African Muzungu

This past weekend after celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving (as in AMAZING food, TOO much fun, and GREAT company!) with a bunch of other American missionaries, my friend Natalie and I took a trip to Jinja, just a couple hours away. Jinja is the town right by the source of the Nile river which flows from Lake Victoria, and our accommodations were situated overlooking the Nile. It was truly wonderful to take the time to rest, be refreshed and fellowship with the Lord and with Nat for 3 days. Soaking up the beauty around me, and just being for a while was so wonderful. In the confusion and commotion of living in Africa, there is so much to think and analyze and evaluate and feel and change and do . I'm so grateful for the opportunity the Lord provided for me to go away for a time and find my balance and center around Him alone again. Time away also gave me a chance to read/listen to some books while cross stitching! I've been reading Hannah Hurrand's book, Hinds Feet on High...

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...

Thank you so much for all of the prayers you have offered up for me since my last blog! I have definitely found strength, encouragement, peace, and comfort through your prayers and mine in situations that would have been so defeating otherwise. One of the greatest joys and blessings to me for the past several weeks has been my new language helper, Margaret. My concerns with my last language helper, Diana, (not as a friend, but as a teacher) led to one of the challenging situations that I've had to face here, but I really do believe the Lord has worked in some incredible ways, and I have been blessed abundantly with a new teacher, helper, and friend in Margaret. (I just stopped to look at this picture from an American perspective and noticed the bare light bulb and exposed wires in the background.... I guess the fact that I don't even think twice about it anymore says something....I'll leave you to decide what that is :) ) Margaret is quite the busy lady! She teac...

Today I could have done a fun post about the different kinds of things I eat on a regular basis, or some of the fun things I've been learning in language, or some of the interesting cultural situations I've been exposed to, but instead I'm just here asking for your prayers. These past couple of weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster. I knew when I came that the spiritual warfare here would be intense, and it has definitely proved to be so. There have been a multitude of situations, problems, thoughts, and confusions that have kept me busy praying, thinking, and praying some more, and I am definitely in need of your prayers more than ever. While there have been many discouraging days (including yesterday!), I have been constantly reminded that my Lord is right here with me. When I'm sad and hopeless, He whispers to me, "Trust in me at all times. pour out your heart before Me, for I am your refuge." Ps 62:8 And when I feel completely alone and helpless He so...

Lime. No, really. It's a lime. Nope, not that one.... that's an orange. (yes, really) or that one.... that's a tangerine. That one. The one in the middle. Lime. Can you see why I spent an hour in the market trying to find limes? Not to mention the fact that there seems to be some debate on what they're actually called in Luganda. Obulimawa? or Kalimawo? I finally found them by asking about 10 people where the obulimawa...the very very small ones were. Oh, and you'll never guess what color the lemons are. Yup. Green. Cracks me up that the only citrus fruit that should be green is actually yellow. This is so descriptive of my life right now. In this very different life and culture, many things just look different than I think they will (and sometime should!) For example, American culture tends to be very direct, and Uganda culture in general is indirect. Someone might say to you, "You are most welcome to my home for lunch today" without any thought of you ac...

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!

I'm sitting in the dark. Amasanyalaze gageenze (power has gone), and I wonder how long it will be out this time. Before you feel sorry for me, I need to tell you that I am blessed beyond measure. In the 112 days that I have been living here, I have had to take only two cold showers. That is a miracle. Even with the constant power outages, the Lord has been kind to me and I have constant cause to praise Him when the power comes back each night (at times just long enough for me to shower!). Knowing as I do that just on the other side of town, the power is turned off for 24 hours every other day, makes me even more grateful! I remember a day back in America when I would complain about having to reset my clocks if the power left during the night, but living with true poverty ever before me has had a way of making me grateful for the things I've taken for granted all my life. You know what else I love about power outages? STARS!!!!! This city girl has a new love and passion for the ...