Christmas in Uganda

It is a few days after Christmas and I finally have some time to reflect. 

Christmas here is much different than America. The town is not decorated, no houses have Christmas lights, there is no holiday music at church, it is not cold...it is different. They really don't have any Christmas traditions in Uganda. Besides going to a Christmas Day service it is a pretty low key day. Dan and Loring decided to do a Christmas Eve outreach and we fed their neighbor hood! Loring and I hand mixed, rolled, and fried over 100 chapatis! It was wonderful to see their appreciation and shock at getting a free meal! Over 100 people were fed and many of the men and women at the church we go to helped cook the entire meal. It took an army but it was so much fun! 

As much as I miss the traditions and comfort of home this holiday season it was nice to get away from all of the materialism of America. Most children in Uganda get nothing for Christmas. It is just another day for them. If they are lucky they might get a soda or a new Christmas dress. While there is nothing wrong with getting a receiving gifts it was refreshing to be able to completely focus on the true meaning of Christmas. My Christmas consisted of leading a children's Christmas play, eating a huge Christmas meal, and watching movies with lots of good friends.

I did not receive a single present this year...and it was ok. On Christmas eve and Christmas day I got to rejoice in the fact that Christ, as part of the triune God, humbled Himself from His holy dwelling, to subject himself to the trials and tribulations of this world. He came for us. No other reason. He came to save us from a life of separation with God. The only purely holy person who ever lived was born in a stable and laid to rest where pigs ate their food. He was forced to be born there because no one had any room for Mary and Joseph. But He came into the pig sty and made it a holy dwelling place. His only visitors were lowly shepherds. No kings, no high officials, just shepherds and animals were there to welcome the savior into the world. On Christmas eve Pastor Dan asked us if we had any room for Jesus. In our own pig styes of life do we have any room for Christ to come in and make it a holy dwelling place? 

This Christmas I pray that during all of the parties and all of the hustle and bustle and traveling you took some time to remember Christ and why He came to earth. I pray that you rejoiced in the fact that the Lord of everything would send His Son to atone for our sins. We do not celebrate Christmas to get a few days off work, or because Santa is coming, but we celebrate because He came to earth. 

So come, let us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;¹¹for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.¹²"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.""

Luke 2:10-12 NASB

does it mean anything?

I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading lately. [I know...sort of the theme of my trip] I have been thinking about all of the outreaches I have done with all of the beautiful, smiling children.......and....

Have I made an impact? Did they learn anything? Did I learn anything? What does effective missions in Uganda look like?

So many questions...

I am currently reading a book by Donald Miller (shocker I know) that is all about life and whether we are actually participating in the story. Are we living a good story? This trip has put so much into perspective. I know that when I return to the states I will do a lot differently. I will spend my money differently, I will choose jobs differently, and I will love differently. What has been most apparent here is how important relationships are. While I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the outreaches with EAC at times I felt like genuine relationships with the children were lacking. Dan and Loring, who I am staying with, have become friends with a Ugandan family. I have experienced first hand what an impact their relationship with them has been. The genuine Christian community they have developed is changing both families.
When we think about it.....isn't all of life about relationships? Since the beginning God designed us for community. He saw that Adam was alone and knew that he needed a partner. God is who fulfills our longings and desires and makes us complete. But...He blesses us with other people in our lives to enrich us and to share our stories with us.
Sometimes, our stories turn bad. I know mine has in the past. But I know myself better now...I think I just forgot for a little while. I want to encourage you all to think about your stories. Can you make your story better? Even in the everyday things I think we can make our stories better. This trip was the first step towards my better story. When I go home my prayer is that I can continue my better story. I find comfort in the truth that the Lord will guide my steps.

I leave you with a quote from Donald Miller's book. I hope that this is what happens when I am finally close enough to see the lines on His face.

"I'll tell these things to God (my story), and He'll laugh, I think, and he'll remind me of the parts I forgot, the parts that were His favorites. We'll sit and remember my story together, and then he'll stand and put His arms around me and say, "well done," and that He liked my story. And my soul won't be thirsty anymore."

So here is to finding your better story.

love to all.

a different perspective.

The house is quiet for the time being. Hannah and Ben are playing on the front porch, Loring is doing her bible study, and Lillian is humming and cleaning somewhere in the house. Outside the buzz of activity can be heard and I am glad that I have a place that is quiet to escape to. I can hear children laughing, horns honking, boda men yelling, and police whistles blowing.

The past week or so has been so filled with activity and meeting different people. Loring has been gracious enough to include me in everything that she has been doing. On a normal day we wake up, have devotions with Dan, Kostya (intern from Ukraine), and Loring, drink our coffee, and try to wake up! Dan and Kostya head out for the day to meet with pastors, work on a new medical clinic, disciple people, etc. I help Loring with home school for Aiden and Hannah. I mainly work with Hannah and we work on math, reading, and spelling. At some point during everyday I read Ben at least 4 books and do the same safari jungle puzzle. Typically he is asking me to do the puzzle as soon as I step out of my bedroom and have my toothbrush in my mouth :o) The afternoons always offer something different. We spend time with Betty, Loring's Ugandan friend whose husband is the pastor of the church that Dan preaches at, head downtown for errands, or go to the store for dinner, or sew curtains for a medical clinic. I have also been fortunate to meet some amazing muzungu women. Loring is involved in a women's bible study and a home school group. It has been so amazing to hear everyone's stories as to why they are in Uganda. One women's husband works for the US Embassy, a few work for a church here, and some are here with different mission organizations or have their own organizations. The common thread in all of these women is their heart for the Lord and their heart for their families. They are all doing their best to adapt and adjust to this culture and to give their children an amazing childhood. I went to a Christmas Cookie exchange last night and met a women who lives in a large home she calls Father's House. She and her husband currently have 16 children and their mission is to simply love children and fill their Father's house. I have met women from Australia, New Zeland, Tanzania, England, and the Netherlands.

Some of you may be thinking, "well this is much different from what I thought she was going to be doing". Honestly, it is different than I thought as well. But I have a peace that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. I am not doing set outreaches, but I am serving the Lord by serving this family. One of my good friends in Raleigh has been nannying for people at our church, Vintage 21, and she has been such a good example for me. Her heart for children and for the families in the body of Christ is contagious. When I am getting frustrated with the kids or I am being selfish and don't want to give of my time and energy I just think of what she would do in this situation ;o) I am still showing love to children and I am building lasting relationships with amazing people. I am so excited to see what the future holds between the Morris family and Vintage 21 church!

This week is a BUSY week! Loring and I are both having a hard time with it not feeling like Christmas. When you are wearing summer clothes and thinking about going swimming it is hard to get in the Christmas spirit. We have a tiny Christmas tree that the kids constantly change the decorations on, and we made Christmas cookies...maybe that will help. This week Loring and I are going to 2 bible studies, teaching Christmas songs to the choir at the church Dan preaches at, writing, planning, and practicing a children's Christmas play, going to a Ugandan wedding, and going Christmas shopping for a few very deserving Ugandan children. Whew! Well it is time for me to go color a princess dress with Hannah then off to bible study. I hope everyone is enjoying the cold weather and Christmas spirit for me! I will be in Raleigh one month from tomorrow!

a new step.

And then there was one...

I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people during my time here in Uganda. They have each marked a different season and a new set of lessons. As I sit here sipping my spearmint team, hearing the storm roll in over the hills of Ntinda, and listening to a guitar being played outside...I miss them all.

Courtney, the sweet deep thinker who knew how to ask me amazing questions and encourage me with her love for life. There was Hannah, the funky, amazing singer who knew how to love children and make me laugh at her thousands of crazy faces. Catherine, the other southern girl who kept me sane and laughing for a month and showed me how quickly people can become friends. And then the Mocha boys, Daniel and Charlie. They were such an encouragement and such a blessing for the week and a half that we hung out with them. We all felt like we had known each other for years! Catherine, Daniel, and Charlie left yesterday and I am still here.

Since today is a quiet day at the house I have had time to think and reflect. With so many people coming and going I was worried about not really having a constant while I was here. The Lord has been showing me that this is how life happens. People come and go...but He remains my one constant. He promises to never leave us or forsake us and to be our strong tower through life's many trials. He has taught me to be thankful for the time do have with people and to trust that if it is in His will He will bring us together again. I am so excited to have lifelong, front porch friends all over the country. (front porch friends is a saying I heard, clearly in the south, referring to those friends that you can talk to for hours and just sit on the front porch with them). The Lord has been so good to me throughout this trip. He has provided me with community and taught me that His ways are always better than my ways.

Tomorrow marks the end of the Empower a Child outreaches for 2009. This week we have thrown two Christmas parties complete with food, presents, a Christmas play, and Christmas carols! The first party was at Katalwema Children's Hospital. The children were so excited to decorate cookies and receive gifts. Yesterday we had a huge party at the Remand Home, which is a juvenille prison. The kids did skits and songs, we had an eating contest, I got a bucket of water dumped on me, traditional Ugandan food, and a dance party! All in all it was a fun day and the kids had an AMAZING time which is all that matters.

Since the projects are ending the Lord has blessed me with a new opportunity for a few weeks. My church in Raleigh, Vintage 21, is beginning to partner with a family here in Uganda to help them start a chuch plant and a sponsorship program for the slum children that live near them. Dan and Loring Morris have become like my second family here. From the first time I met them I have felt so comfortable and so welcomed. They have 3 amazing children, Aiden [9], Hannah [6], and adorable Ben [4]. Their heart for this country and these people is contagious and I am so glad that the Lord brought us together. Tomorrow I am going to stay with them through the first of the year! I am moving from Ntinda to Wabigala (I love the names of places here). It will be so wonderful to spend the holidays with a family. They also have an intern coming from the Ukraine next week. So I will be in the girls room with six year old Hannah and theUkraine intern will be in the boys room with Ben and Aiden. I will be helping Loring homeschool the kids and helping their church get a medical clinic up and running. It will be quite the adventure and I cannot wait to move there! I pray that the Lord will use me to minister to this family and allow me to help Vintage better minister to them in the future.

Love and blessings to you all! 5 more weeks and I will be home in good ole' North Carolina. Comfy beds, cold weather, scarves, hats, gloves, fires, hot water, reliable electricity, electric stoves, no mosquitos, no mice, and fast food here I come!!!

thankFULL.

This has been quite the exciting week, and I feel like I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday! First, I got to have 2, count that 2 Thanksgiving meals in Uganda! Both complete with a turkey that was bought at a market and killed within the premises. The first one was at the Empower a Child house and I was in charge of the turkey and stuffing. This was my first turkey and especially my first one that had been killed that morning! Oh Africa!! I actually turned out great! Not quite your classic butterball..but good none the less. While it was cooking you could smell the onions and the garlic cooking in the stuffing and the butter melting that was slathered all over the crust! For many of the Ugandans who came it was their first time ever tasting turkey. Can you imagine!! The second meal was at the Morris's house last night. They are the missionary family that my church in Raleigh, Vintage 21 is partnering with. It was a PERFECT night. The menu included Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin soup, pumpkin puree, mac and cheese with onions and bacon (made by the southern girls of course), rolls, matokee (made by the Ugandans of course!), apple cranberry gillet, pumpkin cake with brown butter icing, chocolate chip cookies, and coffee! Basically it was magic! There were 22 people there, some from the states, some from Uganda and about half were children under the age of 10. After dinner we all read bible verses that talked about thankfulness and discussed that every good thing we have or do is only from the Lord. His presence in our lives is enough to be thankful for. While I missed my family (who I got to video skype with!) I knew that there in that house with those people was exactly where I was supposed to be. ThankFULL.

things I am thankful for:
-Catherine's humor in ALL situations!
-Muzungu boys with American humor
-GREAT food this week
-God's grace
-families that always make you smile

This week the Lord blessed us with two unexpected muzungu guys. Daniel and Charlie. Daniel was in Uganda with Empower a Child this summer and he and Charlie are back in Africa with an organization called Mocha Club. If you want a great and easy way to help people in Africa this is for you! The organization asks you to give up 2 mochas a month and donate $7 a month to this organization instead! These guys are traveling to 7 African countries to document the different projects that Mocha Club supports. If you want to follow their journey and watch their amazing videos just click HERE! I also joined Mocha Club and if you want to join my team to support orphans and vulnerable children please go to the site!

Charlie and Daniel have definitely offered some comic relief for the events of this week. The most needed time was on Wednesday when we went Jungle trekking. Yep. Meredith Strickland trekked through an Ugandan jungle. Empower a Child purchased 34 acres of land in the Luwero district to build a training center, school, clinic, etc. It is a big dream with great possibilities. So, we drove to the new land to pray over it. We begin our adventure and there is definitely NO path! I was supposed to be praying but I was more worried about a snake, spider, wild jungle animal or child jumping out at me. We got to some huts about the time the rains started. When the rains subsided a bit we headed to a grove of trees that is thought to be possessed by demons and ruled by witch craft. [this is not a joke] As soon as we arrived at the grove the rains began again. And I mean RAIN. Torrential, African, down pouring rain. While some were casting the demons out of the forest the muzungus stood around a) in shock [i mean, this was my first forest demon casting out event] and b) laughing hysterically again because we were beyond wet. The entire time the guys were just cracking us up with their sarcastic jungle comments. We also had a 2 hour van ride back to the house soaking wet and freezing cold! Oh the adventures in Africa. There really aren't enough words to describe that day.

Next week we will be throwing Christmas parties at many of our outreaches! It will be so wonderful to watch theses children's faces light up as we present them with MUCH deserved gifts!

Highlight of my week. Carrying baby Vicky at Sanyu Babies Home on my back like a true Ugandan!!!

Safari Pictures!

Hannah and I beside Murchinson Falls

Me and Pumba, just hanging out. No big deal...this is what everyone does!

Giraffe. Looking at you!

Big Elephant!

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas!

Mufasa..on the hunt for some breakfast!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse at my 300 safari pictures! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to go! If you want to see more + videos then you will just have to wait till I come home in January! Ok. Goodnight all. Movie night with the girls!

safari & thoughts

Would someone please PINCH me! I just got back from a SAFARI! What!?!?! Is my life great or what! 4 of us piled into a van on Sunday and headed up country 5 hours to Murchinson Falls National Park. Our first day we hiked to the top of a HUGE waterfall! It was gorgeous and breathtaking and hot and it made you feel like you were the size of an ant! God knew what He was doing when He created waterfalls. After the waterfall we drove to our hotel, Red Chili! Oh and on our drive through the park we saw numerous baboons. They were so funny and the babies were all just hanging out on their mammas backs! The place we stayed was so nice and relaxing. We slept in a banda which is just a little tin roof house with beds and mosquito nets (of course). Red Chilli came complete with an amazing view, great food, fabulous people watching (we were the only other Americans there..it was pretty refreshing), and quite a few Pumbas wandering around.. you know the usual. What safari experience wouldn't be complete without a few Lion King characters right?!?!? That night there was a MAJOR rain storm about midnight. There are no words to describe the power and sound of an African rain...needless to say we didn't get much sleep at all! We were up and in our safari van at 6:30am! We drove for 5 minutes to the river, which is the NILE, and took a ferry across to start our safari! Our guides name was Tiban..kind of like Timon right! We all climbed on top of our van and sat on pillows so that we could get the best view. We drove through tons of trees for awhile and as soon as we hit the clearing...bam! GIRAFFES! Like 10 of them!! We got to see a giraffe gallop. It was the most awkward yet graceful thing I have ever beheld. The entire time we all felt like singing Lion King songs....we did some of the time! The game drive lasted about 4 hours and we saw soooo many amazing animals! The water buffalo's seem like a tough crowd to live with. They mainly travel in large herds but we would randomly see one or two hanging out by themselves. We asked our guide about that and as serious as can be he replied "oh, those are just the loser buffalo's". We were like "What! Loser buffalo's! how do you become a loser buffalo?". Basically if the males get old or lose a fight, they are kicked out of the herd and have to become loners for the rest of their lives. Though crowd huh! But God made sure they weren't completely alone. They always have birds on their backs to eat the ticks off of them! Circle of life for sure! We saw lots of birds, antelopes, bush bucks, elephants, red tailed monkeys, warthogs, and we were lucky enough to see 1 Male lion and 2 Leopards in a tree! We even went off roading to track the lion..he was hunting antelope! After the game drive we headed back to Red Chilli for lunch. I got a BACON CHEESEBURGER! Yum! In the afternoon we went on a 3 hour boat cruise of the Nile to the base of the waterfall! We saw TONS of hippopotamuses, baby hippos, crocodiles, beautiful birds, and we got really close to a HUGE male elephant! The entire time I had to keep reminding myself that I was in AFRICA, on a SAFARI, riding a boat down the NILE! Ahhh! I highly rec commend it!
During the trip I was reading a wonderfully challenging book by Shane Claiborne titled "The Irresistible Revolution". He challenges us a Christians to actually do what Christ called us to do. To live among the poor, to leave your family to seek Him, and to live a radical life of love and forgiveness. We are all hopeless ragamuffins who are searching and seeking for the One to love us and make us feel whole and pure again. The author lives in the ghetto of Philadelphia and his main goal is to love his neighbor and hope that they know how beautiful and worthy they are in the eyes of God. he challenges all of us to fully think through our careers and think of new and imaginative ways that we can use our gifts to further God's kingdom. He tells stories of massage therapist who make frequent trips into the city to seek out the homeless and give free massages, gourmet chefs who cook five star meals for the homeless, and ordinary people taking time to talk to, love and get to know the marginalized in their communities. I will be returning home in 2 months time....and honestly....I am scared because I have absolutely no clue what to do when I return. The possibilities are endless. I will be coming home a different me, and I hope a more complete me. One of my prayers upon coming to Uganda is that I would learn how to love more like Christ and that through my time Christ would heal me from a year of pain and heartache. That prayer is slowly being answered and I can feel Him changing me slowly. However, everyone who knows me at home only knows the old me. How will the new me fit into life in American again? I cannot go back and continue in old patterns and old ways. The Lord makes all things new and I pray that He will give me a clear and fulfilling path for when I return. I just want to do something where I feel like I am helping others and loving on children. Here are some things I have learned about myself upon being here that I never knew before.
- my smile can make a child smile :o)
-i am a visual learner and I have picked up sign language quickly
-I am not as shy as I thought I was
-I am not scared to ride on a motorcycle
-I need Christ on a daily basis
- I enjoy teaching
-I love helping to heal children's wounds
-Reading is good for the soul
I know the Lord will help make my path straight.

One of the stories in Claibourne's book talks about a time when he and a friend helped a prostitute that they found crying on the side of the road. They took her back to their house and gave her something to eat. All of a sudden she said to them "You all are Christians aren't you? [they had never said anything about being Christians to her] "I knew that you were Christians because you shine. I used to be in love with Jesus like that, and when I was, I shined like diamonds in the sky, like the stars. But its a cold dark world and I lost my shine a little while back. I lost my shine on those streets." I know that all of us have lost our shine at one point or another. I have lost my shine before. Some of you reading this may feel the same way. What a true statement she made. It is a cold dark world out there and things happen that cause us to lose our shine or even our faith. But the God I love is a God who restores, and polishes until He sees us shine like diamonds again. I want to love on people who feel like they have lost their shine. I challenge all of us to love people like that. Everyone is deserving of love. Christ died on the cross for all of us. CS Lewis says "if you find within yourself, a longing greater than this world can provide, then we know that we were made for more than this world can provide. We were made for eternity". I have 2 more months here. I want to learn how to love deeper, find the most needy, forgive fully, heal greatly, and return complete. I have a wonderful community waiting for me at home and I know that they will help me transition back into American life.

I am thankful that I serve a God that can use ragamuffins like me and turn us into ordinary radicals.