Uganda Update!

Hi everyone! I am super excited to finally be updating you! After 4 days of travel- including 4 flights and an 8 hour car ride- we have officially arrived where we will be for the next 2 months. The past couple of days have been some of the most unpredictable and exciting days of my life. I don’t have a lot of words to sum up the myriad of experiences

I have collected over the past couple of days, but I can tell you that it is nothing like what I expected-in all the best ways.

I came into this trip knowing that though I would be challenged in cross cultural experiences, for the most part, I thought I was pretty “cultured” (yes my pride can be emphasized with a highlighter there). I thought that I would be shocked by the African culture, but that ultimately it would be a quick adjustment or purely observational. Boy have I been wrong! I didn’t anticipate the challenges and ways I would be grown by being plopped down into the middle of both missionary and Ugandan life. I am not just observing from an outside lens looking in, but instead, I have been blessed to be fully immersed in it. I am challenged to find roots of understanding in all things and develop depth to my relationships with everyone i meet. I have been humbled in ways I didn’t know where possible and have found laughing at my mistakes to be one of my favorite pastimes.

Many of these moments began before I even stepped off the plane, beginning with a 2 hour conversation with my new Burdundian who filled me with new knowledge of the land and his past. I was so encouraged through his testimony that he shared with me about how he found new life in Jesus Christ. He told me of how he was deathly sick when he found Jesus, and was miraculously healed. He told shared how he knew that it was by no work of his own that he found healing from his sickness , but purely the grace and mercy of Christ. He showed me that even though I was traveling alone, my same God I knew from home was right next to me, no matter how far I got.

In these little comforts though, I have also already collected a laundry list of answers to the “what is your most embarrassing moment” question- from trying to get in the wrong side of the car in my first taxi ride, to shrieking in the middle of the night after a gecko fell on my head(which apparently is a common occurrence here), to telling everyone I saw a bamboo instead of a baboon on the side of the road (yes I meant the monkey not a panda’s meal)! I am sure I will have a whole boat load of stories by the time I come back, and that these are just the beginning! While very funny stories, these moments have also been incredibly valuable in teaching me lessons of the Lord’s grace. Many moments here have left me feeling ill-equipped and questioning whether I am the right person to be here, but in God’s kindness and perfect timing He has met me in these doubts with His truth. Whether is is perfect timing of the words of teammates around me or just feeling His nearness in daily activities, He has shown me that it is true- I am not the best choice or equipped enough to be here on my own. But the beauty is I don’t have to be the perfect person, and He never intended for me to be. I am learning that the more I see and realize my need for Him, then the more He will make up for that need in His strength. This mission has been a tangible experience of my weakness being met with His grace, and filled with His strength.

Each day that passes brings a new lesson of how I can only rely God’s strength to fill my weakness, but thankfully we have a really big God that loves to do exactly that. I am learning to trust in His past faithfulness to carry me now, and find Him when I am tempted to rely on myself. I am praying that my increasing awareness of my weakness leads to a magnified view of the Gospel- leading me closer to Jesus in thought, word, and action.

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If you are still reading now- THANK YOU for walking alongside me, supporting me, and for sticking with me through this very wordy update!! It has been the greatest thing to see that the Kingdom is truly united in the hearts of believers all over the world. Christ’s nearness in our hearts is the victory, and keeps us all so much closer than we know!! I feel so lucky that God has allowed me to be on mission right now alongside of you! Please continue to pray for the good news of the Gospel to be spread in and through believers here, and an increased awareness of Him all around. Please pray that Christ be glorified through the team here, and through missions everywhere! Finally, please pray over this next week for preparation of my heart as I begin my regular weekly schedule of work this summer. Please pray over my actions, the relationships formed, and experiences gained! Thank you again for everything and please know that you are so loved by me, and more importantly, by the One who is Love!