I went rafting on the White Nile yesterday. It was insane. On the last rapid, I was being flipped over and spun around like I was in a washing machine. I actually thought I might drown. And in that moment, I thought to myself, “Wow, God is really powerful…” Scary thought…
Anyways, tomorrow I am off to Kenya. Just a quick note that I won’t have internet for awhile so probably no updates until I get back in… 15 days!!!
On our way to a Give-Away, a celebration before a wedding where the bride’s family gives away the bride to the groom, hence the name.
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To the question, “Why are you so muddy in that picture, Josh?”
Well, at the WoL Camp, we made a mud pit and I was the first one to volunteer to jump in. The mud pit was part of an obstacle course that include balance beams, tires, and other fun stuff. Good times.
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Back here in Kampala, we’re moving towards the sunny, hot, dry season. The roads are super-dusty. Every time you take a boda, you have to brush yourself off after and watch clouds of red dust float away from you.
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I’m going rafting Saturday! On the Nile! Before they dam it up! Poor Nile’s going to be dammed.
I’ve attempted to write a new post for a couple days now, but nothing’s come out of my fingers. I feel as though so much has happened that I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to make the multitude of thoughts in my mind cohesive enough to be understandable.
There have been times where I have been ecstatic, seeing a little boy run with all his might to give me the biggest hug he can muster. And there have been times of sorrow, holding the hand of a girl who just had her chemo treatment and at the same time seeing a mouse run over her mat on the floor.
It’s been a thrilling ride, full of ups and downs. And there’s been a lot of times right in the middle, just part of everyday life that could happen anywhere.
Do you ever feel so overloaded with thoughts, that it’s kind of like they bottle-neck and get stuck? Well, that’s what I’m feeling right about now.
I am coming home in exactly four weeks today!!!
WOWEEEE!!!
For those of you who don’t get my email updates, my laptop charger got fried in a thunderstorm, so I have very little access to the internet now. I am currently using my friend’s to write this update. Hopefully I can purchase another one in Kampala.
I decided to stay in Mbarara an extra day because it’s just so wonderful here and the community is so awesome. The work and ministry that is being done here, and the vision for its future, is inspiring. I hope to tell you more about it later.
I have continued working at the children’s home, at ABIDE, and at the hospital. It has been a huge answer to prayer in the sense that God has shown me so much of the work that is being done here.
Last weekend, I went with the ABIDE guys for their weekend outreach, where they go to one of the students’ home villages. For this outreach, we went to Ntungamo, Dallington’s home. It was a great experience to be in a village setting for a weekend, and to get to know the ABIDE guys better. It was also very cool to be a part of the outreach, where many of the community came to our open-air crusade.
Well, that’s all for now.
Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.
The past two days I have been at the Juna Amagara House, which is situated right beside the ABIDE House. It’s a children’s home for orphans and it’s housing some kids who are on holidays from school. The school these kids go to is also run by Juna Amagara. Some of the kids are half-orphans, which means that they have at least some family or relatives that are willing to house them during the holidays. The whole/full orphans have no family at all, or no willing relatives to house them during the holidays. These are the ones that are currently staying at the Juna Amagara House.
The kids range from 5 to 18 years old, and are they ever happy! They have so much energy and are just so in love with life. It’s been a huge blessing to be with them, playing, singing, and fooling around. There are two house mothers/teachers from the States who help take care of them, and some Ugandan staff, and it’s such a joy to see them as a real big family.
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I’ve also spent some time in the public hospital here in Mbarara. It’s important to make the distinction between public and private because they are like two extremes. The first thing that hit me as I walked into the Children’s Ward the other day was the smell of urine. You couldn’t get away from it. It seemed like it was saturated into the walls.
I stayed in the Chronic Ward and just hung out with some of the kids there. Apophia has cancer (I don’t know what type), and has been there for the past 3 months. Her face lit up when I taught her some simple pen-and-paper games, and I told her to teach the other kids when I was gone because she was the one who knew the most English. The other kids, I could only get their names.
I read Evvasi a book, and he really enjoyed it, even though he probably didn’t understand any of it. But I think he liked the pictures. I thought his name was Elvis at first, but then I got him to spell it, and I realized my mistake.
Moses is a young boy who looks about 8, and he speaks so softly that I had to put my ear right up to his mouth to hear him say his name. I wasn’t able to get him to smile. He just looks off into space, his gaze vapid. I like him.
There were a total of six children in the Chronic Ward, plus family members. Two of the children were on mats on the floor because there weren’t enough beds.
I talked with Tobias, a med-intern from Germany, after, just about the emotional side of being a doctor, seeing these types of things everyday. He said you really have to be able to distinguish between between empathic and doing your job, because when you let emotions get in the way, they hinder you from doing a good job.
Please continue to pray for these kids that I am developing relationships with.
I am currently in Mbarara, which is in southwestern Uganda. I sat in a bus for four hours before it actually started moving, and then travelled for another 5 hours to reach this place. Other than my initial travel, it has been a wonderful experience so far. Dale, the unit leader for Mbarara, Joel, a long-term missionary here, and I had an intense brainstorming session yesterday on the possible things I could be doing in the short time I have here.
In addition to working with ABIDE, I will be going to the hospital to hang out with kids who have parents that are sick. I kind of see myself as a pseudo-Patch Adams, reaching out to kids who are not necessarily sick, although I will check out the pediatric ward as well, but just being a light of joy and more importantly, Jesus, to those who need Him.
I am staying in a room beside Tobias, a medical intern from Germany. Our two rooms are on the same property as the home of the Mukasa’s, whom I have had the privilege of having dinner with the past two nights. They are such a godly family and have welcomed me into their home so openly. It has been a very humbling experience.
It’s off to ABIDE I go now.
God bless and take care.
So it’s been awhile since I’ve updated, and it’s not because I’m lazy. It’s because I haven’t had access to internet until now.
Last weekend, we travelled to Bushara Island on Lake Bunyoni in the district of Kabale, which is in western Uganda, close to the border of Rwanda. We had a retreat for all the short-termers in Central Region, which includes Rwanda, Sudan, Chad, and Uganda. There were a total of sixteen of us, and we pretty much had the whole island to us.
It was glorious and beautiful even though it rained a lot of the time. Lake Bunyoni is one of the few Bilharzia-free lakes in Africa, and so we swam in the rain. And there was even a rope swing to fling you high up and then into the water.
There were so many different kinds of birds singing different songs, fireflies lighting up the ground as the stars lit up the sky, and flowers all the colours of the rainbow.
Speaking of creation, we watched some talks by Louie Giglio, one of them about creation and the majesty of God. It was one of the most powerful messages I have heard. You can probably find it on youtube or something. In fact, here is part 1! I don’t know how long the whole talk is, but I HIGHLY recommend you watching it, and then taking some time just to let it sink in.
There’s something about being surrounded by nature that gets me every time. Part of it is the wonder that everything is unique, from the smallest electron to the entire universe, there is no thing that is exactly the same. Amazing.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
–Psalm 19:1-4
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On Monday, I arrived at the WoL campus for the first day of camp. This first camp lasts three days and is for kids in grades 1-3. It's been an interesting experience and I've learned a lot of things regarding different planning and organizational styles between cultures. One of the biggest blessings these past few days has been the opportunity to use a dslr camera. I became part of the media team after I asked about the camera.
As a side note, many of the opportunities I've had here in Uganda have resulted from spontaneous requests and the grace to push down the desire to say no.
Anyways, I've had the opportunity to use a Canon Rebel XS, and while it's nowhere near Peter's Mark II, it's been such a joy to be able to record splices of memories and happy moments.
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After I finish this week of camp at WoL, I will be heading to Mbarara for two weeks to work with Travis and Seb at ABIDE. I’m really excited for this opportunity, as I got a chance to talk with Travis and Seb about the actual ministry at retreat.
My last two weeks of May are still kind of up in the air, so please continue praying for me.
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Thanks everybody for keeping up with me! God bless!
