Death has loomed over our community here in Nakaale for the past couple months. In late August, the week before I arrived, two people died: a young man named Luomo Gabriel, who suffered horribly before he died, and an old woman who was a relative of one of our translators (links are to the blog of a summer pastoral intern, David Landow). Now, in just the last two weeks, we've faced three more deaths. The wife of our employee Markson was beaten to death (Chris Verdick describes this in his blog). The son of the "Big Man" Mose Athio died last Sunday after years of alcoholism, and today the Mose's wife also died of alcohol-induced liver failure. The Mose has now lost five of his seven children and his wife.
Markson is not a believer, as far as we can tell - please pray for the death of his wife to be a spiritual wake-up call for him. Pray that we will know how to minister to him. The Mose is a believer who faithfully attends church despite his age and poor health. Please pray for him at this time as he mourns two family members. His wife died last night, and as of this morning he had not been told the news. His family requested that Pastor Dave Okken visit him and inform him of his wife's passing.
Martha told me this morning that the wife of Mose Athio, Nakiru, was a very strong, capable, beautiful woman. Soon after her marriage to Athio, she took to drinking heavily. Death is a horrible thing to face, regardless of the causes. But to hear of people dying of alcohol abuse, being beaten to death, being stabbed to death -- the circumstances are simply heartbreaking.
As missionaries, we're not here to wipe out Karimojong culture and "Americanize" these people. But we do hope to have a positive influence and change some aspects of the culture here, because they are so destructive. The amount of drunkenness here, and the violence that erupts from this drunkenness, is staggering. Lord, help us to be a light in this dark place.
~Emily
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
For all you prayer warriors...
We're now in Mbale, with plans to travel up to Karamoja on Monday. We've had a great time in the cities, enjoying civilization and spending time with loads of quality people, but I'm feeling ready to get back "home" to Nakaale.
I'd really appreciate your prayers. Some doors are opening here for longer term work for me, and I need wisdom and prayer to know how to go forward. I want to stay in Karamoja! It seems like my dream job is right in front of me, but going down this road will mean at least two more years here in Uganda. I would love to spend the rest of my life here, but realistically I need to take things one year at a time. So please pray that I wouldn't rush into any decisions, but would be wise, patient, and responsible as I think about the road I'm headed down.
You can also pray for our Mission right now as we deal with some really discouraging trials in the Nakaale church, particularly with regards to church members taking second wives. In some cases the men who have taken second wives were men we'd hoped would step into church leadership roles eventually; they're now ineligible for church office. This has been a hard blow to our mission and we'd appreciate your prayers during this time. We know the Lord will raise up a people for Himself from among the Karimojong, but it's a long and bumpy road and right now it seems like there's little fruit for our labors. Please pray for the Karimojong church members - that they would have a sincere faith, that they would understand the life Christ calls them to as believers, and that they would not cave in to cultural pressures. We can't do these things for them. We're praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit to do his work among our brothers and sisters.
Thank you for standing alongside us as we struggle to bring the Gospel to this dark place. Your prayers and encouragement mean more than you know! God bless you all,
In Christ,
Emily
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Around Town
I spent about three hours on Tuesday afternoon wandering around the town of Namalu with my students Mary and Kipsy Wright. Namalu is less than half an hour from our mission (if the roads are somehow ok) and we buy most of our produce and cooking staples (flour, oil, sugar, milk, etc) from the tiny grocery store and street side vendors. It's nice to just spend a couple hours wandering around with my two adopted little sisters. The Wright family moved to Uganda when Kipsy was only one year old, so these girls have grown up here. They speak ngaKarimojong, know how to bargain with sellers, and know this little town inside out.
We went to a stall where a man was selling necklaces and earrings. While the girls were picking out beads to make into necklaces, a very drunk man wandered up to us demanding money. We ignored him and told him no several times and he eventually staggered away. A crowd gradually grew around us. They didn't recognize me so they asked for my name, which is Nakiru Emily. Over the course of the afternoon my name spread around town and several people shouted it at me. Thanks for yelling at me; yes, I do know that's my name; no, I'm not going to marry you, drink beer with you or give you money!
We bought some tomatoes and twenty mandazi, which are like bite-size fried dough. Delicious. We walked over to the Noah's Ark Hotel, a brightly colored building with a covered veranda, and sat down to eat and talk. I had a great chat with the girls about how much they're looking forward to going to boarding school next year, and lots of other things. They are such sweet girls and really encouraged me that as much as they can't wait to go away to a "real" school in Kenya, they're glad I'm here and that I'm part of the "family" while their two big sisters are away at school. We determined to make the most out of this year and have tons of fun together while we can.
We had been there for about half an hour when a large, older, respectable looking man came up to the veranda. A group of warrior-age young men had been hovering near the door of the hotel watching us and talking about us; we ignored them the whole time. This man walked up to the crowd of men and demanded to know why they had not given us chairs to sit in. "This is a disgrace! These are visitors!" We tried to explain to him that we were not patrons of the hotel. The men explained that we are not visitors, we are those of Nakaale. Mary and Kipsy told him that we are not visitors, we live here, and we chose to sit on the ground. Don't blame these men. He was smiling while he said it, but he was sincere -- you are our visitors, you are shaming us when you sit on the ground, you make us look like bad hosts, and you boys -- where are your manners? Get chairs for these ladies! Kipsy then blurted out, "We have buttocks for sitting!" which caused roars of laughter. Chuckling and shaking his head, the man walked away. No one brought us chairs. The young men greeted us, and one asked Mary to go to an edonga (dance) with him. He said that the next day he would come to Nakaale and that Bob, Mary's dad, should have a dance in his yard. Um, no thanks. We walked away.
As we were heading back to meet Martha and Pastor Dave, an old man on a bicycle stopped to greet us. He was very nice. Just then the local crazy lady (sorry... not sure how else to put it) walked up to us shouting and demanding money. He said "her head is broken" and quickly rode away on his bike. We ignored her and kept walking; she's been known to snatch at purses.
The mzungu show is interesting when you're a short term visitor. It's exciting to have everyone waving and staring at you. It's kind of fun to be the center of attention. But those feelings are fleeting, and now I usually find it to be a nuisance. It's awkward to have people stalking you, pointing, yelling at you, constantly begging from you just because you're white. Young women have a particularly bad time of it -- we are constantly whistled at, offered cows for marriage, and receive many other unwelcome advances. But we stick together and we're perfectly safe. It's just uncomfortable. I've gotten fairly good at firmly saying "emam jik" (absolutely not) and walking away straight-faced when yelled at by men.
Yet, despite the hassle, I love hanging out with my "little sisters" in the bustling metropolis of Namalu :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Namatala
Today Martha and I went to visit JENGA, a Christian NGO here in Mbale. There we met a woman named Rose who took us to visit Namatala, an Mbale slum where at least a thousand (probably more?) Karimojong live. It was a fascinating, eye-opening trip.
Many Karimojong go to the cities looking for work. Often married couples will split up, with one staying in Karamoja and one moving to Mbale; other times they'll send their kids away to the cities, and these Karimojong kids make up most of the street kid population in Mbale and Kampala. These transplanted people move into the slum of Namatala.
Truth is, although Namatala is one of the poorest areas in the city of Mbale, the people there are living much more comfortably than their families up north. Most have stone or brick homes or huts, rather than mud huts; the homes are pretty well spaced out, and they keep their living areas fairly neat. Of course, city life presents plenty of its own challenges, but from a basic quality of life standpoint they seem slightly better off. Still, it's a slum. Not an easy place to thrive... it would be very hard for any family in that slum to become prosperous enough to move into a better situation. Hard, but not impossible.
We met lots of lovely people who were thrilled when we greeted in ngaKarimojong and Martha struck up conversations. The kids literally PLASTERED themselves to me, which was sweet. I felt bad because one little girl was clearly sick and covered in sores. She was following me around, wouldn't let go of me, and when we sat down to talk to some women she just put her head face down in my lap for a long time and was breathing really hard. Her back and head were extremely hot; we told the ladies there, but no one seemed too eager to help her. I'm such a softy mzungu; my heart just melts over these kids. I didn't care that they were sneezing, licking, and rubbing their sore-infested faces all over my arms... I loved having them follow me around! But at one point Rose had to drive them all away because Namatala is so big, she was fearing that some of the children would become lost, and the parents would blame it on "those of Bob"!
We prayed with a few women, and then Rose took us to visit the Child of Hope school in the slum. The school is run by a man named Moses who has a wonderful vision for pulling these people out of poverty through education and small business grants in the slum. The school was absolutely beautiful! He took us to each of the four grades (Primary 1 - P4) and as we entered each classroom the children stood to welcome us:
"We wel-o-come you, visitors. This is Child of Hope Primary School. This class is Primary 4 and our teacher is Teacher Mike. We love learning and have hope." Then they would do a clapping routine before sitting down.
Moses and Martha did introductions (I mostly waved and smiled). The children looked clean and happy, the classes were organized, with very nice paintings and alphabet/number charts on the walls, and the teachers seemed professional. Martha and I came away hopping with ideas and dreaming of all the possibilities for a Christian school in Nakaale....
Rose, who was showing us around, lives in Namatala. As Tiff, another JENGA worker, said, Rose is a hero. Her first husband was shot and killed by rebels in 1994. She moved away from the area where the rebels were (I'm assuming she was referring to the LRA) to Mbale and remarried. Her second husband at the time of their marriage could only see out of one eye. One day, their son was hit by a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) and knocked unconscious. Her husband demanded that the driver take the boy to the hospital and pay for him to be looked at, but the driver refused. Some time during the heated discussion her husband was hit in his good eye and it was destroyed; the doctors had to completely remove the eye. Now he is blind and can't work, although he can walk around and go to the market on his own. Rose works for JENGA and is the primary breadwinner. She has six children of her own, and has adopted 4 Karimojong kids and 5 other children into her family -- so she is living with and supporting a family of 17. She is very involved in the church located there in Namatala and kids all over the slum call her Auntie. What an example to all of us.
Many Karimojong go to the cities looking for work. Often married couples will split up, with one staying in Karamoja and one moving to Mbale; other times they'll send their kids away to the cities, and these Karimojong kids make up most of the street kid population in Mbale and Kampala. These transplanted people move into the slum of Namatala.
Truth is, although Namatala is one of the poorest areas in the city of Mbale, the people there are living much more comfortably than their families up north. Most have stone or brick homes or huts, rather than mud huts; the homes are pretty well spaced out, and they keep their living areas fairly neat. Of course, city life presents plenty of its own challenges, but from a basic quality of life standpoint they seem slightly better off. Still, it's a slum. Not an easy place to thrive... it would be very hard for any family in that slum to become prosperous enough to move into a better situation. Hard, but not impossible.
We met lots of lovely people who were thrilled when we greeted in ngaKarimojong and Martha struck up conversations. The kids literally PLASTERED themselves to me, which was sweet. I felt bad because one little girl was clearly sick and covered in sores. She was following me around, wouldn't let go of me, and when we sat down to talk to some women she just put her head face down in my lap for a long time and was breathing really hard. Her back and head were extremely hot; we told the ladies there, but no one seemed too eager to help her. I'm such a softy mzungu; my heart just melts over these kids. I didn't care that they were sneezing, licking, and rubbing their sore-infested faces all over my arms... I loved having them follow me around! But at one point Rose had to drive them all away because Namatala is so big, she was fearing that some of the children would become lost, and the parents would blame it on "those of Bob"!
We prayed with a few women, and then Rose took us to visit the Child of Hope school in the slum. The school is run by a man named Moses who has a wonderful vision for pulling these people out of poverty through education and small business grants in the slum. The school was absolutely beautiful! He took us to each of the four grades (Primary 1 - P4) and as we entered each classroom the children stood to welcome us:
"We wel-o-come you, visitors. This is Child of Hope Primary School. This class is Primary 4 and our teacher is Teacher Mike. We love learning and have hope." Then they would do a clapping routine before sitting down.
Moses and Martha did introductions (I mostly waved and smiled). The children looked clean and happy, the classes were organized, with very nice paintings and alphabet/number charts on the walls, and the teachers seemed professional. Martha and I came away hopping with ideas and dreaming of all the possibilities for a Christian school in Nakaale....
Rose, who was showing us around, lives in Namatala. As Tiff, another JENGA worker, said, Rose is a hero. Her first husband was shot and killed by rebels in 1994. She moved away from the area where the rebels were (I'm assuming she was referring to the LRA) to Mbale and remarried. Her second husband at the time of their marriage could only see out of one eye. One day, their son was hit by a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) and knocked unconscious. Her husband demanded that the driver take the boy to the hospital and pay for him to be looked at, but the driver refused. Some time during the heated discussion her husband was hit in his good eye and it was destroyed; the doctors had to completely remove the eye. Now he is blind and can't work, although he can walk around and go to the market on his own. Rose works for JENGA and is the primary breadwinner. She has six children of her own, and has adopted 4 Karimojong kids and 5 other children into her family -- so she is living with and supporting a family of 17. She is very involved in the church located there in Namatala and kids all over the slum call her Auntie. What an example to all of us.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Erae ayong akitataman!
I'm a teacher!
I'll be teaching history, English and Bible to Bobby, Mary and Kipsy Wright. We're continuing a world history curriculum (every day), a Bible curriculum (M/W/F), and for English we're using a writing textbook and a literature textbook which we'll intersperse with a more in-depth study of several novels (M/W/F). I'll be done with teaching by lunchtime. After lunch, Chloe, Erika and I will be doing "gym class" (i.e. exercise videos -- kickboxing! Zumba! etc) with Mary and Kipsy.
So I figured I'd share the "rough draft" of my schedule with you - subject to change, but basically the way my daily life will look until January, when the Tricarico family gets back from furlough.
I'll be teaching history, English and Bible to Bobby, Mary and Kipsy Wright. We're continuing a world history curriculum (every day), a Bible curriculum (M/W/F), and for English we're using a writing textbook and a literature textbook which we'll intersperse with a more in-depth study of several novels (M/W/F). I'll be done with teaching by lunchtime. After lunch, Chloe, Erika and I will be doing "gym class" (i.e. exercise videos -- kickboxing! Zumba! etc) with Mary and Kipsy.
On Mondays Erika and I will continue our Bible study with the kids down at the clinic ward. As soon as I arrived in Karamoja, kids began excitedly greeting me. At one point I walked up to a group of kids and they called me "amusugut kosi" - "our mzungu". Talk about heartwarming. I missed these kids! I'm so glad they remember me and are "ever greeting" me.
On Tuesday mornings Martha, Mary, Kipsy and I will go to the clinic for devotions with the clinic staff, and then we'll go on to the village of Moru Athia to lead a Bible study. On Tuesday afternoon we may go to Namalu to do some shopping at the market, or just take the afternoon off. On Thursday, after clinic devotions, the four of us will go to Nakaale Primary School to teach Bible stories and some literacy classes for the kids. I'm REALLY looking forward to gaining experience teaching in a Ugandan public school. I know it will be a challenge, but I'm sure it will be a rewarding experience.
On Wednesday and Thursday I will be going down to the clinic to teach the children of Kyalo and Elizabeth, two Kenyan members of the clinic staff. Faith has returned from boarding school in Kenya and will not be returning this year, so Erika and I will be picking up some of her schooling. I also plan to continue helping James and Stacey with their English.
Along with all this, I will be taking piano lessons from Erika and guitar lessons from Martha Wright, and I'll need to find time for ngaKarimojong language lessons with Rose. I've lost so much of the language in just the four months I was gone! I also have the Mission's Wednesday night Bible study, a Bible study for young lady MAs one evening, dinners with different families several nights a week, lesson prep and cooking/baking from scratch (bread, making and freezing tomato sauce, etc) to fill up my free time. I'm also anticipating doing a fair amount of travelling all over Uganda and Kenya with the Wright family, which will be such a good time!
So, as you can see, I've got a pretty full schedule, although it is quite a bit different from last year's schedule. I'm excited to be spending more time teaching the Karimojong in addition to the missionary kids. I feel completely at home here... I was able to basically to hit the ground running and am adjusting to life here pretty quickly. I would love to stay more than a year (and the missionaries would like me to stay longer) but it may not be financially responsible for me to do so. I'm going to get as much as I can out of this year and trust the rest with the Lord.
I'm with the Wrights in Mbale until Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll start school later next week. Thanks for all your prayers!
On Tuesday mornings Martha, Mary, Kipsy and I will go to the clinic for devotions with the clinic staff, and then we'll go on to the village of Moru Athia to lead a Bible study. On Tuesday afternoon we may go to Namalu to do some shopping at the market, or just take the afternoon off. On Thursday, after clinic devotions, the four of us will go to Nakaale Primary School to teach Bible stories and some literacy classes for the kids. I'm REALLY looking forward to gaining experience teaching in a Ugandan public school. I know it will be a challenge, but I'm sure it will be a rewarding experience.
On Wednesday and Thursday I will be going down to the clinic to teach the children of Kyalo and Elizabeth, two Kenyan members of the clinic staff. Faith has returned from boarding school in Kenya and will not be returning this year, so Erika and I will be picking up some of her schooling. I also plan to continue helping James and Stacey with their English.Along with all this, I will be taking piano lessons from Erika and guitar lessons from Martha Wright, and I'll need to find time for ngaKarimojong language lessons with Rose. I've lost so much of the language in just the four months I was gone! I also have the Mission's Wednesday night Bible study, a Bible study for young lady MAs one evening, dinners with different families several nights a week, lesson prep and cooking/baking from scratch (bread, making and freezing tomato sauce, etc) to fill up my free time. I'm also anticipating doing a fair amount of travelling all over Uganda and Kenya with the Wright family, which will be such a good time!
So, as you can see, I've got a pretty full schedule, although it is quite a bit different from last year's schedule. I'm excited to be spending more time teaching the Karimojong in addition to the missionary kids. I feel completely at home here... I was able to basically to hit the ground running and am adjusting to life here pretty quickly. I would love to stay more than a year (and the missionaries would like me to stay longer) but it may not be financially responsible for me to do so. I'm going to get as much as I can out of this year and trust the rest with the Lord.I'm with the Wrights in Mbale until Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll start school later next week. Thanks for all your prayers!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Mbale
I've been down in Mbale, Uganda's 3rd largest city, with the Wrights for a couple days now, and I'm enjoying city life, electricity, warm showers, shopping in the markets with Mary and Kipsy, and amazing food.
I asked the Wrights what they miss most about living in Mbale, and they said they miss the people. Karamoja is quite isolated. However, I'm learning that being a mzungu (foreigner) here in the city can also be extremely isolating and discouraging. No matter what we wazungu do, we will always stand out in a crowd. You could live in Mbale for ten years and taxi drivers would still try to charge you double. Young mzungu women shouldn't go out into town alone. So both rural and urban missions have their ups and downs.
Yesterday I was blessed to be able to go with Martha to a Bible study of expat/missionary women here in Mbale. A couple of them I'd met before -- Julie and her husband Derek run Cure Children's Hospital, and Dianna Tuininga and her Missionary Associate teacher, Tess, are the new OPC missionaries in Mbale. Nada Eid and MJ McCollum are lovely women who are married to local businessmen, and Lexi and Natalie are young women who do adoption work/orphan care. Three others are women who are visiting short term while they and their husbands do ministry work in Mbale for a while. It is really encouraging to meet all these women who love the Lord and love the work they've been called to do here.
At one point in the conversation we started talking about Karamoja, and the whole room was determined that they could never handle life up there. Truth is, I love Karamoja, and I've never lived anywhere else in Africa, so I guess I don't really know what I'm missing. I don't know if I'd want to live in an African city. It's wonderful to visit occasionally, but I really like the quiet, slow pace of Karamoja. Of course, ask me again at the end of my trip and I may think differently!
The topic of the Bible study is building up a commitment to daily devotional time with the Lord. Let me dispel any rumors right now that being here makes you feel spiritually "on fire." It's simply not true. I remember last year soon after I arrived, I shared with the other missionary ladies that I felt completely spiritually deflated and dead. I thought that being surrounded by Christians, on the mission field, going to Bible studies and teaching the Bible to Karimojong kids all the time would make me feel more intensely devoted to God.
It would be an overstatement to say that the opposite is true, but honestly, this is a battlefield. The surest way that Satan can cause our work to fail is if each of us missionaries individually "fall off the wagon" and stop spending time alone with the Lord. It's easy to make excuses not to read the Bible, especially when we are going to Bible studies and teaching Bible stories almost every day. So please pray for me, and for everyone on the mission, that we would not neglect our prayers and time in the Word. It's a FIGHT every day... but communion with God is something worth fighting for. Pray that we would have the strength for the fight, not in ourselves, but in Christ and the promises of the Word.
I asked the Wrights what they miss most about living in Mbale, and they said they miss the people. Karamoja is quite isolated. However, I'm learning that being a mzungu (foreigner) here in the city can also be extremely isolating and discouraging. No matter what we wazungu do, we will always stand out in a crowd. You could live in Mbale for ten years and taxi drivers would still try to charge you double. Young mzungu women shouldn't go out into town alone. So both rural and urban missions have their ups and downs.
Yesterday I was blessed to be able to go with Martha to a Bible study of expat/missionary women here in Mbale. A couple of them I'd met before -- Julie and her husband Derek run Cure Children's Hospital, and Dianna Tuininga and her Missionary Associate teacher, Tess, are the new OPC missionaries in Mbale. Nada Eid and MJ McCollum are lovely women who are married to local businessmen, and Lexi and Natalie are young women who do adoption work/orphan care. Three others are women who are visiting short term while they and their husbands do ministry work in Mbale for a while. It is really encouraging to meet all these women who love the Lord and love the work they've been called to do here.
Unfortunately Martha and I probably won't be going to that study
again for a long time, but at least I met lots of new friends.
At one point in the conversation we started talking about Karamoja, and the whole room was determined that they could never handle life up there. Truth is, I love Karamoja, and I've never lived anywhere else in Africa, so I guess I don't really know what I'm missing. I don't know if I'd want to live in an African city. It's wonderful to visit occasionally, but I really like the quiet, slow pace of Karamoja. Of course, ask me again at the end of my trip and I may think differently!
It would be an overstatement to say that the opposite is true, but honestly, this is a battlefield. The surest way that Satan can cause our work to fail is if each of us missionaries individually "fall off the wagon" and stop spending time alone with the Lord. It's easy to make excuses not to read the Bible, especially when we are going to Bible studies and teaching Bible stories almost every day. So please pray for me, and for everyone on the mission, that we would not neglect our prayers and time in the Word. It's a FIGHT every day... but communion with God is something worth fighting for. Pray that we would have the strength for the fight, not in ourselves, but in Christ and the promises of the Word.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
British Airways, I love you
I'm way too tired to even try to write coherently, so I'm going to bullet point this.
I usually fly KLM or Lufthansa, but this time I flew BA. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1) Touch screen entertainment system (compared to my last international flights which had NOTHING... not even MUSIC!... for two 9 hour daytime flights. Shoot me.) I watched The Hunger Games. Epic.
2) Chicken tikka masala for dinner. Mmmhmmm. They don't mess around.
3) The adorable Indian toddler who squealed as we were landing, "Mama, I'm giving you all of my love!"
4) The British kid next to me talking to his big brother: "Are you sure you can lift them onto the trolley? They're like 21... 21 stone." Basically the fact that people around me are speaking in British accents is excellent. It's much more comforting than being in Dutch airports where everyone is so tall and all the signs are in like 3 languages.
5)Heathrow airport is full of a diverse population of two year olds at their squat/squishy peak, and they're speaking all different languages. Sorry, I notice these things. Be still my heart.
6)I have yet to get seriously lost in either Newark or Heathrow.
7) I have a Yotel (http://www.yotel.com) in Heathrow. It's like a tiny train compartment with a bed, bathroom, free wifi and a tv. I reserved it for 5 hours since I have a 10-hour-ish layover. So I'm going into the next long flight clean, rested, not stressed out. Lovely.
What I do NOT love is the fact that my friend and fellow teacher, Erika, wasn't able to get a seat on her standby flight from Chicago to London. We were going to fly on together from Heathrow to Entebbe. Instead, she had to fly back to LA from Chicago, is going to rest up a bit and book another flight. Poor Erika! I don't mind going on alone (done it lots of times) but I'm mostly just bummed that she had to go through that. Talk about a stressful situation :/
I have the Yotel for another 70 minutes, then I have to make my way back to Terminal 5 and find my next flight, but it doesn't depart for a few hours still. Not sure when I'll have internet access when I get to Uganda, but I'll write as soon as I can. Thanks for all your prayers for me!
I usually fly KLM or Lufthansa, but this time I flew BA. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1) Touch screen entertainment system (compared to my last international flights which had NOTHING... not even MUSIC!... for two 9 hour daytime flights. Shoot me.) I watched The Hunger Games. Epic.
2) Chicken tikka masala for dinner. Mmmhmmm. They don't mess around.
3) The adorable Indian toddler who squealed as we were landing, "Mama, I'm giving you all of my love!"
4) The British kid next to me talking to his big brother: "Are you sure you can lift them onto the trolley? They're like 21... 21 stone." Basically the fact that people around me are speaking in British accents is excellent. It's much more comforting than being in Dutch airports where everyone is so tall and all the signs are in like 3 languages.
5)Heathrow airport is full of a diverse population of two year olds at their squat/squishy peak, and they're speaking all different languages. Sorry, I notice these things. Be still my heart.
6)I have yet to get seriously lost in either Newark or Heathrow.
7) I have a Yotel (http://www.yotel.com) in Heathrow. It's like a tiny train compartment with a bed, bathroom, free wifi and a tv. I reserved it for 5 hours since I have a 10-hour-ish layover. So I'm going into the next long flight clean, rested, not stressed out. Lovely.
What I do NOT love is the fact that my friend and fellow teacher, Erika, wasn't able to get a seat on her standby flight from Chicago to London. We were going to fly on together from Heathrow to Entebbe. Instead, she had to fly back to LA from Chicago, is going to rest up a bit and book another flight. Poor Erika! I don't mind going on alone (done it lots of times) but I'm mostly just bummed that she had to go through that. Talk about a stressful situation :/
I have the Yotel for another 70 minutes, then I have to make my way back to Terminal 5 and find my next flight, but it doesn't depart for a few hours still. Not sure when I'll have internet access when I get to Uganda, but I'll write as soon as I can. Thanks for all your prayers for me!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Jonathan Edwards on Christian Love and Charity
"If you will devote yourself to God, as making a sacrifice of all your own
interests to him, you will not throw yourself away. Though you seem to neglect
yourself, and to deny yourself, and to overlook self in imitating the divine
benevolence, God will take care of you; and he will see to
it that your interest is provided for, and your welfare made sure. You shall be
no loser by all the sacrifices you have made for him. To his glory be it said,
he will not be your debtor, but will requite you a hundred-fold even in this
life, beside the eternal rewards that he will bestow upon you hereafter. His own
declaration is, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall
receive an hundred-fold” (the other evangelist adds, “in this present time”),
“and shall inherit everlasting life” (Mat. 19:29); and the spirit of this
declaration applies to all sacrifices made for Christ, or for our fellowmen for
his sake. The greatness of the reward for this life Christ expresses by a
definite number; but he does not God make use of numbers, however great, to set
forth the reward promised them hereafter. He only says they shall receive
everlasting life, because the reward is so great, and so much exceeds all the
expense and self-denial persons can be at for Christ’s sake, that no numbers are
sufficient to describe it.
(http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/charity8.htm)
"If you are selfish, and
make yourself and your own private interests your idol, God will leave you to
yourself, and let you promote your own interests as well as you can. But if you
do not selfishly seek your own, but do seek the things that are Jesus Christ’s,
and the things of your fellow-beings, then God will make your interest and
happiness his own charge, and he is infinitely more able to provide for and
promote it than you are. The resources of the universe move at his bidding, and
he can easily command them all to subserve your welfare. So that, not to seek
your own, in the selfish sense, is the best way of seeking your own in a better
sense. It is the directest course you can take to secure your highest happiness.
When you are required not to be selfish, you are not required, as has been
observed, not to love and seek your own happiness, but only not to seek mainly
your own private and confined interests. But if you place your happiness in God,
in glorifying him, and in serving him by doing good, — in this way, above all
others, will you promote your wealth, and honor, and pleasure here below, and
obtain hereafter a crown of unfading glory, and pleasures forevermore at God’s
right hand. If you seek, in the spirit of selfishness, to grasp all as your own,
you shall lose all, and be driven out of the world at last, naked and forlorn,
to everlasting poverty and contempt. But if you seek not your own, but the
things of Christ, and the good of your fellowmen, God himself will be yours, and
Christ yours, and the Holy Spirit yours, and all things yours. Yes, “all things”
shall be yours; “whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or
death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s;
and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:21, 22).
(http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/charity8.htm)
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Packing... oh joy.
Finally! Almost time for me to go back. I've had a WONDERFUL summer at home, but I'm so excited to get back to my new "family" in Karamoja.
There's a lot involved in preparing to go back. First off, packing. Ugggh. Packing for almost a year in two 50-pound trunks isn't easy, but I'm getting there. One thing I really want to do this time is bring a few more "homey" things for my hut. Last time I only brought one suitcase of my own stuff (the other suitcase was stuff I brought for the mission). I could only fit clothes, shoes, some food, and six months worth of deodorant and shampoo :) Thankfully Erika had thought ahead and brought some things to cheer up our banda (hut) and kitchen - a calendar, candles, Christmas decorations, pictures, etc. This year Erika and I will each have our own hut, so the decorations are up to me. I'm trying to fit as many pictures, candles and reminders of home as I can in my trunks. Some people might look at that as a waste of space, but I think it will cheer me up.
Kampala and Mbale shops have pretty much all the basic things I need (it's just a matter of knowing where to look!), so I'm trying to talk myself out of a lot of the stuff I've packed so far. But there are some things that you just need to survive... like a huge bag of pretzel M&Ms. I don't care what else I have to leave behind, the M&Ms are coming with me!
For those who have asked, my mailing address is:
PO Box 1307
Mbale, Uganda
East Africa
I can't receive packages, but you can send flat envelopes (and fill them with drink mixes, photos, anything else small and flat!). I would LOVE to get mail. I will try to reply, although it will probably take a while since the post office is a few hours away!
There's a lot involved in preparing to go back. First off, packing. Ugggh. Packing for almost a year in two 50-pound trunks isn't easy, but I'm getting there. One thing I really want to do this time is bring a few more "homey" things for my hut. Last time I only brought one suitcase of my own stuff (the other suitcase was stuff I brought for the mission). I could only fit clothes, shoes, some food, and six months worth of deodorant and shampoo :) Thankfully Erika had thought ahead and brought some things to cheer up our banda (hut) and kitchen - a calendar, candles, Christmas decorations, pictures, etc. This year Erika and I will each have our own hut, so the decorations are up to me. I'm trying to fit as many pictures, candles and reminders of home as I can in my trunks. Some people might look at that as a waste of space, but I think it will cheer me up.
Kampala and Mbale shops have pretty much all the basic things I need (it's just a matter of knowing where to look!), so I'm trying to talk myself out of a lot of the stuff I've packed so far. But there are some things that you just need to survive... like a huge bag of pretzel M&Ms. I don't care what else I have to leave behind, the M&Ms are coming with me!
For those who have asked, my mailing address is:
PO Box 1307
Mbale, Uganda
East Africa
I can't receive packages, but you can send flat envelopes (and fill them with drink mixes, photos, anything else small and flat!). I would LOVE to get mail. I will try to reply, although it will probably take a while since the post office is a few hours away!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The Karamoja Superhighway!
I stole this picture from the Wrights (taken yesterday on their trip to Mbale) so that you'd see what it is I'm asking you to pray for. The road to Karamoja is very difficult to drive right now because of heavy rains -- it's in the worst condition the missionaries have ever seen. Please pray that the rains would STOP (at least for a few days!) and that the roads would dry out enough to make it slightly easier by the time Pastor Dave drives down to Kampala next week to pick up me and Erika. Even if this was to dry out it would still be very hard to maneuver through, but at least with drier roads we won't be slipping all over the place or having water come over the hood into the Land Cruiser windows (which happened yesterday!) Please also pray that the government will quickly fix a collapsed bridge which is nearly impassable, and that the many many many large trucks which have been stuck in the road for days will be able to get out of the mud.
No end of adventures in Karamoja!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
WHITE LAKE! Family Camp
Kids camp ended on Friday morning, and in the afternoon the
counselors went to Bubba's for BBQ and just to get off the hilltop. At
that point several of us were starting to get sick and were utterly
exhausted (kids camp was fun, but tiring, too!). Family Camp started off
well (though wet and muddy!), with Roger Blevins as this years' family
camp president. We had an international theme for the week.
Counselors look at family camp as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there are lots more adults to help keep an eye on the kids, which makes our job a bit more relaxed. On the other hand, after two or three weeks as the only adults on the hilltop, it feels strange to be "invaded" by grown-ups! But after you adjust to the entirely different vibe of family camp, it is really enjoyable.
The weekend was very rainy, which altered our plans a bit, but the campers still had a good time. However, by Saturday I was so sick that I wasn't too aware of what was going on. I was completely exhausted, had a horrible cold and sore throat, and was basically walking around like a zombie and skipping all the activities to lie down (but, as team leader, I had so many responsibilities swirling around in my head that I could never actually fall asleep during these "naps"). On Monday morning several people told me I looked "horrible!!" and that afternoon the Camp Director Bob Allmond sat me down and asked me to consider going home. He was concerned that I wouldn't recover in time for Uganda and he knows that it generally takes team leaders a couple weeks to recover after camp. So, as hard as it was, I agreed that I needed to leave, so I went home from camp on Monday night. So if you want to hear how the rest of family camp went, you'll have to ask someone else :)
I knew it was the right decision to leave (and I made the decision, it wasn't forced on me), but as the evening came and I started saying goodbye I got pretty sad knowing that I'm leaving for Uganda and won't see any of these dear friends for at least a year, some maybe two years. They sent me off with lots of love and bear hugs. I love you all so much! This is only the second time in 24 years that I haven't been there for the full week of family camp, so it feels strange. I'm going through serious White Lake withdrawal! But I'll be back from Africa in time to be at camp next year. I'm already looking forward to it :)
White Lake is still the happiest place on earth :)
Counselors look at family camp as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, there are lots more adults to help keep an eye on the kids, which makes our job a bit more relaxed. On the other hand, after two or three weeks as the only adults on the hilltop, it feels strange to be "invaded" by grown-ups! But after you adjust to the entirely different vibe of family camp, it is really enjoyable.
The weekend was very rainy, which altered our plans a bit, but the campers still had a good time. However, by Saturday I was so sick that I wasn't too aware of what was going on. I was completely exhausted, had a horrible cold and sore throat, and was basically walking around like a zombie and skipping all the activities to lie down (but, as team leader, I had so many responsibilities swirling around in my head that I could never actually fall asleep during these "naps"). On Monday morning several people told me I looked "horrible!!" and that afternoon the Camp Director Bob Allmond sat me down and asked me to consider going home. He was concerned that I wouldn't recover in time for Uganda and he knows that it generally takes team leaders a couple weeks to recover after camp. So, as hard as it was, I agreed that I needed to leave, so I went home from camp on Monday night. So if you want to hear how the rest of family camp went, you'll have to ask someone else :)
I knew it was the right decision to leave (and I made the decision, it wasn't forced on me), but as the evening came and I started saying goodbye I got pretty sad knowing that I'm leaving for Uganda and won't see any of these dear friends for at least a year, some maybe two years. They sent me off with lots of love and bear hugs. I love you all so much! This is only the second time in 24 years that I haven't been there for the full week of family camp, so it feels strange. I'm going through serious White Lake withdrawal! But I'll be back from Africa in time to be at camp next year. I'm already looking forward to it :)
White Lake is still the happiest place on earth :)
WHITE LAKE! Kids/Teen Camp
I spent a little over two weeks at White Lake Covenanter Camp, serving as the team leader for the RP Missions team. This was seriously the best mission team/counselor team I have ever served with! My teammates were Stasia Finch, Debbie Shafer, Evelyn Ashleigh, Kayla Milroy, Jackie Werts, Sidney Camery, Gabi Chamberlain, David Pinkerton, James Allmond, Nate Oliveiri, Quinn Coulton, David Donath, Josh Donath, Peter Merkel, and Connor McCracken.
Never before has a team of counselors gotten along as well as we did. Nobody was an outsider, nobody was badly behaved or causing trouble. There were no schisms or cliques. We all got along GREAT. We laughed, sang, danced, teased and played our way through everything. Not to say it was always easy. We tackled a lot of jobs during prep week, including gathering TONS of firewood from the woods, cleaning most of the buildings from top to bottom, and planning all the kids camp lessons. Thankfully, with such a big group of counselors, we were able to check jobs off the list very quickly. We also spent time during prep week sharing our testimonies with each other. This was a great way to learn about each other, recognize where everyone was coming from, and, as a team leader, notice how I could encourage and support my teammates in particular ways.
Kids and Teen Camp went so well. We had about 50 campers altogether, which meant that with such a huge staff keeping track of the kids wasn't too difficult. Pastor Micah Ramsey was the teen camp speaker and he was very well-received by the kids. He spoke on the person and work of Christ. The kids camp counselors taught on various miracles and parables of Jesus, and did lots of fun activities and crafts. In the evenings we played Humans vs. Zombies (a big hit!), had a dress-up the counselor night (I was a pirate -- I'll post pictures soon!), and had a carnival one night run by Mike Tabon. Another night everyone was so relaxed and having fun that we ditched the evening activity altogether! Several counselors and campers pulled out instruments they'd brought (a banjo, violin, ukulele, and guitar) and we spent the evening just sitting around listening to them having an impromptu jam session, while others played volleyball, basketball, and ping pong, or just sat and talked. It was such a relaxing night and I think it speaks volumes for the counselors that the kids were happy to just spend time with their counselors and friends.
Never before has a team of counselors gotten along as well as we did. Nobody was an outsider, nobody was badly behaved or causing trouble. There were no schisms or cliques. We all got along GREAT. We laughed, sang, danced, teased and played our way through everything. Not to say it was always easy. We tackled a lot of jobs during prep week, including gathering TONS of firewood from the woods, cleaning most of the buildings from top to bottom, and planning all the kids camp lessons. Thankfully, with such a big group of counselors, we were able to check jobs off the list very quickly. We also spent time during prep week sharing our testimonies with each other. This was a great way to learn about each other, recognize where everyone was coming from, and, as a team leader, notice how I could encourage and support my teammates in particular ways.
Kids and Teen Camp went so well. We had about 50 campers altogether, which meant that with such a huge staff keeping track of the kids wasn't too difficult. Pastor Micah Ramsey was the teen camp speaker and he was very well-received by the kids. He spoke on the person and work of Christ. The kids camp counselors taught on various miracles and parables of Jesus, and did lots of fun activities and crafts. In the evenings we played Humans vs. Zombies (a big hit!), had a dress-up the counselor night (I was a pirate -- I'll post pictures soon!), and had a carnival one night run by Mike Tabon. Another night everyone was so relaxed and having fun that we ditched the evening activity altogether! Several counselors and campers pulled out instruments they'd brought (a banjo, violin, ukulele, and guitar) and we spent the evening just sitting around listening to them having an impromptu jam session, while others played volleyball, basketball, and ping pong, or just sat and talked. It was such a relaxing night and I think it speaks volumes for the counselors that the kids were happy to just spend time with their counselors and friends.
Summer Travels
Hey everyone!
The countdown is on... 12 days till I fly back to Uganda!
I spent the last month traveling all over the place. First stop: my dear friend Brenda Gladfelter's wedding to her Northern Irishman, Stephen McCollum. Brenda and I have been friends since we were awkward little kids running around making fairy houses at White Lake. Stephen is a quality guy and I'm so glad to invite him into the family :) Their wedding was beautiful and I enjoyed helping Mr. G in the kitchen, along with Kathryn and Stasia. I don't know when I'll ever get used to her being Mrs. McCollum though! Stasia, Kathryn and I stayed with Jenny and Jason Panella for a couple days, which was a fantastically good time, although poor Jenny had just returned from her mission trip to France and was completely jetlagged!
The day after the wedding I met up with my friends Andrew, Adam and Rachel, and we camped our way to the International Conference in Marion, Indiana. We stayed at KOA's both nights so we weren't roughing it too much, but it was a ton of fun. We went to Cedar Point (although the rain closed most of the big rides!! sadness) and went to see The Dark Knight Rises at a drive-in movie theater. Besides a leaky tent that didn't quite survive the thunderstorms one night, the trip was a great success. So glad I spent that time with friends instead of just driving straight out to the conference!
The RP International Conference was held at Indiana Wesleyan University, a really beautiful campus. Joel Beeke was the main speaker. Amazingly, he gave all his lectures that week despite the fact that his mother passed away the Monday morning of the conference. His talks and the breakout sessions were great. I tended to go to all the missions talks... I can't help myself :P Jim and Jenny Knox shared about Karamoja, and I also got to hear a presentation on Cush4Christ. So encouraged to hear how the Lord is blessing so many ministries around the world!
One of the difficult parts of the conference was simply that there were SO MANY PEOPLE. Over 2,200 RPs = craziness. So many times I'd see someone as I was on my way somewhere and say, "We'll catch up later!" never to see them again. I did get to spend a lot of quality time with old and new friends. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life! I'm looking forward to the next stateside conference in 2016 (I'll be 28 -- WHAT).
At the end of the conference, 11 of us began the journey to White Lake Covenanter Camp in Bob Allmond's 15-passenger van. White Lake deserves its own post :)
The countdown is on... 12 days till I fly back to Uganda!
I spent the last month traveling all over the place. First stop: my dear friend Brenda Gladfelter's wedding to her Northern Irishman, Stephen McCollum. Brenda and I have been friends since we were awkward little kids running around making fairy houses at White Lake. Stephen is a quality guy and I'm so glad to invite him into the family :) Their wedding was beautiful and I enjoyed helping Mr. G in the kitchen, along with Kathryn and Stasia. I don't know when I'll ever get used to her being Mrs. McCollum though! Stasia, Kathryn and I stayed with Jenny and Jason Panella for a couple days, which was a fantastically good time, although poor Jenny had just returned from her mission trip to France and was completely jetlagged!
The day after the wedding I met up with my friends Andrew, Adam and Rachel, and we camped our way to the International Conference in Marion, Indiana. We stayed at KOA's both nights so we weren't roughing it too much, but it was a ton of fun. We went to Cedar Point (although the rain closed most of the big rides!! sadness) and went to see The Dark Knight Rises at a drive-in movie theater. Besides a leaky tent that didn't quite survive the thunderstorms one night, the trip was a great success. So glad I spent that time with friends instead of just driving straight out to the conference!
The RP International Conference was held at Indiana Wesleyan University, a really beautiful campus. Joel Beeke was the main speaker. Amazingly, he gave all his lectures that week despite the fact that his mother passed away the Monday morning of the conference. His talks and the breakout sessions were great. I tended to go to all the missions talks... I can't help myself :P Jim and Jenny Knox shared about Karamoja, and I also got to hear a presentation on Cush4Christ. So encouraged to hear how the Lord is blessing so many ministries around the world!
One of the difficult parts of the conference was simply that there were SO MANY PEOPLE. Over 2,200 RPs = craziness. So many times I'd see someone as I was on my way somewhere and say, "We'll catch up later!" never to see them again. I did get to spend a lot of quality time with old and new friends. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life! I'm looking forward to the next stateside conference in 2016 (I'll be 28 -- WHAT).
At the end of the conference, 11 of us began the journey to White Lake Covenanter Camp in Bob Allmond's 15-passenger van. White Lake deserves its own post :)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Frequent Flyer
The Wright family is finishing their furlough and will be headed back to Uganda on Wednesday. Of course, this is making me itch to get back to Karamoja, too....
9 1/2 weeks left in America! Seems like forever.
As many of you know, I'm working hard to save money and raise money so I can go back to the Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission. There is one particular way that someone out there may be able to help me.
If you have frequent flyer miles that you don't use, would you consider sending some my way to help send me to Uganda? Plane tickets across the globe are very expensive ($2,000 give or take) and even a little bit of help in this area could be a huge blessing.
There are many other short-term missionaries who could benefit from frequent flyer miles -- this is just one of many creative ways you can help RP Missions!
9 1/2 weeks left in America! Seems like forever.
As many of you know, I'm working hard to save money and raise money so I can go back to the Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission. There is one particular way that someone out there may be able to help me.
If you have frequent flyer miles that you don't use, would you consider sending some my way to help send me to Uganda? Plane tickets across the globe are very expensive ($2,000 give or take) and even a little bit of help in this area could be a huge blessing.
There are many other short-term missionaries who could benefit from frequent flyer miles -- this is just one of many creative ways you can help RP Missions!
Monday, June 18, 2012
The happiest place on earth...
... WHITE LAKE!
I am beginning my yearly appeal that everyone go to White Lake. Also, because I'm a team leader for the counselors this year (RP Missions sends a team each year) I'm looking for a few more fun, kind, Jesus-loving, energetic guys and gals to join our team. If you love working with kids (7+) or teens and you've got a few weeks open at the end of July/beginning of August, this could be a great way for you to minister to the church, meet some lovely people and make lasting memories. Some of the kids who come have grown up in the church; others have never really encountered the gospel before.
Check out the WL facebook page
or the WL website
to learn more.
Who wouldn't wanna spend three weeks with these bundles of fun?
I am beginning my yearly appeal that everyone go to White Lake. Also, because I'm a team leader for the counselors this year (RP Missions sends a team each year) I'm looking for a few more fun, kind, Jesus-loving, energetic guys and gals to join our team. If you love working with kids (7+) or teens and you've got a few weeks open at the end of July/beginning of August, this could be a great way for you to minister to the church, meet some lovely people and make lasting memories. Some of the kids who come have grown up in the church; others have never really encountered the gospel before.
Check out the WL facebook page
or the WL website
to learn more.
Who wouldn't wanna spend three weeks with these bundles of fun?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Singleness and the Mission Field
I want to write about an important facet of missions that I think isn't talked about too much. It's kind of a taboo subject.
The ratio of single men to single women on the mission field is 1:10. So, any guy going to the mission field has plenty of options as far as finding a spouse! But for a single woman who feels genuinely called to the mission field, we have to face facts. Most women who go to the field single will stay single. The rare exceptions prove the rule.
No one likes to talk about this. It's uncomfortable. But it's true - singleness is one of the things that has been the biggest stumbling block to me as I've tried to honestly say to God, "I'm in this for the long haul." This is not to say I haven't been content with being single. I think I have been; and I'm still young, so I haven't been too stressed about it. But I think most single women you meet who have committed to mid- or long-term missions work will agree -- marriage was always an assumption. We've grown up just expecting that it would happen eventually. Now we have to seriously face the prospect of postponed marriage, or never getting married, and maybe never having children of our own.
James 1:2-3 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
Count it ALL JOY.
I looked up the word steadfastness in the dictionary. It means unwavering, firm in conviction, fixed or unchanging. Keeping your eye on the prize, keeping the goal in mind, staying fixed on that goal.
As single women on the field, we face down the prospect of living alone in a hut or apartment for years and years. Many days this is fine, even exciting, and we KNOW it's worth it. Other days, it feels like a real trial. But just like any other trial, God puts this one in front of us and asks us to face it and overcome it through His strength so that we get to a point where we are more steadfast, unwavering, committed to the work of missions that He's called us to. And I think a part of facing the trial and getting to a place where you can "count it all joy" includes allowing yourself to mourn (for a time! not forever!) over your singleness.Mourn it, and move on. Don't linger over your bitterness, or constantly wonder if you should give up missions and go home to find a husband. Settle the issue once and for all.
This is something I have been fighting against for a while. I didn't want to mourn it, though some missions books I'd read had advised me to do so. I didn't want to accept it as a very possible part of the job description. But as I've been home in America for a while and so many people ask me about this, it's been hard for me to answer them honestly and say that I might not get married. It's been hard to honestly say that I'd be okay with that, if it's God's will.
So I prayed about it. I thought about it. I allowed myself to mourn my singleness and wrestled with God about it until now I think I've come to a place where I can honestly say that I am ready and willing to go to the mission field and stay single. I've settled it. I'm not going to fight with Him about it anymore.
I recognize that there may be work that I'm better able to do as a single woman. The fact that I love working with kids (which I always assumed meant I'd be a good mom) means that I can "mother" lots of kids overseas in a way that a married woman, focused on her own family, couldn't. That's a beautiful thing. I may also be able to go to places and work in settings that a family simply couldn't, or wouldn't.
And I know that the Lord is good. He's not punishing me, or my sisters in Christ who are serving alongside me. We're not defective or abandoned. We're not less worthy of marriage than our happily married friends. And who knows, maybe I will still get married someday. But if I don't, that's okay. I don't want that to get in the way of my steadfast following after God.
I'd love to hear how my other single missionary friends have dealt with this, and how I can pray for you. It's such an important topic and I think we should discuss it freely.
The ratio of single men to single women on the mission field is 1:10. So, any guy going to the mission field has plenty of options as far as finding a spouse! But for a single woman who feels genuinely called to the mission field, we have to face facts. Most women who go to the field single will stay single. The rare exceptions prove the rule.
No one likes to talk about this. It's uncomfortable. But it's true - singleness is one of the things that has been the biggest stumbling block to me as I've tried to honestly say to God, "I'm in this for the long haul." This is not to say I haven't been content with being single. I think I have been; and I'm still young, so I haven't been too stressed about it. But I think most single women you meet who have committed to mid- or long-term missions work will agree -- marriage was always an assumption. We've grown up just expecting that it would happen eventually. Now we have to seriously face the prospect of postponed marriage, or never getting married, and maybe never having children of our own.
James 1:2-3 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
Count it ALL JOY.
I looked up the word steadfastness in the dictionary. It means unwavering, firm in conviction, fixed or unchanging. Keeping your eye on the prize, keeping the goal in mind, staying fixed on that goal.
As single women on the field, we face down the prospect of living alone in a hut or apartment for years and years. Many days this is fine, even exciting, and we KNOW it's worth it. Other days, it feels like a real trial. But just like any other trial, God puts this one in front of us and asks us to face it and overcome it through His strength so that we get to a point where we are more steadfast, unwavering, committed to the work of missions that He's called us to. And I think a part of facing the trial and getting to a place where you can "count it all joy" includes allowing yourself to mourn (for a time! not forever!) over your singleness.Mourn it, and move on. Don't linger over your bitterness, or constantly wonder if you should give up missions and go home to find a husband. Settle the issue once and for all.
This is something I have been fighting against for a while. I didn't want to mourn it, though some missions books I'd read had advised me to do so. I didn't want to accept it as a very possible part of the job description. But as I've been home in America for a while and so many people ask me about this, it's been hard for me to answer them honestly and say that I might not get married. It's been hard to honestly say that I'd be okay with that, if it's God's will.
So I prayed about it. I thought about it. I allowed myself to mourn my singleness and wrestled with God about it until now I think I've come to a place where I can honestly say that I am ready and willing to go to the mission field and stay single. I've settled it. I'm not going to fight with Him about it anymore.
I recognize that there may be work that I'm better able to do as a single woman. The fact that I love working with kids (which I always assumed meant I'd be a good mom) means that I can "mother" lots of kids overseas in a way that a married woman, focused on her own family, couldn't. That's a beautiful thing. I may also be able to go to places and work in settings that a family simply couldn't, or wouldn't.
And I know that the Lord is good. He's not punishing me, or my sisters in Christ who are serving alongside me. We're not defective or abandoned. We're not less worthy of marriage than our happily married friends. And who knows, maybe I will still get married someday. But if I don't, that's okay. I don't want that to get in the way of my steadfast following after God.
I'd love to hear how my other single missionary friends have dealt with this, and how I can pray for you. It's such an important topic and I think we should discuss it freely.
Challenge... accepted?
Today was a good day.
God was kind of nudging me along all day, pushing me towards something. I couldn't tell what. I read my Bible, I wrote in my journal, I took a look at Operation World (which was getting dusty on my shelf). I read the new RP Witness magazine. I took a look at the Gentle Reformation blog.
Through a lot of different avenues, my thoughts today were pushed towards the unreached peoples. I often think about Karamoja, because I miss it, and it's become my home away from home. I often think about Sudan, because I have friends there. But today I kept feeling my thoughts drawn towards the Middle East.
I won't say I had any breakthrough moments or strange visions or anything. But somehow or other God got me thinking about this whole missions path I'm on. Where does this lead? Why am I doing this? How far am I willing to go? Am I using my resources and my gifts in the best possible way?
I know I'll be in Karamoja until next summer, but I really haven't thought at all about what I'll do after that. I keep challenging people to think about missions, to get involved, to go or send or support. But am I following my own advice? I'm quick to challenge others -- am I willing to challenge myself? Or rather, am I willing to accept any challenge the Lord might put in front of me?
Today I received my TEFL certification "diploma" in the mail. I took the TEFL course because I had been planning on teaching English in South Korea. That plan fell through, but now I have this certification that opens up a world (literally) of possibilities.
There are billions of unreached people in this world. Unreached. They are born, live, and die without ever hearing the name of Christ. There is NO local church to evangelize them. They know just enough about God to be condemned (Romans 1). They have an awareness of God, but they don't know the way to escape His wrath. They have never heard that there's a Redeemer. They have no idea and they never will know unless some go to tell them.
The fact is, the places that are still unreached are dangerous, and they don't want Christians. But that is NO excuse not to go.
I could get into difficult countries posed as an English teacher. But am I willing to go? Do I trust God enough to follow Him to a place where I will face persecution? Would I follow that road and face that challenge if He asked it of me?
Those are hard questions that we ALL need to ask ourselves.
I want to say yes, I'd go, but I have to be honest with myself. I'm not sure I'm at the point where I could do that. But I want to get to that point where I could follow such a challenge. I don't want to settle for a mediocre faith that allows me to be comfortable in America, or Uganda, but that couldn't stand up to the rigors of life in Pakistan or Nigeria. I can't put provisos on this call to missions. I can't say -- "God, I'll serve you faithfully, but not in these five countries." It's all or nothing. Because for the unreached peoples, my decision about this, and YOUR decision about this, could mean eternal life or death.
Don't brush this aside. If you're not specifically and clearly called to STAY in America in order to fulfill a ministry God has for you here, then you should seriously think about whether He wants you to go.
I was blessed by this sermon on missions by David Platt. It's worth a listen.
http://t4g.org/media/2012/04/divine-sovereignty-the-fuel-of-death-defying-missions/
God was kind of nudging me along all day, pushing me towards something. I couldn't tell what. I read my Bible, I wrote in my journal, I took a look at Operation World (which was getting dusty on my shelf). I read the new RP Witness magazine. I took a look at the Gentle Reformation blog.
Through a lot of different avenues, my thoughts today were pushed towards the unreached peoples. I often think about Karamoja, because I miss it, and it's become my home away from home. I often think about Sudan, because I have friends there. But today I kept feeling my thoughts drawn towards the Middle East.
I won't say I had any breakthrough moments or strange visions or anything. But somehow or other God got me thinking about this whole missions path I'm on. Where does this lead? Why am I doing this? How far am I willing to go? Am I using my resources and my gifts in the best possible way?
I know I'll be in Karamoja until next summer, but I really haven't thought at all about what I'll do after that. I keep challenging people to think about missions, to get involved, to go or send or support. But am I following my own advice? I'm quick to challenge others -- am I willing to challenge myself? Or rather, am I willing to accept any challenge the Lord might put in front of me?
Today I received my TEFL certification "diploma" in the mail. I took the TEFL course because I had been planning on teaching English in South Korea. That plan fell through, but now I have this certification that opens up a world (literally) of possibilities.
There are billions of unreached people in this world. Unreached. They are born, live, and die without ever hearing the name of Christ. There is NO local church to evangelize them. They know just enough about God to be condemned (Romans 1). They have an awareness of God, but they don't know the way to escape His wrath. They have never heard that there's a Redeemer. They have no idea and they never will know unless some go to tell them.
The fact is, the places that are still unreached are dangerous, and they don't want Christians. But that is NO excuse not to go.
I could get into difficult countries posed as an English teacher. But am I willing to go? Do I trust God enough to follow Him to a place where I will face persecution? Would I follow that road and face that challenge if He asked it of me?
Those are hard questions that we ALL need to ask ourselves.
I want to say yes, I'd go, but I have to be honest with myself. I'm not sure I'm at the point where I could do that. But I want to get to that point where I could follow such a challenge. I don't want to settle for a mediocre faith that allows me to be comfortable in America, or Uganda, but that couldn't stand up to the rigors of life in Pakistan or Nigeria. I can't put provisos on this call to missions. I can't say -- "God, I'll serve you faithfully, but not in these five countries." It's all or nothing. Because for the unreached peoples, my decision about this, and YOUR decision about this, could mean eternal life or death.
Don't brush this aside. If you're not specifically and clearly called to STAY in America in order to fulfill a ministry God has for you here, then you should seriously think about whether He wants you to go.
I was blessed by this sermon on missions by David Platt. It's worth a listen.
http://t4g.org/media/2012/04/divine-sovereignty-the-fuel-of-death-defying-missions/
Friday, May 18, 2012
Emotional Needs of Women on the Mission Field
http://mrnet.org/system/files/library/emotional_needs_of_women_on_mission_field.pdf
This is an extremely helpful article on the emotional needs of both married and single women on the mission field. Whether you're a missionary yourself, or the friend of a woman on the field, this is good reading. It will help you at home know how to pray for us and encourage us on the field -- and it will help those of us on the field know how to support each other! I'm going to spend some time really thinking and praying through these topics. I was shocked at how the author hit the nail on the head. She addressed problems that I know have been in the back of my mind, but I haven't been able to articulate even to myself.
This is an extremely helpful article on the emotional needs of both married and single women on the mission field. Whether you're a missionary yourself, or the friend of a woman on the field, this is good reading. It will help you at home know how to pray for us and encourage us on the field -- and it will help those of us on the field know how to support each other! I'm going to spend some time really thinking and praying through these topics. I was shocked at how the author hit the nail on the head. She addressed problems that I know have been in the back of my mind, but I haven't been able to articulate even to myself.
Recent articles about Karamoja - including Nakapiripirit district
The Karamoja Cultural Museum. Funny that they had to give the definition of a museum in the article! We should visit... -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Farming/-/689860/1365580/-/1045t8z/-/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/We+have+lost+confidence+in+Museveni++say+Karamoja+MPs/-/688334/1404554/-/jrnyec/-/index.html -- so much for our road being paved! they were promising that when I went in 2009, they had shown some signs of progress last year (piles of marum on the side of the road, not yet smoothed out) -- now it sounds like it's been taken off the reconstruction list
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Uganda+among+worst+countries+in+human+devt/-/688334/1405322/-/n9lrv7z/-/index.html
Serious flooding especially around Namalu, which is the market town we go to each week. This flooding will probably cause serious food shortages for the Karimojong later on in the year.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1404566/-/ahy3rnz/-/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1395080/-/avhe13z/-/index.html
Nakapiripirit is the most corrupt district in Karamoja, 1 billion Ugandan shillings embezzled -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1375656/-/awpc6gz/-/index.html
Kidepo!! -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Travel/-/691238/1375130/-/nnh43i/-/index.html
Wildfires -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1369572/-/ax94ivz/-/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/We+have+lost+confidence+in+Museveni++say+Karamoja+MPs/-/688334/1404554/-/jrnyec/-/index.html -- so much for our road being paved! they were promising that when I went in 2009, they had shown some signs of progress last year (piles of marum on the side of the road, not yet smoothed out) -- now it sounds like it's been taken off the reconstruction list
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Uganda+among+worst+countries+in+human+devt/-/688334/1405322/-/n9lrv7z/-/index.html
Serious flooding especially around Namalu, which is the market town we go to each week. This flooding will probably cause serious food shortages for the Karimojong later on in the year.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1404566/-/ahy3rnz/-/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1395080/-/avhe13z/-/index.html
Nakapiripirit is the most corrupt district in Karamoja, 1 billion Ugandan shillings embezzled -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1375656/-/awpc6gz/-/index.html
Kidepo!! -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Travel/-/691238/1375130/-/nnh43i/-/index.html
Wildfires -- http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1369572/-/ax94ivz/-/index.html
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Email List
IMPORTANT REQUEST:
During my last stay in Karamoja, I did not send email updates. I'd like to send regular updates and prayer requests while I'm over for 11 months, beginning in September. I'll be using an email service called MailChimp to send these regular emails.
If you would like to receive my email updates next year (which will hopefully include pictures, prayer requests, and highlights of my work) please email me at emilygpihl@gmail.com. I'm putting my email list together now so I can send out a test email and see how this works.
I'm guessing I'll be sending email updates more often than I update this blog (because last time I went through long periods when blogger wouldn't load on the slow internet connection). I'm hoping to send them out biweekly.
Thanks!
Emily
During my last stay in Karamoja, I did not send email updates. I'd like to send regular updates and prayer requests while I'm over for 11 months, beginning in September. I'll be using an email service called MailChimp to send these regular emails.
If you would like to receive my email updates next year (which will hopefully include pictures, prayer requests, and highlights of my work) please email me at emilygpihl@gmail.com. I'm putting my email list together now so I can send out a test email and see how this works.
I'm guessing I'll be sending email updates more often than I update this blog (because last time I went through long periods when blogger wouldn't load on the slow internet connection). I'm hoping to send them out biweekly.
Thanks!
Emily
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Reality Check
So, I admit it, I'm enjoying America. I like having soft hair. I like going five minutes up the road to Wegmans to buy any kind of food I want. I like paved roads and speaking the local language (annoying Western NY "a's" included). I like my comfy bed and going outside at night without a flashlight and not having to remember my malaria pills every day.
But a particular conversation popped into my head the other day. It wasn't a conversation, really. More like a rebuke. Once I was with the Wrights and one of the kids was talking about this or that thing that they missed from America, and their dad Bob said very bluntly that grumbling and complaining is sin. Don't think about all the nice things you miss in America. Don't complain, "well, we wouldn't have to deal with THIS in America!" Just don't. If you're where God wants you to be, be thankful. Don't focus on the negatives. Grumbling is one of those respectable sins that we all do -- but that sin sent Jesus Christ to the cross just as much as the sin of murder.
I do love America. I'm glad I'm here. But I've realized over the past few weeks, as lots of people have asked me, "Do you think you could actually LIVE over there? Like, forever?" I can say YES and really mean it. America is not my home. Just last week I was beginning to steep myself in the whole "American dream" thing again -- imagining living in this country forever, and all the things I'd want. But it didn't take long for me to realize what I was doing -- how materialistic and self-centered that mindset is. I don't think God planned for me to live the American dream. I don't really want it. I WANT to be in Africa. I love being there. And even some of the things that from an American standpoint would seem like losses there are actually a blessing. Bad roads mean you stay close to home which means you build a great sense of community. Living simply is a relief. Not feeling a need to keep up with the Joneses is fantastic. Even the freedom to walk around without makeup and not having to iron nice clothes - it's freeing :)
Maybe I will end up living in America, and that's fine. But I don't ever want to fall into the American Dream trap. I don't ever want to start believing the ads on TV that say your life is incomplete without the new cool thing on the market. I would much rather live in a hut with almost no possessions and really LIVE, than live in a nice house full of all kinds of gadgets, and be a shell of the person God created me to be.
Those are just my disjointed thoughts.
But a particular conversation popped into my head the other day. It wasn't a conversation, really. More like a rebuke. Once I was with the Wrights and one of the kids was talking about this or that thing that they missed from America, and their dad Bob said very bluntly that grumbling and complaining is sin. Don't think about all the nice things you miss in America. Don't complain, "well, we wouldn't have to deal with THIS in America!" Just don't. If you're where God wants you to be, be thankful. Don't focus on the negatives. Grumbling is one of those respectable sins that we all do -- but that sin sent Jesus Christ to the cross just as much as the sin of murder.
I do love America. I'm glad I'm here. But I've realized over the past few weeks, as lots of people have asked me, "Do you think you could actually LIVE over there? Like, forever?" I can say YES and really mean it. America is not my home. Just last week I was beginning to steep myself in the whole "American dream" thing again -- imagining living in this country forever, and all the things I'd want. But it didn't take long for me to realize what I was doing -- how materialistic and self-centered that mindset is. I don't think God planned for me to live the American dream. I don't really want it. I WANT to be in Africa. I love being there. And even some of the things that from an American standpoint would seem like losses there are actually a blessing. Bad roads mean you stay close to home which means you build a great sense of community. Living simply is a relief. Not feeling a need to keep up with the Joneses is fantastic. Even the freedom to walk around without makeup and not having to iron nice clothes - it's freeing :)
Maybe I will end up living in America, and that's fine. But I don't ever want to fall into the American Dream trap. I don't ever want to start believing the ads on TV that say your life is incomplete without the new cool thing on the market. I would much rather live in a hut with almost no possessions and really LIVE, than live in a nice house full of all kinds of gadgets, and be a shell of the person God created me to be.
Those are just my disjointed thoughts.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Life Update :)
I've been negligent lately. I'm facing serious writer's block, and thinking about making some changes to the way I blog. But in the meantime, for those of you who diligently check this page and are constantly disappointed (what awesome friends you are!) here's a short life update.
I'm settled in at home with my parents and my huge American cats in Fairport, NY. I really do like our little town on the Erie Canal. It's a 20-30 minute walk from my house down the canal path into the village, where there's shopping, restaurants, a library, and a couple nice coffee shops. Plus, it's just beautiful on the canal. I'm always telling my parents we should get kayaks or something, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday.
I've been blessed with plenty of short-term work so far! My first full week back I did three nights of overnight babysitting and some daytime sitting, which went fine. Now I'm helping with house remodeling/post-remodeling clean up (sheet rock dust!!) for a family in my church. Stephen and Terri have always been so helpful in either giving me work, or helping me to find work. THANK YOU! I'll be working with Terri on the house for at least two more weeks. I've also had several people contact me already for regular babysitting work, so I'm booked up. It's a good feeling!
It's been wonderful to be back with my church family again. I missed them so much. I really have a wonderful family at church -- they are so encouraging and supportive. I missed my girls! I tend to hang out with the teenagers at church, which is fun. It's cool to see the kids I used to take care of now taking the SATs, doing high school sports, thinking about college or careers. And of course, I missed the babies at church. There are a LOT of them!
I'm looking forward to spending a week and a half in California at the end of May. My grandma is turning 90, so mom, David and Christi and I will go up to Fresno to celebrate with her. Unfortunately dad can't get off work, so he's gotta hold down the fort in Rochester. I love visiting California, and I'm glad I have so many relatives over there so I've got an excuse to go there every couple years! We'll spend a couple days in LA with David, then go up to Fresno for the rest of the trip. Looking forward to a tour of Paramount Studios, some hiking ("death marches" as we so lovingly refer to them) and seeing my Karamoja roommate Erika in San Diego!
Keep in touch!
Emily
I'm settled in at home with my parents and my huge American cats in Fairport, NY. I really do like our little town on the Erie Canal. It's a 20-30 minute walk from my house down the canal path into the village, where there's shopping, restaurants, a library, and a couple nice coffee shops. Plus, it's just beautiful on the canal. I'm always telling my parents we should get kayaks or something, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday.
I've been blessed with plenty of short-term work so far! My first full week back I did three nights of overnight babysitting and some daytime sitting, which went fine. Now I'm helping with house remodeling/post-remodeling clean up (sheet rock dust!!) for a family in my church. Stephen and Terri have always been so helpful in either giving me work, or helping me to find work. THANK YOU! I'll be working with Terri on the house for at least two more weeks. I've also had several people contact me already for regular babysitting work, so I'm booked up. It's a good feeling!
It's been wonderful to be back with my church family again. I missed them so much. I really have a wonderful family at church -- they are so encouraging and supportive. I missed my girls! I tend to hang out with the teenagers at church, which is fun. It's cool to see the kids I used to take care of now taking the SATs, doing high school sports, thinking about college or careers. And of course, I missed the babies at church. There are a LOT of them!
I'm looking forward to spending a week and a half in California at the end of May. My grandma is turning 90, so mom, David and Christi and I will go up to Fresno to celebrate with her. Unfortunately dad can't get off work, so he's gotta hold down the fort in Rochester. I love visiting California, and I'm glad I have so many relatives over there so I've got an excuse to go there every couple years! We'll spend a couple days in LA with David, then go up to Fresno for the rest of the trip. Looking forward to a tour of Paramount Studios, some hiking ("death marches" as we so lovingly refer to them) and seeing my Karamoja roommate Erika in San Diego!
Keep in touch!
Emily
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
So, how was it?
“So, how was it?”
You couldn’t ask a harder question. How to summarize six months into one answer? I’ll tell you it was great, amazing. But where to go from there?
To those of you who asked me this question in the last few days, I apologize for any lame answers I gave. To be honest, answering this question effectively requires a lot of thought and intentionality, and I can’t say I offered much of substance to every person I talked to this week.
When someone puts this question to me, my mind spins and I seem to lose the power of speech. What does this person want to hear? Everyone wants to hear about snakes, safaris, massive spiders, language lessons, etc. It’s easy to sensationalize the experience. But even as I’m rattling off the snake-in-a-bag story again, in the back of my mind I know that I need to offer a deeper answer.
How was it? Let me tell you what God did for me, for my team, for the Karimojong. Let’s get past the fluffy, exciting stories and get to the meat of the matter.
Ask me specific questions about the ministry there, about how God is growing His church in Karamoja, about my role in the work. I would love to talk deeply about all the things I did and saw (and now that I’m not jetlagged, maybe my responses will be coherent). Don’t be afraid to challenge me with real questions. It’s good for me to think deeply about my work there, and it’s edifying to the body of Christ when I can share with you how our Lord is at work across the world.
You couldn’t ask a harder question. How to summarize six months into one answer? I’ll tell you it was great, amazing. But where to go from there?
To those of you who asked me this question in the last few days, I apologize for any lame answers I gave. To be honest, answering this question effectively requires a lot of thought and intentionality, and I can’t say I offered much of substance to every person I talked to this week.
When someone puts this question to me, my mind spins and I seem to lose the power of speech. What does this person want to hear? Everyone wants to hear about snakes, safaris, massive spiders, language lessons, etc. It’s easy to sensationalize the experience. But even as I’m rattling off the snake-in-a-bag story again, in the back of my mind I know that I need to offer a deeper answer.
How was it? Let me tell you what God did for me, for my team, for the Karimojong. Let’s get past the fluffy, exciting stories and get to the meat of the matter.
Ask me specific questions about the ministry there, about how God is growing His church in Karamoja, about my role in the work. I would love to talk deeply about all the things I did and saw (and now that I’m not jetlagged, maybe my responses will be coherent). Don’t be afraid to challenge me with real questions. It’s good for me to think deeply about my work there, and it’s edifying to the body of Christ when I can share with you how our Lord is at work across the world.
Reentry Blues
I’ve experienced culture shock before, but this reentry period is much
rougher than any others I’ve experienced. Part of it is that this has
been my worst ever case of jet lag. It doesn’t help that it’s about 80
degrees colder here in western Pennsylvania than it was in Uganda!
The first culture shock experience that really hit home was in Newark airport on Wednesday. I went to buy a bottle of water from a convenience stand, and it cost the equivalent of 6000 Ugandan shillings – several days’ pay for most of my neighbors in Karamoja. For WATER! I was appalled. I wished I hadn’t bought it.
My friends took me out to dinner when I arrived in Pittsburgh, which was wonderful. American food! The next day I made the mistake of having a Pop Tart for breakfast. Too sweet. When I got to my best friend Jenny’s house, she gave me a pile of hoodies, sweatpants and blankets, and I hunkered down for a few days. I’m just now beginning to acclimate to this dreary weather!
The only shopping I’ve done since I got back was in WalMart. It makes me laugh to think that we call the little general store in Namalu (probably about the size of your kitchen) “WalMart”. In Nakaale, going to one store in town that has everything – milk, juice, oil, laundry soap, yarn, jewelry, biscuits, shoes, tools – is a real shopping experience. We really could get much of what we needed for day to day life in that little hole in the wall store, plus the fruits and vegetables and clothing we’d buy out in the market. The whole American advertising scheme telling you that you NEED this or that is really disturbing. I promise you, you don’t.
I’m also discovering that my sensitivity to germs, bugs, etc. has changed quite a bit. I have to remind myself that, generally speaking, it’s not normal in America to pull a bug out of your food and keep eating (but throwing away perfectly good food? What a waste!). “Disgusting” bathrooms here are five-star establishments. Why? They have flush toilets (as opposed to a hole in the ground), toilet paper, running water, and soap. What else do you need?
The first culture shock experience that really hit home was in Newark airport on Wednesday. I went to buy a bottle of water from a convenience stand, and it cost the equivalent of 6000 Ugandan shillings – several days’ pay for most of my neighbors in Karamoja. For WATER! I was appalled. I wished I hadn’t bought it.
My friends took me out to dinner when I arrived in Pittsburgh, which was wonderful. American food! The next day I made the mistake of having a Pop Tart for breakfast. Too sweet. When I got to my best friend Jenny’s house, she gave me a pile of hoodies, sweatpants and blankets, and I hunkered down for a few days. I’m just now beginning to acclimate to this dreary weather!
The only shopping I’ve done since I got back was in WalMart. It makes me laugh to think that we call the little general store in Namalu (probably about the size of your kitchen) “WalMart”. In Nakaale, going to one store in town that has everything – milk, juice, oil, laundry soap, yarn, jewelry, biscuits, shoes, tools – is a real shopping experience. We really could get much of what we needed for day to day life in that little hole in the wall store, plus the fruits and vegetables and clothing we’d buy out in the market. The whole American advertising scheme telling you that you NEED this or that is really disturbing. I promise you, you don’t.
I’m also discovering that my sensitivity to germs, bugs, etc. has changed quite a bit. I have to remind myself that, generally speaking, it’s not normal in America to pull a bug out of your food and keep eating (but throwing away perfectly good food? What a waste!). “Disgusting” bathrooms here are five-star establishments. Why? They have flush toilets (as opposed to a hole in the ground), toilet paper, running water, and soap. What else do you need?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Kidepo Pt. 2
We had a pretty nice campsite. There were two open-sided bandas, one
for our ranger Ben to stay in (he guarded us at night and travelled
with us during the day, armed with his AK-47), and another which we
used as a kitchen/hangout spot. We set up our tents pretty easily, and
I was on cooking/dishes duty so I helped Martha feed the hungry
masses. We were on a small hill, and all around us were valleys full
of herds of animals. The edges of the park were marked by the
mountains surrounding us in the distance on all sides. I can't really
describe it, so you'll have to see the pictures sometime!
Each morning and evening we went on a safari drive. The park is huge,
and on one of our drives we even crossed over the border into South
Sudan (just far enough to awkwardly straddle the line between the
countries and snap a picture). Most of us young folk (plus Kristy
Rosenbaum) would sit or stand in the back of the pickup during the
drives, to get the best view. It was SO MUCH FUN. I love the Wrights
and Maria and Jamie, we had some really funny conversations, laughed a
lot, went a little crazy, just enjoyed each others' company while we
saw hundreds of amazing animals.
We saw WAY more animals than I expected we would, and they were much closer than I had anticipated (something about being in the bed of a pickup truck completely exposed to wild animals kind of heightens the experience). We saw tons of elephants, thousands of cape buffalo, Jackson's hardebeasts and several other kinds of antelope (oribi, dik diks, etc.), giraffes, warthogs, ostriches, and lions. Yes, lions. We
saw 11 lions one morning. A bunch of us are in the back of the pickup when Ben directs us towards a group of lionesses. They're down a little gulley so we could see them, but we weren't too close. We turn off the engines and enjoy the sight, amazed that we had gotten so close.
Then we drive on a bit, and before we know it Ben has sent us to a group of five male lions. They were younger (didn't quite have full manes yet) but they were HUGE. And we got about six feet away from them. They weren't scared of the vehicles, they were just sitting
there watching us, dozing off, bathing, stretching – it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. They were SO CLOSE. We turned the engines off again and spent probably almost 30 minutes just watching them and taking pictures.
We couldn't top that. The whole trip was amazing, but nothing beat
being so close to the lions. We also sat in the middle of a HUGE herd of cape buffalo for several minutes, but they're pretty dumb and the
wind was in our favor (not blowing our scent towards them) so they didn't bother us. But they could have done some serious damage if they
wanted to.
A few years ago the Wrights went to Kidepo and were charged by a bull
elephant, and their guard had to shoot his gun to scare it off. I
didn't expect this, but I was more scared of the elephants than
anything else we came across. They are massive and almost every time
we saw them, there were baby elephants around (so cute! And yes they
do hold their mama's tail when they walk) so they were very
protective. I admit I said some prayers on a couple occasions. But no
incidents to report!
for our ranger Ben to stay in (he guarded us at night and travelled
with us during the day, armed with his AK-47), and another which we
used as a kitchen/hangout spot. We set up our tents pretty easily, and
I was on cooking/dishes duty so I helped Martha feed the hungry
masses. We were on a small hill, and all around us were valleys full
of herds of animals. The edges of the park were marked by the
mountains surrounding us in the distance on all sides. I can't really
describe it, so you'll have to see the pictures sometime!
Each morning and evening we went on a safari drive. The park is huge,
and on one of our drives we even crossed over the border into South
Sudan (just far enough to awkwardly straddle the line between the
countries and snap a picture). Most of us young folk (plus Kristy
Rosenbaum) would sit or stand in the back of the pickup during the
drives, to get the best view. It was SO MUCH FUN. I love the Wrights
and Maria and Jamie, we had some really funny conversations, laughed a
lot, went a little crazy, just enjoyed each others' company while we
saw hundreds of amazing animals.
saw 11 lions one morning. A bunch of us are in the back of the pickup when Ben directs us towards a group of lionesses. They're down a little gulley so we could see them, but we weren't too close. We turn off the engines and enjoy the sight, amazed that we had gotten so close.
Then we drive on a bit, and before we know it Ben has sent us to a group of five male lions. They were younger (didn't quite have full manes yet) but they were HUGE. And we got about six feet away from them. They weren't scared of the vehicles, they were just sitting
there watching us, dozing off, bathing, stretching – it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. They were SO CLOSE. We turned the engines off again and spent probably almost 30 minutes just watching them and taking pictures.We couldn't top that. The whole trip was amazing, but nothing beat
being so close to the lions. We also sat in the middle of a HUGE herd of cape buffalo for several minutes, but they're pretty dumb and the
wind was in our favor (not blowing our scent towards them) so they didn't bother us. But they could have done some serious damage if they
wanted to.
A few years ago the Wrights went to Kidepo and were charged by a bull
elephant, and their guard had to shoot his gun to scare it off. I
didn't expect this, but I was more scared of the elephants than
anything else we came across. They are massive and almost every time
we saw them, there were baby elephants around (so cute! And yes they
do hold their mama's tail when they walk) so they were very
protective. I admit I said some prayers on a couple occasions. But no
incidents to report!
Last I wrote, the Wrights and Erika were on their way up country
again, along with Bob's sister Kristy and her son Justin. I had been
alone on the compound for a couple weeks, so it was great to have the
place humming with activity again. And boy, were we busy. We were
packing for a safari.
Just a few days after they arrived in Karamoja,
14 of us (plus all our tents and camping equipment) drove north to
spend a few days at Kidepo Valley National Park.
Now, when I say we drove north, this was not a comfy road trip (not for most of us, at least). A few people road in the Wright's SUV, but me, Erika, Rachel, Justin, Mary, Kipsy, Bobby, Anna and Jamie climbed onto the back of the pickup truck, on top of all our camping gear, and held on tight for the 8 hour drive north on the dusty, bumpy Karamoja roads.
It was fun at first – we talked, had some sing-alongs, enjoyed the scenery. After a couple hours it was not very much fun anymore; it
was just plain painful. The only really unbearable part of the ride was a certain section we passed through when we were getting pretty close to Kidepo. The road was very bumpy and slow going, and as soon as we had to slow down to navigate the ditches, we were attacked by tse tse flies. We are very fortunate not to have a lot of tse tse flies in Nakaale. They are big, persistent, fast (like horse flies but WORSE)… they can bite through clothes, they're very hard to squish, and their blood burns your skin if you do manage to kill them. Cool.
I was so glad to finally go north of Nakaale, though – it's hard to
imagine any place more barren and less developed than Nakaale, but the
northern districts of Karamoja are EMPTY and the mountains and hills
are stunningly beautiful. We drove through a few "cities" and got lots
of stares and shouts and waves. We wazungu were a sight to behold –
dirty, sunburned, exhausted.
One thought that struck me again and again as we drove farther away
from civilization was this: so few people in the history of the world
will ever see these mountains, these amazing rock formations, these
savannahs and caves and hillsides (how blessed I am to be one of the
few!). But God made this place beautiful anyways… for the few who
would see. He displays His beauty, His strength, His creativity, so
that even in these remote places people will see the evidence that He
is there. He loved the Karamojong enough to place them in a
magnificent country where they can't escape the fact that He IS.
About eight hours after we set out we arrived at the ranger station
parched, hungry, dusty (all the ladies had nice moustaches by this
point!), extremely sore, and extremely happy. Just driving into the park to get signed into our campsite, we saw a herd of elephants.
again, along with Bob's sister Kristy and her son Justin. I had been
alone on the compound for a couple weeks, so it was great to have the
place humming with activity again. And boy, were we busy. We were
packing for a safari.
Just a few days after they arrived in Karamoja,
14 of us (plus all our tents and camping equipment) drove north to
spend a few days at Kidepo Valley National Park.
Now, when I say we drove north, this was not a comfy road trip (not for most of us, at least). A few people road in the Wright's SUV, but me, Erika, Rachel, Justin, Mary, Kipsy, Bobby, Anna and Jamie climbed onto the back of the pickup truck, on top of all our camping gear, and held on tight for the 8 hour drive north on the dusty, bumpy Karamoja roads.It was fun at first – we talked, had some sing-alongs, enjoyed the scenery. After a couple hours it was not very much fun anymore; it
was just plain painful. The only really unbearable part of the ride was a certain section we passed through when we were getting pretty close to Kidepo. The road was very bumpy and slow going, and as soon as we had to slow down to navigate the ditches, we were attacked by tse tse flies. We are very fortunate not to have a lot of tse tse flies in Nakaale. They are big, persistent, fast (like horse flies but WORSE)… they can bite through clothes, they're very hard to squish, and their blood burns your skin if you do manage to kill them. Cool.
I was so glad to finally go north of Nakaale, though – it's hard to
imagine any place more barren and less developed than Nakaale, but the
northern districts of Karamoja are EMPTY and the mountains and hills
are stunningly beautiful. We drove through a few "cities" and got lots
of stares and shouts and waves. We wazungu were a sight to behold –
dirty, sunburned, exhausted.
One thought that struck me again and again as we drove farther away
from civilization was this: so few people in the history of the world
will ever see these mountains, these amazing rock formations, these
savannahs and caves and hillsides (how blessed I am to be one of the
few!). But God made this place beautiful anyways… for the few who
would see. He displays His beauty, His strength, His creativity, so
that even in these remote places people will see the evidence that He
is there. He loved the Karamojong enough to place them in a
magnificent country where they can't escape the fact that He IS.
About eight hours after we set out we arrived at the ranger station
parched, hungry, dusty (all the ladies had nice moustaches by this
point!), extremely sore, and extremely happy. Just driving into the park to get signed into our campsite, we saw a herd of elephants.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
"Paul reduces all the actions of the new life to three classes: sobriety, righteousness, and godliness... Nothing is more difficult than to forsake all carnal thoughts, to subdue and renounce our false appetites, and to devote ourselves to God and our brethren, and to live the life of angels in a world of corruption.To deliver our minds from every snare Paul calls our attention to the hope of a blessed immortality, and encourages us that our hope is not in vain. As Christ once appeared as a Redeemer, so he will at his second coming show us the benefits of the salvation which he obtained.Christ dispels the charms that blind us and prevent us from longing with the right zeal for the glory of heaven.Christ also teaches us that we must live as strangers and pilgrims in this world, that we may not lose our heavenly inheritance."
- John Calvin's Golden Book of the True Christian Life
- John Calvin's Golden Book of the True Christian Life
Saturday, January 28, 2012
this deserves a *happy dance*
So, I have exciting news -- the missionaries have asked me and Erika to return to teach again next year! The mission has approved and my parents gave me the ok, so please pray that all the necessary details get sorted out. The hope is that we'll be able to come here in late August (after White Lake camp, of course, I wouldn't miss White Lake for anything!) and stay until May -- 9 months. I'm soooooooooooooooo excited :) Erika will primarily teach the Okkens while I'll teach most of the Wrights' classes and Omnibus (early church - Reformation) for James and Josh Tricarico.
Also, I wrote an article for RP Missions which will appear in the January RP Witness. Certainly not my best piece of writing, but it'll do. So keep your eyes "Pihled" for that (yeah I just did that).
Also, I wrote an article for RP Missions which will appear in the January RP Witness. Certainly not my best piece of writing, but it'll do. So keep your eyes "Pihled" for that (yeah I just did that).
"You are very important to me"
The Wrights and Ericka have been down country for over a week, so I've been enjoying a breezy teaching schedule and lots of downtime. I spent most of my time reading, hanging out with Leah Hopp in the evenings, and putzing around on the internet (since the middle compound, where I live, has been home to only three people instead of ten, we've had tons of power! My poor old Grove City laptop has 30 minutes of battery life, so it's wonderful to be able to plug it in all the time!).
In other news, Bob Wright cut his arm badly earlier this week, and yesterday morning he had surgery which successfully reconnected a nerve and two tendons. Poor Bob :( His arm is in a cast and he can't use it for six weeks, so the Wrights and Erika are coming back from Kampala a week early, along with Bob's sister and her son Justin, who are here for a visit.
Leah had a birthday last Friday, so we had tortillas and hummus and watched tons of episodes of the Cosby Show... oh the 80s. Gotta love the outfits :)
The kids Bible study on Monday went very well. Leah came with me this time. I taught them the parable of the lost sheep. Only 25 kids came (instead of forty, as we'd had the week before) which, I admit, I was thankful for, because a group of forty kids is hard to control. I brought along a big jump rope. Some of the older girls were pretty good and they had three kids jumping at once. I think it was a hit.
This morning Ruffin (a 19 year old visitor who's been here for 6 months), Jamie Tricarico, Jim and Jenny Knox and I were on the road at 6:15am to visit the Pian Upe Game Preserve, which is just a little ways south of the market town of Namalu. We went on a mini-safari :) We arrived and the guide brought us into his office. "If you are lucky, you will see some animals... if you are lucky, you will see some animals... if you are lucky... you will see... some animals..." He was a very funny man... he said "for-ay-nee" instead of foreign and repeated himself a lot. Jim had to sign the guestbook because "you are very important to me."
Jamie, Ruffin and I climbed up on the roof rack of Jim's SUV (easier said than done for a shorty like me!), and our guide plus a ranger (complete with AK-47s) sat in the back seat. The sun was just rising as we set off on the three hour drive through the bush. It was terribly uncomfortable sitting on the metal bars of the roof rack, but after a while I didn't notice it so much. The view of Mount Kadam was breathtaking... I'll post pictures soon. Unfortunately, we didn't see too much wildlife, but we saw tons of cobs (a type of antelope) who run SO fast... they were outrunning our car. It felt like we were in the middle of a National Geographic film. We also saw Jackson's hardebeasts, which are huge antelope-type things with big horns. We also saw a very large, very fast rodent thing and some guinea fowl and other neat birds. No cheetah, ostriches, leopards or baboons... but the view alone was worth the trip. That was my first time riding on the roof of any vehicle ever... and it was so much fun :P
I think I got a bit of heat stroke/sun stroke cuz when I got back I crashed in bed and slept for two hours. I'm still feeling exhausted and dehydrated but it's all good. I'm just chugging water like it's my job. Tonight we have a group dinner, and it will be Ruffin's last before he goes home, so I have to make an epic dessert :)
"Have you chewed the donkey?"
Last night, Jim and Jenny invited me and Ruffin over for dinner, along with Moses, Albert and Fred, three of the young men on the clinic staff. I think all three of them are roughly my age. They are hilarious.
"Have you ever chewed the rat?"
"What??"
"The rat? have you chewed?"
"You don't say that in America. You say tasted or tried."
"How about chewed and swallowed? Have you chewed and swallowed the rat?"
"If you say that in America people will look at you very strangely."
We talked about eating rats, cats, dogs, small birds ("you could fry them like a chicken, but I think maybe even you must eat the whole head, even the what? The bones.") camels, chameleons (in a stew or something??) and donkeys.
Fred said that on the radio that day they were offering 5,000 shillings (about 2 dollars) to a caller who could answer this question: If the man is the head of the family, the woman is the what? Fred put the question to us. Jim told him he should call in and say the woman is the body, because Christ is the head of the church and the church is the body. We also considered the neck (she turns the man any direction she wants!) or the heart. Apparently one person called in and said the tail (?!). The callers had such a hard time answering the question that they were going to continue the discussion on the radio the next day. Jenny said that here in Karamoja the men say that women have ears on the "buntocks" (as they call it) so you must beat them in order to make them listen. Women are not very respected here, but believe me, they do must of the work.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Lord's Prayer
Papa kosi ngolo eyai Nakuj Ekonikiro tokeritete.
Akonijakanut bu neni kosi, kitiyaere alokwap nguna a Nakuj.
Inakinae isua nakwar na akosikimuj ngina a jwi jwi.
Kisyomi isua ngakosimecae, ikwangina ikisyonio isua nguluce dang.
Nyikiya isua nakitemyet, nai toiunae aneni aronon.
Anerae apukan ka apedor ka apolou ngina Kon jik.
Akonijakanut bu neni kosi, kitiyaere alokwap nguna a Nakuj.
Inakinae isua nakwar na akosikimuj ngina a jwi jwi.
Kisyomi isua ngakosimecae, ikwangina ikisyonio isua nguluce dang.
Nyikiya isua nakitemyet, nai toiunae aneni aronon.
Anerae apukan ka apedor ka apolou ngina Kon jik.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Monday, Monday
Thirty kids showed up, along with our translator Omena (Lokwii Paul). It took a while to "mobilize" (i.e. shout back into the village and tell kids to come). While Erika walked around calling for kids, I stayed in the ward and visited with the ones who were already there. I know enough Karamojong now to scrape by a small conversation (Hi! How are you? What is your name? What is your sisters name? My name is Ngakiru Emily. etc.). I tried to get all their names, but the names here are so unfamiliar to me that I had a hard time with that... but there are a few kids that are very familiar to me now, and will greet me and Erika by name if they see us walking around. Samuel, Lokiru, Sagal David, Abra, Losike, Longoli, Soki, Tony, Baby Bob, and Achio are the ones I know the best, and we love to visit them and talk to them. I'll keep working on learning more names over the next few weeks.
We sang a few songs first. Some are classic kid songs here:
Amina, amina, amina
Epol amina,
Ejok amina,
Kristo erae amina.
Love, love love,
Love is great,
Love is good,
Christ is love.
Kire ejok Akuj,
Kire ejok Akuj,
Kire ejok Akuj,
Nooi, nooi ejok Akuj!
Surely God is good,
Surely God is good,
Surely God is good,
God is very, very good!
Oh, Oh, Oh Yesu ikimina iwon!
Aleluya!
Oh, Oh, Oh Yesu ikimina iwon!
Oh, Oh, Oh Jesus loves us!
Aleluya!
Oh, Oh, Oh Jesus loves us!
Omena also led the kids in a song they requested that I've never heard before. It's not in our Karamojong songbook, so I'm not quite sure how all the kids know it, but they sang it very enthusiastically. The only part of the song I understood was "Satan", which was mentioned several times...
Then Omena told the kids the Christmas story using a tract the missionaries have been using for the past month. He is a great teacher - he went to Bible college and the missionaries are training him for church leadership. He asked the kids lots of questions and they answered well, and they also practiced memorizing John 3:16. Martha Wright, who came along to observe, handed out the Christmas story booklets to all the children who were in school and could read. Only a handful could out the group of thirty, but when she was going around asking the kids "Can you read?" many of them said "Not yet!" They want to learn, which is encouraging.
After the lesson, we brought the kids outside to play Duck Duck Goose. I took the younger kids group (mostly toddlers and preschoolers who had no idea what they were doing) and Omena advised me to use the words "Ane, Ane, Akine" instead of Duck Duck Goose. I still don't know what those words mean, but in any case we had fun, even if we did kinda bend the rules. They didn't know how to play and the only useful word I knew was "atipei" which means quickly, so I pretty much just let them walk around, pat heads, and then if they whispered "akine" or just started running randomly, I would point to the kid sitting and say atipei! It worked ok... many of them were laughing. The littlest guys just looked totally confused. One little girl, Abra, is so chubby she couldn't run (chubbiness is very uncommon here.... she must eat a lot of porridge) -- she just waddled around looking mystified. It was pretty adorable though.
Finally, we decided it was time to go. Martha wanted a picture of us with all the kids, which they got quite excited about. Hopefully I'll be able to post that picture on here at some point. We kept saying, "it's time to go!" but they didn't want to go, they were clinging on to us and started spontaneously singing Yesu Ikimina Iwon, which was so sweet. We finally managed to detach ourselves, point the kids home, and say goodbye.
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