African Muzungu

July 30. It was the best day of the year. And that’s saying something! There were multiple red-letter days this year such as the day Michelle arrived in Uganda, my first safari in Africa, and the day I fed a lion with my best friend (read about it here !). But this particular one was my favorite. The whole year had really been leading up to it, and it was highly anticipated by more than just myself! At the beginning of the school year, I gave my kids in grades 3, 4, and 5 a challenge: memorize and recite 16 answers together with supporting verses to these 4 different questions (which some of you might recognize these from AWANA’s T&T book 1): Who is God? Who is the Lord Jesus? How does God want me to live my life? Why did God give us the Bible? They had a total of 36 verses to memorize and recite word-perfectly by the end of July. The reward they were promised was an ice-cream party for all those who successfully finished every last verse, and for those who were able ...

Almost every day I have the joy of introducing various people here to 'Muganda wange,' which translates to 'my sister' in Lugwere and Luganda. The common response is almost always, 'Yes! For sure, you resemble!' (aka, you look alike:) ). The many commentaries that have followed have been priceless! Showing her off to all my friends and acquaintances has been so much fun! This is a joy that I have longed for since the very first time I came to Uganda in 2003.   Over the past 5 years of living overseas, I have found that living in a totally different culture and environment from my friends and family in the States can certainly lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Struggling to describe especially the small things that make my life so different here can be frustrating to the point of not even wanting to try. Things like… making sure the water filter is full all the time so if water runs out, at least we have drinking water… maneuvering the the p...

Many of you know the incredible anticipation with which I was looking forward to my sister, Michelle spending the summer here in Uganda with me. Let me tell you, the reality has been even better than what I thought!!! Michelle has been here for over a month, and I still pinch myself to make sure it’s real. Her coming has been so timely in so many ways I couldn’t have anticipated… for example, I’ve spent an inordinate number of days sick the past month. The whole first part of the year I was doing so much better with sickness that I usually do, but the past 2 months a variety of different illnesses have knocked me down numerous times. Michelle has been a champ, not only in going with the flow and quickly adapting to the variety of paces ministry in Africa brings (everything from break-necked speed to sick-induced standstill, and everything in between), or even caring for me when sick, but also covering for me and taking up my slack at school when I’ve been down. She’s been so great ...

Throughout the years living and driving in Africa, I have often thought and remarked that driving here is a bit like a Mario Kart game. Dodging potholes is only half the fun. The more unpredictable obstacles are the goats, chickens, cows, pikis (motorcycle taxis), bodas (bicycle taxis), wheelbarrows, and pedestrians. Everyday, driving is a challenge and and adventure. However, somedays the reality of the real-life impact of failing to successfully maneuver these obstacles is driven home. For me, one of those days was 2 weeks ago and everyday since. As I was driving home from Kamonkoli one evening, the sun had set and it was just beginning to get pretty dark. I was passing through a busy market center on the outskirts of Mbale with people, bicycles, and motorcycles swarming everywhere. I remember seeing a man approaching on bicycle going in the opposite direction. Without any warning at all, he suddenly swerved into a u-turn directly in front of me. I barely had time to even touch th...

I've never seen such compassion in a child's eyes as I did that day. I had woken up on a Saturday morning feeling pretty awful but not wanting to miss AWANA that day. So I drove myself to Kamonkoli, determined to grit my teeth and push through the pain. By the time I navigated the mess of a 'road' we're calling a highway these days and arrived at the church, my endurance was already tottering. I climbed out of my Rav4 and weakly handed over the bags of supplies to one of my boys to carry into the church. The kids were already singing, jumping, and clapping in the sanctuary as they exuded the excitement that comes when our teams of western visitors are around. 10 minutes in, and I knew the tears converging behind my eyes would soon make a full appearance. Crying and tears are just not understood or accepted here, and I knew how uncomfortable they would make the kids. I stepped outside behind the church and vainly struggled to hold back the flow. Just then, two of m...

We sat face to face, with only a table separating us. I leaned in close and looked into her brown eyes. I have something to tell you.  She was so scared as she cringed in her chair waiting for me to continue. God will never remove His grace from you. Her eyes immediately welled up in tears as she quietly stared at me. Yes, I understand what you did. I heard you say that you know that it was wrong, and you felt the burden of shame and guilt. But dear sister, please know that even when you sin, He will never remove His grace from you. Because you are His . His precious daughter who He loves more than anything. Today brought one of the most precious conversations I’ve ever had with this dear friend of mine. My heart balloons with the joy of remembering the courage she had to admit her sin to me. A sin that had brought great shame and sorrow. A sin that had her feeling like God had removed His grace from her, and she was no longer free to come before Him. And yet, she f...

It happens like clockwork: Every Tuesday night is rough. One thing or another keeps me tossing and turning throughout the night: mosquito bites, upset stomach, random pain, crazy dogs, or the pounding music from the local bar. Or sometimes I'm just unable to fall asleep for hours on end. I usually wake up on Wednesday morning feeling terrible. And even if I make it through the night unscathed, illnesses like malaria, typhoid, or the flu like to make their appearance on Wednesday too. Which is not great, since Wednesdays are my longest, most challenging days. In addition to my regular daily work like teaching Bible for 5 grades at Genesis, I also teach a Bible study for all the teachers at Genesis after school every Wednesday. And I am convinced that is the reason for all the drama the night before. Bible study with the teachers is definitely one of the highlights of my week every week. The opportunity to teach, instruct, mentor, and love these men and women Jesus has so wonderfully...