Four adults and a baby

I wish I could convey to you just how comical it was tonight going out for our weekly trip to Ling Ling (the legit Chinese restaurant here). My friend Judy is adopting a little girl, and this little girl is three but is the size of one year old. We had a rocky start with the adjustment period, but we're doing good now and quickly becoming good friends. Judy wasn't feeling to spiffy tonight and so I got Malia (her little girl) and Jess, Bev, Ryan, and I went to Ling Ling with Malia and leaving Judy at home to get some rest. Oh my goodness, it was hilarious. I can only imagine what we all looked like there, being that not one of us is necessarily at the place in our lives for small children. I really could relate to that movie Three Men and a Baby because between feeding her and trying to keep her from crying in the restaurant we were a sight to see.

A night with the boys

In order to encourage cohesion in the worship team, the guys decided they needed to hang out more together. Be being the A/V chick/little sister, the invitation was also extended to me. It never fails, I love hanging out with the guys God has placed in my life. I don't know if I will ever forget having five guys and me crammed into Ryan's wee living room playing one of the craziest games of spoons ever (and I've played some pretty gnarly games). Ryan popped some popcorn and I brought over some oreos and it was just a blast, we later found out that even over at the main house they could hear us. On an added note, I never knew shuffling was a cultural thing, you should see how these guys shuffle, it's too cool, and something I don't know I'll ever get the hang of.

Oh the wee ones

I think it's rather comical the way that God works. He brings opportunities to us that we never expected and frankly thought were never going to happen. When it comes to people under the age of 14, I always kind of assumed that I wasn't "called" to that particular age group. For almost a year now though, I've been getting together for a Bible study with the kids whose parents work here at the church as well as some of their friends. One day they just came up to me while I was teaching the older girls and they said, "Kelli, teach us too" and the rest is kind of history. We began with the Ten Commandments and then from there did the Sermon on the Mount and now as I've kind of seen what they're capable of learning as well as the things that they NEED to be learning before they are thrust in the midst of the madness that is Christianity today, God just has been showing me that they need to know the whole Truth, not just the "stories" or bits and pieces. I will be honest and say that the things I teach them and how we go about everything is a wee bit unorthodox, but they already go to normal Sunday school, so this is more to compliment what they're learning. I can only imagine what some people think though when they hear me using words like Pentateuch, hypostatic union, and anthropomorphic. Last Sunday we began in Genesis and they all decided that on Saturdays we should have a separate Bible study and go through Matthew and progress through the New Testament also. These kids are seriously so hungry for the word and you should see them with their Bibles, it's way too cool! I just thank God that even if He brought me for the sole purpose of pouring into these kids and helping them to dive into His Word so they can be "thoroughly equipped" then that's fine by me. I just pray that they not only know the Bible, but they LIVE it.

The B.I.B.L.E

Yes that's the book for me... So growing up, I was always surrounded by Bible teaching, I just kind of assumed that's how all churches were. Oh man, was I wrong! Since I've been here I have had my eyes so opened to how truly rare it is for people to really learn from and know their Bibles, it's insane! Today I taught at a school with about 15 high school students and I had to kind of hide my surprise when these kids did not know where the book of James was. These are kids who have been going to church most likely their whole lives but they've missed out on learning how amazing and full His Word is. It definitely got me thinking of ways to foster growth in them knowing their Bibles so that they can know just how much it is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing between soul and spirit".

As I'm typing this, I'm also realizing that some who are reading this may not have experienced how amazing His Word is. I could seriously go on and on about this topic, and you can look forward to more blogs on the subject, but can I just encourage you in this one area for the time being: read the Bible DAILY. Make it something that you can't live without just like how many of us are with our morning coffee. Make today the day you begin, and just start with a book and work your way through it. If you like to start from the beginning and rock either Genesis or Matthew be my guest, if you would rather just embark upon the epistles, that's cool too, just read His Word and soak it all in, every verse, every sentence, every word.

So sad

I'll be honest when I say that my generation saddens me. We are so cynical and think we know everything to such a point that although we say we are very open minded, we're actually the exact opposite. Last night, I went with Jess and Bev to talk to a group of exchange students from America who are spending 4 months here at a Christian university. This was my first time going and talking to this group, but Bev and Jess go every four months to talk to the new group of students, and so they had given me a little idea of what it would be like (or what it's normally like). As we were talking about ministry, and the time came for questions, they asked questions that were so based upon worldly ideas and philosophies that we were all really taken off guard and before we knew it, instead of it being a night of pouring into and somewhat encouraging fellow believers, it turned into us laying out the Gospel to several people who although they went to a Christian university, didn't know Christ at all. I wish I could say that I rose to the occasion in the capacity that I wished, but it was only after the fact that I realized just how lost those students were. The beauty of hindsight is thinking of all the things you could have said that would have been so "perfect". But then again, we still brought the truth to them in full force and that's all that matters in the end and God takes care of the rest.

Being that I've been here for a while and am used to the usual opposition we receive here, I had forgotten what Americans were like when it came to their faith and so we kind of have the opposite problem one would have in America: there they believe in nothing, here they believe in everything. Here, people are so open and have a child-like faith that most Americans wish they had. America has truly become a post-Christian society in how numb and opposed we are to the real truth. One of the biggest things that got me was how focused they were on how the culture could affect the delivery of the Gospel and they asked how the culture changed the Gospel, and we just had to emphasize that the Gospel isn't cultural, it's Truth, God does not change and the Truth is the Truth no matter where you are or where you come from be it from New York City or some village in the bush.

Pray for our country and especially pray for those who are college age because so many are seriously so lost.

Oh yeah...I'm in Africa

I know it sounds funny, but seriously there are times I really forget that fact. I mean even right now while I can hear some big event going on at a church, a child screaming in one of the slum areas near by, and mosquito bites itching me on my foot I still kind of don't have it hit me that I'm here (even though I've now been here over a year). There are times though where I just go, "Woah!" Today was one of those days. As I was finishing teaching at a secondary (high) school and dropping off one of the girls in one of the slums here, I was driving up this "road" and the sun was progressing towards the setting position and at the end of the road are all sorts of little stands that sell different things, there were goats and chickens and children running about, and with the smell of burning trash in the air, I had one of those "Oh yeah, I'm in Africa" moments. Those moments just kind of bowl me over because as I've said before this has become my home, it's not some extreme or exotic place but it's just where life happens like it does everywhere else in the world, but there are those times where it's just such a cool contrast to what life was back in the States. I love those little epiphanies that keep you realizing what God has done and reminding you of all that He's brought about.

An insane ministry day

In case you haven't heard, I absolutely love my job. I'm writing this absolutely exhausted from a day jam packed with ministry but I loved every last second of it. Thinking about this day and how much God rocked my face off with the opportunities He brought, truly amazes me. This morning after I got back from the gym we had our staff ladies prayer time, then I studied for prison and prepared some stuff for the book of Esther which I began to go through with one of the girls here. After that, I met with Mama Peace and helped her with her reading while simultaneously giving her a survey of the Bible, had a quick break for lunch and then it was off to prison. Prison was absolutely awesome today, the ladies were so full of joy (which hasn't been there for some weeks) and during worship they were jumping and dancing and it was just awesome! I taught on the dreams of the cupbearer, baker, and Pharaoh in the life of Joseph and how God has "delays" for a reason. Getting back from prison, I hung out and colored with the kids for a little bit, helped Bev set up her Blog, and then went to pick up one of the girls who is in secondary school to go and hang out. Now, I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I'm a firm advocate of coffee shop discipleship and so that's what I did with this girl. We partook of the half-price drinks during Flavour's happy hour and just were able to talk about stuff going on her life and I realized some of the uphill battles I am still needing to fight with the girls. Coming back home, I grabbed some dinner and then I went and met with Ruthie, she's 10 and she's such an awesome kid. She had given me a note the other day asking me to show her how to study her Bible and so that's what we started tonight (the book of Esther). As I was meeting with Ruthie, the guys from the School of Ministry asked me to come and talk to them and further explain things for them so we spent a good hour talking about Soteriology (salvation, election, etc...). All that to say, not one minute of this day could have taken place without God bringing it about and I'm just so amazed that He has brought me here and is allowing me to be a part of His work in the capacity that I am. I'm truly humbled and truly tired so I think it's time to go to bed.

The Riots

You hear about riots all the time happening after some big sports event or around some big political upheaval, but very rarely do you get to really be in the middle of one, however I was in the middle of one the other day and it will be something I will never forget.

Bev and I were driving to Entebbe to stay the night and pick up Ryan early in the morning. We were enjoying the fact that we really didn't have things we had to do in Kampala this time so we were just sitting and enjoying the quiet of the afternoon at a coffee shop when I got a text from my friend Judy. Little did we know this text would be the beginning of a crazy chain of events. Judy told us that at a mall called Garden City there were riots and gun shots and for us not to go there, so we steered clear and went a different way. As we were making our way out of town we rounded a corner and saw thousands of people and then as we got closer we saw that they were all running, a few yards ahead of us there were burning tires and as I we were driving gun shots were going off that were very very close to us and people were falling on the ground to avoid getting shot also and then driving away a guy threw a bag of cement in front of our car. It was absolutely insane! Bev and I remained calm but after getting through that it began to dawn on us what we had just been through and how serious it was. We contacted people back in Jinja to let them know we were ok and also people staying in Kampala to make sure they were staying safe. Then after we picked up Ryan in the morning, we made sure to head out early before the people got crazy again, we were passing through Kampala without many problems but then we reached Mokono and there were rocks all in the road and then one of the craziest things to see was a huge truck that had been set on fire and it was still smoking. I can't tell you how surreal all this was. In a couple of other towns we saw the aftermath of some of the madness of burnt tires, rocks in the road, and police everywhere with guns and sticks and even one had a bull whip.

Just be praying for our country because of this unrest and that this whole mob mentality would die down. It's sad to see and prayerfully it will all be over soon.

Wednesday Night Bible Study

Wednesday nights rock my face off. Going through the book of Genesis is too awesome for words. So many people write the OT off as if it's not applicable for life today but it SO is! "ALL Scripture is God breathed and useful for rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness"

Coming around the bend

It's always crazy how you can anticipate change and know that it's inevitable and you can do absolutely nothing to stop it from happening, be it good or bad. For six weeks my partner in crime has been in the States and will be coming back this week, the students who have been on holiday for the past month are going back to school this week, and there have been some interesting changes in friendships lately as well. Right now I'm feeling like I'm on the edge of some big changes and I just don't quite know what they all are, all I know is that I should start holding on now. I've been reading the book of Acts for my quiet time and just reading about guys like Philip who had awesome ministry opportunities fall into their laps or when John and Peter were at the temple and came across the guy who had been unable to walk and even though they weren't "on the clock" so to speak they still took that opportunity, have definitely challenged me to seek God about what new things He may be bringing my way, and that I just need to walk through those open doors. Between different friendships, potential opportunities at new schools, and things God has been laying on my heart I'm excited to see what's going to happen but at the same time there's always that crazy out of control feeling that I, being a control freak, am not really a fan of; but ready or not, here it comes!

Ma boyz

Back in the States, I have some pretty awesome guys that are more like brothers than they are friends, and God has brought me a couple of guys here who are along those lines. Davis, Johnson, and Richard are three of the coolest, most hard-working guys you will ever meet and I've seen God do some awesome stuff in their lives since I've known them. Today, I took these three guys to Flavours, my most favorite place in all of Jinja, as a thank you for their hard work at the conference. They have given me a hard time about how I enjoy frequenting it, and I know the food is not necessarily what they are used to, but they were good sports about it and we had a blast just hanging out. Now, these are just three of the guys that have become my "brothers" and there are a few more not pictured, including one who's in the States right now, but is coming back soon. I love how God has truly put godly guys in my life that I can be real with and respect and see there are some real good guys still out there. I truly do thank God for all of these awesome guys, both here and back in the States.

And if any of you guys are reading this (you know who you are) all I can say is thank you for being such awesome friends to me and tolerating me as your annoyingly blunt and overly protective sister :). Much love to y'all.

Home

There are some song lyrics that really just ring so true, and for some time now the song "This is Home" by Switchfoot had lyrics that totally and completely describe my feelings.

This is home, now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong. Yeah, this is home. I've been searching for a place of my own. Now I've found it, maybe, this is home. Yeah, this is home.

I know that this is hard to hear for some of you, but this truly has become home to me. I this truly has become my home, for as long God has me here for of course. It's just amazing how God brings things about and leads us to places and new chapters of our life. It hurts sometimes, but in the end it's so worth it.