Thursday, January 29, 2009

What I love

I’m not sure even where to begin this time around. First, I’ve just finished my prayer letter and it’s being sent out by Friday. We have a team here from Circleville, Ohio right now and I’m going to send the letters home with them so that it’s a bit cheaper to mail to you all. I’m looking forward to getting some feedback from you guys on how it turned out. I really enjoyed piecing it all together… with the help of a veteran missionary.
So week four of school is almost over already. Monday was Liberation Day, which basically just celebrates the president, Musevni coming into power. We didn’t have school, which was awesome, so I went geocaching with some friends! Yeah, geocaching in Africa! How sweet is that?? It was so fun. A day away from school, and a day of fun. We drove all the way down to Entebbe to find a cache, but it was not there (well if it was there, it was 12 miles into Lake Victoria according to my gps). So we found a nice relaxing spot by the lake to hang out for a while. After geocaching, Francis and I played volleyball with Lino and the rest of his family for a few hours. It was an awesome way to spend the day.
Speaking of Lino. It has now been 20 days since he has had a seizure. It seems as though the medicine is under control and he is adjusted. Now, he did just go to the doctor yesterday and they took him off one of the meds, but not the seizure one, so please be praying that he remains in good health as his body adjusts to being without this other medicine. Pray for his guardians, Jade and Shelah, and pray for me as I continue my ministry with them. I just love the whole family!
So it’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for 6 months already, but it’s true! I just have 5 more months here and based on how quickly the first 6 went, I’m thinking I’ll be home before I even know it. Once again, it’s weird to think how fast this has all gone. Time is getting away from me. I have so much to do here still… maybe that just means I’ll be coming back sooner than I think, right? Who knows.
I’m really having a great time in the culture here. I’ve learned so many things, it’s going to be fun to tell you all about it when I’m back in the States. I seriously can’t explain some things very well, but it’ll be easier when I can see you. Somehow when I’m here, I’m at peace. I’m comfortable. I don’t feel like an outsider anymore. East Africa feels like home to me. It’s a wonderful thing, really. This might not be easy for some of you to understand or even want to know about. This is not a slam on America because I really do miss you all so much some days it hurts, but I’m really glad this feels like home. It just amazes me how quickly one can adapt to a completely foreign culture. There are definitely things that I don’t like and that I don’t agree with, but you live and learn I guess. When you’re away from everything and everyone that you’ve ever known it is easy to cling to those things and people. It’s easy to not allow yourself to be a part of the world you’re now in. Thanks to technology I can call home whenever I want to (for a price). I can see pictures and even video chat online so I can see you guys in real time. Is that what makes this bearable though? Maybe, but I hope not. I like to think that it’s the ways I’ve adapted to this new culture that make it bearable. If you become a part of the culture, you make it your own. If you love it and appreciate it, it’s yours. If you don’t love it, if you stay stuck in a Western culture, you’ll never, ever love where you’re at. These are just some things that I’ve been thinking about lately. I think I’ve felt guilty for loving this place so much and so it’s got me thinking about how I could love somewhere so far from home, so different in every way… so much.
Kooky.
Moving on. My baby brother just turned 23 on Tuesday. Man! How is that even possible?? When did we get old? I still can’t even believe that Alexandria Marie will be two in just a few months. I’ve been gone for about a quarter of her life. Weird. I miss my nieces terribly. I can’t believe how much they’ve grown, learned, and changed in such a short time. I’m surrounded by beautiful African babies… and sometimes when I look into their eyes all I can see are Kayla and Alex. I want them to someday see the things that I’m seeing and experience the things that I’m experiencing.
So, I thought I’d tell you some things that I love about Africa. It seems like over the past 6 months I’ve talked a lot about the things that are hard to adjust to and the things that bother me, but let me tell you the things I’m in love with. Every morning on my walk to school, I’m surrounded by some of the brightest colors I’ve ever seen. There are beautiful flowers all over the place. Most are just “weeds” I think, but it’s like being in botanical gardens all the time. Some of them have fragrances that can be smelled from 10 feet away. You just breathe in the sweetness as you walk down the orange, rusty colored dirt roads. Everything is so green and lush. Even in the dry season the plants flourish and bloom. I love that there are almost always babies animals running around. Baby chicks, goats, funny African duckies, baby cows, and puppies are seen almost daily. There’s no Spring, so there’s no waiting for the babies. They’re around all year.
I love that the women can carry so much on their heads. African women are absolutely incredible. My “slippery Caucasian hair” as it’s often called is not conducive to carrying stuff on my head, but I wish I could! The women here are so strong, yet they are so elegant and beautiful. I love that people are such hard workers here. Life is dependent on work. No work, no life. I love that children are always outside and almost always laughing. They find joy in the tiniest things... things like an empty water bottle to kick down the street. They climb trees and play games. They are so young, yet they are aged beyond their years because there is such a strong work ethic engrained in them from birth.
I love that people are resourceful, using anything and everything around them to complete their tasks. I love that people are so genuinely friendly here. If you stop say hi to someone, it’s not just saying hi. You are expected to have a full conversation, to ask about the family, to take the time to really hear how that person is doing. You don’t just say, “hey, how’s it goin?” and keep walking, ignoring the answer given. People invest in one another. Family is the most important thing.
In the villages people work from dawn until dusk to survive. Their lives revolve around the sun, around God’s creation. Here in the city it is easier to get what you want and need. There is so much available at your fingertips, but still not many people have the money.
I love the smiles I see every single day. If nothing else the smiles keep me going when I’m down. It’s hard to miss the smile of an African with skin so smooth and dark, and teeth so bright. I love how easy it seems for Africans to smile. They smile at me in passing; they smile at each other. The smiles are so brilliant and illuminating.
There is so much more to this magnificent continent and it’s many cultures and tribes and I really hope to experience as many as I can in my lifetime.
It really does take prayers and support from people like you to make all of these wonderful things so true to me. Without you, I wouldn’t be here today and I’m really grateful for the ways that you support me. There are days when lifting my hands to the Lord seems impossible, when my heart and mind are separated and my thoughts wander to another place and time. There are days when God seems so far away, but trust me when I say that your prayers and love are felt here and that I need you daily. Pray for health, pray for safety, pray for my ministries (new ministries, old ones, and ones that I don’t even know about yet). Pray for my heart. Pray for my family and friends. Pray for this land. Pray for East Africa. Pray for Uganda. Pray for Kampala. Pray for Heritage International School, for the students and staff. Pray for healing. Pray for more and more of Jesus to be shown daily around the world. I love you all. Be blessed today.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Invisible Children

Again, I’m within a month, but I do apologize for the amount of time between each entry. I’m trusting that you all had a great Christmas and were able to celebrate with those you love. My Christmas break was VERY trying and I had to deal with a lot of very hard situations. Through all of those tough times I was blessed to spend time with some great friends and people that I love dearly. Christmas Eve I spent the night at the Hopson’s house so I could be around kids on Christmas morning. After presents were opened and I was able to Skype with friends and family, I went to lunch with our field directors who have two daughters around my age. It was great for both of us! After that I spent the rest of the day with Jade, Shelah, and Lino. We played volleyball, ate good food, and just celebrated together. I spent the night there because Shelah didn’t think I should have to sleep alone on Christmas. In the morning we got up and all went to the mall for lunch and then Lino and I stayed because we saw the Hopsons who were heading to see Madagascar 2. We watched the movie and then went home and played more volleyball. Those were the best two days of my entire break.
I was able to Skype quite a bit, which was nice. I love reconnecting with you all. I wish I had more time to do that, but alas school has begun again as of yesterday. I can’t believe that it’s the first week and I’m already booked up everyday after school with some thing or another. I have a new student and by next Monday I should have three more new students. Yesterday was an interesting start to the semester. I’m not a fan of having to re-teach my rules and that, but it must be done. I’ve started teaching an elective for the high school students. I teach it three days a week when my kids are away at one of their specials. It’s really time consuming to teach the high school class, but I think it will be good for my ministry in the long run. Since I’m teaching while my kids are gone, three of my breaks are gone each week. Heritage has a new guy who’s coming in to help teach social studies in the high school and he’s also going to teach my social studies class. It’s a huge blessing and I’m really excited for that to be taken from me.
Something exciting about the first day back at school… Lino was able to come back! I was able to spend almost everyday with him and his family over break and it’s been quite a battle because he is still having seizures and passing out. Luckily they seem to be getting his medicine under control and it’s been a few days since he’s had a seizure. Please keep praying for this special young man. It cannot be good to have as many seizures as he’s had in the past two months. Please pray that they can regulate his medicine and that he can stay at school all semester without any more problems. Pray for his self esteem because I think he’s nervous to be back at school and around so many people. He is still dealing with depression too; and he’s nervous that he’ll have a seizure in front of everyone at school. He wants to succeed and he really wants to complete school so please remember him. Please pray for his overall health and well-being. I’ve really grown to love him and his family dearly. When my time comes to head home, leaving Lino will be incredibly difficult. My main ministry has been ministering and counseling this kid for the past two months.
Moving on… my friend, Francis is an amazing musician (also the music teacher at Heritage). He is the leader of a worship band/group called Studio 10. They had their first worship night a few weeks ago and it was awesome! I made and ran a power point for the evening, and even with that task which can really be a distraction, I was able to draw nearer to the Lord. Francis has been a really good friend lately and I’m lucky to know him. He’s one of those people that can pick up any instrument and play it well in a few weeks time. He’s a songwriter and he has an amazing voice too. It’s super intimidating to be around someone like that because it’s so easy to feel inferior, but I think I like the challenge.
So anyways I just found out that my return to the States will be on June 17th. I’m having some mixed feelings about coming back already simply because of the great friendships and relationships I’m building here. Please know that I really am missing you all terribly in spite of that. ☺ It’s weird to think that June 17th is in just 5 months.
I’m excited that my discipleship group with the ladies from KIU will be starting back up again soon. They’ll all be back from their break at home in Kenya. What else? I’m looking forward to traveling up north to Arua soon. Nick is ministering up there now, so it’ll be cool to see the dynamics there. He’s got some really cool opportunities opening up for him right now and I can’t wait to see where they go. Nick gets to go home to the States this weekend to see his sister who is having a baby. I’m going to try to give him some stuff to bring home and mail for me, which will be nice. He’ll fly into Chicago and then also be in the Marion/Indianapolis and Atlanta area until the end of the month.
Another rainy season is supposedly beginning soon. The weather is still really hot, but I like the days when it rains because it cools down a little in the afternoon time and the classroom isn’t nearly as hot.
Other things about life here…
Well the justice system isn’t always very just. It is actually easier and better to bribe a cop than to go to the station. Now, if you’ve actually done something to warrant going to the police station, plan on being there for hours and hours at a time. And you won’t just have to go once to fill out a report, no, you’ll have to go multiple times.
What else? Oh, sometimes people walk in front of moving vehicles just to make some money. BUT because of the very likely possibility of mob justice you should NEVER stop when you’re in an accident… especially a single girl, alone, in the dark. So hit and runs are fairly frequent here, probably a daily occurrence actually. It’s quite sad really.
Oh! I just recently watched the documentary Invisible Children. Please, please, please take the time to find this and rent it. I’m sure it can be found at places like Blockbuster. It was made by three young guys just looking for a story to tell. They wanted to go into Southern Sudan and film all of the stuff happening there, but on their way there they found something just as dismal as the situation in Sudan. In Northern Uganda in the Kitgum area there are thousands and thousands of refugees, mainly children who have escaped from the LRA. These are some of the kids that I deal with daily. Lino escaped from the LRA. Please watch this documentary. I really think it will help you see and understand why I am so passionate about being here and working with these youth.
As far as my prayer letter going out by the first of January, yeah that didn’t happen. BUT I’m working on it and getting the input of others. It should be going out soon. I really think of you all often and miss you much. Your prayers and support are still felt and necessary. Be well friends!