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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.