise Jesus that he has blessed me and the people who taught me how to teach!

"All the love in the world is right here among us, and hatred too..."

2008-10-27T05:21:00.001-04:00

For our short Fall Break the two other VIA (Nick and Christina) and I took a trip. There’s a town in south west Uganda called Mbarara where WGM is thinking of starting a site for planting churches. Our job: to scope it out. It’s a short 4 hour drive from Kampala, so we left early on Thursday morning excited for our travels. On the way down, I saw so much beauty. At one point when the car jolted forward over a pot hole Nick crossed his arm to keep Christina from jerking too, which reminded me of my Grandma. She was a huge part of my life growing up, and I was saddened at the thought that she never knew I was called to go to Uganda. I started to cry after being overwhelmed by the beauty of the rolling hills and this thought. To quote Beth Moore from the bible study that I am doing with the girls at KIU (To Live is Christ) “the mark of the Maker was most assuredly engraved on the countryside.”
At one point along the way, Christina thought she saw a Kangaroo. We both told her that despite what she thinks, we were not in Australia. The next week at school my teacher assistant, Agnes, told me that there are actually two kinds of kangaroos in Uganda! Crazy!
Something I’d never done before this trip is been on the other side of the hemisphere! The equator was neat with a line drawn down the middle of the road and some facts like how we were actually lighter than we were before!
After the half-way point of driving down there we came across some sort of celebration on the side of the road that we figured was a football (soccer) game, so we pulled in to see what was up. Turned out it was an Independence Day celebration. We asked some men if it was alright to be there and they told us to drive on up. We got out of the car and walked up casually just watching when people started to notice these three Mzungus in a village. The MC quickly saw us and ushered us “honored guests” to the tent to sit down. I got separated from Nick and Christina and was rather confused for the hour that we were sitting there listening to a celebration in a language I only know 10 words in. It was a joy to see the people dancing, and a guy in a funny hat speaking a poem that people were cracking up at.
Once we got into Mbarara we found our way to the hotel we were told about and checked in. Then we hopped back in the car and went back into the city. Surprisingly, it’s the second biggest city in Uganda in terms of population, but doesn’t have high rises or anything. It was a really neat place. We parked and wandered around for an hour or so. We found this little market that was in between buildings and talked to some random guys. One of them asked for my phone number, when I wouldn’t give it to them, they asked Nick for my number. His response was “You want her phone number? Ok, here it is. Ready? It is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. You want mine too? It’s 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.” They all laughed in good fun. We wandered through the alley ways and saw some neat things. We even found huge Ugandan flags for super cheap. We started to get hungry so we made our way to a little resturaunt Nick had seen. On our way there we passed by Mbarara University and saw an MTN (one of the phone companies) Independence Day celebration on the lawn so we stopped in to watch for a while. It was really funny some of the stuff that was going on.
We went to a little roof top resturaunt with no menus and got some dinner then made our way back to the hotel.
Then next morning we drove our car to a man’s house that we had a connection with and left it in his garage. He dropped us and our bags off at the Total station where the Jaguar buses stop on the way to Kigali, Rwanda. We were so close to Rwanda, that we decided this would be a good time to go. Christina and I wandered around some more before the bus came while Nick sat and read. We had bought very cheap bus tickets (less than $15) the night before so when the bus came we got on and found some seats, and luckily got one with a window so we could breathe.

RWANDA
Rwanda was a beautiful, beautiful country. I only saw the country side from a crowded bus on the road from the boarder of Uganda to Kigali (the capital city). However, that was enough to see that the steep rolling hills are covered with lush greens and waterfalls running through out them. The only sad part about it is that I didn’t get to go out and walk in them and capture them more clearly in photographs.
We arrived in the city at night (after 6 hours on the bus plus boarder contol time) and escaped the tight bus to a chaotic taxi park and found a private hire to take us to the home we were staying at. The group of us got in and went to a house filled with young men. Nick has a friend in Kampala who hooked us up with their mission branch in Kigali, so we got to stay there for free. That was quite an experience in and of itself ☺ It’s a home for boys that are going to University, but can’t afford it and are in need of mentors. So there is a Ugandan who lives there and mentors them, and they are sponsored in a sense to finish university. They are a fun bunch. The second night we stayed there we stayed up and hung out with some of them. We taught them out to ballroom dance, and they taught us a traditional Rwandan dance! It was hilarious. Then they got out 2 guitars (one for Christina to play), a keyboard, and a Rwandan drum. One of the boys, Bosco, taught Nick how to use the Rwandan drum. We sang worship songs until midnight and then turned in. At 5 am we were awakened to the sound of singing in the living room. Every Sunday they get up early for morning fellowship, then go to church at 7am. It’s hard to fathom, but amazing that they do that! What devotion.
On that Saturday, we slept in a little bit, then caught a private hire to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum. That place was something that I will always remember. It was so well done. It started off with the history of Rwanda, and now the Belgiums were the reason behind the split. I’d known a good amount about the history, but it was great to learn more. I hadn’t realized that there were originally over 40 tribes in Rwanda, and when the Belguims came, they wanted to give them identity cards. So in order to better classify them, they split them up socio-economically. The people with more than ten cows were Tutsi, and the people with less than ten cows were Hutu. Craziness. I won’t bore you with all of the history, but that was one thing that really stuck out to me. There were also other small exhibits there. One part of the museum had stories of Hutus who hid Tutsis. One of them that I found amusing was this old woman who had a reputation for being crazy. She hid a whole bunch of Tutsis in a hut and told the Hutus that if they went in, they would be possessed with Demons. She saved like 17 peoples lives! The room that I really struggled to go into was a room full of bones. I had to stand outside of it for a moment and pray for strength to go in. I was able to go in, and I’m glad I did despite the smell of death. I’m just happy there were no skulls of little kids. Later I walked through an exhibit of huge pictures of kids. Under each photo was a summary of who they were, their favorite food, their favorite game, their last memory, and how they died. One was 4 years old and was stabbed in the eyes. It was so moving, and hard to fathom.
After walking through the museum, I went outside and walked through the gardens there. It was so beautiful. I just soaked in the beauty of the water falls and the flowers, and embraced being a photographer.
After the museum, we took some bodas down to the taxi park, bought our bus tickets home and ate lunch at a little buffet near by. Then we found our way to the Mille Collines, or better known to many as “Hotel Rwanda”. It was not where the movie was filmed, but this was the actual location. The hotel was under construction, however it was still neat to go in the gates and look around some and talk to the guard about his experience. It was wild to think that almost everyone we passed went through that experience.
We walked down the road from there to find a huge Kenyan grocery store and a sweet coffee shop where there was amazing hot chocolate. We found an incredible water fountain near by and hung out there for a while. There was this dude standing near by that saw us looking at it, then ran down and turned on the water for us! It was really cool. We went back after going to a craft market and the lights were on because the sun had started to set. It was SO beautiful. We took some striking pictures, which are up in my new photo album.
While Rwanda was a beautiful country, and the city of Kigali was remarkably less insane (both trash wise and traffic wise), it was not near as friendly as Uganda. When I returned home, I watched the movie “Hotel Rwanda” again, and from this I could really see how people in Rwanda would seem cold towards white people. We deserted them in their greatest time of need! Did you know that with the amount of UN troops sent in to get the white people out, they could have stopped the fighting all together!? It was not the most friendly city, but being only 14 years after a massacre that left 1 million people dead all over the streets, it is understandable.
We got up early in the morning to get the bus back to Uganda and quickly discovered that we had been cheated. We had made sure the bus home was the 2x2 bus, paying an extra like $2.50, and when we got on, it was a 2x3 bus and had added an extra 20 or so people to the bus. We were cheated, and not happy. After some finagling, I convinced them to let us move at least to the seat of 2 people where Christina and I were sitting on top of each other, but at least we were not doing that with someone we don’t know for 6 hours.
We made it back safe and sound to Mbarara and were so happy to get back in the car. Then a most exciting thing happened. On the road in between Mbarara and Msaka I looked out my window at some point and saw Zebras! I screamed and got Nick to turn around and go back. I quickly grabbed my camera and we hopped out on the side of the road. Imagine…wild zebras!!!!! We were not in a zoo…maybe on the edge of a game park, but we were not on safari. The three of us hiked down the hill and I kept snapping away. There was a Shepard boy near by that nick tried to see if he could give them 100/- ($.06) to run and scare the zebras on the other side so I could get some shots of them running towards us, but they didn’t comprehend. Oh well, I got some pretty good pictures of both the zebras and the Shepard boys.
We arrived home late to a new guard at our home. We were not too happy about his because he is our 4th guard in the course of 2 months. We found out this week that our latest guard’s wife was sick so he left to care for her, which is a good reason to not be there. However, our landlord is a slum lord and it’s just been a tough situation living in this apartment building.
All in all, it was a great experience of inexpensive adventure, exploration, worship, learning, and true non-refundable God-crafted beauty.

Here’s the link to the photo album corresponding with this trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025958&l=be653&id=30200100

"I don't want to gain the whole world and loose my soul"- Toby Mac

2008-10-02T13:56:00.002-04:00

People might think I’m crazy for choosing to spend 2 whole years of my life in Uganda teaching at a Christian International School. It may seem crazy to some, but take into mind Noah. He’s been on my mind the past couple of weeks since that was the theme of my bible lessons one week. He spent 120 years of his life with people jeering at him thinking that he was crazy because he chose to build an ark so big that it would take 120 years to build. Now, Noah did live a lot longer, but does that make it any less of a big deal? No. It was still 120 years! Gen. 6:22 says “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Building an ark when you are 500-600 years old can’t be a small task. On top of that, he lived on that arc with hundreds of animals for a long time. It’s not like those rains disappeared after the 40 days of raining. The days of comfort were no where to be found. There was no where to escape. Living in close proximity with that many animals, feeding them, and scooping their poop (trust me on that one) couldn’t have been a vacation. Then after the water subsided, they had to start a new life. But Noah was faithful, and so God was faithful to the covenant He made. This past week I saw the most amazing rainbow I have ever seen. It was the FULL arc, vibrant with color, and you could even see the faintness of another rainbow just to the left of it! This helped to imbed these ideas even more into my brain.
While it may not be easy for me to be here away from the hands of my loved ones, I do have the internet. I am also reminded of the hardships of missionaries in the past. I’m not sitting in a mud hut in the middle of no where with no connection to phones or the internet. Even 10 years ago, it was $5 a minute to call the United States from here. What a blessing it is for me as a single missionary on the field to be able to talk with family on the phone for as little as $.13 a minute! True, I grew up in the age of technology where things come to us when we need them, and have become demanding of things when we think we need them. So this may make it harder for us, but the resources are available.
I’m not crazy. God has called me here. There's no doubt in my mind. I may not understand, but if I trust in God, there's nothing to fear. 2 years may seem like a long time on a day to day basis, but doing what God has asked of me is worth my whole life in a zone where I am out of my element. It’s surprising what a lesson from a 1st grade bible curriculum book can teach this 23 year old teacher.

We must choose what our hands will do- David Crowder

2008-10-02T13:50:00.001-04:00

Prayer requests and Praises:
-My students: Ali (Ugandan Muslim), Shanil (Pilipino), Kieun (Korean), Julia (American), Daniella (Ugandan), Jana (Pilipino), Matthew H (Chinese/ Ugandan), Alex (Ugandan/ Kenyan), Adam (‘American’), Davina (Ugandan/ British), Ashley (American), Annie (British), Maraika (Kenyan/ Canadian), Ruben (Dutch), Wasswa (Newly adopted Ugandan), Ward (Dutch), Miriam (American Ugandan), Joshua (‘American’), Nancy (American), Matthew T (‘American’), and Harim (Korean).
-The other missionaries and our relations to each other and the nationals.
-The KIU discipleship group girls. My roommate and I have a discipleship group that meets once a week in the evening for a bible study time. There are around 10 girls who come (Lillian, Clarice, Lois, Monica, Franklyn, Sharon, Lucy, Lucy, and Jacinda are the names that I remember). We have met 4 times so far, and it gets better and better each time. Pray that our relationship deepens and that our words are able to touch their hearts and turn them more toward Christ.
-Other ministry opportunities opening up, especially with young national children.
-Understanding in all situations, and the chance (and willingness) to see all things through God’s eyes.

New Photo Album!

2008-10-01T07:39:00.000-04:00

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024802&l=5882d&id=30200100

I've got my eyes set on what happens next-Switchfoot

2008-10-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe that it has been 2 months that I have been here. SO much has happened. When you think of 2 months as a time period, you wouldn’t think of it as any impressive length.
It’s hard to put a time on what I have done here. If I asked myself “Have I had an impact in the last two months and I left today would I be satisfied with what I’ve done?”, I wouldn’t know how to begin to answer that.
If it had just been two months, it would have been a far different trip. What I have done is far is only begin to establish the relationships that I will build on for the next 22 months. Now that is a long time to think about. What impact could I make in that amount of time? Not to say that the last two months have been a waste, but rather the setting of a beginning. I have established relationships in a few different venues.
I am really starting to get to know the kids in my class as individuals. Yes, I do wind up reprimanding them quite often with the words that fly out of their mouths, and the wild punches they throw, and even the non-stop chatter. However, I am starting to see who God has made them to be, and I pray that I can be a blessing in their lives daily, and not just an adult who ‘flips their sticks to yellow (my discipline system)’. I put a few pictures of them up in my new photo album, whose link is down below. My wonderful cousin Elisabeth sent me a kids parachute from the US, and you can see evidence of the enjoyment that we have all had from it.
Outside of class at school, I have also gotten to know some of the teachers, workers, and other students. There are some boys, Angelo and Lino, in the high school who were child soldiers in Sudan and one of the other missionaries here has been taking care of them for a few weeks while their guardians are in the US. They are really cool boys, full of laughter. Christina (my roommate, and the 6th grade teacher) and I have gotten chances to hang out at the beach with them and at each others places. Even though their pasts are full of unthinkable things, they never cease to put a smile of my face :)
I have also begun relationships with 10 girls at Kampala International University (KIU). Christina and I have started a Discipleship group there. A few years ago a man from Kenya who was trained in the Africa Gospel Church (AGC), which WGM started, came to Uganda as a missionary to serve at KIU. He has done an amazing job with the church at the college. Hundreds of students come each week, and so many ministries have grown out of that. The girls and I meet every Wednesday night to sing, pray, read, and talk at ‘The Palace’ (a compound across from the college that WGM owns and is used solely for KIU’s AGC ministries). For the first two weeks, Christina and I gave our testimonies. Last week Christina was away and I spoke with them about joy. That was really a great time, they finally started to open some and talk about how they find joy in tough times, and I learned that many of them struggled with the Kenyan conflict this past year. This week Christina spoke about worship. I am really excited to see our relationships grow in and outside of the palace. A week and a half ago I went to their church and it was African Woman’s Sunday. They were all dressed up in their traditional clothes from their country and more specifically their tribe. They were beautiful. I have a few pictures of that in my new photo album.
There are even more relationships to come I am sure, and I am so excited for that.

"Give me your eyes so I can see everything I keep missing"

2008-09-24T05:21:00.002-04:00

So, since I have not posted in over a month, and it is my 2 month anniversary tomorrow of being in Uganda, I am going to do a series of a few posts.

Also, in case you were curious, most of my titles are song lyrics. This one is from a Brandon Heath song called "Give me your eyes". I thought it was fitting for a few reasons. One, God is showing me lots of things here, and only a few of them are mentioned here. Two, you can't be here to see what I have, so I am trying to share just a bit of that with you. Three, I still feel like I am God is teaching me things, so I am praying that He will give me His eyes to see all of the things around me.

Here is the first post:

Things Learned in Uganda

1. Don’t think about driving, just go. People here don’t know how to drive. It’s a mad house, but you learn, and just pray that you won’t get in an accident.

2.“You are fat.” This does not mean that you are fat. It means you are healthy looking, which could or could not mean that you are fat.

3. “You are lost.” You’ve not been around for a while, where have you been?

4. Please litter. No matter where you are, it is perfectly acceptable to throw trash on the ground, out of the window, or into the water on the lake.

5. Monkeys are not surrounding you. Contrary to popular belief in the city, those noises you hear are not monkeys. They are called “go away birds” that sound like monkeys laughing! They still make me laugh.

6. Expect to be followed. Instant celebrity. Kids will follow us to school, turn around and follow you around the city, etc.
7. Everyone poops. Ever heard of the book? Well, it applies to animals too. In fact, every morning there is more gecko and bat poop on my desk. One day, while washing my hands, a gecko even pooped on my head!
8. 10am is really 5pm. “African time” is set up so that it is 7 hours later than ours…they don’t count the night hours. Even if they know you mean western time, don’t expect them to be on time. It is not a time based society, but a relational one.
9. Tennis racquets kill. That is at least the ones that are electric and are sold for the purpose of exterminating mosquitoes.
10. Drive slowly in the rain, and after. It’s illegal to splash someone via a mud puddle with your car or boda boda (small motorcycle).
11. Cheese is costly! On average, for a pound of cheese that is good, it can cost you around $13 and up.

12. Proper greetings must be established. Everywhere you go, you must at least ask people “Hello, how are you?” and reply to them. After this you can keep walking around the store, or down the street even.
13. You are white…things will be more expensive! As missionaries here, we are fully aware that people at Friday market and dukas are over charging us (and even the super markets sometimes with the price tags). We will always barter down the prices some, but not always as far down as a Ugandan would. We know that we have some more money, and that extra bit really could be what they need, but we don’t want to be taken advantage of at the same time.
14. Never expect to find what you want. There is no such thing as one stop shopping. Even at the big grocery stores, you might find something there one day, and for the next six months it won’t show up there, or even the whole country. In short, if you see something you like- stockpile if at all possible ☺
15. Speed bumps are illegal. Most of the speed bumps in the city are dirt and put up by the people who live next to the road (even many squatters). If you want the police to do something about it, you’ve got to pay them money. Otherwise, you just deal with the crazy bumpy roads plus the speed bumps.
16. There really are millions of stars. Even in the city on a clear night, you can see more stars here than any field in the country back home. It’s breath taking!

"School could be a mini-me of the rest of society"

2008-08-20T13:32:00.002-04:00

School has been really pretty good so far. The classroom, yes, was the messiest thing ever. I thought my brothers room was messy, and I guess this is a different kind of messy, but it was still gross. All of the paperwork from past teachers has at least some reminisce of rat pee on it. It took me a whole afternoon to clean just 4 of my desk drawers. Things came together though, even if there is more gecko poop on my desk every morning. Sunday afternoon I had an interesting experience of a baby bat falling on my table and twitching. Blech. I didn’t know what to do with the poor little thing. Luckily some kids from Sunday fellowship were willing to take it outside for me.
The first week in school for me included the following: kids throwing rocks, calling each other ugly, a child disappearing for 1 ½ hours, karate chopping, and too much calling out to even remember. However, such is the first week of a 1st grade classroom. It’s hard to expect much from a group of kids ranging in ages 4-7 who had three different teachers in the course of last year. Things will get better. Some fun facts about my classroom is where the kids come from. From what I can tell so far, I have 2 Koreans who do not speak much English, 1 newly adopted Ugandan who does not speak much English, 1 Pilipino, 1 Japanese, 2 from Holland, 1 from the UK, 1 from Kenya, some “Americans”, and some other Ugandans.
Some of you may have caught wind that I was very ill this past week. At around 1am Wednesday morning I woke up violently and spent the rest of the morning in the bathroom or in bed with a bowl. I am almost completely better now. Thank you all so much for your prayers! I returned to school on Thursday and taught while sitting, but the kids did a great job that morning. Friday morning chapel was a wonderful experience. I got goose bumps as the whole elementary school (play group through 6th grade) slowly sang “Lord I lift your name on high”. It’s pretty cool to be at a school where you can freely worship the Lord and encourage it! I am learning how much of a ministry it is however. Not everyone in the school is a Christian. There are some Muslims, a Jain, Buddhists, atheists, etc. Some people simply send their kids to HIS because other people tell them it is a good school. It’s not just a teaching job; it’s a way to reach out to people. On Friday night I helped out with the first youth group of the year for HIS. We had a bunch of kids come out who really did seem like they wanted to know more about Christ. Please pray that this ministry is successful. Some of the kids who came are known to really be struggling and made some very bad choices. I have been surprised how easy it is for kids to find some real trouble here.
I’ve been able to put some pictures up on my facebook page-I have found it the easiest way to share pictures. Here is a link to the photo album: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023912&l=b3e99&id=30200100

Please keep those prayers coming, they are being felt! I love hearing from you all!

Buvuma Island

2008-08-01T08:29:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, I returned to Buvuma Island. For those of you who have heard the story of me getting stuck in the middle of Lake Victoria (or experienced it with me) that is the place where we were coming from. I was so worried about going and the possibility of us breaking down again, though, somehow I knew that nothing could be as bad as what happened last time. If you haven't heard the story, the incredibly short version is this: We went to Buvuma Island to teach some kids at an orphanage and visit a health clinic. On the way out we had trouble starting the engine, but we got there. Leaving, it never started, but we were pushed out and floating for an hour or so with storms coming. Eventually got to a spot of mainland. Found a random person to take us. People licking necks and doing african calls. Stuck in the mud and dropped off on the side of the road when the taxis had stopped running. I'm sure your imaginations can fill in some of the blanks!

There were some missionaries were headed out to the Island and this would be my roommate and my only chance to go out for a long time. So, we went. It was really great to be back on the island and see some of the same people and wander through Chicongo with kids using us Muzungus as pets. We left and got back to land safely, but we were having an issue with the breaks in the car. So we went to a mechanic that Pastor David knew. All of the girls sat in the back of the car where as many as 20 'mechanics' gathered around trying to figure out the problem after removing the front seats. 2 1/2 hours later we left the mechanic with a new pump of some sort that we inevitably paid to much for being Muzungus. During that time some of us took naps or twiddled our thumbs, but we did not go wandering because we kept thinking we would be done any minute. However, it was MUCH better than last time and I am glad to have gotten the chance to return after all.

Thanks for the prayers. I hope to get pictures up here soon. I have moved into the apartment, and things are slowly coming together, with or without water and electricity ;)

Here are some of the pictures from the Island.

Pastor David starting up the engine!

A chicken hanging out in a window of a house :)

And my new roomie and I with some of the kids who nabbed us as pet muzungus!

I have arrived!

2008-07-28T04:57:00.003-04:00

Hello all, just a quick note to say that I am in Uganda! Currently, I am staying in an apartment behind one of the missionaries homes while we get the electricity fixed and a refrigerator in my apartment. Hopefully I will be moving in on Tuesday night or Wednesday. I drove down to my apartment after lunch yesterday to set up some of my things before the evening fellowship! It was not as hard as I imagined to remember to stay on the left side of the road, but it was just the first time. I am SO thankful that the car I borrowed to go down was an automatic. The car that I will have access to is currently in Kenya, but will be back next week.

My time here so far has been really great. I am slowly adjusting to the time difference, though the call to morning prayer for Muslims at 5:30 am has not helped. My stomach is still dancing, but nothing major has happened, praise the Lord! The other missionaries have been so wonderful in helping me to slowly get acclimated. They have been hosting me for meals and doing orientations with me slowly. Last night for dinner I had popcorn and ice cream. If you know me well, you would know that these are two of my favorite foods and just happens to be the normal Sunday dinner for the family that hosted me last night :) The WGM office has a high speed internet connection, so skype can be used there, but the internet is so slow in the other places, it is not even imaginable. To give an example of how slow it is, my internet connection will be 7k. Putting it in perspective, a dial up is 56k, and high speed at home is 3500k. Wow, right? Patience will be learned!

Back to financial orientation!

All my bags are packed

2008-07-23T00:04:00.003-04:00

As hard as it is to believe, I leave today. At 6:30 pm I will take off from Newark and head to London for a 14 hour lay over, then at 9 pm I will board another plane headed to Entebbe, Uganda.

Am I ready? I don't really know. My bags are almost ready to go, but my brain is probably not. But I'm not sure it ever will be. I know that Uganda is where I am supposed to be, I know that I will be doing great things there, and having all sorts of new adventures, but it will be hard for me to leave home. One great thing about modern technology is Skype...the free online video chat service! Check it out, its pretty great. Now I just have to pray that Uganda's internet service is fast enough to handle it ;)

Besides prayers for mental health as I leave, and for traveling mercies, I have a physical prayer request. The other night I was going to sit down and I missed the chair (big surprise coming from me) and now I have 7 cuts going up my spine. They are not large, some are tiny but others are at least the size of a nickel and it hurts to sit against anything. Great for going on an airplane for 15 hours, huh? I've got some pain numbing meds, so hopefully that will help, but pray that I would be comfortable on the airplane and that the wounds would heal.

Many of you have been so amazing these past few months as I have been preparing for this journey, and I am SOOOO grateful for that. Please keep the encouraging words coming. I may not have gotten a chance to respond to all of you in my craziness, but they have not gone unappreciated at all. Hopefully I will get a chance to reply during my week of settling in to my new environment. Once I get to Uganda and rest up some, I'll be sure to take pictures of my place and let you know how the adventure over was.

Lastly, do I have enough funds to hit the skies? Yes! Wouldn't you know that I have about $9563 in my account presently (with more promised to come in) and the amount I had to have was $9545. God works wonders :) Pretty cool if I do say so myself. Thanks for letting God use you to help me get where He wants me to be serving Him!

For now, Weebale (Thank you) and Weeraba (Good bye). God Bless!

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

2008-07-08T13:25:00.005-04:00

Two weeks from tomorrow (July 23rd) I leave the country. Two weeks! It's hard to believe that it has really snuck up on me. There is still so much to do. This week is filled with doctors appointments, shopping for supplies, and cleaning out my room. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a simple stamp pad now a days!

Thanks so much to all of you who have donated financially! As of today, I only need $684.64 before I can hit the skies. God is faithful and he has used you to help me in working with the people of Uganda! Please continue to pray for me, especially as I prepare for this big leap of faith with leaving my family, friends, and the world I know to go and do His will for my life. The next few weeks will be hard ones no doubt, but I know that this is where God wants me right now.

I will arrive in Uganda on the morning of the 25th of July and will proceed to move in my new home: an apartment that is a 5 minute walk from the school! I will have a roomie but I do not know anything about her yet. The apartment is one fourth of a house, we are one of the apartments on the bottom floor. Our guard, Joseph, does not speak much English from what I know. I will have occasional access to a car that is automatic (praise the lord!). So my failure to find someone to help me re-learn stick will suit me well...hopefully.

Next week I will be the missionary again out at Delanco camp in Tabernacle, NJ. I'll be speaking on Thursday night if you want to come out and hear!

Will this journey be joyful?

2008-06-12T11:17:00.008-04:00

Some may wonder why I would choose a blog name such as Jean's Joyful Journey. How could a whole journey possibly be completely filled with joy, especially in a war-torn land such as Uganda? I would suggest that perhaps we have our definition of joy a little mixed up. When a typical American thinks of joy, they would assimilate it with happiness. While yes, they are very similar, there's a difference.

If one would go to the ever-popular Christian website biblegateway.com and type in the word joy, 242 results pop up. How about the word happy? 21! Only 21 times is the word happy in the bible. And three of those times, the word joy was added in right near it to help describe the situation even more. One might wonder why the word joy was chosen over happy so many times!

My handy-dandy Webster's Pocket Dictionary defines happy as characterized by good fortune; prosperous. Having pleasure; gratified.
If you then look up joy in Webster, you would find delight; happiness; gladness. A source of pleasure.

Happiness is momentary, it depends on what is going on in that very instant. Happiness is a situation while joy is what causes the great happiness-and for me that is Christ.

I find my joy in the Lord. Will the Lord always be there? YES! So no matter where I am or what I am doing, I can find joy. Therefore I will choose to be joyful always.

A few months ago my mom found this quote and showed it to me. “If you are making something, you must call to mind the Creator of all things; if you see the light, remember the Giver of it. If you put on your clothes, recall whose gift they are and thank Him who provides for your life. In short, let every action be a cause for your remembering and praising God and lo! You will be praying without ceasing and therein your soul will always rejoice.” -St. Peter of Damascus

With this in mind, let's take a second look at my key verses, 1 Thes. 5:16-18. Notice in verse 17 how it says "pray continually." If Christ is our focus and we are continually with him, we will always be joyful, just as St. Peter said. Praying continually will make us ever look to Christ and be continually joyful.

My prayer would be that for all of us, we would continually look to our Lord and Savior for everything.

Will this journey be happy? No, not all the time. Will it be joyful? I would say yes.

It's official...I'm teaching 1st grade!

2008-05-24T12:59:00.003-04:00

I am very pleased to say that I got my target grade! God's got it all under control.

Less than 2 months until I'm off! I have to be in Kampala on August 4th for teacher training. I should be there a week ahead of time so that I can adjust to the time change, move in, etc. Meaning I should be leaving around July 23rd. My last day of work as a Switchboard operator at Komline-Sanderson is set for June 27th. After that I will be going to Delanco camp in Tabernacle, New Jersey for 2 camp weeks- Camp Meeting, and Junior Camp. I will be the missionary at both camps, and at camp meeting I will also be working with the kids. I'm so excited about getting the opportunity to go back to the place where I spent 2 summers as a Horse Wrangler in a whole new capacity. I'll also have a week to get some things done before I leave, like packing for my move, clearing out my room, and mentally preparing for what is ahead.

There is still so much to do, between shots, learning to drive stick and getting an international driver's license, planning for my classroom, and all of the other normal things of life, I've got plenty to do. But God is faithful, and he'll find a way for it all to get done.

I've already got a new prayer request. If your aren't up on your Ugandan news, which I suspect most of you are not, the Lord's Resistance Army is back in action. It breaks my heart. The people of Northern Uganda have gone through so much already, I can't imagine them having to go through all of the fear and murders all over again. Please please pray with me that the Lord God would bring an end to this war. If you want more details on the happenings, bbc is a great source. Here's a link to a recent article on it: Ugandan rebels 'prepare for war'

Prayer is out most powerful weapon. God can conquer anything.

If you're in the area on Wednesday June 18th, please come and stop by my house for an "open house". I'll be serving some traditional Ugandan foods, have some pictures running, some stuff from Uganda laid out, and I'll be talking some more about what I am doing there. It's from 6:30 to 9:30, but you can come and go as you are able. If you need my address, please contact me and I'll be more than happy to give it to you. Don't hesitate to contact me if you've got any questions either. I'd be more than happy to hear from you. I've tried to set up this blog so that anyone can leave a message for me on this site, even if you are not a member of this site. Let me know if you have any problems.

"Redeem [Uganda], O God, from all their troubles."-Psalm 25:22

What am I doing?

2008-04-03T11:19:00.016-04:00

Sometime this coming July, I'll be boarding a plane, and heading to Uganda for two years.
Starting in August, I'll be teaching at Heritage International School (HIS) in the capital city of Kampala. HIS is a Christian school that runs from Nursery through 12th grade, and caters to Missionary kids, International students, and Ugandan students. This is a picture of the campus of HIS. I will be going through World Gospel Mission (WGM) which is a Wesleyan Missionary sending organization based in Indiana.

I also hope to volunteer in the local church and at a babies home while in Kampala. Here is a picture of an orphan clinging onto my leg as I blow bubbles.

During the summer in between my two years at HIS, I hope to be volunteering in Northern Uganda with the Diocese of Kitgum. The church that I attended in college, The Church of the Good Samaritan, has a partnership with this Diocese and I would love to be a part of that. The people in Northern Uganda have been living in terrible conditions for the past 22 years with the rebel group the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) kidnapping children at night. Most of the people my age have never known a real home, just the IDP camps. Hopefully I will be able to help in some fashion. Please pray for the peace treaty that is underway. There are many ways in which it could go awry, but we must demand peace at last.

If you have any questions or want to support me in going, don't hesitate to contact me.
God Bless!

Here are some more pictures of life in Uganda!

Playing Kappa a goba with the children in an area of Kampala!

Me eating some traditional Ugandan food:
Matoke (the yellow stuff): cooked small bananas
Ugali (the white stuff): simple cooked corn meal
Rice
Beans
Some sort of greens

Childrens Church: singing with the kids and telling them a bible story. That's the church in the background. This is not too far out of Kampala, in Nakigalala.

The view from the church in Nakigalala. Isn't it beautiful? The hill in the background is covered in tea leaf plants.

One of the grocery stores in Kampala.

A most popular form of transportation, no matter what you are carrying! This is a boda-boda (short for border to border). Note the furniture store in the background, and behind that the high rises of the city.