more pictures!!!

my church here is also called LCC - Liberty Christian Center. God's flippin amazing.




host siblings, Regina and Fred. two of my new favorite people.





Eve, a neighbor's daughter. you'll be hearing much more about her. she needs sponsorship.




Me and Eve.

Uganda #2: Blessings Galore

Banana trees. Mosquito nets. New languages. Nothing but green for miles. Intense rain. No shower. 11 children. And this is only the beginning.

I’m not sure how to even begin describing the last week to you. Just know that anything I tell you is only a fraction of what I’m actually experiencing but could never fully explain. But let’s get right to it. Friday afternoon was spent in Kampala; Anthony and I took a “taxi” (14-seater van in which is piled as many people as humanly possible) and I experienced some of the craziest, daring driving of my life. It’s very difficult to describe Kampala in general. There are people EVERYWHERE doing a million things, dressed in a thousand ways – some women carrying water or sticks on their head, others dressed in jeans. Some wearing traditional African dresses, some wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The diversity is enormous. And it was Friday, the busiest day of the week, according to Anthony. We went to the bank so I could exchange some money. We ate at a local Ugandan restaurant where I got my first taste of local food, which is very good!! If you were at my fundraising dinner back in November, some of the food my mom made was pretty much what I ate that day. There was matoke (mashed plantains – surprisingly one of my least favorite things – they’re just kind of plain), a sauce with peas (the staple foods here, typically made of grains, millet, etc. are usually served with a sauce to give them more flavor), chicken stew, millet bread (which I cannot for the life of me think of the Ugandan name for – which was a bit crunchy and also not my favorite), and chapatti (these kind of tortillas made of wheat – and my personal favorite so far). I tried it all and for the most part was very satisfied! I drank a Coke as a throwback to my US homies.

We also bought a SIM card and phone minutes for me (Anthony sold me an extra Motorola phone he had for much cheaper than I would’ve had to pay for one normally) and then I decided I should look for a fan. At the guest house I was staying in Kampala, the fan stopped working in the middle of the night and I thought it might be a very good investment to buy one for my time in Tororo. (It turned out that the electricity at the guest house went out in the middle of the night so it wasn’t the fan that was broken, rather the power going out.) So I went and found a box fan, the kind that stands on its own or sits on the floor, for like $25. It would turn out to be a very excellent investment indeed :) While we were out that afternoon I also experienced my first Ugandan rain – delightful. I had seen it coming earlier due to those huge imposing Lion King clouds on their way in. It only rained for a bit but it felt wonderful – it was probably 85 and quite humid so it was a welcome change. I spent the rest of that day checking emails and catching up on things back at the computer center/Anthony’s office, got to the guest house around 9 and promptly fell asleep.

Saturday morning I got woken up by an INTENSE thunderstorm around 4am. It was so loud – not just the thunder but the massive amount of rain – I couldn’t fall back asleep again. Welcome to Africa!! That morning Anthony and I hired a car to drive us the 4 or so hours from Kampala to Tororo, where I’d be living. Hiring a car is expensive, but it’s more private compared to the 14-seater taxis, and we both had a lot of things to carry with us so it was good we hired a car. The trip was an adventure in itself; lots of potholes, bad roads, crazy traffic (especially getting out of Kampala; it’s an absolute nightmare). At one point we hit a blockade in the highway and had to take an alternate “route”, lol this consisted of a muddy back road that went through small villages and it was just a crazy, unpredictable drive. However, we survived so it’s a fun story to tell. I wish I could have videos and pictures of all these things; it’s just very hard to get across the adventure of it all.

We arrived in Tororo in the afternoon, around 4 o’clock, and Anthony took me to my host family right away. I had heard the father was a pastor and there were a lot of children; that was the extent of what I knew about the family. Well, a lot of children is right. I was greeted by probably 8 or so kids; after a while I just stopped counting! I was overwhelmed by it all; obviously you are a complete stranger, you are the only white person (mzungu) around, you are coming into an entirely new situation. Some of the children (they seemed older – probably closer to my age) helped carry my things in. I soon learned the parents were gone at a wedding and wouldn’t be back until the evening. The family had me sit down in one of their armchairs, the place of honor, and all greeted me in the traditional Ugandan way, which means everyone shakes your hand, and the women all kneel in front of you while shaking your hand. At first I didn’t understand what was happening and it definitely caught me off guard to have everyone kneeling in front of me, but once Anthony explained that was the traditional way of greeting it made a lot more sense.
After a few minutes, a few of the older children showed me my room and we ended up sitting and talking for a long time. The one I immediately connected with was Regina, the Okello’s oldest daughter who currently lives at home (they have 10 children, 5 of whom still live at home), who is 19. Her English is great and I was able to talk to her very easily. Caleb, their son who is 16, also sat in the room with us and mostly listened, but also talked a bit, especially whenever I would ask him anything. The other one I got to know the first day is Fred, who’s 24 and is actually the Okello’s nephew, but he’s lived with them since he was 14. One thing I learned very quickly is that the Okello’s (who I actually shouldn’t even call the Okello’s – they don’t have surnames/last names in Uganda; everyone has a given name and a Christian name [usually a Westernized one or a Biblical name] so they just go by those and not family names) are an incredibly accepting and loving family. They’ve taken in several of their nephews, nieces and grandchildren whose parents have either died or can’t afford to take of them. I am still trying to keep track of everyone who lives or visits here and keeping it all straight is sometimes hard! But everyone in the family gets a good laugh out of it so it’s all good! But yes, one of my favorite things about this family is the fact that they will take in anyone who needs help or needs a place to stay. Imagine a family who already has 10 children of their own who are either living with them or being supported by them, several grandchildren and nephews living with them, taking in yet another person, someone who they don’t know and is a foreigner, to boot! I mean it just blows my mind.

Another incredible and overwhelmingly generous thing about this family is that they have rearranged their whole house and living situation so that I can stay here. The parents MOVED OUT of their room to give me the biggest room that has its own bathroom. THEY MOVED OUT OF THEIR ROOM. Are you kidding me? I almost had a heart attack when Regina told me that, of course she told me in the most nonchalant way, as if it was obvious and common that someone would do that for a visitor. So everyone else has had to shift around so that I can have this room to myself (which of course they would have no other way). The parents moved to the room the girls used to sleep in, and I know everyone else moved around, it’s just all still a bit confusing to me! But then 3 of the children (when I say children I mean anyone from their kids in their 20s to grandchildren to nephews – it’s just easier to say children, savvy?) are sleeping on foam mattresses in a room connected to the living room. I mean, when I think about how much this family has sacrificed so that I’ll feel comfortable and welcome I just can’t handle it. It’s incredible, and I feel blessed beyond even being able to describe.

So please, if you are at all worried about me, how I’m doing or being taken care of, DON’T. This family is phenomenal. They have been helpful, welcoming, generous, friendly, and more loving than I could ever have hoped for. I know it must feel like I’m exaggerating but I seriously cannot tell you how amazing these sweet people are and how lucky I feel to be here. For those of you who are wondering, the basics as far as living details in the house are as follows. They have running water in some parts of the house but not others. For example, when I came I found out my sink had running water, but my toilet didn’t, so I would need to have my toilet filled with water from the tap outside every time I wanted to use it. They cook everything on either a charcoal stove inside (it sits on the ground and you have to sit on a very low stool in order to cook) or a kind of grill with firewood outside, for times when it’s not raining and you can cook outside. They don’t have a microwave, oven, refrigerator, freezer, or stove. Nothing you and I take for granted every single day of our lives. They handwash their clothes in a basin of water in the backyard, just using soap and their hands. A lot of the food they eat comes from some land they own and toil themselves. Everything about what they do consists of hard work, patience, and being creative with what you have. It’s incredible to see how they live every day and how you can actually thrive even with seemingly “so little”. They’re beyond grateful for everything they have and are so appreciative of even the smallest things. It’s very humbling and challenging to me. Oh, and the other thing is they do have a water tank and a tap/faucet in the backyard, but the shower had been broken for a while and so everyone just washed out of basins in the bathrooms. The first morning I was here I asked Bishop Okello, the father of the family, about their shower. He said it had been broken for a long time. I asked him to find out how much it would cost to fix and I would like to help with getting it fixed. This was definitely partly selfish; it would be a lot easier and faster for me to shower than to take baths out of a basin for 10 months. But obviously if it were fixed then the family could enjoy it for a long time, so it was a win-win situation. Bishop found out about the shower, it cost about $50 to fix, which I gladly gave them, and yesterday we all took showers! Well, Fred and I cleaned the bathroom first because honestly it was verrrry dirty, but I was happy to do it. If you know me, cleaning is cathartic to me and I don’t mind doing it. So Fred and I cleaned, and we all took showers, and it made me sooo happy to see them enjoying it. It was wonderful. And for fifty bucks. Really? That’s out of control. Also, the food the family makes is really good. Lots of rice, meat, potatoes, posho (a local food), noodles. It’s all very good. They are always making me extra food and giving me the best of everything, it’s amazing. And also, the ones living at home are Bishop (the dad), Mama Margaret (well, clearly), Emmanuel, Fred, Regina, Caleb, Timothe, Job, Steven…. And I think that’s it. :)

I know this is long, and bless you if you are still reading this, but I still have so much more to tell! Haha. I know a few of you will appreciate it and want to know all the details so by all means, continue reading if you are one of those. The other big thing was meeting the kids and seeing the orphanage, that happened on Sunday. There are about 20-25 kids living in 2 rooms, which is really not ok, but it’s all that’s available and affordable right now (if you remember, the kids had a bigger place they were living in until December, but the landlord asked for too many months in advance and they had to leave to a smaller place, and about half of the kids had to move back into the community, most to grandparents’ houses and things like that. To say it was heartbreaking to see where they lived and how little they have is an understatement, and I’m sure I won’t be able to fully communicate that either – you kind of have to be here. So please, come visit! But as with most children, they are very resilient and laugh and play and tease each other and have a good time, even though their circumstances are very sad and at times seemingly hopeless.

Basically Anthony told me that most of the kids were going to be starting in school, but the youngest ones, who are about 5 years old, would be staying at home because they aren’t old enough to start school yet, but he said he would love it if I would consider teaching them in the mornings so that they are still doing things that are productive and getting more exposure to English, etc. So that is what I’ll be doing.. I don’t know almost any of the details yet of how that’s going to work. They have some supplies, actually more than I was expecting, but then they don’t have some things like desks and chairs for the kids, so please pray for that. I’ll be teaching in the garage of the orphanage, so it’s not a lot of room but it could be worse.

That was a very hard afternoon. The night before, Saturday, had been the first night with my host family and I cried that night. It was very difficult to think about how alone I felt, how far I was from absolutely anyone I knew, and at that moment it felt like an eternity before I would get to go back home and see the people that I loved. Sunday was hard, seeing the kids at the orphanage and thinking about how impossible the task ahead of me seemed. I felt very discouraged and overwhelmed. I met the other volunteers who are here, a couple from Amsterdam named Irene and Leon, very nice people. Irene tried to encourage me a bit but I still felt like crying and giving up. Honestly, if there had been a plane there ready to take me back to Phoenix, I think I would’ve gotten on it. It was a hard moment.

However, as always, God is incredible and faithful and beyond good to me. That evening I took a boda boda home (a motorbike that people use as public transportation; it costs $1,000 shillings, or about 50 cents, to take it almost anywhere in town) for the first time, which I’d been dreading a little because it looked scary (traffic is unpredictable, there are no traffic lights, and nobody wears helmets). But it was actually wonderful, the driver didn’t go too fast, and the evening was beautiful. The sun was setting, enormous storm clouds were rolling in, and the wind was wonderful on the back of the boda.

When I reached home (about a 6 or 7 minute ride from the center of town) I was introduced to Emmanuel, the Okello’s 6th child, who is almost 21. I hadn’t realized I still had more of their children to meet, so that caught me off guard. The family was all sitting in the backyard when I got home, so I went to join them. Let me describe the atmosphere, please. First of all, their backyard is huge, enormous by Ugandan standards. They have a garden and just lots of grass. There are animals: hens, chickens, goats, cows. (I don’t think the goats and cows are theirs, but sometimes they graze in our yard. It’s delightful.) There’s nothing obstructing the view, so some kilometers in the distance you can see into a big mountain range, which is actually in Kenya. We’re very close to the border here in Tororo. So the view is absolutely gorgeous. As I said, there were storm clouds coming in (my first in Tororo), and the family was enjoying the evening breeze and watching the lightning storm over the Kenyan mountains. (YES, it was even more amazing than it sounds.) So anyway, enter me, I meet Emmanuel, I sit down with the family in the backyard, and Emmanuel and I begin talking. (From now on I’ll refer to him as Em, because it’s just easier and it’s what I call him. Actually, anyone here called Emmanuel is usually instead nicknamed Emma… which is interesting since they’re all guys. Culture change yeahhhh.) Em was incredibly friendly and talkative right from the beginning (everyone in the family is very nice, but Em, Regina, and Bishop are the most talkative ones). He started asking me a lot of questions; I did the same. I’m pretty sure it’s cultural for people to kind of stay out of a conversation and just stay quiet if two people have already begun a conversation; or at least it felt that way because Em and I must have talked for an hour with almost no interruption or addition from anyone around us. Em’s just an incredible man of God. I would not have guessed he’s only 20; by the way he acts, looks and presents himself he may as well be my age or older; a pattern I’ve noticed a lot in people here. Em is very disciplined, has a good job working for the local government hospital (he does various things, the main thing right now being going out into the villages nearby with nurses and taking medicine and food and counseling AIDS patients. Yes, legit), and he is utterly in love with Jesus, which shows in every aspect of his life. It’s again an understatement to say that he is a godly man; one who serves and honors and loves God with every part of himself. He has an incredible heart for people, especially children and those who are sick. The more I talked with him, the more encouraged I felt; the more I wanted to stay here and get to know people, invest in their lives, and just give up my needs and desires in exchange for what God wants. I mean, within a few hours my whole perspective got revamped and I just got a good kick in the head, is the best way I can describe it.

So much else has happened, but I think I will end off for now. I have been spending this week getting things ready and more organized at the orphanage, learning the town more, buying some things I’ve needed, and spending time with my host family, who I’m so blessed with. Know that I am praising Him so much for what He is doing; I’m so glad I’m here. Last night Em (who, along with a lot of the other people in the house, have told me that I must stay in Uganda now, as in I shouldn’t go back; and Em said now that I know people in the country, I can get a discounted plot of land here. I love my life!) started talking about how it would be hard to see me leave in December and how he wanted to be one of the ones who took me to the airport. I told him he had to promise to stop talking about me leaving because the thought of that was way too hard.

We’ll see. God knows. Praying you are all well; miss you very much!


PS. Yesterday evening there was a fabulous crazy and strong rain; it lasted about an hour; we were in town when it happened and had to “take cover” as Fred called it, until it settled down. So much fun!! Then when it got safe enough, we took bodas home, through all the mud and potholes, and Regina and I were riding on the same boda. At one point the mud got too thick and the motorbike just kind of stopped and starting falling to the side. Regina and I put our right feet down, which smacked right into the mud. Needless to say I washed about a pound of mud out of my shoe and off of my foot when I got home. Delightful African moment :) my family here laughs when I say I love the rain and want to stand outside in it. On Sunday, my first rain here, Em stood outside with me in the rain to humor me, I think. My host mom kept asking why would I want to be outside?! :)

Uganda #1: 3 Continents in 3 Days

“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing.” –Genesis 12:1-2

As I walked off the steps of the airplane, I was greeted by a warm breeze and the lowest sliver of a moon I’d ever seen, colored the deepest shade of orange you can imagine, settled just above the horizon. It was breathtaking, and I couldn’t believe it was the first thing I’d been shown in this new land; this new life.

After so many months of planning, organizing, praying, crying, talking, and thinking – I am here. The flight from Phoenix to London went surprisingly fast; the one from London to Entebbe, Uganda was one of the longest of my life! I’m sure some of that had to do with the fact that once I landed, I knew a course would be set in motion that would change my life forever; I knew there was no going back. The moment was brimming with anticipation and excitement.

There could not have been a bigger contrast between my layover city, London, and Kampala (Uganda’s capital). In Heathrow Airport there were more shops than I could ever imagine – Harrod’s, Coach, Tiffany & Co, I mean the list goes on and on. In Kampala I saw a place to exchange money. That was it. Well, I had never been to London before so I wanted to make the most of it. I landed at 2:30. By the time I figured out how to get on the tube and finally made it to my hostel, it was 5pm. I asked the man at the front desk (a congenial German lad named Nikolas) how much daylight he thought there was left. He said an hour at the most. Dang it! I thought. I knew I wanted to see some of the city, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about wandering the city alone at night. I finally decided to suck it up and go see Parliament Square, at least. So I set up my bed (I was at the bottom of a three-person bunk in a room of 15 beds), arranged my things, prayed I would survive this night, and ventured out. My hostel was a 10 minute walk from the nearest Underground (or tube) station and many of the red buses that can take you pretty much wherever you want to go. With the help of Nikolas’ directions, I took a bus to Parliament Square. It was all new to me, and difficult to figure out how to get off the bus and when (at one point I asked the driver if I could get off and he said, ‘Now?? In the middle of the road?!’ Yes, it was my finest hour). But I made it to Parliament, and one of the coolest moments was seeing that typical scene come up over the bridge: the river Thames with Parliament at its edge; Big Ben looming over everything. I’d seen that millions of times in movies and in pictures – it was amazing to finally see it with my own eyes.

Even though I wouldn’t have chosen to see London by night because of the fact that I was alone, it couldn’t have been more beautiful. I got to Parliament Square just as the sky was changing to dusk; it was a beautiful blue and everything was lit up – Big Ben, the Parliament buildings, Westminster Abbey. I didn’t realize all of these major buildings were all in the same square. It was incredibly convenient for me! :) I took as many pictures as I could, walked around, and took it all in.

I didn’t realize it might be cold in London til probably 2 days before I left for my trip. By then my thinking was, ‘I have so many things to take; I won’t be cold for the rest of the year, so I don’t see the point in taking things to keep me warm for just half a day in London.’ So as I walked around London I had on jeans, sandals with socks, a t-shirt, a jacket, and a scarf. I was definitely freezing, and had to keep reminding myself that soon I would not remember the meaning of the word cold (even as I sit here writing this in my hostel in Kampala it is about 85 degrees and extremely humid out, my fan isn’t working, and there isn’t a breeze). So anyway, I enjoyed Parliament Square, then decided instead of trying to deal with the buses again (I was tired, cold, hungry, everything was on the other side of the road and I kept feeling everyone staring at me) I just decided to walk back to my hostel, or at least in the direction of my hostel to find a place to have dinner. Well, of course, I got lost almost immediately. I had a map of the city with me and knew generally where I needed to go, but at one point the normal street cut into 3 new streets, all zigzagging in different directions, and suddenly I realized I’d better ask for help.
I stopped a kind older woman coming out of St. Thomas’ hospital and she was incredibly nice. She had one of the thickest accents I’ve ever heard, but was very nice and walked me in the direction I needed to be going (which turned out to be the same way she needed to go anyway – thank you Lord). I already knew I would be eating dinner at a pub down the street from my hostel called The Three Stags (Harry Potter? Anyone??). It was typical, it was British, and it was food. (PS – Beasley and Malmgren – It is 4 dollars.) At that point I hadn’t eaten in about 9 hours and I was starving. So I sat down and a nice woman who reminded me of Kate Winslet was my waitress. She brought me British tea (Twinings) and milk, then I ordered stuffed chicken, leek, and chips (French fries) for dinner. Everything was delicious and I was lucky to find a place that good so close to where I was staying. At that point I was dead and needed to get back to sleep; I knew I’d have to be waking up early.

At the hostel I slept very comfortably (albeit the large amount of noise being emitted from the people who were still awake out in the lobby) for about 4 hours, before waking up promptly at 2am and my body deciding it was confused as to the time and wasn’t going to let me sleep any longer. I laid there for a long time, willing myself to sleep, but it wasn’t happening. I logged online from my hostel bed (welcome to wifi) and chatted with some friends (you know who you are!) before it was time to get myself out of bed. I showered (all that was coming out was freezing water – it was about 30 degrees outside – but it was that or stay dirty – and after nearly passing out from the cold, I had a good laugh with myself about it), had a quick breakfast and headed out into the London dawn. It was cold but beautiful out; a bit foggy and just kind of magical. If you know me, I love all forms of water; oceans, creeks, fog, rain. (Also – the London fog reminded me of Mary Poppins and made me smile.) I took the tube and made it to Heathrow by 8am or so. (This is more for Missy than anyone else but, I listened to The Beatles all morning on the tube and enjoyed them thoroughly. I thought it only appropriate under the circumstances.) Even after talking to British Airways about my baggage (I was blessed enough that they checked my bags through all the way and I didn’t have to deal with them at all in London), going through security and getting my bearings, I still had over 2 hours until my flight (dad, be proud!). I was hungry, so I found the quaintest little café in the corner of terminal 5 that overlooked the airport and then the city beyond. I ate a sandwich and a latte and thought of my friends at Starbucks  The day was getting foggier and foggier and finally it began to rain. It was actually supposed to be colder and even snow the night I was there but, by the grace of God I did not have to deal with that. (Part of me thinks I’m probably putting too much detail into this but, oh well! You’ve read this far. It’s your choice to continue.)
All in all, they finally put up the number of the gate to Entebbe, and by the time we boarded and took off we were about half an hour late. The woman next to me, a wonderfully funny and charming lady who travels to Africa often, said this was normal and we should still get to Uganda on time. I slept for a bit on the plane, but mostly sat anxiously, trying not to think about how long it was taking, trying not to get overwhelmed with the emotion of everything. After one of the longest flights of my life, we arrived in Entebbe just after 10pm. The “customs” process, if you can even call it that, was incredibly simple and fast. The man glanced at my visa and passport, stamped a few stamps, snapped a picture with his webcam, and I was off. After finding my luggage and piling it onto the cart (thank you Jesus for free carts) I walked out into the lobby to look for Anthony, who was supposed to be meeting me there and taking me back to Kampala. There were a dozen people there holding up signs for people but my name was not on any of them. I walked outside where there were more people with signs, still without my name on them. I was asked (not forcefully, to my surprise) by several men if I needed a taxi, and I said someone was picking me up. A very nice Ugandan taxi driver kind of hung out with me until I saw Anthony about 10 minutes later – after my mind was beginning to creep into semi-panic mode as I thought of the fact that I was now alone in a foreign country, a single white female who may as well have had a big red target painted on my pale, freckled face. But God is good and I found Anthony, who met me along with his friend Thomas who also works with Orphans for Christ (OCA). I want to be as honest on this blog as possible for my own sake as well as for the sake of making much of God and of showing in every possible way that He is my Provider, Sustainer and Rock. When I first saw these men and began walking with them, I thought, ‘Well, this is it. They are the only people I know in the whole of the country and they can basically do whatever they want with me; I wouldn’t be able to do much about it; and okay God, I’m trusting You because there is no other option.’ It was an intense moment!

Both men were extremely nice, though, and I quickly felt at ease and able to express myself normally. Thomas was much more talkative than Anthony. He and I talked about Christianity and the LRA and Joseph Kony and the power of prayer and of how stable Uganda is, considering all that has happened here and in the surrounding countries. Somehow my luggage fit into the back of the small car they were driving and we were off. It was definitely damp and humid, but the breeze from the windows down helped a lot. We drove down the streets of Entebbe towards Kampala, many people still out on their bicycles and outside selling things on the streets though it was nearing on eleven by this time. Thomas sat in the backseat with me, and again, we chatted about a lot of things. (Side note: I could not find a seatbelt where I was sitting. No one else in the car bothered to put theirs on but, I definitely had several moments of slight panic since I had no seat belt on and the driving was, let’s say, questionable at times. A cultural difference you can’t do much about.) Finally Anthony told me I would be staying in a guest house down the street from his office and that in the morning we would tour around the city a bit and buy whatever I needed to buy.

So here I am. I slept a sound 7 hours last night and awoke to the sound of birds and chickens making their morning noises. I have a big bed and a shower (it’s actually the kind where the shower, toilet and sink are all in the same room – so when you shower the water gets on the toilet – pretty great) and a fan that worked for most of the night, though for some reason it has currently given up of exhaustion. I am definitely sticky and sweaty and have times where I think Dear God, bring a breeze! But I am doing great. I am so thankful for how He has kept me safe, that all my things made it here, that I am finally in Uganda, that I have legit godly men around me (Thomas prayed for me as soon as I got into the car last night and I’m pretty sure Anthony brought Thomas with him so it wouldn’t just be he and I), and that I am at the beginning of this adventure. Geez, didn’t think I’d write that much about 2 days! Well, dear friends, I love you all and am so grateful for your input in my life and for your love and support. I will be in touch. I love hearing from you. God bless!!

Also SIDE NOTE!! haha as if this wasn't already like a thousand years long. I've just spent the last hour at Anthony's office/OCA headquarters which is down the street from where I'm staying. I know a lot more about OCA now, which I will probably fully update on in a later post. But for those of you who are praying, please add these requests:

-Anthony really needs a car donated to him (or the money for one) as he travels between Kampala and Tororo all the time and has to take public transport, which gets complicated when he has to take supplies there

-OCA needs money (probably upwards of $15,000) to buy land and build a school and a home for the orphans in Tororo. right now they were forced to leave the last place they were renting and now half the kids were sent back to guardians; the other half are squeezed into someone's house and are being taken care of by an old widow. THIS IS NOT THAT MUCH MONEY!!! I just raised $8,000 for my trip. clearly God can do whatever He wants

-praise that God has brought me to a place full of true believers, laughing children, big smiling faces, a place full of opportunity for Him to do great things once again.

traveling

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine

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It’s a strange thing, traveling. At least, traveling by plane. I mean, to start off with it’s got all these weird combinations of things happening. You’ve got way too many people in a place that is way too small. Everyone has pretty much everything valuable they possess with them in these tiny bags, strapped to their shoulders or hanging from their arms for dear life. Everyone’s hoping their stuff doesn’t get stolen, spending most of the time eyeing everyone around them nervously, holding a tighter grip on their bags. In any given airport at any given time, someone may be just arriving from a 2-hour trip, about to board an overnight trip to Australia, they may be there to pick up a relative, or to send off a spouse.

For me, I think the strangest thing about it is that at one moment you’re in one city, and then within a matter of hours, you can be on a completely different continent. I mean, if someone from a couple hundred years ago saw how we traveled these days, I think it would really screw them up! These things used to take TIME, they used to really require some effort and thought and purpose. You had to plan, you had to set aside days or weeks or even months, depending on your mode of transportation. Even when air travel first began, people used to get dressed up; they would wear their fanciest clothes on the plane. It was an EVENT. My friend Matt thinks it’s a travesty that now we all wear sweat pants and flip flops and our hair messy when we know we’ll be on a plane.

Sometimes it all annoys me – the lines, the boarding passes, the weight limits on luggage, everyone in a frazzled hurry, narrow aisles, seat belt signs. But I’m grateful for traveling. It’s amazing that I can get on a plane in Santiago, Chile, in the heart of South America, and in 10 hours I’m what, five thousand miles away in Dallas? That blows my mind. I’m thankful for the ease of traveling and the convenience of it. Money allowing, I can go pretty much anywhere in the world that I want and do whatever I want, on pretty much the whim of a moment.

I’m glad that for whatever reason, God made it possible for me to travel this Christmas to visit my family five thousand miles away, and will make it possible for me to again be able to travel to Africa next month. For some insane reason I’ve been allowed to see a lot of the world, and I want to value that for what it is, and not take it for granted. Even if I’m technically on a vacation, I want to take in everything I possibly can; get exposed to all the scenery, food, language, clothing, and customs of anywhere I am. There is so much to appreciate in the world and everywhere is so different (and in many ways, similar) from anywhere else.
The world feels so connected when I travel other places. We all laugh at the same jokes, we all smile and work and go to school and pray, we all get frustrated and joyful and stressed and pensive and angry. Our cultures and religions and languages and ways of life are important and unique, but I think our similarities are most important. We’re all members of the human race, we were all born at some point and eventually we’ll all die. We breathe the same air and toil the same ground. We care about our families and cherish our friends. And whether we realize it or not, we’d all be happier if we cared more about our neighbor than we did about our paycheck; more about protecting our resources than greedily hoarding as much as we want.

The world we live in, though flawed and fallen and in disrepair, is beautiful and intricate and more fragile than we realize.

It’s a strange thing, traveling.

happy new year.

I’ve been so terrible at this blogging business, which makes me sad because there is so much I want to share, I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and write about it. Since I’ve last written on here I’ve bought my plane ticket to Uganda (I leave February 16), gotten most of my shots (Hep A, tetanus, polio, and malaria pills), procured my visa for the first three months in Uganda, and in general just been rolling a ball that will continue getting bigger and bigger until I leave in February. I’m currently in Chile, visiting my family here over Christmas and having a really corking time. I’m grateful to be able to come down here, I love it here. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people, and the general atmosphere here is something I always miss when I leave. It’s a different world, but in many ways it’s not much different from anywhere else.

If I tried to convey the emotions I’ve felt and experiences I’ve had as I draw closer to leaving for Uganda, it would take a long time, and I wouldn’t be able to do them justice. Suffice it to say, much has happened, both around me and in my head. God has been working sweet things in me, some difficult, some wonderful to experience. He’s given me a huge heart for the homeless and the oppressed especially in Phoenix, and it’s been a huge blessing to be able to team up with other believers who also feel strongly about those things and to serve God in that way, by loving His people. It’s something I should always be doing, so the fact that I don’t follow God and I’m not more obedient in those areas is sometimes discouraging. Fortunately we serve a God who doesn’t hold sin over our heads, but redeems us, shows us mercy and unconditional love like we’ll never experience from any other source. And that is cause for constant celebration.

There have been times when I wondered if going to Africa was in any way a rebellion on my part, or a desire to escape from something, or anything that was contrary to God. I knew I talked about helping people, and especially helping people who are SUPER poor or discouraged or helpless… but how much did I think about helping someone across the street, or in my own city? People had previously asked me why I hadn’t ever considered doing a ministry within the city, why I felt I needed or really wanted to do ministry out of the country. I don’t know that I ever had a straight answer for that. But in the past year God has hugely grown my heart, and I feel I’ve obeyed certain things He’s asked me to do or put on my heart, one of which being an impromptu homeless ministry downtown myself and a few dear friends were able to be a part of. After being able to become part of a new church this last year, and doing this homeless ministry, and really feeling God move in different areas at my work, I can say that I am not running away from anything, or saying that ministry in Phoenix or in the US isn’t valid or important. The only difference is, where has God placed you? Where has He called you? And I don’t think He comes with a big neon sign, and I don’t think He always makes things super obvious. He works differently in every situation and in every person. There’s something Shane Claiborne quotes that says, “Find out where God is already at work, and get involved.” Or something to that effect. Sometimes something will just tug at your heart or you will see a ministry or a person that really calls to you, and for goodness sakes, join it! I’m completely on board with that.

All this to say, I feel God has more work for me to do, and more growth for me which He is going to do in Uganda for the next year, and I am so excited to see what that’s going to be like. I know it’ll come with its sorrows and hardships and discouragement and frustrations, as well as with its joys and growth and sweet experiences. But like Paul says, he has learned to live in all circumstances, because we can do all things through Him who gives us strength. Knowing all I do about the Lord, seeing what He’s done in me and through me (though I’ll never know why He chooses to use me, or any of us), and having Him confirm His character to me over and over and over, it only seems logical, it only seems natural to give Him everything, to follow Him anywhere.

Please pray for me as I prepare to leave. I would be so grateful for your petitions on my behalf, and feel so incredibly blessed with all the solid believers God has placed around me. Those of you who live in Phoenix and who I see frequently, I am going to miss having you be such a frequent part of my life and will miss all of your beautiful selves and the dynamic of our relationships here. However, I am not going to the Internet-free jungle zone, I will definitely be within electronic reach, so please do not hesitate to keep in touch with me, if you know me I GREATLY appreciate and feel encouraged by any emails, notes, facebook messages, phone calls, and hey, even visits to my neck of the woods! Don’t be shy! I love you all, to anyone who is reading, I hope your 2010 is very blessed.

beauty.

there are certain things that God can always get my attention with. one of those is the sky. I am absolutely enchanted and mesmerized by anything having to do with it. if you know me at all, you know that is an understatement. sunsets, clouds, the moon, storms... it all reminds me so much of His majesty, presence, and beauty.

the past week has been the kicker with the sky and all related weather. it's just been so incredible and joyful this week, God has filled me so much with who He is and has been constantly reminding me that He is sufficient, and not only that, He chooses to let us experience such amazing things they defy adequate description. on Monday I walked out of Starbucks only to see that it had sporadically started raining, so of course I went out and danced in it. how can I not?! :) and then I decided I wanted to get closer to the storm so I drove out about 20 miles to Tolleson, found an empty dark field, watched the lightning and stood in the rain. it was phenomenal. the rest of the week I just got to have other sweet experiences with the weather and sky.

thursday was another banner evening. the sunset as I drove home from meeting with a friend was glorious, deep orange and pink and the storm was starting to come in so that just made everything more beautiful. I took a drive out by Lake Pleasant that night, it's nice and dark out there and the lightning started while I was out there, which was so amazing to witness. later that night it began pouring and storming intensely, and I couldn't stand to be inside. I took a barefoot walk and got soaked, laid out in a grass field and got to watch the show our Creator was putting on. I can't even describe to you how beautiful that was.

yesterday, Danielle and I took a trip up to Williams and from there, took the Grand Canyon Railway to the well... Grand Canyon. we got a rainstorm on the way up there, and at the Canyon, not only did we experience the majesty that is the Canyon itself, it also got completely overcast while we were still there. Danielle and I watched the entire canyon darken and these deep majestic clouds roll in. I think we were just as enthralled by those clouds than by the actual Canyon :) right before we left, it began storming, so we got light wind and rain and plenty of thunder. words really begin to sound insufficient when describing all of these wonders. suffice it to say, I experience God's beauty in creation in abundance this week, and it has served to remind me once again that He is the author of everything I see, and is more than worthy all our praise and devotion.

God can't direct the steps you're not taking.

I wrote this in July and never finished; gonna post it anyway. This was dated July 13.

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crazy, crazy times, man.

you know it's intense when you can't quite find the words to describe what's going on. here goes.

the title of the blog came from a conversation I had with a coworker today. he basically discouraged me from sitting around "waiting for God to do something" when it comes to missions and Africa and encouraged me to take action, to look into opportunities, to run at this full force. what he said really made me think, and I have spent a lot of tonight looking at different websites for orphanages and whatnot.

I feel very uplifted and pumped up to once again look into different places and just get excited about missions again. my heart longs for it, and I truly believe God has placed that desire and passion on my heart.