Plumber's Butt

Last week while doing dishes I discovered that our sink was draining rather slowly. By the time I was done with the dishes it wasn't draining at all. I decided to forget about the drain and go about my day. About 8 hours later I returned home to find that the water had eventually drained, leaving the sink full of nasty debris. I turned the water on just a bit to rise the nastiness out and it still refused to drain. What happens when 4 people want to cook and eat? The sink fills with dishes pretty quickly. And if those dishes aren't done immediately the ants come. And when the ants come they come with the power of a thousand men. (Ok maybe I'm exaggerating, but just a little.)

So this morning one of my roommates decided to tackle the dishes in the laundry room sink. Genius, right? But there was still the matter of the kitchen sink. So after I cooked myself some very yummy Sudanese food (I've been learning from some of the best), ate, and washed my dishes in the laundry room I decided it was time to try to figure out something with the sink. At this point there was standing water/vinegar/baking soda/draino as we tried a home remedy and then a store bought one. There was no drainage happening at all. So I got a bucket and got to work with the help of my roommate, Jean. I began to unscrew the first two pipes and the water/vinegar/baking soda/draino mix came pouring out. Arms covered in goo, I continued to unscrew the next pipe down. More muck and slim came out of that portion of the pipe at well. And then the smell came. I'm talking the type of smell that makes your nose hairs cringe in fear. It was foul. Jean began to gag so I asked her to leave because the gagging makes me sick.

At this point all four of us roommates are fleeing the kitchen because of the smell. I decided that we couldn't just leave the putrid stench pouring out of the pipes. So we gathered the bucket of poo-like water and went outside to dig stuff out of the pipes. We got a good amount of rotting food and other nasty things out, dumped the grotesque liquid, grabbed a stick and went back into the house. With the stench still coming from the pipes I proceeded to dig with the stick and pull out globs of disgusting, black ooze. With my audience behind me I struggled to not run out of the room due to the nastiness of the situation. It had to be done if we wanted to be able to use the kitchen sink though. After all of the horrible stuff was disposed of, we then had the task of trying to put everything back together again.

I sat on the floor and put the pieces of our sink back together, making sure all of the slimy seals were in place to ensure no leakage. As I sat, there was a cool breeze and with the help of my roommates I discovered that I had plumber's butt... not as bad as we generally stereotype plumbers to have. In fact, just a bit of my underwear was showing. However, it was hilarious and we all got a kick out of it. Just another day here in Uganda. This is one of the many reasons that I love it here.

Sure we could have waited and called a plumber and if I was in the U.S. I would have called my brother, brother-in-law, or dad, but it was worth a try. We now have a sink that drains and a smelly house. I think the former makes the latter worth it. It's somehow rewarding to say that we were able to unclog a nasty drain with no help. It also makes for a fun story. :) I hope you enjoyed.

A quick update about the riot situation... This past week was very calm and we had no riots. However, this week will most likely be full of unrest as the president-elect is inaugurated back into office. Please keep Uganda in your prayers. We are prepared and aware at all times so no worries, but do pray. Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Liz! I love you!

Lots of Lessons

It's a cool, cloudy morning here in Kampala. I'm actually sitting under a blanket as I write this and I like it. Things are calm in town and I'm thankful for peace, for the moment at least. I'm sure many of you have heard or read about the rioting going on here. While I won't offer my opinion on the cause of the riots I will say that they have been quite inconvenient. I guess it's a bit silly, but when you have plans to do something and they get marred by tear gas it's frustrating. The riots are pretty contained and we almost always know the areas that they will be in because they begin as peaceful protests. All in all I've never felt unsafe due to the unrest. Friday I was holed up at a friend's compound because rioting broke out on a main road and it's always smart to take precautions. It's never reached the area where I live and I'm guessing that it won't. Regardless, there is a contingency plan in place in case of emergency and we are equipped to handle these kinds of situations. I say all of that to bring comfort to those who constantly worry. I imagine it's difficult being a parent or a parent-type and hearing about chaos in a foreign country where your daughter lives. Please just continue to pray for peace in this country and around the world.

The news that broke yesterday is more of a reason to worry than riots here in town. It's the opinion of some around here that Americans made a mistake and that they're bad people. We received the travel warning for US citizens from the US Embassy yesterday and have been urged to use extreme caution when out and about. Who knew being an American would make you a target? I'm relying on the fact that my skin isn't as pasty as those around me. :) The moral of the story? We need to be on our knees praying for this world. We need to gather as the body of Christ, unified in the name of Jesus, and pray. Prayer is so underutilized, but it's our strongest weapon. We have the power to pray and change lives, but often don't do it because we lack boldness and focus. I'm including myself in the category, btw.

Let me step down from this soapbox now and update you on what I've been up to. As is the norm for me I've been busy. Teaching at the Center is going well and as you all know my class is awesome. One of my students has been ill so I've been to the clinic with her and I'm trying to figure out the best way move forward. It's difficult to help someone who is not a fan of doctors and western-type medicine. It goes against people's culture to treat for certain things as well. Would you pray for healing in this sweet teenager's life? Physical and spiritual. This would be my prayer for all of my friends and students at the Center. Worship seems to be going well and I'm just praying that the language barrier isn't preventing the truth from being heard. Oh Babel.

I've spent much of my time in the last two weeks with my good friends the Ackers and the Sudanese guys. The guys are home from boarding school on holiday and it's been great to sit down and catch up and also learn so much more about them. I've been entrusted with the life stories of two more of the guys. Just like with the others, it's not been easy to listen to, but very eye opening and revealing. I've spent lots of time laughing and playing with the guys too. We all play volleyball, soccer, basketball, Uno, spoons, and other games. There have been little outbursts of dancing (not from me, I can't dance), lots of yummy Sudanese cooking, and best of all... lots of good conversations.
Some of the guys getting ready for the Easter egg hunt

Lino and I after the hunt... he was sad to only get candy, no money

Abraham ended up with the most stuff :)

Now, you know I always spend time with Lino and the others who are not in boarding school and it's always great. This time though, with these others home from school has really got me thinking. Everyday as I chat with the guys I learn something new about African culture. I can't even begin to tell you how much understanding I have gained since sitting down with these guys. I've learned about and got the thoughts behind a man and woman's role in the home and in society, about marriage and what's expected, about mzungus (white people) and the generalizations that come with being white, about America, about Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, about language, about country leadership, about real village life and expectations. Hours have been spent listening to the way life really is out in the bush. The reality of how life is viewed and valued, or not valued at all. How love relates to marriage for some, but not for many. How western influence has been both good and bad for Africans. I feel like I've learned more in the last two weeks than I have in the past few years living in Africa.

It's been so very interesting to gain a bit of understanding. We've talked through different scenarios involving mzungus in their culture. I've learned and haven't even fully understood what it truly means to have nothing and to really not have any idea when you might have another meal. The stories have been informative and intriguing and also heartbreaking. The more I learn, the more I want be immersed in this culture. There are things that I would love to see changed yet there are other things that we could really learn from. I'm still trying to wrap me head around a lot of what I've been learning. I'm incredibly thankful for my friendships with the guys and count myself lucky know each of them. I feel so very burdened for each of them and the more I get to know them the more urgent the burden feels. I would love for you to pray with me for their souls. They don't know Jesus and the reality of their eternity is in the front of my mind every time I'm with them. These men need Jesus.

Other ministries are busy and seem to be going well. Projects are moving forward and though there is much to be done in the next 8 or 9 months, things are where they need to be. In about a month from now my youth kids, Jodi and Jacob will be here and I couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to show them this place that I love and introduce them to the people who have stolen my heart. They will be helping me run some camps down at Heritage International School along with some of the high school students from the school. Together they will have a soccer, basketball, music, and VBS camp. The camps will run for two weeks and then we will be able to take a safari at Murchison Falls. Would you join me in praying for their ministry while they're here, for their health, and of course for safety and peace. I'm hoping that all is calm by then, but we'll see.

Oh, one more thing... I'm SO grateful for the internet! Thanks to skype I got to watch Alexandria blow out her birthday candles on her 4th birthday with the whole family. It was so fun to be "in" the same room with everyone and sing to my precious niece. Praise the Lord for technology!

Let me know how I can be praying for you, please! Much love!

Down... Not Out

In a few hours it will be Sunday for me. The promise of a new week is glorious right now. It means that last week is done and gone and that I can move forward. Have you ever had one of those weeks when the weekend seems so far off it's almost just a dream? That was my week this past week. Sunday I was sick and in bed most of the day. When Monday came I wasn't feeling much better, but I was a part of a training conference so I had to face the day with a smile. The conference was all week from 8-5:30. All in all it went well. I met some very lovely people working with the Africa Gospel Church, I enjoyed catch-up time with some that I already knew, and got to see people's unabashed enthusiasm for Jesus and for His Kingdom to be furthered. Praise the Lord.

So even though the conference was good, I found myself very easily distracted. This might have been because the conference was held under a tin roof with hardly any air circulation. I'm not just talking a bit warm. I'm talking equatorial sun beating down on a tin roof that in turn radiates heat onto every inch of your body. Even the bible in my lap was hot from the roof's heat. The week was full of other stuff as well. I'm still teaching at the Center of Hope... twice a week now and of course I love it. My class is by far the best class there. :) Also we are still doing the Wednesday night worship service which is going really well. We're now doing storying for the message and I really think everyone likes it a lot. As I've said before, many who attend are not Christians and storying is a great way to teach the bible. I've enjoyed it a lot so far. This month is a bit hectic for WGM folk because there are so many people coming and going. We've had so many visitors and other people arrive that we've been very busy hosting for meals.

Life has just been very busy. Not bad, not stressful, just busy. Ministry has been going very well and I love knowing that I'm where I'm supposed to be. You know who does not love that I'm in God's will? Satan. And to be honest he's been working over time to bring me down. Unfortunately it's worked a bit. Since all has been going well and I'm somehow a threat and a bunch of new things have popped up just in the past week that are enough to bring me down. Sometimes we are asked to do things by God and we know they won't be easy, but we know they're right. So in doing things that I know are right I'm also paying the consequences of other people's reactions. I can't control how other's respond, but it's still been difficult for someone like me, who's all about relationships. On top of that I keep finding out little things here and there that discourage me.

Since I'm so relational it bugs me when someone writes me off. I just found out that I'm being stifled from doing some stuff because of someone's opinion of me based on something that happened years ago. It just seems silly. I know this is all very vague, but I guess I'm just asking for prayer. I'm trying to be graceful and to do exactly what Jesus wants and because of that I'm finding myself under attack. Would you join me in praying against the evil one? Against his lies and his efforts of disunity amongst God's people?

This is really what I've been focused on all week. God is so good and so faithful and it's refreshing to rest in Him. The only thing that got me through was little times here and there spent in the quiet of His presence. I never want to be too busy to pray. I never want to be too busy to seek the Lord and be in His will. Psalm 63 is probably my favorite Psalm and it's been a great comfort. I encourage you to read it today.

So while I've been a bit down, I'm definitely not out. I'm really looking forward to Holy week and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm looking forward to an evening of worship Thursday night with a great group of people. I'm trusting the Lord and remembering His promises to me.

One last thing... I just want to remind you how much I love Uganda. I love being here and serving here. I love early morning boda rides when the breeze is still cool and people are moving about preparing for their day ahead. I love the beauty of the tropical land where I live. I love the smells of the morning dew. I took a boda to the conference a few days this week instead of driving. One day on the way home it was beginning to rain a bit, but I loved it. I loved the "cold" air hitting my wet face. My boda driver doesn't even think twice about maybe stopping because it's raining... he knows that I'd rather keep going and ride in the rain. The way that the storms roll in over the hills of Kampala during the rainy season is like artwork. There's so much beauty in the dark, looming clouds, the loud rolls of thunders, and the fierce strikes of lightening. I love coming over the top of Tank Hill and seeing Lake Victoria glittering in the sunlight. I even love the hectic roads... walking up hills with roads only wide enough for a car and a half to fit, having to jump out of the way of on coming cars. I love the little lizards that live in my house with me. It's like having pets that I don't have to care for. I love that when I go visit my goat the little children who live around him run to find him and bring him to me. They love to laugh at me as a pick Nico up and play with him. I love those short times of fellowship when a language barrier doesn't even matter because a loving smile is enough. I love laughing and joking with my "Uganda family". I love playing Uno with the Sudanese guys, knowing that they are cheating and calling them out when I see it. I love seeing people raise their arms high to Jesus, exalting His name. I love Uganda.

Toilet Trials... ;)

I've arrived back in Kampala and I'm so very glad to be home! I was introduced to many awesome ministries in Kenya and I'm very excited to share about them with you. Just not tonight. Tonight I thought I'd share something that has affected me greatly. It's tough for me to even think about right now, but there's value is sharing in each other's trials. So here you go...

The drive from Kenya is a long one. We had already traveled about 7 or 8 hours, crossed the border back into Uganda, and were only about two hours from Kampala when I realized how full my bladder was. We stopped at a gas station in Jinja to grab some snacks, use the potty, and fuel up before the last leg of our journey. I try my best to not drink much if anything while on the road here because the toilets are what I like to call squatty potties. Basically a hole in the ground of the stall. The smell itself is enough to keep me away, but I knew that if I waited two more hours it would not be a pleasant trip. (Roads around Kampala are full of giant, car-eating potholes, it's enough to make the strongest bladder shiver in fear.)

Naturally I carry a roll of toilet paper because there's about a 1% chance that a toilet is equipped with some. So with my TP in hand I ventured off behind the gas station to the "toilets". I opened the first stall that I came to, as they're unisex, and stepped up onto the tile. The first thing I noticed, besides the pungent odor was that the floor was all wet. I'm not talking just right around the hole, the entire stall was wet. I don't know if there were many people before me who completely missed or what, but it was gross. By this time I had to go so bad that it didn't matter. I was already in the stall, I might as well follow through. So I assumed the position, relieved my bladder, and went to head out.

It's at this point in story that I feel compelled to tell you that I was wearing flip flops. Not new ones, three year old flip flops. It's good to be comfy when you travel, right?

So with wet flip flops I put my right foot out to step down onto the cement and be on my merry way back into clean air. Well... the first step is a "doozy" as they say. As soon as my foot touched the glossy, smooth cement it went sliding away from me. What happened next happened so quickly that I don't even remember how I got back on my feet. Of course I slipped and fell; the upper half of me landed in the hepatitis, pee-filled stall and the lower half landed on the ground outside. I don't know how I got up so quickly, but in what seemed like less time than it took me to fall I was back on my feet. The only thing running through my mind was, "I just landed in pee!!" I didn't even think about the pain until I was upright and limping around to the front of the gas station to buy my Mountain Dew. It was then that I looked down, saw the blood on my foot, and realized that I was hurting.

So before I went into the little shop I did a survey of the damage. My big toe on my right foot was bleeding and I couldn't really bend it. My right ankle was sore, but I rolled it about a month ago so I didn't think too much of that. Then I tried to think how I landed because I was pretty sore all over already, but it all happened so fast and I just wanted to get out of the pee so I hadn't even thought it through yet. My left arm had a scrap and was in a good amount of pain, but I knew nothing was broken. I decided to suck it up and move on as though nothing happened. Luckily there wasn't anyone else back by the toilets; no witnesses was a good thing as I'm sure I looked ridiculous. However as I entered the shop I couldn't help but start giggling about what I had just done. Yes I was in pain and totally horrified to be covered in pee, but in reality if I had seen someone wipe out like I did I would have been cracking up. I explained to the others what had just happened, we bought our snacks, and continued our journey home.

As I got back in the car, after I sanitized my hands I began to think about the fact that I could have been hurt a lot worse. By the way I landed on the step I could have either hit my head and been knocked out or broken my left arm. I was so thankful to Jesus that I walked away with just a sprained toe and sore ankle. My mom broke both of her arms slipping on ice this winter, had to have surgery, and is still in physical therapy because of it.

Anyways, after sitting in Kampala traffic we made it home safely. I walked into my house, dropped my bags, said a quick hello to the new roommates, and went and took a shower. When I woke up the next morning my left arm was covered in huge dark bruises. I don't bruise easily and it still looks like I've been beaten, but all in all I'm ok.

So why did I decide to tell you all this embarrassing story? Mainly because it's funny! If something like this happened to you I would expect you to tell me so that I could get a good laugh too. :) I don't get embarrassed that easy and I'm clumsy... we should all benefit from my silly misfortune, right? I hope you've gotten a good mental picture and have been able to laugh a bit. The next time I road trip it in Africa I'm wearing my Nikes.

What can I do??

The past couple of weeks have flown by and it's really hard to believe that I've already been in Uganda for over 2 months. With April coming my schedule doesn't seem to be slowing down, but what fun would that be, right? Since I last updated it seems like a million things have come up that I've wanted to post about, but now that I have a minute to sit down and write none of those things are coming to me. Here's a brief update though...

My class at the Center of Hope is going really well and I love my students more each time we meet. I subbed for a friend's class last week and loved her students too. I am blessed to be surrounded by some of the sweetest people I've ever met. These refugees are fantastic and in getting to know them and hearing their stories I find myself completely overwhelmed with the great need this world is in. The worship service has been going well on Wednesday nights and the Lord is moving in big ways. I'm very thankful to Jesus for worship on Wednesdays. The week of the 14th was a very rough week for me. Without going into much detail to protect others, there is a bit of an issue with a youth kid here and I am really needing prayer in the situation. Healing needs to take place, but mostly lives need to surrender to Jesus. I'm reminded more and more that it's not about what I can do, it's about surrendering and allowing God to work. I've found myself on my knees, crying out for the youth very often lately and I'm imploring you to do the same. My heart is beyond broken and the burden I feel is huge. Just as I was typing that out the Spirit reminded me...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Amen, yeah? Yeah. So other than those few things I actually had the chance to take an unexpected vacation last week. Heritage International School was on Spring Break last week which meant all of my teacher friends had time off too. A few of them decided to take a 22 hour bus ride to the coast in Kenya. I joined them and spent 5 days in Mombasa hanging on the beach, snorkeling the reefs in the crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean, and avoiding beach hawkers. I did indeed kiss another camel... they're just too cute. For those of you who followed the blog last time I was here you know I rode a camel which was a life goal of mine. I know... my life goals are just so lofty, aren't they? :) Over all we had a good time. Mombasa is HOT and humid pretty much all the time, but we found a cheap hotel with air conditioning. What a blessing! The last night we stayed at a guest house in Mombasa town. Let's just say it wasn't as nice. Ok, but really it was filthy and sweltering. We didn't get much sleep that night, but it was ok because we spent the next day back at the beach. That next night we hopped on an over night bus back to Nairobi. Not even two benadryl helped me sleep, so by the time we got to Nairobi I was exhausted.

I'm currently in Nairobi doing some work for WGM. It just worked out that I could schedule some meetings here and up country in Kericho before heading back to Kampala. Being here is such a treat... they have everything! Well almost everything. No McDonald's or anything like that. It's just very upscale here compared to Kampala, so it's nice to drive on mostly smooth roads that aren't as covered with trash. They have some really nice restaurants too. Also it's about 10-15 degrees cooler here because it's a higher altitude. Yay for being able to straighten my hair a bit. HOWEVER I do have to say that I much prefer Kampala and I'm missing being there right now. Not only do I miss my friends, but I miss the comforts of my second home. I like being able to hop on a boda and shoot off somewhere. I like seeing familiar faces with huge smiles that light up my days. I like being "home".

Since being here I've been shadowing one of the WGM missionaries who has been here for about 30 years. She's been showing me one of the ministries that she's heavily involved in and helping me to get a good idea of what her life is like day to day. My goal is to assist her and the other WGM missionaries throughout Africa to market their ministries. I'm trying to help them keep their supporters very updated and involved in their ministries. Raising awareness is difficult when you are busy all the time and it's tough to keep all of your supporters up to date, but hopefully with some new printed and web material we'll be more effective at keeping you all posted on things here.

Today we went to a couple of hospitals and orphanages. Obviously I'm not a nurse like these missionaries, but just following them around and watching them work was overwhelming. Like I was saying before, there's SO much work to be done and it's not just in Kenya, Uganda, or just in Africa. It's everywhere. I met a boy today who would have died if it weren't for a missionary discovering an illness. I shook hands with and hugged countless kids and youth who are HIV+ and have AIDs. I heard stories of how and why they are in the situations that they are in. You guys... it's heartbreaking. The longer I'm here, the more stories I hear, the more people I want to help. It's never ending. I'm realizing that I can't fix everything for everyone. I can't solve the world's problems no matter how badly I want to. Tomorrow I'm going into the biggest slum in all of Africa. Imagine... over a million people crammed into a very small area, living in filth, starving, and dying of AIDs and malaria. I can't even think about what I'm going to be feeling tomorrow as I walk through there in my Nikes, with my wallet full of cash, full belly from breakfast, and iPod in my purse.

There is too much need for people to be just sitting around. If every single person did something every day, how much could we change? Even more, if every single person was living out the Great Commission how many more souls would be saved? God provides. He calls His people into obedience and provides.

My heart breaks more every day. The more I invest into people's lives and hear their stories, the more broken I feel. Jesus came and died to save us. He heals the sick and broken. Knowing His healing power and saving grace is the only thing that gets me through each day. I was never promised that it would be easy, but I know that it's worth it. Every time I see a smile on one of the refugee's faces or watch the Sudanese guys strive for greatness from brokenness, I'm reminded of why I'm here. The youth, the refugees, my friends, my family... they need to know Jesus.

Pour Yourself our Spirit, come Jesus.

Women's Day and Hungry Boys

This past Tuesday was International Women's Day. At the Center of Hope I helped to organize and run the celebration which included women from many different nations. My main job was to preach on John 4, the story of the woman at the well. As I was preparing my message for Tuesday I knew that I had a huge job before me. You see, most of the women who were attending the celebration were of other faiths. They come from countries and backgrounds that execute them if they convert. Many of these women are in my class and also come to the Wednesday night worship service that I lead, so I've gotten to know them a bit over the past two months and I love them! I wrestled with the idea of someone losing a life because of a message that they hear whether it be from me or anyone. So as I was praying on how to speak to these women, God gave me a peace and simply asked me to trust Him. He reminded me that it is great to die knowing Him than to live not knowing Him. It's still so difficult for me to think about because I've never been threatened with death because of my faith. I do know that there are thousands if not millions of people around the world living in places where it is illegal to speak the name Jesus Christ. Where they have to sneak around and only worship at night in hidden places in order to spare their lives. I'm blessed to have always lived in a place where I can worship the One true God freely, without hesitation.

To be honest with you, I don't remember the exact words that I said, but I do know that the Holy Spirit was present and stirring hearts. The words were not my own... something I prayed for and I know many of you prayed for as well. The celebration included women from 5 different countries. I've never been in the presence of such strong women in my entire life. One of the activities that we had them do was to break up into their countries and write out an example of a day in the life of a women from their culture. From the time they wake to the time they sleep, what does a day look like. I learned so much about each of the cultures and it was so amazing to hear the stories of strength and life from each of the women. It was very cool to see peoples faces as they somehow related to each other's struggles and triumphs. They understood what it was like because they themselves have similar stories. The discipline and the courage it takes to be a woman of their cultures is incredible. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but I've never been more inspired than I was this past Tuesday. I spent 5 or 6 hours with about 50 women who blew my mind.

It wasn't all about what women do though, it was a celebration... so we danced, ate traditional food, drank pop and Eritrean coffee roasted right in front of us, we had henna applied, and we had a fashion show. The laughter shared was refreshing. We had SO much fun.

So when it came time for me to preach, there was no need to be nervous even though all of these people were there risking their lives. God was in control of the whole situation. So I stood before them, told them I was a follower of Christ, and that I would be sharing from the bible which is the true Word of God. I read them the story of the woman at the well. I talked through the Samaritan woman's life, how Jesus knew the truth about her, pointed it out, went out of His way to meet her where she was. I talked about the fact that rabbis were not permitted to speak with women, even their own family in public. And the somehow, it all tied into the fact that we're all adopted into God's family and He is seeking us out. Again, I don't remember all of what I said because it wasn't me, but I do know that the women heard what was said and I'm trusting that seeds were planted in some hearts. Will you join me in praying for these women, for their souls, for their lives?

So aside from Women's Day I've been incredibly busy with lots of other stuff from teaching at the Center of Hope, to working on the Buvuma Island Orphan project, to hanging out with youth and students. It's been really nice to spend so much time with youth again, especially Lino and Angelo. As a "thank you" for sharing their stories with me I took some of the guys out for an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ dinner at a country club here. It's a really nice place and if it were in the States it would easily be $35 per person, but I only paid about $15 per guy including two bottles of pop each (no free refills in Africa). In preparation for the ridiculous amount of food to be eaten, I kept my consumption for the day to a bottle of Coke and a little bit of bread. I wanted to challenge the guys to an eating contest. I knew I would loose, but I still wanted to try. By the time we went through the line and filled our first plates up, mine was only half as full as their's were so I had already lost. While we waited for our food to be cooked we laughed and had a good time. I love spending time with those guys, there's never a dull moment. In the end Lino and Hussein ate the most, nearly triple what I was able to eat. So beyond the large amounts of yummy food we ate, it was a good time of relaxing and just hanging out with some awesome guys. Would you join me in praying for their hearts and souls as well??

Round 1


Lino is still smiling before round 2


Taban and I after we were finished



Lino and I (how can he still smile?? yuck!)



Saudi and I

Jesus, come

Yeah, I know I just posted a couple of days ago, but my heart is heavy and this is an outlet since I don't have my guitar tonight. Normally I'd do some song writing, but my guitar is at the Center because I used it for the worship service, but couldn't carry it on a boda on the way home. Anyways, as I'm leading this worship service I was thinking about how often I don't give my all. I come and do what I've always done, but don't go out of my way sometimes... even when there are beautiful souls on the line. I feel a burden like I've never felt before for certain people to come to know the Lord, but I'm accepting mediocrity from myself. Doesn't God deserve more? Don't these lost souls deserve more? Of course He does and of course they do.

Tonight was my night to speak and like always, I just threw something together and said the right words because I can and because I've been doing it for 15 years. It's so easy to come up with something. And even if my words were true, which they were, I feel like it's much less effective because it was just easy for me. There were people there who are so incredibly grateful for the praise and worship and for the message, but I could have done better. The best thing about this whole night is that God still spoke through me to some and He still softened hearts. I'm so thankful that it's not all about what I can or cannot do. Praise be to God that He is sovereign in my stupidity and Moses-like bumbling. Praise be to God that people show up every week to sing songs, to hear the Word, and to pray. Praise be to God that people show up even though it endangers their lives as it's illegal for some to convert.

For now, for in this time, God has put certain people in my life who I am called to love and serve. More than that though, God gives me opportunities daily to draw nearer to Him. To seek Him with all my being. My prayer tonight is to turn away from the things that distract me from keeping my focus and drawing nearer to Him. I'm praying for these hearts to be softened and for souls to be saved. Jesus has overcome the darkness and I'm praying for more of His light to be revealed. The darkness cannot hide from the light. I'm praying for God to pour Himself out over Africa in such a way that people cannot ignore Him. I'm praying for the Lord to call up His people to come and preach the truth. My heart aches for this continent tonight. It aches for my students, for my friends, and for my family. Jesus, come.