Praise God for Missing Pieces

Oh how I wish I had the gumption to sit down and write out the details of my time in Uganda to give you a better picture of what my day to day looked like.  I don't.  And in all reality, I'm not sure you'd want every detail of every day.  (and if you do, let's just go out to coffee :)  My time there was very sweet.  I hadn't really sat down and reflected on it much until today as I met with a dear friend.  Through her questions, I was able to process and see things much differently.

The first thing that hit me today was that God ordained every moment... each interaction, each breath, each tiny moment of eye contact as I cruised by on the back of a boda.  He ordained the joyful reunions and laughter, and the heart-wrenching tears as goodbyes were said.  He walked with me every step of the journey, just as He does every moment of every day here.

It's always so validating and humbling to be greeted with so much love and enthusiasm... The big hugs, the tears of joy, the feel of someone relaxing into your hug, relieved that you're finally there.  Unconditional love and the feeling of being wanted and needed... just what every woman desires.  And if I'm being completely honest, that's how most women find their identity... in how they're loved, wanted, and needed.  There were times when I felt like royalty because of the way I was being treated.  It was easy to start thinking that my worth was based on how I was being treated... because in those moments it was SO good.  But then, what would happen if I wasn't as warmly welcomed by someone? (not that that happened.)  Would how I view myself diminish somehow?  And the answer was YES.  That's a scary reality, but it's not uncommon and it's so easy to slip into.

The exciting thing is that God was in each of those moments reminding me of where my identity lies... "Beloved, I love you.  No matter what.  My love has no end, no conditions.  It doesn't depend on the number of sweet reunions or how many people love you.  It doesn't depend on how frizzy your hair is today.  You are mine and I Am more than enough.  I love you."  Over and over again, God told me and showed me that He loves me.  Who I am in Christ is who I am... that's my identity.  Looking back and looking ahead, it's so refreshing to know that God is my All in All.

Anyway, one of my favorite parts of the two weeks was spending time with the youth at the Center.  I had kids from 3 or 4 different countries, both Muslim and Christian, all new to the program.  Many of them had just arrived in Uganda.  Their English levels were extremely low, but with God's help, communication wasn't really an issue.  We spent time learning English, playing games, and doing a Bible lesson each day.  By Wednesday their participation in the games was extremely low.  Finally, one of the older boys communicated to me that they just wanted to learn... they didn't care so much about the games.  Really?!  Awesome!  So I adjusted, and I taught.  There was much laughter even in the lessons because they included a lot of me drawing... which isn't really helpful to anyone.  They also took turns drawing.  My favorite was reading the creation story from Genesis, knowing that they didn't understand most of the words coming out of my mouth, and yet seeing understanding come to them as I fumbled through drawing.  We made it through the story of the fall by the end of the week... but it was an amazing end as the Lord prompted that the emphasis be on the fact that He still pursued Adam and Eve after they had sinned.  Praise be to God.

Silly games

It was also amazing to learn a little bit of each of their stories about where they had come from and what brought them to Uganda.  Many of them are carrying the weight of the world on their young shoulders.  War, disease, death, hopelessness, anger.  The Center of Hope is indeed just that: a place of hope.  I'm so thankful for the ministries provided and that it truly serves an an oasis to refugees without hope.  It's incredible to see how it has grown over the last 3 years.  When I left, there were probably under 100 students.  Now, they are bursting at the seams with over 600.  It's so evident that Kingdom work is being done there... God is at the center and He is moving in ways that I don't think any of us could have imagined.

My African family is as sweet as ever.  To be called and introduced as "my daughter" by two of the women is so humbling.  I cherished my time with the family... even though it wasn't as long I as I would have liked.  Relationships are very much intact and growing.  It's always so cool to me that time doesn't matter to God.  In the grand scheme of things, I've spent very little time with my African family, but that doesn't seem to matter one bit.  The amount of love present is evidence of that.

Mom and Dad A

My sweet sisters

Just from school... so proud!!

:)

Mama V

My dear friend, Suadi :)

I'm SO thankful for the time I was allowed to be in there.  Each time I leave it seems like I leave more of my heart behind.  I don't mourn for those missing pieces... I rejoice, very grateful and privileged to have so many places (and people) to call home.

There's much more to share and God continues to reveal more of Himself as I sift through the days in my memory.  Please join me in praying for the work and the workers at the Center.  Pray for the refugees.  Pray for my African family.  Pray for the work and ministries here and my family here in the U.S..  Thank you all for the love and support.

"Eh, You Have Been Lost!"

I know this is pointing out the obvious, but God is so good.  I've been bad about blogging lately and I think one of the main reasons is because I'm so overwhelmed by all of the things that God is teaching me...  so much goodness that I've not been able to articulate it.  But I'm so thankful to be overwhelmed in this way.  Praise the Lord!

January both dragged on forever and flew by.  I couldn't wait to be here (in Uganda) but I also needed time to be there, preparing and still ministering affectively.  We had an amazing community worship service.  There have been plenty of good times with the youth too.  I know I say this all the time, but I LOVE my youth kids so much!  One of the Sunday nights in January I set up prayer stations for youth group.  It was such a lovely time of worship and growth.  Seeing my kids talk to God, surrender to Him, worship Him, and pray for our brothers and sisters around the world really blessed my heart.  It was a beautiful time of worship for me too.  :)

Looking back from this side of the Atlantic, January was hectic.  I spent the last two full weeks of the month being quite sick.  I don't get really sick often, but when I do, I do it right!  So miserable.  Thankfully I have lovely people in my life who helped care for me by bringing soup, cough drops, and even a vaporizer.  It was nice to slow down a bit for a change, but I was a little panicked because I still had so much to do before coming here.  The last weekend of the month was the youth winter retreat.  Thankfully, I was feeling about 80% better by then and we had a great weekend.  Did I already mention how much I love my youth?

Just a day and a half after the retreat, I flew to Uganda.  Both flights were wonderful, mostly because they weren't jam-packed.  I had plenty of space to NOT sleep.  Man, I wish I could sleep on planes!  On the upside, I've recovered from jet-lag pretty quickly because I was more than ready to go to bed by the time I got to the Hopson's house.

Anyway, the flights were perfectly timed and not only because I got off the plane in London and was able to run to make my next flight with no problems.  The timing of the day was perfect.  It was night over the Atlantic, but the sun rose as we approached Ireland and Scotland.  And the second flight was nice and bright as we cruised over France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, and the Mediterranean.  The sun set just after the sea kissed the shore of Libya into Egypt.  Flying over the Nile river at night is always incredible.  It's teeming with life... lit up on both sides, nearly all the way through Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda.  This continent is so amazing, even in the dark of the night.  Small wildfires blazed in some places, little villages were visible only by their tiny fires, and the cities just seem to be misplaced.

A lot of my flight time was spent thinking through and processing how to deal with only being here for two weeks.  I've only ever been here for year-long stints.  Two weeks just doesn't seem like enough.  I was reminded yesterday that this coming week is my only full week.  How is that even possible?!

The moment I stepped off of the plane, my whole body and mind shifted gears.  The familiars sounds and smells were so comforting... along with the sweat rolling down my neck.  Relief came over me and my eyes filled with tears.  I quickly stifled the tears so as not to draw attention to myself or creep anyone out, but I was overcome with the emotion of being here.  3 years is a long time to be away from somewhere so dear to me.  All but one bag made it, but nothing could crush my spirits.  (the bag came today, btw.)  I dealt with that quickly, and went outside to find my dear friends who had come to get me.  The reunion was very sweet.

Everything has felt so natural and familiar.  My Ugandan-English has come back without any problems and I love talking to people.  It has been a HUGE joy to be greeted by so many people I love so much!  Even my favorite boda driver (motorcycle taxi) came and met me on the road one day as I was walking.  He just wanted to greet me and find out why I'd been gone for so long.  Others who I hadn't thought would remember me so much have been more than happy to welcome me home.  The phrase, "eh!  You have been lost!" has been heard too many times to count and I love it!  I've also heard, "you are now Ugandan" many times just because of the number of times I've come and gone.  Everyone knows you can't stay away once you come.  :)

Staying with my dear friends has been an amazing blessing and comfort.  I feel so at home here.  The reunions at the Center of Hope have been nothing short of fabulous as well!!  Lots of screams, big hugs, and laughter have ensued and I still haven't even seen everyone.  My African mom from South Sudan cried, "my daughter has come home!!"  I can't accurately describe the joy in my heart these days.  There are so many people to see and my schedule is about to get a little bit hectic, but I'm so excited!

I would appreciate prayers as I minister to the youth at the Center of Hope this week.  They don't have good English (or any at all), as they say, but I'm up for the challenge.  I miss teaching ESL!  They are new to the Center which definitely works to my advantage.  We will get to know each other and how things are going at the Center together.  I can't wait.  I'm not yet sure how many nations will be represented in this group of youth, but the Center looks a lot like "all the nations" these days.  With over 600 students from probably 15 or more different countries, it's very exciting times.

Also, continued prayer for safety on the roads and health would be wonderful.  Thank you to all who have supported and who continue to support this trip!  I am SO grateful to be ministering here for this time.  Webale nyo! (Luganda for "thank you very much!")  And asante sana!! (Swahili)  Feel free to facebook creep, as I am able to update that much more frequently.  :)