Uganda.
It’s already been a week since traveling has started and my
adventure in Uganda has begun. So
much has happened. 29 hours of
travel through car, plane, tram, bus, and taxi. The guy next to me on the plane got thrown up on. I became family with all of the interns
before the first flight even finished.
We arrived in Uganda around 10pm and didn’t leave the airport until
after 12am waiting on our van to arrive.
Welcome to the Ugandan time schedule. They have no sense of time here, which has been quite an
adjustment. It’s not a negative
thing, but more of an opportunity to be in the moment. We don’t have to worry about going and
going without the chance to relax.
Now we have figured out to expect a delay, except for certain
situations, which gives us more time to be intimate with the Lord.
We have played with the kids from House 1. I’ve already fallen in love with
them. Just like you said
Carly. Esau is the man of the
house, he is 13, and holds a special place in my heart already. He is such a good dancer. Gilbert is now boarding so he doesn’t
live here so I haven’t had the chance to meet/dance with him yet, but that’s
not going to stop me. We have 24
kids here at House 1 and it has been such a joy getting to know each one of
them more and more since I’ve been here.
Ivan, Brian, Esau, Michael, Dennis, Weswa, Julius, Jingo, Eddy, Ronald,
and Ibrah are the boys. The girls
are Fatumah, Doreen, Norah, Vanita, Gladys, Jalia, Fredah, Sharon, Debrah,
Mercy, Vicky, and Vivian. The kids
here have given me the name Magumba and it has definitely stuck. It means “bones” and I don’t have the
slightest idea of why it was given to me.
They all call me Uncle Magumba.
Uncle and Auntie are the names that give to all of the interns and staff
here in Uganda. It is proper
culture for an elder to be addressed as Uncle or Auntie, unless they are
related and then they are Baba, or Papa, or Momma.
This journey has done nothing short of amaze me in ways I
never expected. The Lord’s favor
has rested upon me and I’m completely humbled by His goodness. He has met me here every morning and
has provided me with blessings I never could’ve asked for. I’ve grown closer with all of the
interns and especially Dixon. He
is the only other male intern here at the moment; we are getting another guy
halfway through the summer. The
internship is set up that there are 5 of us staying the entire summer, 8
leaving halfway through, and 4 more coming on in the middle. I’ve been blown away by the love that
these interns have for the Lord.
They never cease to proclaim His name as truth and are always expectant
and waiting upon the Lord. I’ve
been encouraged to constantly pursue my relationship with the Lord and always
look for opportunities to worship Him.
Creation has been a major link to the Lord for me since I’ve been here
and I’m so thankful for His promise of new mercies every single day.
Allen, our leader here, and also my roommate in the states,
has been absolutely incredible here.
The Lord has provided me with a newfound love for him and I don’t even
have the words to explain my thankfulness for him being here. Observing him in his element encourages
me to be present where I am and never let a moment go by that I’m not grateful
for the Lord’s blessings and provision over my life. “My One Word” while I’m here is “stillness” and has been
since the beginning of the year, and it is incredible to see how the Lord
presents me with opportunities to practice stillness and waiting upon Him while
I’ve been here. While here we have
been separated into groups of 4 interns that we will be moving with from home
to home and within our groups we have also been asked to pick “One Word” for
this summer. We came up with
Overflow. Which is fitting for
those of you who are in Wilmington and go to Overflow. We’ve based it off of Romans 15:13 and
1 Thessalonians 3:12 which says, “May the Lord make your love increase and
overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
A prayer that I wrote down on the 26th as I laid
down for bed (since, we have moved to House 2 where we will stay for 3 weeks):
Lord you are moving and it is so evident. You have provided me with what my dream
has been for so long; to live and take care of orphans. It blows me away daily to know that I’m
waking up to 19-orphaned children who just want to be loved. I’m beyond thankful to be here. I pray
for discernment and direction as well as peace and patience. I also pray for my mind and especially
my heart to remain focused on my purpose for being here. Thank you for your amazing grace and
love.
The kids in House 2:
Boys; Girls:
Enock Winnie
Remmy Florence
Ambrose Faith
Benja Nyla
John Sharon
Benard Fiona
Eddy Joan
Marvin Josephine
Rosco Janette
Solomon
My latest journal entry (because it’s easier to write down
what I’ve journaled, but also leaving out the intimate things that only the
Lord needs to know):
So many things, yet not one word…
Since I’ve arrived, just over a week ago, I’ve been in
absolute awe of God’s beauty and faithfulness. He has created Uganda to be an incredibly beautiful country
and I’m so thankful to spend the summer, and maybe more, here. I’ve grown close with the interns, the
kids, and the staff here at the Sozo homes. We are currently at House 2 and I love playing soccer with
the boys. We’ve had to learn to
adapt to the culture of Uganda by being still. As Americans we always want to be on the go, but culture
requires us to slow down. We’ve
also learned to not get in the way or take control of day-to-day activities and
obey the aunties and uncles just as the kids do. We are here to help, not hurt, what is going on here. Our view from this home is
stunning. It is like nothing I’ve
ever seen and may in fact be one of the, if not the, most beautiful places I
have ever been. The peacefulness
I’m able to experience while I’m here is unlike any other feeling I get in the
US. Paige said it so well
yesterday: We don’t have different opportunities to be intimate with God while
in Africa. The Lord doesn’t see
that we’ve traveled to Uganda and make Himself more prevalent. He is the same yesterday, today, and
forever, no matter where we are.
But in any case I’m so thankful for the feeling that I can grow closer
to the Lord here. I just pray that
it will translate back to the US.
The Lord has given me so much already and He continues to bless me. I read today Matthew 13:12 which says,
“Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.” Which fits perfectly with our family’s
one word for this summer, which is Overflow. The Lord has given, and will give more, and as long as we
are faithful and praise Him for what He has given He will give more so we will
have abundance. As a family we all
have the desire to overflow with the fruit of the Spirit. We want the Lord to fill us up daily,
but to the point that we overflow with His joy, love, and grace for the people
of Uganda and the world. I have
been blessed with an incredible family here including Paige, Carli, Emma, and
Michelle. I’ve already been tested
and have learned a lot about each person, which has given me the opportunity to
grow and to lead in new ways. I’m
so thankful for the team the Lord has put together out of His sovereignty. Thank you Father, you are so good and I
give you complete control.
This is just a small glimpse of what has happened thus far
since my journey to Uganda began.
I hope some of you can relate with these stories or be inspired or
encouraged by my writings. I know
if that is the Lord’s desire then He will use this blog for His glory. Thank you for taking the time to read
and listen to my rambling about my life here. Know that I miss you all; my family and friends wherever you
may be. I don’t get internet to
communicate with people until this upcoming Saturday because we are fasting
from the internet so we can remain still with the Lord and focus on our agenda
here. But know I want to talk to
you all very soon. I love you all.
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