Soroti Homestay

The Land Rover bounced left to right and zoomed down the road splashing muddy water onto innocent bystanders.  With a sharp turn we slithered in to the bush like a snake escaping danger.  The bushes surrounded us and smacked the windows of the car as we plowed over five foot grass.  The road had disappeared leaving us roaring down a path meant only for the tire of a bike.  A chicken squawked and I burst into laughter at the sight of our backseat chicken peeking out beneath a piece of luggage.  This ride continued for two hours yet I was not riding Indiana Jones.  My rump still testifies to the truth of the potholes and my smoke scented clothes speak to slow cooked meals over a charcoal stove.  Welcome to rural Uganda.  Welcome to Soroti.

After an exciting day of dropping students off at their homestays I settled into a quiet routine at my own place of rest.  ”Rural living is a lifestyle, not a standard of living,” Margaret informed the students weeks ago in preparation for their upcoming experience.  Thus it is difficult to fully share the life I lived the last week of October.

If America is hectic, fast paced, and efficiency driven than rural Uganda is the complete opposite.  Life is raw and simple.  I rose with the sun and set off to the fields with Margaret.  For a couple of hours I faced the earth and my thoughts.  I went through her cassava plants picking up the invading weeds and passed the hours thinking and praying.  Occasionally I lifted my gaze to watch the others hoe the field and marvel at the billowing clouds.  My fieldwork provided much entertainment for the other workers, especially when I carried corn upon my head, with no hands!

Returning to Margaret’s house we would bathe, talk, and eat breakfast.  Then Gwyn and I began our day of fellowship and relaxation.  That included journaling, reading, playing games, and talking.  We occasionally joined in on meal preparations or clean up.  Otherwise we rested, waiting for the potential emergency phone call.  Fortunately not many students required medical attention so we were able to thoroughly enjoy our stay in Soroti.  After a week of rest and reflection we picked up the students from their homes with a mixture of tears and relief for some.  The stories flew around the bus as we drove to Kapchorwa, our debrief location.  Students had been faced with questions of education, gender roles, priorities, love, the role of the West, and many others.  On Saturday most students and staff embarked on an epic hike through the beautiful mountains that took us to three gorgeous waterfalls.  This was an excellent capstone to my week.

I wish I could say that the rest lingered through the next week yet it quickly fled last Sunday when I took care of a sick student.  That characterized my past week.  I visited the Surgery, the dr’s office, three times in four days.  Those trips consumed my week and left no time for rest.  This week has brought some new excitement as students are cooking meals at Gwyn’s house.  Also, a coworker is gone for a few days so I am leading the class discussion in her classes.  Through this all I am learning that when I am overwhelmed by life’s situations or the busyness of it all, I need to stop and marvel at the Creator and the works of His hands.  I pray that we all learn to take the time, no, the opportunity to do this.

If you still read this

The heat is subsiding, hot August nights have passed, and a crispness is detected in the air.  The leaves are parting from green and slipping into a golden yellow and orange.  Isn’t that what’s happening?  Certainly not here in Uganda.  The sun continues to beat with force and each day the immaculate white clouds unleash the heavens for just a few moments until the sun dries up the earth again.

I recognize that I did not write one word in September.  That happened for many reasons.  The pace of work has drastically increased, especially with students getting sick and many trips to plan.  Also, it was a difficult month for me emotionally so I often lacked motivation to write my thoughts.  I’m sorry to all of you who are interested in what is going on; I do appreciate your concern.  I am so grateful to God that I can say I am doing much better emotionally.  Through prayer, counsel, and change I am learning a lot, especially how to deal with struggles and take care of myself.

Some of you might remember that part of the semester in Uganda is going to a rural setting for 10 days to live with a host family.  Well, the staff and students are leaving tomorrow morning for our 10 days.  We are all going to Eastern Uganda but I am going with the group to a town/village called Soroti.  Gwyn, a fellow staff, and myself will be staying at the home of our co-worker, Margaret.  Our week will hopefully consist of relaxing, reading, writing, and wonderful conversations.  We are in Soroti mainly to be present in case of an emergency.  Hopefully that will not happen.  We return to Mukono on Nov. 1st.

I wish you a wonderful rest of October.  Please take some time to stop and enjoy the crisp air and the changing of seasons.  Some of us are not graced with the beauty of seasons.  I’ll talk to you all in November.

Standing on the edge of a mountain

The students have arrived safely to Uganda and the semester has begun in full force.  42 students have descended upon the empty campus of Uganda Christian University and filled the halls with loud voices and laughter.  They are enthusiastic and excited for the semester ahead of them.  Picking them up at the airport was very exciting for me as I have been memorizing their photos and preparing for these relationships.  It is interesting being in my position because I know what they are about to experience and what questions they will face.  I feel as if I am standing on the edge of a mountain gazing at the land below, seeing some of what lies ahead.  Those following behind me do not yet know and would not see the beauty if I described the sight I saw.  So I withhold my tongue and wait.

The students are full of so many questions and I am amazed at how many I can answer.  Most are simple such as when is dinner and how do I wash my clothes.  Others pertain to the culture and those questions enthrall me.  However, it is stunning to me how much power I have with the information I can impart.  Several times I have heard students say to each other, “Rebecca says…”  It’s quite humbling.

In just a few hours we leave for a trip to Rwanda.  We will be gone for ten days and while in Rwanda we will learn about the East African Revival, the genocide of 1994, and what things are going on in the country today.  This trip is intense as we see raw memorial sites and hear the testimonies of those who survived.  Since last going in 2007 I have watched many movies and read many works about the genocide that have unpacked many layers to what happened.  I don’t know how I will respond this time.  It will be interesting to see.  But as we are leaving shortly I will say good night, bid thee farewell, and promise to share some reflections when I return.

An Associate’s Life

When I arrived in Uganda I was told that my title had been changed from intern to program associate.  Sounds so much more professional doesn’t it?  Haha.  I’ve been in Uganda for three weeks now, nearly a quarter of my previous experience and it has proved to be so different yet strangely familiar.

I’m sure many of you have experienced the joy of returning to a familiar place after years of separation.  While I eagerly anticipated my return “home” I couldn’t have imagined how it would feel to walk the red hills I had pictured in my head or to eat rice and beans twice a day sitting in the familiar Dining Hall.  This place is swamped with memories.  It has been a joy to revisit them and create new ones.  One great joy was visiting my host mom.  I went and surprised her one afternoon.  She was so shocked that she stood there speechless for thirty seconds before she said, “It looks like Rebecca,” and then broke into laughter.  It was a sweet reunion.

The past three weeks have been full.  It began with the gracious hospitality of my co-workers and other ex-pat families on campus.  Seth, my fellow intern, and I were nicely spoiled with home cooked meals and friendly conversation.  After our first weekend the whole staff went on a retreat where we spent time getting to know one another, of course doing Myers Briggs, and also learning the details of our jobs.

After returning we dove right into preparations for the students who arrive on the 25th.  I have grown so accustomed to working in the office that I know it will be a large adjustment once the students finally arrive.  As rewarding as it is to complete projects, organize rooms, fill medical kits, I am so looking forward to the arrival of the students so that the “mentorship” can begin.  

The main part of this position, and the largest reason why I am here, is to be a mentor and guide for the students who come to study here for one semester.  Seth and I are given the task of walking alongside students as they struggle to learn Ugandan culture, miss home, and wrestle with the questions that inevitably come while studying in a third-world context.  I am humbled by this responsibility and excited to meet the students in just a few days.

As a recent college grad I am discovering the freedom of “after hours” and weekends.  For my fellow grads maybe you can relate to the sweet sensation of leaving the workplace and thinking, “I can do whatever I want.  I don’t have homework to do.”  It is such a foreign concept and something that I am growing to appreciate.  Like many others I have begun filling my time with reading and journaling.  Oh, and a Lord of the Rings marathon with fellow staff.  This newly created time has given me an opportunity to rest, ponder life, and wrestle with the vastness of God and his kingdom.  If I find out any answers I’ll let you know.

That’s a brief summary of my August.  Please feel free to ask questions, I never know what people are interested in.  I will try to write again before we leave for Rwanda, which will be on the 29th.  Please pray for the student’s safe arrival and for the staff as we make final preparations for their coming.  

Grace and peace to you all from the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And my love to you as well.

No Age

So you may be wondering, what has happened to Rebecca?  Why hasn’t she written any more updates?  The simple answer is that I live in a place of no ages.  For Americans, and most of the world for that matter, the Technology Age assures constant and quick communication with any person of your choice.  However, I live in a land where the Technology Age does not dictate communication or my daily schedule.

Uganda is a land that is still controlled by factors beyond our control, one of which being the weather.  When a storm rages, there is no Internet.  Whenever it feels like it, there is no Internet.  That’s just the way life is.  And there is also limited access to the Internet; I can’t simply open my computer and be connected to the world wide web.  While at times this can be frustrating, it is also liberating.

Living without communication at my fingertips is teaching me in a new way the precious gift of human interaction.  Words on a page can be so meaningful, yet hearing a voice, or seeing a face, nothing can ever replace that and I am re-learning that lesson.  I have also had to give up control in several areas because there are times when I am not able to do what I want.  I’m accepting the fact that that is the way life is here.  And you know what, it’s not too hard to accept because others live their lives this way and we all survive.

With all of that said, I apologize for not writing more because so far written words are the only way to communicate with me here and I know that there are many people curious about what is happening in my life.  Second I wanted to let people know that I do have a cell phone here.  If you so desire, you can either call it using an inexpensive phone card or using a skype account, which is even cheaper.  To call you must dial an exit and entrance code and then the number.  All of that is: 011-256-7720-87057.  Hearing a familiar voice would make my day.

Please don’t think that I am bashing technology.  I think it is a great gift and I am grateful that it allows me to keep in touch with all of you.  I also think that it can be abused and that it causes us to sometimes forget that we are ultimately not in control of our lives.  Have a wonderful day, Saturday has been great here

I’m here!

The unique smell of burning garbage, the dripping sweat from a humid day, and bustling streets at midnight tell me that I am once again in Uganda.  Well I’ve safely arrived, and by the grace of God at that.  My flight to Chicago was delayed resulting in me power walking through the airport to get to my gate just in time for the announcement, “Last call for Brussels.”  Praise God that I made it as well as my luggage, that was a miracle.  It is so wonderful to be back.  It’s strange, it feels like I never left because everything is so familiar yet I feel out of practice.  It’s kind of like riding a bike after not doing it for years, your body and mind knows how it works it just feels a little strange at first.  Or maybe like picking up a once familiar instrument.  Maybe you get the picture.  Last night as we drove to Mukono I was soaking in the sights reminding myself of things I had learned about this culture and people that I love.

So for the weekend we have the charge of relaxing and settling in.  On Monday we will begin our training.  I think that’s all for now.

I’m off!

Mentor, disciple, and nurture American college students in Uganda.  Such a small task required of me.  Haha.  Yet I go not alone but instead I am sent by God who fills me with the strength to complete this task that seems too large until compared with his greatness.

Thank you to all my dear friends and family who have overwhelmingly showered their love upon me.  Please pray for safe travels and I will notify you of my arrival once I’ve settled in a bit.  Thanks again for your love and support!