Week 19 + 20

Hello friends!

My baby sister has come and gone. It was so lovely to spend time with her and have her experience my life here. I’m going to miss her so, but I hold on to the time we had together as a most precious memory. Here are some highlights from the past two weeks!

We helped out one day with the distribution of the monthly supplies. Each month, our IChooseYou families receive soap, flour, sugar and Vaseline. I sat with the book of names and each parent signed the book to receive their supplies. Those who cannot write their names, sign with a fingerprint. The flour they receive comes in massive bags, and the ladies carry the bags and weigh out the individual portions. They are such bosses.

We spent some time in Namatala (the slum outside of Mbale), loving on the kids and worshiping with them. Bosco, the boy in the orange shirt, absolutely loved Bailey.

One day, we did a “small wounds clinic” in Namatala, which basically consists of cleaning cuts and slapping band aids on kiddos. We set up in the market. We had few coming to us, so we decided to go to them! We came across several people with various infections on their feet. Bailey was an absolute stud. She cleaned nasty feet without flinching, with utmost gentleness. I guess it’s because of Jesus’ example washing the disciples’ feet, but I find something undeniably holy about cleaning someone’s dirty feet. It requires humility like nothing else. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

On a Sunday after church, we held our annual IChooseYou family day. We provided lunch for the families and then had the delightful task of handing out to each child: a brand new backpack, an IChooseYou t-shirt, and a photograph of their sponsor. Each child had an individual photo taken, then we gathered together for a group photo. What a good looking bunch!

One of our families (they have four children in IChooseYou, including our only university student) moved to a new home, so we gathered there for a house warming party. We ate snacks, listened to wonderful music (provided by Esther, the best ten year old guitar player in the whole world), and told stories.

We made the journey to Kampala to drop our wonderful little team at the airport. Taking advantaged of being in the big city, I got my hair cut and bought a new painting, both bringing me tremendous joy.

We’re back in Mbale now; Callie, Katelyn (the newest addition to our home and IChooseYou team), and I. Katelyn is a beautiful and wonderful person and I’m so happy she’s here for the next five months.

Guess what, friends! I have reached the midway point in my Ugandan journey! I’m halfway through my time here, a fact which I find both delightful and dreadful; delightful because I have wonderful and exciting things ahead when I go back to the States (not to mention the people I get to see), and dreadful because I love it here and the thought of leaving the people I love and the life I've built makes me a little weepy. I feel like I just got here and like I've been here forever, all at the same time. What a strange feeling it is, to feel like you so wholly and completely belong to two separate, entirely opposite places on earth.  I’m looking forward to things ahead, but I’m also very committed to living in the present, something I've always found a bit challenging. I’m a planner, you see. I love to think ahead, to dream, to plan. But, sometimes, that gets in the way of really living. If you are so concentrated on the future, you’ll miss the now. Things are happening, God is moving, and we can’t afford to miss it! I love prophecy, how God reveals glimpses of what is to come to His children. It’s beautiful, and it grows my faith every time I see a dream or a word fulfilled. But there is so much happening right now, in front of my very eyes. People are hungry for God’s word, children are growing up knowing nothing but the Father’s faithfulness, and we are in a time of bold obedience. I don’t want to miss what God is doing in the present. Do you?

Thanks for reading!

Em 

Week 18

Hello everyone!

It's been a busy week with our team from Texas! It's been so great to have my baby sister here. I've missed her sweet smile and crazy sense of humor. It's been great to show her my life here though, honestly, it's a bit strange to have my American life and Ugandan life mixing! Bailey has now met my friends and seen: my home, the school where I work, the church I attend, the store where I buy Pringles, and the coffee shop where I spend most of my free time. It's fun to have her experience these things alongside me. We hold on to our time on the mission field in New Zealand by recalling memories together, both good and bad, and now we'll be able to do the same with Uganda. When time has passed and I'm back in America (or wherever I'll live in the future) I'll be able to say, "Remember that place in Namatala?" or "Remember my dog Rocky?" and she'll be able to say yes! Mbale, Uganda is now a part of her and we'll both always have a bit of this place in our hearts.

 The team had not been here two days before we all had quite the African experience: a traditional Ugandan introduction and wedding ceremony. We began the 12 hour celebration by dressing in our introduction attire: a traditional African dress called a gomas. A gomas is usually made with six meters of fabric. It goes on like a bathrobe, then takes a great measure of folding and tying to get it all in place. A wretchedly gaudy belt is tied around your waist. The shoulders are pointy and I genuinely feared poking someone's eye out. BUT OH! I've forgotten the best part: underneath your dress goes a "bum blanket". Pretty much all it is is a blanket that you tie around your waist and fold over so that you appear to have a, well, larger rear end. My my, how Africa and America differ.

The introduction takes place at the home of the bride's parents. I, along with my friends Callie and Natalie, participated in the introduction as a "fake bride". We danced out in front of everyone and then knelt on a mat before the groom. He declared that we are not what he is looking for (the nerve) and sent us on our way with a parting gift. Since we had "spent too much time in the sun" and that's why our skin turned from black to white, we were given umbrellas to shield us from the sun. Someone needs to give that guy a lesson in Tanning 101, but whatever, I got an umbrella. After lots and lots of music and ceremony, the bride eventually comes out and the groom claims her. Dowry is exchanged and gifts are presented. With all of this done outside in the merciless Ugandan sun, it was a really long morning.

Everyone changed clothes and headed to the church for the wedding ceremony. Thankfully, an American dress would do for this part of the day. There was a lot of singing and happy yelling. Like anything in Africa, it was long, long, long. After the ceremony, we went to the reception at a hotel. It was absolutely beautiful. The bride made her fourth garment change of the day and my gosh, was she breathtaking. Overall, it was a really cool experience. Though, for the sake of all who had to see me in a gomas, I hope it isn't something I experience again for some time.

We took a trip to Karamoja, the place where most of our IChooseYou families are from. It was absolutely beautiful- National Geographic Africa. The huts had perfect straw roofs and the mountains were breathtaking. The villages were so clean and as one mzungu described, "pure", untainted by the modern world. We took three of our kids, a little boy and a brother-sister pair, to visit their home villages where their sick mothers reside. We found the mother of the young boy quite sick. It was absolutely heart breaking to see this woman so ill and weak and to see her small son weep, so hurting to see her in that condition. When we took the two teenagers to see their mother, we found out that she had already died.

These things always provoke a lot of questions from me. Mainly,

"What the heck, God?"

Why do some live in such poverty? Why do some not have enough the eat? Why do some experience such grief at such a tender age? He uses these moments to teach me a lot. The feeling of hopelessness is suffocating and if I don't work it out with Him, I wouldn't last five minutes in this country. I am not for one second going to act like I have this figured out because I most certainly do not. I've found that the first thing I have to do is be honest about how I'm feeling, with another person as well as with the Father. I didn't used to talk to Him about this kind of stuff, but then I realized: I'm not going to offend Him by being real with Him. And he already knows what I'm feeling anyway. He's okay with a "What the heck, God?" every now and again. It's okay to talk to Him about what I'm feeling. He can handle my questions, my confusion, and my tears. After all, we're friends.

On another note, I'm currently obsessed with the song, "Wake Up" by All Sons & Daughters. Seriously, have you heard this song? So great.

Thanks for reading! Love y'all.

Em