The Lovely Dirt

-

This is the land of unending dirt! The red, brown, and black ink of the ground seeps into every pore. Sandals are discarded at the door for the sake of semi-clean house floors, but the dirt clinging to every crack of rough feet still inevitably deposits itself in every room. The sweat beading on my face as I walk to church calls loudly for any and all of the airborne particles to join the party on my skin.

Once a day, I feel clean. As I step into my shower each night and watch the grime wash down the drain, I breathe a sigh of relief. I grasp my foot brush tightly and scrub scrub scrub until skin glows pink again.

It never fails to remind me of my soul, penetrated and covered by the filth and grime of sin, but washed and rinsed clean with the blood of the Lamb. As I daily seek forgiveness and mercy, I revel in the freshness and relief of freely given cleansing and righteousness. I marvel that He would love me while I was still covered in sin, embracing my filth-crusted spirit and tenderly purifying me to be His own. Oh that I would be so humble and kind to even the most unlovely around me!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Washing Clothes

-
Image
Today I bring you a two in one! Many have been asking me how we really wash clothes over here, so I thought I'd give you a taste.....plus give you a bonus track of some of the language I've learned and practiced with my language helper!! Bwenti bwenjoza engoye zange: This is how I wash my clothes Njua amaazi mubafu: I fill a basin with water Nteka engoye zange mu maazi: I put my clothes in the water Nsiiga saboni ku lugoye: I put soap on the clothes Wemala nga nkunya engoye: I then scrub the clothes Nteka amaazi amayonjo nenyanika engoye zange: I use fresh water to rinse, then spread my clothes to dry Bwentio bwenjoza engoye zange! That is how I wash my clothes! While it is me speaking, the pictures are quite obviously NOT me washing ;) For some reason, I found washing and photographing simultaneously to be hazardous to the health of my camera!
Read more

I've Persevered!

-
Image
In my 6 1/2 years living in Africa, I’ve seen some really hard times. But this year has been different. A steady stream of one emergency, trial, and conflict after another has kept my spirit weary. Each one has not held the intensity or trauma that I’ve experienced in past years, but it’s been the never-ending tension that’s so hard. With at most a couple days of calm between each new struggle, the weariness of body, mind, and spirit has been overwhelming at times. From confronting malicious lies about me among the teachers, to grieving over the consequences of sin in some co-workers. From having to be the vet for my kittens (including learning how to put in a sub-cut IV, give injections, and do post-op care), and burying the ones that died in my arms, to cleaning out the fridge that either switches off, spoiling all the food, or freezes all the fresh fruit and veggies. From dealing with sullen teenagers in class, to battling the spiritual warfare that imprisons many of my teac...
Read more

Our Daily Posho

-
Image
Anybody remember your elementary school cafeteria? I don't....I didn't have one since I was home schooled, but that's besides the point. I certainly got to HEAR about all my friend's school cafeteria experiences (you know, the whole "I'll eat your brown stuff if you'll eat my green stuff"), but I thought I'd show you the school cafeteria at Covenant Primary school here in Mbale..... Here, everyone just eats their brown stuff. otherwise known as ebijanjalo, or to you muzungus, beans. and posho. Posho or rice with beans is definitely one of the most common meals here in Uganda, and they eat plenty of it! I seriously marvel at how much one Ugandan can fit in their flat stomach. When I was growing up, the most common concern I heard expressed about being a missionary was what you would have to eat. Pictures of bugs, slimy slugs, and floating chicken heads danced through my mind, and I asked myself, "Would I be willing?" I said yes....but sin...
Read more