Off to the Village!

So just for a quick update and prayer request. We are heading to rural homestays tomorrow - which means we will be out in rural Uganda staying with host families in villages. IMME students will be in Kapchorwa and the USE students in Soroti. Both villages are up north, closer to the areas where the LRA has been through at one point. So they basically live very different lives than what we have seen thus far in Mukono. I am thrilled to meet a whole other family and get to know them and share in their lives for a week. I will not still be paired with Megan, and may be on my own - which I am a BIT nervous about. But excited nonetheless. I would very much appreciate your prayers for safe travels (its about 6 hours on crazy roads) and just health and safety while we are there...for everyone. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. Thanks so much for your prayers and support. I love you all! God Bless!

Oh and I should be back in contact March 2 or so - have a blessed week till then!

Fun Friends!

Sitting on the porch with Anooke and Samuel - eating Jackfruit - a delicious new fruit discovery!

Learning some African dance moves from Ivan!!

Tea time with Megan! Every morning at about 7:45 or so we have tea and popcorn, and evenings when we get back from school we usually have milk tea and either popcorn, ground nuts, bananas, or my new favorite - kagalagala (little pancakes made from sweet bananas and casava flour! yummy!)

Megan, Imme, Rebecca, and I sitting on my bed. Its weird now at home with our sisters gone to school - we miss them terribly! But are having fun getting to know our brother and neighbors better.

Some super cute neighborhood kids Megan and I played with for an afternoon!

Sorry this isn't a whole lot of pictures - but I lost my camera so I have to go hunting for times when I can steal pictures from other people. Hopefully I will be able to post some more soon! Love you all, take care!

What's Up, Mzungu?

(One of my favorite greetings I have received on a consistent basis walking through Mukono town..."What's up, Mzungu?" Just makes me smile.)

Ok the infamous task of attempting to write an update on all of the things I’ve been up to here in beautiful Uganda.

Last weekend IMME took a trip down south (5 hours or so – CRAZY dirt roads that it literally blows my mind we drive on…potholes the size of the Pacific Ocean…not kidding) to Rakai – and specifically the little rural village town of Kibaale. We were visiting the Kibaale Community Center – a mission set up and run by a team from Canada (yes, Christa, Canada!). They are sponsored by a private school up there and are very blessed with funds. They have a school with about 800 students from the surrounding villages (some walk 2 hrs to school), a medical clinic, and a farm. One of the things I thought was so cool was the ways they are working towards self-sustainability. For example on the farm they are experimenting with different projects to earn some money for the center. They have cows and chickens right now and are thinking of building a fish pond. The team was so nice and it was great to see the ways God has blessed the missions and is so at work there. Oh, and one of the guys, Sean, works in the communities around fixing and digging wells! I had a great conversation with him and he gave me some sweet ideas of ways I could get involved after I graduate – who knows! Most of the IMME group went on a hike up a “mountain” of sorts – it was awesome. Once at the top we could see Tanzania! (About 14 miles away) It was so beautiful – there just are not words. We had a great time just relaxing and enjoying time with one another. I am so grateful for how close I have gotten with the other IMME students. We went to church in the town and it was wonderful. It was a very simple newly constructed brick building with wooden benches and full of brothers and sisters on fire for Christ. The service was incredible. They had two men playing drums and multiple choirs that came up and blessed us with songs…I could have stayed there and worshiped with them for eternity. I can’t wait until every tongue, tribe, and nation is united together worshiping our Lord.

Another quote from Ragamuffin gospel:
“The gospel of grace calls us to sing of the everyday mystery of intimacy with God instead of always seeking for miracles or visions.”

I am definitely trying to do this while being here. Truly every morning is a new day and God continues to be SO faithful. I am so grateful to be here.

“The deeper we grow in the spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become – the more we realize everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble joy and thanksgiving.”

Lunch the other day was amazing…just a beautiful time of fellowship with a few Ugandan ladies I have gotten to know and one of the USE guys. We had so much fun talking and laughing and I was reflecting on God’s wonderful treasures he has created:

Their brilliant smiles
Cast light into my small heart
Each time I see them

Such genuine warmth
Is exchanged in their greetings
Each time we pass by

What are we missing
Back at home with just a nod
Each time we rush away

We are too busy
To stop and greet a brother
Each time they are there

Now that the neighborhood kids are back in school its brought a whole new light to our walks to and from school. When we pass by groups of kids walking to/from school we greet them and then as we pass hear them bust up laughing and saying things about mzungus (that’s us..white people). It’s so cute, and so funny. We have met several and hope to continue getting to know them as we journey together.

I’m continuing to learn SO much. Classes are going really well – they are challenging my world views and ideas about salvation and Christianity and missions and way of life. It’s awesome – but definitely a lot to be thinking about and trying to work it all out. I’m journaling a lot and plan to continue working through most of this when I return to the States. For now, one foot forward is the way to go. I’m loving every moment of this.

Hope you are well. I love and treasure you and am praying for you!

The craziest/coolest things I've learned so far...

Ok so some other quick highlights from the last two weeks…

So last week we went down to the clinic our father owns (which I thought was a hospital and told them I wanted to help out in it – when we got there found out it’s a little pharmacy with one woman working…awwwwkward. So now Rebecca has told the woman I want to help – but there is nothing I can do. Gotta love miscommunications). Anyways it turned out to be a huge blessing because we started playing with some neighborhood kids outside the clinic. Soon it turned into a mob of 20+ kids all running around like crazy. They pretty much would just follow anything we did – we played circle games, did the chicken dance, the hokey pokey, and then when we were out of ideas they started teaching us some of their games! It was so much fun. We played with them for almost 2 and a half hours…so cute!
A few haikus to go along with it:

Small children laughing
Their hearts are so full of joy
What precious smiles

Struggling at home
To find my place in it all
Hoping it comes soon

Also last week I had the privilege of learning how to milk the cow! Instead of the milkman who was coming now its our new friend Samuel – who is 16 I think – the brother of the family up the road who we have gotten to know well. He just got back from a trip but now he's over every morning and night to milk and feed the cow. He’s so sweet and fun to have around. He sings songs every night while he’s milking – sometimes in Luganda and sometimes stuff he makes up about Megan and I. After the second time I helped him milk he said that I’m becoming a pro and when I go back to the US I can tell my mom to buy me a cow and then milk it for my family! What an honor that would be. Funny cause if he only knew where I lived…what a different culture.

Musumba (host father) is now done taking classes at UCU so he has a lot more free time at home which has been such a blessing. He has started playing cards with us almost every night after dinner. Turns out he’s SUPER competitive! But its all in a very nice, playful way. During the game, though, he’s full of trash talk “watch out for the train (loser train), its comin your way!” “go down (draw) go down, I know you don’t have it” “I’m gonna ‘changa-changa’ (shuffle) you – be ready” – he’s too funny! Can’t wait to come back and share the card game though – its like crazy eights, but better!

Ok we also learned how to do laundry. Dang. I have never given washing machines the credit they deserve. Its hard work, and they do it so well! The key phrase here is “power and energy, power and energy!” Rebecca and Imme helped us the first time but subsequent times mostly just correct/rebuke us – they have been known to make us re-wash things. Which is for our benefit, I know. Its funny though – we have to bend over (no squatting!) our basins and scrub scrub scrub! And of course a few days ago we came home during a break from classes to do laundry because it was sooo hot so it seemed like a good time to get the clothes to dry quickly. Of course as soon as we were back at school it started pouring rain! Awesome. We just looked at each other and laughed. What else can you do.

Also last weekend I went with a few of the IMME girls to an orphanage – which was really cool. They house about 50 kids, mostly girls – ages ranging from 4-23. We helped the girls with their laundry in the morning (they are so nice – even when you do something wrong they let you do it and then will just redo it after you are done so as to not have to criticize you for it), played games with them, and then spoke to them after lunch. We just shared some testimonies of what God is doing/has done in our lives and prayed God spoke to them through us somehow. I’m excited to go back and be able to spend some more quality time with them.

Went to church in Kampala last Sunday – learned how to take a Matatu (15-passenger van/taxi) into the city. Met up with some friends of friends who are living in Kampala (they studied abroad here a few years ago). Heard some CRAZY stories that I will relay upon return. But something one of the guys said really got me thinking – he asked if we thought we would return to Uganda after this semester. It is weird to think about coming back here – I have no idea what I could be doing by the time that would be an option…but even more weird to think about going back to the US and living life as normal there without ever returning to Africa. We’ll see what God has in store.

In class we just finished reading a book called Primal Vision – by John Taylor. Its about Africa and their religions here and what Christianity looks like for them, and the different ways that a Western view is perhaps insufficient or even incorrect as we try to present the gospel to them. It was a really good book – and really challenging. I have never thought before about just how limited my faith is. Especially things that sitting in the US I know I would have completely disregarded as false – now sitting in Africa I am forced to really look at and realize there is truth in them. Prayers would be appreciated as we continue to pray through and sort out all the challenges of the book and of life here.

Also this week Megan and I cooked dinner for our family. Each student is supposed to cook an American dinner of sorts for the family. We decided to do fajitas (I know its Mexican, but it worked) and they turned out really well! Our sisters went with us to the market and helped us buy everything (including a whole chicken and some beef that was sitting out in the warm sun gathering flies). When I was pulling apart the chicken and out flew its gizzard I just laughed thinking I would never cook like this in the US. But it was fun and they loved it! It was hilarious watching them stuff huge tacos into their mouths. Oh and I made guacamole and that was for sure my favorite part! We are hoping to make no-bake cookies soon – which should be excellent.

Oh but how could I forget?!? The MOST IMPORTANT/CRAZIEST thing I have learned yet!!! Ok there is this mysterious noise that sounds like an electronic beeping all over campus. For the last three weeks I was so baffled by this – what on earth is that? Like a GPS or satellite or something? It sounded louder in some places but then the next day non-existent there. So confused. Then I learned that it’s a BIRD!!! The intern adequately named it the catchphrase bird because that’s EXACTLY what it sounds like. We also have them near our house and now I just laugh every time I hear it because I am so blown away by the fact that it’s a bird. I love it.

Ok that’s it for now – thank you all for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated! Thanks for keeping me updated on your lives too – for those of you I haven’t heard from, tell me what’s up! Miss and love you!

Nze Nalubega.

Nze Nalubega. (My name is Nalubega - pronounced like na-ru-bay-ga)

Megan and I have officially been initiated into the family. We are no longer visitors, we are part of the Magembe clan. Megan's name is Niyiga (pronounced niye-ga). And I for certain am feeling more and more a part of this family as the days go by. I am so thankful to say I am finally feeling comfortable enough to feel like I am truly being myself. Not sure what was preventing me from this before - but its a welcome change. Much more laughter and just feeling more engaged and interactive with all the people and culture around me.

So here is another gathering of various thoughts from the week or two since I last blogged...

Obama's inauguration. SUCH a big deal here! It kindof blows my mind. Well first of all that we were watching the inauguration ceremony on our fuzzy TV here in Africa - what a different perspective I had watching it. I have never before appreciated the peacefulness of our transitions of power. 44 times the president has peacefully shaken hands with the president-elect and passed on the torch. Uganda has NEVER once had a peaceful transition of power. Never. And the current president, Museveni, has continued to stay in power mostly because "he's not kicking people out and killing people like Amin did". Crazy. Never realized how blessed I was in this way to live in the US.

So last weekend we went on our first trip with IMME (the group of Americans from our program that are staying with families (versus on campus) and learning about missions). We traveled an hour and half or so to Jinja - the source of the Nile. Friday night we met two missionaries from the area - Jesse and Beverly. They work mostly in prison ministry. It was awesome to hear about the ways God has been faithful and working in their ministry - they have been here for 11 years. But a big moment for me was when Jesse said that there is at least one day a week that he says "Ok that's it - I'm going home. I've had enough." Yet God continues to provide strength for each day and he's still excited to be here. I can't imagine working in prison ministry - where soon after you make friends with these people they are either released or killed and you never see them again. They were so trusting and completely dependent on the Word of God. It was beautiful.

We then had some free time to just hang out with the 16 of us – we grabbed the guitar and sang worship for a while out by the pool. It was really nice. Then a few random guys came up and asked if they could join us. As we got to know them we found out they were missionaries as well – with AIM – on the “World Race”. They basically go to 11 countries in 11 months. Intense. They had a lot of good advice for us – and mentioned how so much of the trip was learning about themselves and how they deal with different situations. They reminded us to make sure to have some fun and be crazy with each other amidst everything we are learning and being challenged with. Seems like silly advice – but I think we are really going to have to be intentional about doing that – just cause its so easy to get caught up in the hard stuff here and only talk about that all the time. We need to loosen up, too. Also he said that “God didn’t call us here and forget about January.” Just encouraging to remember that God is at work even when we aren’t feeling it or feeling good about it. So that conversation was a huge blessing.

The next day we met up with some other missionaries and heard their scoop. They talked a lot about the differences they have seen between Ugandan and American cultures – a lot of which we have seen, but a lot of which we have yet to see. Interesting to hear about how business is not about competition but solidarity. For example a street of drum sellers will all have the same price for their drums – so no one is one top or on bottom. If someone were to lower their prices, their monetary success would not outweigh the loss they would experience from the drum-making community. These missionaries have a cool ministry – they have started a coffee shop/souvenir/restaurant/library/internet café/meeting place called the Source. It’s run by mostly Ugandans with these guys overseeing it. All the profits go back to the Source and to paying the people that work there. We got to go there and have lunch and look around – sweet spot. They also have felt led to start a water-well building ministry and a reforestation ministry. God is definitely at work there.

Next one of the guys, Bobby, took us on a devotional tour through Jinja. We would drive to a spot, get out, he would talk for a bit, read some Scripture and let us meditate on it for a bit and on we went. It was intense. Some of the more impactful sights…we went to a fishing village which was right next to a sailing club. Standing at the crux between rich and poor was really interesting. Also just thinking about where Jesus spent his time – with fisherman. To think he walked up to a place like that and called out for those men to come and follow him is beautiful. Also thinking that it’s not about walking up to these people and giving them money – that’s not going to fix anything. We are called to follow what Jesus did – walk up to them and be with them. Love them and show them how accepted they are in Christ. We then went to a place he called “Ting Ting” which was the workplace of all kinds of metal workers. The conditions they work in are intense but we walked through and got to see him interacting with these men he knew as friends – they were so kind and smiling and laughing. They work there because their fathers did. No choice in the matter. We are both blessed and cursed to have so much choice in the States. The take home point for me here was that these are still just people – doing what people do. They work and some enjoy it some don’t, they go home to their families and have dinner, they do chores. Yes its different – but really we are so much the same. Lastly we went to a government hospital – which was really hard just seeing the lack of care there. Ashley, they really need you nurses! No one has attendants so your family has to come and bring food to you and care for you while you wait weeks and weeks to see the doctor when he comes around. We walked around and prayed with some patients – which was powerful. Bobby talked about how in the US when we are suffering we ask “Why me? Why did this happen to me?” Yet here in Uganda you never hear that. Suffering is a part of life. When you are healthy, that’s the surprise. What a change in perspective. It was also good to hear that they cling to their faith so tightly (those who have it) because they know it’s the one thing that cannot be stripped from them.

Later back at the resort we took a boat ride to the source of the Nile – so cool to touch the water that carried Moses and turned red and is just full of so much history.

Wow so I have so much more to say but have to run to class - I will blog again soon hopefully. And if you think of it please be praying for my host family here...the kids start school this week - which will be a big adjustment for us because our two sisters are going to boarding school so they won't be living at home anymore. So sad! But also they are having trouble coming up with the money to pay the school fees - so just prayer that God will provide...as we know and trust He will. Thanks so much. Love you all!