Journey "Home"

Sunday, June 30, 2013

As should be expected by now... We've had an interesting trip home! 

Our 11:30 pm, 8 hour flight from Entebbe to Amsterdam started with us boarding our plane that was at least 85 degrees with an announcement that we have finished boarding but we wouldn't leave for about 30 minutes because they were servicing the air condition. Praise The Lord they were working on fixing it, but why in the world would they pack us into a plane like sardines knowing the air wasn't working?! After about 45 minutes, we started our journey. 

Looking forward to starting with an overnight flight so we could sleep and pass the time, we were quite amazed when we were served a full on meal at 1:30 am. Then a snack at 2:30. And finally try turned off the lights around 4. I was able to get a good 3 hour nap and woke up to yet another meal around 6:30. 

We landed in Amsterdam with only 45 minutes to catch our flight to Manchester. Practically sprinted to the gate. Made it and even had about 10 minutes to hop on wifi. 

Short flight (but don't worry, we were still served food). Landed in Manchester. Followed signs for "flight transfers."  Found ourselves waiting in a triangular room, by ourselves, without knowing what terminal we even needs to be transferred to, because they had not yet assigned one to our Atlanta flight. 

Bus came to pick us up. Transported to the "Transfer Building." Security. Maybe 25 people in front of us. Took an hour and a half. Once we were going through we realized why. Any time they needed to talk about something, they simply stopped the X-ray belt to have their conversation. Directed to a counter where they checked our boarding passes and passports. Picked up a telephone to call the gate to let them know we were there, gave them our ticket information, passport number, and checked bag info. Have we ever heard of computers people?

Directed to a lady to escort us back down to the bus to go back to the terminal we just came from. Same bus driver. 

Finally we made it to our gate and we informed the ticket counter we were there. Security questions, more checking of passports and boarding passes. Had about 2 hours to kill. 

Found good coffee. Got on wifi. Brushed teeth and washed face. Last leg in sight. 

On last 9 hour flight to Atlanta, we were served two more meals and a snack. Watched a few movies. Composed he following lists with Rebecca to sum up our trip...

Top 5 Quotes

5. "The giraffes need practice." Tegris

4. "Dear Lord, please feed your lions." Allen

3. "I can open, but they will open fire." Guard at Murchison

2. "Do you fear the rats?" Vivian

1. "I hear there are 147 orphans in the world. You have 69?" Ridiculous Clerk in Gift Shop at Murchison

Top 10 Memories

10. Auntie Christine's testimony about not wanting to move to House 2 but being obedient and seeing The Lord has a bigger plan than we do. 

9. Baiting enchimas at park and House 1. 

8. Hand washing 27 sets of uniforms, play clothes, PJs, and knickers. 

7. Devotion conversation about marriage in Uganda and changing future generations. 

6. Teaching Aggie to swim. 

5. Sozo choir, Mato dancing, Brad breaking it down at worship at House 3. 

4. Tegris popping out of passenger window to either share pertinent information or make use of his binoculars + the 700 times we took pictures of it and laughed.

3. Base 10 + group of birds + chanting at Kitende = birth of master plan for Sozo partner schools in The Village and Birmingham. 

2. Human/Baboon/Boda-Boda dodge-van on Safari Day 2. 

1. Joining Margaret as Teacher Muzungu and receiving the greatest response -- "Thank you for loving me!"

So, we are back in Birmingham, in awe of God's outpouring of grace and love, yet longing to be half way around the world. Trusting in His sovereignty. Knowing His plan is better than our own. 

Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20

Boarding a plane on Friday to head to Honduras! 😀 So keep posted and I'll have more adventures to share!

"See you!"

Saturday, June 29, 2013

As I quickly learned, the appropriate way to say goodbye in Luganda is "See you!" Even the children in the village who know little to know English know this phrase. As I was going about my last day in Uganda, I found myself thinking. About this a lot. Although I've been away from home for three weeks, I'm not ready to leave this place. The Sozo family, the people we met in the village and Kabalagala, the teachers and students at Kitende, everyone has a small piece of my heart. 

I know without a doubt I'll be back to Sozo Uganda. God has laid this ministry on my heart, and He is not through with me here yet. 

As the Sozo kids found out that I was leaving today, they would come up and ask, "Are you leaving me?" 

"Yes," I would respond. 

"When are you coming back?" 

Not if, but when. "As soon as I can. Probably this time next year."

"No, come for Christmas."

"I'll pray and see when God wants me to come back."

"See you in December."

My heart longs to be back (and I haven't even left). In this place, without all of the distractions of my life back home, without the pressure of a schedule and checklists of things to do, where we can take time to be sensitive to what The Lord is calling us to do. Turning to Him in prayer for even the simple things. Being able to see what it means to lavish love upon others, the way that Jesus has done for me. 

As I leave, I don't want to forget these things. I want to take this lifestyle back to the states. I want to keep living these kids with the same intensity that I do when they are climbing all over me. 

And I want to worship with abandon like these kids. Right down to the 4 year old... 

Thank you Lord for reminding me of your love for me. Thank you for awakening a new desire to follow you, wherever that might lead. Thank you for calling me to Uganda this summer. 

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." Isaiah 6:8

Safari Day 2

Friday, June 28, 2013

If only we had any idea what today would hold, we would have hired a videographer to document each and every minute. This blog was written throughout the day with dear friend and travel buddy, Rebecca Stivender. Although I do not expect for you to understand each line or see the humor in it as we do, know this was quite possibly one of the most exciting days of my life. 

5:00 Hippo check. 

5:40 Chug coffee. Burn tongue. 

Load van - pick up Tegris. 

Speed through park in the dark. 

Raise the roof. 

Taylor exits the van in search of lion. 

Nose to nose with Bushaman (three legged lion) and family. 

Jackson relieves himself near lions. 

Warn rafiki drivers of Bushaman sighting near hippo pool. 

Ate buffet breakfast + Instagram Bushaman in 10 minutes. 

Trade vans. Left everything except one water bottle and camera per person. 

Board the skippers pontoon. 

Skipper beckons agitated hippo to 'come'. 

Bird nests - The more food he brings, the more love he gets. 

Engine dies in the middle of school of hippos.

No worries - two life vests and wooden paddles if needed. 

Crash landing for photo opp on rock. 

Almost left our limited water supply on boat.

 

Hike to top of falls sans guide. 

Susu on trails sans TP. 

Prayed at the top. 

Began our search for Jackson at 11 by heading down dirt road. 

Stopped and told to relax in hut. 

Allen's Uganda phone, dead.

Was photographed by Samuel, director of private school in Gulu with his two year old son. 

Used Samuel's phone to call Jackson. 

Allen hears 'um...static...we have a problem... Phone goes dead. 

Jackson calls back - van is in shop. Guys are almost finished. 

No water. No food. 

Sarah naps, guys have biblical chat, Lauren and Rebecca scroll through photos a couple times. 

Park ranger comes to ask if everything is okay. Takes Allen away to call Jackson. 

Could be an hour. 

Allen naps, Sarah weaves, we struggle through states and capitols, play "ghost" until almost all are out of letters. All remaining iPhones at less than 20%.

Allen asks if anyone happens to have money. Rebecca has a grand total of 70,000 shillings (roughly 4.68 USD per person)

Allen disappears. 

Consider bartering with field trip goers for bananas and TP for another Susu break. We don't have any goods to work with. 

We are approached and surrounded by said field trip goers. Literally surrounded. No escape route noted. Photo taken. 

Allen returns with a plan involving back of truck. Leaves again. 

Allen returns. New plan - join field trip goers on two packed buses. 

Lauren and Taylor go to bus 1 to join roughly 40-60 students in small van. Return. Overcrowded. New plan. All in other packed bus. Standing room only.

As taking first step into bus, Jackson rolls up in new van at 3

Take a few snapshots. 

Try to locate bags in new van. T minus two bags, including one passport, driver's license, credit card, and valuable pillow needed to sleep on 4" foam mattress. 

Near head on collision. 

Doling out all food and water in van. 

Jackson drops us at lunch and begins to peel out of parking lot. 

Waiters give weird looks. Rebecca spots sign above bar 'lunch 11:30-3'. 

'Are you still serving lunch?'

'No, you're 40 minutes late?'

'Can you make food?'

'No food'

Lauren and Rebecca sprint toward toilet sign. 

Lauren spots warthog. 

Extensive photo opp. 

Warning comes from inside restaurant. "That is very dangerous. It may break your legs."

Retreat to restaurant for sodas and crackers. 

10 minutes later staff eats lunch. 

Jackson sequestered us for pow-wow outside restaurant. 

We enter new van with new driver (with orange jumpsuit draped over seat - questionable) and Tegris. 

All items accounted for. 

Van part that looked eerily like a snake slithered into the window. 

Going about 90 kph. Allen checked the speedometer. 0 kph. 

Stopped by the security guard. Our permit has expired. We are late leaving the park. 'I can open, but they will open fire.' Tegris works his magic and saves the day. 

Too soon to say much, but picture American Scream Machine for 2 hours dodging a family of 34 baboons, 67 bodas, 28 trucks, and an assortment of men, women, and children... All without using the brakes. 

Pull up to restaurant. Spot tents outside. And cat under table. 

Dinner. Finally.

Table conversation included but not limited to civil rights and the Boda Boda that was almost...

Load up in overgrown station wagon. Had a little stand still traffic... Enough to stop the engine 3 times. 

Taylor finds Marriott in the woods. 

Speaker blows. Praise The Lord. And Rebecca saves the day by wiggling the wire... Every 92 seconds. 

After 4 hours in the hut, an hour at the restaurant that didn't have food, 2+ hours playing human/baboon/Boda dodge-van, a dinner that took so long they brought complimentary chips and soup, and 4 hours in the clown car... We laughed a solid 13 hours and composed this amazingly detailed account of our adventure in creation. 

Safari Day 1

Thursday, June 27, 2013

We started our 2 day safari getting picked up at 6:45 to leave on our 6 hour journey to Murchison Falls National Park. As Allen, Taylor, Sarah, Rebecca, and I piled in the van, we had not idea what we were about to experience. To Jackson's  satisfaction (our driver), we made the 2:00 ferry to cross the Nile. 

As soon as we arrived at the lodge, we were greeted with cool rags and a glass of fresh juice. We didn't even take time to drop our bags before headed to eat lunch. The lodge was incredible... I could spend a few nights here for sure. 

This is the "short grass" the hippos like to come up and feed on at night. We received fair warning to stay clear of them if sighted. One of the most dangerous animals in Africa... Which prompted this sign:

We had about 15 minutes to drop everything off and meet Jackson for our game run. We met Tegris (only the best safari guide ever...) and hopped back in our safari van. 

As we took a 5 hour drive out on the savannah, we experienced God's creation up close and personal. 

Even after many prayers from our crew, "Lord, please feed your lions!" And even  playing a few theme songs from Lion King, no lion sightings. So, that means a 5:40 am game run for one more chance. 

We came back to a buffet feast and a cozy bed. Yes, a panoramic shot of 3 twin beda inside our mosquito nets. Unreal. 

Although the night was short, it was totally worth it. We had numerous conversations about how small we felt out in God's vast creation that sings His praises!

"You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." Nehemiah 9:6

"Thank you for loving me!"

Tuesday, June 25

Last week when we were in the Village with Teacher Margaret, she left us with the words, "Thank you for loving me!" As I've spent the past week continuing to be amazed at the opportunities God has given me to love on people here in Uganda, I keep thinking of the smile and words Margaret shared with us last Tuesday. And I've been chomping at the bit to get back to see her!

We loaded up and headed out to the village today. On the way we stopped by a hardware store to pick up some supplies for the boys to dig a latrine. I asked them to grab some chalk for Teacher Margaret. Rebecca and I had selected some children's books that we were so excited to read to her class today. When we arrived at the village, Alex took us to one of the homes that the interns are working at this summer. We wanted to check on their progress and drop off the boys to work. We went to JaJa Kev's home, a small hut, and met the most amazing woman. She is unable to walk and spends her day scooting around her home with the biggest smile. It was such a great reminder that God is so much bigger than our circumstances. 

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

While we were there, little Ivan came up, a boy with special needs that we met last week. He was not his happy self and didn't have much energy. JaJa Kev told us that he was sick, so we started trying to find his mom to see if we could take him to the clinic in the village. After spending about an hour and a half attempting to find her, we decided to go ahead and take him, leaving word with the neighbors of what we were doing. As we walked back to the van, his mother arrived. She had gotten word that we were looking for her, and of course came as fast as she could. She joined us as we drove them to the clinic. I'm pretty sure Ivan had never been in a car before because he was holding on for dear life the entire drive. When we finally arrived, he was shaking from being so scared. 

At this point it was already 12:30 and Margaret's school dismissed at 1. Alex drive us down so we could at least drop by to see them. As soon as we rounded the doorway, the kids literally jumped out of their seats, knocking over a bench, jumped into our arms shouting "Teacher Muzungu!" I was almost in tears just because of the greeting we received, thinking the whole time, "Thank you for loving us!" 

After about 5 minutes of all 3 of us teachers telling the kids to sit back in their seats, they finally calmed down. I pulled out the box of 150 pieces chalk that cost about $1.50 and gave it to Teacher Margaret. Through tears, all she could say was "Thank you!" The children were so excited, and she immediately said, "Well who will be the first one to use the new chalk?" She selected students to come up and write on the board the letters and numbers they had been learning. They loved showing off for the Teacher Muzungu!

Unfortunately it was 1:00 and we knew we needed to go. The goodbye was difficult because we told them it was our last time to come to the village before we left to come back to the states. Margaret asked when we would be returning, and we simply had to answer, "As soon as The Lord lets us." We left with a tearful goodbye, promising to pray for her and her students. And encouraging her to continue to love the children. 

God, thank you for loving me! And thank you for giving me the opportunity to love your children in Uganda. 

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. John 15:9