Altar Call

Homecoming Day 11

This weekend I went to church in the states for the first time. I do not know if I was expecting too much or what, but I was disappointed with the service. It was a Christmas eve service so the altar call was inevitable. BUT I was left high and dry. Where was the intense scripture reading that I spent four months waiting for in Uganda? Where was the deep delve into Greek meaning and Bibical cultural insight? Was this what I have been waiting for? Surely, this service was not what I had come to miss. Ashamed, I find myself questioning those who came to the altar. In suburban Illinois, what do we know of need? How can we truly understand what it is to NEED a savior and cling to his word and his principles? So often 'we' talk of coming to Christ after finding the way of the world lacking, but we never fully grasp what lack is. In other places in the world, people cling to Christ in dire need and desire to survive. But I have the audacity to come to Christ when my life is lackluster. Where does that demand faith and reliance? I know there are people in true need in this country. I have seen them. But on whom do they rely for necessity? The government. Aid. Welfare. Where is his church? Where are his hands and feet?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ -Matthew 25:34-45

Who are the least of these? The children 'starving in Africa'? What about the orphans living in our own cities and states? The Church of Christ has been commissioned to care for widows and orphans, but in this country of governmental reliance we have given up our commission, to a corrupt and secular power. Why? This is the area which the church can have influence and power to show the love of Christ. He came to heal the sick and be with those who needed him, not the self righteous and well educated. They saw no need for him and that disease plagues many of our countrymen to this day. In God's provision I rest, but I ask him for things like tuition so that I can attend my private Christian college. What if I chose to take a year off and donate that money to a better cause? That money is a small fortune in Uganda. I grew up being told I was smart and since God had blessed me in that way that I should continue my education and do something noble with it. Why do I need an education that costs me so much to help me get to a place where I can serve God the best? God gave me gifts. Certainly, he can use me no matter what.

-Am I being a steward of what I have been given?

-Am I a good servant of Christ?

-Am I reaching out to others in his name?

-How can I best be an American CHRISTIAN?

May you be a blessing where you are.

Of Transitions

Homecoming day 5
The sunset over Lake Victoria.

Today finds me home for about four days. I feel like the transition into home life has gone pretty well and as far as jet lag I haven't really experienced much. Thank Goodness!I would have to say the strangest thing so far has been the abundance of food in our house...I haven't found myself hit upside the head by reverse culture shock yet, but I have heard that many students really feel that when they get back to school in the spring. I mean one goes from a lunch line with maybe one choice (beans or g. nut sauce) to fifty different choices and combinations. Oh the luxury of American life. Right before we left our one of the program coordinators talked about there was a good chance that by the time got home we would have made more choices than a Ugandan makes in a lifetime. The community and more simplistic aspects of their culture just change that whole concept.
On another note my internal calender is quite perplexed. Last semester didn't feel like much more than an extension of summer but everyone tells me it is now Christmas time, but we have NO SNOW. That is not Christmas in Chicago...
Trepidation lurks about my thoughts of Christmas. I really worry about seeing all my family at one time and confronting stereotypes of Africa. Stereotypes that I held before I experienced real Uganda. What do I tell them? What do I share? What do I cherish and share with only few? I fear the same redundant questions. I think I have told the story of being stuck in South Africa more than anything else. This is certainly the most recent of my 'Africa' adventures, and so it is certainly fresh in my mind but I feel it is of very minimal value to my experience this semester. Why don't people ask the right questions? About the things that matter. The experiences that changed my life...
But what questions would I have asked before my time in Uganda? The same questions I am being asked. Where is my extension of grace and love? Lord, grant me grace and understanding.
There is also the extreme materialism of the American version of Christmas. My family has our beautiful tree up in the living room, a constant reminder of the consumerism of this culture. Every year many American families spend money on a tree they will just a month later throw out. But its tradition. Malls will fill with people seeking to pay the almighty dollar for one more unneeded gift. But its tradition. Based on where I am economically, I do not think I can ever say I have had a legitimate need. All the so called 'needs' I have are based on a standard of living that is so much greater than many people in this world will ever see or understand. Why am I not more thankful? Grateful? Joyful? Peaceful? Generous?
Where is my appreciation for my blessings?
May the Lord bless and keep you all this joyous season.
Merry Christmas!
Find your joy in him.

One Week to Go.

Uganda day 109
Good Morning All!
Today marks a milestone. I have one week left until I arrive home. 1 day left in Mukono. 3ish days in Entebbe. Then almost two days of travel to get home. I cannot believe that time has gone so fast. Today I will have to pack up all my stuff and tomorrow we will head out.
Please pray for safe travel. And a good time of closure and goodbyes.
No internet for the next 6 or so days...
Have a wonderful Week/weekend!

The Beginning of the End

Uganda Day 105
I have ten days until I arrive in JFK or for that matter in Chicago. This is insane. I have nothing but two finals tomorrow between me and heading home. Home. I never thought this time would come that I would actually start thinking about packing and how to get the massive amounts of stuff that I have accumulated home. My large suitcase is going to be jammed full. I am pretty glad that I brought two suitcases.
I'd say I am pretty close to freaking out. I just cannot believe that I can count the number of days on my two hands. I have a mere five days left with my Ugandan family and I have started to realize just how much I have come to love them and consequentially how much I will miss them. The feeling is bittersweet. I cannot wait to go home and see all the familiar faces, but I am so sad to leave the beauty of this place. These people and this country have taught me so much and opened my eyes to so many things I would never have seen. I wonder if I will ever be back.
That is the question I hate the most. When will you come back?
Well...
When I have the money.
When I have the time.
When I am not too busy.
Looking into the sweet faces that inquire something that tugs so roughly on my heartstrings, I cannot help but say, "soon, I hope."
Coming home will be full of joy and leaving home will be full of heartache.
Home is where the heart is.
Can I split my heart in pieces?

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Day 100!
Happy Belated Thanksgiving Friends!
These past couple weeks have been full of chaos and madness but it has been so good! Two Fridays ago, (the 19th) we went up north to Lira. Lira is part of the northern region that was ravaged by the Lord’s Rebellion Army (LRA). While there we visited an orphanage, a café, and a woman’s shelter. The orphanage and café were western run and the shelter was run by a Ugandan woman who used to be on the police force here. I guess I shall start with the café. The café is not run for any specific evangelical purpose, but the owners started it up simply to create jobs and educate Ugandans on the art of customer service. While I was not overly impressed by their business plan and the fact that long term they always saw the need to have a westerner on staff, they had great milkshakes. Or perhaps I am just ice cream deprived. Either way, it was interesting to see an organization that is just here. Not to bring the light or nurture it, but to provide jobs. The following day, Saturday, we went to an orphanage/water project/school/vocational training center/church/etc. run by a retired couple. It was a huge drastic change from any school or such place we have visited. The orphanage reeked of wealth. The entire campus was on a generator and all of the huts that house the orphans had electricity all the time. Let me quantify this. I do not have electricity every night. Is running a generator a necessary expense for an orphanage? Not to mention an orphanage that is completely donor sponsored? That was another aspect of Otino Waa that I did not believe made them very sustainable. They are almost 100% donor funded. The small café run by their vocational students is self sustaining, but other then that donors. Another factor is that the donors are not even churches, but most are individual people. The couple is almost 70 and planning on retiring in the next two years, but they also feel the need to always have a westerner on staff. What happens if no one wants to take over after them? What happens if the donors for the children stop giving? It takes three donors to fund each child. And most of the donors have personal connection with the couple working there currently. What happens to the children if the orphanage fails to maintain the current standard? The next place we went was the woman’s shelter. Hellen was a member of the Ugandan Police force and while serving in Northern Uganda in the IDP (Internally Displaced Peoples) camps she saw the need for someone to help the women who had been abused. Its was certainly been interesting to compare the Ugandan run organizations with the western run and funded ones. We spend so lavishly even as far as aid is concerned.
Next highlight. Thanksgiving. Corn. Turkey. Fantastic. We started the day baking cinnamon rolls or Wesley, Lacey and I did. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They were pretty great. That adventure was followed by football. Also very fun. Then dinner and a cornhole/baggo/bean bag toss tournament. Prolly one of the most memorable thanksgivings I have ever had. It was really cool for us all to come together and be like family to each other. Thank the Lord for family and my family back home.
Then safari. Last weekend was crazy fun! I cannot remember the last time I had so much excitement in one weekend. I spent an entire Saturday morning doing a game drive hanging off the roof of a van. Mommy, don’t worry it was semi-safe. We saw elephants, water buffalo, antelope, giraffe, bush monkeys, and hippos and lots of fun birds. Then in the afternoon we went on a water safari and saw more hippos, elephants, birds, and even some crocodiles. The game park we were at was the Murchison falls national wildlife preserve. We also got to see the namesake falls. They were pretty spectacular.
Which brings us to this week. Its been so crazy how fast this week has gone. Monday was a full day of classes and the last history class, Praise the Lord! Yesterday I went into Kampala with Wesley and Angelina for a project that Angelina needed to finished. We got rained on, lost, hit on, rode like five taxis, and finally after three hours arrived at the malaria consortium. It was a crazy long day but we got some icecream which clearly made it all better. Tonight we are headed to a cultural dance in Kampala. It is supposed to be really good. I am pretty excited about it.
15 days from now I will be back in the states. I am not sure that I am ready for it. Please pray that I invest greatly in the last two weeks that I have left here.
Happy Wednesday to all!

Last Trip of the Semester?!?!

Uganda Day 88

Today we leave for the last trip of the semester. That is just crazy...We are headed to Lira in the north. This area has been ravaged by the LRA and rebels in the past. We will visit some organizations that are run by Westerners and then at least one that is run by a Ugandan woman. It should be really interesting to see the difference between a 'need' filled by a native versus a westerner. And the funding aspect of something funded from the inside and something western funded.
Please pray for safe travels and great experiences!
(and time to do all the homework that has to be done for next week...)
Have a beautiful weekend!

Shilo, Eliannah, and I

Straps and Souls

Uganda Day 86

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a company called Sseko.

Sseko shoes is an organization that helps Ugandan girls fresh out of secondary school earn enough money to pay for the first year of university by making sandals. Sseko works with a specific secondary school outside of Kampala and employs about nine girls for each 9 month period. The way that the Ugandan school system works is that primary through secondary school calendars run February to November and then the University calendar runs, like ours, September to April with 9 months built in so that students can earn some cash for school fees. (School loans are practically non-existent here) Anyhow, Sseko steps in an gives these girls, who have aspirations to further their education, the opportunity to work and earn the money for the first year with opportunities for further employment and scholarship. One of the cool aspects about this company lie in their goal to eventually, on the Ugandan side, be totally Ugandan run (but since their main market is western there will always be some design logistics done by a westerner). They have only been in business for about 2.5 years and have a full time staff of about 30 in Uganda and the two owners, in the states, act as salesmen and all the other fun stuff.
So the question, why women? The thought behind that lies within the saying,

"If you educate a boy, you educate and individual, but if you educate a girl, you educate a nation (or the future)."

And the train of thought that follows: a woman will pass her education on to her children or will at least push for her children to be educated. Another reason, education seems to be one of the best forms of birth control. An educated woman is more interested in achieving something herself than she is in just having babies. Especially in a society that is so male dominated like Uganda a program like this is unique, epic, and cutting edge. If a family has money to send one child to university, it is going to be a son. For a son has the responsiblity to provide for his parents whereas a girl, once she is married, is more responsible to her husband's family (traditionally, mind you. Things are changing here like everywhere else but...tradition and culture still hold strong). A boy would also be in the work world longer for he will not stay home with children after they are born. In theory, he has a better return on investment. But does he?
Sseko makes sandals. The soles of their shoes have five loops through which one passes a straps of fun colors. They are pretty cute. I did, indeed, buy myself a pair.

{Soles..}

Sseko is not a Christian ministry. They do not claim to bring glory to Christ through their organization. It was just a revelation for me. We have spent so much time talking about ministries and sustainability and the success or lack there of in ministry.
{And Straps.}

But this is a dichotomy that I'm not sure where it falls. Its like this semester, I came to Africa and I am not doing missions. Does that happen? Apparently it does. So then I have to ponder...can God get the glory from a company, an organization that does not set out to glorify him? I feel that he can. If even one girl gives him glory for the opportunity that is more than enough. And even if no one does, can God get glory out of the coincidental good that happens in his world? I say he must.


To God be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.