African Muzungu

For the past 4 years I’ve been focusing on teaching the children at Genesis in God’s Word. Daily, we’ve explored the Old Testament and especially how it relates to and has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Both the kids and I have learned so much, and I’ve developed relationships with them that I cherish. But for the whole of last year, I became more and more burdened for their need to learn about and encounter Jesus and Biblical truth in more than just a designated devotion or Bible study time. Jane and Gloria studying in Bible class My heart and vision for them that throughout the entire day, whether they’re learning about plant life in science, composition in English, or long division in Math that they would be seeing a relation to Biblical truths and principles in every single lesson. I want them to know that Jesus is intimately involved and connected to every single aspect of life. And I long for them to be aware of His loving presence and influence in every moment of...

One of my favorite weeks ever in Uganda started with the first day of our 2016 school year for Genesis. Welcoming new students along with the old all while hosting a wonderful team from Bear Valley Church in Littleton was definitely a thrill! I had missed my kids so much while I was gone, so finally getting to be with them again was a long-awaited joy. Although many of my kids weren't quite as enthusiastic as I would have expected them to be... mostly because I had "cut weight" while I was gone, and apparently some of them weren't quite sure if it was really me. HA! Once they were convince it really was me, they quickly warmed up, and we're settling back into our Bible study routine. Lining up by class for parade on the first day of school On Tuesday we got to take our P4 and P5 student on a field trip with the team to Sipi falls. All of them had an absolute blast, especially when we reached the top of the 2nd falls and they got to play in p...

 Can you believe it's only 7 more days until Christmas??? Neither can I! This year has just flown by, and I find myself approaching my 3rd Christmas in Uganda. While you're enjoying time with your families, I thought you also might enjoy a look at the newsletter I wrote for my mailing list, and if any of you would like to be included in future mailings, feel free to send me an email at melanie.a.may@facebook.com. (click to open image, then right click, 'view image' to enlarge) 

These past few  weeks months have been overly full! When I sit down to try and remember everything that has needed to be done in these weeks, I am just amazed. To start with, Genesis is approaching the end of its third full year of school! Which is wonderful! And hectic. Final exams needed to be typed and printed. Teacher evaluations needed to be created, printed, and administered.  We had a visiting team 2 weeks ago who spent several days at the school. And all those extras are in addition to the usual work load of supervising teachers, preparing and teaching Bible study for the teachers, planning for AWANA, putting together presentations for the AWANA clubs back in the States, taking sick children to the clinic, troubleshooting all manner of weird circumstances (like the time the school's pit toilet started caving in), etc. etc. etc. And all of that adds up to early mornings and long days. Annnnd in the middle of it all, I'm needing to find a...

Standing outside my house with my guard under the African sky cloaked in stars, the sounds of shouting, yelling, and the beating of drums and jerrycans drifted through the night air. I had been filled with curiosity when I heard the commotion, and stepped out to see if Enoch could explain what was going on. He said that the people were shouting and beating whatever objects they could in order to scare away evil spirits. The story passed down through the generations is that when someone sees an evil spirit, they must begin shouting and making noise in order to keep that spirit from entering their house and causing harm to them or their family. The spirit will flee from the noise, and enter into the house where it is quiet, unless those people also hear the noise and take up the alarm. In that way, the alarm spreads to the whole surrounding area as people try to protect their houses and families from the evil spirits. I know that to western minds, the idea is absurd. And even to...

There are some days when I could even fool myself that I work in an office in the States. This week since the kids are out on the second of their three yearly breaks, I took the opportunity to work on the budget for the school for next year. Buried in my laptop for hours on end, I am reminded of why I wouldn’t gladly choose a 9-5 desk job. This morning found me again at work settling in for yet another marathon day of numbers. I have to admit, it’s not work that I enjoy. When I dreamt of my life’s work in Africa, I’m pretty sure I had something more like trekking through the bush, spreading joy, flowers, and candy to every child that I saw. I definitely didn’t envision a dimly lit office, wooden chair, and lcd screen. But the hard truth of life is that in order to accomplish the vision set before us, we must accomplish even the tiresome, seemingly less important or at least less fulfilling tasks as well. Even though if I had my way, each day would be spent just playing with or teaching...

Last Friday, March 30 th , was the 1 year anniversary of my friend, Liz’s death. I couldn’t mention it or write about it, because in some way it seemed speaking out about it made it less meaningful somehow. I guess grief is funny that way. It convinces us to do things that might not make much rational sense, but nonetheless we are compelled to do so. I guess I felt as though mentioning her would be asking for people’s compassion for me…when she was the one to suffer and should be the one to receive those attentions. But she’s gone. That day, I spent most of the day sick in bed with the beginnings of what would be a nasty head cold. That only compounded my sadness. But honestly, I told myself I didn’t have much right to be sad…after all, it was a whirlwind friendship. I loved her yes, but I didn’t really know her. Not as the real Liz. Just as the burned Liz. And while I’m so grateful for the chance I had to show her a little bit of love and grace, I know I didn’t do all I could...