Extreme Baller

You all know that I'm an extreme baller, right?  Riiiiight.  In any case one of my favorite things to do is play volleyball with the Sudanese guys.  This picture is from one of our last games before Lino and Angelo left for Canada... I'm hidden behind Hussein, who's wearing the grey shirt.  Anyways, this past Saturday evening I went over to play.  We haven't played in such a long time because with the guys in Canada, Shelah hurting her foot, and the others back at boarding school there haven't been enough of us to play.  Shelah is finally good enough to play and Saudi and Hussein were around, so we got some games going.  The court we play on is in their front yard, on a down slope.  It's steep enough to roll down... like a child.  :)

We played Americans vs Africans and were pretty evenly matched.  Jade, Shelah, and I vs Hussein, Saudi, and Meron.  After about 4 games played to 25 points, Shelah sat down to rest her foot.  Lidya took her place on our team.  I normally play in the back because of my height deficiency, but I moved up to play front with Jade while Lidya played in the back.

That's when it happened.  We had a pretty good volley going, but Lidya hit it out on our side.  In an attempt to save it I turned and leapt down towards the ball to hit it back inbounds over my head to Jade.  As I leapt I must not have calculated the slope correctly.  I was looking up at the ball coming over my head... and when I landed on my right leg, my knee hyperextended and I heard a "popping" sound.  The pain was immediate and I was down.  In case you're wondering... I did hit the ball, but the play ended when I hit the ground.

I sat there holding my knee, trying not to give into the temptation to shout.  How embarrassing!  But I was assured that my attempt at least looked good.  I sat with ice on it for about 10 minutes and then I tried to stand.  I was able to put weight on it and walk up the hill with the help and Lidya and Shelah.  I was supposed to be meeting some friends for dinner, so I hopped in the car and headed off.  I drive a manual vehicle so the constant shifting and letting on and off the gas didn't help the pain, but I made it to the restaurant.

The verdict is that I've torn a ligament in my right knee.  I'm not sure the extent of the damage, but I do know that it's pretty weak right now.  I've been icing it and trying to stay off of it.  I also have an ace bandage which helps support the area where the pain is.  It's a major bummer because even riding a boda hurts a bit and I normally walk and ride bodas during the week.  I am thankful, however, that I didn't hurt it bad enough to where I couldn't walk.  I can move and get stuff done, just at a much slower pace.  Right now the worst part is knowing how long it will take to heal.  I just want to get back out there and play volleyball... I guess I should work on walking first though.

So if it's not stronger in about a month, I'll go have it looked at.  The most important thing for you to remember is that I hit the ball back in and it's because of my extreme ballin that I got injured.  :)

News

Check out this story and continue to pray for this region and the nations of South Sudan and Sudan.

Real Danger

"Gunshots in the night. Bombs rocking the earth. Running for your life. Where's my family? Did they survive? Will I? War. Endless war. All I've ever known since I was a child is war.

It's just a way of life now. The choice to join the fight was easy... if that kind of choice is ever easy for a child of 13. Fighting for freedom, fighting for rights. Fighting to see an end to the oppression of thousands, if not millions of my people. Fighting so that when I have kids they can be free, educated, and maybe even well off. Fighting so that life can improve. Fighting so that we can simply stay alive and see another sunrise over the African savannah. Fighting because there doesn't seem to be any other choice.

The worst of our danger used to be the lions, hyenas, crocs, hippos, and snakes. Now the danger comes from our fellow man. Guns are heavy when you're 13, but I would never have admitted that at the time. We trained, learned tactics, and became machines. Machines with one function. We were trained not to stare into our enemies eyes and just to fire. Seeing the eyes makes it worse. I don't know the number of people who fell to my bullets, I don't want to know. We were trained that the lives of our enemies were worthless. I learned to shoot a gun before I ever learned how to ride a bike, before I learned much at all about the world. My education stopped when I joined the army. What's the use in finishing school if you're dead before you graduate? I made it through 3rd grade before the war came close to home.

I'm now 27 and in my junior year of high school. I'm a former child soldier; a man now in the eyes of the world, but I was a man long before most."

So I wrote this tonight because of a dream/nightmare I had early this morning. It was so real, I was there. It's been in my mind all day and I just can't ignore it anymore. You are all aware that I'm friends with some former child soldiers from Sudan. These guys are my brothers and I love them very much. This isn't any one of their very different, very specific stories. This is a combination of what I've been told by them and many others like them. The thought of writing a book has run through my mind many times, but I don't actually want to gain from the horrific knowledge and pictures that fill my brain. I simply want to raise awareness.

You guys, there is fighting in the Blue Nile region in (North) Sudan. I know I mentioned this in my last post, but as I chatted with one of the guys recently the situation reached a new level in my mind. Their families have fled. One doesn't know where his father is, the probability of his life being over is very high. The guys are stressed and upset and how could they not be? One of them seriously mentioned going home to help his family... leaving school and entering a war zone. This isn't just any war zone, it's a place where they are being hunted for their affiliation with the "rebel" army of the South. Those affiliated with the South are being captured, tortured, and killed.

When he told me he wanted to go home my heart started pounding as if it were trying to escape from my chest. Knowing that my student from the Centre and one of their fathers has already been captured does not leave me much hope that the same won't happen to him too. I started to feel nauseous at the thought of loosing a brother. In all honesty I panicked a bit. There's no doubt in my mind that if he goes home right now, he'll be killed. Sitting here in Uganda, not knowing if he was safe or not would drive me crazy. For him, not going home is betraying his family. With the possibility of his father being dead, he's now the oldest male in the household and is expected to take care of the family. The family that he's not lived with since he was a child, the family he's not seen lately. He feels obligated to drop his education and go. He knows the risk, but denies it.

The war in Sudan and South Sudan is not over. Fighting continues, lives are being lost, and people are once again fleeing their homes. It's too real. The second that one of them mentioned going home was the second that my world view changed. I wasn't content with their past, but the chance of their future being a reflection of their past is not ok. History repeating is not ok.

Please join me in falling to your knees for Sudan and South Sudan. Lift up these two nations, and all war torn nations to the Lord. People that you don't know and probably never would have come in contact with are dying. Guys and families that I love are in danger. Very real danger. The greatest danger though, is that they don't know Jesus. Plead for their souls with me. Pray for truth to be revealed and for hearts to be softened to the Word. Pray for them to see visions... many Muslims have come to Christ through visions. Pray. They have heard the truth about Jesus... pray for acceptance. Pray for peace in those nations, pray for peace in their hearts as they're "stuck" in school. Pray. Pray for safety. Pray. Please.

Different

Different. That's the word I would use to describe this term here in Uganda. Not bad, but very different. Last time my focus was on my students and the youth at Heritage International School and my lovely bible study ladies from Kampala International University. I spent most (if not all) of my time building and nurturing relationships, caring for people, and loving on them as much as I could. This time I've spent a lot of time working behind the scenes, if you will, on various projects for WGM. On the side I've been teaching ESL to amazing refugees at the Centre of Hope and I was hanging with the youth at Heritage for a while too. Well now that Lino and Angelo are gone and I'm not rooming with any teachers, I don't feel connected to Heritage at all. It's a very strange feeling to be in Kampala and not have a reason to hang out at Heritage. They now have two people working with the youth at the school and I definitely don't feel needed there. Also, not being a teacher there it might be weird for me to just be hanging around a bunch of teenagers. (don't want to be too much of a creeper, you know?)

My relational outlet comes when I'm teaching at the Centre and I'm so very thankful to be a part of the ministry there. Nothing brightens my day more than walking onto the compound and being greeted by at least 5-10 of my students who are just hanging out, waiting for class to start. I recently reconnected with one of my girls who has been given the chance to go to school... she was on holiday and visiting the Centre. She, out of no where, came up to me to say thank you for the things we learned in reading and writing class. She said the practicality of it has been extremely helpful and she's grateful for me. When you're having a rough day, what more could you want to hear to brighten it up? I felt very blessed to be a part of God's work there. I'm teaching a new class there now and some from my other class have transfered into my new class because they like my teaching style. Its just amazing to me.

I've also been able to still hang out with the Sudanese guys a lot. We've had some really good conversations and we're still learning a whole lot from one another. Their school holiday is over now and they're all back at school. All but one of them goes to boarding school so needless to say it's quiet around here... especially since Lino and Angelo are in Canada. :( Unfortunately, as I'm sure you've seen me post on facebook, the region where the guys are from in Sudan is intense and very dangerous with fighting. One them has a father who has been captured by the government in the north for being associated with the "rebels" in the south. It's very messy and very scary. Even one of my students from the Centre of hope has been captured. He was a child soldier with the south, like my guys, and was home visiting over the school holiday. We've not heard anything since we heard that he was captured. There are many uncertainties right now and my guys are all struggling, not knowing how their families are doing. Most of their families have fled. Thousands have fled to Ethiopia. The guys just began their last term of the school year. It's vital that they do well in order to move up a grade, and one is in line to finish and graduate in November. Please pray for their minds and hearts as they are in school, unable to communicate with their families. Pray also for their souls and for them to come to know Jesus as their personal savior.

Lino and Angelo are adjusting and doing well in Canada. They both tried out for and made the varsity soccer team in their first week of school. No surprise there at all. However academically it's already proved to be a bit of a challenge for both of them. Angelo skipped a grade here in Kampala and is short on credits. Both guys are having to take extra class (hard classes) in order to graduate on time in June. We've skyped a few times and it's always so good to see their smiling faces. They are certainly very missed here. I was at Heritage for an event on Friday night and it was my first time on campus since they left... it was definitely NOT fun without them! Anyways, I'm so very proud of them and I'm looking forward to seeing them in the near-ish future. Depending on where they are for spring break I may go visit them. If that doesn't work I'm going to try to go up there in June for their graduation. Pray for them as they continue to adjust to life in the west. Pray for the minds as they are stretched to new levels academically. Pray for their hearts and mental statuses being 9,000 miles away from home and 2 of a total of 4 black people in a giant school. As always pray for their souls. They need to know Jesus. I've been praying for Godly men/friends to show up in their lives in Canada. Join me.

So anyways I'm not sure where I was going with this, other than to say that things are very different right now. I'm still in love with this place and count myself very blessed to be living here and experiencing this part of God's cast creation. Most days, there's no where in the world I would rather be. I love going to the grocery store for something as simple as eggs and finding chicken feathers in the carton. I love hearing the crazy birds squawking at each other all day long. I love watching the sunrise over Lake Victoria through the morning fog. I love taking boda rides instead of driving when I want to zone out and enjoy the beauty of this place. I love seeing the beauty in nearly everything that I'm surrounded by. What a glorious gift from Jesus to be here. Thanks be to God.

Excerpt from "Breaking Free"

Let's conclude our chapter with a last thought on Christ's binding up the brokenhearted. Notice that the first definition includes the concepts of covering, enveloping, and enclosing. Life's way of reacting to a crushed heart is to wrap tough sinews of flesh around it and tempt us to promise we’ll never let ourselves get hurt again. That's not God's way. Remember, self-made fortresses not only keep love from going out; they keep love from coming in. We risk becoming captives in our own protective fortresses. Only God can put the pieces of our hearts back together again, close up all the wounds, and bind them with a porous bandage that protects from infection … but keeps the heart free to inhale and exhale love.

Moore, Beth (2007). BREAKING FREE (Kindle Locations 1798-1804). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

The Very Place

A week ago I went to Buziga, which the the area where the Jade, Shelah, and the Sudanese guys stay. I was going to go swimming, read, and relax at this place just up the hill from them. When I get there I decided I didn't want to spend the money to go swimming, so I walked down to this field where the guys used to play football and volleyball. I sat under a giant tree that looked pretty dead at first, but once laying under it I realized that there were small blooms everywhere. There was hope. After laying there for an hour reading, praying, and listening to music, I headed home. After not wanting to spend money at the pool I couldn't convince myself to spend more money on a boda. So I just started walking. It's about a 5 mile walk home, but that thought didn't even cross my mind. I put on some Passion worship music and began my journey. I walked the familiar road taking in all of the sights and sounds that I always miss from my car or a boda.

Children played and stopped only to look at me and wave. People worked, relaxed, and played along the way. Many people walk those roads and hike those hills everyday. I loved it. I didn't even mind as the sweat dripped because it was a beautiful time of worship. I passed two different wedding ceremonies in progress. Huge amounts of people dressed in their absolute best to celebrate a new stage in people's lives. I passed a couple of very tiny, adorable, baby goats that made me smile as they stumbled around and played.

When walking down the main road, bodas and matatus (taxis) kept stopping to offer me a ride, but I didn't even think twice about continuing my journey. I walked towards a large billboard which was a resting place for two giant Marabou Storks. They were perched high atop the billboard and they both had their wings spread. I'm pretty sure they were saying, "yeah? what's up? bring it on!" They looked so menacing, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud. It reminded me of Finding Nemo when those crabs are guarding the pipe where the bubbles come out saying, "hey! heeeey!!" So funny.

As I started up one of the bigger hills I was greeted by yet another wedding ceremony. This one was taking place on both sides of this tiny dirt road. It was awkward especially because I had to walk through covered in sweat as they were all sitting there looking so fancy. However no one cared or made faces... they didn't even laugh at my determination as I hike up past them.

It didn't take me near as long as I thought it would and it was incredibly refreshing amidst the craziness of my weekly schedule. I needed to clear my head and spend a day with the Jesus. Uganda has my heart in it's grip... and that's quite the feat considering how heavy my heart has been. I'm praying for clarity and obvious direction from the Lord. Would you pray with me?

One of the youth kids here had this to say about Uganda yesterday and I loved it: "Dirt roads, dust, little kids, makeshift toys, motorcycles, taxi's, and the heat of the sun shining down on us. You may not even know the name of this place. But I do. This is the very place I call home."

Here I am with Lino and Angelo at their going away party


And here I am with Lino just hours before I took them to the airport