Dear Ugandan government:

I have a fantastic idea! You should double the price of work permits for NGO workers in your country without telling anyone. That will make it more difficult for people to come into your country to help educate your citizens, and cause immense frustration for NGO workers who are already here. Who wouldn't benefit from that?

Sincerely,
Emily

A few photos

Jennifer, Brooklyn, and me by the Nile River -- Jinja, Uganda


Little Patrick at Kitale Children's Home

The newborn baby of Bosco and Nancy, houseparents at Kitale.


Our night watchman Benard, his wife Juliet, and their two little girls. One of the girls, Deena, is schedule to have surgery for a cyst early next month.

Scripture autobiography

Earlier this afternoon, I was doing an exercise for ladies' Bible study -- the assignment was to write a personal purpose statement, a mission statement of sorts. To brainstorm, I started listing Bible verses that I've memorized and meditated on at various points since my baptism 8 years. The result was not exactly a statement of my life's purpose, but perhaps more of a scriptural autobiography? Each of these verses God placed on my heart to draw me closer to him during a specific situation or a season:


“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) (15 years)

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but he said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in persecutions, in hardships, in trials, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (1 Cor. 12) (17 years)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt. 6:33) (18 years)

“For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12) (19 years)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:4-7) (20 years)

“For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:23) (21 years)

Anyway, I just enjoyed reflecting on these verses this afternoon, and thought I'd share.

Speaks for itself.

Adventure of a lifetime?

People back in the States frequently tell me, "Wow! You must be having the adventure of a lifetime!" And in a way, they're right: I've rafted the Nile. I've slept on the Serengeti Plains. I've danced to traditional Zambian instruments. I've swum under waterfalls. I've greeted and sang and made a fool of myself in more languages than I can remember.

But a lot of the time, life is just life. I do dishes and I sort library books and I interact with houseworkers and guards and children. I make sure the water filter stays filled. I teach math and grammar and reading to bright, hard-headed students. I oversleep. I pray for the sick children of my friends. I spend too much time on Facebook. I bake with Blue Band instead of butter and wish I could get good raspberry jam.

And that's okay.

Teacups and Rhinoceroses

On the team retreat, we did a team-building exercise called the Teacup Game. Laura put a teacup on a table in the middle of us, and told us: Write five sentences about the teacup. Then we went around the circle and read our sentences. The point of the activity was to show how various people approach situations and problems differently.

Many people made lists of the teacup’s features: pink and yellow flowers, gold rim, saucer, ornate handle, etc.

Phillip’s included: “If the teacup is really porcelain, it could probably hold up a small car.”

Mary Beth’s was a paragraph about the teacup’s four generations of owners.

My first instinct was to write a descriptive list – I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. But instead I started mine: “A rampaging rhinoceros overturned the table and shattered the teacup to bits.”

I think maybe I’ve had a similar attitude towards blogging lately. My first instinct is that I ought to chronicle the “big” things that have happened – rafting, teaching at Natalie’s school, SEE ministries, etc. But why should I do that? Why shouldn't I embrace my inner Virginia Woolf and write whatever I take a mind to writing?

There and back again

Hello,

I'm back home (in Mbale) for awhile after a busy couple of weeks -- a weekend rafting the Nile in Jinja, a few days resting in rural Kenya on team retreat, a few more days at Kitale Children's Home playing with babies. I intend to post bits from my trip journal (and hopefully some pictures, if the internet cooperates!) sometime in the next couple of days, but I just thought I'd stop by and say I'm doing well. :)