Kampala, Christmas, and So On...

I’m sitting here at the Baptist Mission Guesthouse in Kampala, enjoying the cool breeze of the fan pointed at my easy chair. We’re getting ready to pack up and leave soon and I’ve been feeling reflective this morning. I feel a little sad to be leaving Kampala after 4 days here. The time went by fast and I really enjoyed this city. I’ve enjoyed luxuries that are far from available in Bundibugyo like: Indian take-out, stores filled to the brim with selection, air conditioning in my room at night (!), a vague sense of anonymity, doing laundry in a washing machine, and great cell phone reception everywhere I go. This is still Uganda though so my time here has also been full of: countless marriage proposals and sweat, lots of sweat.

I feel hesitant about re-entering life in Bundibugyo. I’m thankful for a few days in Fort Portal to act as a buffer. I’m reminded of Anna and the Johnsons who are about to re-enter Bundibugyo, not from Kampala but from the even greater land of abundance—America. Pray for them as they have had to say good-byes yet again and attempt to re-adjust yet again. Going back to Bundibugyo will be hard but I am so thankful for things to look forward to there: the reunion of team, a Ugandan wedding to attend, returning to my “home”, and the Christmas season approaching.

Speaking of which, I realized this morning just how hard it has been to “get into the Christmas spirit” for me. I’m finding that Christmas means a lot of different things to me—cold weather, sweaters and scarves, the warm glow of Christmas lights and those ridiculous inflatable things people put in their yards, sitting under a warm blanket while watching TV with overplayed Christmas commercials, hearing Christmas music in every store and listening to it while baking cookies, decorating the tree and always having to drape the gold ribbon around for my mom, eating way too much delicious food, and singing Christmas carols at church. I think I’ve come to the realization that so much of that list has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas. While I still miss it all, I wonder if the lack of commercialism may help me remember why we’re really celebrating. I’m looking forward to seeing what Christmas in Uganda holds for me and am also praying that the Christmas lights I bought here in Kampala work at our house :)

Lastly, in this stream of consciousness post, I’d like you to join with me in praying about my role in Bundibugyo. I realized shortly before I left, while talking with Pat, that I can basically write my own job description in Bundi. Exciting, freeing, and also a little overwhelming. As I’ve spent the last two months learning about the various ministries of the team, I’m praying about where God would use my gifts best. It can seem discouraging that I don’t have a particular “slot” to fill—I’m not a doctor, nurse, teacher, or agriculturalist. I have skills but often feel that they’re lacking. So pray with me as I return to Bundibugyo and the team reunites that I would feel God’s calling to a particular ministry and find my niche, serving in a place where I feel useful and find joy.

Giving Thanks

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving here in Bundibugyo early, since we’ll be traveling to Kampala on Thursday. While spending holidays away from home can be hard, I am trying to focus on the many unique aspects of celebrating my first Thanksgiving in Uganda!

#1 and most importantly:

I met the turkey we’ll be eating today while it was still living. It’s true. She didn’t seem particularly bothered, laying in the grass with her feet tied. I think if she had known what was coming, she would have been a bit more lively.

Webhale Yesu (Thank you Jesus) that there is one, brave man left on our small team. While I participated in another way, as you’ll see, I did not have to kill the turkey or two small chickens we’ll be feasting on this afternoon. Loren, brave pioneer woman that she is, was willing to hold it down for John—three cheers for her!

While I did not help with the actual slaughtering, I did find myself plucking two very fresh chickens and one small turkey. Can’t say that I ever planned on doing that but I can now add it to my list of “Things Accomplished in Uganda”. And if you ever find yourself in need of direction on plucking poultry, I am now qualified :)

#2:

Making pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin! I can’t say I’ve ever made a pumpkin pie, let alone from scratch, but I think it turned out well. I’m also so thankful that I was able to get all the ingredients for green bean casserole—an absolute essential for my personal Thanksgiving traditions. It is amazing what familiar foods can do to boost morale!

#3:

Explaining to my Ugandan friends what this strange American holiday called “Thanksgiving” really is. I think I’ve found the holiday more meaningful as I’ve been forced to stop and actually explain why we’re celebrating.

While I’ve been here in Bundibugyo, I’ve been trying to regularly list the things I’m thankful for from the day. It is easy to become discouraged, focused on negatives, and mired in self-pity. But I’ve found that listing ways God has blessed me in the past 24 hours is a real boost in the right direction. So here are just a few for this (early) Thanksgiving day:

• Going for a run this morning while the streets were still quiet and watching the sun rise over the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains—definitely the most beautiful place I’ve ever taken a morning jog!
• The wonder of the internet’s capabilities to keep in touch with loved ones from home, even in rural Bundibugyo!
• Looking forward to my first trip to Kampala, a taste of the outside world, and the return of Anna and the Johnsons in less than 2 weeks!
• Delicious food to feast upon, the means to buy it, and tastes of home on this very American holiday.
• A team to celebrate with that is becoming my second family and Ugandan friends to share our traditions with.
• A wonderfully supportive and loving family at home in America.
• A Savior that has the power to transform lives, bring us from darkness to light, loves us unconditionally, and is faithful to bless us each new day.

Remembering Anne

About 24 hours ago, I found out that a friend of mine from college, Anne Jackson, died suddenly. I don’t have any details concerning what happened, I only know that she will be greatly missed. We were not the closest of friends but we spent a lot of time together, eating in the cafeteria, watching movies in dorm rooms, and chatting on the way to class. Several months ago, I drove her with another friend from Nyack to Maryland and listened to her studying for one of her musical performance finals from the backseat. She was an incredibly gifted singer and was always stunningly beautiful for her recitals.

My heart is heavy for her family and I ask that you would join me in praying for them in this incredibly difficult time. Anne was the most cheerful, optimistic red-head I knew and her smile radiated Jesus’ love. She shone brightly and it is hard to imagine that she is no longer here. I am reminded yet again today that this place is not our home and I look forward to seeing Anne in our true home someday.

A Splendid Saturday

What makes up the best Saturday yet in Bundibugyo? The recipe includes:

-2 perfectly baked loaves of bread. After struggling with my propane oven, burning everything, and being afraid of making my first loaf of yeast bread, success x2! Delicious and a boost to my baking ego :)

-1 plate of fried pork and cassava from Pat’s favorite new local eatery.

-1 full hour of reading a good book without being interrupted more than once by knocking at the door.

-1 hour of time spent chatting with Joyce at her clothes stall in the market. Bought a beautiful piece of tie-dyed fabric from her and she lifted me off the ground when she hugged me hello and good-bye. I’ll work on getting a picture of her—she is a small woman to be lifting me off the ground!

-1 massive papaya given as a gift, 2 guavas, and a piece of jackfruit from RMS. Went to RMS with 4 boys, armed with a rolled-up magazine to keep dogs from jumping all over us in excitement and watched as they climbed up the guava and jackfruit trees like professionals. We returned victorious and none of the dogs even got out of the fence! I enjoyed my first taste of jackfruit with the boys, sheltered from the rain by our porch.

-Innumerable squirts of Bendaryl spray bringing sweet relief from the mosquito bites covering every square inch of my arms.

Thanks God for Saturdays filled with rest, fellowship, fruit-picking adventures, and delicious food!

Delicious tropical fruits--papaya, guava, and jackfruit!

Richard enjoying some of the jackfruit he knocked out of the tree.

Neighborhood boys enjoying jackfruit too!

2 perfect loaves of bread; if you're from near Galena, MD--they taste just like Village Bakery's bread. Truly made my day!

Highs and Lows

Some highs and lows from the past few days:

High: Opening our safe on the first try of putting in the combination

Low: Finding a dead rat in our pantry (the smell led me to it—gross!)

High: Talking to my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew from halfway across the globe

Low: Having to kill a rat with a baseball bat not more than 3 hours after finding the other dead one in the pantry

High: Checking “kill a rat” off my list of firsts

Low: Seeing pictures of my nephew’s 5^th birthday party and wishing I could have been there (still thankful for the internet and the ability to see those photos though!)

High: Praying with the girls at Christ School, reminding them that they are beloved children of God, and hearing Betty’s beautiful prayer for me

Low: Hearing stories of corrupt politicians in the area that think they can commit crimes with immunity

High: Helping Baguma Charles on a busy day at the health center and being able to successfully hear and correctly spell names in the record books (a big improvement from a few weeks ago!)

Low: Seeing a 7 month old motherless baby that weighed 3 kg with a loving grandmother who has no family support or way to feed the baby

High: Drinking coffee this morning and actually feeling a bit of a “chill” in the air; felt like it was fall for a minute!

Low: Not sleeping the past 3 nights

As you can see, life here is full of mountain peaks and valley lows. From one moment to the next, I may be floating on Cloud 9 (where does that expression even come from anyway?) or facing the stark realities of living here. So many of my daily experiences leave me feeling both triumphant and defeated. I thank God that He is always triumphant, unchanging, and his love never fails. I am so glad to have Him as a constant, strong Refuge in every moment.

Fort Portal Fun

As we drove into Fort Portal, I couldn’t see much other than the shining bright lights of the big city. My how my definition of “big city” has changed in one month! I recently returned from 10 days spent in the “big city”. It was a time of refreshment as our team went on a prayer retreat and afterwards I spent time at Pat’s second home.

Some highlights of our time away:

• Petting a camel at the guest farm we stayed at for the prayer retreat
  
  
• Speaking English and being understood most of the time
• Grocery shopping in what felt like a Wal-Mart (but my definition of Wal-Mart has changed a lot too!)
• Eating out at restaurants—cooking from scratch every night gets old after a while
• Cool temperatures at a higher elevation
• Painting one of Pat’s bathrooms with lime green paint
• Walking through the tea fields behind Pat’s house in total quiet, peace and solitude
• A lack of mosquitoes and critters in general
• Spending time in the Word while drinking coffee on Pat’s sunny back porch
• Having a great conversation with my parents (the call was only dropped 3 times!)
• Switching malaria preventatives and saying good-bye to nasty side effects
• Sleeping through the night!

My time in Fort Portal was great—the adjustment to life back in Bundibugyo has had its ups and downs. I am glad to be back in my house, feeling some vague sense of familiarity in my surroundings and not living out of a suitcase. I am glad to see some familiar faces as well and am enjoying getting back into a new rhythm of life here, even if we are missing the Johnsons and Anna. I hit a low a few days ago when I was really sick but am so thankful for God’s provision of loving team members who cared for me and kept loneliness at bay. I am feeling much better today though and have enjoyed a restful weekend full of baking, a phone call home to Tony and Rachel, teaching Usta, my language helper, to play Uno, and watching the Office over dinner with Pat.