Cool Stuff Online

I added the Sanyu Babies Home website to our ministry links. You can find out all kinds of cool things there and see pictures of the place where we worked.

If you follow this link you can read an article about a riot that happened in Kampala while we were there. We actually saw the police truck that had been burned.

I also found a sermon you can listen to online. I don't know if anyone else will be interested, but it's cool for me to listen to because the voice is so familiar to me. It's Pastor Micah, in whose house we stayed for a month. All you have to do is go here and scroll down to the sermon titled "It's not how well you start but how well you finish."

This is us with some kids at Micah's church.

Also... i found a cool youtube video of a lame acrobat we saw at Bujugali Falls.

Can you tell i got my laptop back?

Back in the States

Well, we all arrived safely back in the states. I've heared that culture shock can sometimes be worse coming home than it is in the foreign country, and that has definitely been the case for me. I cried most of the morning yesterday just because things here feel so strange and i'm so scared of returning back to my "former life." I don't want things to be the way they were. It's so awkward doing things alone. Brushing my teeth alone, eating alone, going to bed alone, waking up alone... i hate it. Our first night back, i woke up to go to the bathroom and was frightened because Erin wasn't next to me and i didn't know where i was. When i woke up again in the morning, my ceiling fan startled me. It took me a while to figure out what it was. And when i opened my closet... i cried. I thought my response would be good, like... "Hey! All my clothes! I don't have to wear the same four outfits anymore!" But it was actually more like, "Gross... I don't need all these." I ended up wearing a skirt and a shirt to church that i wore a million times in Uganda. For those of you who know me, it's quite amazing that i would be more comfortable in a skirt than in jeans. It may take me a while to start wearing shorts again without feeling like i'm being culturally inappropriate. I tried yesterday, but i had to change before going out.

Yesterday, my mom showed me a picture on the cover of People Magazine that she said someone paid 11 million dollars to be the first to take. What the crap!? Do you have any idea what good things could be done will 11 million dollars!? I wanted to vomit.

I want to go back to Africa.

Actually.... i think i might have to go back to Africa. If i stay in the States too long, i think i might die. I have to see those kids again. I have to see Faith and Ben again. I have to stand beneath the beautiful African sky again.

Sure, there are good things about being back. Like... food that actually has flavor. (I went to the Olive Garden yesterday and it was glorious, although i had to make a deliberate effort to not think about how much money was spent on our meals and how many African kids could have been fed for the same amount.) And i'm looking forward to getting together with some of my friends, especially Savannah. But on the whole, i'm so uncomfortable here. I'm sure i could get used to things again, but i don't want to. I want everything that changed about me to be permanent. I want my shoes to always be stained red and i want to always shake hands the Ugandan way. I want to be more African.

I made a list of things i don't want to forget that i might post on here later. In fact, i might post some of my stories on here too. I know it would be good for me to put them in writing, and it might be nice for other people to be able to access them if they want to. I don't really expect anyone to, but if you feel so inclined, feel free to keep checking for updates. If nothing else, this blog could be a good way for Erin, Caitlin, and i to process things out together and keep the ubuntu alive.

However, i came home to find that my laptop is full of viruses... so i won't be using it until i can get someone to look at it. Which really puts a damper on my video editing abilities. I'm really anxious to start editing videos to put them in a format that people might actually want to watch. We currently have 11 hours of unedited video. The three of us need to have a marathon some time to watch it all and add to our lists of things we don't want to forget.

It was an amazing trip.
I can't wait to get our picutres developed!

Weebale nyo nyo nyo (thank you very very much) to everyone who helped to fund this trip and everyone who prayed for us. I can't thank you enough.

Time flies...

I can't believe today is our last full day here. So much has happened. I feel like i'm practically bursting with new experiences. But at the same time, i feel like i've only been here a couple of weeks. How can it be over? I cired most of the day on Monday. Now i'm trying to keep myself too busy to cry.

We leave Jinja tomorrow afternoon, and then we'll have dinner with our very good friends, Faith and Ben in Kampala. We fly out tomorrow night and arrive in Michigan Friday night. It'll be a long, hard journey, so keep us in your prayers.

There are so many sotries i'm itching to tell, but since we're leaving tomorrow and stories like this are always better in person, i guess i can wait.

Mkwagala nyo!

Katonda Bulungi

Life here has become pretty normal. We've got a routine down. We know our roles. But every once in a while I have a moment when I stop and think, “Holy goodness, I'm in Africa!” One of those moments happened this morning. Caitlin was in the classroom teaching subtraction, Erin was in the office preparing a lesson, and I was sitting on the step outside just watching people live life. A woman hanging clothes on a line outside her mud hut, chickens wandering around freely, a couple of kids chasing each other down the bumpy, red, dirt road, the sun turning my skin pink. In that moment, I had a thought. “I could live here.” The thought startled me and I'm still not sure where it came from, but is made me smile. I'm in Africa.

Saturday was a good day. The three of us visited a family in Budumbuli and I think we all fell in love with them. We already knew the boy from our class. He's lanky with an adorable shy smile. He's one of our brightest students, though no one is quite sure whether he's 9 or 10. He lives with his mom, his brother, and his cousin who is an orphan. His dad died less than a year ago. This family has nothing and yet they have everything. (Isn't that in 2 Corinthians somewhere?) The mother only knows a few words in English because her father didn’t value education. Now she works so hard going from village to village selling clothes to make sure her boys go to school. She knows how to spell the word “Jesus” and she is so grateful that she wrote His name on the walls of her house. Their house, by the way, is a two-room mud hut with a leaky roof and only one bed. But they appreciate it so much. She thanks God for a place to live where the rent is cheep. When we asked if there was anything we could pray for, they didn't ask for stuff. The mother asked for us to pray for peace and her 9 (or 10) year-old son asked us to pray for God to give him wisdom. This family gets it. I want to be more like them.

The older students are now on holiday so we have a new schedule of teaching the young ones on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and teaching the older ones on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. We've gotten to know the younger ones so well. I'm really going to miss them when we leave. But let's not think about that.

I have so many stories I wish I could share with you, but time is running out. We have to get back to Kate before she starts to worry. It's cool how she's like a mom and a friend to us at the same time.

P.S. Katonda bulungi means "God is good." We've been saying it a lot lately.

Kale

So, back to all this heart business…

It would appear that God is doing exactly what I asked him to do. I know, it sounds silly, and maybe a bit arrogant, but when you ask God to make you holy, I don’t think He hesitates to take you up on it.

I’ve been feeling like everything that I dislike about myself is all I see in the mirror. I know that I’m often too stubborn, pretty prideful, and quite swayed by other’s opinions of me. Well, at least I think I know these things, but I’m sure some of you reading this are saying, “huh? I don’t know what she’s talking about!” and to you precious friends, thanks for seeing me as what I can be J. No, really, I feel like I used to be pretty secure in who I am and what I stand for. Now, I feel like I’m all wishy-washy b/c God has been challenging me so much. He’s asked me to not only see the world differently, but also to see people I can’t relate to and often don’t understand as family. Not to mention he’s asked me to leave behind all comfort and all the people whom I know love me unconditionally to pursue a dream he placed in my heart when I was 14 (to come to Africa, that is). It’s an incredible joy to be here and I count it a privilege, but I find myself asking, “how did I get here?”. In the last week I have battled more fatigue and loneliness than ever before in my life. I love getting out of bed in the morning, but by the time we return from the village at night I’m discouraged, exhausted and homesick, - I’m surprised I’m not actually sick. The kids we’ve been teaching are fantastic and it’s no problem seeing God’s hand in every moment here. I don’t feel spiritually lonely (thank, God!) but I feel emotionally lonely, I guess – it’s homesickness in a different light. Please pray and don’t worry b/c God has been faithful in EVERY step of this journey – it’s His path I’m walking and I’m GLAD to be here.

On a lighter note: Clair and I have decided to sponsor a child with Northern Lights. There are 3 names of children still waiting for sponsors that have stuck out to me and Clair has said he trusts me to choose who we’ll claim as our “son”. Yes, they’re all boys and I had the blessed opportunity to meet one of them today. Please pray that God will choose and that he’ll see our money used to His glory.

So, I talked a lot in my last blog about how God is teaching me about family…the other day, Thursday, I think, we had the pleasure of going to one of our students homes. It just happened to be the same home that Clair visited while he was in Budumbuli as part of his cross cultural. I saw a note left by he and his partner tacked on the mud hut wall, and got to hold te Bible Clair gave to the eldest son. It was such a joy to know that God has put both Clair and I in the same people’s lives! When I read a small note clair had written in the Bible, it was as though he was right there with me – I wanted to weep out of joy! I know God has made that connection for divine reasons! He’s so perfect in His work! Now clair and I both have family in Uganda! Plus, the momma of the house gave us a blessing for both our wedding and our future children. Hooray! Karonda Bulungi! (God is Good!)

Mbuzi erya muddo.

In church on our first Sunday in Jinja, we asked the kids in Sunday school who was from Budumbuli. None of them would admit to it. It’s a slum village just outside the city and being someone who lives there automatically gives you a certain stigma. They even have a common saying: “Nothing good can come out of Budumbuli.” Just thinking about that makes me grin. People said the same thing about Nazareth, but something VERY good came out of that town. :o) We believe the same will be true for the village of Budumbuli. We go there everyday, visiting homes and teaching children, hoping that what we have to offer will help them in real ways. I feel honored to work in such a place. The people who are accepted into the Northern Lights program are the neediest of the needy, and I am becoming more and more aware that I am face to face with the “least of these.” Face to face with Jesus. Today, I painted the palm of Jesus’ ahnd and pressed it onto a sheet of construction paper. Today, Erin showed Jesus how to spell the word “brother.” Today, Caitlin taught Jesus how to count by twos. Jesus calls us “teacher.” I admit sometimes when I’m interacting with these kids I find myself frustrated or confused or even grossed out, but… sometimes I feel like I am in the Holy of Holies.

Northern Lights was set up to help kids who need it most. Most of them are orphans or used to be homeless. In Uganda, it’s customary for family members to take in an orphaned child. The child is then provided for, but many times they are not treated well. Instead of being “adopted” as another child, they are treated almost like a servant, someone to cook, clean, or fetch water. Kate and Peter saw this and started Northern Lights to let these kids know that they are special and loved even though they are orphans.

All of the kids in the program are put in school and their school fees are covered, but many of them are stuggling with no one at home to help them. The younger ones only attend school for half of the day, so from 2 to 5 everyday we gather them into a tiny classroom and work with them to give them the extra boost they need to do better in school. Our fiend Esther translates for us. She’s turning out to be such a blessing!

We’ve run into a lot of challenges. We have a group of 19 kids qho range in age from 7 to 13. Some of them are obviously very bright and some of them don’t understand a word we’re saying. And none of us have been trained to teach like this! But we’re learning a lot and we’re getting to know the kids well. We know all of them by name and we’ve been busy evaluating their capabilities. Caitlin has been teaching math, Erin and I tag team with English (which includes a lot… spelling, sentence structure, reading, writing, etc.) and we also do crafts and sing songs. It’s hard coming up with ideas for things we can do that will help them the most because none of us have ever done anything like this before, but the adults here are constantly encouraging us and telling us that what we’re doing is good.

Living with Kate, Peter, and Levi has been great. They’re a lot of fun. Of course, living in Africa always has it’s inconveniences like unreliable electricity. (We’re all hoping the power is back on when we get home today so we can shower. It’s been a while.) But just having power and plumbing is a blessing here. There’s a 17-year-old girl who lives with us named Rowena. She’s a sweetheart. We also have a night guard who patrols the house with a bow and arrow, and we have a dog named Punky. I used to think he was cute, but then he ate a cat. Now the back yard smells like rotting cat.

Keep praying for the three of us. We appreciate it so much! And we love your comments and e-mails. (Rachel… you’re awesome.) Pray for our relationships with each other. Pastor Tim told us something prophetic before we left. He said that this trip would be a journey of freedom for Erin, a journey of holiness for Caitlin, and a journey of maturity for me. That has certainly proved to be true, which means that God has been busy exposing all the ways that we are bound, unholy, and immature. In this process, our flaws become glaringly obvious to ourselves and to one another. We’re doing well. We’ve stayed open and honest with each other, but I’d be lying if I said it was always easy. When two people sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron, there is always some grinding involved.

Also, keep praying for God to reveal to us anything He would like us to know about His plan for the next season of out lives.

my heart is at home

so, i know that kathy and erin are both updating and kathy has been so good at doing all the functional updates about what we're actually doing...i wanted to take this time to give a little "heart-to-heart" about our time here.

i told Clair in an email recently that my heart feels at home here. He and I have been thinking a lot about coming here after our wedding to be missionaries. we were even offered a bit of a partnership with some missionaries here - it's very unofficial, but still a possibility. anyway, we've been praying fervently about that and i've been doing so b/c i definitely want what God wants more than what i want. the problem that i'm finding is whether or not waht God wants and what i want could be the same. i'm so afraid that i'm only hearing God say "yes" b/c that's what i want to hear. maybe He's saying no and all my imaginings are drowning Him out? well, Erin reminded me this morning that i may be only hearing Him say "yes" b/c he acutally IS. my, what a novel idea...so, please pray for discernment and that my eyes will always be on Him.

I've realized that so much of our time here has seemed kind of disconnected...i mean, i know we're here with purpose, but i'm still in the process of searching out God's heart, not just about coming here full time, but about the purpose of our time here. i'm begining to realize that our "because of ubuntu" blogname really is prophetic...(check out the post about what ubuntu means to understand a bit more about my thoughts)

anyway, i think that God is teaching me to see all people as family. i mean, just he other day i saw some people at church, random people that i don't know at all, and i was filled with such overwhelming compassion that it almost brought me to tears. it felt like the way it does when you see someone you love after a long absense...like it will feel to see my parents and future hubby at the airport in a month. i can't explain it, but Ugandans are my family and this beautiful, social, loving, culture is my home.

ugh! our time is short...i meant to write so much more, but this will have to do for now. feel free to post questions or comments - we appreciate them! i'll continue this thought at a later date...

sula bulungi :)

Loving It Here

We’re safe and sound at our new home in Jinja. Kate and Peter are great and they’re taking very good care of us. Their son, Levi, turns 1 on Wednesday and he’s indescribable adorable. So far, we’ve just been getting settled and brainstorming about how things are going to go for the next 5 weeks. I love it here. Jinja is beautiful and it’s great to be out of the big smelly city of Kampala.

Gulu was quite the experience. Things are much more peaceful than we imagined. There’s been so much progress since the current peace talks have started. (Honestly, Kampala was more dangerous than Gulu.) Only now and then would we see subtle reminders of the fact that the place has been in turmoil for over 20 years. Things like… a huge sign warning you to not touch or step on unknown objects with a picture of a land mine. Or the old, run-down railroad tracks that the war put out of business, or houses that have no doors and you can see grass growing inside. Obviously the IDP camps we visited were big reminders too. A lot of the people are starting to leave the camps now that the war looks like it might be over. (By the way, there’s a chance that a peace treaty might be signed while we’re here, which would be amazing!) But most of the people don’t have anywhere to go. Many of them left their homes many years ago and their land has now been taken by someone else. There’s talk that the land disputes that are erupting may turn into yet another war. So the camps are still populated with thousands of people crowded together in very poor conditions.

One of the most amazing moments so far on this trip occurred in one of the IDP camps. As we were walking through, closely followed by a band of about 60 enthusiastic kids, we were told that there was a sick man in one of the huts and we were asked to come in a pray for him. He was lying there in the dark, skin and bones, his belly bloated and sweating. And our translator informed us that he had heard the gospel many times and he was now ready to accept Christ. We got the honor of being the midwives, in a sense, just to be there beside him during his rebirth into the Kingdom. It was amazing. We prayed for healing as well. He and his wife have five kids.

We also got the chance to visit Lacor (pronounced La-CHO) Hospital in Gulu. There was a man there with really bad ulcers, and lying in the bed next to him was his son, dying of AIDS. They are the son and grandson on a pastor we met in an IDP camp. We prayed for them brought them gifts (as is the custom when you visit someone). I wish we could have stayed longer and just sat with them.

We visited the hut of another woman in Gulu who has AIDS. Her health isn’t too bad right now, but she is all alone. We brought her some food and basic health items. She said she gets cold at night and has no blanket. I wish we could have brought one to her. It’s amazing to me how blessed people are by a visit and a kind gesture like a handshake (which are cooler in Uganda, by the way) and a prayer in an unknown language can be such an incredible blessing to these people. They are so much more relational than we are.

One night in Gulu, and guy named David sat and talked with us. He reminded us about how relational their culture is and how that’s why what we’re doing matters so much. He said it would be easy for people like us to just send money, but what people really want and need, money can’t buy. He told us a story that he said is commonly told in Uganda about a rich man who left his village and frequently sent money whenever someone from his village was facing something difficult. Then, when his own son died, the people of his village pooled a bunch of money together and sent it to him. “Who will help me burry my son?” the man asked. The people replied. “The money will burry your son.” “Who will be here to mourn for my son?” the man asked. “The money will mourn for your son.”

I love this story because it gives me a way to answer the people who ask me, “Wouldn’t it be better to just take all that money for plane tickets and send it over to help the people?” The truth is… giving people money only goes so far. Sure, God can bless it and use it to do many wonderful things… but love is what really changes the world. And sure, you can love by giving money… but you can also avoid loving by giving money. For me and Erin and Caitlin, love compelled us to come here and meet these people face-to-face. To do anything else would be to deny our love for them.

Since the internet is slow here, I’m not sure if I’ll have time to add Sanyu Babies Home to our “ministry links” but here’s the URL: http://www.mikwano.org/sanyubabieshome/4520569480

I think that’s what it is anyway. I don’t have the time to sit here and let to load. I’m hoping that there’s pictures on the site so you can see the kids we have come to know and love. Another one of most amazing moments was when I made Frieda smile. She’s one of the babies at the home. She was new when we got there and she has been neglected and abused. She was very tiny and malnourished and she never smiled or even interacted with people at all. I came and just sat next to her on the floor every morning. Any sharp movements would cause her to recoil, so I would slowly move my hand closer to hers. I’ll never forget the first time she reached out and took my hand. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her smile. Please pray for this little one. I didn’t get to see her the last day we were there because she had to be taken to the hospital for her fever.

Northern Lights Ministries is the one we’ll be working with for the remainder of the trip, so check out their website to see what it’s about.

Settled in Jinja

Hey Everyone,

I’m sure you’re all wondering whether we made it back from the North alive. We did  It was a fantastic experience; we were up there two and a half days and with the exception of that half day, we spent our time in the IDP camps (Internally Displaced Persons) which is where the gov’t forced the majority of the Acholi people (90%) when the LRA attacks were really in full force – somehow, they thought it’d be a good idea when in reality, they put a large number of people, with a lot of kids, in a very secluded area, surrounded by bush where the rebel army hid…yeah, you can see how I feel about it. We took lots of pictures and video, and I look forward to being able to share those with you all.

We are no safe in Jinja and it’s just as wonderful as I remember it. Kampala, to me, was like any major US city, only covered in about 3 in. of red dust – full of smog, stop and go traffic all the time, dirty, smelly, loud, and easily induced motion sickness. So, needless to say, I’m really glad to get out of the city itself. Jinja is smaller, but still a big city only spread out. We’re staying with friends who’ve made wonderful efforts at making their home our home. Already we’ve had very normal foods here – chocolate chip cookies, egg salad sandwiches, and more to come. We’re being very well taken care of, more than the last place.

We’re working on ironing out a schedule but we’ll be in a slum village 5 days a week, sometimes 6, doing “coaching” or tutoring, teaching, and pretty much whatever else we’re needed for. It’s here that I knew my talents and knowledge of English would come in handy – I will mostly be working with kids to teach them to read. I love being a part of increasing literacy where literacy is not to be found. I’m really excited to be able to really offer something here – not that I didn’t before, but I think it’s different.

The sad thing about being in Jinja is that we’re far from some amazing people we met. Our friends, Faith and Ben, have been the ones who really took care of us while we were in K’la. We’ve grown to know and love them dearly – Faith a recent college grad who’s from Kenya working at the church we were apart of while there, and Ben is getting ready to enter into Bible college to become a pastor, and what an incredible pastor he will be. So, being here makes us all a little sick for the home we found in them.

Other than that, things are going well. We met up with and spent more time with a friend from last year, Sam, have enjoyed a number of treats – ice cream – and are doing well health-wise and financially. It’s incredible how much God’s blessed the money you all have given to us. It’s like the fishes and loaves stories in the gospels…He’s really multiplying it…for real (Caitlin knew she didn’t have any more American money on her, but Kathy and I did. Then when we went to re-count the money, there was an extra $100 in Caitlin’s stuff!)

So, thank you all for being with us. We do miss you, but it doesn’t feel real that we’re almost half way through the trip. Keep praying with us and that the changes and transformations God wants done in us come to pass. We all just want to see God move in us and thru. us.

Blessings to you all.

With love,
Erin

finally, an update from Cate (aka Caitlin, but that's to hard for a Ugandan to say)

We’ve finally arrived in Jinja – our last and final destination before the airport at Entebbe to go back to the states. It’s hard to believe our time in Uganda is already half completed. We finished our time in Kampala with a wonderful “farewell day” – black tea in the garden with our wonderful friends, Faith and Ben, who have become such a deep heart blessing to us, and an evening out with crazy ol’ Sam whom Erin and I met last year. We went to dinner and then drove around town in the evening sharing stories and laughs. I’ve been so blessed by our time in K’la that I almost forget it’s a city, and I’m a country girl – I should hate the city, right? Well, it’s part of Uganda and just as much a home for my heart as the rest of this nation has so sweetly become.

Jinja is a quite little town in comparison to the hussle and bussle of K’la streets – no jams, less loud music, and boda boda drivers who go much slower (to my chagrin, I’d like to add J ) – for any of you who don’t know, boda bodas are little motor bikes we can hire to take us places, like a yellow cab in NYC only much smaller, and I can ride a few miles for $1. We’re out to experience Jinja all on our own today – it’s so liberating to be independent! We feel like the last organization we were with while in K’la kind of stifled our desires and dreams. Even our trip to gulu was marred with late-ness (beyond even what Africans would consider appropriate), and we constantly felt like an inconvenience…needless to say, I intend on writing a letter or phoning someone in the states who can make some changes in their program before I suggest that organization to anyone else. I think we overpaid for what begrudging service we received. But, I all fairness, their organization is going through a lot of changes and we didn’t know much about them before all this started. Rest assured, beloved family, friends, supporters, and prayer-warriors, God’s $$ is going to the right places. We are making stewardship a key goal of this trip – your help has gone to great organizations, even if cultural differences make things difficult.

Anyway, our time in Jinja has already been such a blessing! I came “home” to Kate and Peter’s to find a note Clair wrote to me while he was staying at their house in May – and what perfect timing! God is soo good to bring encouragement from a trusted source in my hardest moments! I’ve been feeling pretty low lately just because we’re half way through the trip and its beginning to feel like the Enemy hates our work here – of course, he always did, but the battle has been refreshed recently. Keep praying, family, we’re keeping our heads up and our eyes and hearts set on Christ, but we’re getting tired! God is good and He has brought us sooo far – his love is what helps us persevere! We are conquerors in him!

Something else exciting to be praying about – while Clair was here in May and June, he spent time in a village called Budumbuli working with an organization called Northern Lights Ministries, which is the same organization we’re working with right now. Kate and Peter are the leaders and founders of this ministry and while Clair was here, they discussed with him briefly about us returning to Uganda someday to help them run the ministry. As it turns out, the church which supports the ministry from the States has been saying for years that they need “another Kate and Peter”, well, maybe a “Cate and Clair” will have to do! Clair and I are seeking God’s heart on the idea, because we would much rather have His will be done rather than our own. We would appreciate any of you who will come alongside us in this plea for discernment and a deeper knowledge of God (for both Clair and I) so we can know if God’s wants us with NLM in Uganda.

Well, I’ve certainly written enough for now – one more quick story, tho…
On Sunday, we visited a church and the service was spoken mostly in the local language here – Lugandan. It’s difficult to understand even when Ugandans translate into English b/c of the heavy accent and bad sound system. So, while Kathy, Erin, and I were trying to listen and not melt from the heat, Kate leans over to us and asks if we want to go greet the Sunday School class. We decided to sneak out (as only Muzungu people can!) and went to hear the children sing songs and to introduce ourselves. I actually taught them a new song – one that I quite dear to my heart b/c my beloved 6th grade wildfire girls made it up. I taught them the song about Proverbs 3:5-6 - I think it fits my life now quite well:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your path straight.

Crazy Week

The internet is really slow in this café and I feel like I have so many stories to tell. Where in the world do I start?

This past week was our busiest so far. We spent every morning at Sanyu Babies Home. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we spent the afternoon teaching kids basic computer at the orphanage. On Wednesday afternoon, we were in charge of about 55 kids for an hour. We told them the story of Abraham and Isaac, played games, and taught them songs. It’s been a lot of fun, but we’ve also had some tough challenges.

Friday was our last day with the babies. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I spent most of my time with one group of about 14 babies (the ones who can sit up on their own but can’t walk yet). I could name them all for you. I got to know their personalities and I could identify their cries. I miss them already. And I feel like we’ve been through a lot with the staff there. While working at the home, we lost one baby to meningitis. I don’t think I could put into words how hard it was to see his tiny casket. He was only 4 months old. The three of us had a good cry that night. Especially Erin . Death hits her so hard. It makes sense though since she has such a mother’s heart. Who knows the value of life better than a mother?

It’s so good to be here with these girls. They’re the best friends in the world and I can’t imagine being here with anyone else.

I got into a boda accident! Ok, not really. Actually, I was on the back of a boda and we were going down the hill to the pastor’s house and the boda just kind of tipped over. I was riding side-saddle (with a skirt on) so it was easy to just hop off before the boda hit the ground. It wasn’t really a big deal at all. I didn’t even get any Africa dirt on my skirt, but my boda driver was really, really embarrassed in front of the other drivers. Poor guy.

Keep praying for our health. Particularly our bowels. :o) Not to get too specific. I’ve been getting dehydrated very easily, which is easy to fix but it’s still annoying because that also makes me get motion sickness easily. I’m ok…. But I could be better.

The biggest reason I wanted to post today is that we’ll be needing prayer coverage. We set out for Gulu tomorrow morning! We all have a feeling that our trip to Gulu is one of the biggest reasons we’re here. We’ll mostly be ministering to people in the IDP camps where 90% of the population of Northern Uganda have been forced by the government to go and live in really bad conditions. We should be safe. The peace talks have been going well so far. There haven’t been any LRA attacks in a long time, so we’re not worried about anything like that. But it’ll be a long journey (6 hours on really bad roads) and it will be emotionally hard, I’m sure. We travel on Monday, then we’ll be there Tuesday and Wednesday, then we travel back to Kampala on Thursday. We have Friday to rest, then we head to Jinja on Saturday.

Thanks for your prayers.

Today, i had a little girl at church cling to me and jabber in a different language to me. she hugged my waist as if i was hers. she called me mama...weird though it was, it was an incredible thing...to know that in that moment, my loving on her mattered more than anything...

We Belong to a Family of 28 Million

I wish we had the chance to update more often. So much has happened in the past week. (It feels like so much longer than a week.) But we're staying at a pastor's house who lived outside the city, so it's a pretty involved treck to get to an internet cafe. We're learning how to get around though, which is so fun! Sometimes we have to cram-a-lam into a taxi with about 17 other passangers. Sometimes we hop onto that back of a boda boda. I love riding the bodas because i feel like i'm going to die. :o) I love adventure. On my very first ride, i was riding a boda behind Caitlin, and our friend Faith... and all of a sudden, my boda driver turned around and went the other way down the busy street. For a second, i thought "Oh my gosh! I'm being stolen!" But God gave me a peace. It was a peace that said "I'm the daughter of a King. Anyone who messes with me messes with Him." In the end, it turned out that my boda driver was the only one who knew were he was going.

Working at the baby home is both hard and good. There's one baby in paticular that i've been drawn to. Her name is Sharon and she's very smart. If you call her name, she'll crawl to you from accross the room. The other day she was a little sick and fell asleep on my lap. I was sad that she was sick, but at the same time it was such a blessing just to hold her.

At the orphanage/primary school, we've been teaching basic computer. It turns out that this is very, very needed. The school was just blessed with a few computers and no one there knows how to use them. I'm hoping that we'll get the chance to teach some of the teachers more so that they can tach more kids when we leave. It amazes me how eager these kids are to learn! They are so attentive and they remember everything you say.

This morning, we taught Sunday school. The pastor's daughter, Reba, is in our class. At first we were a little intimidated by that, but it turned out to be a big blessing. She's a sweetheart.

Living in the pastor's house is a blessing too. Despite some inconvenience, i really love that it's outside the city because it give us a place to breathe and relax. We eat real Ugandan food every day and we can go for walks as children run out to the street and chant "bye mazungu!"

So basically, we're being blessed all over the place. We did go though some sickness, but we're past it now and feeling great.

One minute left! Keep us in your prayers!

At Home in Africa

Everything here is different. The smells, the sounds, the flavors are all different. The way people to relate to one another is one of the biggest differences. The people here are so warm and polite in such a a genuine way. Caitlin, Erin, and i were sitting in an office waiting for someone and, as many people passed through, we noticed that the only person not to greet us was a white guy. People here know how to welcome one another and how to celebrate one another. I keep praying that this spirit will sink into my heart. I want to be more African when i come home to America. Someone told us today that we look African because of how we are dressed. I think that was one of the biggest compliments someone could pay us here.



For all those who are curious, yes, we did arrive safely and all of our luggage arrived safely. We are well and we are being taken care of well. We are currently sitting in a small, cozy restaurant with wireless and a wonderful Kenyan couple we just met today, chatting about everything from religion, politics, and history to what snow it like and how African weddings are different from American weddings. We're staying in a guest house called Adonai House until tomorrow when we may be moving in with a Ugandan pastor and his family. That will be both challenging and amazing.



We will be working at Sanyu Babies Home almost every morning and at St. Mary Kevin Primary School and Orphanage a few afternoons each week while we're in Kampala. We have visited both places to arrange times for us to volunteer and we can't wait to get started. Mama Rosemary works at St. Mary Kevin. I think she's one of my favorite Ugandans so far.



Today we went to church. It was a lot of fun to worship with Africans. I want to learn their music! When the kids were dismissed, we went with them and sat in on a Sunday school class. We will be teaching this class next Sunday. When they first asked us to teach Sunday school, we were pretty intimidated, but now that we've met the kids, we're excited about it. There were about 10 kids around the age of 6th grade. I think they might know more about the Bible than we do.



I love African children! They flock to us because we're white. They call us "muzungu" and can't wait to be close to us. They're so eager to be loved, which makes us a perfect match because we are just as eager to love them. Yesterday, we got to walk through a village with a bunch of kids and they tried to teach us Luganda. We picked up a few words. Fortunately, we video taped most of it so we can go back and review.



Continue praying for us. Our hearts are crying out to be able to do something that really makes and impact. Pray for us to not be discouraged when our limited, human vision keeps us from seeing how we're advancing the Kingdom of God. Mother Teresa said, "You can do no great things, only small things with great love." We believe that great love can make a small thing great. Scripture tells us that love can cover a multitude of sins. It's powerful. Scripture also tells us that perfect love casts out fear. And that's a big deal here in Uganda. The enemy has been working hard for a long time to instill a spirit of fear in the people, especially the children. Pray for us to not forget that simply loving can work wonders. Pray for us to not allow our own expectations to get in the way.



I'm going to get back to the conversation now. We're all cracking up now about being able to fart in the presence of your significant other. This woman is hilarious.



We love you all and we'll hopefully have the opportunity to share more stories soon.

Why we go...

A long time ago, I gave my heart to a man I knew almost nothing about. As the years have progressed -- with it's waves of faithfulness and rebellion -- I have, and continue to, grow in my relationship with Jesus. I do not claim to know much about Him, or about how mighty, powerful, and loving He is, but I do know that He is all these things (and so much more).

I've realized over the years -- through trial and error, mind you -- that life fully devoted to Christ is the only life worth living. With Him, I find purpose in something bigger than myself, bigger than the frustrating problems of everything from the house being a mess to the genocides around the world. In Him there is hope for something better, that the current state of the world is not how it's supposed to be...and that it will one day return to pure beauty and true peace. I may not always understand His ways and the reasons He does things, but I've come to trust that His ways are higher than mine (see Isaiah 55:8-9).

But with all this comes what some would consider a price. When I gave my heart to God, I gave Him my life. I signed over my rights to run it to something SO much bigger than myself. My life is not my own (Matt. 10:39, Mark 8:35). That is why I'm going - He led me there, He's taking us there, and for those who are scared for us, who don't understand, who think Uganda is an obsession, who wish we weren't going, who think we're nuts, who think that our judgment is impaired, and to those who understand and wish they were coming, too, to you I say our lives are not our own, our kingdom is not of this world. "I will use my life to shout, 'Another world is possible'...for my kingdom is from another place." (Shane Claiborne in Jesus for President).

And so we go, because the God who made us, who calls our names, and who knows every minute and beautiful detail about us has put a passion in us, a depth of empathy, emotion, and sense of true justice for the people of Uganda. They are our people. They are our family.

Why are we going to Uganda? We go because God is good and there is more for this place than what is. We go because He has called us specifically to go there. We go because our lives are not our own.

We go because we must.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DbyHtq-2sGU&feature=related

Spiritual Warfare

"The thief comes to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."

The words of John 10:10 have never been more real to me than they have been the last couple of weeks. I've been finding myself in the middle of an abundance of life-giving blessings, yet feeling so beat up and defeated. I'm pretty sure this is true of Erin and Caitlin as well. Erin feels like she's being pulled in a million different directions, Caitlin feels like plans are falling apart and it's somehow her fault, and i've been bombarded with feeling of worthlessness. How can this be in the middle of the showers of blessings our Father has been pouring out on us? Obviously a thief is in our midst.

We're going to Africa. Satan knows he can't steal that from us. Instead, he has been busying himself with trying to steal our joy, our peace, our unity as a team, our freedom, our hope and excited anticipation, and our security in God as our Provider. It's been a battle, not to hold on to these things ourselves, but to stand up to the evil one and remind him that they are not his for the taking. God is the Source of all these things and Satan can only take them if we let him by cowering in the shadow of his empty threats. But that's not like us. We're fighters. However, that doesn't mean we can't use your help in the battle, so take this as a prayer request and intercede on our behalf.

Pray:

• That we do not overlook our blessings and focus on our fears.
• That we leave our financial situation in God's hands. He's got it covered and there's nothing left for us to worry about.
• That we do not give fear any ground in our relationships. Pray that we operate in trust.
• That we will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. (Is. 55:12)
• That other people in our lives will be understanding.
• That God will give us a clear picture of who we are in Him, and we will walk in that truth and not give Satan's lies about us any credit.
• That we will choose freedom instead of being bound by all of the same insecurities and fears that have held us back before.
• For our faith to be increased. We want the faith that is required for God to do great things through us.

Side note: Erin and Caitlin... God just reminded me of something. We've been praying for increased faith. The opposite of faith is fear. No wonder we've been presented with so many opportunities to choose faith over fear. :o)

I have no idea how many people will be reading this blog while we're gone, but i've got a feeling God has His hand in that too. If i knew the amount of prayer coverage and spiritual support we've got, i'd probably be blown away. Thank you for joining in.

A Mouthful of Beans

Only 10 days till we get on that airplane! We're getting more and more excited as the days go by. On some days it's more real to us than on others that we're really doing this. We're really going to Africa for 2 months!

We just got an e-mail from our contact with Touch the World. She confirmed that we'll be working with Sanyu Babies Home, St. Mary Kevin Orphanage and University Community Fellowship. We're also still hoping to go with them up to Gulu (a city in the northern part of the country) for a few days. There are some things i'd love to see there.

Please pray for each of the ministries and organizations we'll be helping out. Sanyu Babies Home is home to kids (from newborn to 3 years old) who have been abandoned. I can't wait to hold them in my arms and show them God's love. We've been told that St. Mary Kevin Orphanage has a really great children's choir that is always eager to learn new music. I'm super excited about getting the chance to put my musical training to use with them. The University Community Fellowship has a group of primary kids who come to the church every Wednesday sort of like a VBS. We'll be helping them out with that while we're in Kampala.

We're all also very excited about the second half of our trip which will be spent with Northern Lights Ministries. Kate (a Spring Arbor grad) and Peter have decided to open their home to us for that month. Kate sounds like an amazing person! We can't wait to meet her and her family. She told us that however many bags of chocolate chips we bring her, that's how many batches of of chocolate chip cookies she'll make us. I've got a feeling that living and working with her is going to be a blast.

Be praying for Caitlin, Erin, and me as we continue in our preparations. We've been facing a lot of spiritual warfare. Satan doesn't want this trip to happen, and since it's happening anyway, he's going to try to steal whatever he can from us.

I'll update some more on that later. For now, i think i should turn off my computer since the weather is getting really bad.

25 days to go

Finally, our plans are solid. Well, about as solid as they're going to get this side of the ocean. So, I figured I'd pop on here and give an update on where we stand with things.

For the first 23 days of our trip (June 19-July 12), we'll be in Kampala working with Touch the World: Uganda. Here, we'll primarily be working in an orphanage with kids aged 5-12. We'll be tutoring them in reading and hopefully writing (which is right up my ally). They also have a kids choir that is eager to learn new things -- which got Kathy super excited. There is also a chance that we'll get to go to the North. Yes, this is a place where war has been going on for longer than I've been alive, but the people we're working with would never do anything to put us in danger.

Then, the second part of the trip, we'll be in another large city: Jinja. This time, we'll be working in a ghetto...and it's going to be beautifully heart-wrenching. Here, we'll pretty much be taking over teaching the kids that are part of the educational program that Northern Lights Ministries has. Reading, writing, and pretty much whatever else they need us to do. Working here will probably be the hardest on us emotionally. We'll be working with the heart of poverty, daily for 35 days. This is the part that I am most looking forward to, and most concerned about wearing on us.

I realized in writing about Touch the World, that many reading this have no idea what's going on in northern Uganda. My suggestion to you all, do a little research; there is so much out there that will better inform you than the 2 minute summary that I'm about to give.

Northern Uganda has seen war for roughly 30 years straight. The past two decades, though, have been publicized the most. A rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) started up almost 22 years ago in opposition to the Ugandan government. Through the years, this militia recruited people into its ranks by convincing them that their way was better than the government's. But when the current president stepped into power (about 18 years ago), many people backed the president, so the LRA had to find new ways to recruit people. The leader, Joseph Kony, began kidnapping children and forcing them into his military. These kids are anywhere from 5 to 15 years old -- young because they are impressionable, easy to brainwash.

And brainwash is exactly what Kony does. He and the LRA forcibly desensitize new recruits through gruesome acts of violence. Many girls become sex slaves (Kony is said to have fathered over 50 children) while most boys are turned into killers. Because of this recruitment style, the gov. of Uganda decided to herd the majority of the northern population into internal displacement camps (at one time, 90% of the northern population lived in such camps). These camps, though, are no better than where they were before -- hunger, disease, unclean water, and rape are more prevelant because of the large number of people concentrated in one place. There is also serious concern that putting people in such camps only makes them sitting ducks for the LRA.

So, regardless of where the children are -- at home or in camps -- the threat has been high for LRA attacks. Many of the children of northern Uganda flee from wherever they're living to sleep the nights away in cities where strength can be found in numbers and the LRA are less likely to strike. These night commuters total around 3,000 per night.

The state of n. Uganda is not good, at all. But recently, there have been huge leaps toward peace treaties being signed. The ceasefire that had been in effect for months ran out early this month because Kony refused to show up to sign the treaties. So much of the conflit is both political and spiritual, so this peace is so important. It's so close, but so far away.

Here is an article that I find so intriguing, heartbreaking, and informative. Be warned, though, it's grapic at times. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/january/18.30.html#related
Also, go to BBC and do a search for Northern Uganda, Uganda, LRA, night commuters, or anything related and you'll find a well of articles (as you will in doing a general search).

So, there's some background on the country I've given my heart to. Thank you for walking alongside and giving pieces of yourself to us, and therefore, to Uganda.

doubt replaced

so, i thought it was about time that i add to this blog business. :)

i feel like going to Uganda is all about waiting right now: waiting for God to provide the money, waiting to hear from our contacts about final plans, and waiting for that final day to come (only 47 more to go!). I sure wish i was a patient person....

it also seems like each time i get to what feels like the end of my faith, God grants me one more day of trust in Him that he truly is going to provide and that he is big enough to handle a few thousand dollars and a trip over the ocean.

I was just having coffee with a friend earlier today and she asked how Uganda was going. After spouting off at the mouth for probably 10 minutes straight, i got to the part in the story where i talked about some of the hard times we've already come through. I said something about how when we haven't heard from our contacts or when the money isn't coming like i thought it would, i begin to doubt that i was ever called in the first place. Are we really called to be "salt and light" in Uganda? Did i miss-hear God's voice in my heart? Before i even let that thought sink in, my dear coffee-date chimes in and says, "Caitlin, there is no doubt you're called. You're supposed to go to Uganda." And while it seems really simple, she said it with the look on her face that said what i'm sure Jesus would have said: "stop doubting and believe!" What makes it so amazing is that she's only heard me talk about Uganda once and that was when we spoke at an on campus ministry event. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we ARE called to be there - i suppose i just needed a little reminder :)

God is always sending those kind of things into our hearts. Just last week we were all at Kathy's house having a bonding weekend and getting ready to speak at her church on Sunday. we were (or at least i was) pretty down about not hearing from out contacts, and we sat in the store where Kathy works and took donations all day and had very little luck. But, what kept me going was that we heard from BOTH of our contacts in the same day - i talked to Touch the World:Uganda on the phone and with NorthernLights via email. What are the odds of that!? What makes it even more wonderful is that it's happened twice! on two different occasions when i've been ready to give up and back out, God says "no, Go!" and puts us in touch with both our contacts in one moment. how amazing!

God is soo good! maybe Uganda is about waiting...waiting to see God move as we stand in faith!

Tickets!

We bought tickets! And we're all so excited.

This is a huge step of faith, though, because while we had enough money to purchase tickets, we still do not have enough money to actually be there. So, we're stepping in faith in buying these, praying and trusting that the rest of the money will come in.

Be praying with us about how God wants you to support us.

(Yea!!! We have our tickets :o) )