'Bama With My Brothers

3.5 weeks.  It feels longer.  Maybe it's because I've packed so much stuff into those weeks.  The week after Christmas was spent hanging with my lovely youth kids and my family.  My birthday was a quiet affair this year... unlike most years.  Most of you are aware that my birthday is my favorite day of the year, but I didn't even go get my birthday haircut this year.  Everything just feels different right now.

Anyways on the 31st I flew down to Birmingham, Alabama to hang out with the Ackers and Lino and Angelo.  It was a major blessing and incredibly refreshing!  Lino and Angelo left Uganda in August to do their senior year of high school in Canada.  Jade and Shelah's family lives in B-ham, so of course the boys came home to be with their family.  It was Lino's 2nd time to the States, Angelo's first.  I thought it would seem so weird seeing them in America, but somehow it wasn't.  It was simply like being with family.  It was relaxed and easy.  Jade's parents housed all of us and it was just a really good time with my brothers. Being teenage boys neither of them showed a ton of emotion at all, but it was still really special for me to be with them.

The first night we ate yummy Indian food (common in Uganda) and shot of fireworks since it was New Years Eve.  The next day we went to church, out to lunch, and then played sand volleyball for a few hours (which we did nearly every day in Uganda).  Luckily the weather was nice enough to play.  That evening we played games and just hung out.  Monday was a holiday, but the McWane Science Center was open in downtown B-ham, so we spent the day there.  It was a blast and really funny to see the guys do some of the experiments.  We played all day there, then watched an imax movie playing there.  Afterwards we headed to a movie theatre owned by a friend of the Ackers where we got to see a movie for free and eat all of the snacks, candy, and pop we wanted.  Needless to say we didn't feel like eating dinner that night so we just hung out and chatted.  I straightened Lino's hair, while we watched a little tv.  The next morning the boys left around 10 to go hunting, so the girls and I hung out at the house until I left for the airport.

Lino and I at church

Volleyball!

Playing at the McWane Center

With all of our goodies about to watch MI3

His hair was only long on top- this is the straightened result

Saying goodbye to the boys before they left to go hunting

It was a quick trip, but just enough to make me miss Uganda really bad!  The boys are back in Canada and Jade and Shelah are back in Uganda as of today.  My heart aches to be with them, but I know that there are things I need to do here (mainly get my masters) before I can go back on any sort of permanent level.

That being said, I'm signed up to take the GRE February 7th.  I have a little under a month to study it up and do well.  I'm pretty set on where I want to go to school, but my GRE score has to be pretty high in order for me to get in.  I've sent my resume to a few churches for youth ministry positions and I'm praying that something works out.  I think I'd be a good fit with one of them in particular... we'll see what they think.  :)  I'd like to hear something soon in regards to a job as my bank account is pretty empty and I have a car in need of some big repairs.  Would you please join me in praying for these rather big items?  Pray for grad school and the GRE, for just the right job in the right church, and for the funds to fix my car.  Hopefully I'll get a job soon so I can fix the car, but it's hard getting places, like to interviews without the car.  Right now my parents are loaning me their's, but it's in use all day every day.  I only really use it when I go to youth group on Wednesday nights.

Please continue to let me know how I can be praying for you.  Blessings!