Just another manic Monday!

Well it is Monday mornig and there is never a dull moment around here.  Each day starts with a prayer of "Lord give me the strength to face whatever challenges that are put in my path today."

Here are just a couple of the situations this morning besides me having to chase 7 of the neighbors piglets away from my office and Sseki telling me that his dog came home with a monkey...

1.  Got a text from Han (who is down with malaria in Kampala) that we are responsible for getting fuel from Busunju for the land mover that was hired to clear the roadway and level the land for the school block, teacher housing and ball field.  Problem is we don't have barrels nor a truck to haul the barrels of gas from Busunju.   Why am I just now getting this info and why wasn't it discussed when the agreement was  made?

2.  A young man named Samuel who is always hanging around campus came to register for school this morning.  Previously I had aaked why he wasn't in school and heard varying reports... he's dumb... he can't learn... his parents pulled him from school.  Well everytime I talk with him... he understands my English... he is articulate and always looks smart.  He is a slower learner but when approached with the idea of coming to school... he ran all the way home to bring his mother back.  His father is dying of AIDS and can't provide for the family.  The mother is doing her best to provide school fees for the yougest daughter by digging and doing odd jobs.  Ultimately Samuel is now enrolled and very happy to be getting an education.

3.  One of our P2 students walked into my office this morning with a hen under his arm.  We sent this dear child home last week because no school fees had been paid and the parents had not come to make arrangements.  This boy came back today with his hen to pay for school fees.  He wants to be at school so desperately that he is willing to give up his hen.  Humbling glimpses of what sacrifice truly looks like!

Please partner with us in prayer as we try to make a difference in these children's lives!  School is a huge sacrifice for many of these families and even though the parents portion of school fees is less than 10 cents a day... it is a struggle!  We have been in the midat of a spiritual battle with things breaking, sickness, added expenses, accidents, and just plain discouragement.   We would appreciate your prayers!

Case of the missing keys...solved!

After a week of keys going missing... John and Hannington finally picked up new locks on Wednesday when we went to town so that the school buildings would be secure.  Thursday morning I go to unlock the classrooms and find that Primary 2 is unlocked so I ask Stella where her keys were found.... she looked down for a moment and then said  in a quiet, embarrassed voice ... that she found them in her pocket.

Later in the morning after I had made tasseled key chains on the new keys for the nursery classes... Teacher Irene (our top class teacher) walks in and without saying a word drops the entire ring of keys for the nursery block on my desk.  I look at her and ask where she found them and she said they were with the toilet paper in the cupboard.  My guess is that someone went to get a roll of toilet paper out of the cupboard ... set the keys down... and forgot about them.

Case closed.... and I am kind of glad the keys were found because the new locks that were bought are too big for the latches so they don't work anyway!

Living on a budget

I have always tried to live within my means... not spending more than I have coming in. 

I have never taken a money management class but I had a mother who trained me well.

I have  credit cards that I use regularly and pay off at the end of every month. 

I have never been in debt... besides taking out a loan to purchase a house in Hawaii  which was paid off several years ago.

Up until a 2 years ago... I didn't follow a monthly budget.... it was at this point I was convicted to create one and it showed me where I could cut back even more on my daily expenses to be able to give more.

Since moving to a cash only society and living off of limited resources since I am not getting paid while here... I have learned a bit about true budgeting.

Each month I take the alloted amount that I have to spend (thanks to generous friends that have followed the Lord's leading to give) down to the forex to get it exchanged... from that I set aside money into different categories for things like... giving, groceries, transport, household expenses, fun money (for things like when we go to Kampala and we have lunch out), savings for emergency, etc.  My housing and most utilities are included in the agreement of me volunteering my time and services ... thanks to my aunt and uncle.

The money gets put into ziplocks with a notecard to write down what is spent.  Every penny... or in this case shilling... is accounted for so it makes you really think before you spend the money.  The rule is when a bag is empty... that is it... you just do without or make do with what you have even if it means beans and rice for a few more meals!  Any money left at the end of the month goes into a bag labeled gifts so when the time comes when I need to purchase gifts to take back to supporters... I have something to shop with.

One thing I have learned that if you are not intentional with your saving and giving... regular every day purchases will drain the resources.

God wants us to be good stewards of the resources he has given us.  It is to be used to further His kingdom and if you are in debt the enemy has you trapped where it is a struggle to give with a happy heart. 

Are there times that I want something that I can't afford and don't have the money for it?  Absolutely... it is those times that I trust that if it is truly a need then God will provise and if not then maybe I don't need it.  God has said he will take care of our needs according to his riches in glory but unfortunately I believe we as Americans have a very skewed view of what we absolutely need and what we want.  If we have to go into debt to get it... it is probably not a need.  Just a thought!

Defying gravity

It has been a glorious Saturday night catching up with friends and family while rocking out to the Glee soundtrack. 

I love chatting with friends and family as sometimes what they say or bring up is something new and I have an aha moment.  Well one of those happened tonight as I was chatting with a friend from Egypt... he asked how the weather was here and I told him a little cool at the moment but the days have been rather warm that I feel like I am melting.   I turned the question around on him and his answer was "wonderful like heaven".  From this the aha moment was that the weather in heaven will always be the perfect temperature... never too hot or too cold but just right! 

But the main reason I am writing is one of my favorite song from the musical 'wicked' just played on the Glee sound track... the song "Defying Gravity".  It has a catchy tune and I love the way that it is sung in the musical.   However tonight the lyrics caught my attention...

Rachel:
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game

Kurt:
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

Both:
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!

Rachel:
I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
Kurt:
Some things I cannot change
But 'til I try, I'll never know!

Rachel:
Too long I've been afraid of
Kurt:
Losing love I guess I've lost
Both:
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too higher cost!

Both:
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!

I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
Bring me down!

Rachel:
Ahh ahhh ahhhh!

Go with me for a minute... gravity is what holds us down to this planet we call earth... without it we would be free to fly to heights not normally reached... yes I also know there are consequences to not having gravity but stay with me for a moment... if social norm is our gravity... how many times do we stay trapped unable to fly?  What would happen if we chose to defy gravity not accepting the limits put on us by things like social norm... fear of a broken heart... or others expectations???  If we chose to defy gravity, who would we leave behind?  What would change in your life?  How would your perspective change if you defyed the social norm and didn't care what others thought? Who would be willing to join you?  Who would bring you down?

Makes me really think who I need in my life and who I need to 'kiss' goodbye as they desire to be held down by gravity!  Limits are put on us by people who want to either control or protect us... either way there are times that the fear of getting hurt or the possibility of hurting others needs to be set aside so that we can break the limits and exceed what we ever thought possible. 

Ultimately to the brave and courageous ... let's defy gravity... breaking boundaries and reaching heights that we have only dared to dream!

Again?

It happened again...I really should be used to the comments by now but it never fails to catch me off guard and throw me for a loop!

Today we were shopping for household appliances for the new visitor housing unit.  We were at Game buying a refrigerator and a gas stove.  It is quite a lengthy ordeal so I left Kimberly to take care of some of the paperwork while I ran to get catfood.  When I came back Kim and the sales guy (whose name is Frances) were talking about how he is a trained secondary teacher and they were discussing what we were doing in the village. Well Frances was really interested in coming to the village to teach when we had those classes and Kimberly throws out the question if he was married as she was wanting to set him up with one of our teachers.

Anyway the topic of me being single comes up and he immediately stops the conversation looks at me and asks... If you don't mind me asking... and you don't have to tell me because I know this personal...but how old are you?  (This is not a culturally appropriate question for any man to ask a woman here!)... I tell him and he is very puzzled how I can still be single at my age.  He said I just thought you were married and had children and that is why you are doing this.  My explanation was that God had not brought my husband into the picture yet... and that answer seemed to suffice.

I have had two other comments today relating to my singleness where I can fully see people just don't get it... one was "you have chosen not to get married" and the other was "if I could do it all over again at 15 ... I would remain single".  Just to clarify... I strongly desire to be a wife and a mother... but not stronger than my desire to obey and serve the Lord.  Ultimately the promise I am holding onto is if God found it good for me to be married right now I would be ...but at this point He has me fully serving him in a different capacity. 

The case of the missing keys... part 2

To recap part one... the nursery keys were never found even after offering a reward.  So Monday morning rolls around and the Baby, Middle and Top class teachers were locked out of their classrooms.  There was a lot of the blame game going around  and no one would look at me or each other in the eye...they rezlly don't like conflict intheis culture!   Basically told them that I don't care who did what... we just need to solve the issue.  The doors will remain locked until I get the keys or a solution has been come up with and I walked away to attend to the children.  I took them to Allen's classroom and settled them in with colorbooks and crayons.

Eventually a solution was come up with that new locks would be bought and taken out of their pay.  They wanted to not be sent home as it effects a day of learning for the children.  So I used my master set of keys and unlocked the doors but now I am the one responsible for unlocking the doors in the morning and locking up in the evening...my keyring continues to grow...and unfortunately the responsibility that I have tried to hand off to the teachers has come back to me.

Well today I walk up to school at a bit before 7am to unlockthe nursery classrooms to find my primary teachers not wanting to speak with me and they were speaking fast Luganda to one another.  I eventually figured out that the P2 teacher gave one of the students her keys to run back and get something after school yesterday and the keys never came back.  Ultimately not the students fault but hers for not getting the keys back immediately!  So I have told the kiddos... that the fkrst child to find the keys and bring them to me gets a reward ... otherwise a new lock will be purchased and taken from her salary. 

Vague not vogue

It is that point in the evening when I am trying to settle down to sleep and my brain is going a million miles an hour...  I am laying in my mosquito net with the fan going as it is rather balmy and I am pondering doors and believers giving advice that goes against God's word.

I am going to be vague in my ponderings as dirty laundry doesn't need to be aired in public...

If you have followed this blog for any length of time... you know my obsession with doors and how many times I have struggled with God on closed doors.  Doors that he has closed and locked for my protection.  Well now there is a door in my life that I keep praying will close so I can move on but the almighty foot is blocking it open.  No matter how much I beg, plead, and push... the door is getting no where close to being shut and it is frustrating because I don't see the purpose of it staying open... it just isn't making logical sense at the moment as I can't walk through the open door right now.

The other issue that I have struggled with is people in my life giving me advice of things I should (or shouldn't) be doing that don't line up with God's word.  As I have been telling my girls out here... the Bible is basic instructions before leaving earth... it is designed to be our road map in this life and I am not going to do anything intentionally to go against it.  That includes following the ways of God over the ways of man.  It has never been my intention to look or be normal... that is just not the way I roll.  We are called to edify and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to do what is good.  What kind of friend would I be that purposefully led a sister into sin that could cause a lot of pain, suffering, and possible death...really?

Please know that if you offer advice and I don't follow it... it is not because I don't love you... it s
Is because I love God more and I am following what He says above all else.