Home is Where the Heart Is

Well, life in Uganda is a whirlwind of smells, sights, feelings, and people. I can’t believe I have already been here a whole week. Since I skipped over all the details of what my life here looks like in my previous blog, I will give you some today. Besides the two wonderful interns who accompanied me here to Uganda, we also have a fourth roommate. Traci is wonderful! She has been here for 5 months and is such an encouragement to all of us and so full of wisdom. We found out she would be living with us for a few weeks on the plane ride over and despite our surprise the Lord could not have worked it out more perfectly. We are going to miss her so much when she leaves us next week, but we are excited she will finally get to see family and friends from home. It won’t be quite the same but we our trusting the Lord to continue to show us his plan while we are here. We also have 3 lovely neighbors. Jennifer is also from the North Georgia Conference and is a long term missionary here working with the East African conference. She has been a great help in getting us settled. Our other neighbors are so sweet and loving and accept us even with all of our crazy American ways. Sam and Eva are from Kenya and could not be more welcoming and generous to us. Eva said she will be our mother while we are here and that we can always come knocking on her door. Her husband, Sam works for the East African Conference. I’m excited to get to know them better. Eva even said she is going to teach me how to wash my clothes (not with a washer machine) and how to kill and prepare a chicken properly! It will definitely be a taste of Uganda that I can’t get any where else. 

Outside of our apartment is a little garden that Sam and Eva have made and tons of little baby chicks and their mommas running around. My favorite part of where we live though is what lies directly outside of our compound. We have ventured out of those doors a few times to see the little village. The children in this village do not speak English, but that does not stop us from loving on them, hugging them, taking their pictures (which they love!) and playing games. We have learned a little Luganda (native language spoken here) while we have been here and they get so excited when we are able to say things to them. I'm sure its because we are probably butchering the pronunciation but they smile none the less. This is all just my life outside of school. 

          Every day I head to HUMBLE at 9 and start a day full of teaching. Though I came here expecting to teach science experiments, I knew I should really expect anything, and anything is what I have gotten. I start my morning by teaching algebra to the 5th grade. Then we eat breakfast at 10:30 (porridge). I go straight from there to the 6th grade class where I  teach science. Currently we are learning about plants, which is quite interesting considering I don’t know much about plants in Uganda, but the Lord is always faithful. He has blessed me with somehow remembering the information I learned so long ago and the children just not asking me questions about the rest. Tuesday was interesting as I wasn’t really suppose to be teaching yet. I ended up teaching anyways so they learned all about atoms and I learned all about dancing in Africa. By the end of class they now knew that atoms had electrons, protons, and neutrons, and I knew how to sing and dance and get laughed at in front of 35 6th graders. After teaching them for an half and a half we then eat lunch. Lunch is the same every day. It is a lovely portion of posho and beans. This translates to grits that do not move and red beans with juice. I want to eat with them. I want to show them that I love them by living the way they do, but if I must confess something kind of silly, it's pretty hard. Ask my mom. I hate grits. I hated them when I was younger and I still am not a huge fan today. The Lord is showing me how to love in the little things. Like eating a plate of posho and beans that just doesn't quite want to go down. I'm learning :). After my time with them I then get to go hang out with what they call the baby class. It is like our pre-k class. Most of the children are 3-4 years old and they are so great! They don't really speak english so this is how most of our encounters go. They run and chase me, pull me down so they can grab my hand and see my white skin, all the while screaming Muzungoo (white person) at the top of their lungs and I love every minute of it! 

           I love getting to love on the people here. I love not knowing what I'm going to do when I arrive at school. I love the fact that when I think I have it all figured out the Lord says not quite. I love the fact that I have to trust him with every moment. Most of all I love the fact that I feel at home here. When I was in Malawi some years ago I remember standing with some of the women and children one day as we sang and danced together. The spirit of the Lord fell at that moment and I distinctly recall the feeling of home, of knowing you were exactly where the Lord called you to be. This may not be where I will reside forever, but home is being directly in the center of God's will for your life. Home for me, right now, is in Mukono, Uganda singing, dancing, laughing, and crying with a bunch of children. Home is sitting at the compound, trying to take a shower when all of the sudden the lights go out. Home is laughing at myself as 30 little boys out run me and show me up while playing soccer. Home is crying while I think of the fact I have two more months before I see my family, friends, and Drew. Home is craving a big plate of my Mom's spaghetti. Home is right here and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Pray for the Lord to continue to grow me, to stretch me, and to use me! I want to hear his voice in every situation. I want to know his guiding hand in every step. Pray for just a closeness with him. 

P.S. I know I told you guys I would be sending thank you's from Uganda, but I have some bad news. Mail doesn't really exist here. What I mean to say is if I did send it, you would most likely never see it or if you did it would be a few months from now. I'm figuring out a way to get them to you all. Until then, please know how truly grateful and thankful I am. After all, you have brought me home.