Good reminder

Written 9th April 2014

Oh how easy it is to be deceived by things that look good and look like what you want and desire.  As I was reading Ezra this morning, I was reminded how the enemy comes not in a red outfit with a pitchfork but as a wolf in sheeps clothing.  He doesn't look bad so he is allowed into the flock. 

In verse 2 the adversaries of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin come up and say... "Let us build with you for we worship your God as you do...".  At first glance it looks pretty good but is it the best.

I have been struggling with settling for good or waiting on God's best and how to tell the difference.   Our modern culture says... do what feels good... do what makes you happy...no need to wait...we all worship the same God just call him different names...

We need to stand firm as Zerubbabil and say "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel."

Ultimately God doesn't want us to settle or waste time playing with things that are "just good".  He wants what is best for us.  So in life application... I am not going to be deceived by what feels good but leaves you empty... I want his fulfilling best.  I am not going to settle for empty flattery but promises that will be kept.  I don't  want a wolf in sheeps clothing butnthe shepherd himself!

Contentedness

Written on 2nd April 2014...
I love how when a Biblical topic is about to be taught, situations come up that show how much you...the teacher still need to learn this lesson.  Due to going to Kampala Thursday and Friday, I talked to my Bible study ladies to see if we could move our lesson up to today. 

Well it just so happens that we are covering verse 27 of Proverbs 31.  This verse says...

"She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self pity) she will not eat."

Lately it seems like I have been struggling with being content... with where God has me at this point...with the fact that I am single and it would be really nice to have a lifelong partner by my side...with the fact that no matter how much I try I can't change a culture... and with the fact that I know the next 10 weeks of my life and that is about it.

As I trek to become more like the Proverbs woman... God is directing my heart to be more content with what He is doing in my life. 

Who let the dogs out?

Written April 1st, 2014

Sitting in my office this morning... I hear one of the teacher's sing "who let the dogs out?" And the children answer "woof woof"... it continues... "who let the cats out....meow meow...who let the goats out....maa maa... who let the children out... whah whah"...

I guess they are learning their animal sounds today!

When the muzungu runs...

...things happen!

I was warned before moving to Uganda... that people do not run in the village unless they are in trouble or they are chasing someone that is in trouble.  Running raises people's eyebrows and gets people attention.  So when I go running...it is noticed.

Today from my office window I noticed a girl wielding a stick at another student during recess.  Knowing it would do me no good to yell over the other kiddos playing and the tractor... I took off running across campus.  Of course by the time I got there... the stick was gone and everyone was looking innocent however I did talk to the one I saw with the stick.

As I was walking back to my office ... one of my teachers met me and said "I saw you running...what is the trouble?"  I told her about the situation and that I took care of it.  However while I was walking off I could tell she was scolding the children in Luganda...  not sure if it was for the stick or making Mamma Angela run!

The real meaning of Easter

With Easter being a couple of weeks away... I have been working with the little brown eyed cuties at chapel on Friday and children's church on Sunday with Resurrection eggs.  Many have never seen a plastic easter egg but they are very familiar with real chicken eggs.  These 'special' eggs are assisting in teaching the real meaning of Easter... which is Jesus took our sins to the cross and conquered death and the grave allowing us the opportunity to spend eternity with God.  

This morning at children's church...due to the rain... I started off with 7 children (compared to the 30+ that were there last week).  We went through the resurrection eggs up to the part where the guards are sitting at the foot of the cross gambling for Jesus' belongings.

As we were reading the story in the children's bible there  was a picture of the three crosses... they knew that Jesus was on one but they were curious about the other two.  I told them that they were theives... these children are very familiar with what happens to theives in the village... if they are caught... they are killed.  SO with this concept I was able to bring in the verse..."for the wages of sin is death" and explain that we are all sinners and that blocks our way to God.  Because of our sin we deserve death which means separation from God. 

And of course I drew a picture because these children are visual learners.  I also explained that Jesus... who was perfect...took our sin and took the consequence of it.  His death on the cross bridged the gap so that we can get to God.  Our choice is to accept what Jesus did for us by repenting for what we have done wrong and believing that this sacrifice allows us to be with God forever.  After wards I was watching a couple of my girls and I could tell that God was working on their hearts so I lead them in a prayer and as Allen was translating I could see these little hearts being given to their creator. 

This is the real meaning of Easter!

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

Thanks to the generous donation of recent books, I have been spending some of my time in the mornings labeling them for the children to checkout.  Basically I am putting a pocket in the back with a note card inside with the book title so that the students can sign them out and we can keep track of what books are out and who has them.  A simple library system ... to introduce books beyond the classrooms and into the community... thanks to my action research project.

The goal has been a pile of books per day... that sometimes I have time for an sometimes they carry me through for a few days.  Well today the book on the bottom the pile was entitled "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett.  I know they just came out with a movie based on this story but I had never read it. So today was the day that I read the book... and you know what it made me smile.

This is why I think I like books so much and desire to share my passion... they tell a story that evokes emotion.  Books can take you to far off lands like Chewandswallow... they can make you happy or sad... they can grow your knowledge in certain subjects... and they can build your imagination to wonder what would happen if it really rained food!

So at the moment my heart is light and there is a smile on my face!  I want to continue to share this passion with others!

Time flies when you are having fun!

I am laying here in my mosquito net with music playing, the fan on, and a sleeping kitty curled up beside me.  My mind is pondering the simpleness of this life.  Can't believe I have less than six weeks in Uganda before I start the journey to the other side of the world.  Where have the last 7 months gone?

I have learned a lot and grown in the past year.  With just a few weeks left... I have started pondering what this year has taught me...

+It has shown me my strengths... my weaknesses... my wants and my needs.
+it has taught me that I am beautiful...independent... strong...desirable...adventurous. ..compassionate...
+it has grown my desire to be a wife and mother
+it has led me to react as a Southern lady...with kindness and grace in difficult situations and letting the guy in the situation lead
+it has shown me how to be an advocate for these little ones with no voice
+it has taught me to fully trust in God for each and every detail in life

As I ponder what is ahead, I know I face a lot of unknowns and need to continue to be flexible.  I realize that many friends and family that I come in contact with as I transition back will have no clue what my heart is going through.  My home is not in this world but yet my heart is with the people in so many parts of this world.  So when someone asks... aren't you glad to be home?... I struggle to answer as home is where my heart is. 

My biggest fear going back to the land of plenty ... is the overwhelming sense of "too much"... and until you have lived in a place where people live off of less than a dollar a day ... you really can't truly understand the sensory overload.

Other concerns in this transition...
- driving.... besides the fact that I have had a driver for 7 months and have gotten accustomed to riding on the other side and having no traffic laws... this is going to be interesting!
-money and shopping... having to always do the conversion of money when I go to buy something is constant... then having to take a way quite a few zeros as 2500 Uganda shillings to 1 US $...it is common to spend in the millions when we are buying things like school shoes or furniture... or a dresser for half a million...it will also be nice to be able to buy things like apples, oranges, and cheese without having to take out a second mortgage!
-friends... I have been in a place where I haven't heard from very many people over the past 7 months however I am sure from a couple of people's recent comments that many are following my blog and fb posts... I am unaware of what is going on in many of my friends and families lives and it is going to take some time to catch up.  This also goes for world events!
-language skills... after having to learn Luganda and speaking English very s-l-o-w-l-y and using facial expressions rather than words to answer questions... it will be interesting when I get back to using English again full time... then throw in traveling through several countries in Europe.... the South.... and Hawaii... and who knows what might come out of my mouth. So once in Hawaii if I say chi-chi?...I am simply asking What?!  LOL!

I am sure this list will continue to grow as departure day gets closer!  So stay tuned!