Straddling Two Worlds....

8 months overdue

2010-10-13T19:16:00.002-05:00

Well, I am almost certain no one reads this any longer, since I have been home from Uganda for nearly eight months now, but for some reason I decided to update. So here are my thoughts on the last 8 months:

God always has a plan, and His plan always works out.

That really about sums it up. I came home from Uganda unexpectedly, and for quite some time, I wanted nothing but to be back in that beautiful country, the culture that undoubtedly will hold a place in my heart forever. It was a struggle to find friends, to feel connected, and to re-associate myself with the American culture. I missed everything about Uganda--from the food to the friends to the crazy boda rides through traffic. I still do. I believe part of me will always miss that place. However, very soon after I came home, my mom had shoulder surgery and could not cook, clean, shower, dress, etc. She needed extra help, and because I was home early, I was able to provide that help. Soon after that I became reacquainted with some old friends at church, made some new friends, and began to live a "normal" life again. I applied for over thirty teaching jobs, and one random organization that serves developmentally disabled adults. Not one of the 30+ teaching applications lead anywhere, but God lead me to the organization for the disabled adults. I was skeptical at first, but it was a job, and I needed one. Despite my doubts, I LOVED the job from day one. Sure, I got bit and hit, had things thrown at me, and had my hair pulled, but I love it. Yesterday that company closed, but God provided again, and I'm currently still working with the same clients at the new company.

My heart ultimately longs to be back in Africa, but in the meantime, I'm thankful to have wonderful friends and a job that I look forward to each day, and I am most of all thankful that even when things don't work out as we expect them to, God's plans are perfect, and He knows what He's doing.

2010-01-15T07:24:00.002-06:00

I don't have much time, as internet access for me is now VERY limited. I'll just highlight a few stories since the last time I updated.

-Went to Jinja for an intense, but amazing retreat and stayed in a hut right next to the Nile River. My matatu (15 passenger, but actually usually more like 20-23 passenger taxi van) had an accident on the way back. Glass shattered, people screamed, I got out and took a boda boda the rest of the way :)

- Graded over 3000 questions on final exams. The students actually did somewhat decently. Some failed, but some passed, which was a nice surprise :) They must have at least learned something!

- Had a wonderful Christmas with WGM missionaries and an amazing Christmas production at a church in town.

-Spontaneously decided to take a trip to Kenya with my roommate. One Saturday over break we decided we didn't want to sit at home all week, so we bought bus tickets to Mombasa, Kenya. We left Monday evening at 6pm and arrived Wednesday morning at 5am. Yes, it took 35 hours. The police stopped our bus for a safety check an hour outside of Nairobi, and apparently our bus was not safe. So for 9 hours we sat in the middle of what seemed like a desert, burned our skin, and eventually ended up spending the evening with some of our WGM missionary friends, then bought a new bus ticket and left at 10pm that night for the rest of the journey. We stayed at a "swamp-like" area the first day (Mombasa is on the Indian Ocean and is BEAUTIFUL--if you know where to stay and are willing to spend more than $5 per night)! We slept in a HOT tent full of bugs and decided to try a new place the next day. We found a place for pretty cheap right on the beach. Stayed there on New Years Eve, watched fireworks, and listened to obnoxious loud music all night long. We left at 6am Friday morning and got back to Kampala at 11:30am Saturday. It was better than staying at home for the week, and now we can say we've been to Kenya :)

-Completed the first two weeks back at school. I'm not sure teaching is for me. It's better than it was before, but I'm still not sure. We shall see.

-Don't have much internet access anymore. I can only use the internet on the computers at school, which are ridiculously slow and sometimes the internet there doesn't work. Don't expect as many blog entries from me :-(

-My classroom door seems to break every other day. In the past two weeks, I have gone through four keys. One benefit to not having glass in the windows is I can just pull the bars off the window and climb in that way, which I had to do, oh, maybe 25+ times this week. It's quite humorous, and slightly annoying.

-Moved into the new house, and got the new roommate. She's wonderful! The new house has an incredible view, and my room is blue with giant purple polka dots. LOVE it :)

- Didn't have water, internet, phones, or an unlocked classroom door at school today. Such is life in Uganda.

- Tricia, my sister, arrives TONIGHT and will be here for a MONTH working at a clinic in town. I'm pretty excited to see her, and to go on safari with her!

My time is nearly up. If you feel led to pray, pray for school, teaching, health (it's good for now!), adjusting to the new home, and for life in general. I still LOVE Uganda, but need to really spend time thinking about decisions for the future. To stay or not to stay, to teach or not to teach. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Christmas--NOT just another day!

2009-12-26T05:42:00.002-06:00

As I sit in my living room this day after Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt, I'm reminded how different this Christmas was from all of the others. For twenty-one years I've gathered together with family, enjoyed the lights and decorations, enjoyed Christmas Eve services and Christmas productions, exchanged gifts, and simply enjoyed being in the presence of family and friends. This year, though, the lights and decorations were slim, and I was halfway across the world from the family I normally spent Christmas with. While I did spend a few minutes shivering on Christmas day when it was unusually cool (about 69 degrees) and raining, it wasn't the same as the cold and snow that usually accompanies Christmas day. Yes, this Christmas was different, but it certainly wasn't a disappointment.

Two nights before Christmas I enjoyed an amazing Christmas production with over 200 participants at the Watoto Church in Kampala. It was one of those "This doesn't feel like Africa" moments with all of the technology and the wonderful talent, and as I sat there dripping in sweat (the place was PACKED with people, and the balcony was exceptionally hot that evening), I couldn't help but expect to walk outside afterward and see the snow falling, and the temperatures dropping. Of course, that wasn't the case. It was hot and humid when I left. But the program was amazing, and I was thankful to have a program so similar to home.

Christmas Eve the WGM missionaries got together for a dinner and gift exchange. There were about 18 people in all, including the kids. Christmas morning the same group had a Christmas brunch. I must say, if I have to be halfway across the world from my family on Christmas, I'm certainly thankful that I can be here with such a loving, encouraging, Christ-like group of people! I was SO thankful not to be sitting at home alone on Christmas, and so thankful these wonderful people invited us to be a part of their Christmas! The friendships God has provided me since I came in August have been wonderful blessings in so many ways. I am thankful for every one of them!

Christmas was different this year. My Christmas tree is 8 inches tall. Churches here didn't really sing Christmas carols or talk about advent. My presents consisted of Betty Crocker chocolate frosting, a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese (two things not available here, so to receive them as gifts was pretty exciting!), and two beaded necklaces. Instead of spending Christmas with my family, I talked with them on the phone, thanks to the amazing technology of Skype! I was able to talk with both sets of grandparents, one sister, and my parents. Instead of helping Mom make the Christmas cookies (which usually mostly involved me eating the dough when she wasn't looking), I attempted to make my own cookies, and only somewhat succeeded (baking sure is different here). Yes, Christmas was different, but in its own way, it was wonderful.

What I discovered this Christmas is that when you remove the traditions, the family get-togethers, the lights and decorations, the presents, and the materialism of the Christmas season, you are left only with the most important part of Christmas: JESUS! Without all of the normal Christmas traditions, it would be simple to let Christmas pass by as just another day, but Christmas is certainly NOT just another day! Christmas is the day Christ came to earth to save us, and without that day, we would all be lost. I'm thankful for the friends who welcomed me in to their Christmas celebrations this year. I'm thankful for the friendships I've developed since being here. I'm thankful for the technology that allows me to talk with my family on Christmas. I'm thankful for amazing Christmas performances. Most of all, though, I'm thankful that our Savior came, and I'm thankful that Christmas was not just another day.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and enjoyed celebrating together. Take time to relax during this time off, because soon enough (far too soon, if you ask me) we'll all be back to work and begin the crazy schedules of a new year. Merry Christmas, friends!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow....oh wait, I live in Africa.

2009-12-09T11:50:00.003-06:00

Well, for many of you, I hear the weather outside is frightful, and schools are closed because of the snow (ok, maybe just those of you in Iowa). Here the weather is 75 or 80 every day, and sadly, as much as I pray for one, we will never have a snow day. Now, I know what you're thinking: "I would love to be enjoying 80 degree weather day in and day out, instead of this awful snow and miserable cold!" But let me tell you, I think it's one of those things you don't really know how much you miss it until it's gone. My roommate and I watched a Christmas movie last night, and snow covered the ground, and we turned to each other and sighed. Oh what we wouldn't give to have some snow right now. Sure, maybe I don't want it for 3-4 months, as is usually the case in the Indiana/Illinois winters, and maybe I don't want the -20 degree weather that blessed us last year in Illinois, but I miss seasons. Here, it's either hot and dry, or rainy and "crisp" (meaning, oh, 65 degrees at the lowest). I miss snow.

Enough on the weather, though. That was not the intent of my update. Moving on, earlier this week I attended a spiritual gifts seminar with some of the other WGM missionaries. During the seminar, I realized how little I know about spiritual gifts. Did you know there are somewhere between 23-30 separate spiritual gifts listed in the Bible? I had no idea. We completed the 125 question test, and after calculating the results, my highest score was missionary. I didn't even know missionary was a spiritual gift, but this test indicated that it is. My next three were mercy, giving, and encouragement. Well, missionary makes sense. I'm living in Uganda, as a temporary missionary afterall. However, not all that surprising to me was that one of my lowest scores was teaching. Now, I realize there are different gifts involving teaching, and that teaching spiritually is much different than teaching a math classroom, but I couldn't help but laugh. Anyway, after another discussion with the principal about staying for another year, I really began to think about this missionary "gift" and what it means. Maybe it's really true. I LOVE living in another culture. I LOVE Uganda. I believe it was only three days after I returned home to the States last year that I started to feel a strong desire in my heart to return someday. There is something about living in another culture that absolutely fascinates me. There is something about becoming part of another culture that I can't get enough of, and that I long to do more often. Last year's experience here with my host family was certainly not easy, but for those four months, I was living as a Ugandan. I showered from a bucked. I used a hole in the ground, or a bucket, for my toilet. I usually had no electricity. I ate whatever my family placed in front of me, and I LOVED all of it (minus the cow intestine). Sure, it was tough at times, and I certainly had to stretch myself, but it was so worth it, and in the end, I LOVED it. I didn't mind showering from a bucket. I didn't mind squatting to use the bathroom. I learned to love the simple life. The conversations I had with people on the way to and from school were incredible. Maybe this missionary thing is really for me.

I've written about this before, several times actually, but one thing I'm really struggling with this time around is making myself a part of the culture. Yes, simply by living in Uganda I've placed myself in another culture, but it's somewhat as if I'm in this sub-culture or missionaries, and the "real" Ugandan culture is still far outside of my world. Last year one of the most rewarding conversations took place walking home from school when one of our neighbors stopped me and said, "Many foreign missionaries come here and get to know us and minister to us, but they never really become one of us. They're not willing to live like us. They're not willing to step down a notch. It's encouraging to see you living as one of us....willing to be content with what little we have. Thank you for becoming one of us." Ok, I promise, I'm NOT saying that to brag about my willingness to live under those conditions for four months. I don't think it's a matter worth bragging of. I say that only because right now I almost feel trapped. I'm living an American life in Africa, when I really desire to be living an African life in Africa. Yea, it's nice to have running water and a real toilet. I'm not complaining that I have nice accomodations, and that I'm safe. I miss community, though. If I learned anything about Ugandans last year, it's that they are all about community. Visitors show up at all hours and are immediately greeted with love and cheer. Everyone knows everyone. I don't even know who lives next door to me because my house, and every house around me, is surrounded by a giant wall. I miss the simple life.

Ok, all that being said, I promise I'm not trying to portray a negative view of the wonderful missionaries who love living here in these wonderful accomodations. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it--for them. I'm just not sure it's right for me. I miss simplicity. And I know that there ARE opportunities for me to seek out and be involved in cultural activities, I Just need to be willing to find them.

This is already far longer than expected, so I'll end with a few prayer requests.

1. Pray for guidance on whether or not I should stay here for another year. I won't say too much, but it's a possibility, and it's often mentioned, and I'd certainly appreciate any extra prayer in that huge decision!
2. Pray for opportunities to get involved in the culture. Pray for courage to seek out opportunities that may be available.
3. Pray for school in these last few days of the semester. It seems each day is getting tougher and tougher to be joyful and love these kids. They're great kids, but they sure don't care about math....
4. Pray for health. The past two days have been pretty miserable: high fever on and off, terrible chills/shaking uncontrollably, headache, muscle aches, tired all the time. These are crucial days for review at school, and it wouldn't be the best to miss them.

Thanks to those of you who actually read this, for your encouragement and support, and most of all, for your continued prayers. I couldn't get by without them.

Looking back: learning lessons

2009-11-30T11:12:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I left school early (yes, I said school--we still had to teach since there is no reason to celebrate Thanksgiving in Uganda) took a boda to City Square where I met Sharon, found a matatu, and we were on our way to Mukono. We were going to attend USP's (Uganda Studies Program, the study abroad program we both attended last year) Thanksgiving celebration. When we arrived, there were probably over 100 people there, and we commented on how strange it was to return to campus not knowing anyone. The last time we were at that place, we were surrounded by 35 other American students who we spent a semester learning to love Uganda with. By the time we arrived, most of the feast was already gone. We were able to eat some turkey (not as you would imagine it, though) and gravy. The dessert table made up for not having any food left, though. Since we were last in line for food and didn't get much dinner, we were first in line for the desserts, of which there were probably 30+ different kinds! This is, I'm convinced, one reason why it pays to be last. "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first." Missing out on the mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, and vegetables was worth it in order to be first in line for the wonderful desserts! :) Anyway, I'm not typically one to start conversations with complete strangers. In fact, I would normally be the one over on the side watching everyone else talk. That night was different, though, because when you live with a family in Uganda for four months, you immediately have a common bond, no matter how different you are. I sat with several IMME (missions emphasis, homestay students) and we shared stories from our semesters. It's one thing to try to share all of my stories with friends back home who can only try to imagine what it was like to experience them, but it's quite another to share them with those who have themselves been through the experiences. They know exactly what I'm talking about. They can relate. They can laugh about the crazy adventures that no one else could ever imagine enduring, and they can be joyful about the lessons you learn as a result of going through them. Needless to say, it was an incredible night filled with laughter and lots of story-telling.

I also had the opportunity to meet the student who is staying with my host family this semester. The conversations I had with her turned out to be more of a blessing than expected. After hearing some of her comments and stories, I realized that her experience is not far from mine. She began wondering if it would ever get better, and slowly by slowly, things did eventually change. Of course, the family makeup is different for her, as our sisters have moved out, and our dad has a job now. She has her own room. I shared it with three sisters. Let me just say, it would have been MUCH easier for me to get used to using "the bucket" at night if I hadn't had three other girls watching me :) Anyway, I think the best result of the conversation was realizing that it wasn't just me. All semester last year I remember wondering if my family-life would have been better had I been more outgoing or more of a conversationalist. I wondered if I was doing something wrong. I constantly thought I was the problem. Talking with Jill, the student this semester, made me realize it's not just me. She is experiencing many of the same circumstances. It's just our family. They're fabulous, loving, wonderful people, but they're not the greatest at sitting around and talking. They sure do care about their host students, though, and they enjoy having us. Jill says they talk about "Nabachwa" (my Ugandan name) all the time. I assume they'll do the same with her once she leaves. They loved us, they just had a different way of showing it. That was an important realization.

I'm amazed at how much I continue to learn as a result of my experiences here a year and a half ago. Just being back in that town, with those people, reminded me so much of what it was like to live there for four months. I was once again reminded of the simple life, and of the joy we experienced just by being present. For a semester in our lives, we didn't need "things" to please us. We didn't need electricity, or a toilet, or running water. We didn't need variety in our food (though matoke did get old sometimes). We watched our families live with so little, and yet live with such joy, and we learned to be content. I've written this before, but being back in Uganda, and living in such different circumstances, I can't deny that sometimes I really miss that simplicity. I constantly learned lessons as a result of my daily experiences. I constantly interacted with the Ugandan culture. I rarely walked home from school without having a conversation with some woman or child (or unwanted man, in some cases). I stopped on the side of the road and played soccer with a group of kids I'd never met before. I provided shelter under my umbrella for a child who was soaked and just trying to make it to school. I learned to experience joy as a result of the small things, like when the cafeteria didn't run out of spoons and we didn't have to use our hands to eat rice and beans. The simple life became my life, and at times I hated it and wished I could just sit down on a nice toilet, or stand under a running shower, but overall, I loved it. I loved not looking in a mirror in the morning. I loved watching my family cook dinner on our outdoor stove. I loved watching my brothers chase all of the animals into our kitchen when the sun went down. I was content.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say that I'm not content with life now. I'm just constantly reminded of that semester a year and a half ago when I experienced a different life, a life not many have the chance to experience, but everyone would certainly benefit from. I miss simplicity. I miss interacting with the people around me. I miss people being ok with silence, and simply enjoying being present. I'm thankful for that semester. I'm thankful for my host family, and the way they showed me how to be content and joyful, even with nothing. I miss the kids on the side of the road who accepted me and let me play soccer with them. I miss simplicity.

Thursday night I was able to spend the night at Brooke's house, so I wouldn't have to travel back to Kampala in the dark. Brooke was the IMME leader during my semester, and we grew to be great friends. It was fabulous to spend time with her and catch up. You'd think when you only live an hour away, we'd spend more time with each other, but this was only our second visit since I arrived in early August. She's a wonderful woman full of wisdom and love. It was a much needed break from the life of school-home-school-home day after day after day.

Friday morning I came back to Kampala just in time for the WGM Thanksgiving celebration. I think the menu was very similar to a Thanksgiving meal I'd have at home with family. We had it all--turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and most importantly, lots of dessert! :) It was a little disappointing to know that I was missing family time at home, but I'm thankful for the wonderful community I have here with WGM missionaries, and if I couldn't be home for Thanksgiving, I was more than ok with spending it here with them.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that you are looking forward to the Christmas season! Three weeks left of school. Four exams to write. Seven tests to give and then grade. Ten days of teaching. Three days of exams. And then, two glorious weeks of Christmas vacation. I can't believe how quickly this semester has gone, but I can't deny that I'll be quite thankful for a break. For now, I continue to go day by day, hoping each day is a little better than the day before.

The "Queen of Mishap" Strikes Again

2009-11-23T10:17:00.005-06:00

Being that it's the week of Thanksgiving (in America, of course, because Thanksgiving is not celebrated here), I figure it is a perfect time to share the story of my latest life experience and life lesson. As is typically the case with me, so it seems, what was supposed to be a fun experience turned in to another "Why does this always happen to you?" experience instead, and soon after, became another lesson from the Lord.

The past weekend was scheduled to be busy, but packed with fun events that I was excited about. Friday night I enjoyed time at a youth event with the kids from school. As usual, it's always enjoyable to spend time outside of class with students. Saturday morning we attended a local Christmas bazarre sale where we found some great bargains on souvenirs. Saturday afternoon I was able to call my grandparents, sister, and parents all at once, as they were all in Iowa celebrating my grandparents 60th anniversary. Saturday evening I set off spend the night with Sharon, the friend of mine from my semester here last year, who now lives with her Ugandan husband in a town about 40 minutes from here. She had asked me if I would run the Kampala 10k race with her, and I agreed. Early Sunday morning we arrived at the race ready to run. It was a fun experience overall, and quite hilarious to see some of the other 20,000 African runners participating in the race. You'd be amazed how many "runners" I saw in ballet slippers, or skirts, or jean shorts and flip flops. It was quite the sight.

We finished the race, waited around to watch some of the entertainment, and headed back to our car ready to head home and take a much needed nap. Unfortunately, when we reached the car we were in for an unexpected surprise. The locks had been broken and my bag had been stolen. Luckily, this exact scenario had gone through my mind the day before as I packed, so I had removed my camera, debit card, license, and extra money. I lost my backpack, my jeans, my Ohio State shirt (possibly the most disappointing thing of all :-) ), a book, my waterbottle, my classroom keys, my marathon kit which included a bag, a visor, and a water bottle (yea, all I have left from that race is the awful bright yellow mesh vest they made us run in) and somewhere between $40-50. Just like that, my things were gone. Disappointed, definitely. Just like that, the "queen of mishap" reputation had struck again.

The most disturbing part of the whole situation was the security guard who likely was in on the whole thing, or at least saw it happen. When we asked him if he saw anything, he smiled and said, "I was told to watch the first car, not the other cars behind it." Just another case of Ugandan police being, well, Ugandan police. Civilians will burn someone alive if they are caught stealing anything, no matter what it is, yet the police will stand and watch someone steal items from cars on the side of the road, and do nothing about it.

Last night at school we had a worship service. Several people sang and led worship for about 2 hours. It was an amazing experience, and very much needed, as we often don't get to participate in "normal" praise and worship during church services here. Music has always played a HUGE role in my life, and I know God often speaks to me most clearly through lyrics. I was thankful to be in the Lord's presence and being able to praise Him. We were singing "Blessed Be Your Name", and I thought back to an email I received about the line of the song "You give and take away, you give and take away, my heart will CHOOSE to say, Lord BLESSED BE YOUR NAME." Being joyful, and believing in God is a choice. It shouldn't depend on our circumstances. It shouldn't depend on what's going on in life. The choices is ours. We can choose to be thankful in all circumstances, or we can choose to let life's struggles get us down. Those words spoke to me last night.

Ok, so having those things stolen wasn't the greatest loss in the world. The scenario could have been much worse. I could have lost my camera, credit cards, or license, or we could have walked to the car during the robbery. It's disappointing, sure, and I wish I had my backpack back, and my Ohio State shirt, but I still have far more than the majority of people living in this country. I'm still blessed with health, an amazing home to live in, a wonderful (well, sometimes wonderful) job, and a support system back home praying for me and supporting me. I'm blessed beyond measure, even if I'm not backpack-less.

Needless to say, it really does seem to be the trend that "these things always happen to me." I guess these are the stories that make life "exciting," and without them, what would I have to write home about? I'm just thankful the positive experiences always seem to outweigh the negative ones, because honestly, I think I've had my fair share of negative experiences in this place!

So there you have it, another adventure in the life of Betsy. Two things learned: don't leave your bag in the car if at all possible, and always be joyful and thankful.

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

"I used to hate math so much, my knees hurt!"

2009-11-13T13:05:00.005-06:00

Teacher Appreciation Week took place this week, and what a week it was! To the left is a picture of me trying to hold all of the gifts I received from students. Some of the items included a scarf, real and fake flowers, necklaces, tons of candy, a fancy wallet, three jars of peanut butter, and even a solar powered mosquito zapper :-) One day several students asked to go get water during class. Instead of coming back with water, they came back with random flowers picked from around the school, held them out, and happily said, "Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!" Today was a party-filled day in the math classroom. One student had a birthday, so her mom brought in a delicious cake and candy and chips during math class. Then, the secondary students planned a party for all of the teachers. They brought in homemade cakes, cookies, popcorn, and all sorts of goodies! Every day there's been some sort of chocolate goodness, in the form of a cake, or cookies, or candy, and I think I've had more cake than I can handle for awhile. It was a week full of surprises and fun. For me, the week provided much more than these tangible gifts...

After what has been somewhat of a discouraging start to the school year, this week provided much needed encouragement. On Monday, one student handed me possibly the sweetest note I have ever received. It said the following: "In the short time I've known you, you've taught me two things. The first is that it's ok to be quiet, even when everyone else is loud. The second is that it's important to laugh, even when you're having a terrible day. You always laugh, and always act happy. I love your smile, and I wish I could laugh like you." She continued with some other comments, and finished by saying, "You know, I used to HATE math! I hated it so much, my knees would hurt! Now I love it. Thanks for teaching me."

Sure, they're loud and they don't always do what I tell them to do. They don't always turn in their homework. They don't always ask questions when they don't understand. They throw bottle caps across the room and draw on the desks. They eat my candy and are sometimes just completely out of control. But when they say things like that, and genuinely mean them, every annoyance and frustration just disappears. It's all worth it. My favorite teachers growing up were the ones who invested their time in my life, the ones who taught me more about life than about any subject matter, and the ones who genuinely cared for students, not just for teaching. If I can impact even one student in the way those teachers impacted me, it will be worth it.

To the left are the 7th and 8th grade girls, minus Ruby. I have been so blessed to be able to begin building relationships with all of the secondary students. We laugh together and share stories, and just enjoy building relationships.

One note from a student, one hug from another. One class of 10 students ALL earning an A on their most recent test. One "thank you for teaching," and one "I don't understand it. I can't even stand myself, but you, you are patient and kind and you put up with me!" makes it all worth it! Sure, that same student announced in front of the whole high school that I'm the most gullible teacher (in a good way) he's ever had, but still :-) I'm working at a great school, with great kids, and an amazing and supportive faculty, and I am being blessed with some AMAZING relationships. Yes, there are still challenges. Yes, some days I still dread teaching and wish I had chosen another profession. Yes, some days I wonder what on earth I'm doing here. But on those days, I can remind myself of weeks like this, and I can say with confidence that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Popcorn, anyone?

2009-10-31T04:35:00.002-05:00

Friday night Heritage had its annual Rain Festival, or in other words the "Christian Halloween festival." The theme this year was "At the Movies" and we were all supposed to dress up as anything having to do with the movies. The first thought that probably comes to your mind is probably to dress up as a movie character or movie star. I thought of that, too, but then I realized I really don't know anything about the movies. So what came to my mind? Concessions! Who doesn't want to buy a giant box of popcorn when they go to the movies? So what did I do in class on Friday? I had students help me color red stripes on a white poster board and created a giant popcorn box. Clearly, as you can see from the above picture, I really was a giant box of popcorn.

From left to right: Teresa as Timon from Lion King, me as the popcorn, Shanna as an m&m, Brent as Napolean, and Lisa Mayo as someone from "Singing in the Rain." These people are all wonderful, and I'm thankful to be friends with them!

This picture is of the high school girls who all dressed up as movie stars, or just fancy "Hollywood" ladies. They were all absolutely beautiful, and then there was me, the popcorn :-)

Following the rain festival, the 7-12th grade girls headed to the Girls Night Out (overnight lock-in basically). We went to one of the students' houses. This family owns the Rwenzori water company here in Kampala (one of the main bottled water companies), so the house was AMAZING! I have to say I was already exhausted from a long week at school, and wasn't all that excited about having to stay up all night with the girls, but it turned out to be so much fun! We just hung out, watched movies, and talked, and I really enjoyed it! I always really enjoy hanging out with the students when they are not in class. They're great kids, and they're tons of fun. If only they liked math....

We stayed up until about 4am, at which point we attempted to sleep for a few hours, but because of several interruptions, only managed to sleep peacefully for roughly 2 hours. Now that I'm back at home, you'd think I'd be sleeping, but I discovered that sleep would be nearly impossible since there is a man on our roof pounding away, trying to fix a leak. So I'll do laundry, update photos, and write this blog in hopes that he'll soon be done and I'll be able to enjoy some peace and quiet.

If you'd like to see more pictures from last night, they should be available in the link at the top right side of this page. Enjoy :)

New Every Morning

2009-10-23T09:31:00.005-05:00

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are NEW EVERY MORNING; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Ok, so that isn't the sunrise I woke up to this morning, but let me tell you, the sky was full or oranges and pinks and yellows and it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. As I looked at the sky in amazement and wonder, the Lord reminded me that it was a new day, full of new experiences, and that His mercies are new every morning. Each morning my alarm goes off at 6:03am. I never want to wake up that early, and it's earlier than I really need to wake up, but it is the perfect time to open my window and look out in awe.

Yesterday was a rough day. In fact, in all honesty, it's been a really rough week. With grades being due and parent teacher conferences being today, it's been a bit of a stressful week. Yesterday my frustrations must have shown in class, because students started to ask, "What's wrong?" or "Miss Betsy, can I make you laugh? You look a bit sad." I absolutely love these students....when they're not in class. They're great kids, and I love working with them. It's the teaching I'm not so sure about. Anyway, after a rough day yesterday, and lots of worship music and prayer last night, waking up to a gorgeous sunrise was just the reminder I needed that God brought me here for a reason, and He will be faithful. Even when teaching isn't so wonderful, He is with me. When I wanted to run out of the class yesterday and never teach again, He was there. He's faithful and He's with me, no matter what.

Waking up at 6:03 (yes, 6:03, not 6:00, not 6:05, but 6:03. Why, because 3 is a prime number. For some reason, for as long as I can remember, I've set my alarm so that the last digit is always prime) may not always be my favorite thing to do, but looking at out God's beautiful creating was all it took to remind me this morning that it was a new day, yesterday was over, and today could be completely different. And it was. God is faithful, and His creation is amazing!

All that to say: I'm glad the week is over, and I'm perfectly ok with the fact that conferences only happen once a year!

Laughter: The best medicine of all!

2009-10-19T15:40:00.004-05:00

It's late and I don't have time to update much, but I thought I'd share some pictures from my weekend vacation to Jinja. After a rough week of being sick and being busy with school, a weekend full of ridiculous laughter and fun-filled moments was exactly what I needed. It was relaxing, and it was the perfect end to a rough week. I'm so thankful for the friendships God has provided in just the two and a half months I've been here. These ladies (and others) are such a blessing to me! Here are a few pictures. For more, see the link at the bottom of the post.

This week is busy as grades are due and parent teacher conferences take place. We'll see how they go...

More to come later, but for now, time for some sleep!

If you'd like to view more photos, here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057955&id=69601420&l=123aed2f10

Reflections on the Simple Life

2009-10-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

I stayed home sick today and planned to get ahead on lesson plans for next week, but I spent most of the day sleeping instead. It's not 9:45pm, and I'm writing instead of planning lessons. Such is the story of my life.

Lately I have spent much of my time thinking about my experiences here a year and a half ago. The conclusion I always come to is that I am so thankful for those four months, because I feel I am still learning as a result of my time here. Lately I've been thinking about simplicity. Our power has been out for about eight hours per day, every day for the past week. We have an inverter, though, so when I say our power is out, I mean we still have lights, we just don't have a working fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, or water heater. The first night I don't think I complained at all, because the power being out gave us an excuse to finish the ice cream in the freezer. As the days went on, though, and the power stayed off, I found myself complaining briefly about the freezer being off, or not being able to do the dishes without hot water, or not being able to do laundry. After a few moments of grumbling, though, I thought back to last year, when I sat on the back porch one evening with my host brother, as the electricity was off, and listened to him talk about how he dreamed one day he would be able to afford a fridge so that his food wouldn't spoil so quickly. He talked about washers and dryers, and commented that he doesn't mind washing his clothing by hand--he thinks it gets cleaner that way anyway. If I wanted hot water for my bucket bath, I would ask my host sisters to boil some extra water on the stove, and then pour it into the freezing rain water we used to bathe. After remembering those conversations and experiences, I realized I had no right to complain. I have electricity on a regular basis. I have a working fridge, a running washer and dryer, a gas stove, a real toilet and a shower, and running water. I have been blessed with so many more possessions than any of the Ugandans I interacted with while I was here last year.

I miss simplicity. During our debrief of the semester last year, we talked about how things would be different when we arrived back in the States. We discussed ways we thought we would change. Many of us, half jokingly, and half seriously commented that we'd never complain about a cold shower again, or about cafeteria food being terrible (because here the food was rice and beans EVERY day, with no variety, ever...which I LOVED, but many did not). We said we'd always be thankful to have working toilets, and we'd always remember to be thankful for the rain, and to see it as a blessing rather than a hindrance. And upon arriving back in the States, those thoughts remained for several weeks, but slowly by slowly, they faded, and we found ourselves growing accustomed to the stereotypical materialistic American lifestyle. Now, here I am, living in Uganda once again, and trying to remember that life is not about our possessions. Life is not about whether or not we have electricity. These things do not produce the pure joy I see in the lives and hearts of the Ugandans I meet. Those I interacted with last year had nothing. Many of them could not even afford to feed their families each night, yet they were full of praise. Their hearts were full of joy. They were more content than I have ever been, and they had nothing.

I could probably go on and on, but what I'm really trying to say right now is that I am so thankful for the semester I had here last year. . . for the good times, and the awful times. . . for the challenging moments, and the moments full of joy. . . for the simplicity of life, and for the lessons learned. I pray I won't reach the point where I forget those lessons. I pray I won't ever be so focused on material possessions or money that I forget where true joy comes from. I pray I won't ever forget the people I interacted with and the way of the simple life. So much of what I have now is not really necessary. I bathed from a bucket. I went to the bathroom in hole in the ground (when it was light...if it was dark, we used a bucket in the bedroom). I ate mashed bananas and rice. We often didn't have any electricity, and functioned using candles to see. Neighbors willingly shared all they had, and didn't complain or worry about whether they would be repaid. My family didn't complain when the power went out, and they didn't complain when they did laundry by hand each week. They enjoyed it. They splashed some soapy water on each other and laughed together. When we walked home from church in the rain, they didn't complain, they thanked God for blessing the land and giving us water to survive.

May I never forget the simple life--the life I learned to love so much, and promised would always play some part in the way I lived the rest of my life. The life where "necessity" had new meaning. Internet and tv and Wal-marts were no longer necessities, but rather water, family, and love. May I never grow numb to the culture around me, and may I never forget how truly blessed I am.

Week in review

2009-10-13T11:19:00.003-05:00

I don't have much time, or desire, to write at the moment, but it's been awhile, so I thought I'd post a few recent happenings:

- I've been sick on and off for seven days now. Headaches, sore throat, nausea--fun stuff :) I went to the doctor yesterday and after 2.5 hours of waiting and getting lab tests done and waiting some more, they told me they think I have a bacterial infection and gave me medicine (that's free in America, but quite costly here). We'll see if it makes a difference. So far I haven't missed school yet, but today I left class several times unexpectedly....

- Kristi and I went with our old neighbors to their church on Sunday. It was AMAZING! The worship was incredible and I loved every moment of it. The church was a large church, with probably a thousand people, and four services on Sundays. As my dad pointed out, it's interesting that I can say I've had amazing experiences at the tiniest of churches as well as the biggest. Good thing God is everywhere, in the church of 20 people, and the church of 2000.

- I've been running more often than before, and I really enjoy it. I found out the marathon/half marathon/10k races are on November 22, and I'd love to participate. I don't know if I'll be able to train enough for the half marathon in just 5.5 weeks, but I could definitely do the 10k (6.2 miles), if that really is an option.

-School has been uneventful lately, but still remains a bit of a struggle. I would say teaching each day is slightly better than when I started, and I know it will take time to fall in love with it. Keep praying. I'm still sure this is where I'm supposed to be, which is enough to keep me going on most days.

- We have two four day weeks in a row at school, which is a blessing. Last Friday was Uganda's Independence day. We just stayed around home, watched movies, graded papers, wrote lesson plans, and relaxed. This Friday is our "midsemester break" and a group of us are hoping to leave on Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend in Sipi Falls, a BEAUTIFUL place about 4-5 hours from here. We went there last year after our rural homestays....you choose a half day or whole day hike and hike way down in to the valley, under the waterfalls, and then back up again. It's pretty intense, but its breathtakingly beautiful! This is also the location where all 40 of the USP students had our church service at the highest point of the mountain overlooking all of the falls. It will be hard to top the experience I had there last year, but I'm excited to return!

- All in all, I continue to LOVE it here. I can honestly say I am completely content living in Uganda. I enjoy this culture, and learning more about it. I enjoy the people here, and I'm thankful to be surrounded by the supportive WGM community of missionaries. I'm thankful to be at a Christian school where the staff is extremely understanding and helpful when it comes to teaching frustrations and needing advice on how to make a better classroom. I've been blessed with some great friends already, and overall my time here continues to be a wonderful experience (minus teaching, but I'm confident that, in time, will also grow into a wonderful experience). Thanks for all your prayers and support! I miss you!

"If-then" statements come to life!

2009-10-05T09:34:00.002-05:00

"IF you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:22

In the middle of a frustrating math lesson today, one of my students blurted out, "Why do we even have to learn? Math? Science? History? Who cares? I wish I could just graduate so I could stop having to learn!" I'm sure my response disappointed him, because I told him that we never stop learning. Learning goes far beyond high school, and quite honestly, I'm sure glad it does! Without "learning," there would be no growth. Without growth, we'd all be boring and predictable.

When I arrived home this afternoon, I believe I learned a "life lesson." I received an email from a professor at Olivet who shared some very encouraging words. His last line, though, impacted me the most. It said, "Ask Him to help you teach and BELIEVE that He will--your faith will overcome any obstacle you face." What an awesome statement, and one that I've heard many times. The part that reached me today, though, was the part that talks about believing. . .

In geometry class I just finished teaching the students about "if-then statements," called conditionals. We discussed that for the consequent (the "then" statement) to be true, the antecedent ("if statement") must be true. In other words, one part of the statement cannot be true without the other also being true. When I looked up the verse in Scripture that talks about believing what we ask for in prayer, I discovered it fits perfectly with the geometry lesson. "IF you believe, THEN you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -Matthew 21:22" Perhaps the opposite is also true..."If you do not believe, you will not receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Perhaps I have prayed time and time again over the past weeks that God would help me in teaching, without having the faith required, and without truly believing that one day I could actually turn out to be a decent teacher. Perhaps I haven't been believing like I should be. Perhaps my faith has been too small.

I'm not claiming to be an expert. I don't know whether what I just said is accurate or makes any sense whatsoever. What I can say is that those words spoke to me today, and taught me something new. I'm praying now that my faith will grow, and that I will be able to pray with confidence from now on.

I, for one, can say I am quite thankful the learning process never stops.

My times are in HIS hands

2009-09-23T13:16:00.002-05:00

"I trust you, O Lord; I say 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand" ~Psalm 31:14-15

This verse is currently on a picture as the background of my computer. I read it every day as I open my laptop. It's on my desk at school, and it's on the wall of my room. Two years ago I saw it displayed in the kitchen of a family I babysat for, and am now friends with, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorite verses. I see it and read it multiple times daily, yet sometimes I still find myself questioning the truth in it and doubting it. Such was the case in recent days. I let discouragement get the best of me. Retreat with the students was AMAZING, and after having the two worst days of teaching ever last week, I grew very discouraged when thinking about teaching again. On Monday, teaching didn't go well, the kids didn't listen, and a few other events occurred that made it a discouraging day. God always shows up, though, and when I arrived at home, I checked the blog of the same friends in whose home I discovered the verse. Sure enough, their latest entry included this verse, and talked about God's faithfulness and His redemption. They pointed out that God ALWAYS redeems our situations and brings light to our darkness. God gently reminded me to be confident that He will eventually bring light to the "darkness" I'm experiencing right now. Ok, so struggling to teach is not exactly a huge conflict, but so far I'm honestly waking up each day struggling to find any desire whatsoever to go to school and teach. Psalm 31:14-15 reminds me, though, that my times are in HIS hands, and I am confident He brought me here. I LOVE living in Uganda, and I'm 100% confident I'm where I'm supposed to be at this point in life. And because I can be confident of that, I can also look forward to the day that He redeems this situation. I can try to remain confident in knowing and believing that He has a plan, that He's taking care of me, and my times--even discouraging and frustrating times--are in HIS hands!

That all took place on Monday. Tuesday morning I dreaded going to school again, and had a rough start, but ended up having one of my classes go wonderfully. The kids behaved, participated, and cooperated and it was awesome. One good class changed everything. I didn't care what happened throughout the rest of the day--and the rest of the day didn't end up going so well--but one great class was enough to convince me to keep persevering. And today, I woke up with a new sense of joy, not because teaching has been wonderful lately, because clearly it hasn't, but because I have been reminded that joy does not depend on our circumstances. Joy comes from within, and joy comes from knowing that God is in this battle with me. He's called me here, and He has a reason for doing so. He will provide, and my times are in HIS hands. I pray I'll remember that when times are tough.

Week highlights

2009-09-19T15:43:00.003-05:00

It's 11:45pm on Saturday night, and after a three day retreat, I'm exhausted. As is typical during any retreat, the number of hours designated for sleeping decreased significantly. Unfortunately, instead of being in bed, sound asleep right now as I should be, I'm sitting in the living room downstairs, listening to the guard's music outside, as a result of not being able to sleep at all! Such is life.

Since I can't seem to sleep, I figured I'd update the blog by sharing a list of highlights from the past week. It's been an eventful and incredible week.

- An unexpected hug coming at just the right moment
- An unexpected lunch invitation from an amazing woman on one of the worst days of school so far
- Retreat: it came at exactly the right time!
- Hearing students cheer/clap loudly when my name was called
- Growing relationships among friends (other counselors on retreat)
- Using the slip-n-slide, which consisted of rubbing soap all over myself and flying down a huge piece of plastic, as my excuse not to shower
- Listening to the 9th grade girls talk about the high schooler's "love circle" and knowing that they were ok with me listening
- Watching Lisa Fish and students use a water balloon launcher to launch live frogs hundreds of feet through the air
- Hanging out with awesome students, and getting to know them on a level outside of the classroom
- Hearing students sing worship songs--in school, they NEVER sing during chapel, but on retreat, they were loud, and amazing!
- Listening to the girls in my banda make prank calls, laughing with them, and remembering the days in college, not so long ago, that my friends were doing the same thing
- Finding Old El Paso salsa and applesauce in the grocery store--two very unusual finds here in Uganda!
- Eating roasted corn on the side of the road next to the broken down van (so the broken down van part was not such a highlight, but since it resulted in being able to eat roasted corn, it can make the list)
-Being reminded that God is not the God of America, or of Africa, but the God of the whole universe. He is everywhere, taking care of everything, here, back home, and all over the world.

What started off as a terrible couple of days turned in to an amazing week that produced some amazing memories. I can't say I'm looking forward to going back to school and teaching on Monday, but I can say retreat came at exactly the right time, and provided exactly what I needed at that moment in time!

"Better Days Ahead"

2009-09-15T12:12:00.003-05:00

Well, it's only Tuesday, but I think it would be safe to say it's been one of the most overwhelming weeks since I've been here. Teaching this week has felt somewhat like a disaster, and life has just been overwhelming. The good news is that God always sends the right amount of blessings at just the right time, and just the right amount of encouragement to remind me He knows what He's doing, and I just need to keep persevering. "Better days ahead" as my grandpa always says...

Some of those better days, I hope, will begin tomorrow when we head to Jinja for youth retreat! Besides the awesome fact that I don't have to teach anymore this week, I have been looking forward to retreat since I found out I'd be helping out with youth group. Wednesday through Friday the 7-12 grade students and all of the youth group volunteers will be staying in Jinja, having small devotional sessions, playing tons of fun and crazy games (in which I fully intend to participate, not just watch), and hanging out together. We've been praying about this for weeks, and I am so excited for what God could do! For me personally, I am really praying these days would be opportunity for me to get to know the students outside of the math classroom. I'm hoping to interact with them in a way that helps me get to know them and start forming relationships with them. In general, I'm praying for the hearts of the students, that they would be open to whatever God might want to do in them, and for the staff members going, that we'd be willing to let God work in and through us. With some students practicing other religions, some claiming no religion at all, and some being Christians, it will be exciting to watch God at work! Please join us in prayer this exciting retreat!

Mukono, how I love and miss thee!

2009-09-06T12:22:00.002-05:00

Saturday I traveled to Mukono to visit my host family, the Jembas. Walking down the steep hill to their house brought back so many memories, and they greeted me with such love and genuine care. It was wonderful to be back in their home again, even if it meant sitting in silence for a couple of hours in their sitting room....just like old times :) They were incredibly excited to see me, as I was to see them. I'm still amazed when I think back to the experiences I had here last year, an the incredible turn-around and answer to prayer midway through the semester. Godfrey, my host dad, was not around because he recently got a job in Kampala (wonderful news for the family). Matilda, the middle sister, was also not around due to work. The others in the picture are all family members I remember, and talked with yesterday, except for the boy in the upper right corner. I have no idea where he came from. I didn't see him in the house at all yesterday (or last year), and I didn't notice him until I looked back at the picture today. Who knows who he is, but he showed up for the family photo!

Aside from the ridiculously crazy journey back home, it was a wonderful experience, and I'm so thankful I was able to reunite with my family! Being back at the house reminded me of the simplicity I enjoyed while living there, and somewhat made me desire to live that lifestyle again, rather than being so modern and American as I am now. I still miss the simplicity of the semester I spent with them, and the complete daily dependence upon the Lord. I was reminded yesterday of those who don't have all that I do, who don't always have food to put on the table, and who don't have medicines available around the corner when they need them. Those needs are what cause them to pray daily, not routine prayers like I sometimes fall into the habit of doing, but prayers of genuine urgency and prayers of faith that God WILL provide. I pray I will live a life of faith and prayer as my host family modeled for me last year.

Sidenote: Yesterday was the opening game for Ohio State football, and while I LOVE living here in Uganda, it's going to be tough to miss the entire season. Staying updated on ESPN.com by watching little football helmets move across the screen every five minutes just wasn't quite the same :) GO BUCKEYES!!!

Who I walked home with today:

2009-09-02T09:03:00.003-05:00

This afternoon my walk home from school took longer than usual. By the time I thought to get my camera out, most of the cows had already turned the corner, but for a good five minutes of my walk home, I followed closely behind this crowd, silently laughing and thinking "Only in Africa...." I enjoy moments like those, as they remind me where I am.

This herd of cattle wasn't the only excitement of the afternoon walk, though. Soon after I passed the cows, I heard the familiar music of the ice cream man! Yes, even in Uganda, there is such a thing as the ice cream man. This one was a man on a boda with a giant cooler tied to the back of it. As is typical for ice cream men in America, this one drove around the streets playing loud music. Today's song was "happy Birthday," and as is typical, one note each time was ridiculously off key. It's never the same note, though, so you never know when it's coming. I didn't buy any ice cream, because I've heard it might be a little sketchy, but I did have a typical African conversation with the guy that consisted of the seemingly never-ending cycle of "How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine. How are you? Fine....."

I love living here :-)

Pictures

2009-08-31T14:25:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-08-26T09:13:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-24T07:45:00.001-05:00

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?

2009-08-22T02:29:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-16T12:39:00.003-05:00

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:

2009-08-12T13:33:00.002-05:00

-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

2009-08-10T12:14:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-08-10T11:06:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-08-08T08:48:00.003-05:00

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:

2009-08-07T11:31:00.003-05:00

Gone are the days of clean feet...

2009-08-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-02T20:29:00.003-05:00

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!

Uganda- take two!

2009-07-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

Many of you probably already know the information I'm about to share, but for those of you who don't, I want to take time to let you know about the exciting upcoming journey in my life.

Six days from now, on Monday August 3rd, I will be leaving for a ten month trip to Uganda. Some of youmay be thinking, "Seriously, after all the strange and challenging circumstances you faced last time, you're going back?" That's right, and I'm excited! Several months ago I received an email from Heritage International School (HIS) asking if I would be interested in teaching math for them throughout the upcoming school year. Since coming back from Uganda last year, I have felt a growing passion in my heart to return, so I jumped at the opportunity to return for an entire year. I prayerfully considered the opportunity, and eventually felt that this was the direction the Lord was leading me, and I accepted the position. Since then, the Lord has clarified that this does in fact seem to be where He wants me. One way, in particular, is the incredible response I received from the support letters I sent out. I want to thank all of you who have been able to donate financially, and to those of you who will remember to pray for me on this journey. This trip simply would not be possible without the prayerful and financial support of all of you!!

HIS is a Christian school that teaches mostly missionary children along with local Ugandan children; however, I have heard many of the children who attend will not necessarily be Christian, but rather Muslim or another common world religion. I will be teaching 7-12 grade mathematics, and will be the math department, since I'll be the only math teacher at the school. I have been told I will teach a transitions course, Algebra I and II, and geometry, which may be a pretty heavy load for a first year teacher, but that's already down from the six courses they originally wanted me to teach. My students will be from all over the world, which will be exciting and challenging, I'm sure, as I have heard some of them may not speak the best English. I ask that you pray for my students and my ability to relate to them and understand them, as well as teach them effectively.

Since Heritage is a missionary school, they will not pay me a salary. I will receive a small monthly stipend, which they tell me will basically be enough to cover my housing bill. Because of that, I decided to go through World Gospel Mission (WGM) as a Volunteer In Action (VIA). It is more comforting to be going through an organization rather than completely on my own, and they have done a wonderful job of coordinating my plans so far. As I mentioned earlier, raising support was a critical part of the process, as I am not getting paid, and through WGM and all of your support, I am able to spend a year teaching without worrying about finances.

I am very excited about this opportunity and I know the Lord has great things in store for the upcoming year. I am nervous about teaching, but I imagine I would be just as nervous starting a new teaching job here as well. I'm sure I will share more specific requests later, but for now, I would greatly appreciate prayers for a smooth transition as I start this journey, for safety while traveling, and for the relationships I will develop once I arrive.

I will leave Indianapolis at 6:30pm on Monday and fly to Chicago where I will have a long layover, and then head to London, where I'll have a 10 hour layover (and hopefully will visit sites in the city, if I can figure the train/subway system out on my own), and finally, I'll fly to Uganda, where I will arrive at 7:45am on Wednesday morning (or 11:45pm Tuesday night here). Orientation at HIS starts Monday August 3rd, so I will be missing the first few days, but they assure me I will be fine. School starts the following Monday on August 10th, so it will be a quick transition, but I'm ready and excited.

Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. As I have mentioned in the past, my last experience in Uganda taught me so much about prayer and trust, and I know that without prayer, this journey would not be possible. Please continue to pray as it comes to mind. I have heard the internet connection is VERY slow at the school, but I will try to send updates now and then.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you!

12 days 'til Takeoff

2009-07-22T09:51:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in a Florida condo alongside a beautiful white sandy beach, where the sun is hot and the weather is humid. I just finished a morning run, and in a few minutes, my two sisters, brother-in-law, and I will head to the beach to relax all day. We'll read books, play football in the water, and try to all jump on one floating raft at the same time, usually with no success. Here, there's not a care in the world. We sit on the beach all day and the biggest concerns we have are whether we have enough sunscreen on and whether we're going to get stung by the hundreds of jelly fish we see in the water.

Twelve days from now, on Monday August 3rd, at 6:50PM, all of that will change. I'll be leaving Indianapolis, flying to Chicago, then to London, where I have a nine hour layover, and then finally flying to Uganda, where I'll arrive at 7:45am Wednesday morning. And with that, the next chapter of my life, the next incredible journey, will begin. I'm nervous, of course, but very excited, and I know the Lord is there before me, and will be with me all along the way.

We return home late Saturday evening, and then I'll have one week until I leave, and will continue to check items off the to-do list and eventually figure out how to pack a year of my life into two 50 lb suitcases, and then I will leave, and this new journey of life will begin full force. And I'm ready. Four separate lessons each day, none of which have been planned yet, moving to a new country, meeting new people, starting a new job....I'm ready. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Absolutely. Confident in the Lord's provision? I wouldn't be able to go if I wasn't. 12 days from now, everything changes, and I am ready.

It's official, I'm a WGM VIA

2009-06-18T18:48:00.000-05:00

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

2009-06-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

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!

The Story of Uganda--the second time around

2009-05-27T21:45:00.002-05:00

This is a ridiculously long post, just to warn you :)

I have always heard that God has a sense of humor. I have always heard that God works in the ways we least expect Him to. Now I know that both are true. Just over a year ago I was constantly answering the question, “When will you come back to our country?” by saying a routine, “I don’t know, that’s up to God, but I sure would love to come back.” All the while I was actually thinking, “Are you kidding? I doubt I’ll ever come back. I’ve loved my time here, but coming back? I don’t think so.” God does have a sense of humor, though, because soon after I returned home, I began to sense a desire in my heart to teach overseas, and while I was open to going anywhere, I felt the strongest desire was to go back to Uganda.

At times I questioned whether that desire came from missing the relationships I developed in Uganda and the experiences I had there, or whether I truly had a passion for the place and really wanted to go back. After all, I made three awesome life-long friends while I was there, and developed bonds that could only come from the unique experiences we shared together. I grew incredibly close to a great leader, and constantly benefitted from her encouragement and support. I constantly reminded myself that going back would be entirely different, as thirty-five other American students would not accompany me, and I would not have the three best friends that I left with. But the desire still remained, and continued to grow even stronger, and I knew it was for real.

Another part of me questioned my motivation for wanting to go back. Maybe it wasn’t from God at all. Maybe instead it was a selfish desire. My first trip there resulted in the opportunity to share my stories with a huge number of people that I probably never would have communicated with had I not been in Uganda. I enjoyed that. I loved writing my stories and sharing them with so many others. I loved reading their responses, and being amazing by how many people were praying for me and encouraging me. Maybe what I was desiring was to once again be in contact with such a large number of encouraging people.

Let’s get back to God’s sense of humor, though, and how He works in ways we would never imagine. I began searching for overseas teaching opportunities soon after I came back from Uganda last year. I sent for more information at several schools, and by the time second semester rolled around, I began applying to several places—none of which were in Uganda. The only schools I found in Uganda wanted at least two years of experience. I applied for a job in Papa New Guinea, and filled out online profiles for several mission organizations that send teachers overseas. I received emails from some of them saying they wanted teachers with more experience, and I began to question whether it was even possible to go overseas so soon after graduating. I began applying for jobs around here, and had several interviews, all of which also told me they were choosing someone with more experience. Then one day, I checked my email, and saw a message from Heritage International School, a missionary school in Kampala, Uganda. The principal wrote and said she had somehow gotten my name (probably from one of the other sites I had signed up with) and wondered if I would be interested in coming to teach math this year. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. . . an offer to teach math in Uganda? The wheels started turning like crazy in my mind as I imagined going back. I will admit, a large part of me was convinced that this was not possible. I could not possibly graduate college and leave three months later to live in Uganda for a year. I tried to stop thinking about it, praying that God’s will would be done. The idea constantly stuck in my mind, though, and I just could not get rid of it. I spent a semester in Uganda experiencing the craziest of stories, watching everyone else thrive in the culture while I faced so many obstacles and challenges, and letting everyone in my group know that if there was one thing I learned from my time in Uganda, it was that I was NOT supposed to go back as a missionary. That place was not for me. Yes, I grew to love it eventually, and I am now incredibly thankful for every challenge I faced while I was there, because it later lead to a better understanding of their culture and a greater appreciation for life, and because it later became a wonderful testimony of God’s faithfulness, but to go back to that place on my own? The thought seems insane—complete and utter ridiculousness! Or is it?

I continued to research the opportunity, asking questions, asking advice from others, and praying. I grew confused and frustrated when I did not feel I was hearing a direct answer from God. Why couldn’t He just let me know whether or not He wanted this for me? Instead, I felt no direction whatsoever! Nearly every person I talked with encouraged me to go and reasoned by saying “You’re not tied down with marriage, you don’t yet have an apartment of your own, you don’t have a job here that you’d have to quit…why not go?” Still, I wanted to hear from God. I was reading through old emails and journal entries when I read a conversation with my leader from Uganda that took place last year. The essence of the conversation consisted of her explaining her opinion that sometimes God does not give us a direct yes or no answer, but provides several options, all of which He would be ok with. For her, she received a job offer in Los Angeles at the same time she received an offer to go teach in Uganda. She felt God would have been happy with her had she chosen LA over Uganda, as she felt she could have served Him equally in either location. She chose Uganda, and is still there today. I read a similar email from a good friend who basically said the same thing when I was contemplating whether or not to go to Uganda the first time around. Her words: “I believe God will be pleased with you whether you’re at school in Illinois or in Uganda. Maybe He is teaching you to step out on faith and do what you feel lead to do. Take a leap, go for it. But realize He won’t necessarily be disappointed if you don’t.” I don’t know if those words are 100% accurate. Maybe they’re completely off. But they were comforting then, just as they are now.

So, “why not go” soon became the words of my prayer. I had been praying for God to show me His will, and give me a clear answer for whether or not I should go, but my prayer changed as I realized He doesn’t always work that way. “Why not go, Lord?” I obviously had my doubts—like questioning whether I could really handle teaching six different classes each day, or whether I could raise enough money to survive for a year. Yesterday I found out the course load is down to four, and it might not cost as much to live there as originally thought. Two weeks ago, Sharon, one of the three girls I grew incredibly close with while in Uganda, married the Ugandan man she met on our rural homestay last year. They moved back to Uganda last week. Her husband told me at the wedding that he’s been praying I would accept the job because he knows how important it is for Sharon to have a close friend nearby when she moves away from everyone/everything she’s ever known and loved. Brooke, my leader in Uganda, shared that Uganda is a great place to live right now, with our American money being worth much more than it was when I was there. She explained that making “missionary friends” shouldn’t be a problem because there is an expatriate church that meets at the school I would teach at each week. She even said I could babysit her new son.  Every question/concern I had seemed to be answered positively, and the possibility seems more and more real. I emailed the principal earlier this week letting her know that I would like to come in the fall, assuming nothing changes between now and then.

While I do not believe I heard a definite “YES, you should go!” from the Lord, I also do not believe I heard any reason for not going. I recently received an email from a friend expressing that he believed that God’s answer was in my desire to teach overseas. He explained that God would not have placed a desire in my heart to teach overseas had it not been ok with Him, and that most likely, He placed this opportunity to go to Uganda in my life in order to fulfill the desire He put in my heart. If all goes as planned, two months from now I will be boarding a plane, leaving everyone I know and love behind, and starting another chapter in this life of mine—a terrifying chapter, but an exciting one, and one I know the Lord has in His hands. I sure never dreamed a year ago that I would be considering moving to Uganda, but sure enough, God works in ways we could never imagine, and it seems He’s done just that.

To go, or not to go?

2009-05-13T21:19:00.004-05:00

It is likely that by this time next week, I will have an official offer from Heritage International School, a Christian missionary school in Kampala, Uganda. They'll offer me $500/month for what they say will only cover housing, and I will have to raise enough money to support myself in every other expense for the year. They want me to teach 7-12 grade. Six different math classes, six different lesson plans each day. I have no idea if this is what I'm supposed to do/if this is what God really wants for me. All I know to do is pray, and I've been doing that, so I guess we'll see where it leads me.

Pros:
UGANDA!!!
Missionary teaching has always been on my heart.
Sharon is moving there, too (in other words, I'd have a best friend nearby).
Uganda Christian University is close by (aka, the leaders I grew to love are near)

Cons:
Support raising could be difficult in today's economy
Six separate math classes is quite a lot to handle for a first year teacher, even according to experienced math profs at ONU!
I'd be making nothing, meaning when I came back, my student loans would still be here, and would have increased due to interest

There's probably many more in both of those categories, but those came off the top of my head. I've always heard God is not a God of confusion, but I must say, I really have no idea in this case. For now, I guess I just keep praying, and waiting, and trusting that He'll lead me where I need to go.

2009-04-21T18:59:00.002-05:00

Last year at this time I was in Rwanda. I've been thinking a LOT about my semester in Uganda lately, and remembering things I haven't thought about since they happened a year ago. After spending three months in Uganda, I was amazed by the modern American-like city in Rwanda. The change was immediate after crossing the border. Suddenly the sickness in my stomach disappeared because we were no longer traveling on bumpy, dusty, dirt roads that seemed nearly impassable, but we were on a freshly paved smooth road. We were surrounded by scenery that was even more beautiful than Uganda. I remember questioning how one simple border could result in such a drastic change, and I remember the answer to the question suddenly hitting me: This country, Rwanda, is brand new, for only 14 years earlier it was completely destroyed by a massive genocide. Every person we saw who was over the age of 14 was a survivor and had lived through the unimaginable horror. The paved roads, the large brand new buildings, the trees and flowers, and even the stoplights (yes, there were stop lights!) only existed because they were first destroyed. And I never saw it before, because I only chose to look at the negative side, but what a parallel to our lives in Christ! Because of the destruction and horrible death Christ suffered, our lives can be reconstructed and created to be beautiful. How amazing is that?

Ok, maybe that's a big stretch. Maybe it's not really a correct parallel at all. But it seems to make sense to me. Rwanda was a fine country before the genocide occurred. But then tragedy struck--unimaginable, horrifying, heartbreaking tragedy--and it seemed all hope was lost for the country as many wondered how they could ever face the world again after such loss and torture. But look at them now! Not only was the physical side of the country breathtakingly beautiful, but so were the survivors, and the stories of forgiveness and hope. What a testimony to hear 20 year old students explain that they watched their entire families get beaten to death, and yet they have managed to completely forgive the murderers. No, I'm not saying that Rwanda should have had to face a genocide in order to become a beautiful country full of forgiveness and love, and I'm not saying that it requires a tragedy to make something beautiful out of life. What I am saying is that I suddenly see the demonstration that God is able to turn the worst horrors imaginable into something beautiful, and He does the same with our lives, as a result of His own death.

It's been a tough year, for a number of reasons, in many people's lives around us, including my own. But maybe this realization, even if it is completely off-base, is God's way of reminding me that no matter what we're facing, He will make it beautiful. Whatever is challenging us now, He's got something better for us ahead. As I look back on the past several years of life, I think about the many new situations I spent so much time worrying about....starting college, going to Uganda, living with new roommates, and student teaching...all things I feared/dreaded to begin with, but in the end, were WONDERFUL experiences!

I don't know....just thinking...and this is what came out. Who knows. I'm not even sure why I wrote this on here...I'm pretty sure no one reads it anymore anyway! Oh well. I love writing :) And I love Uganda, and miss it, and want to go back. . . even if they pour water all over you on your birthday!

Ok, that's all. Enough thinking for today!

Peace

2008-11-09T14:48:00.003-06:00

Yes, it has been months since I have written, and no, I doubt there's anyone out there who still checks this thing, but I'm writing nonetheless, if not for someone else, than for my own sake.

Life's been challenging lately. I thought last semester in Uganda was tough, but this semester has presented it's own challenges I never even imagined I'd be facing. Health concerns keep me up each night and make it hard to function some days. Today is one of those days. School seems overwhelming at the moment and I wonder if things will ever get done. Living with my two roommates this semester isn't working out the way we'd all planned, and life just really seems to be taking it's toll on me.

And then I begin reading through parts of my Uganda journal because I'm speaking twice in classes this week about my time there, and I come to a quote from an MCC worker.

"Peace is when you can sleep in your hut without locking your door and wake up in the morning and didn't get beaten."

I read that and realize just how much I miss Uganda and all of the people there. Because they never took the time to complain about their problems. They lived lives of joy no matter what they were facing. No matter what challenges came their way, they simply gave thanks to the Lord and remained joyful, always being confident that the Lord would provide.

Maybe I have reason to complain, maybe I don't. I keep telling everyone I'd just like to feel "normal" again for one day and be free from whatever health issues I'm facing. I'd just like to know that I'm going to graduate and figure out what I'm supposed to do. I'd just like to make it through the week. But if I really stop and pause to think about that definition of peace compared to my own, I might realize that I already have peace. I can rest peacefully in the arms of my Savior because He promises to provide for me what I need, and to give rest to the weary and strength to the weak.

We recently filled out our housing forms for next semester. I remember checking the box last year at this time that said "I will not be attending" and explaining that I'd be studying abroad. I remember being nervous and terrified of what I was getting myself into. And now that it's over, I wish I could be checking that box again, going back to the place that taught me about peace and dependence on God. I sure do miss it there. But until I'm called back, I suppose all I can do is let my experiences there continue to teach me here.

Uganda, NJA KUSALIRWA!

2008-08-23T09:31:00.002-05:00

I've now been back at Olivet for one week due to student teaching stuff. School starts Wednesday. Now, I must say, I love Olivet and the atmosphere it provides, but part of me wishes my semester abroad could begin all over again. I wish instead of going to class Wednesday I'd be jumping on a plane, meeting 40 new incredible friends from all across America, and traveling 30 hours to arrive in Uganda. The apprehension felt in the time leading up to departure, the nervousness felt as I met new people and arrived at my new host family's home, and the fear that overcame me the minute I was alone with them would all be worth it if I could just go back again. But for now, I suppose the giant Uganda flag and pictures from the semester that are covering my apartment walls, the occasional emails from my host sister telling me hilarious stories learned at school, just like old times, and my poor attempts at making rice, g-nut sauce, and chapatis will have to do. Uganda, "Nja kusalirwa!" (Uganda, I miss you)

2008-07-22T13:16:00.001-05:00

Well, my last update was a month and a half ago, and while there probably have been things I could write about, I just haven't actually sat down to write. And I'm not really this time either, so don't get too excited :-) I just finished writing a paper for the Uganda Studies Program about faith development during the semester. Near the end of the semester, they chose about ten of us to discuss our experiences in relation to our spiritual growth, and then asked us to submit a paper describing the process. Since I haven't thought of anything else to write about lately, I thought I'd post the paper. It's not much, but hey, it's an update! Enjoy.

Spiritual growth is something that, as Christians, we all strive for each and every day. If we are not growing in Christ, then our spiritual lives become stale and stagnant, even meaningless. The great thing about Christianity is it never grows old. Just when we think we have it all figured out, we will face new challenges, new questions, or new information that add to the knowledge and beliefs we already have. The learning and growth process should never stop. But contrary to what we would like, the spiritual growth we long for does not always happen on the mountaintops. Rather, it is through the challenging situations, through the unknown, and through questioning that the greatest growth takes place, at least in my life, and no time in my life thus far better describes that than my semester spent in Uganda.

Upon arriving in Uganda, I expected God to start working immediately, and I expected it to be big. After all, I was there for a reason, and that reason, I convinced myself, was so I could grow as a person and grow in Christ. But just days in to the semester, I slowly saw those expectations shattering, and as I asked myself what on earth I was doing there, I began to doubt God’s plan. When classes started and professors began to ask the tough questions about Christianity, I suddenly realized I knew much less than I thought I did, and I still had a lot to figure out. I did not have all of the answers, or any of them actually, and that caused my spiritual frustration to grow even more as I saw everything I once thought I knew and believed in being challenged and questioned. Not only were my expectations shattered, but many of my previous Christian beliefs were as well. It was not until late in the semester that I learned how beneficial that breaking down my beliefs actually was.

While my time in Uganda may have been challenging and frustrating many times, I would have it no other way. For it was through the challenges and the questioning that I found God. Struggling to enjoy life with my host family caused me to genuinely depend on God and trust in His plan. Being forced to discover that I do not have all of the answers when it comes to Christianity caused me to seek God for answers. While it was frustrating at times to have professors present us with questions and never provide us with answers, it caused me to really seek and discover answers on my own, which is something I had not before experienced in my life full of spoon-fed “Christian” answers. Had family life been great, had God showed up immediately in a big way, or had questions about faith been non-existent, I would have had no reason to seek God and learn to trust Him. It was only because of the challenging situations that I saw my desperate need for God and it was only through experiencing poverty hands-on that I saw the world’s urgent need for a loving God. It was through seeing a young girl begging for food on the side of the road and continuing to pass her by that I began questioning what it really means to be a Christian. It was by working through cultural differences that I learned how to look at every individual through the eyes of God. Had God done something drastic at the beginning of the semester, I would have missed the opportunity to learn to look for God in the small, everyday events of life. Had my family-life been wonderful throughout the entire trip, I would have missed experiencing the amazing power of prayer when the situation turned completely around. So while it may seem, and I may have felt at times as if my time in Uganda completely shattered my faith-life, I would have to say the opposite is true. Yes, I experienced many times of spiritual frustration as well as many challenging situations. Yes, I grew unsure of the true meaning of Christianity. Yes, I realized how little I actually know about Christianity, and I questioned God throughout most of the semester, but that, I have learned, is the beauty of spiritual growth. Only God could take such challenging situations and such frustration and turn it in to such spiritual growth. My faith did not grow because I saw God acting in big ways. It did not grow because life was easy and I thanked God for that. It did not grow because I found all of the answers. It grew because He brought me through the challenges, He allowed me to seek Him for answers, and He taught me to trust in Him despite difficult situations. Perhaps one of the biggest lessons I learned when it comes to faith is that I will never have it all figured out, and I will never have all of the answers, and that is ok. Perhaps I could have learned all of these lessons in America, but I truly believe it was the situations I faced that caused me to seek God and discover the God of the whole world rather than keeping Him in the American box. Sure, it was a semester full of challenges, but looking back, I would not have it any other way.

Resources replacing God?

2008-06-09T14:55:00.004-05:00

I just finished an awesome conversation with a friend about prayer. Both having had cross-cultural experiences before, we discussed the amazing passion for prayer we saw demonstrated across the world in far away countries. We discussed their utter dependence upon prayer in their daily lives. They never just prayed because it was on their list of things that make them Christian, they prayed because their lives and their survival literally depended on it. They desperately needed God to survive, and they acknowledged that daily in their prayer lives.

Many of you will remember reading about the overnight prayer service I attended while in Uganda. We were gathering to pray for our town, Mukono, because of the witchcraft taking place throughout the town. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, and certainly one of the most powerful. Yet I wonder, would we ever do that here? Would people really gather all night in a church just to pray? They believed their prayers would be heard and answered, and they believed prayer was their only option.

We went on to discuss the frustrations we face as American Christians. How quickly our prayer lives grow stale. How quickly we forget about that amazing passion we saw overseas. Why is it that other nations can have such a passion for prayer, and yet we can't seem to finish a prayer without falling asleep or letting our minds wander to other less important areas? And then we figured it out. Well, maybe anyway. Look at the living situation of the Ugandans I spent four months with. What other option do they have to fulfill their needs other than prayer? If they get sick, they can't just stop by the corner drug store and buy the latest medication, they can't afford to see a doctor, so their only option for healing is prayer. If their crops are dry, they can't just turn a knob, stretch out the hose, and water them. Their only option is to ask God for rain. If their food starts to spoil, they can't just run to the grocery store and choose from hundreds of options, their only option is to pray. They really are totally dependent on God.

We are so blessed as Americans. We often take our resources for granted, as it's quite easy to forget about the world around us and how lucky we truly are. Yet sometimes I think those blessings can also be a curse. We discussed how maybe, just maybe, we can't find that passion for prayer here because we have so many other resources to try out first. Yes, being able to go to the doctor and receive treatment and medication is a wonderful thing. Watering our lawns or gardens is great. Having a variety of healthy foods to keep us well-nourished is certainly a blessing. But where does God fit in to those pictures? Yes, we pray for people when they're sick, but don't we sometimes have just as much faith in the doctors and medicine as we do in God? The truth is we are just as in need of a savior as any other nation, but maybe our abundance of resources sometimes keep us from realizing that.

And finally, we discussed how sometimes it seems we seek out every possible option before we finally decide to seek out God. The book Jesus with Dirty Feet by Don Everts describes it well. "Over and over and over Jesus repeated his message: 'You need me. You are lost, dull sheep. I am a shepherd. You are blind. I am a healer of the eyes. You are stumbling in darkness. I am light. You are starving. I am bread. You are dying of thirst. I am water.'" And while we want to think we really truly believe that we need Jesus, we fight for it. "We grow indignant to the message because we don't see our need," Everts continues. "We insist we're doing just fine on our own. Hunger? Thirst? Darkness? What are you talking about, I feel fine! We seek other answers. The Greeks sought out wisdom. The Jewish religious leaders carefully focused on law. The Romans achieved social order."

Yea, we're incredibly blessed to live in America. We're incredibly blessed to have the many resources that we do. But we have to be careful not to let those resources replace our need for God. Perhaps the reason we don't seem to find that same passion for prayer here is because we unknowingly depend on other resources rather than on God. Who knows....just something my friend and I found interesting enough to discuss, so I thought I'd share...

2008-05-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

"We know that Americans pity Africans," he told me. "But sometimes I think Africans pity Americans."
"How so?" I asked him.
"Americans seem to expect that everything will be provided for them. For us, though, this ear of corn is a gift from God. This evening's rain is a shower of mercy upon us. This healthy breath is life-giving. And, maybe tomorrow we will not have such things, but our hearts are so full from God's provision."
~Jena Lee in Hope in the Dark

"While talking with a friend from Rwanda, I was struck by our global friends' compassion toward the Western church. In many ways, they feel sorry for us. They see our arrogance toward the rest of the world, our addiction to pleasure and comfort, our culture of sensuality and excess, which make it hard for us to fathom many of Christ's teachings- they see these not as evidence of superiority, but of disadvantage and poverty. They mourn our deep losses and have told us that they pray for us about these very things."

"We see what you're up against," he said. "When you have medicine to cure the dandruff in your hair and for the fungus in your fingernails, it's hard to believe that you need God on a daily basis. That's a difficult thing to be up against."
~Rick Mckinley in This Beautiful Mess (GREAT book, by the way!)

Interesting thoughts, hmm? Having been in Uganda for four months, I can understand a piece of what these people are talking about. When it rained, it was always a blessing from God, no questions asked. Even on Easter Sunday, when it rained for eleven hours straight, we couldn't spent the day outside like they usually do, and my sisters got soaked while cooking the family's special dinner, they came in and told me the rain was such a blessing from God because first of all, we needed more water that week, and second of all, the rain kept the drunks off the roads, which in the end, kept people from dying. The church service was interrupted because of the rain (we couldn't hear because of the tin roof). We had to walk home from church that day, twenty-five minutes in a downpour, completely soaked by the time we arrived. What was going on in my mind? "God, couldn't you have waited a little longer to let it start raining? Wouldn't it have been a much nicer day had it been beautiful and sunny?" (Not to mention that when it rained, it was a very hard task to convince my family to let me go outside to the pit latrine!) What was going on in their minds? "Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful blessing of rain!"

Each evening before and after dinner my family would pray. They usually prayed the exact same prayer daily, which was frustrating at times, but although their words were always identical, they really meant them. "Thank you Lord for giving us all one more day on your earth," was one of the common lines. We say that, too, I'm sure, but do we really mean it? There, where malaria, AIDS, and a number of other deadly diseases threaten their lives constantly, they realize the true gift that each day here on earth really is. They know God provides for them everything they have. They realize that what they have is not their own, but simply a shower of God's blessings on them. They don't take anything for granted.

Maybe we could learn something from them....

For Mildred

2008-05-27T13:12:00.007-05:00

For those who don't have Facebook, and for Mildred, who didn't get to see the pictures over the weekend, here is a collection of random photos from Uganda....enjoy!

The "fantastic four" (Becca, Danielle, Sharon, and me) at a resort we spent the afternoon at in Rwanda

Brooke, the IMME leader, and me

The main building we had classes in

The IMME room on campus. Since we didn't have dorm rooms like the rest of the students, all twelve of us spent the majority of our on-campus time in these two little rooms...quite convenient and a great place for bonding (aka, the famous music videos!)

The entire group of USP students on our last day

Cooking goulash for my host family on an outdoor portable coal stove!

Birthdays traditions: In Uganda it is apparently a tradition to pour water on the person whose birthday it is....and they thought they should continue that tradition even in Rwanda, so as you can see, I'm soaked.

Inside of a mass grave at one of the Rwanda Genocide Memorial museums. This one was outside of a church. You actually walk underground inside the mass grave and see rows and rows (probably thousands) of skulls and bones....and you are right there with them...no glass to separate you from them.

The clothing that remains at the genocide site

We stopped at a rock formation site and toured it....and of course, as was true anywhere we went, the children who lived nearby followed us

Danielle, Sharon and me "climbing" the mountain at Sipi Falls

Oh the lovely mosquito nets....

A stop at the equator: The fantastic four and V-money

Mudding/building a home for the pygmies! One of our favorite experiences of the entire semester!

Beautiful scenary from campus

The Way of the Cross on Good Friday

My wonderful "shower" room during rural homestays

Matoke, pre-cooking

Yep....I ate that....and it was DELICIOUS!

Just one of the gorgeous views of campus...

My host mom running the "printing press." It usually started around 3:30am and made a loud clicking noise about every five seconds. She was the school's secretary and did all of its printing from home...

Julie, Mom, Dad, and Nathan greeted me at the airport when I finally arrived... the sign says "Welcome Back Betsy! A warn shower, running water, and a cold glass of milk await you!" And she actually had a bottle of COLD water and homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting for me!

Forget the List!

2008-05-23T09:26:00.005-05:00

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" ~Matthew 22:37-39

Often when I journal, I find I don't even know where to begin. So much is going on inside my mind at the time that it's hard to choose what to write about and how to sort through it all. Today is one of those times. But I think I'll choose love.

As I spend time thinking about the people I met in Uganda, I think about love. I don't think I ever came across a person who didn't love in Uganda (ok, so the man who asked me to come home and lie with him and the men who constantly yelled out "Mzungu, I need your love" may have been loving in a different way, but still, love was in the air...). I think the four months I spent interacting with the people of Uganda helped me break away from my legalistic view of Christianity. How often I've felt like a "bad" Christian because I forgot to read my Bible or pray. I made Christianity out to be a giant list of do's and don'ts. I had my daily "Christian to-do list" and if I neglected anything on the list, I felt guilty and unworthy of calling myself a Christian. But the people of Uganda taught me a different way of living.

"What does it mean to be a Christian?" I asked my host-brother.
"Well, I think it means that you really love God. And that you really work hard to love others," he responded.

Now, I've heard that philosophy before. Love God, love others; that is the meaning of life. But did I ever believe it could really be that simple? I was so caught up in the to-do list that I overlooked love completely. The love shown to me by the Ugandans I lived with is a love I'll never forget. They poured their hearts out for us. They devoted themselves to us. They loved us before they even knew us. They loved without hesitation. Relationships are such a key aspect of life in Uganda, much more so than they seem to be here. Relationships trump all. You have a meeting to go to at 9:00, but your neighbor shows up at your door to visit at 8:30, you better forget about that meeting. Your neighbor is far more important. Now I'm not sure how well that method actually works, and it was definitely the cause of some frustrating situations now and then, but the concept behind it is beautiful. Investing in people is far more important than in our job or anything else we might involve ourselves with. Essentially, the Bible tells us that if we fail to love our brothers, we fail to love God. I'm not sure I ever quite got that before....I would tell myself, "well, just because this person gets on my nerves and it's hard for me to love them doesn't mean I don't love God!" I'm not always great at loving everyone. Some people really rub me the wrong way. Some people are just incredibly different from me and I don't understand them. Some people are just plain annoying! But God calls us to love them all. . . to love the least of them. This new perspective on Christianity tells me that, in a way, loving others IS loving God because God is love. Perhaps that's not completely accurate, but I believe it to be far more true than I did before I left.

It's all about others. Abby, our leader's wife, commented the last day with words that I will never forget....

"It's not that I am forgiven, but that I forgive. It's not that I'm comforted, but that I comfort. Giving up ourselves and laying your own interests and needs aside is true Christianity. We must hand our selfishness regularly over to the cross. It takes a true conversion of self to love others genuinely. Relationships need to be our focus in life. Relationship with God, relationship with people. That is all that matters."

I don't know why this topic came to mind today. Maybe because I miss those people. I miss Robinah, our cleaning lady, who was possibly the most loving woman I have ever met in my life. She poured herself out for us day after day and expressed a love towards us I'm not sure I've ever seen in anyone before. I miss my family, the Jjembas, as they continually chose to love me and treat me as one of their own. I miss our leaders, who selflessly put their needs aside to help us, to listen to us, and to encourage us. I even miss the children I passed every day on the way to and from school who, at the beginning of the semester, yelled out "Mzungu, mzungu," but by the time I left were yelling "Betay, Betay!" Love was all around us. Not once did I hear a Ugandan gossip about someone else, speak badly of someone, or really even mention anyone else. All they did was love. And it was amazing. I need to learn to love like that. I need to learn to put my Christian to-do list aside and simply focus on loving God and loving others. That's what it's about.....relationship. Love. Oh how I miss their love.

Straddling two worlds...

2008-05-20T21:41:00.004-05:00

Becca, a close friend I made while in Uganda, sent me these two quotes today. They describe almost perfectly how both of us currently feel. They're from a book called "Hope in the Dark" by Jena Lee.....

1st quote: "I straddle two worlds. One foot in America. One foot in Africa. My heart is split. It's an awkward place to be, as it stretches the legs upon which I stand. I would prefer to be in one place instead of straddled awkwardly across an ocean. Contrary to American doctrine, however, i think we are supposed to be a little bit uncomfortable as we live within the tensions of this complicated world."

~It's true, I believe part of my heart is still in Uganda. . . with my family, the Jjembas, with my USP leaders, at UCU, in the streets of Mukono, with the cleaning lady Robinah, and V-money our driver, and all of the other amazing people I met while I was there. The goal is to integrate both worlds into one, but that's easier said than done. Afterall, America really isn't anything like Africa, and the concept of simple living seems to be completely lost here.

2nd quote: "It would be wrong for us to close our eyes and our hearts to everything that we have learned. Our experiences won't let us do that. Our passion and anger and hope don't give us permission to abandon these experiences, because the time we have spent in Africa is beautiful and tragic, rich and life-giving, horrible and yet redemptive."

~Horrible isn't a word I'd use to describe my overall experience in Uganda, but I certainly remember going through days and experiences thinking I was having the worst day of my life. Part of me worries constantly that because I forced myself immediately back in to the "real" world by coming back to school less than 48 hours after arriving back in America, I also forced myself to forget about Africa and push aside everything I learned. But I'm realizing that's impossible. As hard as it may be to figure out what changes are taking place and what all I learned while I was in Uganda, it's absolutely impossible to ignore them completely. Because I did change, and I am different, and I'm learning more and more just how exciting and frustrating that is. It frustrates me beyond belief to question what on earth I went to Uganda for, to try and figure out how I'm different, and to try and make time to think about Uganda and figure those things out in the midst of this crazy American lifestyle. But it comforts me to know that forgetting about those experiences is impossible. . . for they are forever ingrained in my mind and are now a part of who I am.

Just some thoughts....now it's time to get back to homework and grading papers...oh how I miss the days when at this time (9:50PM) we'd be sitting down for a family dinner in front of the tv, ready to watch "Mis Tres Hermanas" or "Nunca te Dire Adios" or "Secreto de Amor." Now instead i'm sitting down alone in my room to work on hours of grading papers and working on homework. Such is life in America....

Capstone

2008-05-20T09:20:00.001-05:00

Well, again, I have no idea who actually still reads this thing now that I'm back, but I enjoy writing, so I'll continue to update it now and then. For this update, I decided to include my capstone paper, which was our final project in our Faith in Action class. We were to write from a future perspective, anywhere from five months, to fifty years, and I chose to write a journal entry from the day I begin student teaching. Just a warning, it's rather lengthy, as the requirement was 5-8 pages, so don't feel like you have to read it all. I'm just posting it, well, I'm not sure why. Read through it if you want to, or skip it. It really doesn't matter to me....

January 12, 2009- 5:30am

It’s raining again and while I love being in control of the situation, I cannot help but think back to the days eight months ago when the rain stopped everything. On those mornings I had no control. I could not go outside to the toilet or the shower. I could not go out to brush my teeth. My family stayed in bed and did not expect me to go to school. They told me I would not have lectures that day. They told me the rain made it too dangerous to walk down the hill to school. And when I finally convinced them that I would in fact have lectures that day and that I needed to leave if I was going to be on time, I left the house only to find an empty town, for the entirety of life stops when it rains in Uganda. I walked past empty shops and noticed the normal abundance of school children were nowhere to be found. I arrived at school much later than on normal days, and it was all because of the rain. Those days for me are in the past, though, and the rain no longer stops me. I cannot let it stop me. After all, today of all days is a day I cannot be late. Today, January 12, 2009, is the day I start student teaching.

This day is one I have feared for years. Even before I began college, I knew this day would come and I dreaded it. Though being a teacher has been the one job on my mind since fifth grade, the thought of standing in front of a classroom and actually teaching has always somewhat terrified me. I am not one for public speaking, and while teachers played an incredibly influential role in my own life, I have often questioned whether or not I would ever have the same impact on others. The question has constantly been in my mind, “What if I begin student teaching and realize that this is not at all the job for me?”

For years I have lived fearing the unknown, and I will admit, I definitely still do, especially at times like this. Looking back, however, I now find comfort in what I learned throughout my semester in Uganda. It was one year ago today that I left my parents in the airport, walked onto a plane, and began to wonder what on earth I was doing leaving everything and everyone I knew to spend four months in Africa. I constantly questioned my decision, even for weeks after my arrival. “What was I thinking? I am not cut out for this. What if I hate it? What if my family hates me? What if I can’t make any friends? Did God really call me to this or did I make it all up? Am I making a huge mistake?” Now here I am this morning, hours away from showing up at my first day of student teaching, and I am haunted by some of the same questions. It is only by reflecting on the past that I can convince myself that even if I hate it, even if it is not for me, even if at times I feel it is the worst experience of my life, God has a purpose for it and He will undoubtedly lead me through it.

Aside from student teaching, it seems I can relate nearly any situation to something I learned while in Uganda. When I think back to what I learned and the convictions that grew so strong in my heart while I was there, the first thing that comes to mind is simple living. Reading Ronald Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and a small excerpt from Discipline of Simplicity by Richard Foster created a passion for simple living I had never before experienced. That being said, I should clarify that I did not and still do not feel called to sell all I have and give it all to the poor, but I have been called to a simpler lifestyle. Since returning to America I have consistently lived out two of the commitments Brooke challenged us with during CIS class. I have kept the Sabbath and have not purchased any unnecessary clothing. As soon as I read Foster’s comments on clothing, I knew I needed to change. “Consider your clothes,” he says. “Most people have no need for more clothes. They buy more not because they need clothes, but because they want to keep up with the fashions. Buy what you need. Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life” (90). Those very words made me cringe as I thought about my over-stuffed closet at home and how often I buy new clothing on the spot simply because it is the latest fashion or my friends tell me to. Committing to avoid any unnecessary clothing purchases for one year has not only helped me reduce my wardrobe, but it has also forced me to avoid impulsive purchases that were so common to me in years past.

Keeping the Sabbath has been the most difficult challenge for me, though, as schoolwork always seems to pile up and free weekends are the perfect time to catch up. However, while I found it challenging at first, I have more recently been finding that when I purposely choose to set aside time for rest and for God, everything else seems to fall into place as well, and somehow I always manage to find time to complete every item on my to-do list. If nothing else, keeping the Sabbath has helped me stop worrying so much about the future and when I will accomplish all of my tasks. Richard Foster states in Discipline of Simplicity, “Worthy as all other concerns may be, the moment they become the focus of our efforts they become idolatry” (87). Not only did I worry about when I would finish my work if I kept the Sabbath, but I grew hesitant of the smallest petty matters such as what I would wear for student teaching or what my friends would think of me when I told them I could not buy new clothes. I grew even more concerned with financial matters such as how I could possibly afford to go an entire semester during student teaching without having a job. But as Foster pointed out, the simple life is all about trust. “Simplicity means the freedom to trust God for all things…If we truly believe that God is who Jesus says he is, then we do not need to be afraid” (89). Never before have I better understood the verses in Matthew that urge us not to worry. Never before have the words “Therefore do not worry saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” meant so much to me (Matthew 6:31-34). I am eight months in to the two commitments I made while in Uganda, and while they have been challenging at times, I can say without a doubt I have been incredibly blessed by keeping those commitments.

While it has been eight months since I returned to America, and life seems to be back to normal, I cannot say the transition has not been without challenges. It has been difficult to find a balance between living simply, helping the poor, and simply being an American. I have often found myself questioning how much I should give to the poor or wondering how to best spend my money on the poor. While those are probably legitimate concerns, I find myself growing frustrated because I think back to the examples my host family provided me when it came to helping those in need and it makes me realize how selfish I still am. Jason Carpenter, a man serving with Samaritan’s Purse in Uganda added to this example by saying, “If a neighbor is in need, they don’t stop and question whether they can afford to assist them, they simply help- no questions asked. They are not worried about the future, they simply rely on God.” I remember seeing what he explained firsthand as our neighbor ran to our house in a panic last week because her four year old daughter had fallen and broken her arm, but she did not have enough money to go to the hospital. My family acted immediately and provided her with enough money to treat the girl. They did not hesitate for even a moment. They did not stop to question whether or not the person in need was a hard worker or was a good enough friend to be worth their money, they just acted according to the need of their neighbor. I long to be that compassionate and that selfless, but I constantly see evidence that I still have far to go. Perhaps one of the statements I have most remembered from Uganda is from Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and says, “The life of the most degraded person is worth far more than the most valuable possession” (Sider, 95). I only wish I could say that statement defined my current state of helping others, but I have to admit I still find myself questioning the worth of a human’s life when deciding whether or not to give to them. I participate in a program called Save Our Streets where we go walk the streets of Chicago and visit with the homeless people, and I enjoy nearly every moment of it, but I still constantly find myself questioning whether or not a person actually deserves my help. I can only hope that by continuing to consider the needs of the poor, I will eventually follow the example of my host family and simply give: no questions asked.

One hour later:

I feel much more confident going in to this day now that I have prayed. I am finding more and more how effective prayer is and how much it really can change my life. Something happens during prayer that allows me to realize it really is possible to hand everything over to God and to trust Him completely. I have grown up hearing about the power of prayer and the importance of trusting God, and have seen both concepts at work in my life, but it was not until my semester in Uganda that I began to fully grasp the concepts and began to understand how they fit together. Before leaving for Uganda one of my professors encouraged me with a verse about trust. Psalm 31:14-15 has since become one of my life verses. “I trust you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand.” I can remember trust being both a struggle and a blessing during my first month of Uganda they dropped me off alone at my homestay even after I had specifically requested to have a roommate. I did not have an easy time adjusting to family life and constantly questioned my ability to relate to my family. Throughout the semester life just was not what I wanted it to be as I constantly struggled to fit in at home and was not able to help around the house or be a part of the family. I began to question whether God really wanted me to be in Uganda and though I was constantly praying and asking for prayers, I doubted at times whether they made any difference. Time and time again, however, as the semester progressed and I began to share my struggles with various individuals, trust and prayer started to show up in unexpected ways and forever (hopefully anyway) changed my perspective on the two subjects. During times of the semester when I felt I was at my absolute worst and felt discouraged beyond belief, God showed up through comments that I will always remember. For example, after rural homestays I was fighting back tears thinking about returning home to my host family. I still did not feel like I felt in and I felt extremely discouraged about the entire situation, especially after listening to others describe how wonderful their host families were. At that moment, Brooke’s husband, Wills, said exactly what I needed to hear. “I truly believe God has a specific reason for everything. You guys didn’t just show up in Uganda for no reason. He wants you here, and I believe when you get back to America slowly by slowly just how much you learned.” And at that moment, my tears disappeared. Yet saying that God’s plan is perfect is much easier than actually believing it. That is where prayer came in. Wills also commented in the same conversation that “If you start each day in prayer saying ‘God, may you guide each step I take today and do not let me step outside of your will,’ then your choices should reflect God’s choices, and in turn, God should be at the center of your life. And since the moment I heard his statement, I have tried to start each morning with that very prayer, and have tried to keep Christ in the center of my life. I cannot say I always succeed, and in fact I have failed miserably at times, but prayer definitely has been a larger part of my life than it ever used to be. Learning to trust in the fact that everything actually does happen for a reason and is part of God’s plan was a crucial aspect of surviving the rest of my semester in Uganda, and in turn, has become an incredible encouragement in every other moment of my life. Had it not been for my semester in Uganda and the emphasis I saw my community place on prayer, I would not be so committed to prayer at this time in my life. It was experiences such as an overnight prayer service to combat witchcraft in Mukono and my family gathering around my bed when I was sick just to pray for me that allowed me to see how essential prayer is to our lives as Christians. Prayer is not simply presenting our requests to God, though, and prayer is not always an easy task. As Henri Nouwen states in Compassion, “Prayer requires that we stand in God’s presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing” (102). I do not always succeed in my prayer life. I do not always remember to pray. There are times when I should first run to God in prayer but I instead run to another friend or source of encouragement, but overall, my experience in Uganda greatly influenced my attitude towards prayer and allowed me to see the benefits of finally giving every aspect of my life to God and trusting Him with everything. Even as I sit here and write, minutes away from my first day of student teaching, I feel somewhat at peace because I can confidently say that whatever happens, whether I hate it or I love it, it is happening for a reason and God can work through it.

Only minutes from now I will begin another adventure and I am not entirely sure where it will take me. I do not know whether or not I truly want to be a teacher. I do not know whether or not I will enjoy it or whether it is the right occupation for me. I know nothing other than that trusting God with my life is really my only option. I could spend hours contemplating what I should do with my life or worrying that teaching is not where I should be, but in the end, whether positive or negative, the experience will somehow benefit me, because I have learned that God works both on the mountaintop and in the valley. I really have no concept whatsoever at this moment in time what my future might look like, or where God may lead me, but I know that my goal is to keep Christ in the center of my life and seek to love God and love others and believe that everything else will fall into place. I may not feel the call to sell all I have and give my money to the poor, but as Sider points out in Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, the point of the rich young ruler story is not necessarily to convince us to sell all of our possessions, but rather that Christ must be the center of our lives and we must not let anything become more important than Him. He is only demanding total submission to himself (191). I know my calling involves living simply and trusting in God’s plan for my life, and whether or not that involves education, well, I guess I will find out how I feel about teaching in a few minutes when I walk out this door and into the classroom for the first time, but whatever happens, I can rest assured knowing that it is happening for a reason and that God has it under control. Now, that’s easier said than done, but whenever a decision comes or I find myself worrying about some issue, I hope to look back at my experiences in Uganda and remind myself that as long as I am striving to live for God, He will guide me in the direction I need to go. And now, just as I wrote one year ago minutes before getting on the airplane to Uganda, I’m about to begin another wild and crazy adventure, but I am ready. Student teaching- here I come

Sources

Carpenter, Jason. Personal interview. 7 Mar. 2008.

Holy Bible. Matthew 6:31-34. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.

Nouwen, Henry J.M., Donald P. McNeill, and Douglas A. Morrison. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life. New York: Image-Doubleday, 1982. 102.

Isingoma, Williams. Personal interview. March 2008.

Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity. 4^th ed. Dallas: Word, 1997.

Here's the proof you've been waiting for...

2008-05-18T07:32:00.001-05:00

145 feet down....

HOLD ON!

Too late.... we're doomed!

Ahhh, rafting and bungee jumping in the Nile River....quite the experience! It was definitely an awesome adventure, but one I'm not sure I'll ever try again :-)

Well, it's now been exactly two weeks since I arrived back from Uganda, and I must say, America sure is quite different, but then again, I guess I knew that. I missed my flight from DC to Indy and ended up getting home around 12am Sunday morning. The reverse culture shock grew more real each day. In Amsterdam, my first purchase was an $8 happy meal from McDonalds. I thought it was pretty ridiculous to pay that much, but it was the cheapest food I could find (even just a slice of pizza was $10) and I figured not eating for the 7 hours we were there might not be the best idea. During my extra 7 hours in DC, I began to realize how slowly I walk now as I watched person after person fly by me, most of them walking quickly while talking on their cell phone, and definitely not talking to other people (relationships were HUGE in Uganda....people would never just fly by you without stopping to have a conversation). The first headline I heard in the airport on CNN was "Americans use 400 million gallons of gas per day" and then the newscaster continued to complain about high gas prices. I thought about prices in Uganda and wondered why we think we have any right to complain here. At church on Sunday I found myself quite disappointed during the upbeat songs when most people didn't even clap, let alone jump up and down or dance! I found myself laughing out loud when my pastor used the phrase, "give above the what? the tithe," (a classic Ugandan phrase is to ask "the what? the....." and fill in the .... with whatever they're talking about. It might not seem funny to you, but we laughed every time!) and expected that everyone around me would laugh as well, but then I realized no one in my church would have any idea why that would be funny, and that I just looked stupid for laughing at something obviously not funny to anyone else.

After arriving home Sunday, I unpacked/repacked all of my things and moved back to Olivet on Monday afternoon. Now, if any of you ever have the chance to leave the country for an extended period of time, I would strongly suggest NOT starting school 36 hours after arriving back in the States! I was still quite tired from jet lag, didn't know any of the three roommates I moved in with, could hardly focus in class, and felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of work I now had to do! School here is nothing like school in Uganda. I was lucky enough to have Mom send me back with all sorts of leftover home-cooked food, but we had no microwave, pots, or pans, so I enjoyed cold leftovers all week (which I think are great, but some people might frown upon). I think the hardest part of all, though, was realizing that all of my friends have already gone home for the summer, meaning that there really wasn't anyone here to share my experience with. When all I wanted to do was tell story after story, I ended up sitting in silence in an apartment full of people I'd never met instead. Luckily within the first week I had the opportunity to talk with several profs and share my experiences with them, which helped immensely! I am quite thankful to have profs I know well and can share with.

Now that week two is over, I am feeling much more "normal" again. School and grading keep me busy, but not nearly to the overwhelming extent they did last week. My roommates and I are still pretty silent in the apartment for the most part, but things have definitely gotten better there as well. We've actually talked quite a bit in the evenings this week, which is nice. We now have a microwave, pots, and pans, but no television, which is fine, just different, considering all my family ever did in Uganda was watch tv! I'm excited to go back to College Church for the first time today, though I know it obviously won't be quite like the church I grew to love in Uganda.

I'm sure there is much more I could write about, such as my first experience at an American mall yesterday, but it is time to get ready for church and move on with the day. I don't know how many people will even still check this now that I'm back, but for those of you who might actually still be reading this thing, I'll try to update it every now and then. We'll see what happens.

2008-04-18T08:23:00.000-05:00

The outfit my Mom made me for my farewell gift..... it's absolutely HUGE, but hey, it's African :-)

Becca and I's attempt to look African at the farewell party.

I have been trying to load pictures of rafting for weeks now and they always fail, so maybe when we get back to America I will be able to put some on here. Today was the day we moved out of our homes and said goodbye to our families. It was a sad moment, but not as bad as I expected. I think it probably hasn't really set in yet. It will eventually, I'm sure. Now I'm just trying to write a sermon for Sunday, when I'll be the preacher in a Rwandan church. We'll be in Rwanda for a week, then at some lake/resort, then back on campus, then at a convent next to the airport, and then home on may 3rd. Crazy stuff..... Anyway, time to go write a sermon! More pictures to come once I'm back at home...

2008-04-01T02:25:00.000-05:00

The Jemba Family- minus Matilda who is taking the picture

Frying chapatis

Preaching at the school ministry

My audience

Hippos- the most deadly mammal alive... Who knew?

2008-03-24T02:36:00.001-05:00

Did you know that hippos are the world's deadliest mammal according to our tour guide? Who knew?

2008-03-24T00:34:00.001-05:00

Just a small glimpse of rural homestays and Sipi Falls

2008-03-04T05:44:00.000-06:00

Pretending to carry water on my head like the Ugandans do...

Hosea, my 3 year old brother and I

My mother and father with their matoke plantation

We stopped at a place with giant rocks and rock paintings and of course, the children followed us

The hut I stayed in at Sipi Falls

Kids drawing water at the water hole.

My dad and I at church

Sitting with kids at the center after church. We were quite the exhibit!

The building where I slept. One of three buildings of our home- made of cow dung and ash.

Basically what my backyard looked like....

And there are so, so many more beautiful scenery pictures from Sipi Falls but it takes too long to load them, so perhaps another day. Now it's time to finish the email to all of you and work on homework.

2008-02-21T23:44:00.000-06:00

Here's some pictures from rafting. We couldn't take cameras on the trip, so these are all from afterwards, but again, hopefully at some point there may be proof that I really was on a raft :-)

Dinner time....

2008-02-19T23:05:00.001-06:00

Here are some more recent pictures of the kids at my home. The girl in the middle is a neighbor girl who comes over nearly every day to play with Stuart. She is 4 years old.

This is Daisy serving the family's dinner. The big yellow blog in the middle is matoke. It's actually really growing on me. It's tasteless, but with good sauce, it's pretty decent.

And finally, this is my dinner. The purple sauce is ground nut sauce, which I love. Mom and Dad- my brother taught me how to make it, and told me I should take ground nuts home so I can make it for you and you can see how we eat here. So you may get to try it when I come home! :-) It's actually one of my favorites. The plate of food is matoke and rice, the two foods we have at EVERY meal. Some nights we also add potatoes to the list. My plate may not look that full to you, but keep in mind last night when I took the picture I said, "Daisy, I don't need as much tonight. I'm very full already." I normally have at least twice as much food. They feed me well, that's for sure.

So there you have it. This is what we eat. G-nut sauce is common because it's fairly inexpensive and it is DELICIOUS! Some nights we have beef in a flavored sauce that I'm not a big fan of. The meat here is very fatty, but usually pretty tasty. Last week we also ate cow INTESTINE. My dad asked how I liked it and it was the first time since I've been here that I had to say, "I'm not really a big fan." It's always interesting going home on Friday nights because I see a big raw slab of meet sitting on the kitchen table. It sits there all day Saturday and through Sunday afternoon. It's covered in flies and ants, and finally Sunday afternoon they take it to the kitchen and cook it for Sunday's dinner. It's good though, and hasn't harmed me yet, so I don't complain. I'm actually quite content with the food I eat here, though I'm sure I will be pretty excited to go back to America and start eating what I'm used to again. I don't think I'll ever be tired of rice and beans though, in fact, that's probably what I'll eat most of the summer at summer school in some form or another! :-) That's all I've got for now. . . it's raining outside and we're all very thankful because our water tanks are low at home. We can shower tonight because of the rain! Praise the Lord! Ok, off to do homework! Have a wonderful day!

2008-02-17T07:44:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is..it's not a very good video, but it's the best we could do. Saturday was the most exhilarating, yet terrifying experience of my life! The day started with a bungee jump directly over the Nile River followed by 31 km (19 miles) of rafting through class 3-5 rapids. I think I can now say I know what it feels like to drown. More to come in an email...

2008-02-11T00:14:00.000-06:00

To all who may be interested:

My weekend was pretty decent. I went to Kampala (the capital) on Saturday but didn't have time to do anything but eat lunch and leave. Sunday I helped with two other girls at a local school ministry. We talked in front of about 25 high schoolers about trust and worshipped with them. It was a great experience, and part of the 30 hours of community involvement that's required of us. It's during church time, though, so we probably won't do it every week because we like being in a church service as well. Sundays are always tough because I usually just sit in silence in front of the tv, but last night my brother took me to town to find a skirt and then once we got back I took pictures of the new kids at our house and talked with my brother for a couple of hours, so it was a bit better than normal. Oh- and the prayer service last Wednesday was pretty amazing. We stayed until about 1am. Everyone prayed in their own language outloud and it was wonderful. We listened to several speakers, including the Bishop, talk about witchcraft and preach against it. I was glad to have the opportunity to be a part of it! And as for the rafting trip, it has been postponed until March, but it will happen before I go home....it's a must! That's all I have for now...it's a busy week academically with four big papers and a group presentation, so I need to get back to work! Have a wonderful week!

2008-02-04T03:18:00.000-06:00

Well my second weekend at home with my family was pretty long and uneventful. We did a LOT of watching tv. The Spanish soap we watch every night of the week replays the weeks' episodes on Saturday, so we watched all five of them again. To me this seems like a complete waste of my time, but to them it is basically their life. Saturday morning they let me help with the laundry for about 15 minutes, but then they said, "Nabachwa, you look very tired. I think you should stop and take a break." And that was the end of my laundry experience. I did get to learn how to make "duddeys," though. Basically, they are fried balls of dough that we eat with tea. They made the dough and I fried them. They seemed very excited that I was helping them cook and after tea time everyone said "Ofumbye nnyo nnyabo" or "Thanks for cooking." That was the extent of my involvement for the weekend, though. For the rest of the day I sat in front of the television with them as we watched tv or as I listened to them talk to one another in Luganda. Sunday we went to church where a pastor from Michigan here on a mission trip did the preaching. Services here last 2-2.5 hours, and as my brother pointed out to me, "These pews are made for five people each but we squeeze in eight. They are far too small." So while the service is usually amazing, I am usually thinking about the next time we'll get to stand and sing or when it will be over and I can get up and move around. I just continue to love the worship here, though. Everyone is always so genuine! For example, chapel here is twice a week, but it is not required for students. If chapel at Olivet was not required, I would imagine the majority of the students would not usually show up, but here the auditorium is packed and overflowing with students every time there's a service! I haven't noticed much spirituality at home with my family other than prayer before and after meals, but at school it is definitely obvious that these people love the Lord!

Well, that was pretty much just a bunch of scattered thoughts. I will probably write an email soon when I get a chance, but I thought I'd share a few details of the weekend as I wait for pictures to upload. Slowly by slowly things are getting better with my family. Weekdays are usually pretty good, as I'm only there after 7PM, but weekends when I am with them for the entire two days seems to be more challenging. I still feel so much like a guest and I wish they would let me help more around the house and become part of the family. Maybe someday...anyway, that's enough for now. Hope all of you are well! More to come later....

2008-01-28T00:59:00.000-06:00

A wonderful weekend with missionaries in Jinja--at the Source of the Nile!!

2008-01-24T00:30:00.000-06:00

Our family's goat gave birth!

The little boy is Junior, my 8 year old cousin.

The three sitting in the living room are my brothers Tony and Peter and mother Resty.

My dad is milking our cow. I don't know his name.

My sisters are in our bedroom- Matilda(21 years old), Maria (19 years old) and Daisy (who knows how old she is)

2008-01-23T02:51:00.001-06:00

My shower bucket and my bedroom.

2008-01-22T05:55:00.001-06:00

Here are some pictures....but there may not be many because it took about an hour to load these four. We'll see. One is my house, one is my kitchen and sister Matilda, one is on campus during a storm, and the fourth is the famous "squatty potty." Hopefully there will be more throughout the semester....we'll see what happens.

Oh how I miss toilets!

2008-01-16T03:08:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm going to give this blogging thing a shot, we'll see how it goes. This is our second day of classes in Uganda and so far I've had one. Yesterday both of my classes were canceled because the professors did not show up. Apparently that's pretty common for the first week of class. I had my first class this morning- intro to Christian missions. I think I'm really going to enjoy it. It's taught by two English missionaries who seem like amazing people. This afternoon I have Faith and Action in the Ugandan context, taught by our program leader. I think classes here will certainly be different. For one thing, an 80% is an A-, and a 50% is a C-. Don't feel like you're missing out though...according to our prof, that just means it's that much harder. I feel the homework may be a challenge, though, since I'm living with a family for the semester. They told us to plan on finishing all of our homework here before going home since our family wants us with them at all times, not in our own room doing work. So my usual trend, starting papers at 11:00 PM the night before they are due is really no longer an option. It will take some getting used to.

For those of you on my email list, things with my family have not gotten much better but I know I'm there for a reason. I try not to drink too much while I'm at home because urinating in front of my sisters in our bucket does not seem that appealing to me, but they have no problem with it. I assume I'll have to at some point. I have used the squatty potty outside, but we are only allowed to use it when it's light outside. Showering from the bucket really isn't that bad, though I obviously don't feel quite as clean. basically we just sit in awkward silence all night and occasionally watch tv.

I guess instead of writing paragraphs I'll just make a list of things I miss, and things I've noticed. I don't even know who reads this thing, but just in case anyone does, I'll try and update it once in a while.

Things I've learned while in Uganda so far:
1. Pants= underwear. The word for our type of pants here is trousers
2. Using a squatty potty takes some real talent!
3. Ugandans don't really sleep. Ever. They went to bed at 1:30 this morning and the tv was blaring again by 4:30. And besides that the roosters crow at every hour of the night, not just in the morning, and if it rains the cows moo like crazy!

Things I miss:
1. TOILETS
2. Ice- everything here is served hot, or at least at room temperature. It seems so ironic that bathing water can be so cold, yet drinking water is always warm.
3. Personal space- My suitcase is literally on the floor in the middle of our bedroom and will most likely be there for the next 4 months as there are four of us the room and no space whatsoever.

Well, I need to work on homework and then head to lunch. I love it here, in Africa, and especially at school. I'm sure home will get better eventually, but for now all I can do is take it a day at a time. More to come later, I'm sure!

2 days left in America...

2008-01-09T18:45:00.000-06:00

I gave in and decided to make a blog. Who knows how often I'll update it. It depends on how often the power is on, and how often I have access to the internet. It may be similar to my emails. I just don't know yet! But in any case, this could be another way to keep in touch. We'll see which way works best.

Wow, it's hard to believe there's only two days left until I depart on this incredible journey. As most of you already know, I will be studying abroad in Uganda, Africa throughout the upcoming semester. I leave one week from today, on January 12, and return (hopefully, if all works out as planned) on May 3rd. While in Uganda, I will be living with a Ugandan family for the entire semester, attending classes at Uganda Christian University, and traveling around Uganda to various mission organizations. Thirty-seven other college-age students (only one of which I have met) from across the US will be traveling on this adventure with me. I've been told my home will most likely have no electricity and will definitely not have running water. This means I'll be showering from a bucket and going to the bathroom in a hole in the dirt, which I am actually looking forward to experiencing! It is hard not to form expectations for this trip, but I am doing my best to go with an open mind and to be ready to expect the unexpected. I am enjoying these last few days in the US and doing many things for the last time such as running, eating my favorite meal prepared by my mom, showering from a real shower, and flushing a toilet! I am sure this will be an amazing opportunity, and while I am incredibly nervous, I am also very excited as I know this is exactly where God wants me. If you would not mind, I would certainly appreciate yours prayers during the next four months, and especially next Saturday as I travel for 30 hours. Thanks for your time and prayers and I wish all of you the best!!