Hello All!
I hope you are doing well. I hear the weather in Michigan is being quite bi-polar, but what else is new. The weather in Uganda has been consistently sunny and around 80-90 degrees. But that will change in the next few weeks. Rainy season starts again and it won't be sprinkling. It will be a down pour for a few hours everyday. This should be fun walking to and from school in.
Life is good. I tend to do the same thing everyday. Wake up, get dressed, take breakfast, take a 15-20 minute walk to school on a red dusty road, tell the boda-boda drivers that I don't want a ride, having them drive past me on the roads which makes the roads even dustier, get to school, take lunch, classes, and walk home on the same red dusty roads at about 6. My feet are covered in dirt everyday.
When I get home, I take a "shower." My shower is a bucket. I bend down, scoop some water in my hands and pour it on myself until I feel as though I am able to wash myself. Then I do the same thing to rinse myself. I wash my hair by dunking my head in a bucket and washing it with shampoo and then taking a cup and pouring that on my head until I get all the shampoo out. So clean here is a relative term. I am clean enough that all the dust is off of me, but I am not clean by US standards. But it's good enough for me.
I mostly watch movies with my dad, little sister, and brother when he was still here. Then we all take supper. We eat at about 9-9:30 pm. I pretty much go right to bed afterwards because I am so tired. Then repeat the next morning.
Everything is still going well. I was sick all day yesterday. It was just a stomach thing, so nothing major. I am feeling much better today.
Last week Thursday was a national holiday in Uganda. It was Liberation Day. It's the day they celebrate the changing of governments. Even though no one really celebrates it, they just use it as a day off. So classes were cancelled except my politics class. After class I went to visit my mama at her shop for a couple hours. It was nice just to sit and talk with her because I don't do it enough here.
My religions and politics classes took a field trip to the Buganda Tourist Centre. It's where Parliament meet. So we got to learn more about how things work here and learn more about Buganda culture. We also got to see where the king used to live. Beautiful palace with a beautiful view of the capital city, Kampala.
Other than that there is not much to report on. Everything is going well. My brother Jonah went back to university on Saturday, but he will be back on some weekends. My sister Rita went back to boarding school in Kampala, but she won't be back. I have her address so I will be writing to her. Jemi My youngest sister goes back to school tomorrow, but she will be back everyday. It will be interesting to see what family life is like with them gone.
Oh, and one more thing. I'm going bungee jumping on Sunday in the Nile River. Sorry Karla!!
Grace and Peace to you all!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
And my internship is...
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The Mukono Health Clinic!! The health clinic does do a lot of general health illnesses, but they also do births and work with HIV/AIDS patients. I'm really looking forward to this. I'm sure I will have some crazy and awesome stories to share.
Things are still going well. Classes are fine, I'm not as overwhelmed anymore, but we will see how long that lasts. Still in great health so no worries there.
I have a neat little God story to share with everyone.
I have a padlock and key on a trunk at my house to keep all my stuff in. On that same key ring, I have a key to the front door and padlock to IMME quarters (where I go when I'm not in class and do homework) and a key to the padlock on my locker. So if I loss them, I have to get new keys and there would be to be a new padlock on the door and all the other IMME students would have to get new keys.
Well, I lost my keys last Friday. I thought they were in my bag, but then I thought that I left them at home. I looked everywhere and they were no where to be found. I was getting so upset and I almost cried because I thought it would be a huge inconvenience to everyone else.
Then I took sometime to ask God where they may be. I was trying to keep calm, but I was still freaking out. So I went to class and found out that because I lost my keys everyone has to get a new key. I felt awful.
But then, during class time the Lord brought to mind the tear in the lining of my purse. The tear is right behind the pocket where I keep my keys. So during class I looked there and there were my keys!!!!! Praise God!!!!! It was such a relief to find them. This is a great reminder that God cares about the small things as well as the big things in life. So I want to encourage all of you to instead of freaking out about something missing, just take some time and pray about it and see if God reminds you of where it could be.
I went to an introduction ceremony on Saturday. This is a huge celebration for a couple who are about to be married. This is where the girl introduces her future husband to her parents. It involves the favorite aunt of the girl, music, gifts, and some dancing. It's kind of long and completely in Luganda so I didn't understand what was really happening.
Basically the guy goes to the aunt and says he wants to marry the girl. The aunt goes to the parents to get the blessing. The parents want something in return for their daughter. It could be anything as small as sugar and sodas or as expensive as a house or a car. If the guy cannot meet that requirement, he cannot marry the daughter. So at the ceremony the gifts are presented to the parents and the girl introduces the guy to her parents. The aunt is the one that kind of runs everything at the ceremony as well. There's a lot more to it, but I have to wait to watch a tape of one and my Papa can teach me more.
I got to go to my family's church yesterday (Sunday). It is called Blessed Christian Church. It is a beautiful church and the people are very welcoming to visitors. The worship time is western Christian songs so I knew a few of them. There was a little Luganda, but not much. The message was about reaping and sowing. I am still trying to figure out how I feel about the church. I also went to observe the Sunday school, because I will be helping out with it this semester.
The children here are so well mannered. In the States, kids would be running around and screaming until the teacher told them to sit down and be quiet. It took the teacher quite a while to get the kids all together, but none of them were screaming or running around. Most of them were sitting down and waiting quietly. The teacher was just trying to arrange them in a way so that all the kids could sit. It was interesting to see that because I was expecting the kids to be crazy. But here, respect for elders is expected even from a young age. I like that a lot. Respect is not earned, it is just expected.
They were talking about the 10 Commandments and when the teacher was talking about Honor your Father and Mother, she asked how do you do that? One child said by obeying them and respecting them. The teacher said, "Yes, and how do you show respect? By having good manners.Remember your manners. Always remember to say 'thank you' etc." She never said, "And remember to say 'please'." In Uganda, people don't really say please every. They usually say, "Give me my phone" or "Can I have some?" without saying please. I don't know why that is, but they aren't rude about their requests either, they just don't say please. That will probably be hard for me being here because I say please quite a lot.
I found out that it's okay for me not to be able to climb trees. In Uganda, girls don't climb trees, only boys do. = )
Oh I almost forgot....
I went to the capital city, Kampala on Friday. That was an experience. I have never been so close to so many taxis and boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) in my life. And there were so many people there as well. It was mass chaos and the city is always like that. There are so many markets and stores and everyone is trying to get some where. I almost got hit by a couple taxis because pedestrians don't have the right of way and sometimes you have to force a car to stop in order to walk. I had to do that and it was kind of scary. I am so glad that one of my friend's Papa was there or else we would have been so lost and confused. He told us how to get a taxi and how much it will be. Where to get off from and how to get to where we need to go. I think I need to take more trips because that's where the best markets are for souvenir type things. Overall, it was exhausting, but really informative and fun.
My Papa gave me a Ugandan name. Nalutaaya (Na-Loo-Ta-ya). There is no special meaning to it, it is just a special name to him. It was the name of his sister that passed away some time ago and he was really close to her. I am honored to be given that name because of how special it is to him.
I think that is all I have for now. Once I get into my internship I will be sharing more about that and how everything else is going.
Prayer requests:
I'm sleeping better so Praise God for that
Connecting with family on more than a "I want to learn more about your culture so that's why I'm talking to you" level
Build friendships with other USP students
In the Word daily
and as always health and safety
Be Blessed all!!
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...
The Mukono Health Clinic!! The health clinic does do a lot of general health illnesses, but they also do births and work with HIV/AIDS patients. I'm really looking forward to this. I'm sure I will have some crazy and awesome stories to share.
Things are still going well. Classes are fine, I'm not as overwhelmed anymore, but we will see how long that lasts. Still in great health so no worries there.
I have a neat little God story to share with everyone.
I have a padlock and key on a trunk at my house to keep all my stuff in. On that same key ring, I have a key to the front door and padlock to IMME quarters (where I go when I'm not in class and do homework) and a key to the padlock on my locker. So if I loss them, I have to get new keys and there would be to be a new padlock on the door and all the other IMME students would have to get new keys.
Well, I lost my keys last Friday. I thought they were in my bag, but then I thought that I left them at home. I looked everywhere and they were no where to be found. I was getting so upset and I almost cried because I thought it would be a huge inconvenience to everyone else.
Then I took sometime to ask God where they may be. I was trying to keep calm, but I was still freaking out. So I went to class and found out that because I lost my keys everyone has to get a new key. I felt awful.
But then, during class time the Lord brought to mind the tear in the lining of my purse. The tear is right behind the pocket where I keep my keys. So during class I looked there and there were my keys!!!!! Praise God!!!!! It was such a relief to find them. This is a great reminder that God cares about the small things as well as the big things in life. So I want to encourage all of you to instead of freaking out about something missing, just take some time and pray about it and see if God reminds you of where it could be.
I went to an introduction ceremony on Saturday. This is a huge celebration for a couple who are about to be married. This is where the girl introduces her future husband to her parents. It involves the favorite aunt of the girl, music, gifts, and some dancing. It's kind of long and completely in Luganda so I didn't understand what was really happening.
Basically the guy goes to the aunt and says he wants to marry the girl. The aunt goes to the parents to get the blessing. The parents want something in return for their daughter. It could be anything as small as sugar and sodas or as expensive as a house or a car. If the guy cannot meet that requirement, he cannot marry the daughter. So at the ceremony the gifts are presented to the parents and the girl introduces the guy to her parents. The aunt is the one that kind of runs everything at the ceremony as well. There's a lot more to it, but I have to wait to watch a tape of one and my Papa can teach me more.
I got to go to my family's church yesterday (Sunday). It is called Blessed Christian Church. It is a beautiful church and the people are very welcoming to visitors. The worship time is western Christian songs so I knew a few of them. There was a little Luganda, but not much. The message was about reaping and sowing. I am still trying to figure out how I feel about the church. I also went to observe the Sunday school, because I will be helping out with it this semester.
The children here are so well mannered. In the States, kids would be running around and screaming until the teacher told them to sit down and be quiet. It took the teacher quite a while to get the kids all together, but none of them were screaming or running around. Most of them were sitting down and waiting quietly. The teacher was just trying to arrange them in a way so that all the kids could sit. It was interesting to see that because I was expecting the kids to be crazy. But here, respect for elders is expected even from a young age. I like that a lot. Respect is not earned, it is just expected.
They were talking about the 10 Commandments and when the teacher was talking about Honor your Father and Mother, she asked how do you do that? One child said by obeying them and respecting them. The teacher said, "Yes, and how do you show respect? By having good manners.Remember your manners. Always remember to say 'thank you' etc." She never said, "And remember to say 'please'." In Uganda, people don't really say please every. They usually say, "Give me my phone" or "Can I have some?" without saying please. I don't know why that is, but they aren't rude about their requests either, they just don't say please. That will probably be hard for me being here because I say please quite a lot.
I found out that it's okay for me not to be able to climb trees. In Uganda, girls don't climb trees, only boys do. = )
Oh I almost forgot....
I went to the capital city, Kampala on Friday. That was an experience. I have never been so close to so many taxis and boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) in my life. And there were so many people there as well. It was mass chaos and the city is always like that. There are so many markets and stores and everyone is trying to get some where. I almost got hit by a couple taxis because pedestrians don't have the right of way and sometimes you have to force a car to stop in order to walk. I had to do that and it was kind of scary. I am so glad that one of my friend's Papa was there or else we would have been so lost and confused. He told us how to get a taxi and how much it will be. Where to get off from and how to get to where we need to go. I think I need to take more trips because that's where the best markets are for souvenir type things. Overall, it was exhausting, but really informative and fun.
My Papa gave me a Ugandan name. Nalutaaya (Na-Loo-Ta-ya). There is no special meaning to it, it is just a special name to him. It was the name of his sister that passed away some time ago and he was really close to her. I am honored to be given that name because of how special it is to him.
I think that is all I have for now. Once I get into my internship I will be sharing more about that and how everything else is going.
Prayer requests:
I'm sleeping better so Praise God for that
Connecting with family on more than a "I want to learn more about your culture so that's why I'm talking to you" level
Build friendships with other USP students
In the Word daily
and as always health and safety
Be Blessed all!!
Monday, January 16, 2012
T.I.A.
T.I.A. This Is Africa.
Last week seemed to be one of if not the longest week of my life. The days went by fairly quickly, but the week itself dragged on forever it seemed like. There was much to do. Getting settled in with my family, going to classes and learning about what it's like going to an African school and learning from Ugandan professors, having a lot of meetings about health and safety and procedures about what I'm going to be experiencing during my time here. There was no routine. I was just going and going from one thing to the next without feeling like I actually had any break time. I think this week will be different because I will get into some type of routine.
T.I.A. There is a loss of routine while being here, and I hope to get one so that I don't break down.
I finally met my Tata. He came home late Thursday night and I got to speak with him Friday morning before school. I got to talk with him more when I got back from school. He is a very sweet man and calls me, "Sweetheart" and "Dear." He and the rest of my family has made it clear that I am apart of their family and that they are very honored and happy that I am there. I had great conversations with him about the tribal culture that most Ugandans come from and about different traditions that Ugandans have that we do not have in the States. When I talk with him more about those, I will be more than happy to share them with you. I am looking forward to having more conversations with him.
This past weekend the group went to Jinja which is where the source of the Nile River is. So yes, I got on a boat and got on Lake Victoria and the Nile River. I have pictures to prove it.
Jinja was absolutely beautiful. The lake was right outside my window and everything was green and beautiful. We stayed in a tourist area so everything was way nicer than what we have been used to for the past week. We had a couple of seminars over some readings we had to do for the weekend, played a game, and mostly just relaxed and took some time to do homework. Seeing as how we all had an 8 am class today.
Saturday night a bunch of us went out by the docks and star gazed. Oh man, God's creation is so beautiful. I saw stars that I have never been able to see before. i wish I could have taken a picture. It was just so good to take in God's creation and just be among friends and relax. Then a few of us went star tripping. So much fun. Then I was very blessed by the conversation we had after that. We were getting into some deep topics such as what is ministry and salvation and what not. I am blessed to know that there are some people here who are passionate followers of Jesus and are passionate about their walks and are willing to have deep and hard conversations.
Sunday we had a worship service and a few girls and I gave a bit of our testimonies. That was also a great time of community and I think it is what we all needed because we have all been tired and worn out from everything that we have been experiencing the past week. It was a refreshing time and a very encouraging time. I am looking forward to getting to know people more deeply.
I also found people that know how to play Dutch Blitz and Euchre!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This made me so happy!
I also got to meet my host brother for the first time last night. He is at university and should have been home for Christmas, but his exams were delayed because the campus was shut down. The campus was shut down due to the strikes over banks and interest rates so he couldn't come home when he was supposed to. He usually gets 5 weeks for holiday, but because of the strike he will only be home for 2 weeks. He works at a mobile money stand (in Uganda, the people do not have cell phone plans, they are all prepaid pay as you go phones so there are a lot of mobile money stands here for people to purchase minutes). So he will be gone during the day when I am at school, but I will be seeing him at night. He is a very intelligent guy and is willing to talk to me about the culture and compare it to the States. I look forward to talking more with him as well.
My feet are getting much, my sleeping habits are still pretty bad though. I have yet to have a restful night sleep.
Today in class we were discussing one of the books we are reading called, "The Primal Vision." It's kind of a hard book, but it is an interesting read. In our discussion we were talking about the Gospel. Something was brought up that truly made me think and I am going to be wrestling with this all semester. It would be nice to hear what you guys think about it. Is there a pure Gospel that is being diluted by culture or can we only know the Gospel from a culture? We will be looking more at this as the semester progresses.
So and everything is still going well. I had a couple victories at home. I got to peel the potatoes for dinner and my Mama let me do my own bathing water. So I am now able to not be treated as a guest anymore and I am very happy with that.
Prayer requests:
Better sleeping habits
To be up to date on homework
Develop a deep relationship with my family
Health and safety as always
Be committed to reading the Word daily
Someone needs to keep me up to date on what is going on in the States and how the snow is treating everyone. = )
Be Blessed!
Last week seemed to be one of if not the longest week of my life. The days went by fairly quickly, but the week itself dragged on forever it seemed like. There was much to do. Getting settled in with my family, going to classes and learning about what it's like going to an African school and learning from Ugandan professors, having a lot of meetings about health and safety and procedures about what I'm going to be experiencing during my time here. There was no routine. I was just going and going from one thing to the next without feeling like I actually had any break time. I think this week will be different because I will get into some type of routine.
T.I.A. There is a loss of routine while being here, and I hope to get one so that I don't break down.
I finally met my Tata. He came home late Thursday night and I got to speak with him Friday morning before school. I got to talk with him more when I got back from school. He is a very sweet man and calls me, "Sweetheart" and "Dear." He and the rest of my family has made it clear that I am apart of their family and that they are very honored and happy that I am there. I had great conversations with him about the tribal culture that most Ugandans come from and about different traditions that Ugandans have that we do not have in the States. When I talk with him more about those, I will be more than happy to share them with you. I am looking forward to having more conversations with him.
This past weekend the group went to Jinja which is where the source of the Nile River is. So yes, I got on a boat and got on Lake Victoria and the Nile River. I have pictures to prove it.
Jinja was absolutely beautiful. The lake was right outside my window and everything was green and beautiful. We stayed in a tourist area so everything was way nicer than what we have been used to for the past week. We had a couple of seminars over some readings we had to do for the weekend, played a game, and mostly just relaxed and took some time to do homework. Seeing as how we all had an 8 am class today.
Saturday night a bunch of us went out by the docks and star gazed. Oh man, God's creation is so beautiful. I saw stars that I have never been able to see before. i wish I could have taken a picture. It was just so good to take in God's creation and just be among friends and relax. Then a few of us went star tripping. So much fun. Then I was very blessed by the conversation we had after that. We were getting into some deep topics such as what is ministry and salvation and what not. I am blessed to know that there are some people here who are passionate followers of Jesus and are passionate about their walks and are willing to have deep and hard conversations.
Sunday we had a worship service and a few girls and I gave a bit of our testimonies. That was also a great time of community and I think it is what we all needed because we have all been tired and worn out from everything that we have been experiencing the past week. It was a refreshing time and a very encouraging time. I am looking forward to getting to know people more deeply.
I also found people that know how to play Dutch Blitz and Euchre!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This made me so happy!
I also got to meet my host brother for the first time last night. He is at university and should have been home for Christmas, but his exams were delayed because the campus was shut down. The campus was shut down due to the strikes over banks and interest rates so he couldn't come home when he was supposed to. He usually gets 5 weeks for holiday, but because of the strike he will only be home for 2 weeks. He works at a mobile money stand (in Uganda, the people do not have cell phone plans, they are all prepaid pay as you go phones so there are a lot of mobile money stands here for people to purchase minutes). So he will be gone during the day when I am at school, but I will be seeing him at night. He is a very intelligent guy and is willing to talk to me about the culture and compare it to the States. I look forward to talking more with him as well.
My feet are getting much, my sleeping habits are still pretty bad though. I have yet to have a restful night sleep.
Today in class we were discussing one of the books we are reading called, "The Primal Vision." It's kind of a hard book, but it is an interesting read. In our discussion we were talking about the Gospel. Something was brought up that truly made me think and I am going to be wrestling with this all semester. It would be nice to hear what you guys think about it. Is there a pure Gospel that is being diluted by culture or can we only know the Gospel from a culture? We will be looking more at this as the semester progresses.
So and everything is still going well. I had a couple victories at home. I got to peel the potatoes for dinner and my Mama let me do my own bathing water. So I am now able to not be treated as a guest anymore and I am very happy with that.
Prayer requests:
Better sleeping habits
To be up to date on homework
Develop a deep relationship with my family
Health and safety as always
Be committed to reading the Word daily
Someone needs to keep me up to date on what is going on in the States and how the snow is treating everyone. = )
Be Blessed!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Week One
I only just got internet so sorry about the lack of update so far. I have been here a week so I think it’s time to share about what has happened so far.
I am in great health. The only things wrong with me are cuts on my feet, blisters on my feet, and swollen feet. All of this will heal in a week or two so no worries. I also have a horrible time sleeping, but that will get better as well.
We made it to Entebee Uganda at 10 pm their time (2 pm my time). Everyone stayed in the dorms the first two nights. We had orientation and learned a little bit more about the culture and what classes are going to be like. We also got our cell phones. I have decided that I will NOT be calling anyone because it costs money and even though it would not cost me anything to receive calls, it would cost people to call me. So you are going to have to be alright with e-mail, Facebook, and hopefully Skype soon.
I eventually got settled into my host family’s house on Sunday. I have a Mama and a Tata (Father) named Margret and William. Margret works in a shop that sells sugars and spices and other goodies. William used to work for an electric company, but now he is retired and is a farmer. He is currently working on a farm right now so I have yet to meet him. They have a son named Jonah who is at university right now so I have not met him either. They have three daughters: Avah who is 24. She just graduated from university and does not live with the family because she works in a supermarket on the other side of town, but she visits on Sundays. Rita-Martha is 18 and she is on holiday right now from boarding school. Once she goes back to school I will not see her until school lets out in May. The youngest daughter is 8 and her name is Jemi. She is a very bright little girl and I enjoy spending a lot of time with her. I have a little bit of electricity, my shower is a bucket, and my toilet is a hole in the ground. I also only have to walk 10 minutes to get to school, so that’s pretty nice. We also have a house helper named Alan who has been with the family for 20 years and he is somehow related to the family. He does a lot of the chores so I feel as though there is not much for me to do, at least not now.
Classes are going well for the first week. I feel as though I am going to be the most overwhelmed with the class work. This is because I feel as though there is a lot to do and I need to do it all at school because I do not want to do it at home because when I am at home, I want to spend time with my family. So prayers about balancing time and no procrastination would be much appreciated.
My class schedule is:
Monday:
Faith and Action at 8-9:30 am and then 10-11 am
Luganda (language) at 2-4 pm
Tuesday:
Religions in Uganda 11-12
Wednesday:
Religions in Uganda 11-1
Cross Cultural Practium (internship) 2-4
Luganda 4-6
Thursday:
East African Politics 8:30-12 with a ½ hour break in between there.
Luganda 4-6
Friday:
Faith and Action: TBA (There are two separate classes; I have yet to check which class I am in).
So I believe that if you would like to Skype Tuesdays would probably work best because I can get to school by 7:30-8:00ish and that’s about 11:30 –midnight (Mondays) back home.
I have been to one church service and one chapel service on campus so far. The theme of the worship services this semester is “Being the Church/Community of Christ”. I have been very blessed by both services because they discussed issues that people have about the church and what Christians should be doing in order to be contributing to the Church. It will be awesome to see what God does with this theme while my stay in Uganda.
A few things about Ugandan culture. Everything is pretty cheap compared to the States. Everyone is really friendly and easy to talk to. Ugandans are really trusting people. They LOVE American music. They think that everyone in the States is super rich and that all American women are very loose. This is because they watch a lot of American media. This just goes to show you that our media does not only influence our culture, but other countries’ perspective of us as well. In fact, the first American song I heard was “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. I was upset because I was hoping to avoid her. Later that night I heard “Party Rock Anthem” so that made up for it. They tend to go with the flow when it comes to time and they don’t really plan for things. When I say that, this is what I mean. I have to walk by a prison on my way to and from school (please do not freak out because I feel very safe). The gate on the prison is open and the only thing keeping the inmates separated from me is barbed wire that anyone could jump over. I just figured they were heavily watched over. I told a friend here who is a Ugandan about this and he asked, “Did you actually see any police officers?” I admitted that I did not and he said that there probably wasn’t any officers. So I asked, “How do the inmates stay in?” My friend replied, “We haven’t gotten that far. You Americans plan for everything and we don’t here.” This is very true. Americans like things to be planned out and made sure that nothing could go wrong, whereas in Uganda they don’t. In my mind I think that they haven’t planned to keep the inmates in because the inmates haven’t planned an escape. I feel like there is so much more I could say, but I’ll keep you informed on more Ugandan culture as I experience it.
The first night I was at my home stay two men came by the house. My Mama practically raised them as her own sons and she even introduced them to me as her sons. They are training to become pastors and I had a great conversation with one of the men, Collins. We were talking about the church in America and the church in Uganda. Collins tells me that many Ugandans are hungry for the Word of God and much is happening. They want to know more about Christ because they want to go to heaven. Now, I don’t believe one should become a believer just so they could go to heaven because that should not be the end goal. We should want to become believers because God is God and we desire to have relationship with our Creator and to be conformed to be more like Christ. I was encouraged by something Collins said though. “While you are here, do not just sit around. Go out and reach out to people and share the Gospel with them because there is so much hunger here for the Truth.” I really needed to hear this because a desire of mine while being here is to see what God is doing. So please be praying for opportunities to share the Gospel with people I encountered.
So far, I feel comfortable being here. I have not felt culture shock but maybe that will happen later. I almost feel as though I should be feeling uncomfortable and scared because it’s a totally new and different place than the States. But I don’t. The minute I stepped foot into my house I felt at home. I was talking with God about this and wondering if this is how I should be feeling or not. I’m still not sure yet. But I have not had a break down and I hope I won’t have one. So far everything is going well. I am happy I came and am looking forward to the rest of the semester.
So Prayer Requests:
Good health and safety
Good relationships with my family
Cohesiveness among the group
Develop deep relationships with some of the group members
Opportunities to share the Gospel
Better sleeping habits
To stay up to date on class assignments and not procrastinate
Be Blessed!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Journey
Hello All!!
It's here. This time tomorrow I will be at Gerald R. Ford Airport waiting to get on a plane to Washington D.C. I have many emotions roaring at this moment. I am super excited, nervous, and terrified all at the same time. I think it's a good place to be at this time. I am mostly packed and I am almost finished with the book I am supposed to have read by the time I step on Ugandan soil (yes, I am a procrastinator).
For those of you who don't know the story of how I got here, this post is a snip-it of what I had to go through to get here. If you want more detail just ask. = )
It all started midway through last spring semester. I was thinking about what I was going to do my Junior year. I had every plan to take normal classes and be a TFLC (a leadership position for the new students of CU). I never gave studying abroad a thought ever. That it what my plan was. Well, most of the time God has other plans for my life and I never do what I plan to do. I am fine with this because God knows what's right.
Karla, a friend from CU, put her name down for information about studying abroad in Uganda. And I was shocked by this because no offense Karla, you don't strike me as someone who would want to go to Africa. I looked at the brochure she received and saw all the different options for study abroad. I saw that Uganda had an Intercultural Ministry and Missions Emphasis (IMME). That seemed perfect because that is what my major is.
That night, I had a dream (I rarely remember my dreams). The dream was a bunch of my friends and I were sitting at a table and Nick B (I'm not going to try and spell his last name) came in with a world map. He laid it on the table and the countries that students could study were highlighted. Uganda was highlighted, but so was another country. Nick explained that if a student goes to Uganda they would also be traveling to another country. I woke up and looked at the brochure again. The Uganda trip stated that the students would also be spending some time in Rwanda!!! Woah. So I started thinking and praying about going to Africa.
I had a meeting with Professor Philip Bustrum (my academic adviser) to talk about credits. He told me he would give me 12 credits including my internship if I went to Uganda. I looked at my academic catalog and discovered that if I went, I would have 20 credits left to take my senior year. Uganda is starting to look good right about this time.
I applied to BestSemester and got accepted in July. I turned my deposit in October and the Lord has been faithful in His provision for all the little things.
There were quite a few hurdles that I had to jump over though. First, we weren't getting any money from Cornerstone. Second, Lauren and I got a fee reduction from BestSemester and found out it could not be used toward tuition. Third, we found out we had to pay a full semester tuition which was unexpected, but that's mostly because we didn't take the time to find that out. Fourth, it took so long for me to get my loans figured out for the trip because I was extremely lazy and terrible at planning things. It got the point where I was leaving in three weeks and there was a good chance that I was not going to go. Fifth, our malaria pills were going to $800. Outrageous.
The Lord is so good and faithful and has worked through everything. I got a different prescription for the malaria pills and they ended up being $15. WOOOO HOOOO!!!! And my loans got figured out. Maybe not in the best way, but it's worked out enough that I'm getting to Uganda.
So here I am. The day before I leave thinking "WOOOO HOOOO I'M GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!" And the other part of me is, "I'M GOING TO AFRICA FOR FOUR MONTHS?!?! WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!?!?!" I am leaving family, friends, and comfort. Oh boy. But it's going to be one of the best experiences of my life and it's going to be totally worth it. Everything that I went through is going to make this trip worth it.
This blog is going to be used to:
1. Update everyone on what I am doing while I am there
2. Show a little bit of the culture
3. Show what God is doing in Uganda and in my life
4. Tell people how they could be praying for me
This is what I know about the trip so far:
I am living with a Ugandan family the whole time.
I will be staying in the rural part of Uganda with a different family for about a week.
I will be traveling to Rwanda for 10 days to learn about different ministries and how the country is doing now after the Genocide.
I have the chance to go white water rafting on the Nile River and or go on a safari. I may even go bungee jumping into the Nile...not sure about that one, but it's a possibility.
I will be walking about 30 minutes to go to school at Uganda Christian University.
There are about 40 other students going on this trip from different Christian universities all over the states.
God is going to do great things.
The title is "I Am a Child" because of Bonnie Bustrum (Professor Bustrum's wife). Lauren and I went to their house the week of finals to discuss Africa and to get advice. Bonnie said to go in wanting to learn. "Tell your host family, 'I am a child and I am here to learn from you'." That's what this trip is going to be. One great learning experience. I am going to learn about the culture, what God is doing there, and experience God in a whole different way that I could never do in the States.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us thus far. I hope that you guys continue to keep us in your prayers while we are gone.
Prayer requests so far:
That Lauren and I have safe travel to D.C.
That our group have safe travels to Uganda
Good health
Open minded about a new culture
That I don't get caught up on being there for academics and totally miss out on what God is doing there.
I will do my best to keep this blog updated as much as possible, but please hold tight if I don't update every week.
Thanks for reading this rather lengthy post. = )
Be Blessed!!
It's here. This time tomorrow I will be at Gerald R. Ford Airport waiting to get on a plane to Washington D.C. I have many emotions roaring at this moment. I am super excited, nervous, and terrified all at the same time. I think it's a good place to be at this time. I am mostly packed and I am almost finished with the book I am supposed to have read by the time I step on Ugandan soil (yes, I am a procrastinator).
For those of you who don't know the story of how I got here, this post is a snip-it of what I had to go through to get here. If you want more detail just ask. = )
It all started midway through last spring semester. I was thinking about what I was going to do my Junior year. I had every plan to take normal classes and be a TFLC (a leadership position for the new students of CU). I never gave studying abroad a thought ever. That it what my plan was. Well, most of the time God has other plans for my life and I never do what I plan to do. I am fine with this because God knows what's right.
Karla, a friend from CU, put her name down for information about studying abroad in Uganda. And I was shocked by this because no offense Karla, you don't strike me as someone who would want to go to Africa. I looked at the brochure she received and saw all the different options for study abroad. I saw that Uganda had an Intercultural Ministry and Missions Emphasis (IMME). That seemed perfect because that is what my major is.
That night, I had a dream (I rarely remember my dreams). The dream was a bunch of my friends and I were sitting at a table and Nick B (I'm not going to try and spell his last name) came in with a world map. He laid it on the table and the countries that students could study were highlighted. Uganda was highlighted, but so was another country. Nick explained that if a student goes to Uganda they would also be traveling to another country. I woke up and looked at the brochure again. The Uganda trip stated that the students would also be spending some time in Rwanda!!! Woah. So I started thinking and praying about going to Africa.
I had a meeting with Professor Philip Bustrum (my academic adviser) to talk about credits. He told me he would give me 12 credits including my internship if I went to Uganda. I looked at my academic catalog and discovered that if I went, I would have 20 credits left to take my senior year. Uganda is starting to look good right about this time.
I applied to BestSemester and got accepted in July. I turned my deposit in October and the Lord has been faithful in His provision for all the little things.
There were quite a few hurdles that I had to jump over though. First, we weren't getting any money from Cornerstone. Second, Lauren and I got a fee reduction from BestSemester and found out it could not be used toward tuition. Third, we found out we had to pay a full semester tuition which was unexpected, but that's mostly because we didn't take the time to find that out. Fourth, it took so long for me to get my loans figured out for the trip because I was extremely lazy and terrible at planning things. It got the point where I was leaving in three weeks and there was a good chance that I was not going to go. Fifth, our malaria pills were going to $800. Outrageous.
The Lord is so good and faithful and has worked through everything. I got a different prescription for the malaria pills and they ended up being $15. WOOOO HOOOO!!!! And my loans got figured out. Maybe not in the best way, but it's worked out enough that I'm getting to Uganda.
So here I am. The day before I leave thinking "WOOOO HOOOO I'M GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!" And the other part of me is, "I'M GOING TO AFRICA FOR FOUR MONTHS?!?! WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!?!?!" I am leaving family, friends, and comfort. Oh boy. But it's going to be one of the best experiences of my life and it's going to be totally worth it. Everything that I went through is going to make this trip worth it.
This blog is going to be used to:
1. Update everyone on what I am doing while I am there
2. Show a little bit of the culture
3. Show what God is doing in Uganda and in my life
4. Tell people how they could be praying for me
This is what I know about the trip so far:
I am living with a Ugandan family the whole time.
I will be staying in the rural part of Uganda with a different family for about a week.
I will be traveling to Rwanda for 10 days to learn about different ministries and how the country is doing now after the Genocide.
I have the chance to go white water rafting on the Nile River and or go on a safari. I may even go bungee jumping into the Nile...not sure about that one, but it's a possibility.
I will be walking about 30 minutes to go to school at Uganda Christian University.
There are about 40 other students going on this trip from different Christian universities all over the states.
God is going to do great things.
The title is "I Am a Child" because of Bonnie Bustrum (Professor Bustrum's wife). Lauren and I went to their house the week of finals to discuss Africa and to get advice. Bonnie said to go in wanting to learn. "Tell your host family, 'I am a child and I am here to learn from you'." That's what this trip is going to be. One great learning experience. I am going to learn about the culture, what God is doing there, and experience God in a whole different way that I could never do in the States.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us thus far. I hope that you guys continue to keep us in your prayers while we are gone.
Prayer requests so far:
That Lauren and I have safe travel to D.C.
That our group have safe travels to Uganda
Good health
Open minded about a new culture
That I don't get caught up on being there for academics and totally miss out on what God is doing there.
I will do my best to keep this blog updated as much as possible, but please hold tight if I don't update every week.
Thanks for reading this rather lengthy post. = )
Be Blessed!!
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