Pictures

Friends at the PTF BBQ



Friday market purchases- all this for less than $22


Fun with the 6ht graders

Snails and Hippos save the day!

My first "teacher gift" ever. It's amazing what a stuffed hippo in a coffee mug can do to boost one's morale for the day. When the 7-8th grade kids, who typically are my favorite students to work with, were unusually crazy and disruptive, I just looked at the hippo sitting on my desk, thought of the student who gave it to me, and suddenly things were ok. :)


This morning we had a friendly visitor in the classroom. This picture doesn't do it justice, as it was roughly the size of my hand. Needless to say, however, I think the kids found it much more entertaining than our discussion on equal fractions and square roots :)

Maid of Honor- Ugandan style

It's 1:30 PM here on Monday afternoon, and I would normally be in school right now, but I had to take a sick day as a result of several trips to the bathroom to throw up. So, now that those fun details are out of the way, I'll get on with the story :-)

Sharon, a close friend I met while studying here last year, met a Ugandan man during our rural homestays a year ago, and a few months later, he proposed. I attended their "American wedding" in May of this year. Yesterday was their "African ceremony." Since they were already married, it wasn't a real wedding, it was just a celebration. But it was exciting and cultural, nonetheless. The ceremony started at 2pm, but Sharon picked me up around 1:30, then went to get her hair done, and we didn't arrive at the ceremony until 5:00pm. . . "African time" at its best, I suppose. We arrived in a 15 passenger van that drove us to the head table. When we stepped out, a large portion of the crowd greeted us with "ulations" (long, wavering, high-pitched sounds resembling the howl of a dog or wolf with a trilling quality, according to Wikipedia, but if you ask me they sound more like high pitched squawking birds). What I did not know when I arrived at the wedding was that I would be considered her "maid of honor" and sit next to her at the head table. This also meant that the best man and I followed the couple around all evening, stood behind them while cutting the cake, stood with them as they gave speeches, and walked around with them while they greeted the guests. The best man constantly asked me throughout the evening when he could attend one of these ceremonies for me. I told him I'm nowhere close to marriage, and haven't found the right guy yet, and he then took it upon himself to introduce me to nearly EVERY single man at the ceremony! He told them all, "She's available, and looking for a husband! Won't you help her?" Ha. I don't think that's quite an accurate description, but it did create some interesting (and very awkward) moments. The ceremony ended with dancing to Ugandan music, as is typical for these types of events. I was peacefully enjoying watching everyone else dance when suddenly the MC of the night, a 50-60 year old man, who was completely drunk, grabbed me and got me to dance with him. He kept asking people to take his picture as he danced with the "muzungu." He was so proud of himself for teaching a muzungu how to dance. It was a fun evening, and it was great to finally see Sharon again. Some of the adult leaders from the university were there, as well, and it was nice to see them again. It was certainly an interesting and cultural experience, but it was enjoyable. And, possibly one of the best parts of the evening was the amazing local food! I haven't been able to find local food since I've been here, and I've been wanting to try it all again. The wedding had matooke (smashed bananas), noodles, rice, beans, pumpkin, cabbage, g-nut sauce (a favorite of mine), beef, chicken, and pineapple. It was a fabulous meal, though apparently it didn't sit too well with my stomach, since I'm not at school today.




In other news, I drove the VIA car on Saturday for the first time. Granted I only drove it for about 10 minutes each way (on a trip that should have taken five, but I was too afraid to go fast because it was raining and terribly muddy--much like driving in snow) and I stayed on mostly back roads without traffic. You have to start somewhere though. We drive on the left side here, and traffic is unlike anything I've ever seen in America. You have to be ridiculously aggressive if you plan on going anywhere. Many nights, traffic is at a standstill for hours. It's crazy! I've only driven once, but I eventually hope to gain enough courage to drive in the city. We'll see.

World's Worst Bargainer, World's Best Bargain?

Yesterday a group of us took bodas in to town to visit the Friday market. The city has several permanent craft markets set up for tourists to buy gifts, but this market is set up once a week and is made up of tents and tarps full of various gifts and useful items. It's basically a small area of land completely packed with people. Our first boda driver took us to the wrong market, and we ended up at a permanent market in the middle of the city. After looking around there, we decided to attempt to get to the Friday market. We took another boda, which may have been the scariest ride of my life, weaving in and out of traffic, being literally inches away from cars (and at one point, my leg brushed against the side of a car), and even riding on the sidewalk to get around the traffic. Bodas are certainly more convenient and a MUCH quicker form of transportation than a car or taxi, and they're tons of fun, but they can be pretty scary. Anyway, we finally arrived at Friday market and were amazed at the thousands of items for sale. On previous mission trips to the Bahamas, Guatemala, and even last year in Uganda, I realized I may be the world's worst bargainer, but yesterday confirmed it once again. Typically, when a mzungu (white person) asks how much something costs, they'll tell us a very high price, and we are supposed to bargain down to a lower more reasonable price. Yesterday, however, I asked them how much, they told me, and I handed it over to them! I'm sure I'll get better at it over time, but it seemed to me I was already getting awesome deals, and this is how these people make their living, so I felt ok giving them more than the locals would pay them. Even without bargaining, for roughly $15 I paid for the 25 minute boda into the city, the 10 minute boda ride back to the market, 5 necklaces, one bracelet, a wallet, and a pair of shoes. Not too bad if you ask me! We're looking forward to many more trips to the Friday market, and probably many other markets as well! Hopefully as the year progresses, I'll become more confident in my bartering skills.

Last night all WGM missionaries and VIA (volunteers in action)went to a mongolian bbq for dinner. It was probably one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. We piled our plates high with vegetables of all sorts, spices, sauces, and various meats (pork, beef, chicken, and lamb) and then watched as they fried it for us and put it on top of rice. It was fabulous, and I didn't know places like that even existed here! I continue to be amazed at how much is available here in the city, compared to where I spent my semester last year. It's certainly not like living in America or anything, but it's much more modern than I had imagined.

Tonight several of the younger teachers are having a pitch in at one of the girl's houses. It will be interesting to see what dishes everyone brings. Starting in September, instead of purchasing the catered food at lunch, I think I'm going to purchase from the local menu. It's half the price, and I'm really looking forward to eating matooke (smashed bananas) again! Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday), I'm attending the wedding ceremony of one of the girls who studied here the same semester I did last year. She met a Ugandan man while here last year, he proposed, and she said yes! I attended their "American wedding" in the States this past May, and tomorrow will be their African ceremony. The leaders from the university will also be there, so I am incredibly excited to see some familiar faces and reunite with great friends.

Still trying to find ways to connect with the culture. Still trying to find ways to be more assertive and discipline more in the classroom. Still trying to figure out how to cook, since everything must be started from scratch and takes much longer than cooking at home did. Still praying for friendships to develop, still praying for connections with the kids. Still praying for creativity in lesson planning. Thank you to those of you who support me in prayer...I couldn't do it without you!

Mukama Yebazibwe

Today I was reminded once again that "church" has absolutely nothing to do with the building, but rather with the people who make up the church. For the first several weeks, WGM missionaries are taking us around to various African Gospel Churches (AGC) so we can see which churches WGM is affiliated with. This morning we went to a small church built with sticks and mud. We sat on small wooden benches for several hours. Chickens ran in and out of the building during the service, and goats and cows wandered around just outside. There were no lights, there was no sound system, there was no electricity, but the presence of the Lord was there. There was no coffee shop, there was no bookstore, there was no fancy piano. There were holes in the walls and the rain leaked in as we sat through the service, but the Holy Spirit was there, and the people were genuinely worshiping the Lord. We sang songs for over an hour, then heard a wonderful message, then sang more songs. Various church attenders shared testimonies from their week. They thanked the Lord for rain, because Uganda has been in drought. They thanked the Lord that their families are alive and that each one of us made it to church that day. They thanked the Lord for the simplest of things...things I too often take for granted. They worshiped, and it was awesome. They had nothing but a mud and stick building, and yet they truly worshiped the Lord. Many of them shared that many nights they do not have enough money to put food on the dinner table, and night after night, they skip meals, and yet they praised the Lord. They were full of joy and they were content. And that is why I love the Christian African culture.

Now, please don't think I'm putting down the western churches. I'm not trying to say there is anything wrong with large churches who have fancy music equipment or coffee shops and bookstores. Those things are wonderful, and an awesome asset for fellowship at church. All I'm saying is maybe sometimes we spend too much time focusing on what our church has or doesn't have, and too little time genuinely worshiping and praising the Lord. We have more than we need, and we don't depend on rain. We won't run out of water, and our children aren't dying of starvation. The church shouldn't be about a place or a building, but about a group of people following the Lord, praising Him no matter what. That is what I saw this morning, and that is how I want to live.

My roommate and I continue to struggle with living in our "missionary bubble" and are trying to search for opportunities to involve ourselves with the Ugandan culture. Right now, we walk to school each day, teach classes, and walk home. We live in a huge house with electricity, internet, and running water. We're incredibly thankful for our living conditions, and very thankful that we're protected by a guard and a tall wall around our home. But we're not being immersed in the African culture. We're not getting to know the Ugandan families who live just down the street from us in mud huts. I am realizing more and more how thankful I am for the experience I had last year in Uganda, and the awesome opportunity I had when living with my Ugandan host family. Yes, there were plenty of challenges, and yes, I'm thankful to live in a home with a toilet this year, but when I lived with my family, I became one of them. The neighbors treated me as an "African" and I learned how to live with little. I learned how to be sensitive to the culture, and I learned how dependent this culture has to be on the Lord. When it didn't rain, I didn't shower. When my host mom didn't get hours at her job, we didn't have meat that week for lunch. They couldn't walk down the road to the corner drugstore and purchase medicine if they were sick. Instead, they stayed home and prayed. Yes, the semester with my host family presented many challenging situations, some I would rather not have experienced, but it was through those experiences that I saw my family radically depend on God for survival. It was through those situations I saw my family depend on prayer. It was through those situations I learned to be sensitive to the African culture, and to love it and embrace it. Yet now, here I am, living in Uganda, but hardly feeling like it. My room here is twice as big as my bedroom at home. Our power was off all day yesterday, and our fridge and water heater stopped working, but even when the power is out, we have back-up lights and power for 24 hours. All this just goes to say, I suppose, that I really want to find some way to get involved with the Ugandan culture. I don't want to spend my year here walking to school, teaching, and walking home. I want to find some way to immerse myself in this culture and remain sensitive to what's going on around me. I don't want to grow so accustomed to the western culture that I forget there are people living right down the street from me who literally have nothing.

On a lighter note, I've been keeping a list of things that are more difficult to accomplish here. So far my list includes the following:

-cooking: no directions on anything and boiling foods takes twice as long, not to mention the need to bleach every fruit or vegetable bought in any store and boil any water you want to drink or use for cooking

-walking: As a result of the roads and the enormous amount of dust, walking becomes more difficult because you must constantly glance down and make sure it's an ok area to walk on, and you must walk slower in order to avoid sliding down hills and falling

-starting new rolls of toilet paper: Now, this one's pretty silly, but TP isn't perforated here, so you basically have to tear apart the roll until you finally get it started

-using the microwave: Well, our microwave anyway. It's obviously very close to dying, as only one button on it works, and it only works once each time. The outlets here have on/off switches, and we keep the microwave switched off unless we use it. So, when we turn it on, we can push the "one minute plus" button once, wait for the minute to be up, switch the power off and back on again, and repeat the process until our food is warm.

-Making ice cubes: It's a wonderful blessing to have a fridge/freezer in our house, and I'm thankful to be able to have cold drinks instead of room temperature ones like last year. However, making ice requires boiling water, letting it cool,and then finally putting it in the freezer to freeze.

-Teaching: Not having any technology whatsoever does present some challlenges, and makes it difficult to figure out how to design creative lesson plans. Aside from no technology, we have very few resources like markers or art supplies for doing projects

Such is life in Africa :) I constantly think back to my semester here last year, and the fact that I said I'd never come back, and yet here I am. It's amazing how God works. I'm glad He knows what's best for us, and that He promises to take care of us. This is quite a different experience from last year, but I have no doubt I will learn just as much, be challenged just as much (the first week at school proved that), and hopefully grow just as much!

Mukama Yebazibwe! (Praise the Lord) Amiina (Amen)- A common phrase spoken in many churches around this area

Random notes after three days in the classroom:

-I now teach 6-12 grade. Because they combined the 7th and 8th graders this week (so the we'd have one class of four instead of two classes with one and three students), they added 6th graders to the secondary curriculum. I have four classes each day, plus 20 minutes of devotions.

- The curriculum we use for math would be awesome, if only I were teaching in America! Already, on day one in the book, students seemed quite confused by the wording and phrases in the American book. Every example has something to do with the US, and many international students have never heard of many of the places/examples used in the book. I'll likely have to rewrite all tests/quizzes so the students understand, though that's a tough task, since I don't really know the culture well enough to know what to replace the American phrases with. It will be an interesting year.

- I am learning more each day about the math program last year, and how it was basically non-existent. The principal told me to "put the hammer down" and be as strict as I can with these kids because most of them failed math last year and are used to sitting in class and goofing around doing nothing. Today when I asked the students what they did last year in math, they responded similarly. "Nothing. We sat here, did some worksheets, and played games. The teacher sat at his desk and said nothing." The faculty/administration is obviously wanting this year to be different, drastically different, which sometimes feels like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it seems like anything should be improvement from last year.

- I have four classes, sizes 8, 4, 5, and 11. The entire 7-12 grade only has 20 kids. They say many kids left the school last year after it had so many problems. The awesome thing is that these kids are from ALL over. I have one student from Australia, one from Ethiopia, a couple from the UK, one from the Philippines, from Kenya, from America, and from Uganda. And every one of them has a different accent. It's amazing :)

- Kristi and I walked to town this afternoon to get groceries. We wanted to be outside and exercise rather than take a boda, so we set out, a little unsure of where we were going, and started on our way to the store. It was a 30 minute walk and quite relaxing on the way there, with empty backpacks. The way home was a bit more exhausting, with our backpacks STUFFED full with groceries. At least we have some food...now we just have to learn how to cook here!

- Some days are better than others. Day one of teaching was pretty decent. Day two made me want to quit teaching forever. Day three was in between. Again I say, it's going to be a challenging year...a good, but challenging year.

- There's not enough hours in the day to complete everything on my daily to-do list. But that's not because I'm in Uganda...that's just life, I suppose.

And with that, while there are still many more stories/thoughts I could share, I must plan another lesson and get some sleep. Here's for hoping day four goes better than the rest.

The Proof You've been asking for

Some of you asked for a picture (in Uganda, pictures are called "snaps") of me on the boda boda. Thanks for my roommate, Kristi, now you have the proof you've been waiting for. She was ahead of me on another boda, going slow enough to be able to snap a picture. Of course, you can barely see me, but I assure you, it is in fact me :) More to come later, I'm sure...after all, I'm here for a year...there's plenty of time for photos.

Sidenote: In this picture, the road is paved. Keep in mind, however, that many roads around here are not, and those roads are EXTREMELY bumpy and filled with holes. Here, workers add speed bumps to the road whenever they feel like it. I believe I've heard that within a one kilometer stretch between my house and another WGM leader, there are 17. Just one more reason to hang on for your life :)

A good, but challenging year ahead.

Several stories to share after the first day of school....

- School: I survived. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't amazing, and it pretty much went as expected. My class sizes were 1, 3, 3, and 9. The 9 will be a challenging class, as according to the other teachers, they're known as the "troublemakers who could care less about school." One student, Bhavik, practices the Jain religion, and seems to be a math genius. He was the one student all day who admitted to liking math. He was the only one in grades 10-12 who was actually willing to talk to me, though, and asked immediately if I am a Christian. When I said yes, he replied, "Figures, all the teachers are." The curriculum is still changing, and I still don't know for sure which classes I'm teaching and which books I'm using. This may sound stressful to some, but for my procrastination habits in lesson planning, it works well, as I haven't planned lessons for any of the classes yet! :) All in all, there's a lot to get used to, and my conclusion after day one is that this will be a challenging year....a GOOD, but challenging year.

I also found out today that I give devotions to the 8th graders three times a week,and that they're supposed to be 20 minutes long. That's both really exciting, and really scary. Reading from a book each day would be an easy task, but 20 minutes? Seems like a mini-sermon. I imagine I'll try and involve the kids as much as possible and ask them to participate as well. Any ideas from those of you who are creative would be much appreciated, though!! Heritage International is the only Christian international school in Uganda.

-Youth Group: At Heritage, each teacher is required to participate in at least one after school activity. My chosen (err, assigned rather, since I just happened to be in the meeting at the right time) activity is youth group. The youth group is basically any of the secondary students who want to attend, and we meet basically every other Friday after school. We also go on a three day retreat in September and have a couple of overnight activities. We'll do short Bible studies, and play lots of fun games. I'm really excited to be a part of this ministry, and look forward to building even closer relationships with the students through the youth group events. Our first meeting is this Friday after school. Please pray it goes well and kids show up!

-Bodas: For those of you who have asked, no, the passenger on the boda (me) does not wear a helmet. I have only seen a few boda drivers wearing helmets, and passengers never do. That is likely the reason accidents are awful when they occur. I pray for the Lord's protection every time I get on one, which has been a total of three times so far. Today after school three of us went to town to buy ice cream, and since our car is still in the shop (and we don't yet know how to drive), we took bodas. I was told it is VERY inappropriate for a woman wearing a skirt to "straddle" the boda seat. That's why we typically sit sideways. However, on the way home from the market, when I sat down sideways, the driver looked and said, "NO, you sit like a man!" So there I was, wearing a skirt, straddling a boda. A sight to see, for sure! :)

-Health: As a quick prayer request, I'll share that I've been sick at some point throughout the day every day for four days now. The majority of the days I feel fine, and then for about an hour each day, I feel awful. I don't know what's causing it, as we're trying to be super careful with all of our food and water. Prayers would be much appreciated!

And now it's 7:30pm and I have yet to start planning tomorrow's lessons. In my defense, I only arrived home twenty minutes ago, but I must get to work so eventually I can get to sleep! Continue praying for a positive experience this week at school, for the students, and for their brand new math teacher :)

Hanging on for dear life!

Last year when I was in Uganda, it was a USP (Uganda Studies Program) rule that we were NOT allowed to ride boda bodas (tiny motorcycles that Ugandans use as a main form of transportation). Traffic here is AWFUL, and many of the roads are in pretty poor shape, but these bodas are convenient because they zip in and out of traffic get around the traffic jams quickly. They're also a leading cause of death in the country, because they're not always that careful, and when they have an accident, its usually a terrible one. Many students rode them anyway, but I was not one of them. I was completely terrified of them and was never even tempted to get on one. Walking was just fine by me. Today, however, on my fourth day in Uganda, the leaders of the USP program were visiting friends several miles from where I live, and they asked me to take a boda to come meet them. Now, I'm going to have to learn to drive here at some point, and I'm not really looking forward to it, but the thought of taking a boda terrified me. I considered not going, but it they live an hour away, and may not be around again soon, and I figured it would really be nice to see some familiar faces. So I got up the courage, walked down my street to the boda station where at least ten bodas waved at me and wanted my business. I found one and asked, "Can you take me to the Shell station at Bunga Hill?" He responded, "yes, of course! Please, sit!" Here women sit sideways on the bike, because it is not culturally acceptable to straddle the seat, so I nervously hopped on, trusted that this man knew where we were going (because I had no idea where Bunga Hill was), and held on for dear life to the little bar crossing the back of the seat. As bumpy as the roads are here, I can see why boda accidents are common. I lifted off the seat a couple of times, and could definitely picture myself falling off as we went along the rough roads, but eventually he stopped and said, "We are here." I asked him how much, and he told me 4000 shillings (a little less than $2). What I didn't realize until after he got off was that we were not at the Shell station. He did not know where the Shell station was, so he had taken me to another petrol station in the area. So, being the very experienced boda rider that I now was, I got another boda and had him take me to the Shell station. I met my friends and had a wonderful time. I asked the people I met with how much it should cost to take a boda from Kynsanga (my town) to Bunga, and they told me 1200 at the most. I laughed and told them I'd paid 5000 between the two bodas. They told me I need to learn how to bargain with them, because they try to charge muzungus (white people) more. I'm a terrible bargainer. That's something I'll have to get better at, and soon! And thus concluded my first ever boda boda experience. We will have a car, yes, but I expect there will be many more boda rides in my future. After all, having now ridden two bodas, my reaction is "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Just make sure you hang on for your life....

For those of you without Facebook:

Gone are the days of clean feet...

Well, for those of you who read this (if anyone)and haven't already heard, I made it to Uganda safely. After a long journey through Chicago and London, I arrived at Entebbe airport early Wednesday morning. I met someone from WGM and she drove me to my new home in Kampala. An hour or so later, we went to the school, where I saw my classroom and started decorating. I had some orientation, but have yet to be fully filled in on what all goes on at the school and what my responsibilities are. Slowly by slowly, I continue to learn more. After a long day at school, the other WGM missionaries went to a leader's home for dinner and spent much of the evening talking and laughing. It was a relaxing, but tiring first day.

Now, for those of you who have been asking, I'll talk about the house. For starters, WOW! Life here as a missionary in Kampala certainly looks much different than life as a "local" in Mukono looked last year! I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 story house. Ours is gated all the way around and has a guard on duty 24/7. From what I understand, there are various missionary houses all around here. Currently I have one roommate, Kristi, from California, who also just arrived and will teach 6th grade at Heritage. We will gain another roommate in September. We each have our own bedroom, and Kristi and I share a bathroom. For four months last year, my "bathroom" was a hole in the ground, but rest assured, this time I have a real toilet. I also have electricity, running water, HOT WATER (if you turn the heater on 1 hour in advance), and a fully furnished kitchen (stove, fridge, microwave, etc). We also have wireless internet throughout the house. We have a housegirl who cleans twice a week and does our dishes and laundry if we ask her to. Apparently this is very common here, but it seems a little strange to have someone else doing all of the work for us. In some ways, it almost feels as if I'm living in America, until I walk outside, or take a look at my feet, which will likely not be clean until a year from now when I return home. The black shoes I wore to school today are now stained red, as are my feet. I'll be cleaner than I was last year when I showered from a bucket, but there's really no getting rid of that dirt. No matter how much you clean, everything is dirty. Everything. Now, I imagine I should be excited and very thankful to have such wonderful living conditions, but in all honesty, I think a part of me misses the simplicity of living as a Ugandan. I can already see what the missionaries we spoke with last year meant when they talked about living in a "bubble" and having difficulty really engaging in the Ugandan culture. Other than my 10 minute walk to and from school, I could easily stay inside and keep to myself if I so desired. Hopefully that will not be the case. All in all, it is nice to have a place to come back to at the end of the day and just relax.

I'll provide more details of the school setting later, because its almost time for dinner (we're eating at another missionary's house again tonight...tomorrow night we'll go grocery shopping and start the adventure of cooking for ourselves), but for now I'll just ask everyone to pray for the start of school on Monday. My classroom is mostly decorated now, but I am not entirely sure what to do for lesson plans, as we are not supposed to really start teaching until week 3 due to many students arriving late. Pray for peace, as starting a new job obviously causes a little bit of nervousness. Pray for the students as they get to know me and I get to know them. Pray for positive relationships to develop.

Thanks, as always, for your continued prayers and support! More to come later, for now, time to eat (which is another story for another time, but the food as a missionary is also drastically different than as a local)!

Prayers for Traveling

Well, it's been a wonderfully encouraging weekend of prayer that started out with a special prayer at the Nazarene Missions International district convention, where the district superintendent, Ted Lee, and the Global NMI president, Daniel Ketchum, as well as a number of other people in attendance prayed for my upcoming journey. Then, this morning at church the pastor called me forward in both services for prayer, where several people surrounded me and encouraged me. There may still be many of uncertainties on this journey, like where I'm living, who I'm living with, and many others, but I know one thing for sure: I am being prayed for. And that is one thing that provides great confidence and encouragement!

As of now, all that's left to do is pack. And while some may think that's an easy task, it's not. We've been attempting to pack since Wednesday! Two suitcases, fifty pounds each, and one carry-on is the limit. Sounds like a lot, I know, but when you add school supplies and a year's worth of various medications, the weight adds up quickly. I really thought I was being pretty conservative in packing, only taking 7 skirts for a whole year, and three pairs of shoes, but things just aren't fitting. In trying to decide what I could leave behind, many have suggested the jar of Jiff peanut butter may not be absolutely essential. Peanut butter, however, is my absolute favorite food, and is not readily available there, and that means it's going! :) So tomorrow we begin once again the task of fitting everything in.

Specific prayer requests as of right now include traveling through London. I hope to visit the city since I have such a long layover, but conquering that task alone is somewhat overwhelming. I'm sure it will all work out, I will just have to be willing to ask questions if necessary. I have no idea what awaits me when I arrive in Uganda, but after 30 hours of traveling, and a 7 hour time change, I know I'll be exhausted. Please pray for safety throughout the traveling process.

I look forward to writing my next post from Uganda (or from London, depending on how much time I spend outside of the airport, and how bored I am sitting in the airport). Thanks for all of the prayers and support! I couldn't do it without you!