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!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Uganda- take two!
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
12 days 'til Takeoff
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.
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.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
It's official, I'm a WGM VIA
Well, the day of departure is always drawing nearer, and still many unknowns exist. Still the to-do list seems huge and far from complete. I still have not planned any lessons. I have yet to figure out how to/if it's possible to defer my loans. Some things are starting to fall in to place, though.
World Gospel Mission accepted me, and so I'll be serving as a Volunteer in Action (VIA)through their organization. They set my fundraising budget at $8,105 for the year. That money needs to come in before I leave. Support letters will go out today. I have no idea what response I'll get from them, but I trust that if the Lord has brought me this far, He'll continue providing.
Throughout my last trip to Uganda, I learned to be content in a culture where things are not always what we expect them to be. I expected to have a roommate, but I lived alone with my host family. I expected to have other students accompany me on my daily walks to and from school, but I walked alone. I expected to immediately settle in with my host family, but feeling comfortable there took two months. Similarly, with my upcoming journey, I expected to live with a roommate very near to the school. As it turns out, I'll be living in an apartment by myself and will be a 5 minute drive or 25 minute walk from school. I expected to teach six classes, but now I only have to teach four (this is a GOOD thing). I'm sure there will be more unmet expectations and more surprises, but I trust that the Lord knows what He's doing. By the end of the semester last year, I could see reasons why the Lord placed me alone, without a roommate, in the family I was in. I trust He has a reason for placing me where He did this time around as well.
World Gospel Mission informed me today I'll have the opportunity to drive some while I'm there. I think that may be the scariest piece of information I've heard. We were told Uganda was something like the second most dangerous country in the WORLD when it comes to driving, and after living there for four months, I could see why. I am nowhere close to being an aggressive driver here in the States, but driving in Uganda requires aggression and cutting in and out all over the place. Let's just say if I end up in the driver's seat of a car over there, you'll all be getting an email asking for extra prayer that day! :)
The time really is drawing near, and I still have so many questions. Will I be able to run in Uganda? What do I really need to take with me and how do I know if I'm taking the right things? Will there be internet access? How will I get involved with Ugandan culture and avoid the temptation to only cling to other missionaries? I suppose I will just have to wait until I get there to answer most of these. I suppose I am in for the adventure of a lifetime. Perhaps there really is no way to completely prepare. Six weeks left...
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...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Seven weeks and counting
July 29-August 1- travel to Uganda (not official, I just know when orientation is, and it is recommended we come a few days earlier)
August 3- Orientation at Heritage International School
August 10- First day of classes with students
June 2,2010- last day of classes
That's about as much as I know about the upcoming year. I'm slowly discovering new information each day, but there are certainly still many unknowns. In the seven weeks or so before I leave, there is quite an overwhelming to-do list in preparation for the upcoming year:
-Lesson plans to prepare (4 classes per day = 20 lesson plans per week of teaching)
-"Uganda-appropriate Teaching clothes" to buy
-Tons of paperwork to fill out for both the school and World Gospel Mission (the organization I'm going through)
-Write/send out support letters
-Complete the nearly impossible task of making a packing list, and then purchase everything on it
- Figure out how to defer loans
- Continue to ask questions, as so much information is still unknown
- Find and purchase "math teaching supplies"
- Read the giant World Gospel Mission orientation manual
And the list surely goes on, with items I haven't thought of yet. It all feels a little overwhelming at the moment, as all of the information has started to come in and I am coming to the realization that I am actually going to Uganda for a year, and am leaving in about seven weeks. So much to do, so little time, but that's usually how life seems to go, and we always manage to get it all done somehow. Time sure does fly by, though. I'm sure the next seven weeks will be no exception, and I will be on a plane to Uganda in no time at all. Crazy, overwhelming, and scary, but oh-so-exciting!
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!
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