Hi everyone!
I am sitting at an internet cafe in downtown Kampala, enjoying an absolutly beautiful day. Julie, Bethany and I went to church this morning then shopped at National Theatre Market. We might be heading back here tomorrow night because they have an open mic night here and some great live music and dancing!
Let me catch you up on this last week: Monday was the Mayoral elections so it was a public holiday in Kampala-so no work! We stayed close to our flats so I went to the grocery store and read and cooked. The elections went smoothly with no violence so praise God for that! Tuesday morning the rains came!! And we also had a little earthquake. Apparently the epicenter was near Lake Albert on the western side of the country but we felt a tremor all the way in Kampala. No damages-not even enough movement to knock things of shelves-it was just a strange way to wake up in the morning with my bed shaking! Tuesday it rained sooooo much! But it was so needed and the city looks so much prettier now that things have greened up again! Wednesday I saw camels just hanging out on my way to work-it was awesome. My boda driver thought my reaction was super funny because I made a huge deal out of it. The rains come and go now-it rains a little bit every day at random times so I always keep my raincoat and umbrella with me. One of the little boys in DP had on pink sparkley barbie rain boots the other day-it made me smile:) The temperatures here are so much nicer now that the rainy season has arrived. about 70-75 everyday and 65 every night-perfection! I actually prefer the rains to the hot dusty dryness that was my first week. Although it does sometimes interrupt my schedule since no one wants to be on a boda in a storm.
I worked mostly in the office again this week-but once a day I tried to get up to the Youth Center and/or the Kids Home and those visits are always the highlight of my day. The youth are trying to teach me how to drum and I keep trying to explain to them that Muzungus have NO rhythem!! Ha but they are patient with me and are very chatty so I'm excited about the relationships I'm forming with the youth. The kids at the home are new to DP, they are Karamaja Children who come down from the north where there is famine, drought, and inter-tribal fighting. The women and children flee to the city to beg on the streets. They have had such hard lives already and there is a language barrier because they do not speak english or lugandan which can make it difficult sometimes. Although I have found that if you open your arms for a hug they immediatly know what that means!
We are busy at the office planning youth camp which will be the first week of May hopefully. We will be inviting about 113 youth and hope that most of them will be able to come! The goal of that week is to get them inspired about exiting DP and finding jobs or starting businesses that will be sustainable so that they can be contributing members of society for the next generation in Uganda.
I've really been challenged this week with wanting to be in control and make my two months here count. I realized how quickly that time will go and that two months is not long at all to build relationships and try to impact lives so I've felt very rushed and just "ahhhh i need to accomplish everything right now, this week!". So God has really been reminding me that He was working in the U.G. before me and He will continue working here when I leave and that all I need to do is be obedient and faithful right where I am and I don't need to force anything. He'll present the people and the oppertunities for me to grab and I just need to be still before him. I've been mediating on Psalm 139 and I love the part where it talks about before we were ever born He knew all of our days. It is such a great reminder to me that God knew I would be in Uganda at this point in time-He is not surprised to look down and find me here, I was never out of his sight even for a second and that He has a purpose for me here.
My boda boda is coming to get me soon! I should wrap this up. I love you all! Thank you for the prayers and encouragement-they are so precious to me! May God surprise us all with His wonder and love this week!
Prayer Requests/Praises:
1) The rains came and the elections went smoothly! such answers to my prayer requests last week! Thank God that He hears His children and that He is faithful!
2) Thank God that my dad's surgury went wonderful!
3) I got to spend the weekend with Julie and Bethany and we had such a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement-I love these girls and I'm so thankful God has provided such great friends here!
4) We are having dinner with a local friend, Joy, on Wednesday. She is going to teach us to make Ugandan food! Please pray that we would honor God with our time there and that a real friendship could grow there!
5) Me and another girl I work with have been stomach sick all week-they think it might be worms (gross). It's a quick fix-just one "de-worming" pill but pray that we are both healed!
6) Please pray for the youth camp and the hearts of the kids that are going to be there! Let it be a time of great community and something that really honors God and challenges the youth.
7) Please be praying that I would be still before God and faithful to what he has called me to do and that I would let go of trying to do EVERYTHING!
Nkwagala (I love you!)
-LO
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