Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Some more stuff I love
I love the night sky here. Even in the big city of Kampala the stars are brighter here than anywhere else I’ve ever seen them. If you thought the stars were big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. It’s like being at a planetarium every night. Even the moon shines like the sun and lights the way on the roads at night. I’ve seen Venus more in the past few months than I have in my entire life. It’s really cool to be able to see some of the stars that are only seen in the Southern Hemisphere too… I’m such a short distance from the Equator I get to see both the Northern and Southern hemisphere’s constellations.
I love the laughter of the children. Over half of the population in Uganda is under the age of 18, so you can imagine how many children I see every day. Their laughter is contagious. One of the Ugandan first graders down at the school is called Miriam... when she laughs everyone else just has to laugh with her.
I love seeing all of the babies. It seems like every other woman I see has a baby strapped on her back. Whether the mother is working or just walking that baby sleeps or simply sits patiently strapped to the mother’s back by some cloth.
I love the children’s enthusiasm when they see me. Even though I’m in an area where there are plenty of white people, some of the children still find it necessary to yell out and greet me. They wave as though they’ve never seen someone with my skin color. (I’m really dark these days, so I don’t even look like much of a whitey anymore.)
I love all of the different birds and the crazy sounds that they make. There is a bird here that I call the monkey bird. When it cackles it sounds just like a monkey calling. There are also these birds that just laugh… all the time. It makes me chuckle often, especially if I’m in a serious meeting or something.
I love loving on people who need to be loved. I love giving as much of me away as I can. I love the response of those that I get to love. I really love to feel needed, so when I don’t I tend to get downhearted. I just want to invest all that I can into some of the lives of these people and I pray for continued opportunities to do so.
I love exploring this land and seeing things I’ve never seen before. God’s creation is so vast and I want to see as much of it as I can. I love the wonder that the creation brings. It’s thought provoking and challenging. It’s brilliant and way beyond my imagination.
I’ve struggled lately to see the beauty… mostly because the school consumes my life. But this weekend I took the time to go off by myself, to take my bible and drink in all of creation that I could in an afternoon. The sun darkened my skin and lightened my hair yet another shade. I sat and saw majestic birds floating through the sky, boats slowly making their way across Lake Victoria, a cool breeze making the fields of green wave at me from their position below. It was truly overload for the senses. It was a gentle reminder of why my heart will ache for this place when I’m gone.
Once again, will you pray for me as I’m here. Pray for my heart. Pray for my ministries. Pray for my friends and family back home. Pray that the lives I come in contact with everyday will somehow be affected by the love of Christ that I try to show. Pray for Sudan and it’s people. Pray for peace. Pray for Northern Uganda and the lost children and lost lives there. Simply pray.
I love the laughter of the children. Over half of the population in Uganda is under the age of 18, so you can imagine how many children I see every day. Their laughter is contagious. One of the Ugandan first graders down at the school is called Miriam... when she laughs everyone else just has to laugh with her.
I love seeing all of the babies. It seems like every other woman I see has a baby strapped on her back. Whether the mother is working or just walking that baby sleeps or simply sits patiently strapped to the mother’s back by some cloth.
I love the children’s enthusiasm when they see me. Even though I’m in an area where there are plenty of white people, some of the children still find it necessary to yell out and greet me. They wave as though they’ve never seen someone with my skin color. (I’m really dark these days, so I don’t even look like much of a whitey anymore.)
I love all of the different birds and the crazy sounds that they make. There is a bird here that I call the monkey bird. When it cackles it sounds just like a monkey calling. There are also these birds that just laugh… all the time. It makes me chuckle often, especially if I’m in a serious meeting or something.
I love loving on people who need to be loved. I love giving as much of me away as I can. I love the response of those that I get to love. I really love to feel needed, so when I don’t I tend to get downhearted. I just want to invest all that I can into some of the lives of these people and I pray for continued opportunities to do so.
I love exploring this land and seeing things I’ve never seen before. God’s creation is so vast and I want to see as much of it as I can. I love the wonder that the creation brings. It’s thought provoking and challenging. It’s brilliant and way beyond my imagination.
I’ve struggled lately to see the beauty… mostly because the school consumes my life. But this weekend I took the time to go off by myself, to take my bible and drink in all of creation that I could in an afternoon. The sun darkened my skin and lightened my hair yet another shade. I sat and saw majestic birds floating through the sky, boats slowly making their way across Lake Victoria, a cool breeze making the fields of green wave at me from their position below. It was truly overload for the senses. It was a gentle reminder of why my heart will ache for this place when I’m gone.
Once again, will you pray for me as I’m here. Pray for my heart. Pray for my ministries. Pray for my friends and family back home. Pray that the lives I come in contact with everyday will somehow be affected by the love of Christ that I try to show. Pray for Sudan and it’s people. Pray for peace. Pray for Northern Uganda and the lost children and lost lives there. Simply pray.
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Attack of the Giant Cockroach!
Technically I’m within a month… my promise has been kept! ☺ I’m a bit pathetic, I know. I have a lot to update you on these days. First and foremost, my birthday is in 3 weeks! Chamuka!! Yes, that’s twenty-one days, which means that you better get mailing!
Yes, I said mailing, which means no, I’m not going to be able to come home for Christmas like I had hoped. It just didn’t work out financially, but please believe me when I say I’m heart broken that I won’t get to see all of you. It would have been a nice refresher for me, but alas life goes on. I’ll be spending Christmas with people I love and that’s all that matters right? It’s amazing how God brings the right people into our lives at the right times. It is going to be very difficult for me to be away, but I’m lucky to have great friends here.
Another Lino update is in order. He came back to school a couple days two weeks ago, much sooner than we expected. Then last Monday (Dec 1) Lino was in class and things got bad again. Luckily we got him home before he got too bad. He spent that day not remembering much of anything or anyone. It was so sad because the day before I took him and his brother to a pool and he seemed just fine. So anyways, Tuesday he woke up remembering again, but they took him to the doctor where he got new medicine. It is medicine for seizures, but no he’s been sick to his stomach and fainting a few times a day. It’s a very serious and scary situation. I’ve been lucky to be able to make the time to spend with him, but it’s heart breaking some days. He’s just so very depressed. Please be remembering Lino in your prayers. He is currently in Mbale, which is where there are some specialists. He’ll be getting a new CAT scan, an EEG, and a bunch of other tests. Pray that they find something and are able to treat him. Pray that he is cooperative with the doctors. I just want my buddy, Lino back.
Needless to say, I’ve still been really busy. The Christmas program at school was last week, so we spent much of the week preparing for that. I mainly helped with the choir, teaching them harmony with Francis, and doing some technical stuff during the program. Our WGM weekend-o-meetings was a long weekend! There was some fun mixed in with the meetings, but it was a bit tedious nonetheless. We were able to celebrate thanksgiving as a field and that was really nice. Our Arua team was down here and I’ve really grown to love them.
Speaking of Arua, Nick is heading up to finish his time in Uganda there, so I’ll say bye to him in a couple of weeks. Also, Billy and Joanna have invited me to come up to Arua for Christmas so that’s something I’m still considering at this point. Billy travels into Sudan a lot and much of his ministry is there. One of the missionaries here has offered to fund a trip for me to travel to Juba in Sudan with Billy and probably Nick to check out some ministry possibilities up there. I don’t know many of the details, but I know I’ve been called to youth ministry and Juba is the place where I’ll be able to work with youth. There’s a university that Billy works with and he loves the students there, so that’s a possibility. WGM has just, within the past month opened a new field in Sudan, so it is very possible for me to return to Africa after this trip and work with the youth there. It’s an exciting prospect and one that will require lots of prayer because of the situations going on in Southern Sudan, but at this point I would love to minister up there. I’m also praying about the Congo, but at this point no mission organization will send a single white woman in there. WGM doesn’t have a field set up there yet either, but there’s a good chance of it in the very near future. The Congo is even more unsettled than Sudan, so I’m thinking I need to consider that a bit more.
Teaching continues to be a challenge and it’s definitely not something I’d want to do for the rest of my life, but it seems to be becoming more comfortable. By that I mean, I can come to school on a Monday morning and plan lessons in about 5 minutes for the whole day. It’s a very nice thing… maybe not the best way to do it, but it works. I’m really starting to look forward to teaching the high school class three times a week next semester. It’s called “School of Rock.” Yeah like the movie and yeah, I’m just that cool. Last time I updated I wrote about what it will entail so you can check it out there.
I’ve said this before, but my time here is just flying. I have days when time drags on and it seems like I’ll never get to see you guys again, but most days when I get home it’s usually after 8pm and I wonder where the day has gone. I am almost halfway done with my time here… yikes!
I must say that I’m a bit jealous of the cold weather ya’ll are experiencing right now. It’s so darn HOT here right now. I mean HOT. Yesterday was a Muslim holiday so we had no school (a total blessing) so we went to the pool and hit the craft markets to get Christmas gifts for ya’ll. The pool was nice because at least we could cool off, but the craft markets were insanely hot. Even the locals were saying how hot it was. My skin is going to be as dark as Lino’s by the time I come home, I swear! I don’t think I’ve ever been this dark in December. ☺
Something I’m sure you’ve all been wondering is how I’m surviving with all the giant bugs. Well to be honest I’ve not been too bothered by them because they tend to run/fly/creep the other way. BUT last night I was relaxing and watching the latest episode of the Office (which only took 7 hours to download by the way!!) when right under my front door crept a cockroach the size of a bird! I’m not exaggerating. I immediately jumped up and ran out of the room screaming like I was being shot at or something. My roommate was able to sweep it out of the house, but of course after something like that I was jumpy and a bit freaked out!! So a few minutes later when the episode was over I went to the bathroom only to be greeted by a giant spider! So of course it was over the doorway and I couldn’t leave because it may have drop on me. When I screamed it did drop! And then it proceeded to charge me. Luckily I had put shoes and socks on because I was scared the roach was going to come back, so I jumped on the toilet and ran screaming from the bathroom. Once again my roommate went in to do control… well she couldn’t find it. So naturally I thought it was on me. She had to do a complete check of me before I could even move. When she didn’t find it on me she searched the bathroom again and found it hanging out behind the garbage can. She was able to dispose of it for me, but I was already so creeped out that I couldn’t relax. Yeah, it was Tylenol PM night last night.
I can just see some of your faces and hear your laughter as you read these words, but truly it was awful! I’m told that the roaches are coming out because of the rainy season. I might add that the “rainy season” is just as dry as the other seasons, so I’m not sure I’d call this the rainy season. When it rains some days around noon, it down pours for maybe a half hour to an hour and then the sun comes back out creating a sauna on earth, and crazy, frizzy hair for me. It’s just a lovely sight. Maybe I should get my hair braided, what do you think?
My hope is to get prayer letters out to you all by the end of this month. You should be receiving them in January… I hope. It should include some pictures and give you a good idea of my life here.
I realize that I haven’t done a good job of letting you know what my daily life is like here so I’m going to try to do that right now. Before I do though I would encourage worriers not to read on (Mom and Dad) because it may seem like I’m unsafe, but I have never felt like I was in danger. Let’s start with the driving. I share a car with my roommate and with Nick. We drive on the left side of the road, or whichever side has fewer cars at that particular time. It’s kind of a free for all, meaning as long as you’re not holding up traffic you can go anywhere. Now, technically there are laws, but they are generally not enforced unless you’re a Mzungu (white). If you’re white you tend to get pulled over a bit more than the Africans because the assumption is that we can afford to pay high penalties. The system of law is quite corrupt. Cops ask for bribes when you’re pulled over and sadly, most of the time it is easier to bribe the police than handle all the hoops you’d have to jump through if you go to the “station.” Now, the roads are another story. Much of the time you’re being thrown about your car because the “roads” are crazy. In fact the road I live on is one of the worst around. Don’t drive here if you have back problems! Driving stick shift here can be a bit of challenge thanks to the steep hills and crazy bumps. It is a bad idea to stop on a steep hill to let others coming the other direction pass (because the road isn’t wide enough for 2 vehicles) because chances are you’re going to roll back down the hill. Some of the hills really do force you to use the emergency brake in order to make it up them. The cops have a tendency to make traffic ten times worse than it should be because when they “direct” traffic it just doesn’t make sense.
As far as language goes, there is not a huge barrier here in Kampala, but when we go out to the villages it’s much more of challenge. Something I learned a few weeks ago is that the word poop is VERY offensive. One of the Ugandan teachers at the school had a baby and brought him in during our last staff meeting I was holding him when all of a sudden it was very evident that he needed a diaper change. So I said, “I think he pooped.” Immediately all of the Ugandan teachers were cracking up. Apparently poop is the equivalent of the “s” word in America. Oops. In fact saying the “s” word is very acceptable and encouraged here. Other than that I’m a little sad that I’ve not made more of an effort to learn more Luganda or Swahili. I know a few things here and there, but I really need to be better about learning.
I know I’ve written about the roads and the amber dirt that makes up the roads, but the roads are really pretty when they’re wet. They’re slippery and dangerous, yes, but pretty. It is actually against the law to splash people when you’re driving… so even if it’s an accident you could be chased and fined. The problem is there is a pothole every few feet, so it is impossible not to make a little bit of a splash. Flat tires are a common thing here thanks to the roads. We have had one flat tire in our car, which is amazing considering how crazy the roads are.
I live in what we call a compound. There are four apartments total in our compound. We are fenced in by a huge brick/cement wall that goes all the way around the compound and there’s a gate with an entrance big enough for a vehicle. There is also a “doggy door” in which you can go in and out of without the guard opening it. There is supposed to be a guard on all compounds for WGMers because realistically mzungus are singled out and are a target for robberies. Most mzungus in Uganda have a guard. There is a guard shack on our compound and our guard is here 24/7. Well he’s supposed to be here 24/7… recently he has been in and out and now his 3 year old son is living with him, so he’s a bit preoccupied. I spoke up to WGM because people on the street have seen us having to let ourselves in and out of the gate at night numerous times without a guard… in other words we’re white, we have money, and we’re open game. Now we have a guard that WGM pays who comes from 7pm to 7am, which has been a bit of a relief.
Something that took me a very long time to get used to is having “house help.” Susan is a very trusted Ugandan woman who comes to our apartment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She comes to clean, do our laundry, and wash our dishes. She washes our clothes by hand and then hangs them on a line to dry. She makes our beds, cleans the bathroom, mops the floors, and even washes our fruit for us. When I first got here I was VERY uncomfortable with this because I did not come to be served by a Ugandan, I came to serve. However I’m learning more and more everyday how much these Ugandans need the jobs we provide. I still don’t like it because I feel like a total snob, but even Ugandans who are a bit better off have house helpers. It is considered rude and arrogant if you don’t have someone helping out. The Ugandans see it as a way to make money. It’s very interesting to me. Susan is sweet and we haven’t had many issues with her at all. She even “Doomed” (it’s the brand of bug spray here) my mattress for me because I was getting all kinds of crazy bug bites on my back and stomach for no reason. They would just appear when I woke up and they were itchy! They’re gone now though, no worries. ☺
Right now that’s about all I can think of and I think you guys have enough to read for now. I love you all and think of you often. Please be in touch friends.
Yes, I said mailing, which means no, I’m not going to be able to come home for Christmas like I had hoped. It just didn’t work out financially, but please believe me when I say I’m heart broken that I won’t get to see all of you. It would have been a nice refresher for me, but alas life goes on. I’ll be spending Christmas with people I love and that’s all that matters right? It’s amazing how God brings the right people into our lives at the right times. It is going to be very difficult for me to be away, but I’m lucky to have great friends here.
Another Lino update is in order. He came back to school a couple days two weeks ago, much sooner than we expected. Then last Monday (Dec 1) Lino was in class and things got bad again. Luckily we got him home before he got too bad. He spent that day not remembering much of anything or anyone. It was so sad because the day before I took him and his brother to a pool and he seemed just fine. So anyways, Tuesday he woke up remembering again, but they took him to the doctor where he got new medicine. It is medicine for seizures, but no he’s been sick to his stomach and fainting a few times a day. It’s a very serious and scary situation. I’ve been lucky to be able to make the time to spend with him, but it’s heart breaking some days. He’s just so very depressed. Please be remembering Lino in your prayers. He is currently in Mbale, which is where there are some specialists. He’ll be getting a new CAT scan, an EEG, and a bunch of other tests. Pray that they find something and are able to treat him. Pray that he is cooperative with the doctors. I just want my buddy, Lino back.
Needless to say, I’ve still been really busy. The Christmas program at school was last week, so we spent much of the week preparing for that. I mainly helped with the choir, teaching them harmony with Francis, and doing some technical stuff during the program. Our WGM weekend-o-meetings was a long weekend! There was some fun mixed in with the meetings, but it was a bit tedious nonetheless. We were able to celebrate thanksgiving as a field and that was really nice. Our Arua team was down here and I’ve really grown to love them.
Speaking of Arua, Nick is heading up to finish his time in Uganda there, so I’ll say bye to him in a couple of weeks. Also, Billy and Joanna have invited me to come up to Arua for Christmas so that’s something I’m still considering at this point. Billy travels into Sudan a lot and much of his ministry is there. One of the missionaries here has offered to fund a trip for me to travel to Juba in Sudan with Billy and probably Nick to check out some ministry possibilities up there. I don’t know many of the details, but I know I’ve been called to youth ministry and Juba is the place where I’ll be able to work with youth. There’s a university that Billy works with and he loves the students there, so that’s a possibility. WGM has just, within the past month opened a new field in Sudan, so it is very possible for me to return to Africa after this trip and work with the youth there. It’s an exciting prospect and one that will require lots of prayer because of the situations going on in Southern Sudan, but at this point I would love to minister up there. I’m also praying about the Congo, but at this point no mission organization will send a single white woman in there. WGM doesn’t have a field set up there yet either, but there’s a good chance of it in the very near future. The Congo is even more unsettled than Sudan, so I’m thinking I need to consider that a bit more.
Teaching continues to be a challenge and it’s definitely not something I’d want to do for the rest of my life, but it seems to be becoming more comfortable. By that I mean, I can come to school on a Monday morning and plan lessons in about 5 minutes for the whole day. It’s a very nice thing… maybe not the best way to do it, but it works. I’m really starting to look forward to teaching the high school class three times a week next semester. It’s called “School of Rock.” Yeah like the movie and yeah, I’m just that cool. Last time I updated I wrote about what it will entail so you can check it out there.
I’ve said this before, but my time here is just flying. I have days when time drags on and it seems like I’ll never get to see you guys again, but most days when I get home it’s usually after 8pm and I wonder where the day has gone. I am almost halfway done with my time here… yikes!
I must say that I’m a bit jealous of the cold weather ya’ll are experiencing right now. It’s so darn HOT here right now. I mean HOT. Yesterday was a Muslim holiday so we had no school (a total blessing) so we went to the pool and hit the craft markets to get Christmas gifts for ya’ll. The pool was nice because at least we could cool off, but the craft markets were insanely hot. Even the locals were saying how hot it was. My skin is going to be as dark as Lino’s by the time I come home, I swear! I don’t think I’ve ever been this dark in December. ☺
Something I’m sure you’ve all been wondering is how I’m surviving with all the giant bugs. Well to be honest I’ve not been too bothered by them because they tend to run/fly/creep the other way. BUT last night I was relaxing and watching the latest episode of the Office (which only took 7 hours to download by the way!!) when right under my front door crept a cockroach the size of a bird! I’m not exaggerating. I immediately jumped up and ran out of the room screaming like I was being shot at or something. My roommate was able to sweep it out of the house, but of course after something like that I was jumpy and a bit freaked out!! So a few minutes later when the episode was over I went to the bathroom only to be greeted by a giant spider! So of course it was over the doorway and I couldn’t leave because it may have drop on me. When I screamed it did drop! And then it proceeded to charge me. Luckily I had put shoes and socks on because I was scared the roach was going to come back, so I jumped on the toilet and ran screaming from the bathroom. Once again my roommate went in to do control… well she couldn’t find it. So naturally I thought it was on me. She had to do a complete check of me before I could even move. When she didn’t find it on me she searched the bathroom again and found it hanging out behind the garbage can. She was able to dispose of it for me, but I was already so creeped out that I couldn’t relax. Yeah, it was Tylenol PM night last night.
I can just see some of your faces and hear your laughter as you read these words, but truly it was awful! I’m told that the roaches are coming out because of the rainy season. I might add that the “rainy season” is just as dry as the other seasons, so I’m not sure I’d call this the rainy season. When it rains some days around noon, it down pours for maybe a half hour to an hour and then the sun comes back out creating a sauna on earth, and crazy, frizzy hair for me. It’s just a lovely sight. Maybe I should get my hair braided, what do you think?
My hope is to get prayer letters out to you all by the end of this month. You should be receiving them in January… I hope. It should include some pictures and give you a good idea of my life here.
I realize that I haven’t done a good job of letting you know what my daily life is like here so I’m going to try to do that right now. Before I do though I would encourage worriers not to read on (Mom and Dad) because it may seem like I’m unsafe, but I have never felt like I was in danger. Let’s start with the driving. I share a car with my roommate and with Nick. We drive on the left side of the road, or whichever side has fewer cars at that particular time. It’s kind of a free for all, meaning as long as you’re not holding up traffic you can go anywhere. Now, technically there are laws, but they are generally not enforced unless you’re a Mzungu (white). If you’re white you tend to get pulled over a bit more than the Africans because the assumption is that we can afford to pay high penalties. The system of law is quite corrupt. Cops ask for bribes when you’re pulled over and sadly, most of the time it is easier to bribe the police than handle all the hoops you’d have to jump through if you go to the “station.” Now, the roads are another story. Much of the time you’re being thrown about your car because the “roads” are crazy. In fact the road I live on is one of the worst around. Don’t drive here if you have back problems! Driving stick shift here can be a bit of challenge thanks to the steep hills and crazy bumps. It is a bad idea to stop on a steep hill to let others coming the other direction pass (because the road isn’t wide enough for 2 vehicles) because chances are you’re going to roll back down the hill. Some of the hills really do force you to use the emergency brake in order to make it up them. The cops have a tendency to make traffic ten times worse than it should be because when they “direct” traffic it just doesn’t make sense.
As far as language goes, there is not a huge barrier here in Kampala, but when we go out to the villages it’s much more of challenge. Something I learned a few weeks ago is that the word poop is VERY offensive. One of the Ugandan teachers at the school had a baby and brought him in during our last staff meeting I was holding him when all of a sudden it was very evident that he needed a diaper change. So I said, “I think he pooped.” Immediately all of the Ugandan teachers were cracking up. Apparently poop is the equivalent of the “s” word in America. Oops. In fact saying the “s” word is very acceptable and encouraged here. Other than that I’m a little sad that I’ve not made more of an effort to learn more Luganda or Swahili. I know a few things here and there, but I really need to be better about learning.
I know I’ve written about the roads and the amber dirt that makes up the roads, but the roads are really pretty when they’re wet. They’re slippery and dangerous, yes, but pretty. It is actually against the law to splash people when you’re driving… so even if it’s an accident you could be chased and fined. The problem is there is a pothole every few feet, so it is impossible not to make a little bit of a splash. Flat tires are a common thing here thanks to the roads. We have had one flat tire in our car, which is amazing considering how crazy the roads are.
I live in what we call a compound. There are four apartments total in our compound. We are fenced in by a huge brick/cement wall that goes all the way around the compound and there’s a gate with an entrance big enough for a vehicle. There is also a “doggy door” in which you can go in and out of without the guard opening it. There is supposed to be a guard on all compounds for WGMers because realistically mzungus are singled out and are a target for robberies. Most mzungus in Uganda have a guard. There is a guard shack on our compound and our guard is here 24/7. Well he’s supposed to be here 24/7… recently he has been in and out and now his 3 year old son is living with him, so he’s a bit preoccupied. I spoke up to WGM because people on the street have seen us having to let ourselves in and out of the gate at night numerous times without a guard… in other words we’re white, we have money, and we’re open game. Now we have a guard that WGM pays who comes from 7pm to 7am, which has been a bit of a relief.
Something that took me a very long time to get used to is having “house help.” Susan is a very trusted Ugandan woman who comes to our apartment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She comes to clean, do our laundry, and wash our dishes. She washes our clothes by hand and then hangs them on a line to dry. She makes our beds, cleans the bathroom, mops the floors, and even washes our fruit for us. When I first got here I was VERY uncomfortable with this because I did not come to be served by a Ugandan, I came to serve. However I’m learning more and more everyday how much these Ugandans need the jobs we provide. I still don’t like it because I feel like a total snob, but even Ugandans who are a bit better off have house helpers. It is considered rude and arrogant if you don’t have someone helping out. The Ugandans see it as a way to make money. It’s very interesting to me. Susan is sweet and we haven’t had many issues with her at all. She even “Doomed” (it’s the brand of bug spray here) my mattress for me because I was getting all kinds of crazy bug bites on my back and stomach for no reason. They would just appear when I woke up and they were itchy! They’re gone now though, no worries. ☺
Right now that’s about all I can think of and I think you guys have enough to read for now. I love you all and think of you often. Please be in touch friends.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Lino Update
Once again I thought I would update much sooner than this, but alas time has flown and I’ve been super busy. I guess I’m always going to be real busy, so I really should stop saying I’m going to update often when I know I’m not. ☺
Well, I’m about through my 4th month here and it’s pretty unreal to think that after one more month, my time here will be half over. Wow, makes me wonder what I’ve been doing for the last 4 months. Anyways, I want to send a big hello to everyone at Plano UMC. Thank you all so very much for you love, support, and prayers.
Most of you who read this got an email a couple weeks ago regarding my buddy, Lino. For those of you who didn’t, I’ll give you a brief overview. Lino is one of the high school students at the school. I’ve written about him on here before. He’s an awesome kid and has become a good friend. He’s a rescued child soldier from Sudan. He’s probably about 15, but we’re not entirely sure. Anyways about two weeks ago Lino was playing soccer with his younger brother, Taban and his guardian, Jade when Taban and Lino collided. Lino was knocked so hard that he wasn’t breathing for a while and then when he was breathing again he didn’t know who he was or where he was. He was in the hospital for 3 days and in that time he was hallucinating and he was a threat to himself. The blow to his head caused all of these memories about war and his life on the streets working and begging for a scrap of food to surface. He thought he was 8 or 9 years old, he couldn’t remember anything. The first night I saw him in the hospital, Nick and I made dinner for Jade and brought it up there, it was all I could do to keep from breaking down right there. He was NOT the Lino I know. He told me, “Lino is dead.” I didn’t handle hearing stuff like that very well. The doctors at one hospital said he was faking it all and medically he was fine. Well clearly they didn’t know what they were talking about because Lino is not a self-seeking person. His concern is always for those around him before himself. He is the sweetest spirit I’ve ever met.
After 3 days in the hospital they brought him home, but he was still very off. He was still seeing people and hearing voices that were telling him to do things that I can’t even write about. It was awful. I have never seen anything like that and I hope to never see someone I love go through what Lino is going through. He didn’t even look like my Lino… he would look at you, but not focus on you. He knew you were there, but he’d look right through you. He looked so sad and scared; it’s hard to even think about now.
Needless to say the past few weeks have been rough. Nick and I have been the only ones “allowed” to see Lino. We have built good relationships with him and Jade and Sheila know how much we love him. Lino went to a new doctor and he was taken off some of the medicine that the hospitals put him on, which were actually causing some of the hallucinations. Well the new doctor is saying that the blow to the head has cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to surface. This means that the road ahead of Lino is long and rough, but he will be fine. He is now remembering who he is, who we are, where he is, that he goes to school and has friends, and that he is so loved. He’s a million times better than he was the first day I saw him (the day after the accident), but he still has so much to deal with and go through. Please be praying for him. Pray for his guardians, Jade and Sheila, and his brother Taban.
Taban is not dealing well with life at all these days. Prayer for this young man is essential. He is recalling things from his past that he had suppressed too, but not to the extent that Lino is because Taban was only about 5 or 6 when Jade and Sheila rescued him.
Thanks for all of your prayers for these guys already. They mean a lot to me and I love them so much. Lino may be able to come back to school in a few weeks, and we’re really hoping that it’s even sooner than that.
So the past two weeks of my life have been teaching and visiting with Lino. At this point I am exhausted in every sense of the word; physically because I never have time to sleep more than like 6 hours every night; mentally because I’ve been watching some of my favorite kids go through some really rough stuff; emotionally for the same reason. One thing that has come out of all of this is a much closer relationship with the people I’ve been with every day. Jade and Sheila are great and I’m excited to be getting to know them better.
Moving on… The principal at school asked me if I would be willing to teach an elective for the high school next semester. She knows I’m called to work with youth and this would be a great way to get to know some of the students even better. I’m excited to say that the relationships I’ve built with these youth are growing and I’m loving it. I haven’t officially decided what the class will be, but I’m thinking about doing a ‘music worldview class’ where we’ll discuss different genres of music and the biblical view of the lyrics and the world view. It’ll very much be a discussion class. We’d do like 2 weeks on Christian metal, then 2 weeks on gangsta rap, and 2 weeks on classical… I think the students would get excited about something like that and I want to do something with music other than lead worship all the time, though it’s not a bad thing. I love leading worship. ☺
My sister recently brought up the idea of me going home for Christmas and I was immediately excited of course, but I’m not sure if it will happen. I would love to come home and I’ve already gotten permission from the mission to take time off, but I think what it really comes down to is the money. If I were to come home I would really need to be working to get speaking opportunities at churches and share about the ministry I’m doing here. I think it’d be cool to come home and be able to share with people the experiences I’ve had so far, but I’m also trying to be smart about it. I’m told that when missionaries go home within the first year that they’re on the field, they have a real hard time coming back and plugging back into their ministries. I would like to think that I could mentally prepare myself for that and be ready to come back. I think being home would be refreshing, but by coming home would I be taking away from something that God has for me here? There’s a lot of tough questions that I’ve got to think through rationally… because of course my first thought is I wanna go home!! So ya’ll can be praying for that, for decisions, for the funding, and for my ministries here.
We had another youth group event last night. We had a speaker in from Scotland, so he did the lesson which was a nice break for me. I decided against doing music too because the kids don’t always respond well and I’m not going to force them to worship. We played games, had good fellowship, our host grilled out so we had a bunch of food, and we had great conversations. I’m excited about this group of kids. There are a few that are really rough around the edges, but I believe that they are being worked on and that the plans of the Lord are greater than their plans for themselves. Pray for Heritage International School… I wrote last time about Mischa, and he’s still healing. He’s not back at school yet because he doesn’t have the strength, but he was at youth group last night. And the whole thing with Lino… and there has been many discipline issues with all grades. We’ve had a teacher die in the last month and it really just seems like we’re under attack, so really be lifting HIS up.
This coming week is not going to be any slower than the last few weeks. We have school on Thanksgiving, of course, but then we have Friday off of school. BUT on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we have meetings all day every day with the entire WGM Uganda field, including those from the north in Arua. I’m leading worship during a very big church service on Sunday morning for the field, so I’d appreciate prayer for that. I need to learn a few new songs this week, and decide on which others ones to do. I was also asked by Francis to write a script for the Christmas program, but I haven’t even started it. I have papers from the beginning of the month that I haven’t even thought about grading since they were turned in and I have some huge projects to write for my class to work on. All of that, plus being busy with meetings after school and visiting with Lino. Yikes!
I’m really glad that I’m doing so much because it’s making the time just fly by, but I get very easily overwhelmed and can shut down. Even this past week I took a half day off as a personal day and came home to sleep, went on a walk and explored, and just got away from everything.
Only 4 more weeks of school until Christmas break. AND only 38 more days until my birthday!! Chamuka!! (means “get excited” in Swahili)
There’s more I’d like to write, but it’s Saturday and I really want to not be staring at a computer screen anymore, so expect something soon, my friends. (and by soon I mean within a month.)
Psalm 139 has been a blessing to me this week. I hope you have some time to check it out. Much love!
Well, I’m about through my 4th month here and it’s pretty unreal to think that after one more month, my time here will be half over. Wow, makes me wonder what I’ve been doing for the last 4 months. Anyways, I want to send a big hello to everyone at Plano UMC. Thank you all so very much for you love, support, and prayers.
Most of you who read this got an email a couple weeks ago regarding my buddy, Lino. For those of you who didn’t, I’ll give you a brief overview. Lino is one of the high school students at the school. I’ve written about him on here before. He’s an awesome kid and has become a good friend. He’s a rescued child soldier from Sudan. He’s probably about 15, but we’re not entirely sure. Anyways about two weeks ago Lino was playing soccer with his younger brother, Taban and his guardian, Jade when Taban and Lino collided. Lino was knocked so hard that he wasn’t breathing for a while and then when he was breathing again he didn’t know who he was or where he was. He was in the hospital for 3 days and in that time he was hallucinating and he was a threat to himself. The blow to his head caused all of these memories about war and his life on the streets working and begging for a scrap of food to surface. He thought he was 8 or 9 years old, he couldn’t remember anything. The first night I saw him in the hospital, Nick and I made dinner for Jade and brought it up there, it was all I could do to keep from breaking down right there. He was NOT the Lino I know. He told me, “Lino is dead.” I didn’t handle hearing stuff like that very well. The doctors at one hospital said he was faking it all and medically he was fine. Well clearly they didn’t know what they were talking about because Lino is not a self-seeking person. His concern is always for those around him before himself. He is the sweetest spirit I’ve ever met.
After 3 days in the hospital they brought him home, but he was still very off. He was still seeing people and hearing voices that were telling him to do things that I can’t even write about. It was awful. I have never seen anything like that and I hope to never see someone I love go through what Lino is going through. He didn’t even look like my Lino… he would look at you, but not focus on you. He knew you were there, but he’d look right through you. He looked so sad and scared; it’s hard to even think about now.
Needless to say the past few weeks have been rough. Nick and I have been the only ones “allowed” to see Lino. We have built good relationships with him and Jade and Sheila know how much we love him. Lino went to a new doctor and he was taken off some of the medicine that the hospitals put him on, which were actually causing some of the hallucinations. Well the new doctor is saying that the blow to the head has cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to surface. This means that the road ahead of Lino is long and rough, but he will be fine. He is now remembering who he is, who we are, where he is, that he goes to school and has friends, and that he is so loved. He’s a million times better than he was the first day I saw him (the day after the accident), but he still has so much to deal with and go through. Please be praying for him. Pray for his guardians, Jade and Sheila, and his brother Taban.
Taban is not dealing well with life at all these days. Prayer for this young man is essential. He is recalling things from his past that he had suppressed too, but not to the extent that Lino is because Taban was only about 5 or 6 when Jade and Sheila rescued him.
Thanks for all of your prayers for these guys already. They mean a lot to me and I love them so much. Lino may be able to come back to school in a few weeks, and we’re really hoping that it’s even sooner than that.
So the past two weeks of my life have been teaching and visiting with Lino. At this point I am exhausted in every sense of the word; physically because I never have time to sleep more than like 6 hours every night; mentally because I’ve been watching some of my favorite kids go through some really rough stuff; emotionally for the same reason. One thing that has come out of all of this is a much closer relationship with the people I’ve been with every day. Jade and Sheila are great and I’m excited to be getting to know them better.
Moving on… The principal at school asked me if I would be willing to teach an elective for the high school next semester. She knows I’m called to work with youth and this would be a great way to get to know some of the students even better. I’m excited to say that the relationships I’ve built with these youth are growing and I’m loving it. I haven’t officially decided what the class will be, but I’m thinking about doing a ‘music worldview class’ where we’ll discuss different genres of music and the biblical view of the lyrics and the world view. It’ll very much be a discussion class. We’d do like 2 weeks on Christian metal, then 2 weeks on gangsta rap, and 2 weeks on classical… I think the students would get excited about something like that and I want to do something with music other than lead worship all the time, though it’s not a bad thing. I love leading worship. ☺
My sister recently brought up the idea of me going home for Christmas and I was immediately excited of course, but I’m not sure if it will happen. I would love to come home and I’ve already gotten permission from the mission to take time off, but I think what it really comes down to is the money. If I were to come home I would really need to be working to get speaking opportunities at churches and share about the ministry I’m doing here. I think it’d be cool to come home and be able to share with people the experiences I’ve had so far, but I’m also trying to be smart about it. I’m told that when missionaries go home within the first year that they’re on the field, they have a real hard time coming back and plugging back into their ministries. I would like to think that I could mentally prepare myself for that and be ready to come back. I think being home would be refreshing, but by coming home would I be taking away from something that God has for me here? There’s a lot of tough questions that I’ve got to think through rationally… because of course my first thought is I wanna go home!! So ya’ll can be praying for that, for decisions, for the funding, and for my ministries here.
We had another youth group event last night. We had a speaker in from Scotland, so he did the lesson which was a nice break for me. I decided against doing music too because the kids don’t always respond well and I’m not going to force them to worship. We played games, had good fellowship, our host grilled out so we had a bunch of food, and we had great conversations. I’m excited about this group of kids. There are a few that are really rough around the edges, but I believe that they are being worked on and that the plans of the Lord are greater than their plans for themselves. Pray for Heritage International School… I wrote last time about Mischa, and he’s still healing. He’s not back at school yet because he doesn’t have the strength, but he was at youth group last night. And the whole thing with Lino… and there has been many discipline issues with all grades. We’ve had a teacher die in the last month and it really just seems like we’re under attack, so really be lifting HIS up.
This coming week is not going to be any slower than the last few weeks. We have school on Thanksgiving, of course, but then we have Friday off of school. BUT on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we have meetings all day every day with the entire WGM Uganda field, including those from the north in Arua. I’m leading worship during a very big church service on Sunday morning for the field, so I’d appreciate prayer for that. I need to learn a few new songs this week, and decide on which others ones to do. I was also asked by Francis to write a script for the Christmas program, but I haven’t even started it. I have papers from the beginning of the month that I haven’t even thought about grading since they were turned in and I have some huge projects to write for my class to work on. All of that, plus being busy with meetings after school and visiting with Lino. Yikes!
I’m really glad that I’m doing so much because it’s making the time just fly by, but I get very easily overwhelmed and can shut down. Even this past week I took a half day off as a personal day and came home to sleep, went on a walk and explored, and just got away from everything.
Only 4 more weeks of school until Christmas break. AND only 38 more days until my birthday!! Chamuka!! (means “get excited” in Swahili)
There’s more I’d like to write, but it’s Saturday and I really want to not be staring at a computer screen anymore, so expect something soon, my friends. (and by soon I mean within a month.)
Psalm 139 has been a blessing to me this week. I hope you have some time to check it out. Much love!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
You know you're a missionary when...
1. You have to throw your TP in the trash can - not the toilet.
2. You have NO IDEA what the latest movies are.
3. When your life revolves around the efficiency of your ceiling fans.
4. When blogging becomes second nature.
5. When English is no longer the primary language.
6. When an iPhone seems as foreign as the language you speak everyday.
7. When your mail life revolves around when your next care package arrives.
8. When local schools are canceled for a "rain day" (not a snow day).
9. When honking is a sign of "hello" rather than the middle finger.
10. When you "see" your friends on Skype, not in person.
11. Your clothing fashion is WAY out of date.
12. When your milk comes in a box and your mayo in a bag.
13. When your daily news includes what the current exchange rate is.
14. Where your shopping includes daily trips to the farmers market.
15. When household pets include scorpions, millipedes, tarantulas,
geckos, ants and mosquitos.
16. When the question, "where is your home" becomes confusing to answer.
17. When you stop feeling uncomfortable when you have a conversation
with a mom who is breastfeeding.
18. When you are excited that the grocery store is carrying SPAM.
19. 011 is a familiar code.
20. When you are okay with the bugs in your house because "that one
doesn't bite"
21. When you watch a National Geographic special and you recognize
where they are at.
22. When you are outraged that the dinner you just ate cost more than $4.00
23. You don't think it strange to cut your grass with a machete.
24. When you forget the date of the Super Bowl, but you know when the
local soccer team plays.
25. When stopping for pigs or cows to cross the street doesn't seem strange.
26. When you go to the U.S. and you "can't drink the water"
27. You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service.
28. When you realize that traffic signs and lights are only recommendations.
29. You can order a beer at the movie theater.
30. When you sweat on Christmas day.
31. When you have to order additional pages for your passport.
32. When you stop wondering what kind of meat is in the stew (nor do
you really want to know).
33. When you have carried the same dollar bill in your wallet for 2 years.
34. When you think you should own stock in hand sanitizer.
35. When you measure distances in how long it takes to walk there.
36. Size "large" is no size large you have ever seen (even my girl
can't wear them).
37. You have friends on every continent.
38. Most of your friends view dental hygiene as a luxury.
39. You have a propane gas stove around the house just in case.
40. Where your seasons are hot, or hot and wet.
41. Horse grazing is the normal mode for cutting grass.
42. There's no local park, only the jungle.
43. The nearest ancient ruin is closer than the closest McDonalds.
44. Your fish is served with the head still attached - and you are
expected to eat it.
45. Where no one has a bathtub, a dishwasher, or a coffee bean grinder.
46. Local tourist attractions include jungle hikes, zip lining, and
waterfall slides.
47. When a nice short church service is only 2 1/2 hours long.
48. When you have to go to 5 different stores to get school supplies.
49. When you pay your electric bill at the supermarket, and pick up
your health form at the bank.
50. When none of the above seems strange anymore.
2. You have NO IDEA what the latest movies are.
3. When your life revolves around the efficiency of your ceiling fans.
4. When blogging becomes second nature.
5. When English is no longer the primary language.
6. When an iPhone seems as foreign as the language you speak everyday.
7. When your mail life revolves around when your next care package arrives.
8. When local schools are canceled for a "rain day" (not a snow day).
9. When honking is a sign of "hello" rather than the middle finger.
10. When you "see" your friends on Skype, not in person.
11. Your clothing fashion is WAY out of date.
12. When your milk comes in a box and your mayo in a bag.
13. When your daily news includes what the current exchange rate is.
14. Where your shopping includes daily trips to the farmers market.
15. When household pets include scorpions, millipedes, tarantulas,
geckos, ants and mosquitos.
16. When the question, "where is your home" becomes confusing to answer.
17. When you stop feeling uncomfortable when you have a conversation
with a mom who is breastfeeding.
18. When you are excited that the grocery store is carrying SPAM.
19. 011 is a familiar code.
20. When you are okay with the bugs in your house because "that one
doesn't bite"
21. When you watch a National Geographic special and you recognize
where they are at.
22. When you are outraged that the dinner you just ate cost more than $4.00
23. You don't think it strange to cut your grass with a machete.
24. When you forget the date of the Super Bowl, but you know when the
local soccer team plays.
25. When stopping for pigs or cows to cross the street doesn't seem strange.
26. When you go to the U.S. and you "can't drink the water"
27. You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service.
28. When you realize that traffic signs and lights are only recommendations.
29. You can order a beer at the movie theater.
30. When you sweat on Christmas day.
31. When you have to order additional pages for your passport.
32. When you stop wondering what kind of meat is in the stew (nor do
you really want to know).
33. When you have carried the same dollar bill in your wallet for 2 years.
34. When you think you should own stock in hand sanitizer.
35. When you measure distances in how long it takes to walk there.
36. Size "large" is no size large you have ever seen (even my girl
can't wear them).
37. You have friends on every continent.
38. Most of your friends view dental hygiene as a luxury.
39. You have a propane gas stove around the house just in case.
40. Where your seasons are hot, or hot and wet.
41. Horse grazing is the normal mode for cutting grass.
42. There's no local park, only the jungle.
43. The nearest ancient ruin is closer than the closest McDonalds.
44. Your fish is served with the head still attached - and you are
expected to eat it.
45. Where no one has a bathtub, a dishwasher, or a coffee bean grinder.
46. Local tourist attractions include jungle hikes, zip lining, and
waterfall slides.
47. When a nice short church service is only 2 1/2 hours long.
48. When you have to go to 5 different stores to get school supplies.
49. When you pay your electric bill at the supermarket, and pick up
your health form at the bank.
50. When none of the above seems strange anymore.
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