Introduction 101

After four years, sometimes I forget that I’m in a different culture, but then other events come around that a blaring reminders that I’m not in Kansas (or I guess I should say Albuquerque) anymore. One of those reminders came this past Saturday where we had quite an event go down for one of our long-time church members.

Here in Uganda, there are typically two very big events for couples: an introduction and a wedding. An introduction is where the groom is introduced to the brides’ family. It’s an absolutely huge “to-do”, where the groom brings all sorts of gifts to appreciate the family for their daughter. Before the event meetings are held primarily to figure out how the event will be funded because typically nobody really has the money to pull off the event by themselves so they send out “budgets” to friends and family asking for help in paying for everything from luggage, to goats, to seating for the event.

The day-of begins with everyone getting dressed up in their traditional wear of gomezi for the ladies (dresses with pointed sleeves, tons of fabric, and a huge belt) and kanzus for the men (basically off-white night gowns they wear with slacks and a suit jacket). Everyone is told the event is to begin at a certain time but everyone gets there about 2 hours after said time. If they are a part of the groom’s party, they meet at a certain location and then head out with a huge convoy bringing the guests and gifts from him to the location of the introduction. Once they get there, the women line up on one side and the men on the other and they make their grand entrance as the bride’s side is already seated. The guests come and sit and on each side there is an emcee to help run things, and it make the whole day a lot less painful if they’re more on the charismatic side (for this one, the emcee was from one political party, and the groom from another which helped for lots of playful banter). Then the whole ceremony is carried out in the language of the families (for this one it was Lusoga). There were several groups who came and danced in traditional wear and envelopes of money were given out to members of the bride’s family. And finally it’s time for the bride to make her big entrance wearing the first of several very fancy gomezi and the maid of honor (somehow) is to go and fetch the groom from among the crowd and bring him to his bride. Then it’s time for the groom’s side to bring in gifts. The women carry in baskets wrapped in cellophane filled with everything from bread to cooking oil to potatoes and they MUST carry them on their heads. The men bring in the bigger stuff like Matooke (green bananas), charcoal, and furniture. And it’s all placed before the bride’s family. Then there’s the cake and the food.

That’s what happens at the event, and now to personalize it a bit. I had never worn a gomezi 100% the traditional way until this event. I will admit I was pretty miserable. It is literally yards of fabric over a whole other layer in order to give you an ehem… figure. It rained the day of this introduction so the first part of the ceremony people were getting soaked and there’s nothing like using your gomezi that is hanging down to the floor to help soak up some of the water (or at least that’s what mine ended up doing). I will also admit though, that I loved my material and enjoyed the fact that Ugandans really appreciate when bazungu (westerners) support their traditions. I will also say that Davis looking unbelievably handsome in his kanzu and I found myself having to make a conscious effort to look at the bride and groom and not at him (hehe). Overall it was a really fun day and I’m so glad we were able to be there to support the bride and groom as they begin the process of beginning their lives together.

After four years, sometimes I forget that I’m in a different culture, but then other events come around that a blaring reminders that I’m not in Kansas (or I guess I should say Albuquerque) anymore. One of those reminders came this past Saturday where we had quite an event go down for one of our long-time church members.

Here in Uganda, there are typically two very big events for couples: an introduction and a wedding. An introduction is where the groom is introduced to the brides’ family. It’s an absolutely huge “to-do”, where the groom brings all sorts of gifts to appreciate the family for their daughter. Before the event meetings are held primarily to figure out how the event will be funded because typically nobody really has the money to pull off the event by themselves so they send out “budgets” to friends and family asking for help in paying for everything from luggage, to goats, to seating for the event.

The day-of begins with everyone getting dressed up in their traditional wear of gomezi for the ladies (dresses with pointed sleeves, tons of fabric, and a huge belt) and kanzus for the men (basically off-white night gowns they wear with slacks and a suit jacket). Everyone is told the event is to begin at a certain time but everyone gets there about 2 hours after said time. If they are a part of the groom’s party, they meet at a certain location and then head out with a huge convoy bringing the guests and gifts from him to the location of the introduction. Once they get there, the women line up on one side and the men on the other and they make their grand entrance as the bride’s side is already seated. The guests come and sit and on each side there is an emcee to help run things, and it make the whole day a lot less painful if they’re more on the charismatic side (for this one, the emcee was from one political party, and the groom from another which helped for lots of playful banter). Then the whole ceremony is carried out in the language of the families (for this one it was Lusoga). There were several groups who came and danced in traditional wear and envelopes of money were given out to members of the bride’s family. And finally it’s time for the bride to make her big entrance wearing the first of several very fancy gomezi and the maid of honor (somehow) is to go and fetch the groom from among the crowd and bring him to his bride. Then it’s time for the groom’s side to bring in gifts. The women carry in baskets wrapped in cellophane filled with everything from bread to cooking oil to potatoes and they MUST carry them on their heads. The men bring in the bigger stuff like Matooke (green bananas), charcoal, and furniture. And it’s all placed before the bride’s family. Then there’s the cake and the food.

That’s what happens at the event, and now to personalize it a bit. I had never worn a gomezi 100% the traditional way until this event. I will admit I was pretty miserable. It is literally yards of fabric over a whole other layer in order to give you an ehem… figure. It rained the day of this introduction so the first part of the ceremony people were getting soaked and there’s nothing like using your gomezi that is hanging down to the floor to help soak up some of the water (or at least that’s what mine ended up doing). I will also admit though, that I loved my material and enjoyed the fact that Ugandans really appreciate when bazungu (westerners) support their traditions. I will also say that Davis looking unbelievably handsome in his kanzu and I found myself having to make a conscious effort to look at the bride and groom and not at him (hehe). Overall it was a really fun day and I’m so glad we were able to be there to support the bride and groom as they begin the process of beginning their lives together.

After four years, sometimes I forget that I’m in a different culture, but then other events come around that a blaring reminders that I’m not in Kansas (or I guess I should say Albuquerque) anymore. One of those reminders came this past Saturday where we had quite an event go down for one of our long-time church members.

Here in Uganda, there are typically two very big events for couples: an introduction and a wedding. An introduction is where the groom is introduced to the brides’ family. It’s an absolutely huge “to-do”, where the groom brings all sorts of gifts to appreciate the family for their daughter. Before the event meetings are held primarily to figure out how the event will be funded because typically nobody really has the money to pull off the event by themselves so they send out “budgets” to friends and family asking for help in paying for everything from luggage, to goats, to seating for the event.

The day-of begins with everyone getting dressed up in their traditional wear of gomezi for the ladies (dresses with pointed sleeves, tons of fabric, and a huge belt) and kanzus for the men (basically off-white night gowns they wear with slacks and a suit jacket). Everyone is told the event is to begin at a certain time but everyone gets there about 2 hours after said time. If they are a part of the groom’s party, they meet at a certain location and then head out with a huge convoy bringing the guests and gifts from him to the location of the introduction. Once they get there, the women line up on one side and the men on the other and they make their grand entrance as the bride’s side is already seated. The guests come and sit and on each side there is an emcee to help run things, and it make the whole day a lot less painful if they’re more on the charismatic side (for this one, the emcee was from one political party, and the groom from another which helped for lots of playful banter). Then the whole ceremony is carried out in the language of the families (for this one it was Lusoga). There were several groups who came and danced in traditional wear and envelopes of money were given out to members of the bride’s family. And finally it’s time for the bride to make her big entrance wearing the first of several very fancy gomezi and the maid of honor (somehow) is to go and fetch the groom from among the crowd and bring him to his bride. Then it’s time for the groom’s side to bring in gifts. The women carry in baskets wrapped in cellophane filled with everything from bread to cooking oil to potatoes and they MUST carry them on their heads. The men bring in the bigger stuff like Matooke (green bananas), charcoal, and furniture. And it’s all placed before the bride’s family. Then there’s the cake and the food.

That’s what happens at the event, and now to personalize it a bit. I had never worn a gomezi 100% the traditional way until this event. I will admit I was pretty miserable. It is literally yards of fabric over a whole other layer in order to give you an ehem… figure. It rained the day of this introduction so the first part of the ceremony people were getting soaked and there’s nothing like using your gomezi that is hanging down to the floor to help soak up some of the water (or at least that’s what mine ended up doing). I will also admit though, that I loved my material and enjoyed the fact that Ugandans really appreciate when bazungu (westerners) support their traditions. I will also say that Davis looking unbelievably handsome in his kanzu and I found myself having to make a conscious effort to look at the bride and groom and not at him (hehe). Overall it was a really fun day and I’m so glad we were able to be there to support the bride and groom as they begin the process of beginning their lives together.

After four years, sometimes I forget that I’m in a different culture, but then other events come around that a blaring reminders that I’m not in Kansas (or I guess I should say Albuquerque) anymore. One of those reminders came this past Saturday where we had quite an event go down for one of our long-time church members.

Here in Uganda, there are typically two very big events for couples: an introduction and a wedding. An introduction is where the groom is introduced to the brides’ family. It’s an absolutely huge “to-do”, where the groom brings all sorts of gifts to appreciate the family for their daughter. Before the event meetings are held primarily to figure out how the event will be funded because typically nobody really has the money to pull off the event by themselves so they send out “budgets” to friends and family asking for help in paying for everything from luggage, to goats, to seating for the event.

The day-of begins with everyone getting dressed up in their traditional wear of gomezi for the ladies (dresses with pointed sleeves, tons of fabric, and a huge belt) and kanzus for the men (basically off-white night gowns they wear with slacks and a suit jacket). Everyone is told the event is to begin at a certain time but everyone gets there about 2 hours after said time. If they are a part of the groom’s party, they meet at a certain location and then head out with a huge convoy bringing the guests and gifts from him to the location of the introduction. Once they get there, the women line up on one side and the men on the other and they make their grand entrance as the bride’s side is already seated. The guests come and sit and on each side there is an emcee to help run things, and it make the whole day a lot less painful if they’re more on the charismatic side (for this one, the emcee was from one political party, and the groom from another which helped for lots of playful banter). Then the whole ceremony is carried out in the language of the families (for this one it was Lusoga). There were several groups who came and danced in traditional wear and envelopes of money were given out to members of the bride’s family. And finally it’s time for the bride to make her big entrance wearing the first of several very fancy gomezi and the maid of honor (somehow) is to go and fetch the groom from among the crowd and bring him to his bride. Then it’s time for the groom’s side to bring in gifts. The women carry in baskets wrapped in cellophane filled with everything from bread to cooking oil to potatoes and they MUST carry them on their heads. The men bring in the bigger stuff like Matooke (green bananas), charcoal, and furniture. And it’s all placed before the bride’s family. Then there’s the cake and the food.

That’s what happens at the event, and now to personalize it a bit. I had never worn a gomezi 100% the traditional way until this event. I will admit I was pretty miserable. It is literally yards of fabric over a whole other layer in order to give you an ehem… figure. It rained the day of this introduction so the first part of the ceremony people were getting soaked and there’s nothing like using your gomezi that is hanging down to the floor to help soak up some of the water (or at least that’s what mine ended up doing). I will also admit though, that I loved my material and enjoyed the fact that Ugandans really appreciate when bazungu (westerners) support their traditions. I will also say that Davis looking unbelievably handsome in his kanzu and I found myself having to make a conscious effort to look at the bride and groom and not at him (hehe). Overall it was a really fun day and I’m so glad we were able to be there to support the bride and groom as they begin the process of beginning their lives together.

The past month

If you talk to me for even ten minutes chances are you will start hearing me get on my soapbox on how it is so so important to reach the 17 MILLION youth of Uganda. 17 million is a big number, a huge number even but the amazing thing is that God knows every single one of these students by name and created each one of them for a reason. To try and get a 15 year old girl in the heart of a Ugandan village to understand that is not necessarily an easy task but that was our goal for the events of this past month… to get these students to know and understand that God wants to use them… now… to change their families, their villages, and even this country.

Our heart at reaching the “17 million” isn’t to proselytize people to the American way of life or to add ticks next to our name. Our desire is to see even just one at a time, one student coming to know Christ but more than that, to live like Him. Can you imagine what could be done by 17 million students living their lives completely sold out for Christ? Loving like He told us to love, serving like He told us to serve, living like He told us to live? That’s where change happens, when people put others above themselves, when they seek to please God above all else, when they live with humility, compassion, and holiness… that’s where it’s at… and basically for the youth of this country to be passionate about Christ because He’s passionate about Him.

Sometimes I think that the kids here view themselves as the tuna (or whatever fish were caught in the net) in Finding Nemo (yes, I did just site an illustration from a child’s movie). They feel like they’re just one in millions, that they don’t count, that they are just merely trying to survive. But during this past month we basically bent over backwards to make sure the students we encountered would realize that their life is worth something… and specifically God cares enough about them to die for them.

Inductive Bible Study
We began the month-long school holiday with two weeks of the students of the youth group taking an inductive Bible study class (it was optional but they blew me away how for the whole time 25+ students showed up every single day). It was awesome seeing their eagerness to learn how to study their Bibles more even if they weren't able to grasp all of the concepts 100%, I like to consider it a time for them to get a good first coat of "how to study your Bible"

Girls Night
From there, we had our very first Girl's Night where some of the young adult women were able to pour into the girls of the youth group. We made s'mores, ate tons of food, watched princess bride, painted nails and stayed up way too late. But more than anything we wanted them to know their worth was more than just what they offered on the outside. It was seriously one of my most favorite nights and I'm blown away at how God worked everything out.

Youth Conference
Already, in a previous blog I wrote about our killer conference, I couldn't summarize this past month without adding at least a little bit about it... 250 students... learning about what it means to be a disciple based off of what Paul talks about in the book of Philippians. It was absolutely crazy, and me having Malaria during the midst of it definitely didn't help make things any easier but it definitely also forced me to trust in God more than I ever realized I could. In the end tons of students were ministered to, who quite possibly many have never even set foot inside of a church. I praise God for how it all turned out!

Orphanage VBS
If that wasn't a busy enough way to start the holiday, we also joined up with a team from Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale to do a VBS at a small orphanage outside of Jinja. It was great getting to see my students serve alongside the Ft. Lauderdale team in ministering to kids who definitely had much less than they do (even though most of my students also don't have a whole heck of a lot). I was blessed to see different people step up in certain ways fulfilling what James says about the religion God accepts.

Village Outreaches
And to top it all off, we hit six... that's right six different villages doing youth outreaches/conferences for churches we have connections with. With the first 3, we brought a 30 person shuttle packed with out students from Jinja to be a part of the ministry. The final three, we went with just a couple of students and then Rogers (our prison's pastor and a friend I had come along to help teach), and Davis. The theme for all of the events was the book of Judges with teachings on Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. The first two helped teach the students how God wants to use us, no matter who we are or where we come from. And Samson helped to teach what sin does in hindering us at being used by God in the ways He created us to be. It agains was an amazing time getting to watch my students serve and be stretched as they saw what it was like to be used by God to help change their country and fulfill being witnesses in their Judea and Samaria.

On one final note, I just had to say that Davis is hands down the world's best boyfriend... like seriously this past month would have killed myself and many innocent bistanders if God had not given me such an amazing man to serve alongside and be an extension of God's strength in my weakness. He's truly my knight in shining armor (sigh).

I truly am amazed at all God did over this past month... I'm sitting here and as I'm typing, I'm just shaking my head as I'm humbled and blown away at all of the opportunities and answered prayers. Thank you everyone for your encouragement, prayers, and even financial support during this hectic time. God used you in some amazing ways and we couldn't have done it without you. And to God be all the honor, all the glory, and all the praise!