I’ve solved all the world’s problems! Thank you all for sending me here because I have now fixed the extreme poverty here, placed all of the orphans in homes, killed all of the malaria infested mosquitos, and even managed to decrease emission levels.
Don’t believe me? Haha today Natalee and I went to Jinja and had a beautiful day near the Nile and hanging out in the town center. When we were at a local coffee shop we ran into a mission team from Australia. As we were talking with them, one of the ladies said how difficult it would be to go home because of people’s questions. When I asked her what she meant she said “People will ask me how was Uganda and expect me to say that it was great! When really it was hard and challenging and not the easiest thing to see such poverty, devastation, and hunger.” When she spoke those words it immediately made me think of all of my blog posts. Natalee and I were discussing it on the way home. We both felt like a lot of what we have shared with you all hasn’t always been the happy, saving the world one day at a time thoughts. Instead you have gotten the raw reality of what doing life is like here. You have seen what it looks like to get to know children who have experienced major devastation and still praise the Lord. You have seen what it looks like to be in a culture that is so different from ours that its hard to understand and comprehend and can sometimes be really frustrating. You have seen what it looks like to spend 10 hour days at school and then come home and have to cook and clean the African way and still try to make time to plan lessons. You have seen what it looks like to deal with sickness here. You have even seen, whether you realize it or not, a lot more than this that is just reflected in my blog posts. It isn’t always easy. It isn’t always fun. It is the reality of serving the Lord and it is so, so good! Even with all of the hard days I wouldn’t trade a single lesson I have learned here. Even with all of the sadness I wouldn’t trade a moment with a single person I have met. When Paul is talking of his trips to all different countries he doesn’t say “I had a fabulous time and was so comfortable in my lavish living conditions and welcomed by everyone I met!” No, he was chased out of cities, stoned by locals, put in prison, bit by snakes, shipwrecked on islands and Paul said “By God’s grace and mighty power I have been given the Privilege of serving him and spreading the Good News.” Ephesians 3:7 He considered the hardships he experienced to be little in comparison of the joy of getting to serve the Lord.
What does this mean for me? It means that its ok my blog posts aren’t always titled “Everything is Daisies and Sunshine.” It means that my time here is beautiful in the fact that Christ is teaching me what it looks like to struggle for his kingdom, too. It means that every hard day is still a good day because I’m learning what it looks like to truly serve the Lord in the way that he has called me to overseas (even if it takes me a couple days or even weeks of reflection to see it). This trip has looked a lot different than my Malawi trip and less of what I expected it to look like. My Malawi trip was fantastic in allowing me a taste of African culture and getting to see the Lord move in mighty ways. This trip has allowed me to see what is looks like to live here and do life here and see God in the middle of the hard stuff. I go to the market and buy groceries and barter to get the right prices. I budget out my money to make sure I have enough for paying the power bill, groceries, and gas money. I plan what my day will look like, what lessons I will teach, and what all I need to do when I get home. I figure out what needs to happen if Natalee gets really sick and I have to communicate with everyone to figure out how to get home (Obviously all of these decisions are done with Natalee, but you get my point).
This is doing life in a different country. It is hard. It is challenging. It is so beautiful! So, please don’t be discouraged by the hard things in my blog posts. Be encouraged, because I’m learning what life is like here! I’m learning what it means to trust God! I’m learning that struggling is a part of being a servant of Christ and it is a beautiful part! All of what I have shared up until now was so you all could experience what I was experience, see what I saw, and live what I have been living. The good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the entirety of what you helped send me here to do. So, no I haven’t solved all of the world’s problems. I haven’t figured out world poverty, hunger, disease, or pollution. I have learned that serving the Lord is beautiful and difficult. You don’t always see results, but you trust in the one who knows the outcome.
“Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.” Philippians 1:28-30 It is a privilege to be here and serve the Lord, and it is a privilege to experience the difficulties that come with it. Thank you all for loving me and learning with me. “The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. That’s his nature. Wow.” This is a phrase we say every time after we have worship with the children. He is good. All of the time. I’m learning that on both the bad days and the good days. Glad that you all are learning it with me!
My heart of love for you all grows more and more every day as does my heart of love for the people here. I truly am so blessed and overjoyed to have been given the privilege of serving the Lord here. He continually shows me his heart for the people here, and though I can’t fix everything, I can pray about everything and trust that he is big enough! Thank you for your continued prayer and support as I finish out my time here in Uganda.
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