What an incredibly fun week it has been! This week has been full of friends, YouTube videos, adventure, photo-taking, eating, lots of music, Jesus, and heaps and heaps of laughter. I am so very appreciative of the friends the Lord has put in my life here in Uganda. I feel so overwhelmed with joy to be surrounded by such amazing people. I am beyond thankful that my heavenly Father has placed me in such a wonderful community of beautiful brothers and sisters.
My friend Katie and I both love to take pictures and having our picture taken, so sometimes we take walks, snapping photos of one another along the way. Katie is an extremely talented photographer and I always end up with loads of lovely photos on my Facebook. I, however, can barely turn on the flash on my camera. The photos I take are never nearly as beautiful as hers, but being the sweet friend that she is, Katie pretends to like them anyway. Here are a few from this week:
Here are some photos that I took of Katie. Despite my horrid photography, isn't she lovely?
This week we had our first worship night at our house with some of the mzungus in the area as well as Ugandans. One friend led on guitar, singing music from Jesus Culture, Hillsong, and others. It was such a wonderful blessing to come together and sing familiar songs in our native tongue. Worship in other languages is a really incredible thing and I love experiencing it in Uganda. But sometimes you just want to be able to worship the Father with music you know well. It's familiar, and it's freeing, in a way that you can't really understand until you've gone some time without it. Singing some of the same songs that I've sung in America reminds me that Jesus is the same guy, no matter where you are or what you're experiencing. Hopefully worship nights will become a weekly thing among us. I am so thankful for it.
Some missionaries in town organized a live music night at everyone's favorite coffee shop in town. All sorts of music, both well-known and original were enjoyed. It was tons of fun. This is Katie and I at the Endiro music night.
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Now here's for the most exciting part of my week: I went with a group of friends to hike Mount Wanale. Let me first say that I love adventure. I love trying new things and meeting new people and seeing new places, so the idea of hiking a mountain sounded awesome. "I'm so in!" I said in haste.
HOWEVER: I am not athletic. At all. I'm not in good shape, nor do I have a coordinated bone in my body. Physical challenge does not sound like fun to me. The idea of sacrificing your body for sports has always been a ridiculous notion to me. This has made me a bit of an oddball, since I've grown up in a family of athletes, one of whom, *ahem*, is a two time football state champion. All that to say: it was hard for me. Really hard. I had to take several breaks along the way for a breather. I felt a bit bad for slowing the group down, but everyone was very kind. My friend Bex waited with me and prayed for me as I sucked air.
A word on my friend Bex. Bex is delightfully British and quite possibly the kindest human being I have ever had the honor of knowing. Bex loves people with complete abandon. She can make conversation with anyone and watching her talk to people, particularly with kids, feels like watching a painter or a musician working at their art. She has this incredible ability to relate to people and make them feel loved. She sees people in a way that most don't; in the way, I imagine, that Jesus sees them. Bex gives the person in front of her her full, undivided attention, as if no one else were around. She asks questions with sincere curiosity. She acts as if you are the most important person in the world because, in that moment, you are. The love of Jesus simply bubbles out of her, in the way she laughs and smiles. It's clear that she has been completely enveloped in the love of Christ- people simply aren't capable of that kind of love unless the Father has poured it out on them. Bex is amazing, and I feel so blessed to be her friend in this season of our lives. I can't wait to see the things God has planned for the rest of her life. If the way she loves is any indication of how the rest of her life will go, it will be full, exciting, and extraordinarily beautiful.
Anyway, back to the hike. As we neared the top, we came to a ladder. Honestly, it was much sturdier than it looked. On the way up the ladder, what do you know, my pants ripped. Not a little rip. Like a huge, never-trusting-Ugandan-fabric-ever-again kind of rip. Now, most people might be embarrassed by something like this, but for some reason, I wasn't. I thought it was absolutely hilarious. I was able to nick an extra shirt from Bex to tie around my waist. (Nick is a word used in the UK, meaning jack or steal. I love the British slang I'm learning from my friends, though I fear the day that they realize they could get me to say really goofy and potentially embarrassing things). The sight of a beautiful waterfall was waiting at the top. All in all, the hike was great. The scenery was amazing and the view from the top was to die for (which is good, because there were points where I felt like I was going to die). Here are photos!
Katie and I
Joe Rolfe, king of the world (Also, our fearless leader)
Natalie and I before going up this seriously dodgy ladder
Bex and I (and Dan the photo-bomber)
The group!
Up the ladder. Pants ripped, don't care.
The tippy top.
Love this silly girl
Waterfalls!
I really love the people who currently make up my community of friends. And though I know these friends will come and go from my life (as is the nature of life, especially the lives of missionaries), I cherish the time I get to spend with them in this season. The Father is so good. He knows we need good brothers and sisters- people to laugh with, learn with, and love with. To quote my homegirl, Audrey Hepburn, "I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I love most, to laugh." God has put amazing people in my life. People to teach me, support me, and love me. But, right now, my favorite thing about them is that they make me laugh.
Em
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