I feel like Tom Hanks in The Terminal....

I am very sorry that I am just now getting around to this update on the newest things in my life at the moment… my last week in Uganda was rather busy and so I just did not get around to it. So yes, I am not in Uganda at the moment. I am on my way home (to Guatemala) for 4 months. I am going back to for Krishauna and Andi’s wedding, I will be home through the holidays and then for Brittney and Joel’s wedding. It’s going to be a wonderful, busy few months! 

So far, my traveling has been quite smooth, but very long and exhausting. I left my apartment at 8pm on Monday, the 5^th. My flight left at about midnight, 8 hour flight to Amsterdam, 6 hour layover, 8 hour flight to Washington DC where I had an overnight layover. 

My grandparents live a couple hours from DC so they picked me up from the airport, took me to Cracker Barrel  for dinner, then we went to the hotel and hug out a bit before we slept…. In fantastic beds with amazing pillows! (it was like sleeping on a cloud ;) ) 

My flight from DC left at 6 am, so we were up and on our way at 4. I am not on my 2 hours layover in Atlanta, but we will be boarding in about 30 min.... Then just the last leg of my trip, a 3 hour 45 min flight to Guatemala!!!! I am almost home and I can not wait to see my family!!!! But ya, I am defiantly beginning to feel like Tom Hanks on the Terminal. 

I do not yet have a return ticket to Uganda, but I AM returning and it will likely be in February (due to the fact that elections will be around that time and things can get crazy, I am not 100% sure when I will be heading back, but it will be around that time). So ya, that’s about it for the moment. Thanks for all your prayers and support, God bless!

P.S. Sorry for all the random pictures of me.... Selfies will not become a regular blog thing, I have just been VERY bored. 

Luganda Lessons, Power Outages and Jigger Clinic

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been so long, I have been needing to do an update, but was waiting on other plans to be confirmed before I did so.

First of all, working with Zoe was going fine, but they found a replacement so after 3 weeks I passed off my job to a wonderful new lady. So I had 3 full weeks of busyness, school and stress.... and now I have had a full week off.

Which leads me to my next thing. Today I had my first Luganda lessons! I will be doing 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. I could use your prayers. Languages are not my strong point and I have heard (and today, experienced) that Luganda is hard to learn. However, God has called me here and I would really like to know the language so I am going to do this. I am so excited and terrified all at the same time. My tutor is great! We spent some time today, just talking and getting to know each other, but we also got a lot of studying in. I took a lot of notes and also got video of her speaking.... So, in addition to 3 hours of classes each day, I will be spending some of my evening studying and practicing pronunciation and vocab words. PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR ME!

Just some more personal information:
I have been going to a bible study that I have really enjoyed. Every week everyone shows up with a dish of some sort, we all eat together then sit down to study the word (it is a very fun and diverse group there are Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, Ugandans) . I have also started going to a new church (the other church was good, just too big for my taste). This church is the kind of church I am more used to... small, simple, more of a community than a mega church.

My apartment is great (by no means perfect, but who's first apartment is supposed to be perfect?) the biggest problem... the power, but that's just Uganda. To give you a taste, lets just say that I went almost 1 whole week with no power outages and that was just a huge surprise! Luckily, when the power does go out, I have multiple people near me that are ether on different power sources or have generators. They have (very generously) allowed me to go to their house, charge my computer and mooch off of them when I am unable to do stuff at my place.

I am also trying to get involved in some different ministries... few weeks ago, I was part of a jigger clinic.
To start off, just getting to this ministry where the clinic was being held was an amazing, beautiful adventure! 5 minute walk, 5 minute boda (motorcycle) ride, 20 minute matatu (taxi/van) ride, about a 30 minute boat ride across the lake, about a 20 minute boda ride on village, dirt roads.... it was amazing! Sadly, I have no pictures, but I am hoping to visit the ministry again in about 2 weeks and I will be sure to get pictures and video then.

Okay, now.... For anyone who does not know what jiggers are, here is a short science lesson. Jiggers are small, parasitic sand fleas. "When the female is ready to lay eggs, it will bury itself, head first into the host (human or animal). For humans, the jigger usually looks for soft exposed skin like the areas between the fingers and toes. The jigger will stay under the skin sucking blood from the host until the eggs are fully developed. In about two weeks, the eggs will have fully developed and when ready, they will be dropped out in the same hole that the female flea entered. The female lays about 100-200 eggs at one cycle. The eggs will hatch after a few days and go through the larvae and pupal stages in about 2 to 3 weeks, to become adults. The adults, still burrowed in the human flesh, will mate and the cycle will begin again. Therefore, while a single female jigger may burrow itself in a person initially, the person can end up with hundreds of jiggers within a few weeks, even if no more jiggers from outside enter his or her legs." I have been told that the in initial burrowing is not very painful, but once they are in there, swelling occurs, they are moving around, laying eggs.... it can get pretty painful. If, for some reason, you want to know more about the lovely jigger.... http://www.killthejigger.org/what-are-jiggers/

Here in Uganda, jiggers are a big problem (much more so in the villages). So, there is a ministry that once a month holds a jigger clinic. They get people to volunteer, head out to their place and help remove the jiggers and egg sacks. Some people wash feet and others dig (and if they have enough people, sometimes they paint the girls' toenails). So, eager to learn new things, I bravely decided to try my hand at digging. Basically, I sit down and start looking. After a minute I don't see any jiggers (and after someone who knew better what to look for confirmed it) that girl left and the next was brought to me. This girl clearly had some, so as the lady is instructing me, she finds an egg sac under the girls toe nail. She starts digging, the little girl is squirming (but other than the numbing spray that was already applied, there is nothing more to do but suffer through the pain, and get it over with), blood and puss is seeping, I start getting dizzy. I decided to step out side for a few minutes, the moment I step back in, it all hits me again.... I almost pass out, so I call it quits. I stayed outside for the rest of the time, playing with kids. I will try again. I am living here and it is a very common problem with those in the village, so my plan is to be able to do that work.... it just might take some time before my stomach and head can deal with it.

So, that is my lovely adventure from a few weeks ago. Hopefully, before too, terribly long, I will be able to share a story of me successfully removing jiggers, but until then I will continue just having fun playing with the kids :)

Slight change of plans....

Slight change of plans... tomorrow is my first day of school! (Never thought I would be saying those words again).

I have been offered a job for the next 6 weeks of working as a personal assistant to a 15 year old girl named Zoe (she is part of a missionary family here). She has autism and has non verbal communication disorder (people with this disorder can be very verbal, including Zoe, this just means it makes it hard for them to pick up non verbal cues, sarcasm, etc.). My job will be to spend the school day with Zoe.

I am still looking into taking some Luganda lessons late afternoon/evening, but I am unsure of how that will turn out.

As you know, I have just moved into an apartment and setting up house here was not cheep (appliances are quite expensive here). This job will give me more experience with autism and give me a chance to make some money in the process. I have not spent too much time with high functioning autism, so this will be a bit of a challenge, but an amazing learning experience! I truly believe this is a gift from God.

Again, thank you all for the continued prayer and support,

Temple of the Holy Spirit

Okay, there are 2 parts to this blog post...
1. What God has been putting on my heart
2. My apartment and life here

(So, what God has been putting on my heart)

Right now, as a female (I know guys go through the same kind of things, but since I am not a guy, I am going to talk from the female point of view) there are 2 things being crammed down our throats…. 1. Be skinny; be a supermodel. 2. Accept yourself just the way you are; you are beautiful without changing a thing.

Now, I want to start off saying, don’t hate who you are (and believe me, I know that feeling just as much as the next girl.) God made you the way you are, accept that…. I believe that 100%. But, it’s not always that simple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “Do you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (Now, I do know that different people will take this verse differently, but I am just sharing the way God has used this verse to teach me.)

Is eating junk food 24/7 and never exercising- because you hate it with a passion- honoring God with your body? Obviously not. I can say with confidence that when this….

...is no longer just a funny clip, but becomes a reality I think it is safe to say that is not honoring God with your body.  (Which is exactly where I am, sadly) So, I am going to start changing my life style. I love food so much that I am not going to go on a diet or anything, but I will get past my hatred of exercising.  (if after I am in the habit of this and I feel God’s desire is for me to change my eating habits, I will do that as well but I am going one step at a time).

Now, I want to say… No, I do not love my weight and yes, I do hope that exercising causes me to lose weight but that is not my reason for doing this. That is why I will not be keeping track of my weight. I do not know how much I weigh going into this and that is the way it is going to stay. I do not need to count pounds, if I begin doing that it would change my motive.

So, I am telling you all this to keep in mind, it does not matter how skinny you are, it also does not matter if you love yourself, what matters is how you are treating Gods temple? If you are honoring God with your body then yes, love it, embrace it… whether you are 105 pounds or 360 pounds, everyone is different and you need to remember that. God made us different, love that about yourself… but in the processes honor God with that. 

(Now, my life here)
If you guys have been keeping up with me on facebook you have probably been seeing my regular updates... if that is the case feel free to skip or skim this part.
I am still working on getting unpacked and organized (I am taking it slow, simply because I want to). Here are a few pictures of the place. Sorry for the blurriness, I meant to get some better ones today while the sun was out, but I forgot. 

Setting up house has been very expensive so far (the apartment was completely empty, so fridge, microwave, hotplate, bed, couch, chairs.... all things I had to buy within the past few days) and there are some more things that would be really, very useful (desk, bedside table, lamp, etc.). If you feel God calling you to help, that would be so, greatly appreciated. If not, that is fine but I please continue praying for me. 

Also, this morning I visited a church that had some amazing worship! This church is call Watoto church; it visits in the theater of an water/amusement park. Watoto is a branch of mega churches here in Kampala (this branch is on the smaller end). I really enjoyed it, the preaching was good, the worship was amazing!

P.S. the videos do not do it justice.

 

So yes, that is an update on me. I am still figuring out exactly what my normal day will look like, it will take some time for me to properly get my life set up here... but I am really hoping that very soon I will have another (more informative) update for you all.

Thank you all for your time, your prayers and your support.... it is all greatly needed and appreciated. God bless!

NEXT STEP!

As many of you know, I have spent the last 6 or so weeks, moving from place to place, living with different missionary families as I research Kampala and look for a house. As many of you do not know, that failed miserably. I still don't know what area of Kampala I want to be in long-term and I was not finding any house that would be suitable to run a home from and that was also in my budget. So, about 2 weeks ago (with the "go ahead" from God) I stopped looking for a house and began looking for an apartment.... and I found one!!!!

Today, I went to "reserve" the apartment and next week, I will sign a 6 month lease. This is just temporary for me, I will still open up a home here, but it will still be a while before I am able to accept children in the home, so I might as well get an temporary place to live in while continuing to figure out what area I ill be in long-term. But for the mean time, I am in an area that I know, near friends.... so I will be getting settled in very soon. I will be using this time to begin language classes, get to know more people and ministries, and get better settled here in Uganda.

 So, this is the outside. I will be on the second floor

(the window a the very top of the picture is my bathroom window).

Main room (about 20ft by 16ft) 

Bedroom and closet (room is about 10ft by 10ft)

My very cozy little bathroom.

So, at this point I need to shop for some basic stuff (bed, fridge, microwave, curtains, food, etc.).... but as long as I have enough stuff to live off of, I could move in as soon as the 31st. Thanks again for all the prayers and support. I will do another update soon, on lease signing, key receiving, shopping and moving in :D

Miracle of the Moment

Before I get into the actual post a few side notes...
1. This is a difficult post for me to write. Because of this my thoughts may not be very organized. I am sorry if my writing sounds scatterbrained, believe me I tried to make it as clear as possible, but when you are very emotional…. Well there is really no telling what the outcome will be. 
2. A few weeks ago, a friend suggested a book to me Holding on to Hope by Nancy Guthrie. I am about half way through it (you have to read slowly because it is an emotionally difficult book to read). Nancy and her husband lost there baby girl, and this book was her way of explaining why God lets bad things happen to good people. I have used some quotes from it, so anytime you see something underlined it is from this book
3. I am referencing multiple Steven Curtis Chapman songs because they are so spot on, I can't help but post them. (Not that he is ever going to see this but here are a few words to him) Thank you so much, for the ministry you have done for so many years. Your songs, your words, your example has helped me and my family through so much, you have literally changed the direction of our lives. Thank you for being such an amazing example and encouragement to everyone around you.

It has been 1 year since Thania has passed.
52 Weeks since I have held her in my arms.
365 days since I have seen her beautiful eyes.
It has been 1 year since Thania has seen Jesus face to face.
52 weeks since she last experienced pain.
365 days since she has been fully healed.

She is completed now, she is healed, she is running and jumping and dancing with Jesus...
Meanwhile, I am still here, overtaken by grief.

“My Strength is dried up…”
“But you, O Lord, be no far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.”
Psalm 22:15, 19

When you loose someone that is so close to you, everyday tasks become hard. Picking out clothes for the other kids became a task that I choked back tears for, because every night I had to look at her shelf with all her beautiful bright colored clothes, knowing I would never get to see her in them again. Tucking the kids in for nap or bed was so hard because I would go in to give kisses and there was her empty bed. But perhaps the hardest is church. I still have moments during the worship time that I turn to pick her up so I can hold her and dance with her, and when I do she is not there. Everything reminds me of her, which makes life unbearably hard.

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you…. Because my hope is in you.” 

Psalm 25:16, 17, 20, 21

"If God has allowed suffering into your life, it is for a purpose. A good purpose. A holy purpose."

This is often one of the hardest things to remember. But I know with all my heart, that God was glorified in the life and death of Thania... if that was not the case she would still be here. I don't know if on this earth I will ever get to see the reason why God took Thania when he did, but I trust that when I get to heaven he will show me why. All I can do now is trust in his perfect plan even when it is hard. 

"Though those who put Jesus on the cross meant to do evil against him, God used it for good, in order to bring many to himself. The Cross, then, is the ultimate example of God's ability to work all things together for good-even the most wicked deed Darkness ever conceived."

We must learn to dwell on what we once had, instead of dwelling on what is lost.

The tiniest, most normal moments of when that person was with you become such great memories after they are gone. The smallest things very quickly can turn into the most treasured moments. 

Like, one afternoon, we pulled out a notebook and were drawing together, I hadn’t thought much about that afternoon, until (as I was packing for Uganda) I came across our picture. It is now one of my most favorite possessions.

I just came across this picture (right) yesterday... I loved that afternoon. It was back when she was still in her suborn mode, so I just snuggled her and watched watched my very favorite episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S (The One Where No One's Ready).

An afternoon at the park... goofy sleeper time... silly selfies...

Drawing on our faces with a highlighter... hearing her lovely laugh... such great memories.

“So breathe it in and breath it out, listen to your heartbeat. There's a wonder in the here and now, it's right there in front of you, and I don’t want you to miss the miracle of the moment. And if it brings you tears then taste them as they fall, let them soften your heart. And if it brings you laughter then throw your head back and let it go, let it go…. You gotta let it go. ” 

Miracle of the Moment, Steven Curtis Chapman

"Despite our feelings of discouragement we can hold on to God's promises, hold on to what we know about who he is and how he works. Even though we don't understand, and it is so dark we cannot see to take a step forward, we can choose to hang on, to keep trusting, to keep believing God's Word."

"Trusting God when the miracle does not come, when the urgent prayer gets no answer, when there is only darkness-this is the kind of faith God values perhaps most of all. This is the kid of faith that can only be developed and displayed in the midst of difficult circumstances. This is the kind of faith that cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken."

When grief overtakes you, all you can do is turn to God. In him is the only relief. Relief will not come overnight, it may take months, it may take years.... it may never come, just keep your eyes fixed on Him. He is the lighthouse that will keep you from sinking.

"It's all Your God, Your God, everything is Yours

From the stars in the sky to the depths of the ocean floor

and it's all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours

You'rs the make and keeper, Father and ruler of everything

It's all Yours

I've walked the valley of death's shadow

So deep and dark that I could barely breathe

I've had to let go of more than I could bear

And I questioned everything that I believe
But still even here

in this great darkness 

A comfort and hope come breaking through

As I can say in life or death
God we belong to you.

And we are Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky to the depths of the ocean floor

and it's all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours
All the greatness and power, the glory and splendor and majesty
Everything is Yours!"
Yours (with added verse) Steven Curtis Chapman

Let the Ships Burn

I have been wanting to do this blog post for a few days now (I actually have had this update planned for months, but now that I am here I can actually write and post it). This is a short post, not because I view it as unimportant (this is so, very important to me), but when you have something so important sometimes the simpler the better.  

-The hardships of the new world made them restless and weak. Quietly they whisper, Let’s sail back to the life we knew. But the one who lead them there would say...
Burn the Ships were here to stay, there’s no way we could go back now that we’ve come this far by faith. Burn the ships we’ve passed the point of no return. Our life is here so let the ships burn.-

I have been told by so many people “when you get married, don’t ever view divorce as an option. If it is in your mind that there is a back door, you will take it sooner or later.” Well, I 100% agree with that. When the trials and difficulties come around there should be no back door. All you can do is turn to God and look for your next step.

His calling causes us to burn the ships. You listen, you follow, and you NEVER turn back.

I am burning the ships. I know 100% that Uganda is where I am supposed to be. So this is where I am. I will not move back to the U.S. and I will not move back to Guatemala. Will I visit? Absolutely! My friends and family is there (I will actually be heading to Guatemala in October for my sister’s wedding)... But moving back is in no way in the near future. Years down the road, God might say to me, “ok, your job here is done... go______.” But unless I get a very clear message like that, this is my home. This is my life.

My life is here so let the ships burn.