Prepared.

As some of you may know on Monday, April 2 we are leaving for our mini outreach. It seems the last couple weeks have been packed full of preparation for it. Our days are filled with skit practices and dances as well as the usual schedule of classes. Each night we fall into bed exhausted, only to wake up at five o’clock the next morning. I will be going to an island in Lake Victoria, which one of my leaders is from. I’m excited to enjoy lots of fish and see the beautiful countryside. However, the village is very rural. No electricity or running water. It will defiantly be a challenge both physically and spiritually. And to add to all of that, Kate will not be coming with me, but instead she is in a separate group, going to a village outside Jinja. I will miss her in the next two weeks but I am also hoping the separation will help us to grow in ways we couldn’t together and also grow closer to members of our team.
To be completely honest, I had been not looking forward to this outreach for the last weeks. I was excited to get off base and see more of Uganda, but the whole proclaiming the gospel didn’t seem like something that I could ever be good at. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to do much but sit back and watch. However, today I had to preach for the class. The sermon wasn’t that exciting, just some encouragement before we left from Ephesians 1:17-19. You know me with speaking in front of people; lets just say it was short and sweet. The weird thing was, after I had finished and sat back down. I realized that I can do anything with God’s help and I became excited to see how He could use me in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. Then I thought about the verse I had just preached about and it hit me in all the right ways. The message I just preached was for none other than myself. Its amazing how God can speak in ways that I never would of imagined He would. Who would ever think that they are preaching for themselves? God works in mysterious ways. Now all I have to do is pack. So I ask you for your prayer in the next two weeks and other than that, bring on the Outreach!

Ephesians 1:17-19 (The Message Version) “But I do more than thank, I ask – ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory – to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him, personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers, oh the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him – endless energy, boundless strength!”

Another Week Gone By.

Not much has happened this week to tell of. We had some visitors from the States over this week. It was interesting with them around, felt like a little taste of home. They were from a small town in Wisconsin and were coming from a church. The pastor of the church was with them and spoke to us on Monday. It was good to have a "Western" preacher again and I found it really nice to be able to listen without straining to understand. Later, they kept asking us questions about the culture and things, like we were really experienced. Compared to them though, we were. It kinda gave me a reassuring feeling of okay I got it. I think I have this whole other culture thing down. Isaiah 43:5 " Do not be afraid, for I am with you; 
   I will bring your children from the east
   and gather you from the west. " 

PS. Sorry its so short this week.

Ministry in Kakira.

Well its the end of another week and this week has been a good one for sure. The first half was pretty uneventful but once the end of the week neared we could see that this week would be like no other. On Friday we planned to go to a town about a half hour walking distance called Kakira. We practiced a dance and a skit in preparation. All week it was the much anticipated event.
Finally, Friday arrived. We started the long trek to Kakira right after lunch. When we first arrived we weren't entirely sure where to set up and finally found a place. After beginning to set up we had many struggles getting the equipment to work so while we waited we played with the kids of the streets. They came from all over and within the first five minutes we had probably thirty of them surrounding us. They all shouted "mzungu"(incase you didn't get that from before, it means "white person" and is constantly yelled at us everywhere we go) and reached out just to touch us. At one point there was so many children grabbing onto my arm that I could not move. They also loved it when we took pictures of them. I would take out my camera and they would all crowd around trying to get into the picture. Then I showed them the picture and they would all point to themselves and laugh. We even sang some songs with them and I went in the back and danced with one of the the little boys and soon all of them were turned around laughing at the mzungu trying to dance. It was such a joy to see their smiles.
At last we got the sound system to work at around five o'clock! So we did the dance that we practiced and then sang some songs as we danced behind. Mandy, one of the DTS students, made up steps and we all followed his lead. It was really cool but I could not understand any of the songs because they were all in Luganda. So I just danced and tried to follow the Africans amazing lead in dancing. Then our leader spoke to the people. After he finished talking he asked if anyone who wanted prayer or to give their life to Christ to come forward. A few people came forward and they began to pray. But this did not satisfy Mandy. No, he walked through the crowd, wearing his "Jesus gown" no less (because he just put it on for the skit), and asked specific people if they wanted prayer or wanted to be saved. He found three more people that wanted to give their life to God! Praise Jesus! Then we preformed the "Everything Skit". For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about I strongly suggest looking it up on YouTube. I have seen the skit on numerous occasions and I absolutely love it! I was so grateful to actually be a part of it for once. I played the part of the model. All week we had been practicing it and had never once executed it perfectly but the Lord was with us that day because we were able to preform it beautifully. We finished for the day and finally had to walk the half hour back in the dark. Needless to say we all made sure we had a guy with us as we walked through the sugar cane fields. I walked with Mandy and made sure he kept me safe. As we were walking, I was just being stupid and freaking out because the sugar cane workers were going to kill us and Mandy said to me, "Haven't you heard? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Thank-you, Mandy. Its amazing to me the amount of faith the Ugandans have! Each one of them is so anchored in God that it would be impossible to move them. All together, Friday was a day of God revealing His amazing love. It is utterly unbelievable how much love for the Lord everyone could have when they have so little worldly wise. Their faith is stronger than I even imagined. I have so much to learn from them. The children of the street who literally have absolutely nothing praised God with all their heart. Psalm 34:18, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted 
   and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 

Living out an 'African Lifestyle'.

I think this week has been all about learning how to live like a Ugandan. Sometimes I think they have all their priorities right. They work had but all in due time. Often we say we need to get on ‘African time’, which is very unspecific. On Tuesday, one of our leaders, named Susan, was telling us how when somebody says five o’clock you have the full hour of five. It could mean five fifteen, five thirty or even five fifty nine. Even though they may never have an exact time and are very relaxed schedule it is nice to live like that for a while. Even if I am worried about being late I will probably be the first one there and I find myself becoming more and more relaxed with my time. It is good to slow down and take a look at everything that is happening. However, even with the African relaxed attitude they certainly know how to work. This week we started our work duty, or ‘worker duty’ as the Africans call it, and have been learning various African chores. First of all, laundry. Laundry is all done by hand and has to be washed at least three times before being considered clean. Lets just say after this I will never take a washing machine for granted anymore. Second, mopping. You wouldn’t think such a simple thing would be that much more work in another country, but here its quite the undertaking and must be done often because of the mud. The floors are forever stained red so mopping involves first mopping a thick layer of water on to the floor. Then squeeging the water off and finally dry mopping it clean. Then there is slashing. A lawn mower would be much too easy; instead we must take a long stick with a curved blade at the end and whack at the grass to make it shorter. A small area may take a group of 30 workers an hour. And I won't even mention the sorting of rice and clean up after meals. It truly is great to relax, work hard, and worship God with everything we do. Africans certainly know how to live. They show who deserves the glory in everything they do. Sometimes I think the western society is too wrapped up in their own world and making it on time to this and that, that they fail to see the big picture and what this life is really all about. Work hard and worship God harder, that my friends is how to live. Colossians 3:23, "Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men."

On another completely random note, we visited the source of the Nile River yesterday. That is why I did not get internet because we were busy seeing the spring where water comes up and travels four thousand miles to Egypt! 

School Starts.

School officially started this week; so many people from different cultures are here. We have students from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, England, and all over Africa. To see the all the cultures intermix in one place is really quite something. Us westerners have had a difficult time to be completely immersed in the culture here and try to help each other out. Hearing about the lives and viewpoints of the Ugandans has certainly been interesting. On Wednesday, we talked with a strong woman of faith who lives in our room. Her name is Faith and I could not have given her a better name myself. She told us of her life story and I was shocked the background that she had from a woman of her standing. When she was very little her mother abandoned her and when she was twelve her father had left her as well. So she wandered from place to place with no home. She would stay with friends or go to a home but many times they would tell her that they had no room. She’s had to fend for herself ever since. She received a sponsor who helped her graduate school and accepted the Lord as her Saviour when she was sixteen. Last year Faith had a sponsor for her college career but they told her not too study music which is her passion because there is no future in that, so she had to take social work classes instead. She has the most amazying voice I have ever heard. However, they failed to come up with the funds to send her back so she decided to come to YWAM and find money for school in the fall. In all of this she keeps in mind the verse that states although your father and mother forsake you, I the Lord your God, will never abandoned you. Recently we learned that she does not have the funds to stay with us and she fears she has to leave. So the muzungos (white people, and I totally have no idea if I spelled that right) have decided to help her our as it only cost four hundred US dollars for her to attend and we feel out of everyone here she longs to be here the most. So if you want to help out Faith, you can talk to my mother and she will get the money to me.
You never really understand a different culture until you find yourself some how completely in the middle of it. I love hearing about how our lives are so different and strangely unique but yet we are all of one people praising God, singing and dancing as one! I had been struggling with finding God in this new culture but yesterday we sang “Mighty to Save”, which is my favorite song and I realized He is the same God here in Africa and all the way back in North America. Never changing, always the same. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Just Chillin in Uganda, NBD!

Well here I am in Jinja, Uganda. It has certainly been a quite an adventure already. Currently I am just sitting at an internet café because we don't have internet on base. Which will probably much more do-able once I get a phone. Phones are super cheap here so that will be a great comfort to have but seeing as I haven't had one for almost two years now I feel as though I am giving up my status as a non-conformist. But isn't that what being here is all about. We come to this foreign country and try to adapt to our surroundings as much as possible. Its been hard already. Cold showers, rice and beans, no internet, but its good. Its a bit of a balance really. Trying to find the happy medium of fitting in and keeping our identity. Even though it is so different here there are things that remind me of home. We have two people on our team from Ontario and I think of all my friends there. The rolling hills and smell of cow manure remind me of Nova Scotia. And plenty of things daily remind me of home; the smell of raw chicken reminds me of China and thus Dayna, the boy who runs around our base with his dog reminds me of Derek, the big trucks that my dad would love to tell me all about reminds me of him, and practically everything reminds me of my mom and her warning words or words of wisdom from her past endevors in Sierra Leone. Overall, I'm glad I am here and cannot wait for the school to start on Monday, to get into a routine will be nice. Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Flying Through the Air.

Currently, I am sitting on a plane from London to Entebbe, Uganda and I can’t believe I’m actually here right now. So much needed to happen for me to arrive at this point and with God’s help it all went according to plan. My mom recently told me that my third grade teacher remembers me telling her that I wanted to travel like my mom when I was older. It seems this trip has been in the making for eleven years now. As I look back at all the preparations for the final time I can see that God was there each step of the way. He gave me hope, when I feared it wasn’t possible. He confirmed His plan when I began to doubt it. He provided sufficient funds to the exact amount. He was there all along leading me even when I couldn’t see the way myself. Now I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me when we land. I thank-you all for your prayers, they have been heard! I wish to leave you with this verse: John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” NIV or in the Message Version, “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left-feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.”