Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Gone are the days of clean feet...
Well, for those of you who read this (if anyone)and haven't already heard, I made it to Uganda safely. After a long journey through Chicago and London, I arrived at Entebbe airport early Wednesday morning. I met someone from WGM and she drove me to my new home in Kampala. An hour or so later, we went to the school, where I saw my classroom and started decorating. I had some orientation, but have yet to be fully filled in on what all goes on at the school and what my responsibilities are. Slowly by slowly, I continue to learn more. After a long day at school, the other WGM missionaries went to a leader's home for dinner and spent much of the evening talking and laughing. It was a relaxing, but tiring first day.
Now, for those of you who have been asking, I'll talk about the house. For starters, WOW! Life here as a missionary in Kampala certainly looks much different than life as a "local" in Mukono looked last year! I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 story house. Ours is gated all the way around and has a guard on duty 24/7. From what I understand, there are various missionary houses all around here. Currently I have one roommate, Kristi, from California, who also just arrived and will teach 6th grade at Heritage. We will gain another roommate in September. We each have our own bedroom, and Kristi and I share a bathroom. For four months last year, my "bathroom" was a hole in the ground, but rest assured, this time I have a real toilet. I also have electricity, running water, HOT WATER (if you turn the heater on 1 hour in advance), and a fully furnished kitchen (stove, fridge, microwave, etc). We also have wireless internet throughout the house. We have a housegirl who cleans twice a week and does our dishes and laundry if we ask her to. Apparently this is very common here, but it seems a little strange to have someone else doing all of the work for us. In some ways, it almost feels as if I'm living in America, until I walk outside, or take a look at my feet, which will likely not be clean until a year from now when I return home. The black shoes I wore to school today are now stained red, as are my feet. I'll be cleaner than I was last year when I showered from a bucket, but there's really no getting rid of that dirt. No matter how much you clean, everything is dirty. Everything. Now, I imagine I should be excited and very thankful to have such wonderful living conditions, but in all honesty, I think a part of me misses the simplicity of living as a Ugandan. I can already see what the missionaries we spoke with last year meant when they talked about living in a "bubble" and having difficulty really engaging in the Ugandan culture. Other than my 10 minute walk to and from school, I could easily stay inside and keep to myself if I so desired. Hopefully that will not be the case. All in all, it is nice to have a place to come back to at the end of the day and just relax.
I'll provide more details of the school setting later, because its almost time for dinner (we're eating at another missionary's house again tonight...tomorrow night we'll go grocery shopping and start the adventure of cooking for ourselves), but for now I'll just ask everyone to pray for the start of school on Monday. My classroom is mostly decorated now, but I am not entirely sure what to do for lesson plans, as we are not supposed to really start teaching until week 3 due to many students arriving late. Pray for peace, as starting a new job obviously causes a little bit of nervousness. Pray for the students as they get to know me and I get to know them. Pray for positive relationships to develop.
Thanks, as always, for your continued prayers and support! More to come later, for now, time to eat (which is another story for another time, but the food as a missionary is also drastically different than as a local)!
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)!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Prayers for Traveling
Well, it's been a wonderfully encouraging weekend of prayer that started out with a special prayer at the Nazarene Missions International district convention, where the district superintendent, Ted Lee, and the Global NMI president, Daniel Ketchum, as well as a number of other people in attendance prayed for my upcoming journey. Then, this morning at church the pastor called me forward in both services for prayer, where several people surrounded me and encouraged me. There may still be many of uncertainties on this journey, like where I'm living, who I'm living with, and many others, but I know one thing for sure: I am being prayed for. And that is one thing that provides great confidence and encouragement!
As of now, all that's left to do is pack. And while some may think that's an easy task, it's not. We've been attempting to pack since Wednesday! Two suitcases, fifty pounds each, and one carry-on is the limit. Sounds like a lot, I know, but when you add school supplies and a year's worth of various medications, the weight adds up quickly. I really thought I was being pretty conservative in packing, only taking 7 skirts for a whole year, and three pairs of shoes, but things just aren't fitting. In trying to decide what I could leave behind, many have suggested the jar of Jiff peanut butter may not be absolutely essential. Peanut butter, however, is my absolute favorite food, and is not readily available there, and that means it's going! :) So tomorrow we begin once again the task of fitting everything in.
Specific prayer requests as of right now include traveling through London. I hope to visit the city since I have such a long layover, but conquering that task alone is somewhat overwhelming. I'm sure it will all work out, I will just have to be willing to ask questions if necessary. I have no idea what awaits me when I arrive in Uganda, but after 30 hours of traveling, and a 7 hour time change, I know I'll be exhausted. Please pray for safety throughout the traveling process.
I look forward to writing my next post from Uganda (or from London, depending on how much time I spend outside of the airport, and how bored I am sitting in the airport). Thanks for all of the prayers and support! I couldn't do it without you!
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!
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.
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