Be Transformed

Happy Birthday David! Again!

2008-07-29T21:52:00.002+03:00

Wow! It's been a whole year since I last posted! Yikes! I've never been that great at any kind of consistent journaling as I'm sure anyone who has ever tried to keep up with this blog can tell. But today is a very special day. As you can see by the post directly before this from a year ago, today is my wonderful brother's birthday! He's a pretty fabulous guy and I'm very lucky to have him as a brother. So if there is anyone that reads this blog today (I'm guessing the only way you would is if you have subscribed to the feed and it notifies you!) that knows my brother, be sure to wish him a Happy Birthday!

2007-07-29T10:36:00.000+03:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!

One Month Mark

2007-07-13T08:42:00.000+03:00

Wednesday marked one month of time remaining for me here in Africa. For those of you that do not know, I will be flying out of Uganda on August 11 and will arrive in Dallas/Ft. Worth on August 14. The time has truly flown by here. This past year has been such an incredible adventure and blessing in my life. I am so blessed to have such wonderful support and prayer backing in all of you. I can’t thank you enough for all that you do! I look forward to being back on the same continent with you soon, though my heart is beginning to feel the pains of leaving what has been home this past year. This last month is going to fly by at a very rapid pace and it will be over before I know it.

This morning I am writing from a fantastic coffee shop in Nairobi, Kenya using their free, fast, wireless internet. I’m experiencing a bit of culture shock even now because Nairobi is such a big, bustling city.

I am on my way to the coast for an All Africa Missionary Conference. Three of my teammates and I arrived in Nairobi early this morning after traveling by bus overnight from Mbale. We are spending the day here and will travel by overnight train to Mombasa tonight. Tomorrow I will get to enjoy exploring the city of Mombasa in the company of good friends and possibly go to a movie for my birthday! We will remain in Mombasa until the 16th, when we will make the final leg of our trip to Malindi for the conference. I am looking forward to meeting missionaries that are coming from all over Africa and getting to spend more time with those that I have already met this year. We will be at the coast until the 22nd, when we will take another overnight train back to Nairobi, spend a day there, and then drive back to Mbale on the 24th.

After the conference, I have just a little more than a week remaining in Mbale. Our national team of missionaries is having our quarterly meeting in Mbarara (across the county) on August 5&6. So, I will be packing up and saying goodbye to Mbale before we leave for that. I will be dropping my luggage off at a friend’s house in Kampala on the way to Mbarara and then will be staying in Kampala after the quarterly meeting until I fly out.

Wow, seeing that all written out kind of makes my head spin! It really is going to fly by! Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I finish out my time here. Please pray that the Lord will give me the time and energy to complete the work that He has for me without feeling too stressed and overwhelmed. Please pray that in the hectic pace of this last month, I will not overlook the incredible beauty around me the little blessings that I receive daily. Pray that I will treasure each moment with my Ugandan friends and teammates that I will be leaving behind and that I will be fully present here and in the ministry that I have been given.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support! God bless you!

Fourth Festivities!

2007-07-05T10:08:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was an interesting Fourth of July for me because, well, Uganda does not celebrate the United States Independence Day! So all around us, life went on as usual. However, we still gathered up as many of the US citizens in the community that we could and had a wonderful little celebration of our own. We all headed over to the Shelburne house and fired up the grill for a cookout! I do love cookouts! A big thanks to my mom for sending fun decorations to help us all get in the red, white and blue mood! It had been drizzly-rainy all day long, so the party remained mostly inside, but we still had a wonderful time. Good friends and good food. What more could you ask for?

Happy Birthday!

2007-07-04T11:42:00.000+03:00

Most Americans might think that today's Happy Birthday message would be in honor of Independence Day, however, this is not the case in the Chapman family. Now, I don't want to sound unpatriotic or anything, we definitely celebrate Independence Day, it's just that today is my mom's birthday! It's always so exciting because there are always fireworks! I realize that they are in honor of Independence Day, but I always like to pretend that everyone all over America is celebrating my mom's birthday! I'm a little sad that I won't be able to hang out with my family and watch fireworks tonight.

If you know my mom, make sure that you wish her Happy Birthday today! And if you see her today, give her a birthday hug from me!

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

And Happy Fourth of July!
For those of you in the United States, make sure you watch some fireworks for me tonight!

July Jubilee!

2007-07-02T16:30:00.000+03:00

July has always been an exciting month in my family. The reasons to celebrate start at the very beginning and last until the very end! There will be many more posts in honor of celebrations this month, but to kick them all off, today is my parents anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom!

I love you guys so much! Enjoy your special day!

My First Last

2007-07-02T15:14:00.000+03:00

Sunday was the beginning of several lasts that I will be experiencing over the next month. (For those of you that don’t know, I will be arriving back in Fort Worth on August 14.) This is sure to be a very bittersweet month for me. While I am looking forward to seeing the wonderful friends and family that I have missed this past year, it is going to be very hard to say goodbye to the friends and family that I have made here.

This past Sunday was my last time to teach the kids at Mbale Church of Christ. I will be with them one more time as a helper before I leave, but this was my last time to be their teacher. These kids will always have a special place in my heart. There were many times that it was difficult teaching because the kids didn’t always understand me and our classroom was often chaos, but you just can’t help but love these kids. They have been such a blessing to my life and I will always treasure the time I have had with them!

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T15:59:00.001+03:00

Nimule, South Sudan

2007-06-07T23:41:00.000+03:00

Well, after struggling with the internet and the power for a couple of days now, I finally have pictures uploaded to share with you from Sudan!

I got to visit Nimule, South Sudan, to see the ministry that our team is partnering with and fellowship with God's workers there. It was a week with a lot of sitting around because there is not much to do there, exploring the compound, hanging out with friends, playing with adorable children, checking out the construction site that my teammate Josh is overseeing, and drinking lots and lots of tea.

We traveled to Nimule by plane from Entebbe. The company that flew us there is called MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). Here is a picture of the plane that we flew in. It is the smallest plane that I have ever been in!

Here are some pictures around the compound where we spent most of our time. The compound is 9 acres and already contains two houses, a kitchen/dining building, a church/school, and the newly constructed SEE Ministries clinic. My teammate Josh has been going up to Sudan for a few weeks at a time to oversee the construction on the clinic and it is almost complete! The compound and the area surrounding it can be extremely barren at times, but we visited during the rainy season and I think it was beautiful there. There are also some pictures of a couple of IDP (Internally Displaced Peoples) camps that are near the compound.

One day we visited the school that meets on the compound to visit the kids. We couldn't speak their language, so communication was a bit difficult, but we were able to sing some songs with them and then they loved having their pictures taken!

There isn't a whole lot to do there, so we had to get creative at times and come up with entertainment. Here are more pictures of us all around the compound.

There was nothing blocking the view of the sky there. It was so vast and beautiful! We spent several evenings watching the sunset and it was gorgeous! The stars were incredible as well. One night the sky was almost completely clear and you could look up and see stars everywhere! It was so amazing! I was reminded every day of the might and creativity of God!

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and was very blessed to be there. This week there is a conference going on there with national church leaders from around Sudan and some visitors from the States to discuss the needs of the Sudanese people and what future ministries might be possible. It is very exciting to see God moving in that place. Please keep Sudan and this conference in your prayers.

Back in Mbale

2007-06-06T12:30:00.000+03:00

Well friends, my trek to Sudan has come to an end. Yesterday was a full day of traveling by plane, taxi, and truck. Laurie and I pulled into our driveway around 8pm. We were tired, hungry, very much in need of showers, and very glad to be home. The trip was wonderful and I hope to update with pictures and details later tonight. For now, I am trying to weed through the very full email inbox that was waiting for me this morning and figure out where the best place is to jump in on all the work that needs to be done!

The Big #1

2007-06-04T11:57:00.001+03:00

My sweet little nephew, who was only a tiny 2 month old when I last saw him, is now 1!

He's grown so much since I came here and is getting more and more adorable each day! I know that he can't read, but I just couldn't let such a special day go by without saying Happy Birthday!

Isn't he the cutest thing ever?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE DAVID!

(If you are reading this post before June 4, you are not going crazy. I won't have internet on the 4th because I will be in Sudan, so I went ahead and created this post and changed the date.)

Travel, Travel, Travel

2007-05-29T01:26:00.002+03:00

I am taking a quick break from packing to let everyone know that I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for a trip to Nimule, Sudan. I will be traveling with my housemates, Heidi and Laurie, and our teammate, Josh. We don't actually fly to Sudan until Thursday, but tomorrow we are driving to Kampala, and Wednesday there are errands to be done in Kampala before we can leave. I am really looking forward to seeing the work that has been going on there. Josh has been traveling back and forth overseeing construction of a clinic there and Heidi is thinking of joining a team to work in Sudan in the future. We will have the opportunity to see the area and help set up for a conference that will be held there next week to discuss the needs of the people of Sudan and ways to minister there.

I would really appreciate your prayers for safe travel, not only for me, but for our whole team. We are in another season of traveling and visitors. There is a group currently doing survey work in northern Uganda that will be traveling back tomorrow. There are several of us, as well as visitors from the States, going to and from Sudan in the next few weeks. Danetta Shelburne is taking a short trip to the states with three of her kids (Leila, Josiah and Asher) and Natalie Tyler. Danetta has the opportunity to attend a birthday party for her grandmother, Asher is too young to be away from mom for long, and the older kids are attending Summer Excitement at LCU. There will be many visitors coming in and out and we are rapidly approaching the time for those of us who came for a short term to begin returning home. There will be many miles and hours spend in cars and on planes. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers and pray that God be glorified in every place that we go!

I fly back from Sudan on June 5, but I do not know when I will be back in Mbale just yet. Depending on various transportation situations, it could be June 5, 6 or 7.

Congrats on 5 Years!

2007-05-18T09:34:00.000+03:00

Happy Anniversary David and Kristen!

My brother and sister-in-law are celebrating their 5th anniversary today! Aren't they just so adorable?! (I don't think David usually reads this, so adorable is ok to say!) They are fantastic, and if you know them, make sure that you tell them Happy Anniversary today! I love you guys!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T07:00:00.000+03:00

I am blessed to have some pretty great mothers in my life. Of course, MY mother is absolutely fantastic and she means so much to me! Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you so much! To all the other wonderful mothers that I know - my grandmother, my sister-in-law, my aunts, my cousins, and my friends - Happy Mother’s Day! The world is a better place because of you!

If you have the blessing of being near your mother today, or any mother for that matter, make sure to give her a big hug and tell her how wonderful she is. If you happen to be near my mother today, give her a big hug for me!

Kisawozi

2007-04-27T12:09:00.000+03:00

On Sunday, I went with Phillip and Chrysostom (one of the rural ministry counselors) to the village of Kisawozi for church. It was so much fun! I love praising God with Africans. They just put everything that they have into it! At one point during the worship time, Phillip leaned over to me and said, "It's kind of like praise aerobics isn't it!?"

Phillip preached an interactive lesson about different reasons why you should be baptized. It was so fun to see everyone, from small children to elderly men and women, doing the hand motions to help them remember each reason. It was great to watch Phillip interacting with them as well. He was really getting into it! Who says church can't be fun?

After the service, there were several who had come that wanted to be baptized. So we loaded up many more people than should be squeezed into a truck, and headed to the river (which was 30 minutes away).

Two very full truck loads later, we had 33 new brothers and sisters in Christ! It was so awesome to be able to be a part of that experience!

Sipi Falls

2007-04-26T19:36:00.000+03:00

A couple of weeks ago, some of my housemates and I went out to explore more waterfalls! Sipi Falls is actually three waterfalls. We saw the first one from the camp where we got our guide, and then actually hiked to the second and third one. I was the only one that had not been out there before and I had been looking forward to a chance to go for some time. I think waterfalls are just so amazing. They are so powerful! We spent the morning hiking around and enjoying the beauty, creativity, and power of God's creation. It started to rain on us as we hiked back down from the falls, but it was only a light rain. The real rain held off until we were eating lunch under shelter back at the camp! After lunch the rain cleared off for a little while and we got play on this awesome swing that looks out at the waterfalls! It was such a great way to spend the day!

I'm Missing Out On An Incredible Ice Cream Cake

2007-04-25T10:50:00.000+03:00

It's this good-looking man's birthday today!

This means that, as part of the celebrations, there will be an incredible ice cream cake! It has become somewhat of a tradition for my Dad to make cakes for the birthdays in our family. They are so good that he's even making his own! That may sound sad, but seriously, you haven't had one of these cakes. They are much better than store bought! For those of you that know my father, make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday today!

Happy Birthday Dad! I hope that you have a fantastic day! You are terrific and I love you so much!

Welldone Family Vacation - Kenya Church of Christ Children's Home, Kitale

2007-04-24T15:25:00.000+03:00

Jennifer does administrative work for the Kenya Church of Christ Children's Home and visits there at the end of each month to make sure that everything is in order. Since the end of the month corresponded with our trip, we all decided to go with her and spend time with the children and the house parents there. The kids were so much fun! We spent all day just playing with them and having a great time. The house parents there are wonderful Christian mentors for these kids. It is so great to know that the children there are receiving God's love from those parents! I hope that I will have more opportunities to visit and spend time at the home in the future.

Welldone Family Vacation - Captain Davie's, Kitale

2007-04-24T15:00:00.000+03:00

Our main reason for going to Kitale was to visit the Kenya Church of Christ Children's Home. However, we also enjoyed a morning at Captain Davie's, which is basically an overgrown petting zoo. We got to play with giraffes, look at zebras and rhinos, and met a one-horned elan named John. I even got to ride an ostrich! It was crazy! I'm working on getting a video of that uploaded soon.

It was quite an entertaining morning! I'm always amazed at God's creativity when I see His animals that live here!

Welldone Family Vacation - Lake Baringo

2007-04-23T15:07:00.001+03:00

The first stop on our family vacation was to Lake Baringo, which was about a two hour drive from Sunrise Acres. As we drove, we crossed the equator. We decided it was time for another family photo!

At the lake, we stayed in a cabin that made me feel like I was in the Swiss Family Robinson. It was great to walk by the lake, hang out, and play around outside!

The afternoon that we arrived, we rode camels!

This was quite an experience! The camel that Heidi and Jamie rode had very bad manners and, after a while, sat down and refused to go any further. They got off and had to walk for a while. Eventually Jamie got back on, but Heidi had had enough!

The camel that Laurie and I rode was just fine. A camel is an awkward animal to ride, but I wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to say that I've ridden one!

We spent a relaxing evening enjoying the cool night, and watching for hippos. We had a great view of the lake and some of my housemates actually saw a hippo walking across the lawn.

We saw several hippos the next morning when we went on a boat ride around the lake. We also saw lots of birds, and got to watch the guides feed fish eagles. The fish eagles swooped down to get the fish right in front of our boat! We expected to see a lot of crocodiles as well, but we only saw one small one. We did see a big monitor lizard that probably wasn't much smaller than the crocodile! The lake was probably the brownest I've ever seen, but the area was still very beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed our boat ride.

When we got back we loaded up our stuff and stopped at the restaurant for lunch on our way out. The only reason I mention the restaurant is because it was called "The Thirsty Goat." The name is pretty funny by itself, but it also had a great sign to go along with it!

We set off from Lake Baringo and headed to Kitale. On our way, we drove through some amazing scenery. We stopped at a lookout point on one particularly curvy road and took a family photo with the incredible Rift Valley in the background.

Welldone Family Vacation

2007-04-16T19:35:00.000+03:00

I feel that there is a need for a bit of explanation before going any further. My Ugandan family (the girls that I live with) has become known as the Welldones to our team and some of the other ex-patriots in Mbale. This comes from the fact, that many times, when people here don't know what to say next, they just say "well done". It doesn't matter whether or not you have done anything worthy of being told this. In fact, often you haven't done anything at all. Also, it is quite common for this to be said run together as if it were one word. Anyway, it became a funny joke to us and eventually it was adopted as our family name. So, without further ado, on to the Welldone Family Vacation!

(The Welldones - Jamie, Heidi, Laurie, Me, Jennifer)

Following our Team Retreat, my housemates and I embarked on a family vacation. We had a blast relaxing at the lake, making friends with wild animals, and playing with Kenyan children. Before leaving Sunrise Acres we took a family photo on the tire swing. The bear has a sweater on that says Well Done, so of course, he had to be in the picture too!

Team Retreat - Sunrise Acres

2007-04-16T18:55:00.000+03:00

After Come Before Winter, we met up with the rest of our team in Eldama Ravine at a place called Sunrise Acres for a team retreat. It was beautiful there and it was cold! We don't experience cold weather much so we all soaked it in! I got to wear long sleeves, sleep under three blankets, and sit by fires! Sunrise Acres is a working dairy farm so that meant wonderful fresh milk and homemade ice cream. There was also really great homemade jam. The agenda for the retreat was that there was no agenda. It was wonderful! We rested, played games, hiked around, and just enjoyed time together.

(Playing Balderdash - Emily was on my team)

(Team Picture)

(Mbale Team Singles)

Come Before Winter

2007-04-09T15:00:00.000+03:00

My first week in Kenya took me all the way to the coast of the Indian Ocean. It was absolutely beautiful there. It was also ridiculously hot and humid! Anytime that I was not inside in an air-conditioned room (which was quite a novelty because not many places have air-conditioning), I felt like I was melting. But the beach was so amazing and our time there was such a blessing, that the heat didn’t matter too much.

16 ladies came from Texas to facilitate the Come Before Winter Renewal. I received a special blessing because 6 of the ladies were from RHCC! It was wonderful spending time with each of them!

(All of the RHCC ladies! - Laura Reppart was also there, but she wasn't around for this picture)

All 16 of these ladies were amazing and it was such a blessing to learn from and spend time with them. It was also quite fun that they came from Texas! They even threw us a party on our last night together and brought a little Texas to us all by giving us crazy cowboy hats and having hoedown! I laughed so much that night!

During the week, we spent a lot of time in study of the book of Philippians and fellowshipping with missionary women from all over Africa. It was incredible to hear stories of God’s work in these women’s lives. Through our study I was encouraged to spend more concentrated time studying God’s Word and to intentionally dedicate each day to Him. We also spent wonderful time in praise and prayer each day. These times were so uplifting and I am so thankful for them!

During the afternoons we had free time to enjoy our amazing surroundings. Our hotel was right on the coast so we were able to walk in the beautiful white sand, play in the waves as the tide came in, and even go kayaking!

It was a wonderful week, full of fun and blessings, spent in an absolutely beautiful place!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T19:14:00.000+03:00

I hope that you all have a wonderful day filled with praise because our Lord is ALIVE!

I had a wonderful Easter Sunday that began with teaching the kids at MCC. I love those kids! It is always a blessing to be with them, even when they can't understand very well or are acting up! They just make me smile!

This afternoon was filled with community fellowship around the grill and an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. Though I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to join in on the hunting, it was just as fun to be in on the hiding and watching!

Yesterday, my housemates and I had lots of fun coloring eggs with a great kit that my parents sent us. It was a little interesting because our eggs are brown, but they turned out pretty well. Thanks Mom and Dad! We had so much fun that we saved the dye and bought more eggs today so that we can do some more tonight!

Happy Easter everyone!

RHCC Visitors

2007-04-02T15:17:00.000+03:00

The second week of March we had visitors from RHCC come to Mbale! They were only here for a few days because they were visiting other mission sites in Africa as well, but we greatly enjoyed the time that we had with them. It was such a blessing to have them here and for them to be able to see our mission work first hand.

For the past few months, there have been a couple of building projects going on here and our visitors were able to see the progress of those projects. This is a picture of the building that will be used by Good News Productions International. There is also another building nearby that is being renovated for a conference center and dormitories.

The group also visited MTI, our theological school and home to my office.

And of course, we had to show them the beauty that we are surrounded by here in Mbale, so we all spent a morning together up at Sisiyi Falls!

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement Duane, Debbie, Marilyn, Ron, and Don! It was so much fun having you guys here!

Back from Kenya!

2007-04-01T14:29:00.000+03:00

I'm back from Kenya! We had a great time, but it is very good to be back. I was growing weary of living out of a suitcase! I have much to tell, and hopefully I will be a good little blogger and tell it all soon! I don't know that I have much blogging energy in me today, but check back tomorrow! Thanks for your prayers while I was away!

Kenya Bound

2007-03-17T21:44:00.000+03:00

Well, once again I find myself very behind in my updating with much to tell and no time to tell it. I will be in Kenya for the rest of March, so I won't be able to update more until I get back. Please keep my team and all of our travels in your prayers over the next few weeks. When I return I will have stories and pictures from the past few weeks and from our upcoming travels!

All of the ladies on our team are leaving early in the morning for the Come Before Winter renewal on the coast in Kenya. I have heard nothing but good things about Come Before Winter and the place that we are going. Pray for the fathers on our team who will be holding up the forts at home and looking after all the kids! After the renewal, we are meeting up with the rest of our team for our team retreat. I've been told that the place we will be actually gets cold in the mornings and evenings. I'm excited to be packing my sweatshirt! Then my housemates and I will be heading to Kitale, Kenya to visit a children's home that our team works with. I haven't been to Kenya at all yet, so I'm very excited about this trip!

Now, I need to go and pack. It's 10pm here and I have hardly packed a thing!

Medical Clinics, February 5-7

2007-02-10T21:29:00.000+03:00

The first week of February, we hosted 3 medical clinics in villages outside Mbale. Two of our national teammates from Kampala, Darla and Ellen, came to run the clinics. Ellen is a Doctor and Darla was a nurse for several years in the states before coming to Uganda. They also brought a visiting nurse, Rachel, with them. We went to a different village each day. At each site we were met by a large crowd of people already waiting to receive medical attention. Some people traveled a very long way to get there.

The nurses visited with the people first to see which ones needed to see the doctor and which ones could be treated or given medication and information right then. If they needed to see the doctor, they then went to registration and filled out an information sheet and waited to be seen. Many people had malaria tests and/or urine analysis done. We also had a simple pharmacy set up with many common medication needs.

Possibly the greatest part of each clinic was the spiritual counseling that took place. Many of the rural church leaders went with us each day. When people had received their physical help, they then received spiritual counseling and prayer from these leaders. There were many people who were greatly blessed by this and many that took steps toward Christ because of it.

The first day, I helped with registration all morning and then helped in the pharmacy (counting pills) in the afternoon. The next day, as a veteran of registration, I did that again in the morning. In the afternoon, I learned how to do malaria testing and helped with that. Then on the third day, I was given a quick lesson on testing urine and the spent the rest of the day doing malaria testing and urine analysis. I was glad that I got to move around each day and see what each different station was doing.

The clinics were basic in nature, but the people were very excited to receive the help that they did. It was such a blessing to be a part of something that reached out to very real physical and spiritual needs of the people here. God was glorified and many people, including those of us working the clinics, were blessed.

2am Super Bowl Party

2007-02-05T06:29:00.000+03:00

It is 6:30am and I am sitting at my computer debating whether or not I should try to get in a nap before beginning my day. I just got back from watching the Super Bowl live thanks to the Tyler's satellite TV and ESPN's international broadcast of the game! I went to bed early last night so that I could wake up for the game. While I should probably feel like this:

I actually feel pretty good! This could be due to the fact that I have had coffee and tea.

I wasn't particularly vested in either of the teams, I just love football and this was the only chance that I would have to see a live game all season! Besides, Super Bowl parties are always fun and now I have wonderful memories of getting up at the ridiculously early hour of 2am to hang out with friends from the community and watch some football!

I needed to have a team to root for, so I decided going into it that I would be a Colts fan because I like Peyton Manning and my sister-in-law is from Indiana. I'm glad those two factors helped me choose the winning team! Most of the others at the party had decided to be Colts fans as well, so I was in good company. The rest of the single ladies (other than the teenagers) bailed on me and didn't go to the game. We are doing medical clinics out in villages this week and apparently they thought they needed sleep for this! I'm so glad that I went anyway! Such fun!

(Leila Shelburne and I)

(Community Friends)

(Shawn and Linda Tyler - Thanks for hosting the game!)

(The girls spent most of their time enjoying the fact that they were able to hang out at such an absurd hour, talking, eating junk food, and making a new friend - I think they named him Todd.)

(The boys probably had the most comfy seats in the house! I think they also struggled a little to stay awake at times!)

We're Painting our Kitchen!

2007-02-01T11:45:00.000+03:00

Since we arrived here in August, our kitchen has been white, all white. While white is clean, and there is nothing at all wrong with it, we have been longing for color for some time. We even bought paint in November and hadn't done anything with it. So, a few weeks ago we decided to do something about it and add a little life to our kitchen. A hand towel that Jennifer brought with her inspired the colors and pattern and we all thought it was really fun. I love painting. I love getting messy and not caring. And I love the final product!

Confessions of an Over-Ambitious Blogger

2007-01-31T15:06:00.000+03:00

I would like to take a moment to apologize for my lack of blogging lately. You see, I have about 10 posts in process right now that span from before my parents were here in December up to this past weekend. I have a bad habit of starting posts and then leaving them there, unfinished, for ridiculous amounts of time. Part of the reasoning for this is that we have a slow and unpredictable Internet connection, but part of it is that I get so many started that the idea of trying to catch up on them all is quite daunting. So, rather than try to catch up on old posts before I move on to new ones (because that is obviously not working well for me), I am going to start writing about current things and catch up on the others as I get the chance. It will look a little strange on here though, because the entries will post on the date that I began them, not the date that I publish them. I will put notes telling you when older posts are up and ready for viewing! Hopefully soon, I really will be caught up and will be able to stay that way.

Until then, my name is Laura Beth, and I'm an over-ambitious blogger.

Rafting the River Nile

2007-01-28T21:54:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, 3 of my teammates and I, along with a vacationing Austrian, a Canadian doing ministry in Kenya, a girl from Sweden who is traveling all around East Africa, and our Ugandan guide, took on the Nile River in a raft! It was incredible! I have to admit that quite frequently throughout the day the river won the battles and caused our raft to flip, but it was still an incredible adventure! We were on the river all day long - drifting along lazily at times and crashing through rapids the rest of the time. We went through 12 rapids - five grade 5s, three grade 4s, three grade 3s, and a grade 2. I am now tired, sore, and sunburned (and yes, I put on sunscreen - lots of it) but it was worth it!

(Me, Kimberly, Becca, and Laurie getting ready for a day of adventure!)

(Tired, but happy, after all day on the river!)

(This is our rafting team! Sarah, Laurie, Alex, Me, Kimberly, Becca, Franz, Wade)

Here are some views of the Nile from our campsite that night. I am still in awe of its beauty and power! Praise God for giving us such an incredible gift!

S'MORES!

2007-01-26T17:27:00.000+03:00

I love s'mores. I even have my own personal s'mores maker back in the States so that I can have them anytime I want, even if there isn't a campfire handy. When my parents visited in December, they brought real American marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey's chocolate. The original idea was that a group of us would go camping up by a waterfall and roast marshmallows for s'mores over a campfire. Well, the camping never happened and up until a few days ago, the marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate remained untouched in our pantry. My lovely housemates and I were sitting around by candlelight after dinner playing with the candle flames (power off nights often lead to playing with fire), when we were reminded of the wonderful s'mores fixin's waiting untouched in the pantry. In a rush of excitement, the fixin's were on the table, skewers left over from a cookout were found, and the marshmallow roasting had begun! Candle-roasted s'mores don't quite measure up to real campfire-roasted ones, but they were still very good and we sure did have fun!

Family and Fun

2007-01-08T11:10:00.000+03:00

My parents got to come and visit for Christmas! It was so wonderful! We had so much fun and shared a lot of great adventures. We jumped right into the adventures as soon as possible. On the way back to Mbale from the airport, we stopped in Mabira Rainforest. Let me just say, that hiking around in a rainforest at a time when the rainy season still hadn't really ended was an adventure in itself! We were slipping all over the place. We managed to make it out unharmed and having laughed a whole lot at each other! I was the source of quite a bit of the laughter because I had not brought shoes with me and was hiking in flip-flops! Needless to say, I lost them in the mud several times and by the end of the hike my feet had been exfoliated quite well.

Before we started our hike, we were given a map and shown the best way for us to go for the amount of time we wanted to spend. The guy that was explaining the map kept telling us that there would be a big tree to use as a landmark. We were a little skeptical about knowing which tree he meant, but he assured us that we would know it when we saw it. As we were hiking we came across several big tress, but none that we felt really stood out. Then we saw it. He had been right, there was no way we could have missed it. It was massive!

Another adventure took us up to Sisiyi Falls where we hiked around the waterfall and climbed up on some huge boulders. I have been there before, but I am still amazed at how beautiful it is!

We also had lots of holiday fun! My parents brought a Santa puzzle for us to work on and a gingerbread house that provided all sorts of fun and laughter. We baked cookies and had Christmas movies playing often. We even played games by candlelight when the power was off.

On Christmas Eve, we had a fantastic meal that was as close to our traditional family Christmas meal as we could get thanks to the goodies that my parents brought. It was so much fun to share that meal together as a family. My parents pretty much adopted the other girls in our house as their daughters, so we were just one big happy Ugandan family.

(Even before dinner, we had changed into our comfy pjs in preparation for some good eatin' and lots of fun!)

It's my family's tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve, but most of the other girls usually wait until Christmas morning, so we decided to do both. We all opened some presents Christmas Eve and saved some for the morning.

(Chocolate covered Oreos! YUM! Thanks for finding them Kristen!)

(I got a Luke's mug! Any Gilmore Girls fans out there will understand.)

On Christmas morning, our team led a Christmas service at Mbale Church of Christ, and then met at the Shero's house that afternoon for a Christmas cookout! We had so much fun, but it was a little strange having a cookout that resembled common Fourth of July celebrations more than Christmas.

Here are some of our Ugandan family photos that we took Christmas Day with our little "Charley Brown" Christmas tree.

What a blessing it was to have family and friends to share with this holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T11:57:00.000+03:00

I am so blessed to have my parents, friends, and teammates to share this day with. I pray that today is filled with great fellowship, joy, and praise!

Bungee Jumping!

2006-12-04T17:58:00.001+03:00

I have now been bungee jumping! This was one of those things that I always thought would be amazing, but I never thought I would actually do it. So basically, I dove into the Nile River from a platform 135 ft up with a big rubber band attached to my feet. It was incredible!

Jinja, Uganda. December 4, 2006

(Four of us jumped and Becca R. came along for support and to take pictures.)

(The Nile River)

(This is the platform that we jumped off of.)

(The stairs we had to climb to get to the platform.)

(They meant "wait")

(Waiting anxiously for our turn!)

(Getting Ready)

(This is how they wrapped our feet.)

(Moments before jumping.)

(Three, Two, One....Bungee!)

(Hanging Around!)

(Bungee Jumpers: Me, Laurie, Becca E., Heidi)

(Us with our Bungee Master, Phillip)

(Sometimes I still can't believe I actually did it!)

Flat Stanley Comes to Uganda!

2006-11-20T19:09:00.000+03:00

One of my teammates received Flat Stanley in the mail from her cousin and we all pitched in to give him a wonderful Mbale welcome! Here are some photos documenting Flat Stanley’s visit with us. If you don’t know who Flat Stanley is, ask your nearest early childhood educator!

(We made sure that Flat Stanley had a nice bed complete with a mosquito net so that he wouldn't get attacked by mosquitoes at night.)

(He came to love the tasty treat that is milk in a box!)

(Flat Stanley with James and Noeli Luchivya eating bread and drinking chai.)

(Flat Stanley came to our office staff meeting on Tuesday morning and shared thoughts with Peace, Judith and Jennifer.)

(Flat Stanley with Heidi and I enjoying some coffee before the office staff meeting.)

(Flat Stanley was very helpful during his stay with us. He helped sort through the stacks of books that are being cataloged for the MTI library.)

(When the books were ready to be shelved, Flat Stanley helped put the MTI stamp on them.)

(He even worked on his alphabetizing skills and helped organize the card catalog!)

(Flat Stanley borrowed Becca's phone when they were working in the library. Maybe he was calling home to tell them what a good time he was having!)

(Flat Stanley wanted to help me with my work at the office. He is a very talented little fellow!)

(He also helped me make copies of materials for office day in the print room.)

(When Flat Stanley was helping in the print room he found this really old pair of glasses and wanted to take a goofy picture.)

(Flat Stanley has such a servant heart! He volunteered to sweep the floors!)

(We were all amazed to find out that Flat Stanley could read the Kalenjin New Testament!)

(Flat Stanley was eager to learn about the AIDS Orphans program and enjoyed reading about the children that are being sponsored.)

(He also helped Peace distribute medication to those who needed it.)

(Flat Stanley thought the flowers at MTI were very beautiful.)

(Michael showed Flat Stanley how to be a guard at MTI.)

(Flat Stanley wanted to learn how to drive a motorcycle, but we didn't think it was such a great idea.)

(We thought about letting him drive the truck, but he couldn't see over the steering wheel, so we didn't think that was such a great idea either.)

(This was Flat Stanley's first experience with public transportation here in Mbale. He had to hold on tight when riding the boda boda because he is so small and light!)

(These kind ladies helped Flat Stanley learn to pump water from a well.)

(Flat Stanley visited the Mbale Mission School and made some great new friends!)

(He enjoyed swinging at recess.)

(He also thought that the sand boxes were lots of fun.)

(Flat Stanley loves bananas!)

(Even in Africa, there is "Always Coca-Cola!")

(Flat Stanley on a "Power Off Night".)

(Flat Stanley was excited to take a picture with the map of Uganda so that he could show his friends back home where he had been!)

We all thoroughly enjoyed Flat Stanley's visit to Uganda and we hope that he had a safe trip home!

I Like This Billboard

2006-11-19T16:11:00.000+03:00

This is one of my favorite billboards that I've seen here. It is up all over the place and so I finally took a picture of it. It is for a cell phone company, but I just really like the picture. If you can't tell, each of the boats have a different flag painted on them (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). I just think it's cool and wanted to show you all!

MTI Graduation

2006-11-19T00:19:00.000+03:00

Today was the sixth annual graduation ceremony at Messiah Theological Institute. There are two levels of certification that can be received from MTI (Basic and Advanced). This is the first year that there have been students with enough Advanced credits to receive the Advanced Certificate! There were 23 total graduates (13 Basic and 10 Advanced). I was able to help create and put together the certificates that the graduates received and the programs for the ceremony. I also got to help pass out caps and gowns to all of the graduates before the ceremony. There was so much excitement in the air that I just couldn't stop smiling. It was a wonderful day of celebration! Praise God for this school and for the Christian leaders that are being raised up because of it!

(Advanced Certificate graduates waiting to enter)

(Basic Certificate graduates)

(Noeli Luchivya recieved an Advanced Certificate. She and her husband James are missionaries from Kenya and are a part of our team.)

(This is Herbert. He is one of the Rural Counselors and he also works with me to distribute printed material to those that come to our office days.)

(Advanced Certificate Graduates)

(Basic Certificate Graduates)

(2006 MTI Graduates)

(Judith and I after graduation. Judith works with me up at MTI. I am very blessed to know and work with her.)

I.R.T. - The Home Stretch

2006-11-03T08:42:00.000+03:00

The original plan had been to drive all the way to Kampala, stay the night, and go the rest of the way to Mbale the next day. However, since we had decided to go craft shopping that morning, we got a later start than planned and only went as far as Mbarara. It turned out being a fun change in plans though, because we got to have dinner with the ladies on the Mbarara team and spend some wonderful time visiting with them. They are all wonderful women and since they are so far away, we don’t get to spend much time with them other than at the quarterly meetings.

We got an early start the next morning to drive all the way back to Mbale. Here are some photos of our last day on the road!

(saw zebra on the side of the road!)

(we also saw several different kinds of D.L.A -Deer Like Animals)

(some quick photos as we crossed back into the Northern Hemisphere)

(a beautiful rainbow in the sky when we were almost home)

We were all tired and glad to be home, but wow, what an incredible journey!

I.R.T. - Kigali, Round Two

2006-11-03T01:39:00.000+03:00

After returning from the Congo, we checked out of our hotel and headed back to Kigali. We visited the genocide memorial and spent a few hours (but I could have spent longer) looking at photos and reading about the events that took place. It was hard to read about all that happened, but I was glad that we went.

We met back up with the teachers later, they showed us around their school and then we and went with them to a Bible study. I really enjoyed the Bible study. It's always neat to worship and study with people from different cultures. That evening we had dinner with the teachers and the Luz family. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and getting to know them and their ministry better. The next day was our last day in Rwanda. We got an early start so that we could do some craft shopping before we started our journey home. After a quick lunch with the teachers we loaded up the truck were on our way again.

I.R.T. - Goma, Congo

2006-11-02T23:34:00.000+03:00

The next day, we decided to cross the border to Goma, Congo. The border was just a short drive from where we were, and we had talked to several people who told us that the town just on the other side of the border was safe for us to go to. So we drove to the border, parked the truck on the Rwanda side so that we wouldn’t have to get insurance for it, and walked across to the Congo!

(between the borders of Rwanda and Congo)

(Congo border)

There was only one factor that we were concerned about for being able to get across the border. The border crossing fee had to be paid in American cash and usually the bills have to be recent (at least 2003). Becca R. and I didn’t even have American cash on us because going across this border wasn’t in our original plans and crossing the Rwandan border was free. Becca E. had enough cash, but it was the year 2000. We just decided to go for it and if it didn’t work then at least we tried. We all got processed through and then when they asked for the money, sure enough, they wanted a newer bill. There was a brief moment of sadness that we wouldn’t get to enter the Congo before an American man standing behind us spoke up and said that he had a newer bill that he would trade! Another unexpected blessing!

So, I can now say that I have been to the Democratic Republic of Congo! We only spent a few hours there, and there really wasn’t that much to do, but it was still an interesting experience. It was incredible how drastically different things were on the Congo side of the border. Almost immediately it was dirtier, poorer, and less organized than Rwanda had been. Goma had been covered by lava sometime in the 90s and so the street level was significantly higher than it was before. There were buildings that you could see where almost the entire first level was covered in lava. They just rebuilt on top of everything and second floors of buildings became first floors.

There were walls built entirely out of volcanic rock and piles of volcanic rock everywhere.
We stopped and talked to some people to see if there was anything in particular that we should do or see while we were there and they told us we could walk one way to see the lake, one way to see the market, and one way to see the monument from the volcanic eruption. We had already seen the lake on the Rwandan side and the market wasn’t too appealing, so we decided to seek out the monument. Here is a picture of what we found.
It is a statue/monument of a bunch of stuff tangled together and covered in lava. Of course we had to take a picture in front of it! That was about the extent of our Congo excursion, but again, I can now say that I have been there! I have the stamp in my passport to prove it!

I.R.T. - Gisenyi, Rwanda

2006-11-02T17:53:00.000+03:00

After leaving the orphanage, we drove the rest of the way to Gisenyi where we spent the night at a hotel right on the shore of Lake Kivu. The view was beautiful! From our room that night we could see both the lake and a glowing volcano! My camera was out of batteries so I wasn’t able to get a picture of the glowing, but we got pictures of the volcano with its smoke the next morning.

I.R.T. - Imbabazi Orphanage

2006-11-01T15:50:00.000+03:00

After our time with the gorillas was over, we still had a full afternoon ahead of us. We made our way back to Sue’s house where we packed up our things, said our goodbyes along with many thanks, and we were back on the road! We headed toward Gisenyi, which is right on Lake Kivu and at the boarder between Rwanda and the Congo. On our way there, we stopped at an orphanage that was started by a woman named Rosamond Carr. She had been living in Rwanda for several years and was forced to evacuate during the genocide. As soon as she could return, she began the orphanage for children who had been affected by the genocide. Ros recently passed away at the age of 94, so I never had the opportunity to meet her, but I have heard that she was an incredible lady.

The fact that we even had a contact at the orphanage and were able to visit was another provision from God through Sue. When Sue heard that we were interested in visiting the orphanage because of all that we had head about it, she immediately called her friend Kay-Ellen who was a good friend of Ros and is now kind of in charge of the place during this time of transition! Kay-Ellen said that she would love to have us come and Sue made sure that we had directions to get there. It was great because when we arrived Kay-Ellen greeted us with, “So, are you what Sue sent?”

Kay-Ellen was wonderful and showed us all around the orphanage.

Currently, the orphanage takes care of 114 kids. It really is a wonderful ministry.

We also got to see Ros’ house and her flower gardens. To bring in money, Ros grew and sold flowers professionally. Her gardens were amazing and filled with so many beautiful flowers!

(This is where the cut, arrange, and prepare the flowers for delivery.)

Ros had a tradition that she always stopped whatever she was doing for afternoon tea. This became a well-known fact and she often received visitors at that time. When we were there Kay-Ellen invited us to join her for tea in Ros’ house. It was wonderful. We had the opportunity to listen to Kay-Ellen tell stories about her life and about Ros. We could have listened to her stories for hours and were disappointed that we had to leave in order to make it to Gisenyi before nightfall. It is so interesting to hear others’ stories. It has been so amazing to meet all of these new people!

I.R.T. - Gorilla Trekking!

2006-11-01T10:50:00.000+03:00

We woke up early on the morning of our gorilla trekking adventure to prepare for an incredible day! We drove in the early hours of the morning to the main ORTPN office not far outside of Ruhengheri town. We were then put into a hiking group, given a guide, and set out to find our family of 8 gorillas, the Umubano group.

As we drove to the trailhead, we could see the volcanic mountains in the distance.

Our hike began with walking through local fields until we reached a wall made of volcanic rock, which marks the boundaries of the Volcanoes National Park.

(Becca E. and I with our guide, Francis)

Once inside the park, we began hiking up the mountain through a bamboo forest. The hike was so much fun! We were climbing over, under, and through bamboo with our guide up front hacking out a “path” with his machete.

We even stopped for a moment to try some of the gorillas’ favorite food – fresh bamboo shoots!

As we hiked, our guide was in communication with trackers who stay in the mountains and keep up with where the family units are moving. They help the guide know which direction to hike and also help to protect the gorillas from potential poachers. After about an hour of hiking we saw the first member of our gorilla family. It was an adolescent and was lounging around downhill from us. After a while, he got up and ran past us all and grabbed onto a boy that was with us! The trackers and the guide got the gorilla off of the boy and then, as it ran back down the hill, it grabbed and swung off of Becca E. like she was a tree! It was crazy!

We hiked down the path where that gorilla had been and around the corner to find ourselves in an opening on the side of the mountain with the gorilla family all around us! There were mothers and babies and one silverback.

(The silverback of the family)

The guides were a little concerned with the fact that we were in the middle of the family, but soon most of the family moved up further into a different clearing and we were able to watch them interact for about an hour. It was so amazing! For the most part, the adults just sat around and ate bamboo while the smaller ones played. The little ones were so much fun to watch as they were constantly climbing, swinging and wrestling with each other! One time one of the smaller ones (I think it may have been the same one that grabbed onto Becca E.) ran back out to the first clearing and ran into me on the way! It basically just brushed against me as it went past, but still, it touched me!

(family time)

(wrestling babies)

(adolescent snacking)

(We almost look like we were pasted in, but seriously, we were that close!)

(hard to tell: frustrated or bored?)

(so cute!)

(swingin' in the trees)

(anyone up for some sunbathing?)

The hour went by entirely too fast and we soon had to leave the family behind and begin our hike back down the mountain.

It was quite muddy and slippery in places and we going almost straight down sometimes. The combination of those factors led to some really funny slipping and sliding!

The hike down was beautiful and I struggled between needing to watch where I was going and wanting to take in everything around me that was so amazing! All in all this was one of the most incredible adventures ever! Pictures and words cannot do justice to how beautiful our surroundings were and what amazing creatures the gorillas are! I know I have said it many times before, but it always remains true, we serve an incredible God! Hiking on that mountain and watching the gorillas reminded me again of God’s amazing creativity and what a blessing it is that He allows me to enjoy it! Wherever you are, never forget to take a step back and take in the beauty and blessings that God surrounds us with!

I.R.T. - Ruhengeri, Rwanda

2006-11-01T09:01:00.000+03:00

Day three began in Kigali with plans to explore the city. However, those plans changed early that day when one of our first stops was to the ORTPN office. What is ORTPN you might ask? That is the name of a gorilla trekking company. That’s right, gorilla trekking! In the back of our minds we had been pondering whether or not we would dip into our personal savings and go hiking in the mountains to find gorillas. So, we decided to stop by the office and see if it was even possible for us to go. Upon first investigation, it looked as if there weren’t any openings during our time here and we almost wrote the whole adventure off. But then we found out that there were still openings, the next day! We all exchanged excited glances and pretended to debate for a few minutes before booking. This was a once in a lifetime experience that we just couldn’t pass up! The location for the trekking was in the volcanic mountains of Ruhengeri, about two hours away from Kigali, and we needed to be there at 7:00 the next morning. So our day of exploring Kigali turned into some morning sightseeing with plans to leave for Ruhengeri that afternoon. We weren’t exactly sure what our plans for that night were. We had a map of Rwanda, directions to Ruhengeri, and plans to check out some hotel options before leaving Kigali.

Luz Beard was wonderful enough to show us around some that morning (pictures are in my last post) and we met up with Kyle to see his office before going to lunch with them. While at lunch, we saw a lady named Mary who works with the Kigali International Community School. (The teachers had actually introduced us to her the day before when they were looking at the duplex.) When she learned that we were planning to leave that afternoon, she told us that one of her friends who lives in Ruhengeri was in Kigali right then and planning to head home any minute. She helped us get in touch with her and in a whirl wind of phone conversations and rapid packing we were on the road to Ruhengeri about an hour later following our new-found friend, Sue.

We had been told that the drive to Ruhengeri was amazing and that was the absolute truth! The road took us on a breathtaking ride where we could see the incredible hills of Rwanda around every corner!

When we arrived in Ruhengeri, Sue informed us that, since we didn’t already have a place to stay, we were staying the night with her. What a blessing! She was a fantastic host and took great care of us. She even loaned one of her long sleeved shirts to Becca R., tennis shoes to Becca E., and a jacket to me for our trekking adventure! We had a wonderful evening listening to stories about the work that Sue has been involved in. She is an Episcopalian missionary who is working with the church in Ruhengeri. She has also spent a number of years working in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

(with Sue outside her house in Ruhengeri)

(There are four volcanic mountains that you can see from Sue’s backyard.)

(The Episcopalian church that is right next to Sue’s house)

God was so faithful in keeping us safe and providing for us during our entire trip. Sue is just one of the many examples of this. We had no doubt that God placed this wonderful woman in our path!

I.R.T. - Kigali, Rwanda

2006-11-01T00:42:00.000+03:00

The second day of our trip took us into Rwanda! We were able to visit and encourage some of the missionaries who work there and learn about their ministries.
This was a woman that we saw at the border who is just one example of what we see almost every day. I don't know if I will ever stop being amazed at what people can carry on their heads here. One time I saw a woman carrying a huge stack of long tree limbs on her head without holding them with her hands at all! It was incredible!

We were so excited about going to Rwanda that we had to take pictures of the signs at the border to prove that we were really there!

(View of Kigali, the capital, from one of the many hills that make up the city)

When we got into Kigali, we met up with some girls that are teaching at an international school there. We had been in contact with them before and had arranged to stay with them while we were in Kigali. I already knew two of the three girls, Amanda Moore and Kyla Kiser. They were both Harding girls and I have actually known Kyla since high school. It was really great to get to spend time with them. Their school is called Kigali International Community School and it just began this year. It was exciting to hear how well their school is already doing. They have had such a positive response that they don’t have enough room for the amount of students that would like to attend. They are currently looking into buying a building that would give them plenty of room to expand. Please pray that logistics and funding for that building, or another like it, will come through so that this ministry can continue to grow. They also have a need for more teachers as well. So if you know anyone who would be interested in living and teaching in Rwanda, they should check out this school.

We were very impressed with Kigali. The city is very clean, they have wonderful roads, and people actually somewhat follow traffic laws! Their power system is set up differently than ours also. I didn’t get a full understanding of it, but it sounded like they buy some kind of credits and then have power until those credits run out. So, if they pay for it, they can have power all the time. We were almost having culture shock being there…power all the time, high-speed wireless internet, really nice roads…we didn’t know what to do with ourselves! The first afternoon we were there we went with the teachers to look at a duplex that they are thinking about renting. They are currently living in the house of a furloughing missionary family, but will need a place of their own soon. This is a picture of the neighborhood that the house is in. We felt like we were in suburbia, not Africa!

We got to visit the hotel that was the inspiration for the movie, Hotel Rwanda. The movie was based on the true story of what happened here during the genocide. The movie used the same name and entrance sign, but the rest of the building was different.

This is Kyle and Luz Beard, they are members of the mission team in Kigali. The team is very focused on becoming integrated into the community. One of their goals is to build relationships with people and then bring them to know Christ through those relationships. Kyle is actually the head coach of the National Rwandan Women’s Soccer team. This is the first year for Rwanda to have a national women’s team, so the program isn’t huge or anything, but it’s still really cool! Kyle showed us around his office and we could see the national stadium from there.

(Where Kyle works)

(National Football Stadium)

(The back of Kyle’s car. Notice the “Native Texan” sticker – awesome!)

(This was a really funny sign that we saw when we were driving around town. I don’t know what it was referring to, but it made us laugh!)

(Too great a photo to pass up!)

I.R.T.

2006-10-30T10:18:00.000+03:00

I have recently returned from one of the greatest road trips ever! I had the privilege of traveling with two wonderful girls named Becca on an International Road Trip. We quickly began referring to our travels as our I.R.T.
(Becca Evans and Becca Ramsey)

We loaded up in a truck that we borrowed from one of our wonderful teammates and headed to Rwanda! We spent many hours on the road, met some wonderful people and had some incredible adventures! I have lots of pictures that I hope to get posted as soon as our internet connection will allow! Our first day was spent on the road for about 8 hours to Mbarara. We stayed the night there with the teacher for the kids on that team. We had so much fun getting to hang out with her. She is wonderful and was an incredible hostess! The drive to Mbarara was only the beginning of the beauty that we would see on our trip. Here are some photos from our first day on the road!

Driving in Uganda

2006-09-21T19:54:00.000+03:00

I have now driven in Uganda! I know, it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but I thought I'd share anyway. Considering that I was driving a standard on the left side of the not so great roads with people, bikes and crazy drivers all around, I think it is a noteworthy accomplishment. I didn't stall-out once or hit anything and I stayed on the correct side of the road the whole time!

My passengers were great sports as they put their lives in my hands! They are also a bit dramatic.

We're Getting a Puppy!

2006-09-16T15:52:00.000+03:00

We are getting a puppy! Isn't she cute?! She is only about two weeks old, so it will be another month before she is ours, but we are all very excited anyway. We are currently on a quest for a name for this lovely little ball of fur. If you have any name suggestions, let me know.

Sisiyi Falls

2006-09-12T13:41:00.000+03:00

Last Monday a few of us went to Sisiyi Falls for a relaxing afternoon. There is a beautiful area to sit and relax as well as hiking trails to climb up closer to the waterfall. We took snacks and spent a few hours out there. I can't describe how amazing it is there and the pictures don't do it justice, but here are some photos that I took while we were there.

Sunrise on Wanale

2006-09-10T14:27:00.000+03:00

Last Wednesday morning the girls went up on Mt. Wanale to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful! It was also quite cool outside (as you can see from the jackets and blankets). Here are some photos of the morning. The beauty of nature is such an incredible gift from God! I pray that I never grow tired of scenes like this.

Lots of Traveling!

2006-09-04T17:58:00.000+03:00

Well, I’m here and working on getting settled in. It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks with long flights and lots of time in trucks on crazy roads. Here is somewhat of a recap of what I have been up to:

On my way here I had a layover all day in London. I put my one small carry-on that I was allowed in storage, caught a train into town and spent the day wandering. It was quite nice other than the fact that I was only going on a couple hours of sleep!

I think I like public transportation. At least I like London’s. You can get all over the place, and much faster than in a car.

I have seen a lot of the sights before, and went to several of them last year when I flew through London, so I didn’t really feel the need to wear myself out more by trying to see a whole lot. However, for any Harry Potter fans out there, I did make a point to get to the King’s Cross train station to find platform 9 and 3/4. My sister-in-law found this last winter when they were in London and I thought it was so great that I had to see it. Sadly, since I was by myself, I wasn’t able to be in the picture like she was in hers, but oh well. I still think it’s hilarious that they set this up.

I also went to Harrod’s, which is an amazing store. It is huge! I didn’t buy much, but I spent a significant amount of time just looking around.

I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and went to Hyde Park to eat and just relax. It is so pretty there and the place is huge! I had a good time people watching for a while. There was a group that was playing a game that looked like some variant of softball. The funny thing was that most of them must have been on lunch break or something because they were all dressed really nice. So just imagine a bunch of adults running around in the park in suits and skirts! I wish I had taken a picture of that one.

Has anyone been wondering where Patrick Swayze has been lately? I personally had not given it any thought, but I saw this poster in the subway and thought I should share. So if there are any Patrick Swayze fans out there, he’s now starring in London.

Since arriving in Uganda I feel like I have been going non-stop with lots of travel and meeting lots of people. When I arrived, I stayed with some missionaries in Kampala (the capital of Uganda and not too far from the airport) for a couple of days. I got in on Wednesday morning and a couple of other girls who are on the team here in Mbale flew in on Friday morning. The rest of the team came from Mbale to Kampala on Friday night. Then on Sunday we all drove to Mbarara to meet with other missionaries from around the country. On our way there we crossed the equator, and of course, we had to take a picture. I have now been in the Southern Hemisphere twice!

I had actually gotten to meet a lot of the other missionaries last year when I came to visit. It was nice to get to see them again and spend some more time with them all. I was not really expecting them to remember me because they all have so many people that come through for visits. However, nearly everyone knew they had met me, they just couldn’t figure out why. It was funny to watch them try to figure out why I looked so familiar. Most of the time there was spent in fellowship and discussing what was going on in each of the ministries around the country. It was neat to hear how God is working in the different places.

Tuesday we drove all the way back to Mbale, which is about an eight-hour drive. Here are some photos that were taken along the way. (Mode of Transportation)

(The Nile River)

(The Nile again. We crossed this several times going back and forth and I still think it's really cool!)

(This is the beginning of the worst segment between Kampala and Mbale. The pavement ends and it is just a huge, bumpy dirt road for about for about 30 minutes. It's crazy, cars just kind of drive wherever they want and it is super dusty!)

(Mt. Wanale - This is what you see as you drive into Mbale, it's pretty amazing!)

(Mt. Wanale with Mt. Elgon in the Background)

(Mountains Again - They are so beautiful, the pictures don't do them justice. It is so cool to walk outside and see Wanale right there)

It was so nice to finally be in Mbale where I could actually unpack! Most of Wednesday and Thursday were spent unpacking and getting ready to begin work here. I am living in a house with three other girls. They all seem really great and I am looking forward to getting to know them more. There is plenty of space and we all have our own rooms, so it’s really pretty nice. And we are splitting costs of living, which is very nice. Here are some photos of the outside of our house. I’ll take some more of the inside when it is more in order. We have a lot of straightening and decorating to do!

On Friday, four of us loaded back up in the truck to drive back to Kampala. The annual National Meeting (similar to a lectureship) was being held there this year. I believe that last year was actually the first one and it was held in Mbale. None of us were looking forward to getting back into a car that soon, but I’m glad we went. It is basically a time for the Ugandan church leaders to get together to encourage each other, share what is going on in their churches, and grow spiritually together. We got to meet people from all over the country and it was very cool to worship together with all of them. On Sunday we headed back to Mbale after church.

Here is a map of Uganda so you can see where all I have been:
Entebbe – Kampala – Mbarara – Mbale – Kampala – Mbale

Now it is Monday morning and I don’t have anything that has to be done today. It is quite nice! Mondays are the team’s day of rest and I am very thankful for that! I am looking forward to a quiet day and getting a little more settled in. Another huge plus is that the power is on today! We are currently on a 24hr on, 24hr off schedule with the power. It comes on around 6pm at night and (usually) stays on until 6pm the next night. There isn’t really any guarantee that it will always stick to this schedule, so we always like to take advantage of the power when it is on! It makes life interesting that’s for sure.

This is a picture of our team that we took last Wednesday night after our team devo. That’s right, there are a whole lot of girls! There are two other families and another guy who are also on the team, but they are currently on furlough. So for now, it is nine single girls and the Shero family. I’m sure Phillip Shero is anxious for the other teammates to return so that he won’t feel quite so outnumbered! I hope to take individual pictures of everyone soon so you can see who everyone is and what their roles on the team are.

That’s about it for now. Hopefully it won't be such a long time before I post again. I hope that everyone is doing well. God bless!

Mbale Bound

2006-08-08T05:31:00.000+03:00

I felt that my first post to this blog should be something monumental and meaningful. Something that would really set the tone of what I would be writing here. However, as I began to think about how to get started, I realized a few things. First of all, I can in no way promise that these posts will all be monumental and meaningful. In fact, most will probably be updates on life and the wanderings of my mind. I tend to write as my thoughts travel and that isn't always the most proper format, but it's me. I also realized that I don't want to set one particular tone for this blog. I hope that it will be a place that I can share my adventures (good and bad, funny and serious, meaningful and trivial) with my friends and family around the world. Finally, and perhaps the most pressing realization of the evening, was that I will be leaving for Uganda in 14 days and I have many other things to tend to than sit around trying to be monumental and meaningful! So, welcome to my blog. I invite you to share in my journey as I walk in faith toward what God has planned for me in Uganda. Please keep me in your prayers as the journey begins!