Each day, I am more humbled by the Ugandan children here at Village of Hope. For starters, they are more diligent than any kids I’ve ever met. They are literally busy (whether it’s chores or school) from 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night, with the exception of an hour here for lunch and an hour and a half there for play and then showers. Each day, I wake up at 6:30 to them all singing praises to God… thanking him for food, for education, for life, for hope. And they truly sing like they mean it. It’s a beautiful sound to wake up to. They love learning—Math, English, Science, Social Studies. They work hard because they understand, even at age 11, that knowledge is so vital if they want to succeed. They all love each other so much. I haven’t seen any evidence of cliques or anyone being left out, and they all share clothes with each other. Granted, they have much fewer clothing than we’re used to in the US, but still… we’re taught so early that our things are OURS and that sharing is good, but you get to decide what you want to share, in a sense. These kids don’t have that mentality at all. They share everything. Everything is everybody’s.
Today at church, the kids were praying. Hearing them all pray is another thing that just humbles me even more… it’s so real and so raw. Today they prayed for you. For Americans. They thanked the Lord for the blessings they have received because of American donors, and recognized that they would still be in the refugee camps if people in the US hadn’t donated their resources to Village of Hope. If that isn’t amazing enough, they then prayed that those people who have donated to VOH would be blessed for it. That they would have even more because they chose to give. How humbling is that?
I’m learning so much. What is wealth? Is it material, or is it relational? After watching these kids interact with one another, I would argue that true wealth in this world must be relational. That material possession literally is nothing. That’s something I’m really learning right now… to let go of my material possessions. That nothing I own is truly mine, and nothing I own is going to last anyways. I think that many American Christians (including myself) have for so long been so blind to how materialistic we are. We’re taught that our stuff is a blessing. But what if our material possessions are actually hindering us from realizing the message that Jesus taught? Everything he ever preached tells us to love the orphans, the widows, the needy, the sick, the oppressed, the unwanted, and the hurting. Are we blinded to what is going on in the world because we’re so focused on our possessions? My stuff… and that’s all it is—stuff—will never be a blessing until I realize that God has blessed me with excess not so that I can HAVE more, but so that I can GIVE more.
Having a faith in Christ does not mean greater material blessings or prosperity in this world. I know I’ve said this so much… but I’ll say it until it changes… how can we read Jesus’ command in Mark 10 to sell everything and give it to the poor and then just sit back and watch, as 26,000 children die daily of starvation or preventable diseases? Or maybe it’s because we don’t watch. We turn the other way. We don’t know their names, so they are easy to ignore.
But they are here. They’re here in Uganda, they’re scattered across Africa. They’re in India, in El Salvador, and in the Philippines. They’re even in the USA. And they have names, and they smile and they laugh and they cry and they get hungry and they get full, and they run and jump and skip and play hide and seek, and they think and dream and they hope for a future.
“Our perspective on our possessions radically changes when we open our eyes to the needs of the world around us. When we have the courage to look in the faces of brothers and sisters whose bodies are malnourished and whose brains are deformed because they have no food, Christ will change our desires and we will long to sacrifice our resources for the glory of his name among them.” –David Platt
And that’s just it… we have what we have in order to bless those who don’t have anything. And the purpose of that isn’t simply to satisfy a need or fill a belly. Because honestly, those truly are short-term needs. The purpose of providing for the needs of the poor is to glorify the name of God. Sounds selfish… but whom else would we praise? If you believe there is a God, why wouldn’t you praise him? I truly would like to know.
“There is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, “I wish you would have kept more for yourself.” I’m confident that God will take care of me. When God tells us to give extravagantly, we can trust him to do the same in our lives… Do we trust him?” –again, David Platt.
I’m scared, thinking about all of this. It’s scary to imagine giving up what I’ve always been comfortable with for a life where I truly rely daily on God’s provision. And I think it might be a slow process. Learning what the balance is and applying it. Trusting.
But I have to. I can’t look at Fida and Gloria and Cosmas and Prossy and Clinton and then go home and live in affluence. Because now some of those 26,000 children dying of preventable causes have faces, and they have names. And they are relying on me. And they are praising the Lord that he is using people like me to provide their needs. That’s insane.
19 September 2010
15 September 2010
Village!
I don't really know what to blog... it's sometimes hard to know what to write, because SO much happens and so much of it is just... normal. So sometimes it seems like maybe what I write will be boring, or sometimes there's just so much I don't know where to start in my writing. But each week, I have to write for school, so I can get my 3 credits for this adventure. So, here's what I wrote for school this week, I hope you find it interesting. I want to write another update about what I'm learning spiritually, but maybe I can do that this weekend or something. We'll see.
Last Saturday, my team and I transferred from Gulu town to the Village of Hope land, which is located in the Masindi district, two hours south of Gulu district. We were all very ready to start fresh and have a change of scenery!
When we arrived, I sat down with Mike and Janelle, the career missionaries who live at VOH and oversee everything that is going on here. We talked for a long time about what life is like for them, what their job is with VOH, struggles and challenges they have, and also what me and my team can focus on while we’re here. We discussed my team member Suzie working with the nurse at VOH because Suzie is going to school to become a nurse. We discussed Leilah working with the social worker at VOH and learning how counseling works here, as well as setting up a system to keep records and a history of each kid’s counseling sessions. Tom will get involved with the construction crew because he is strong and wants to do some physical labor. Erin, our graphic designer and all around artist, will paint the VOH logo on the main office building and teach guitar lessons to a few interested kids. Collin will help Janelle with much-needed computer help and also do sound with me, of course. And when I need to film and edit, there will be ample time for that. As a team, we will teach English to each class at the VOH Primary School on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will also have reading time to work on comprehension with the kids here. Meeting with them and talking about what the next three months will look like was very exciting and affirming for me.
First, it affirmed me as leader of the team and trip. By meeting with me individually before talking with the team, Mike and Janelle affirmed my leadership and allowed me to process things before presenting it to the team. When I did tell the team about each separate project, they were so excited, and I encouraged them to take their ideas and run with them, while working with their respective Ugandan staff partners. Today, Leilah met with Ronance, the social worker, and they came up with a counseling form for the kids. Suzie met with Maureen, the nurse, and learned about all her equipment and how to say it in Acholi. Each team member truly is opening up and getting excited about how they can use their individual passions while being here in Uganda, and as a leader, that’s so great to see!
I feel like my life dreams are definitely developing and deepening. This is now the third time I’ve been in Africa— my first trip was to South Africa for four weeks, and my second was to Uganda for five weeks. Now, I’m four weeks in to a four-month-long trip, and it’s amazing. I can’t imagine being ready to leave in one week. I hope that one day I could potentially live in Africa long-term, and I’m getting a good sense of what that might look like. Granted, I still have three months to go, so who knows how I’ll feel in another four weeks… but I’m ready for it. I’m healthy, happy, and feel right at home. I think I could see myself doing this type of work forever. I don’t think my life and career will be what a typical young woman my age envisions… and I’m okay with that.
God is good. Thanks for reading, all.
Last Saturday, my team and I transferred from Gulu town to the Village of Hope land, which is located in the Masindi district, two hours south of Gulu district. We were all very ready to start fresh and have a change of scenery!
When we arrived, I sat down with Mike and Janelle, the career missionaries who live at VOH and oversee everything that is going on here. We talked for a long time about what life is like for them, what their job is with VOH, struggles and challenges they have, and also what me and my team can focus on while we’re here. We discussed my team member Suzie working with the nurse at VOH because Suzie is going to school to become a nurse. We discussed Leilah working with the social worker at VOH and learning how counseling works here, as well as setting up a system to keep records and a history of each kid’s counseling sessions. Tom will get involved with the construction crew because he is strong and wants to do some physical labor. Erin, our graphic designer and all around artist, will paint the VOH logo on the main office building and teach guitar lessons to a few interested kids. Collin will help Janelle with much-needed computer help and also do sound with me, of course. And when I need to film and edit, there will be ample time for that. As a team, we will teach English to each class at the VOH Primary School on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will also have reading time to work on comprehension with the kids here. Meeting with them and talking about what the next three months will look like was very exciting and affirming for me.
First, it affirmed me as leader of the team and trip. By meeting with me individually before talking with the team, Mike and Janelle affirmed my leadership and allowed me to process things before presenting it to the team. When I did tell the team about each separate project, they were so excited, and I encouraged them to take their ideas and run with them, while working with their respective Ugandan staff partners. Today, Leilah met with Ronance, the social worker, and they came up with a counseling form for the kids. Suzie met with Maureen, the nurse, and learned about all her equipment and how to say it in Acholi. Each team member truly is opening up and getting excited about how they can use their individual passions while being here in Uganda, and as a leader, that’s so great to see!
I feel like my life dreams are definitely developing and deepening. This is now the third time I’ve been in Africa— my first trip was to South Africa for four weeks, and my second was to Uganda for five weeks. Now, I’m four weeks in to a four-month-long trip, and it’s amazing. I can’t imagine being ready to leave in one week. I hope that one day I could potentially live in Africa long-term, and I’m getting a good sense of what that might look like. Granted, I still have three months to go, so who knows how I’ll feel in another four weeks… but I’m ready for it. I’m healthy, happy, and feel right at home. I think I could see myself doing this type of work forever. I don’t think my life and career will be what a typical young woman my age envisions… and I’m okay with that.
God is good. Thanks for reading, all.
10 September 2010
Pursue Justice
This kind of goes with my last post... maybe with my last few posts. So be sure to read those too...
This is what I'm currently learning and processing.
Christians (in America) often don’t live like Christians. Like REAL Christians, like Paul and Peter and James. Christians in America (including myself) still pursue the “American Dream” … which is comfortable, but not anywhere near where Christ’s heart is. I am reading this book right now that has some great points… “We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with... with the best of intentions, we have actually turned away from Jesus. We have in many areas blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the gospel Jesus taught… Here we stand amid an American dream dominated by self-advancement, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency, by individualism, materialism, and universalism… we are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” (that’s from a lot of different pages that I wrote quotes down from… from the book “Radical” by David Platt. PLEASE read it, it’s so good… I think I like it better than Shane Claiborne’s “The Irresistible Revolution” even, simply because it references the Bible all over).
That’s essentially what I’m currently in the process of learning. How to TRULY abandon myself and rely on faith. We are so comfortable with having Plan B… for instance, if I became dreadfully ill all of a sudden right this second and I was about to die, a plane would come get me and bring me to a hospital and I’d be fine, because of health insurance. It’s almost like, “Ok God, I’ll pray about this now, but if you don’t answer fast enough or how I want you to, I’ve got a back-up plan on the way!” And I’m not saying health insurance is bad. That’s just my example to kind of explain how we, as Americans, simply don’t NEED to live by faith. Because we have no needs. Here in Uganda, they understand faith so much more, simply because they’re constantly faced with sickness, death, and loss. Very early on, they’re forced to realize that they’re human and very finite. Realizing that allows one to truly experience that God is a Provider. That he is a Comforter. I recently wrote in my journal… “is the American limitation of risks actually a hindrance that makes it harder for us to experience God’s faithfulness fully?”
I will end this with this verse… James 1:27- “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
We have no excuse not to pursue justice in this world. That's all I'm sayin.
This is what I'm currently learning and processing.
Christians (in America) often don’t live like Christians. Like REAL Christians, like Paul and Peter and James. Christians in America (including myself) still pursue the “American Dream” … which is comfortable, but not anywhere near where Christ’s heart is. I am reading this book right now that has some great points… “We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with... with the best of intentions, we have actually turned away from Jesus. We have in many areas blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the gospel Jesus taught… Here we stand amid an American dream dominated by self-advancement, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency, by individualism, materialism, and universalism… we are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” (that’s from a lot of different pages that I wrote quotes down from… from the book “Radical” by David Platt. PLEASE read it, it’s so good… I think I like it better than Shane Claiborne’s “The Irresistible Revolution” even, simply because it references the Bible all over).
That’s essentially what I’m currently in the process of learning. How to TRULY abandon myself and rely on faith. We are so comfortable with having Plan B… for instance, if I became dreadfully ill all of a sudden right this second and I was about to die, a plane would come get me and bring me to a hospital and I’d be fine, because of health insurance. It’s almost like, “Ok God, I’ll pray about this now, but if you don’t answer fast enough or how I want you to, I’ve got a back-up plan on the way!” And I’m not saying health insurance is bad. That’s just my example to kind of explain how we, as Americans, simply don’t NEED to live by faith. Because we have no needs. Here in Uganda, they understand faith so much more, simply because they’re constantly faced with sickness, death, and loss. Very early on, they’re forced to realize that they’re human and very finite. Realizing that allows one to truly experience that God is a Provider. That he is a Comforter. I recently wrote in my journal… “is the American limitation of risks actually a hindrance that makes it harder for us to experience God’s faithfulness fully?”
I will end this with this verse… James 1:27- “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
We have no excuse not to pursue justice in this world. That's all I'm sayin.
07 September 2010
True Story
6 September 2010
AIDS had always been just a movie to me, to be honest. Something real and something sad, but never inescapable. Something I could always fast-forward or turn off when it was too hard. Something I was always safely removed from. Just watching.
Opiyo Cosmas sat down next to me at Laroo refugee camp. His frame told me he was ten years old, but his stoic face said sixty. This boy had already seen too much.
I started asking him about his life. His favorite subject, his brothers and sisters, what he wants to be when he grows up.
Math.
One older brother, two younger sisters.
Pilot.
Quick answers, never a smile. I stopped asking questions and I waited. Slowly, his deep brown eyes shifted up towards my face, and he held my gaze for a few seconds, and he wrung his hands together.
“My father is HIV positive.”
My heart dropped, and I bit my lip. My head throbbed; I could feel every heart beat in my chest, but still I waited. His eyes shifted down to the dusty ground again, and he watched a line of ants, marching… marching…
Real life was happening, time was moving forward; the ants marched on. I was watching that movie, but this time I was in the movie, and I couldn’t fast forward or turn it off or escape, and neither could Cosmas. The ants kept time, marching to the drum beat of my heart, never missing a step, never looking back, forward… forward…
“My mother died of AIDS four years ago,” still his eyes were downcast. “My father is so weak now, he can’t get out of bed, he can’t care for us, so sometimes my aunt comes to cook.”
“And you? Your sisters? Your brother?” I asked.
“We are fine, except for Mercy, the youngest. She got it from my mother at birth, four years ago.” His eyes turned towards mine again. “She gets the pill, but she is weak, because she doesn’t get proper nutrition. Her body can’t stay healthy.”
Deep breath. Don’t choke. Don’t cry.
Dull, lifeless eyes; burdened shoulders; hurting heart.
I held his hand, and I prayed. What else can you do? When time won’t stop and you can’t pause, and you realize the movie is real life, and people are dying, and you know that something very well could be done, if people took action.
What can we do?
AIDS had always been just a movie to me, to be honest. Something real and something sad, but never inescapable. Something I could always fast-forward or turn off when it was too hard. Something I was always safely removed from. Just watching.
Opiyo Cosmas sat down next to me at Laroo refugee camp. His frame told me he was ten years old, but his stoic face said sixty. This boy had already seen too much.
I started asking him about his life. His favorite subject, his brothers and sisters, what he wants to be when he grows up.
Math.
One older brother, two younger sisters.
Pilot.
Quick answers, never a smile. I stopped asking questions and I waited. Slowly, his deep brown eyes shifted up towards my face, and he held my gaze for a few seconds, and he wrung his hands together.
“My father is HIV positive.”
My heart dropped, and I bit my lip. My head throbbed; I could feel every heart beat in my chest, but still I waited. His eyes shifted down to the dusty ground again, and he watched a line of ants, marching… marching…
Real life was happening, time was moving forward; the ants marched on. I was watching that movie, but this time I was in the movie, and I couldn’t fast forward or turn it off or escape, and neither could Cosmas. The ants kept time, marching to the drum beat of my heart, never missing a step, never looking back, forward… forward…
“My mother died of AIDS four years ago,” still his eyes were downcast. “My father is so weak now, he can’t get out of bed, he can’t care for us, so sometimes my aunt comes to cook.”
“And you? Your sisters? Your brother?” I asked.
“We are fine, except for Mercy, the youngest. She got it from my mother at birth, four years ago.” His eyes turned towards mine again. “She gets the pill, but she is weak, because she doesn’t get proper nutrition. Her body can’t stay healthy.”
Deep breath. Don’t choke. Don’t cry.
Dull, lifeless eyes; burdened shoulders; hurting heart.
I held his hand, and I prayed. What else can you do? When time won’t stop and you can’t pause, and you realize the movie is real life, and people are dying, and you know that something very well could be done, if people took action.
What can we do?
05 September 2010
Hope is Real
Well, I think it’s time for an update! Today is Sunday, and we’re still in Gulu (in the north). We were supposed to go to Masindi (2 hours south; just south of the Nile) on September 1, but we started organizing the child sponsorship program for Village of Hope, and that’s taking extra long. At each of the five IDP camps we go to, we are taking individual photographs of the kids in VOH and then interviewing them. The interviews take SO long because there’s so much information to get, but we also have to leave some questions out. We can’t ask them if they were abducted by the LRA and if they are orphans until Rose can prepare them and then debrief with them after, so we’ve just been sticking with the simple questions, like favorite school subject, age and grade, and who they’re currently living with.
The other day I interviewed a four-year-old boy named Okello George Bush. His favorite hobby is hide-n-seek, he said he wants to be a driver when he grows up, and his prayer request was that someday when he’s a driver, that he’ll not get in accidents. He was adorable, and plus it’s just hilarious that his name is George Bush. There’s also a Bill Clinton somewhere in the VOH kids.
It feels really great to get this child sponsorship program rolling for VOH. Right now it just seems kind of disorganized. But after their interviews I always ask the kids if they have any prayer requests, and almost all of them ask me to pray that they will get a sponsor so that they can pay their school fees.
Last Wednesday, Collin and I woke up really early and went to Joyce’s house, on the outskirts of Labora IDP camp. We filmed her entire day doing her normal tasks. Here’s a quick run-down… she woke up, did dishes, went to the garden and weeded for an hour, went home and ate, got water at the well, rested for a bit, went and dug up a bunch of potatoes, washed them all, and cooked dinner for seven people. Our goal in filming this is to show that while life in the villages of Gulu isn’t necessarily bad for the kids, it certainly isn’t ideal. Their guardians (often aunts, uncles, or grandparents) aren’t typically unkind (there are some exceptions), but very rarely can they actually care for the kids. They often don’t have enough income to send the kids to school, and many of them don’t have the energy or the health to cook, clean, and wash for one to four kids other than their own children. The guardians actually WANT the kids to go the Masindi to be part of the VOH, because it means hope for the kids, especially where education is concerned.
I will try to post more updates soon! Thanks for reading, thanks for praying, I love you all!
The other day I interviewed a four-year-old boy named Okello George Bush. His favorite hobby is hide-n-seek, he said he wants to be a driver when he grows up, and his prayer request was that someday when he’s a driver, that he’ll not get in accidents. He was adorable, and plus it’s just hilarious that his name is George Bush. There’s also a Bill Clinton somewhere in the VOH kids.
It feels really great to get this child sponsorship program rolling for VOH. Right now it just seems kind of disorganized. But after their interviews I always ask the kids if they have any prayer requests, and almost all of them ask me to pray that they will get a sponsor so that they can pay their school fees.
Last Wednesday, Collin and I woke up really early and went to Joyce’s house, on the outskirts of Labora IDP camp. We filmed her entire day doing her normal tasks. Here’s a quick run-down… she woke up, did dishes, went to the garden and weeded for an hour, went home and ate, got water at the well, rested for a bit, went and dug up a bunch of potatoes, washed them all, and cooked dinner for seven people. Our goal in filming this is to show that while life in the villages of Gulu isn’t necessarily bad for the kids, it certainly isn’t ideal. Their guardians (often aunts, uncles, or grandparents) aren’t typically unkind (there are some exceptions), but very rarely can they actually care for the kids. They often don’t have enough income to send the kids to school, and many of them don’t have the energy or the health to cook, clean, and wash for one to four kids other than their own children. The guardians actually WANT the kids to go the Masindi to be part of the VOH, because it means hope for the kids, especially where education is concerned.
I will try to post more updates soon! Thanks for reading, thanks for praying, I love you all!
30 August 2010
Prossy's Poem
(please excuse the weird fonts and sizes... my blogger is being weird)!
The other day at Obiya IDP Camp (August 23), the kids recited some poems and sang songs for us. At most camps, they dance some of the Acholi traditional dances, but at Obiya, the kids are younger overall and I don’t think they know the dances well yet, so they sang instead. One 12-year-old girl named Prossy recited a poem that she wrote, and it blew my mind. Her poem begs for recognition of her rights, something I rarely, if ever, thought about at age twelve. If Prossy read her poem to her guardians (aunts/uncles/grandparents) or to her teachers, she would be labeled as a rebellious child, so I feel honored that I got to be there, and impressed that she was brave enough to recite it to us.
Yesterday (August 30), we got a chance to go back to Obiya Camp to distribute food and take photos of all the kids for Village of Hope's child sponsorship program. I asked Prossy if she would be willing to recite her poem for our video, and she smiled and said yes. Unfortunately, I’m having trouble uploading the video with blogger… if I can figure it out or find faster internet I will upload it, but for now, here are the words to her poem:"Children Right is a Must"
by Piloya Prossy
Age 12, Class P-7
Obiya IDP Camp
All children have rights
I have a lot of rights
A right to eat
A right to trim
And they are precious to us.
All children have rights
My mother was very motherly
She used to give me food
She used to give me treatment
She was precious to me.
All children have rights
A right to go to school
And a right to talk my views
My mother could give me those
She was precious to me.
All children have rights
But let us claim my rights
My mother is no more there
She is deep in the grave
But she was precious to me.
All children have rights
Parents and teachers,
Doctors and nurses,
You all violate our rights
But they are precious to us.
All children have rights
Uncles and aunts,
Brothers and sisters,
Stop violating our rights
But they are precious to us.
All children have rights
We are talking to our fathers
We are talking to our mothers
We are talking to our aunts
Please, obey our rights.
All children have rights
Pregnant mothers, pregnant girls
Don’t dump us in the latrine
Don’t dump us in the dust bin
Our life is precious to us.
All children of Kenya
All children of Rwanda
All children of Uganda
All children of Tanzania
We all deserve our rights.
Please, please
Please, please,
Obey our rights.
Please, please,
Obey our rights.
The sad, sick statistical truth is that around 97% of girls in Uganda admit to being raped or abused by their teachers or guardians. Oftentimes, the school headmasters will give scholarships to girls willing to "give" something in return. This isn't okay and begs the simple question that so many comfortable people avoid... why is injustice happening? Why are people dying of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and starvation... when we have the power to do something? Why are these issues so easily overlooked? Why do we simply donate to a charitable cause and feel like we've done our part? Our part WILL NOT BE done until these kids are healthy, safe, and nourished. Until child mothers without husbands can feed themselves and their babies, and on top of that, so they can have money to continue their education and send their child to school as well. How can we claim to love Jesus and serve him and be Christians when we're not doing what the Bible so clearly states is necessary... that we are to care for the widows and the orphans-- those that have nothing.
This must be changed, and little by little... it is. Now, it must pick up speed; there is no excuse for our apathy. Hope is here, change is coming, love will win.
This must be changed, and little by little... it is. Now, it must pick up speed; there is no excuse for our apathy. Hope is here, change is coming, love will win.
25 August 2010
Isaiah 62
I am so convinced that Uganda will pull through these hard times (already it is better than it has been for the past 23 years). I believe that God's got huge plans for this country... to be a light and an example to the countries surrounding it, to raise up a generation of young Ugandans who can be leaders not only in their communities but also in the world.
The book "Girl Soldier" convinced me of this the first time, and as I read Isaiah 62 the other day, I was convinced again. I replaced the words "Zion" and "Jerusalem" with "Uganda" throughout the chapter. It also shows so clearly what my heart is for Uganda... I pray for Uganda, I won't keep silent until these people are healed. Here you go...
Isaiah 62
For Uganda's sake I will not keep silent, for Uganda's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Uganda; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Uganda and makes her the praise of the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary."
The book "Girl Soldier" convinced me of this the first time, and as I read Isaiah 62 the other day, I was convinced again. I replaced the words "Zion" and "Jerusalem" with "Uganda" throughout the chapter. It also shows so clearly what my heart is for Uganda... I pray for Uganda, I won't keep silent until these people are healed. Here you go...
Isaiah 62
For Uganda's sake I will not keep silent, for Uganda's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Uganda; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Uganda and makes her the praise of the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary."
21 August 2010
Safe in Gulu!
We are in Uganda. It’s real. I can’t believe it. I keep reminding myself that I actually am living here… for four months. I LOVE it here so much and I feel healthy and strong and so at home already.
Traveling to Uganda was… long, to say the least. We left from Chicago and flew for 8 hours to London, where we had a 12-hour layover. This flight was the first time I have EVER flown through the Chicago-O’Hare airport and not had a delay! Success. When we got to London, we put our carry-on bags in a storage room, exchanged some US dollars for pounds, and hopped on the tube for Hyde Park. We also saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, rode a double-decker bus, and overall just enjoyed the layout of the city, which was definitely NOT a grid like Milwaukee.
Being in London wiped us all out, especially because we hadn’t slept much on the plane from Chicago. When we got on the plane from London to Uganda, I passed out right away… I don’t even remember taking off.
Getting off the plane in Africa and seeing Lake Victoria was so wonderful. I felt at home. Asunta and Shammah picked us up at the airport and we hopped in the Village of Hope van. It was supposed to take us 6 hours to drive to Gulu, but with all the stops we made, it was more like 12 hours.
One stop was on the VOH land in Masindi!!!!! Last year when I was there, there were only 7 huts, and the foundations for one house and one school building. Now there are two school buildings, four homes, a kitchen, and like three bathroom buildings! I also got to see George (who calls me B2, because Bryce was B1 when we were here last year), Bosco, and Ken, all who remembered me… I was so happy. (Bryce: they miss you so much, and so does Julie)!
We finally got to Gulu last night, and we are staying in a hotel called Hotel Roma. It is SOOO much nicer than where I stayed last year… we even have our own bathrooms in each room. We feel so safe here.
Today came the moment I have been waiting for for over a year… I was FINALLY reunited with Julie, my very best Ugandan friend. I missed her so much! We walked to Gulu market and passed Kope Café… it’s so great recognizing things and kind of knowing where I am! I feel SO at home, especially because I am reunited with my family here… Julie, Rosie, Charles, Asunta. I have also made new friends- my Acholi is improving even just within one day. I hope to be fluent by October at the latest. :]
Tomorrow we are planning on going to Watoto Church and then visiting Koro Abili refugee camp. I can’t wait to see the kids and play with them. I will not be interviewing any kids individually with the video camera tomorrow, because we will go back to Abili next week, and I want to simply build relationships tomorrow. I will bring it and perhaps film them dancing and playing, though, so they can see the camera and get comfortable with it being there.
Everything is wonderful. I want to stay forever. (But don’t worry Mom and Dad… I promise I’ll come home for Christmas, at least this year).
Thanks for reading… love you all. :] Stay tuned for photographs and video clips within the next couple of weeks!
18 August 2010
Leaving so soon!
Hey supporters... it's finally here, almost. I can't believe it... we're actually going to Uganda, FINALLY, after much planning and preparation and hoping and worrying and praying and everything else.
I have never felt more supported and encouraged in my life than in the past week. People have given me much-needed financial support, prayers have been said and written down for me to take and read, my church prayed for our team, and words of affirmation are coming from all my friends mouths. It's such a blessing; God is so good.
Being with my team the past two days has been wonderful. We have laughed and enjoyed each other's company so much. Already there have been struggles and minor setbacks, but tonight we all sat in a circle and talked and prayed. I am feeling much better after that, and I know it will only continue, because now these 5 are my brothers and sisters. We really MUST grow closer... it's our only option. I trust that each and every person is on this team for a reason, and I am so excited to see how everyone's talents and skills are used and honed while we're in Africa.
I am not scared of going to Uganda for four months. I'm not scared of language barriers. I'm not scared for my safety, I know to be careful and wary and smart. I'm not scared about fitting in. But I am a little scared... I'm scared to lead this team; I'm scared to step up when I need to; I'm scared to have that responsibility. But I know there's no other way it could happen. I have to lead. It's been so clear to me that that's a big part of what I must learn on this trip, and I am so excited about it. I want to be a humble leader, to lead out of love, and to even lead by following at times. I am scared, but I know I can do it.
I know I will come back on December 19 and be a completely different person than I am right now. I know I will learn things I never knew, do things I never thought possible, be stretched in the most uncomfortable of ways, break down when it's least convenient, step up when it's harder than ever. I know I will change, it's inevitable.
I'm so excited to become more full, more beautiful, more whole. I don't even know what to expect, but I know change will happen, and it will be so good.
I have never felt more supported and encouraged in my life than in the past week. People have given me much-needed financial support, prayers have been said and written down for me to take and read, my church prayed for our team, and words of affirmation are coming from all my friends mouths. It's such a blessing; God is so good.
Being with my team the past two days has been wonderful. We have laughed and enjoyed each other's company so much. Already there have been struggles and minor setbacks, but tonight we all sat in a circle and talked and prayed. I am feeling much better after that, and I know it will only continue, because now these 5 are my brothers and sisters. We really MUST grow closer... it's our only option. I trust that each and every person is on this team for a reason, and I am so excited to see how everyone's talents and skills are used and honed while we're in Africa.
I am not scared of going to Uganda for four months. I'm not scared of language barriers. I'm not scared for my safety, I know to be careful and wary and smart. I'm not scared about fitting in. But I am a little scared... I'm scared to lead this team; I'm scared to step up when I need to; I'm scared to have that responsibility. But I know there's no other way it could happen. I have to lead. It's been so clear to me that that's a big part of what I must learn on this trip, and I am so excited about it. I want to be a humble leader, to lead out of love, and to even lead by following at times. I am scared, but I know I can do it.
I know I will come back on December 19 and be a completely different person than I am right now. I know I will learn things I never knew, do things I never thought possible, be stretched in the most uncomfortable of ways, break down when it's least convenient, step up when it's harder than ever. I know I will change, it's inevitable.
I'm so excited to become more full, more beautiful, more whole. I don't even know what to expect, but I know change will happen, and it will be so good.
11 August 2010
The Past 3 Weeks
The past three weeks have been filled with family and friends and preparations and relaxation. I am so blessed to have the family I have. I'm so grateful for the relationship I share with each of my beautiful sisters. I'm going to miss them more than anyone, I think.
Tomorrow, I am going back to Milwaukee. I'm shooting a wedding reception on Friday, and then on Saturday and Sunday I'll just get to kick it on the east side with my friends there. I am really looking forward to seeing them and going to Epikos! There's a lot of people I want to see, and not a lot of time to see them all though.
Then on Monday, I go to Leilah's house with entire Uganda crew. Suzie, Collin, Erin, Leilah, Tom, and Me. We all get to be together for the first time ever! I think that's when it will hit me that I'm actually leaving for four months!
On Wednesday we leave for Uganda. I'm so excited. I can't even tell you how excited I am, because I don't think I really know yet. But it's that feeling where you know you're going to be exactly where you're supposed to be. Contentment, joy, peace. Plus, I get to see all my Ugandan friends again.
I'll write again soon, because I want to tell you about the war in Uganda. You should know why I'm passionate about this country specifically. Uganda is said to be the pearl of Africa. I'd say, that's true.
Tomorrow, I am going back to Milwaukee. I'm shooting a wedding reception on Friday, and then on Saturday and Sunday I'll just get to kick it on the east side with my friends there. I am really looking forward to seeing them and going to Epikos! There's a lot of people I want to see, and not a lot of time to see them all though.
Then on Monday, I go to Leilah's house with entire Uganda crew. Suzie, Collin, Erin, Leilah, Tom, and Me. We all get to be together for the first time ever! I think that's when it will hit me that I'm actually leaving for four months!
On Wednesday we leave for Uganda. I'm so excited. I can't even tell you how excited I am, because I don't think I really know yet. But it's that feeling where you know you're going to be exactly where you're supposed to be. Contentment, joy, peace. Plus, I get to see all my Ugandan friends again.
I'll write again soon, because I want to tell you about the war in Uganda. You should know why I'm passionate about this country specifically. Uganda is said to be the pearl of Africa. I'd say, that's true.
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