The Hunt

So I was going to title this post "insanity at its finest" but I decided to air on the side of being informative instead of witty. As you read on I think you may agree with my original idea. You know the saying, "the more the merrier"? Well, that was my feeling as we geared up for our usual youth conference that takes place every three months during the school holidays. I did my usual promo getting the word out to the missionary community and what not, really thinking that it would be like usual where we would have at the most 120 students...hahaha... WRONG! Little by little more and more people informed me that their students would come, I couldn't believe the response, it seriously blew my mind. My friends would just laugh as the final days brought in bigger and bigger numbers of people registering, and when it was all said in done we had around 250... that's right 250 students between the ages of 10-20 on our compound this past Friday and Saturday.

What adds to the fun and excitement of that number is the fact that I was out of town doing village outreaches for the week and a half before the conference. Now, I'm known for my OCD organizational skills when it comes to events. I have color coded schedules, countless to-do lists, a binder (usually with tabs), and the list goes on. This time, I couldn't do that and not being able to be my neurotic self before the largest youth event we've ever had almost killed me. But on Friday morning (after 2 hours of sleep) ready or not, it was go time. The conference had the theme of "The Hunt" which was a study through Proverbs and our search for wisdom and all that entails. We looked at the people (sluggard, righteous, hard worker, etc...), our plans vs. God's plans, our anger, temptation, and our words. We had to have the teachers stand at the back of the church so that the kids sitting under the tent could see the teacher as well as the kids in the church. It was an interesting dynamic but it worked.

We also had several wild and crazy games that each had a point to them to teach about what we were learning in Proverbs. We had capture the flag and a treasure hunt (dealing with searching for wisdom). We had a crazy huge slip n' slide to show that we need to focus on God and go straight for His path if we want to go the furthest in living the life He made us to live.

The next day afte the teaching on temptation, the kids had to eat cupcakes where some of them had some interesting items inside (cat food, jalepeno vienna sausages, olives) to show that things may look good on the outside but the inside only brings bad news.

We also had a killer water ballon fight to teach how our words can hurt us, get us "wet", and also affect others.

And another crazy game involving a crab walk to a basin full of corn starch to then take suckers out with their toes then go to a plate of honey, soda, and the stuff from the cupcakes and get a mouth full of that and then run and spit it into a coke bottle (all teaching about our words).

By now I'm guessing you're understanding the "insanity" comment from the beginning. And honestly, it was pretty crazy, and I learned a whole, whole lot about what I need to do come August when we host our next conference. But I just have to take this time to give a shout out to all the people who helped out with this event: the small group leaders, Jess, Bev, the School of Ministry guys, Ricky, and Davis (whose service was more of a blessing than he'll ever probably know). Overall, I'm getting feedback that it was a "success" and I'm just blown away that God allowed me to play a small part in getting these students to know Him more. TO HIM BE ALL THE HONOR, ALL THE GLORY, AND ALL THE PRAISE.

Village Outreaches #1 and #2

For those of you who don't know, God has laid a burden on my heart to make disciples of the 17 million kids in Uganda under the age of 15. Part of seeing that come into fruition is how God has been opening doors for a small team of us to go and do outreaches/conferences in villages around Uganda. This school holiday we were able to crank out three two-day long conferences. The first I've already posted about, but the last two were a bit different. Outreach #2 Bugiri Bugiri is a small town about an hour and a half away on the way to Kenya. A former school of ministry student has a small church there and he was chomping at the bit for us to come and do an event there. (We found out later that he even sold two of his own goats in order to make it happen.) We headed out with a packed car of worship equipment, game supplies, water, matreses and four students, Ricky, Davis, Bev and I. The church was one of the coolest ones I've seen, it is also used as a school, and is so simple yet speaks volumes in the midst a culture where true religion is defined by ostentatious places of worship. It was refreshing to say the least.

We went through our same program as the first outreach of teachings, games, activities, etc... But there was one distinct difference, there were just as many adults as there were youth at this YOUTH conference. But it worked out great as Bev lead the adult small groups and so it ended up being an unexpected surprise audience. At lunch I decided it would be as good of time as any to see how the whole bowl of meat soup would look poured all over the front of me, and it was so nice of a friend of mine to be sure to capture it on camera. We then had another glich of rain decided to come and pour during the second teaching causing a nice little rain delay (you can't do a whole lot of teaching in a tin-roofed building and no speakers for fear of lightening), but soon the rain stopped and we were able to continue on with our program. Another glich however was that I lost my voice for that conference. It was fairly miserable and rather humorous at times but we made it through. Nighttime in the village is honestly my favorite because you are able to just sit outside talk and enjoy the evening. We were all so tired though that almost right after dinner, it was time to sleep. Bev, Achiro, and I stayed in the house of the brother to the pastor, and it was amazing! It poured rain most of the night but we barely even knew as the house was so sturdy. The boys stayed in a little less luxury, as they shared a room with several rats. The morning began with more rain and the fear that the conference would possibly be cancelled for the day. But the sun came out and we went forward with the day. It really was a great event and the local pastor there did an amazing job and definitely set the bar very high for future hosts.

Outreach #3 Naykoi The first outreach was on a Monday and Tuesday, Bugiri was on a Thursday and Friday. On Monday, we headed out to the village of Naykoi which was about 3 hours away. This time Jess came along and we were down one student. We reached the village by 9. Got situated, and got into the swing of things. The language barrier was killer in this village but two of my students and Ricky are Ateso so they were our key communicators. The team was awesome and one of my highlights is one of my guys, Isaac, doing a stellar job at teaching the kids. You never would have expected such enthusiasm from such a chill guy but he did great so well. Achiro did great leading small groups. And Otim... well he's just amazing. That night was basically perfection. After the conference closed for the day, we went off to pick some mangoes as the sun was setting. Seeing my friend Davis get up in that mango tree was hilarious and we all tried to make sure mangoes didn't drop on our heads. Then as the sunset turned into dusk, the fireflies came out, we ate some of our mangoes and began to take part in an awesome little dance party to local music played on some of the traditional instruments. There was this one little girl, Maureen, she's 8 decided that she would get me to dance with her. No words were used she just started dancing in my general direction and before I knew it, it was just she and I. She could move in ways I didn't know were possible but it was really the highlight of the whole trip for me and super special. a

Achiro and I then went to a hut where two of the daughters of the village pastors slept and we put our matreses on the floor and got the mosquito nets all set up. It was rather interesting, and my first night of sleeping in a hut like that but it wasn't too bad and it was better than where the boys had to sleep so I'm not complaining. One of the most precious things was when the pastor's daughters came in and before they went to bed they both prayed (they didn't realize I was awake). It was so cool! The next day we got our hands on hot water so we could make coffee and got the day going. It again, was just an awesome day of getting to be used by God in this very cool capacity. We finally headed out by 3:30 and were back in Jinja in time for dinner. It was an awesome trip!

Village Outreach #1: Iguluibi

Last August it became time to be a part of something God has been laying on my heart for a while to travel around Uganda doing outreaches/youth conferences with the youth in different villages to encourage the students in their walks and share the Gospel with those who don’t know him yet. This school holiday we are planning on going to 3 different villages and doing two day long conferences with the theme based around 1 Timothy 4:12 and encouraging them to be examples and not be afraid to be different in living a life that pleases God.

Today we finished at our first location in the village of Iguluibi. And I must say it was an awesome success! God seriously answered every last prayer for this event and I’m still in shock as to just how much his hand was on this event.

We took around 20 students each day and we packed a coaster bus to get us all there. I loved being able to be on that bus hearing the conversations and laughter, and today was even better because we rocked some serious dance party action both going there and coming back.


The conference consisted of five teachings, activities and games to drive home the message of the conference, and food. Over all we had around 50ish youth come who were in our “target age”. But we had a lot of kids coming in and out who seemed to understand what was being taught as well so that was cool. Honestly, the biggest thing I loved was how the older boys actually 1) came to the conference and 2) engaged in it and really participated in the activities and small group times. That in and of itself made it all worth it.

One of my most favorite things about serving with my youth is watching them mature and gain a passion for serving Him. Many of my students amazed me through this event with their servant’s heart and desire to pour into others. And I can honestly say that the love I have for the students who comprise my worship/student leadership team (and of course all my students, but hopefully you know what I mean) can overwhelm me. They all have such maturity in their walks and serve with such humility and wisdom that blow my mind pretty much every time I’m around them.



Along with being blown away by my students, I just have to say that I had the privilege to serve alongside two of the best guys I know throughout this event. Ricky and Davis are amazing guys with such a passion to see youth know God that I’m humbled to serve with them as they both work so hard but also play hard and do an exceptional job at helping me maintain my sanity in the midst of sometimes chaotic situations. These are true brothers and I’m just so excited that we still have a couple more events to go where I can continue laughing and serving with them in the capacity we have been for the past two days.

I praise God for this opportunity and for all of the answered prayers. He really did blow my mind at how He worked! To Him be all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.

Paint+20 youth group students = one wild and crazy event

About two months ago I met with some of my students to come up with ideas of how to serve in the community. We talked about wanting to do something at the children's hospital here in Jinja. Luckily enough we have an awesome lady named Janet who goes to our church who who works in the pharmacy there. She told us one big way we could serve them was by re-painting some of the areas making it look brighter and more kid friendly. I thought that was going to be an easy enough task... it actually turned out to be a lot bigger ordeal than originally planned.

A friend of mine, Davis who's an artist and actually knows what he's doing when it comes to painting kind of took the lead on this event as we got all the supplies together and made the plan of how we would pull this task off. On Saturday morning about 20 of my students came, we piled in vehicles and headed to the hospital. The first major task was to clean and sand everything to get it ready to paint.

Then we got started re-painting both the check in area and one of the wards the kids stay in. The check in area went fairly smoothly, the ward was another story as we had to figure out how to best deal with the kids who were there. We had some awesome help though because along with our students we had Jim and Joye helping out and they did an amazing job and were a huge blessing.


We finally wrapped things up for the day by around 3 and then it was time to do youth group. By then, I was honestly running on fumes (energy, not paint).

Sunday, we got together at 2 and headed back to paint pictures and get the entry area painting. The kids did a great job in their various creative displays and it was a lot of fun just getting to see them work. We also painted the walls in the check in area with different pictures, it was really a lot of fun!





In the midst of all that madness I ran over to see my friend, Kenna, as she was all dressed up for a formal event for some of the missionary kids. I couldn't help but share this picture because really it couldn't be a bigger contrast between the two of us. I think you can tell just how crazy things got for us in painting.



It really was such a privilege to serve along my students in this capacity. It was chaotic and stressful at times but really amazing to see them take time to do something for someone else. Some of them really amazed me with their work ethic and desire to serve. It was just more confirmation that I just really love what I get to be a part of here.

Storm clouds

That saying "the calm before the storm", has been my life for the last couple of weeks. After the work at "Works" was finished, I had a lot more down time than I'm used to. I have streamlined my teachings so my study time needed is a lot less than it used to be. At first I wanted to start looking for new projects but knew that soon the calm would give way, and now I'm seeing that happen.

Starting this past Saturday we thought we would have a killer time for the Easter weekend. We began with watching the Passion and having communion. Our church had almost the whole youth group watching with tears in their eyes as they recognized what Christ did for them and His love for them. After the movie, we had a time of communion and one kid came back to give his life to Christ, it was pretty awesome! Then we headed out to the area of Works to do a youth outreach. It was a beautiful evening and it was definitely a time where it was all God. I had a great team helping me out, including some of my student leaders, and a lot of people heard about how God loved them and calls them to follow Him with all they have.

Yesterday, we celebrated Easter with over 200 people coming to celebrate the fact that Jesus is alive!

Then today we set out for an outreach to another local "slummish" area. At 7:30 a friend came and helped me make 45 PB&J sandwiches for our students. After a flat tire and literally our whole youth group of 45 students coming to serve with a visiting youth team, we headed out to the area. It was crazy as we had over 300 kids at our first location and trying to help the kids stay organized while they took part in all the different activities possibly took years off my life. One of which was face painting, and I learned the hard way what happens when you allow your students and your friends to get a hold of paintbrushes and some paint. We took our que from Jesus in His feeding of the 5,000 and got the students in circles of about 10-15 students as we handed out juice and cookies. Afterwards the sugar I think got to them and they were getting a little on the rowdy side, to try and get them away from the vehicles, some of my guys started running to the other side of the field. I will honestly never forget that scene as Richard and Davis (both rather tall) were sprinting and acting crazy with seriously 300 kids following them. We came back to the church for lunch and get ready for the next location. Our next location was smaller and so it went a lot more smoothly. By the end of the day over 500 people heard the Gospel, and I am yet again in awe of both my students and the team of leaders I get to serve alongside and even more in awe of the God we serve answering a whole lot of prayers and allowing us to be a part of what He's wanting to do in the lives of those students.

This is just the beginning. Next Saturday, we're going to have a huge sport's day in the same area for the older kids. So that's going to be another doozy but awesome opportunity. Then the next week the school holiday begins and with that comes more outreaches, but this time to other villages. We will begin with the closer village of Iguluibi for the first two days, then to another area called Bugiri where we'll actually stay the night, and then the next week to an area near Pallisa where again we'll get some nice village accommodations :) And then that will be followed by a youth conference here in Jinja. It will be a rather intense time but I'm so stoked for all that God seems to be bringing about already and doors that have been opening.

Needless to say, the storm that's beginning to rear it's head is a doozy, but it's super exciting and we are in serious need of prayers in these next few weeks as these outreaches take place. First and foremost we ask that He would be our focus and our goal, and that in ALL things we would be walking in His Spirit and glorifying Him.

I love my job!

I know that may sound crazy to some, and like a "no duh" to others. But really... I absolutely LOVE what I get to wake up every morning to go and do. So often I'm quick to complain about the headaches, speed bumps, struggles, but fail to praise Him for the unbelievably awesome calling He has on my life. I echo David when he asks the question, "Who am I?" Who am I to get to live in this beautiful country? Who am I that I get to work with our amazing staff? Who am I that I get to learn from people who have been on the field since before I was in high school? Who am I that I get to hang out with students that amaze and humble me on a daily basis? Who am I that I get to witness the eternity changing work He's doing in and through these students? I'm surrounded by people who love me for who I am, I'm able to do what I love more than anything to do and that's teach and disciple people in their walks with Christ. I get to use my creativity, organizational abilities, and my lack of fear of public speaking, and even my quirkiness for HIs glory in a way I never dreamed possible. The most amazing thing about it is the fact that if I had my "ten year plan" of five years ago, I would be in an office consulting someone on how to run their business more efficiently (which isn't bad by any means). But instead, I get to go through nights without power, but get to see the contrast of the great power of HIs Spirit working in and through those around me. I cry more and experience more heart ache and disappointment than I ever thought possible but then I get to witness students lives changing before my very eyes as they recognize who they are in Christ and it makes all the pain more than worth it. God has taught me more about His sovereignty, grace, mercy, holiness, and love than can ever be learned in any book, and again I must ask the question, "Who am I?"

This wasn't my plan, this wasn't my "dream", but it was His. He did all the work, opened all the doors, and all but shoved me through those doors so His good and perfect plan could take shape. When people ask me how long I plan to be here and I say "indefinitely" they can't quite comprehend why I would say that, but I honestly can't imagine doing anything else in the entire world. All that to say, "I LOVE MY JOB!" and He deserves ALL the honor, glory, and praise for it.

Construction Zone

Whenever short term teams set out they often hear (or should hear) that those endeavors honestly are more for what God wants to do IN them than THROUGH them. Sometimes when you're on the mission field you can sometimes forget that the same principle can still apply to you.

For the past 3 weeks we have been building homes to replace those lost in the fire. It has been one crazy endeavor as we honestly bit off a little more than we originally bargained for. You see, it's not just about going and everyone working together as one happy family kind of Extreme Makeover Home Edition style. There's a lot more stretching (physical, emotional, and spiritual) than one might expect in dealing with a task like this. We didn't know what it would entail, but God did. He knew EXACTLY how he wanted to use this whole thing to teach and stretch all of us involved and to drive some pretty big lessons into some fairly thick skulls (I may or may not be talking about myself).

One thing I definitely learned about is how our God is so unbelievably patient and forgiving and how insanely much... I am not. Over and over through my quiet times God would lay the smack down on how I wasn't glorifying him in certain ways, namely in my anger when people were found to be dishonest. I'll have to admit the "Irish" (and not the good part) in me reared it's head several times, but I'm hoping I've learned my lesson through it all as I realize that it's not good that they're lying/stealing/etc... but it's also not good for me to allow myself to be provoked to wrath and that I need to love them. One story that really hit me hard was when Jesus ate with the "sinners" and tax collectors. The people living in this area are well-known for being the opposite of anyone you'd want living near you, and a government official even said the people there were lazy and stupid. Recognizing that they are "sinners" and why should I be surprised when they sin? Why should I stop loving them because they have sinned against me, because if God worked that way we'd all be in big trouble!

I also learned things like where to buy bricks, plywood, and roofing materials... and I'll admit that I would have really loved a Lowe's after spending an hour waiting at just the roofing place.





Along with the internal and practical lessons, I also just had an absolute blast working alongside of some pretty amazing people! The Longs, Peterson's, Shalom, Davis, John, and Asimwe along with some other volunteers made it incredibly fun and made the hard stuff bearable. I honestly LOVED working on this project (even though it was hard at times) and am so thankful for the opportunity God gave me to be a part of it!