June Updates

Once again, it has been way too long since I’ve blogged about life in Uganda. As you can imagine, we’ve been pretty busy. Our schedule, just to give you an idea of what a “normal” week looks like for Rebecca and me, is pretty packed.

• Sunday – Church, out to lunch, House 2 tutoring
• Monday – our “off” day
• Tuesday – Ngongolo Village to work with Margaret in her school, House 1 homework
• Wednesday – Kitende Modern Primary School to teach P1 and P2 (we plan for PE and Counseling classes, but are starting to help with other subjects as well), House 2 homework
• Thursday – 4:30 wake up with the kids at House 2, day at House 1 helping with projects around the house and homework
• Friday – Kitende to teach clubs (art/music/drama)
• Saturday – House 1 tutoring, field day at Kitende with all of the Sozo kids, House 3 tutoring

One thing that the Lord continues to remind me is how I must be flexible, because even though we have a schedule to follow, there is never a week that everything goes exactly as planned. Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks:

Village School: The first time that I saw Margaret this summer, Rebecca was actually not with us in the village. She went on safari early in the summer with a friend of hers that came on a team. I was able to meet with her and tell her that we are looking forward to spending Tuesdays with her in her school. One thing that I wanted to make clear is that we don’t want to come in and just “take over” but we want to partner alongside her with the things she already has planned to do with her class.

A little background on Margaret’s school… She does not necessarily have a background with training in education but she saw a need for a school in the village and started one. Last summer she had over 40 students that were preschool-kindergarten age in a small mud hut of a classroom. When it came time to start the new school year back in February, some people from outside the village came through advertising a new school with “quality” education. Unfortunately, most of Margaret’s students from last year started attending the new one. She had a few parents ask her to continue to teach, so she is teaching with 5 students right now. Financially this has been difficult, and does not have the money to pay school fees for her own children right now. It is also very discouraging because the new school is literally across the dirt road from hers, which is a constant reminder of what has been taken from her.

When we work with Margaret, we are only there for a little over an hour with the students and then they go home for lunch, which leaves us with a couple of hours to just build a relationship with her. I’ve enjoyed this time so much, and we’ve had the time to give her encouragement in this time of her life that she is very disheartened by her situation. I’ve loved being able to share scripture and pray with her. The thing that God continues to place on my heart to share with her is that we do not always understand God’s plan and the way that things happen in this world, but “He who calls you is faithful” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Even when times are hard, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Our second week in the village, Margaret asked us if we could get her a Bible. Last week, we had the privilege of taking a Luganda Bible to her, and I wish I could have bottled up the joy that was overflowing from her heart. Margaret said, “Now I have power,” as she held her own Bible for the first time. She immediately turned to Psalm 23 and read it to us in Luganda. Every time she could sneak away, we found her sitting in the corner reading from her new Bible. She asked us to help her mark the scriptures we’ve been sharing with her. Seeing Margaret with this Bible reminded me of how God calls us to treasure His Word. How often I take for granted having the opportunity to open my Bible and read for myself God’s Word. In fact, I have countless Bibles in my home, different versions and formats. Yet, I do not get giddy at the thought of being able to sit down and read them. God, I pray that You will give me the passion that Margaret has for studying Your Word!

Please continue to pray for Margaret and our time with her. Pray that she will be encouraged and trust that God has a sovereign plan for her life, and He will be faithful to her as she pursues her God-sized dream of a village school.

Kitende Modern Primary School: This is the school that our Sozo kids attend who are in primary school (Baby Class through P7). We are at this school two days a week. Rebecca and I were both discouraged at the beginning because we had been given the opportunity to teach PE, Counseling, and Clubs (art/music/drama). These happen to be the ONLY subjects that neither of us teach back home. Ha!! God has such a funny sense of humor.

However, with the schedule, we are able to be at Kitende and sit in on P1 and P2 subjects like math, English, and Luganda. We also happen to be there during the mid-morning break on Wednesday and have the opportunity to “take tea” with the teachers. Picture a break in the teacher’s lounge at school (although that doesn’t happen very often…) with hot tea as sweet as Milo’s and chapatti (fried flatbread that is a cross between a tortilla/pita). We enjoy this time to talk with the teachers about differences in education and cultures. A few fun conversations...

• Comparing the differences between teaching a class of 100 vs. a class of 15.
• Rebecca being given a stick to carry around as she was teaching, after the class was told, “White ones beat harder than black ones.” And the conversation that followed about how you just need to have a stick to intimidate them.
• In Uganda, if you were 27 and single with no children, it would be considered bad. They told us that we can’t be too picky, we can’t all marry a wealthy man. We told them as long as a guy loves Jesus and loves us, we would be satisfied. They said, “We will find you a black one.” And the next time we showed up, one of the single male teachers started a conversation about wanting us to take him to the states to teach with us. Banange! (Luganda for “oh my goodness”)
• A conversation about needing to “reduce” (aka lose weight), and to do that you have to eat only vegetables and drink a lot of water… All while stuffing our faces with chapatti, fried samosas, and on a sugar-high from the tea.
• Being asked about our “Uganda teacher clothes” that we always wear (long skirts and t-shirt). When they discovered that was not our uniform, they asked why we always wore the same kind of clothes…

As we have continued to be at Kitende, the teachers have opened up more and more. Please pray for our relationships with Teachers Gorret, Amanda, Godfred, and Agnes. Pray that we have opportunities to encourage them, learn from them about education in Uganda, and conversations to share our faith with them.

Sozo Homes: The time that we spend in our Sozo houses has to be my favorite. The kids are learning our schedule and when we will be at their house to “do learning” as they say. I love that we are able to be with these kids at their highs and their lows, and show a picture of God’s unending love. Let’s be honest… Sometimes it is hard to love them when they continue to snatch your water bottle, refuse to do homework, or tickle you so hard it hurts. But, God always gives you a reminder of how He has called us to love, even in the hard times. Sometimes it is through an unexpected kiss on the cheek; a child taking you by the hand saying, “Come we go,” and leading you to share their treasured mud pie; or asking you to pray over them before bed.

Please be praying that although we are busy during the day at the schools, that we still have the energy and patience to spend quality time with our Sozo kids. Pray that I never overlook those moments to love and adore these children, and I use every opportunity to reflect the love our Heavenly Father has for us (1 John 3:1). Pray that we can be intentional with the aunties and uncles who work tirelessly to care for the kids and the muzungus (white people) in the homes.

A friend from my small group at Brook Hills, Rachel, came on the team this past week. I was able to switch my off day to travel to Jinja with her team, which ended up giving me a lot of time serving alongside her. I loved getting to see her experience Uganda for the first time, and watching her fall in love with the Sozo kids who have stolen my heart. It was the perfect time in the summer to have a little piece of home come to this side of the world. It was hard putting her on the plane last night, knowing that I will not be able to be back with her for another month. I can’t wait to get back to my small group girls and enjoy their fellowship every week!

Thank you all so much for the encouraging emails and texts that you continue to send. Often times is exactly what I need to refocus on why God has called me to Uganda this summer. Some days it seems like I have been here forever, and some days I feel like I just arrived. I can’t believe that I only have four weeks until I hit the ground in the U.S. Please pray that God will make the most of the time that I have left to serve Him here this summer. Continue to pray for good health and rest (so far, so good!), intentional time building relationships, and boldness to declare the Gospel to the nations!

“My life is in Your hands, my times are in Your hands,

Though nations shake and thunders roll,

I will trust in You completely.

I yearn for more of You, Your grace alive in me,

My life is nailed to hands that bled

In this love my soul is free.”

– Kari Jobe, “Yours Forever”