Christmas in Bundibugyo

I had a great Christmas here in Bundibugyo! It was a little strange to celebrate in the heat and humidity, with a flip-flop suntan, but there were several moments when I thought to myself "this feels like Christmas." And I certainly felt that I understood the sacrifice that our Savior made in coming to this earth in a whole new way this year. Here are a few photos from the several days of festivities! (They're a little out of order :)

Blowing out the candles on Jesus's birthday cake.

So glad I brought these sunglasses from Wal-Mart with me :)

Aidan swinging away.

Church on Christmas morning.

Everyone dressed in their new Christmas clothes.

The spread for Christmas morning breakfast. Yum!

Kym enjoying her sunglasses too :)

Nativity play on Christmas Eve.

Three wise women and two angels for the nativity.

Two More Stories...

Here are the last two interviews I did with Christ School students. I'm looking forward to doing more when the term begins again in February!

Meet Nyangoma Agnes. Her story is one full of pain and hardship but also one of victory. She comes from Buganikere village and enjoys visiting home on term breaks, where she helps in her aunt’s shop and plays with her uncle’s young children. Agnes completed primary school but there was no money for her to attend secondary school. God provided her with a sponsorship at Christ School, where she began to learn about God and the teachings of the Bible. When she came down with smallpox, she thought death was near but after being healed, she began to trust God with her whole life. Two years ago, Agnes’s twin sister died. As Agnes remembers her sister, tears roll down her cheeks and the pain is still great. However, Agnes can still say “God has done great things for me”. She says with confidence that God has always been with her as she has passed through many troubles. She also states that God is for her and not against her, pointing to the evidence as she prepares to graduate from Christ School. Agnes has a passion for math and economics and hopes to one day become a businesswoman. Join us in praying for Agnes and other students of Christ School—that they would have similar stories of triumph and be able to say “God has done great things for me”.

Meet Kansiime Asumini. She calls Bumate village her home and answers my questions in a soft-spoken voice with a smile. We find common ground being the youngest child in our families and she tells me about her favorite Nigerian movie. Asumini recalls both the happy and the sad life-changing moments that have occurred in her nineteen years. She remembers the joy she felt at being accepted at Christ School as well as the discouragement of becoming ill during her first term there. While teachers made preparations for her to return to her home, a friend and fellow student named Miriam, prayed for Asumini. Soon after, there was no more talk of Asumini returning home due to her illness—she had been healed! Remembering God’s healing power, Asumini says she learned that “God has plans for me and He can make a way when there seems to be no way.” As she dreams of what those plans may hold, Asumini hopes to become a journalist, taking photos and writing stories of important events in Uganda. Join us in praying for Asumini as she graduates from Christ School, that her light would shine brightly here in Uganda.

Another Christ School Story

I had hoped to post a story of a Christ School student everyday but sometimes living in Uganda doesn't allow for that! Here is another story though:

Meet Kule Isaiah. At nineteen, he is confident and a born-leader. He eagerly explains to me that “Kule” is the name given to a third born male child. When asked about his journey to Christ School, he responds, “God did me a favor in coming here”. At the age of eight, Isaiah’s father was killed in rebel warfare. Isaiah felt hopeless and feared his future had been lost. His mother remained faithful to God and when Isaiah approached secondary school age, she told him to pray, as there was no money for school. He came to Christ School to interview for a sponsorship but the registrations had already been completed. He still interviewed, hoping for a miracle, and was found to be among the top 10 new students. When God answered Isaiah and his mother’s prayers, his life was changed. As he attended Christ School, he began to learn more about God and His character. Today he boldly proclaims that “God is the father of the fatherless.” Isaiah hopes to graduate from Christ School in one year and dreams of completing a Bible course afterwards. He also hopes to continue on and receive a degree in medicine so that he can give back and care for orphans. Join us in praying for Isaiah and the many other students with promise at Christ School, that they would become strong, Christian leaders of Uganda.

Would you consider blessing future CSB students? I would love to introduce you to one of them! We will have 10 new freshman scholarship students in 2011. You can sponsor a child for $600 a year ($50 a month) or give a one time gift and help fund Christ School's work in shaping the next generation of Ugandans! For more information visit http://www.whm.org/csb. OR just send me an email at chrissychip@gmail.com.

Another Giving Opportunity

One of the ministry opportunities I've enjoyed the most the past few months has been spending time at Christ School. It is a Christian secondary boarding school that was started by World Harvest Mission to provide Ugandan students with a quality, Christian education. It has grown quickly and this past year was the first year it functioned under a Ugandan headmaster. Another wonderful aspect of this school is the sponsorship program, which allows orphaned or needy students the opportunity to attend school at no cost. Paying school fees is at the front of every student's mind here and being sponsored is a privilege and amazing blessing. I've loved spending time with some of these sponsored students--studying the Word and praying with some of the girls once a week. And in November, I had the opportunity to interview several of them, hearing their stories and how God is at work in their lives. I'll be posting a story every day for the next 4 days so enjoy!

Meet Kansiime Christine. Hailing from Ntandi village, she looks forward to breaks from school when she can go home to visit with her mother and seven sisters—sitting around the fire and sharing stories. Christine is a confident young woman at the age of twenty. She is passionate about literature and reading novels; Emma’s War is her current favorite. As we talk, she is eager to share her story and all that God has done in her life. Christine’s father died when she was young. Her mother managed to scrape by and support her children but there was no money for Christine to go to a high-quality, private school. Instead, she attended the local primary school but she worked hard and earned the highest grades in the district. As she finished primary school, Christine’s mother broke the news that she would not have the money to pay for her to attend secondary school. Christine was devastated but soon after she received a letter telling of the sponsorship program at Christ School. She was fearful as she had never been to Bundibugyo but she gathered her courage and interviewed. Two hundred students were competing for ten sponsorship slots and the hopes of a quality education. Christine was accepted and has been amazed at God’s provision for her entire secondary school education. She is looking forward to graduating from Christ School and hopes to become a teacher or public administrator involved in social services. Join us in praying for Christine, that she would rely on God to help her achieve great things for Uganda.

Would you consider blessing future CSB students? I would love to introduce you to one of them! We will have 10 new freshman scholarship students in 2011. You can sponsor a child for $600 a year ($50 a month) or give a one time gift and help fund Christ School's work in shaping the next generation of Ugandans! For more information visit http://www.whm.org/csb. OR just send me an email at chrissychip@gmail.com

Reflections on a Year Full of Change

The last year has been one of extreme transition. A year ago today, I was finishing up finals at college, looking forward to a long Christmas break at home with my family. I knew it would probably be the last Christmas I would spend with them for a little while but I was completely unaware that I’d be living in Bundibugyo, Uganda the following Christmas.

In the past 12 months I have had some major life changes. I graduated from college, did some waitressing, worked at my home church, enjoyed an American summer. I raised support in record time and said more bittersweet good-byes than I wanted to. And I moved to Uganda. That’s a big one.

Along with each of these transitions and adjustments, there has been joy and grief. But today as I read Exodus 17, I was reminded of the faithfulness of those around me. When the Israelites fought Amalek, they would start winning when Moses held up his hands. But when he lowered his hands, they would start to lose the battle. His arms became tired so Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses and held up his hands until the sun set and Israel had defeated Amalek.

Today this became such a visual representation of those who have come around me to support me in this year of transition, this year of mountain highs and valley lows. Many of you have supported me financially to help me get to this place. Many of you have offered countless prayers, joining me in crying out to God. Many of you have blessed me with words of encouragement or actions of love at just the right moment, when I needed it the most.

As I reflect on the past year, I am astounded by all that God has done and all that He continues to do. I praise Him and thank Him for each one of you. As Christmas draws near and the year of 2010 comes to a close, I hope you know what an integral part you play in God’s redeeming work in my life and in the lives of the people of Bundibugyo. If you feel led to give toward my support costs, the link to give is below. I’ll also be introducing a giving opportunity for a specific ministry here in the days to come so pray about what God might have you do. I know I am keeping you in suspense but hopefully I will have Internet access tomorrow!

Thank you, thank you again for all that you’ve done in loving me and the people of Bundibugyo well. May you have a blessed Christmas in which you remember the great Light that came to pierce the darkness!

Personal support giving link:http://www.whm.org/give/missionary?ID=51026

Stay tuned for more!

A Day of Celebration

I attended my first Ugandan wedding on Sunday. It was an honor to be invited and a truly cultural educational experience!

The wedding was between two members of the local church so their wedding service was part of the typical Sunday church service. When we arrived at the church, I knew this would be no ordinary Sunday though! The church was decorated with balloons, palm leaves and fresh flowers, and toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper. As an American, when I saw toilet paper draped around the church building, all I could think of was mischief night gone terribly wrong. But as the service progressed, I was able to culturally shift gears and see it as a festive decoration instead.

It was a great service full of good sermons (at least what I could understand of them), singing and dancing by a wedding choir (which included a sound system and electric guitars!), and singing hymns from the Lubwisi songbook. The bride was beautiful but stoic; I’m guessing her serious face was a cultural expectation? I am still learning so much everyday about Ugandan culture! It was a wonderful ceremony—wonderful but long.

It ended after about 3 ½ hours and Anna and I decided to venture out to the reception despite feeling tired and pretty hungry. We walked with a friend to the groom’s home which served as the reception site. It was great to see an area of Nyahuka I had never seen before. As we approached the reception site, the whole neighborhood greeted us. We sat under a tarp with the rest of the guests, while literally hundreds of children from the neighborhood squeezed in to see the action. The bride and groom arrived and were seated. They cut the cake, which resembled our American wedding tradition but there was definitely no smashing it in each other’s faces. The wedding choir performed several more songs and then some very famous performers arrived. From my understanding, the lead singer of the Send Me Band is from Bundibugyo and while I didn’t know him, he seemed pretty famous to those around me! He and three back-up singers came and performed while the women in the crowd were practically swooning and the kids pushed in to get as close as possible.

By this time, it was nearly 6 pm and Anna and I were famished. We decided to come home to get something to eat but I’m sure the party went on for hours after we left. All in all, my first Ugandan wedding was great fun. I loved getting a peek into the culture and being able to share in such a happy and special day. Many things were different while many others were similar. There seems to be one universal thing though; a grandma sitting next to me at the reception leaned over to me, pointed at a performer, and said “You know, he’s single.” Ha! Some things never change no matter where you are in the world :)

The bride and her 3 flower girl attendants. They didn't leave her side all day!

This lady was asleep for the whole ceremony. She'd wake up when everyone clapped and then go back to snoozing. It made me smile :)

Me and Anna at the service.

The bride and groom both had attendants (maid of honor/best man?) that dabbed their faces all day. They were very astute helpers!

Some of the neighborhood gathering at the reception. This was before everyone got there and only a small part of the crowd!

A wider view of the reception site. The red couches were for the bride, groom, and wedding party. We had front row seats!

The bride and groom arriving at the reception.

Bride and groom feeding each other cake :)

Christmas Tree #1

While many of the commercial elements of Christmas seem to be missing from Uganda, Anna and I went on the hunt for a Christmas tree last week. We decided we needed something to hold up our Christmas lights and make our living room feel holiday-cozy. So, armed with a ponga (machete tool) and determined to return with a tree, Anna chopped off some branches while I provided moral support :) We lovingly arranged our new Charlie Brown-style tree in a red bucket, gave it water, and even tied some of the branches to nails in the wall to keep it from keeling over. Lights were draped and Christmas balls hung off its branches. We were so proud of it!

Thankfully, it lasted about 24 hours so the tree was still looking perky for our hosting of team advent celebration. Unfortunately, the leaves have shriveled since then and are now dry and curling. Our Charlie Brown tree is officially dead. Nevertheless, we are excited to find Christmas Tree #2! And our currently dead tree is still holding up those Christmas lights while we search for a more lively replacement!