It's official, I'm a WGM VIA

Well, the day of departure is always drawing nearer, and still many unknowns exist. Still the to-do list seems huge and far from complete. I still have not planned any lessons. I have yet to figure out how to/if it's possible to defer my loans. Some things are starting to fall in to place, though.

World Gospel Mission accepted me, and so I'll be serving as a Volunteer in Action (VIA)through their organization. They set my fundraising budget at $8,105 for the year. That money needs to come in before I leave. Support letters will go out today. I have no idea what response I'll get from them, but I trust that if the Lord has brought me this far, He'll continue providing.

Throughout my last trip to Uganda, I learned to be content in a culture where things are not always what we expect them to be. I expected to have a roommate, but I lived alone with my host family. I expected to have other students accompany me on my daily walks to and from school, but I walked alone. I expected to immediately settle in with my host family, but feeling comfortable there took two months. Similarly, with my upcoming journey, I expected to live with a roommate very near to the school. As it turns out, I'll be living in an apartment by myself and will be a 5 minute drive or 25 minute walk from school. I expected to teach six classes, but now I only have to teach four (this is a GOOD thing). I'm sure there will be more unmet expectations and more surprises, but I trust that the Lord knows what He's doing. By the end of the semester last year, I could see reasons why the Lord placed me alone, without a roommate, in the family I was in. I trust He has a reason for placing me where He did this time around as well.

World Gospel Mission informed me today I'll have the opportunity to drive some while I'm there. I think that may be the scariest piece of information I've heard. We were told Uganda was something like the second most dangerous country in the WORLD when it comes to driving, and after living there for four months, I could see why. I am nowhere close to being an aggressive driver here in the States, but driving in Uganda requires aggression and cutting in and out all over the place. Let's just say if I end up in the driver's seat of a car over there, you'll all be getting an email asking for extra prayer that day! :)

The time really is drawing near, and I still have so many questions. Will I be able to run in Uganda? What do I really need to take with me and how do I know if I'm taking the right things? Will there be internet access? How will I get involved with Ugandan culture and avoid the temptation to only cling to other missionaries? I suppose I will just have to wait until I get there to answer most of these. I suppose I am in for the adventure of a lifetime. Perhaps there really is no way to completely prepare. Six weeks left...

Seven weeks and counting

July 29-August 1- travel to Uganda (not official, I just know when orientation is, and it is recommended we come a few days earlier)
August 3- Orientation at Heritage International School
August 10- First day of classes with students
June 2,2010- last day of classes

That's about as much as I know about the upcoming year. I'm slowly discovering new information each day, but there are certainly still many unknowns. In the seven weeks or so before I leave, there is quite an overwhelming to-do list in preparation for the upcoming year:

-Lesson plans to prepare (4 classes per day = 20 lesson plans per week of teaching)
-"Uganda-appropriate Teaching clothes" to buy
-Tons of paperwork to fill out for both the school and World Gospel Mission (the organization I'm going through)
-Write/send out support letters
-Complete the nearly impossible task of making a packing list, and then purchase everything on it
- Figure out how to defer loans
- Continue to ask questions, as so much information is still unknown
- Find and purchase "math teaching supplies"
- Read the giant World Gospel Mission orientation manual

And the list surely goes on, with items I haven't thought of yet. It all feels a little overwhelming at the moment, as all of the information has started to come in and I am coming to the realization that I am actually going to Uganda for a year, and am leaving in about seven weeks. So much to do, so little time, but that's usually how life seems to go, and we always manage to get it all done somehow. Time sure does fly by, though. I'm sure the next seven weeks will be no exception, and I will be on a plane to Uganda in no time at all. Crazy, overwhelming, and scary, but oh-so-exciting!