Tonight is my last night to spend in Kampala, well at least for this internship. :) I have my bag, (please make note- BAG as in singular. uno. 1.) packed and I am trying to prepare myself mentally for tomorrow's transition. The routine of Kampala ministries has come to a close with our last school visit today. Tomorrow is the beginning of a 6-7 hour roadtrip to Mbarara which will be interesting since we were informed the entire drive is extremely rough with a large amount of potholes. I do not know how else to describe African potholes other than asking you to imagine what a road would look like if small craters had harshly pelted the roads in a way that makes your drive seem to move more like a snake slithering across the desert than a car driving in a linear motion on a flat road. Side by side, zig-zag. Now that you have that visual I can move on.
Mark Berryman flew in last night and arrived to Kampala today. He is staying tonight with us before he takes all six of us interns to Mbarara and then on to Rwanda. I am excited to see what is to come. Yet I hate saying goodbye to those new friends I have here in Kampala. The big city has been an experience for sure but it will be nice to now see the more rural side of Uganda in the villages. I look forward to meeting and spending time with more missionaries and finding out the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of the natives there in order to open my eyes and heart for opportunities that might be laid out for me with whatever God-given abilities He has given me to use for His Kingdom. When, not if, I see the needs and see how my God-given abilities can be used to meet those needs in order to bring others to Christ, this is when and where I will know God is calling me to work for Him there.
My perspective on stages of life and changes is a pretty wonderful way to approach things :) I almost always am someone that loved yesterday, am enjoying today, and am looking forward to tomorrow just as much. I try to not live in the past or focus on it too much, and I try to not live only for what is to come. Instead I tend to always be satisfied that I have experienced what I have, am, and will experience. This doesn't make goodbyes easier by any means but it does make change and transitions in my life a lot easier to handle. So with that said, the last 3 weeks have been wonderful and I could totally stay longer. But the next 2 1/2 weeks of survey will be great as well and I am thankful for the opportunity to see such a variety of places while being here!
I have come down with a heart condition while being here. It is kind of serious. It is what I like to call a swelling of the heart :) I have such a full heart right now. I feel as though it is almost swelling with joy and love that I have received from the Ugandans. The brothers and sisters at the congregation here have been very encouraging. Sheeba is someone I really could see myself working hand in hand with in counseling here. I hope to cross paths again with her. There are many others I do not have the time to mention. But then what really has made my heart swell the most are the children. Wherever we go, whatever we do, they yell for our attention, our smiles, our waves, and what I love most, our hugs and affection. They do not know you. They do not care. They run to you with arms wide open and when I pick them up and hold them, my world stops. I never want to put them down. My Creator is so incredible. I just do not understand how someone can hold a baby or hug a child and not see God. Being a mom one day is going to be so much fun :). Swollen heart syndrome, I think that is a condition of the soul I am willing to live with.
For the prayer warriors out there:
Please pray for the work being done for God here in Kampala, in Uganda, and all over Africa. Pray that God will soften people's hearts and that they will accept His gift of salvation and plans for their lives. Pray that God will soften His disciple's hearts to submit their will to Him and follow Him wherever to do whatever He needs to be done for His Kingdom. Pray for me as I continue on this spiritual journey.
Love you all
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
DISCLAIMER: Since being here, Mandy has cooked in the kitchen and had speechless moments...
I am alive and well. And if you noticed from the title...I actually have spent some time in the kitchen with Darla :)(mama be proud) I have not had internet since my last blog other than one day when I was traveling in Jinja. So sorry for the delay in blogging. I have been journaling regularly though and as I flip through the last 13 days, I do not know even where to start. My first half of my internship is coming to a close as Thursday morning I leave for Mbarara, Uganda before heading down to Rwanda for almost a week. I have no idea how the internet connection will be for the next and last half of my journey so please don't worry if I do not blog much or at all. Consider it a treat if you do hear from me!
The last couple weeks include so many things. I have visited the slums, visited schools (one which Fred introduced me to speak unexpectedly in front of about 200 kids), visited nurseries and babies homes, went to a Ugandan Rugby game (which was so legit!), met many missionaries that have come through town and stayed with us, participated in a few different kinds of bible studies with church members, rafted the Nile River in Jinja, Uganda which was level 5 rapids (olympic style :)), visited a facility for disabled children in need of physical therapy (Jake you would love this place!), and I spent the night by myself with Rebecca, a member of the church.
The experiences I have had, the things I have seen, felt, heard, and even smelt I do not know how to share with you. My pictures won't do justice. My words won't make the cut. I mean how can I really describe what it's like to hug a child and feel his bare skin through the big holes in his shirt, or to cross paths with an elderly woman in the traditional Ugandan dress that has worked so many hard years bent over that from her waist up she is almost completely horizontal, unable to sit or stand upright at all. How do I convey to you the feelings I had as I saw kids standing on top of a huge pile of trash, covered in dirt, eating and drinking whatever they could find left in a bottle or package. Or what about the awful smells of the slums that make your face distort even when you try to keep yourself composed. It is here that you must carefully watch your step as you follow the river of sewage that marks the path through the side by side rows of shacks that people live in and work from in this big city. Or the feeling of holding a precious crippled toddler with deformed eyes as she smiles at me and sings songs for Jesus and not wanting to ever have to let go. I will never forget having to walk away from her as she yelled, "Bye mzungu! (white person) See you!" Or what about sitting on the hard floor of Rebecca's house as I helped her cook dinner that we ate at 11:30 pm in her living room since she doesn't have a kitchen. How do I describe? How will I ever be able to explain? I simply cannot. Everything that I truly wish I could show you are not even in my pictures. There are only certain times I find it appropriate to pull out my camera and take pictures of my surroundings. I already stand out and the last thing I want to do is disrespect anyone by taking their picture or one of their "home." The pictures I have are really the tip of the ice burg. They do not truly convey the extent of what we have seen. Everything I have really wanted to take I haven't been able to do so. The pictures I have are simply the ordinary common activities and scenes of Kampala, Uganda.
There are two women missionaries that haved stayed the last two nights here at Darla's. At dinner tonight I asked a ton of questions and we ended up talking for almost 3 hours. I loved every minute. I really have been learning so much from the missionaries here and even from the visiting missionaries that come through for a few days. It is wonderful.
My experiences here have definitely gone through the "honeymoon" stage (everything is beautiful and wonderful) to the "culture shock" stage (annoyed, frustrated, confused) to now the comfortable stage of understanding and coming to grips with certain aspects of the culture. It has been really interesting.
This entire blog has been written in a rush and for that, I apologize. Hopefully my next will be better thought out. I love and miss you all. Please continue to keep my in your prayers.
The last couple weeks include so many things. I have visited the slums, visited schools (one which Fred introduced me to speak unexpectedly in front of about 200 kids), visited nurseries and babies homes, went to a Ugandan Rugby game (which was so legit!), met many missionaries that have come through town and stayed with us, participated in a few different kinds of bible studies with church members, rafted the Nile River in Jinja, Uganda which was level 5 rapids (olympic style :)), visited a facility for disabled children in need of physical therapy (Jake you would love this place!), and I spent the night by myself with Rebecca, a member of the church.
The experiences I have had, the things I have seen, felt, heard, and even smelt I do not know how to share with you. My pictures won't do justice. My words won't make the cut. I mean how can I really describe what it's like to hug a child and feel his bare skin through the big holes in his shirt, or to cross paths with an elderly woman in the traditional Ugandan dress that has worked so many hard years bent over that from her waist up she is almost completely horizontal, unable to sit or stand upright at all. How do I convey to you the feelings I had as I saw kids standing on top of a huge pile of trash, covered in dirt, eating and drinking whatever they could find left in a bottle or package. Or what about the awful smells of the slums that make your face distort even when you try to keep yourself composed. It is here that you must carefully watch your step as you follow the river of sewage that marks the path through the side by side rows of shacks that people live in and work from in this big city. Or the feeling of holding a precious crippled toddler with deformed eyes as she smiles at me and sings songs for Jesus and not wanting to ever have to let go. I will never forget having to walk away from her as she yelled, "Bye mzungu! (white person) See you!" Or what about sitting on the hard floor of Rebecca's house as I helped her cook dinner that we ate at 11:30 pm in her living room since she doesn't have a kitchen. How do I describe? How will I ever be able to explain? I simply cannot. Everything that I truly wish I could show you are not even in my pictures. There are only certain times I find it appropriate to pull out my camera and take pictures of my surroundings. I already stand out and the last thing I want to do is disrespect anyone by taking their picture or one of their "home." The pictures I have are really the tip of the ice burg. They do not truly convey the extent of what we have seen. Everything I have really wanted to take I haven't been able to do so. The pictures I have are simply the ordinary common activities and scenes of Kampala, Uganda.
There are two women missionaries that haved stayed the last two nights here at Darla's. At dinner tonight I asked a ton of questions and we ended up talking for almost 3 hours. I loved every minute. I really have been learning so much from the missionaries here and even from the visiting missionaries that come through for a few days. It is wonderful.
My experiences here have definitely gone through the "honeymoon" stage (everything is beautiful and wonderful) to the "culture shock" stage (annoyed, frustrated, confused) to now the comfortable stage of understanding and coming to grips with certain aspects of the culture. It has been really interesting.
This entire blog has been written in a rush and for that, I apologize. Hopefully my next will be better thought out. I love and miss you all. Please continue to keep my in your prayers.
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