African Muzungu

Christmas in Africa is different. Bet you didn’t expect that. JK  But especially here in Mbale, you don’t see every store decked out in Christmas decorations with a new Santa product on every shelf. Lights don’t sparkle on the roofs of each house (or any house for that matter). There isn’t a culture battle over saying ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas.’ And since most families can’t buy every child and relative a Christmas present, clothes are actually considered a GREAT present (even by the kids)! You even might, if you’re lucky, see a tree decked out for Christmas, African style like this one:  Please note the cotton ball snow Oh wait, you need the full effect.....!! But the best part is that almost every family makes the effort to go to church on Christmas. You remember all of those awkward years when Christmas fell on a Sunday and you couldn’t decide how to handle it? Do we open presents really early? Do we wait until after church? Do w...

What does close to 1000 Ugandan kids gathered for a Christmas party look like? Well, if a picture says a thousand words, it’s still not enough, but here’s just a taste! Part of the crowd from above Watching the Jesus film The highlight of my Christmas: a Christmas skit put on by some of the sponsored kids. Seriously, there were no words for how funny and precious this was!! Cooking in the village for a crowd Washing hands before lunch (yes, all 1000 washed hands before eating!) Enjoying Pilau (beef mixed with rice) and beans All Smiles Cakes for 1000 takes a LOT of work!! Even if you do cut very small! Waiting in line for clothes and sweets It definitely was an incredible day of laughing, entertainment, teaching, eating, dancing, and the kids even received a piece of clothing, some candy and a balloon hat!  And if some video of a muzungu lady dancing who looks just like me shows up on youtube, ...

I love my new puppy.  I love my new [roommate's] kitty.   My new kitty does *not* love my new puppy... but he loves her!! And yes, their names are Buddy and Bunny. And no, that wasn't planned. :)

Since everything was finalized with HUM in September, things have been nonstop! So get ready for a whirlwind recap of the past couple of months!! Ready? Beginning in mid-September, I was so blessed to meet with many of my supporters and get to know them better. Many of them I hadn’t really known before, so the opportunity to have one on one time with them was a wonderful one! I’ll be honest though, with some of them I was nervous. These were people who believed in my ministry and knew what had been going on with me, but I didn’t know much about them. Before each meeting, I took time to pray for them and ask that the Lord would bless them through our conversation…I didn’t expect that He would bless ME so much! After each time, I walked away with a specific blessing and encouragement from each of them. I am so humbled to have such a wonderful group of people behind me! Beginning in October, Katherine and I set out on the fundraising trail to find support for the ministry. Le...

As a missionary, change is just part of the job description! I guess it’s a good thing God made me the adventuresome type, ‘cause each new change definitely brings yet another adventure! Now you may be clued in by now that since I’m talking about change, that must be because there’s been another change. I know, rocket science. And you would be right!  As of this month I have officially transferred from being a missionary with Tentmakers Bible Mission to a wonderful ministry called HUM (Hines Ugandan Ministries). I know, how appropriate (being called Melody and all…)!  This ministry was started in 1999 by a wonderful lady named Katherine Hines. While I was in Uganda, I was so impressed by her staff and ministry that I began praying about if the Lord would want me to partner with her. You know what He said? YES!  HUM’s ministry is pretty extensive, but the parts that I will be participating in are the primary school and the AWANA club. Katherine has asked...

This summer I had an incredible time with a couple of churches as the visiting missionary for their VBS clubs. For one of them, I was asked to do 20 minutes each for 4 different age groups, the youngest being the preschoolers. Now you might remember....I LOVE kids, but trying to keep the attention of 40+ preschoolers in one tiny room for 20 minutes was definitely stretching hero inducing. Not to mention trying to teach them something valuable about missions in Africa, a topic completely outside of their realm of experience. When I was first trying to figure out what I was going to teach them, I was so worried that I would get into that room and the kids would take over. Or that I would stare into those little faces and completely blank. Or maybe that they would simply reach the end of the week having learned absolutely nothing. That first Monday I went through the first 3 classes with ease, all the time questioning my plans for the preschool group. Before I knew it, they were there. T...

I miss Uganda. So much. Before I left, I was dreading leaving my beloved home and spending so much time in the States. When a dear friend, Natalie, found me in my little self pity party, she told me, “Melanie, going home is not punishment, it’s a blessing!” And she was right: it has been a huge blessing in so many ways, but I still wake up every morning and go to sleep every night longing for my Uganda. Soon after I got here, I was talking with my friend, Madi, and thinking about some of the things that I love so much about life in Uganda. One of those things is waking up every morning with a purpose. In Uganda I knew each day what the goal was: whether learn some new vocabulary, successfully interpret a story in Luganda, prepare to teach Sunday School, minister to my missionary friends, or just work to make my little Ugandan house into a home. Here in the States, the weeks I got to be a missionary for VBS were amazing! And waking up on those days was a joy and a thrill to ge...