African Muzungu

What a whirlwind of a month! In anticipation of my move to Kamonkoli in January, I knew that I needed to be in Uganda these weeks, and boy have these weeks been full! Here’s some of the highlights of what I’ve been up too… Time in the office after coming back gave me the chance to brainstorm and plan out some of the media projects we will use in fundraising next year. Our school fundraising video for this year has done well. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it now! Andrew loved being a part of the video, and has come asking me several times this year if he’s going to be in the next one too! :) I will definitely be looking forward to introducing you to more of the kids that have stolen my heart, and I hope will steal yours too :) I’ve also had the joy of multiple deep, genuine conversations with several dear ones here. Each time one of them trusts me enough to be open with their pain, joys, and innermost thoughts I am amazed again. Ugandan culture as a whole is so guarded w...

Today is the day my best friend is leaving Uganda for now. Jesus has called her to a new season of life and ministry back on the other side of the world. Even though I’m not in Uganda at this moment putting her on that plane, and waving goodbye through the tall glass windows, I’m still overwhelmed by the grief of that goodbye. Natalie is the one who welcomed me to Uganda and taught me so much of how to survive (and thrive!!) in Africa. Even before I ever arrived, she made time to Skype me and give me packing tips (mostly what NOT to waste my luggage space on…thanks, Nat! :) ) She was with me during my first market experience, and the first one to give me tips on how to drive there. She pointed me to all the random places I could find things I was missing from the States (like dvd from the movie store, canned tomatoes, cheese, and even oreos!) She’s been a constant well of information and guidance….and in more than just food items :) :) Nat and I during my first year Ove...

5 1/2 years of ministry in Uganda have been leading to this point…. When I first moved to Uganda I was doing language and culture study in Mbale, but after my first year there, Jesus made it abundantly clear that I was to join the team out in Kamonkoli for ministry. For a variety of reasons (including the fact that there wasn’t available housing), HUM and I decided that I would continue to live in Mbale and drive out to the village each day. The view from my current porch Jesus has abundantly blessed my time in Mbale! I’ve stayed in a number of different houses, but this latest place was my favorite. I got to be there for 3 whole years (so amazing after moving 5 times in 2 1/2 years!), and had over a dozen people live with me in these years. Callie has been my faithful housemate even from before this house, and such a huge answer to prayer. She’s an ideal housemate, and has been a wonderful teammate as we’ve taught so many newbies coming into our house to live in Uganda how t...

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...