Everyone is leaving :(

So, Rebecca and Alex are leaving tomorrow.....so sad. I've really enjoyed all the volunteers and seeing them go is difficult after being roommates for several months. Alex has been entertainment with his silly tactics, his funny impressions and his adrenaline rush risk taking that has put all of our BPM's well above healthy levels. Rebecca has been joy incarnate. She is full of life and brings sunshine where ever she goes, her heart is gold and I'm going to miss both of them very much.

There farewell dance was sweet because Rebecca loves to dance with these ladies and always joins in whenever they have practice. It was only appropriate for her to jump right in on her farewell dance. Alex too got some good moves in before he left the dance floor - the women went crazy.

As a few leave, more arrive thankfully. Marayah just arrived yesterday, she is going to be here for 10 months as the Volunteer Coordinator. She's wonderful and is perfect for the job! I'm kinda sad that I'm only going to be here for 11 more days, I would've like to have spent more time with her here.

Then, on Monday we get Andrea who will be one of the girls taking my place when I leave - very excited to meet her :)

I've been really busy lately since Randy has left. However, it's been good, I'm loving everything I do here (other than bookkeeping....ugh). As my time here is coming to a close, I'm doing all that I possibly can to soak in the days I have left here. I want to take it all in and continue to take advantage of what God has for me here.

Farewell Kate

So Rebecca and I escorted Kate up to the airport this week. Her flight didn’t leave until late at night so we spent all day in Entebbe goofing around. We went to the Entebbe Zoo and got this beautiful view of Lake Victoria. We saw amazing animals. I went on a Safari last time I was here and it was fantastic, but this came in a close second. The Safari allowed you to see animals in the wild, but you only saw them if they were around. This zoo had every exotic animal Africa has to offer and you could see them up close and personal.

We had an adrenaline rush with the Lions. The male and female were mating and the male started to get upset that all these tourists were watching, so he came up to the fence and started to growl (not a roar unfortunately, but a growl). Kate and I were watching from behind the crowd and Rebecca was far in the distance. We noticed the only thing keeping these lions in was a chain linked fence… yes like the ones at baseball diamonds….not very secure.

Then the lion kept growling and soon enough he made a lung towards the fence with the crowd of people behind it. Everyone jumped back and screamed and Kate and I looked at Rebecca only to find her sprinting down the hill with one other lady. They were booking it as fast as they could. Even after everyone realized the threat was over, Rebecca and this lady were still running. Kate and I were laughing so hard and Rebecca didn’t stop running until she was out of site.

Really, how can I blame her though, I truly think that lion could get out if it wanted to. It’s gotta be stronger than a chain linked fence….frightening.

This other picture is of the group of us all together. This is our only group picture…..unreal, why didn’t we take more? Anyways, now Kate is gone and Alex and Rebecca leave next week…tear.

So much more has happened, I apologize for not blogging as often I should.

And to my love, this video from Kymbi. He misses you….you were so good to that boy.

Safe Journey Randy

Lilian, pictured to the right of us girls, is about to give birth. We were at her house delivering a birthing kit that Kate’s family helped provide for a bunch of our prego Suubi women. It was so much fun. This particular woman was so grateful. She is perhaps the most faith-filled person I’ve ever met and so it was so fun to be able to a part of blessing her. Her intense and sincere gratefulness were greater gifts for us girls than what we actually came to give her (I love how it ends up working out that way).

So we’ve been having dance practice every Monday, it’s been amazing and so much fun. I feel like this is a time for the women to forget about all their indifferences, all the jealousies, all their worries and just be free. This is a time where I see the most smiles, hear the fullest laughter and see the most bonding between the women. They LOVE to dance and the ones who don’t know how are now learning which is so much fun to watch. The picture shows one of our Suubi women (Agnes) getting’ fresh with Randy at his ‘Goodbye’ dance, it was so priceless.

We had a nice dinner with some good friends (Ben & Kym) before Randy left. This place was called “The Haven” and it was exactly that. After driving for 15 minutes through the poorest of the poor village, you arrive at this well manicured getaway out looking one of the most gorgeous views of the Nile. It was truly breathtaking at sunset.

So Randy left the country of Africa yesterday. The Suubi women and the tailors of Epoh were so sad to see him leave, as were the volunteers and of course, myself. I took him to the airport and was so emotional. I only have 5 more weeks here without him, but he was a real support for me here. I miss even just his presence in the house and the security of having him around. I keep trying to remember that I need to live today fully and presently. I don’t want to be counting down the days ‘till I leave and can be with Randy again. I want to take full advantage of each day here and be fully available for God to do whatever He wants with me for the day. The volunteers here are awesome and make it easier to just that, I’m thankful for them.

what I've been up to

So I dressed up as a cowgirl for Halloween here because there's not many options to get creative here with dressing up. Becca was a Hippie and though they changed out of the traditional Ugandan dress, Kate, Emily and Rachel (my namesake), were all decked out in African dresses called Gomeces (have no clue how to spell that word).

We went to hand out candy, soccer balls and jump ropes in Walukuba and the children danced and sang for us. We couldn't resist partaking the fun. The little boy in the white button up shirt was our little MJ, he did all the moves and so smooth. He's a stud! The picture with the little girl on my lap is Hamina, she was so dear to me when I came here over a year and 1/2 ago. She is more outgoing this year and is learning how to dance and shake her cabina (butt). I love these village kids, they're so much fun!

Pictures for fun

So this first picture is when we went to take a boat ride on the nile from a resort called Kingfisher. There were 6 of us that went to go swim and then take a boat ride at sunset....so romantic :)

Emily and Adam (a couple of the new volunteers) are pictured here.

This second picture is at Kingfisher. We were parked under this tree with a bunch of hanging nests like this. I thought it was really unique.

This next picture is of a bird that was Bronco colors. It was so bright and colorful, I just had to take a picture of it.

Then I saw some children walking on the RailRoad tracks on the way home and it was a kodak moment, so I snapped away.

And the last picture is a girls pampering night. We asked Betty, Nancy and Sharon to come and join the fun. They were hesitant at first, but joined along with some persuasion. They kept on asking why we do things like put stuff on our faces, let it dry and then wash it off. They said it was different and that they didn't know how it could help your skin. Africans have naturally perfect skin and they age VERY slowly so they wouldn't need it even if it were readily available to them. However, it was the experience that made it fun.

Times like these

Sorry for the long span of time between my blogs. It’s difficult for me to assess my time here from week to week. I am continually stretched and challenged here. I am dealing with so much with my family and my marriage outside of all that is going on with Light Gives Heat. I am finding things out about myself that took me 27 years to find out. I am ugly, I am sinful, I am confused, I am lost and I am weak. Amidst all of this, I am believing that I am also beautiful, I am loved, I belong to my Abba and His grace covers ALL. Some days I feel more of one than the other but am still trying to figure out how to operate out of my heart knowing all of those truths.

Processing all of this ½ way across the world from my friends and my family has forced me to run to God and run to Randy. I’m learning a lot and realizing the purpose of all His timing (which I didn’t think would happen). Things are never what they seem.

We’ve also become close with a family here that has been a great support for us, they are our community right now – thank God for them!

Now, enough of me, let’s talk LGH. Suubi is going great! We’ve started weekly dance practices (for tribal dance) and the women and all of us Mzungus LOVE it!!!!!! English classes are progressing and Literacy classes are still awaiting a teacher (we’re getting there). The Epoh (bag) project is slowly coming along as well. We think we found a new building to move to because the current one is having problems with theft, plumbing, locks, running water….and on and on. We’re hoping to make the move sometime this week!

We got 3 new volunteers in on Friday. Betty said the night before that she was feeling so big because she was about to birth 3 more children. She views us all as her children, she’s a good mom! After the volunteers arrived she said the birth was somehow not all that bad.

It’s been raining a lot, we’ve arrived at rainy season now. Friday it rained all day long and everything shuts down here when it rains, so Friday was not productive for anyone.

A couple of weeks ago I witnessed the birth of a baby boy named after my husband, Randy. The picture of Christine, the Mother is here along with Randy and I holding baby Randy. Within the hour of the birth, my best friend, Cory birthed a baby boy in America named Joseph Augustine (Gus). I was calling Cory every ½ hour to an hour to check up on her during her labor. I felt that God was sweetly giving me this experience here in Africa to directly parallel with the birth of Gus. I wanted nothing more than to be there for Cory for her labor and delivery and to hold this sweet Gus within the first day of his birth, but God has placed me here during that time. He gave me an experience here that kept me present in real time with the birth of my best friend’s baby boy. Even though I couldn’t be there for his birth, I was grateful that God gave me this experience to be with Christine (the suubi woman who gave birth to Randy) at the very same time Cory was in labor. I was able to hold baby Randy within the hour of his birth, it was truly amazing. God is so sweet to have blessed me in this way. I love that God is so caring to bless us with things like this that we don’t necessarily need but that He knows will warm our hearts, and He does this just because he loves us, just because He loves me. Wow!

I’m humbled by how thoroughly God loves us. Thanks Abba!

Creatures to "The Hills"

So, ever since Alex and Rebecca have arrived, we’ve encountered many insects that are Egyptian African HUGE. One night, we came across the big guy in the pic with the fisted hand. He wouldn’t move off this pillow. Rebecca threw shoes at it; Alex tried lighting a match by it and still nothing. It was clinging to that pillow as if it was a part of him. It was huge and ugly.

Then we went to the pool on Sunday and came across this fugly centipedish thing. He appeared under my bag at the pool and one crawled over Kates foot….ewey. He doesn’t look that big but he’s about 6 inches long without stretching him.

Then the other night this huge praying mantise I guess flew into our house. It was also huge but probably pretty harmless.

Then one night after we were all freaking each other out because of some drama with the teenage girls living with Betty, we decided to pray and then distract our thoughts by watching episodes of season 1 from “The Hills” (don’t judge me please). The picture of all of us on the couch watching the computer depicts our "movie cinema experience" in Africa. So, the Hills has now become a bit of a routine every few days. This is us intensely watching the drama of rich teenagers unfolding from a scripted “reality show”. There couldn’t be a show more contradicting to what is going on everyday around us here in Uganda. It does seem a little sacrilegious to watch it at all, let alone here. However, it’s our escape for now and when the entire town of Jinja shuts down after dark (unless you’re one to get drunk), you get creative with things to do when the sun goes down. We’ve spent hours talking with Betty, George, Nancy and Sharon and playing with Kimby; we’ve played bad mitten using the coffee table as our net; we’ve had worship/nooma nights; movie nights; game nights; dance parties; baking nights; chill reading nights; and soon to come “make-over night!” I want to do makeovers on all the girls (again, don’t judge me please).

We’ve got quite an amazing LGH volunteer crew and I’m so thankful that everyone appreciates each other and the time we have here in Africa together. What would we (LGH) do without volunteers and what would I (selfishly) do without the fun they bring? Thanks volunteers for sacrificing and being who you are!

New Blood

New Blood

So, this is one of my favorite things about my job so far, guiding volunteers, getting to know them and showing them the world I love here in Uganda. Perhaps some other job aspects get put on the back burner for the first few days volunteers arrive, but I think I’ve realized that’s needed and it’s okay (especially because Randy does a phenomenal job at picking up my slack).

Rebecca and Alex are two new volunteers that just arrived yesterday. I’m having a great time getting to know them and so appreciative for the fresh joy they bring to the house. We said goodbye to Heather and Ryan today so as two left the house, two fresh ones came! Today I showed Alex and Rebecca around town and introduced them to some local Ugandan food as well as the ever-daunting “central market.” They did quite well taking it all in and enjoying the experience. They came along with me as I collected instruments for dancing with the Suubi women. We are going to start dancing the last meeting of every month but the women had no instruments to dance with/to. I had Heather pick up some Kalabashes (half gourds that are hard and you bang on them with thick wires) from Gulu when she last went. Then today I bought drums, a whistle and endeges (noise making anklets for stomping). So, the collection is complete and dancing will be done……glorious!!

Last week we went to Messessi to help an organization called “Serving His Children.” Basically we helped feed 1000 kids in the slums of the village. It took us about an hour to prep and then 2 ½ hours to feed the 1000. Renee is the young girl that started this organization (she is pictured with Kate and I). It’s pretty phenomenal that such a young girl (I think she’s only 20) has taken on feeding 1000 kids twice a week. We’re hoping we can help her out more while we are here.

And then this past Sunday we went jumping in the Nile River. Who does that? That sentence just makes me sound cooler doesn’t it? “I jumped in the Nile!” Love it!

Anyways, it was awesome! After a 20 minute drive on quite possibly the worst constructed road on the planet and 4-5 little boys holding a deteriorated piece of string across the road to prevent us from passing (this means they were wanting a monetary toll to allow us to pass, but I new better so we just kept driving), we finally arrived at our destination. We walked down hundreds of steps formed in a huge hill to the bottom where the River Nile created a playground for locals and tourists. Heather, Ryan and Randy were all too quick to jump from the cliff, no fear. It took me a good amount of time to muster up the courage to actually take the plunge. It wasn’t necessarily the height that was freaking me out, which is odd because I suffer from vertigo, but it was the fear of not jumping out far enough to miss the rocks below. After everyone else took the plunge and I counted to 3 about 10 times, I finally jumped screaming the whole way down.

I lived through it and swallowed a mouthful of the Nile…probably not healthy I know. We also went body surfing on the rapids, which sounded like a great idea until I banged my tailbone on a rock, ugh, I hate tailbone bruises, they’re the worst.I took the plunge a second time (I know, I’m so brave), but just before I jumped this guy (the Ugandan pictured here covered in suds) jumped from behind me head first. He had just lathered himself up with soap and was diving off the cliff to rinse off, that’s one way to bathe I guess.

Excited to live more life and write about it, so until then, cheers!

A Time For Words

It’s ironic to be so far from my world in America but still in the middle of all the drama that goes on in that life. On the one hand, I’m grateful to be this far away and be able to focus on the passions I’ve followed here in Uganda. On the other hand, I feel guilty for not being there for people and situations that I would normally be there for (or at least be expected to be there for). My mind, heart and spirit are in a constant limbo between Africa and America. It feels a bit like those parts of me are transporting from one continent to the other. Like my mind, heart and spirit here in Africa will fall numb because I’ve transported/teleported to the messiness of my life in America and then vice-versa. I’ve got to figure this out sooner than later because it’s kind of exhausting me and thoroughly confusing me to be honest.

I ask the same question to God almost everyday, “What is with this timing?” I trust that it is His timing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t boggle my mind just the same. At least there’s trust, that’s familiar and unfamiliar at the same time due to recent revelations about myself. I can always trust God, that’s familiar. Trusting people is apparently the foreign part for me unfortunately. I’m trying (and failing a lot of the time) to balance disappointment with grace, Africa with America, my mind with my heart, and my passion with my responsibility.

All that said, I’m hugely grateful for more people in the house. Ryan and Kate came to volunteer last week. Kate will be here for 3 months and Ryan only for two weeks. It’s been so great having more people to interact with and to let in on the projects of Light Gives Heat. They’re helping us decal!!!!!!!!!! Randy and I have been placing little “hope” decals on little pink beads for each weeks buying and this will continue ‘till mid-October. Aside from being a tedious task, this one also requires time and patience. We do around 400 decals each week, so having extra hands and patience has been a God-send for sure! I love, love, love having volunteers here! They are life-giving, refreshing and so excited to be here!

Betty, Sharon and Kimby are really starting to feel like family now. They are a comfort to wake up to and to come home to after being out in the villages and in town all day. They too, are God-sends! I can’t help but realize the people I interact with daily here are a saving grace for me in the midst of my “teleportation” awkwardness.

So, now it’s been another day in the one-day-at-a-time perspective I’m trying to embrace! Thanks God for today!

cont'd

Sharon - isn't she stunning? Not only that but she knows how to handle a ponga (machete - ish thingy) like I've never seen before
Kate - a vivacious volunteer that just arrived; She's already taking the load of decaling beads....a tedious and monotonous job (thank you sweet Kate and Ryan for your help!)
I'm pretty sure I found Jay-Z's son and his name is Derek; He lives next door to Agatha, loves big glasses and loves getting his photo taken. Um....H - to - the - izzo, can you bring some coffee hagendaaz ice cream when you come pick up your african seedling?

words are for later

Ryan Andrews- the Chairman of the LGH Board of Directors....a little frightening to say the least; he's wearing teeth that another board member and wife sent to the LGH staff and volunteers here in Uganda (the package only took 6 weeks to get here)

We're all enjoying the horrific teeth. The first time I wore them and showed Betty, she threw her hands in the air and started screaming. It was classic!
Agatha - our scrap cutter for epoh

I'm teaching her how to swim. Kinda funny that she has more legit swimwear than I do.

no real title for this weird one

So, I figure I should blog since it’s been about 10 days since my last posting. It’s hard because every time I think of blogging, all I can think to write are things that I think would bore you to read. We are now in the process of fine-tuning the Epoh project, figuring out meticulous calculations, processes, timelines…etc. Our days are consumed with running errands, meeting with people, paperwork, and decaling beads, and figuring out how to do our job. This is all stuff that I’m pretty sure would tempt you to start skimming my blog instead of losing yourself in it for the moment (huh, I think I just accidentally quoted Eminem right there).

I hope once we have some more fine-tuning in place, we will be able to have some more exciting encounters with the people here and maybe I’ll have more to tell you. However, I also have an expectation that our entire time here is indeed “fine-tuning,” which I’m afraid will render my blogging unexciting and weird.

Thank God for the hysterics that go on in this house that keep us falling in love with Betty, Sharon and Kimby. Today we were teaching Kimby how to dance. I managed to get a small bit of him on this video, but he didn’t dance as much when I was filming. But, you’ll see I did get some sweet footage of Betty and Sharon shakin’ it!

Randy and I are here with only one volunteer, Heather. Soon, very soon, the house will be full of volunteers and the dynamic will change drastically. We’re excited for that, but also enjoying the peacefulness of a somewhat empty house for now.

A lot of you know that I am a bit of what some may call a “clean-freak.” I’m not ashamed, but it can be a little time consuming to be a clean-freak. On my day off last Sunday, I spent hours going through things that had been in this house probably since Dave and Morgan got this house way back when. I threw out expired medications, lotions, vitamins; I organized all the DVD’s (which none of them were in their correct boxes…..hate that); organized the art supplies; organized the books, organized the misc. stuff and organized the bathrooms.

One of these days when the power goes out again, I’m going to completely face-lift the fridge and freezer b/c they are not looking pretty. The freezer is so overgrown with frost you can’t even put anything in it. Then, I also plan to go through all the kitchen cabinets and clean and organize. I aim to get these things done before the slew of volunteers come through. If you’re a clean-freak, then you know I will probably achieve my goal.

And finally, to end this completely random and scattered blog, I will tell you this:

My experience this year in Uganda is completely different than last year. I have responsibilities, goals, expectations, and people I am responsible for. My agenda this time around is to better things for LGH on the Africa side of things. My goal last year was to learn the culture, the people, the lifestyles, the climate, the joys, angers, sadness, hope and pain and of course, the dancing! I’m thankful I had last year to jump in with both feet having little to no responsibility, it has allowed me to feel grace to be alright with not fully doing that this time. I guess I just didn’t expect it to be so different (should’ve guessed it, but didn’t expect it). So, day by day we are getting things done and those moments of diving in the culture will become more frequent, I’m trusting they will and deeply hoping they will.

All that said, God has been sweet to work in to each day ways that make me LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being here. For instance, being on a pikki ride (motorcycle) at night, feeling the wind in my face, closing my eyes and completely trusting this complete stranger to safely take me to my destination; dancing (with or without others); Sharon's contagious laugh; Kimby calling his mother by her name, "beeeettty"; the Nile River; visiting women in their villages; free movie night at a local coffee shop; the glorious, and I mean glorious mornings on the front porch with the comfort of coffee; introducing Randy to everything and everyone I know here; Diane, the one who ones a shop on main street and helps me with the language here; and of course, the village children - so easily entertained they are, love 'em! I've quickly recognized my good fortune in being here and the experiences I'm having and have yet to enjoy are straight from the hand of God.

So, in future blogs, lets hope for your sake and mine that I am more coherent and fluid because not unlike this blog I've posted, I am all over the place and grasping for my senses. :)

greetings to dave and morgan

greetings to dave and morgan

Just some visuals

This first picture if for those of you who didn't believe me when I said they have "blue balls"
These are some amazing flowers that cusp the Nile River!
This is Randy and my feet after walking to the villages and back.
And this is Betty, her son Kimby, and Sharon - the amazing people we live with.

raindrops

It rained this morning. I woke up and stayed in bed listening to it’s gentle pounding for over an hour. There’s something about rain that encourages freedom in me to slow down and just be. As I lay there thinking how wonderful this rain is going to be for the gardens here, I remember this rain means more to the women I know here. It means they are on their way to their gardens to dig because now the soil is soft. When cooking food and rolling beads may have been on their agenda this morning, digging now takes precedence. It means hope for their crops, which have suffered from the heat and dry climate from the last few months.
As I continue to be introspective listening to the rain and recognizing that rain is perhaps the only thing that can create this response in me this early in the morning, I become very thankful for my circumstances. I’m in Africa I’m thinking; Who gets to do this? For 5 more months I am here in this beautiful country with these beautiful women and children. My husband is here and I am living an opportunity that many only dream of. My thoughts circulate between thankfulness for being here, thankfulness for the rain, and the stark contrast of my morning next to the morning my Ugandan friends. Then I realize that this perspective, the one I get and am reminded of by being here, is one of the most important things I will take away from being here. And as I roll myself out of bed, I think to myself I hope it rains tomorrow!

Back to the East

So, we’re finally here. It feels good to be back but I cannot seem to wrap my mind around being here until January. It’s an amazing and rare experience to be here for this length of time but I am definitely, and perhaps wrongfully, allowing my heart to pull towards the things and people I am missing at home.
This time here is different. It’s different because Randy is here and he is able to see and experience things I could only tell him about before. It’s different because I’m not volunteering, I’m on staff and have a lot of work to do over the next several months. It’s different because the women in Suubi have rotated out and new ones are here. It’s different because there are new people living in the house. And it’s different because it’s not new, things are familiar and people are familiar.

I feel that my heart was much better prepared for my time in Uganda last year than now. I feel a bit disheveled with my spirit, my emotions and my preparations. I’m hoping to soak in every moment I’m here and truly live while accomplishing everything I need to here.

I definitely feel that I am walking into an exciting opportunity that God has so lavishly put in front of me and for that I am so grateful. I never want to take this time for granted or be jaded by people and the pace of Africa. I love it here, the women are heartwarming and the land is breathtaking!

Since we’ve been here for two days now, we’ve been learning all the responsibilities the staff here does. I’m feeling a tid bit overwhelmed, but I guess I knew I would feel this way. Our 2 main luggage bags are taking longer to get to us than we thought - I’m borrowing people’s clothes and I haven’t shaved since last Friday (ugh).
The smells are as pleasant and as nasty as I remember and the noises come as early and as loud as I recall. These are the things that I appreciate now but I’m sure in a few months will detest. So, the journey has begun and Randy and I are jumping in with both feet for whatever lies ahead! We’ll take this whole thing a step at a time and hopefully soak it in moment by moment. I’m excited to know the stories we will be living over the next several months!


I’ve attached pictures of everyone living at the house currently. I’ve also attached pictures of our new Epoh project and the building we just rented for the tailors. It’s been good to put faces to all these people I have been hearing about from Joe and Melissa (the staff that is leaving on Monday).