One Scary Afternoon

We live in a fallen world and I can't help but echo the psalm and Romans where "there is no one who is good... not even one." Sin and evil are everywhere, but praise God that He too is everywhere and promises to never leave us nor forsake us.

Yesterday afternoon, I had what was most definitely the scariest experience of my life. I had just gotten back from town and was getting to work on some projects when I heard Bev scream, at first I thought she was just yelling at some kids but then I could hear her yelling "Jesse!" and I knew something was wrong. I ran out screaming for Jess as well and had no idea that I would find what I did, I thought maybe it was an accident or something but when Steven, Jess and I got out of our gate I found Bev in her car and a car that was blocking her path and she point at it and said "Thief!" Steven tried to reach in and pull the guy out of the car but he sped off, as we were distracted with the car we didn't realize that the guy on the other side of Bev's car were two other thieves, and he was holding what I've been told was an AK-47. We thought that maybe he had just been a security guy who had come to help but then as he was shouting for the money and Jess started to yell for Bev to get out of the car, we were about to run and the guy shot out Bev's window. Just as she was getting out. Us girls ran to my veranda while Steven ran after the guy and Jess got in the truck to head him off the other way. Then Davis ran out to go and help them.

It didn't take long for the mob justice to form as the area around the corner came to help out. Literally hundreds of people came and as Steven had caught who we believe was the shooter at a local school, the group came and began beating and stoning the thief with every intention of killing him then and there (that's just how it's normally done here as not a lot of stock is taken in our police). But our guys protected the man and even Davis and Joseph got hurt in the process because the people were just so upset. Our guys dragged the guy to the church and brought him in the gate and I was the lucky one who had to keep everyone out and only open it for police and the others who were really a part of the situation. All of our guys did unbelievably between chasing the guy down, protecting him in order to save his life and be sure he was around to give the names of his friends, and trying to recover what had been stolen. Afterwards, the police came and fingerprinted the car and Jess, Bev, and Steven have had to be at police for hours giving their statements and so far the guy they caught has given up some information. Along with the mob justice, another way they deal with people here is they fill a jerrycan of petrol and begin burning the person who was caught in order to make them talk... I'm still kind of in shock about that one.

We were the subject of several tv and radio interviews and so many people were just so upset that these thieves would rob from us, and specifically Bev because God has used this ministry to help so so many people. We all are still kind of reeling from the whole ordeal and we're all praising God for his protection because Bev, Jess, Steven, myself, Davis, Joseph, Rogers or any of the others could have easily been shot. Now we're just praying that 1) thieves have gotten the memo don't mess with us 2) the crowd was able to see God's mercy in how we dealt with the thief and 3) that the thieves would be caught so they wouldn't do this to someone else and potentially with a much worse outcome.

Gearing up...

Every three months the schools go on holiday, and basically for me it means it's game time. During the school term I'm busy in teaching at Jinja SS, youth group, and meeting with individuals, but when the holiday comes I get to ramp up the program and really try to facilitate opportunity after opportunity for the students to grow deeper in their walks. This next holiday begins at the beginning of August, and I'm in shock how quickly it has crept up on me this time. So currently I'm just trying to plan and pray and see what all God wants to have take place this holiday be it outreaches to villages, large events here in Jinja, various service projects, and one event I'm getting really excited about which will be a girls' night where I hope to have women from all walks of life (missionary and Ugandan) to be able to pour into the girls from the youth group. A night of testimonies, teachings, food, girliness (but not too much considering I'm the one organizing it :) ).

I'm currently just asking for prayer for all that God wants to do during this holiday. Please pray that the plans would be God's plans, that I personally wouldn't be so distracted by the "programs" that I'm missing the main thing. Pray that the students grow in huge and awesome ways and that lives are changed over the next month.

Divine encouragement

"you have searched me and know me..."

Our God is so huge, so powerful, so awesome and yet He knows us and knows what we need and the exact time we need it the most. Lately I've been experiencing the pain of being the subject matter or some rather gnarly gossip, with nearly all of it having fallacies as its base. People say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me" yeah... that's a lie. Words hurt, and I've definitely learned from being on the receiving end that it's really bad juju to slander, gossip, etc... others. I continue to remind myself to "love my enemies", that Jesus and others in the Bible dealt with the same thing, and that I constantly just need to make sure I'm being blameless before God and not allowing others sin to be an excuse for sin in my own life. But I'll be honest, it's sometimes nearly unbearable as I just feel like there's sometimes no pleasing anyone, short of becoming a hermit, and even then I will probably still do/say something that will be fodder for some juicy story.

That being said, this afternoon I was feeling incredibly discouraged. After I got home from Jinja SS, I was just on my knees crying out to Him about how to deal with a lot of what is going on and during that time, I got a call from one of my girls who I've had a lot of history with. One time I had to go and basically rescue her from getting beat to a pulp by a woman in her community who was tired of how the girl was living. Since then she's gone to live in another part of the country to get her out of the environment and temptations that were around her before. She recently came back for a quick visit and I was able to see her and give her a big hug. Then tonight she called simply to say hi. It's funny how that helped make my day but it was an answer to the prayer of "God, what am I doing here?!" Before that, at Jinja SS I could tell another one of my girls (her father passed away just over a year ago and the only place she could think of to go was my veranda) was having a tough time and she finally told me that a boy was saying all sorts of mean things to her, I cried as I could definitely empathize with the sting that words can have. Being able to be there for her to confide in and help was another huge encouragement of the truth that God is at work in/through me. Then earlier today I got a card that was a part of a series of cards that one of my old students from the States arranged for me to get intermittently over the past couple of months. Those things combined really were exactly what God knew I needed to keep on, knowing that I am living right before Him, that I am doing what He wants me to be doing, and that I am exactly where He wants me to be. He is so good in how He cares for His children, it's just so important to look for the light He shines around you as you feel like you're engulfed by the darkness of discouragement that the enemy tries to send your way to try and distract and paralyze you.

Keeping you in the loop

I used to pride myself on how well I kept people up to date on the work and life here. And I've failed to do that these past couple of months, my apologies. The last post was about my birthday and in the past weeks life has been consumed with two key elements: preparing for and hosting a team of 42 who were here this past week, and enjoying life with the man God has blessed me with.

Let me begin with the team... can I just say that it's a blessing that 42 people were willing to pay thousands of dollars to come and serve in Uganda for two weeks. We had four teams: outreach, medical, and two orphanage teams. I was with the medical and outreach teams as I purposefully had them serving in the same villages so I could be around to do whatever was needed for either team. I've hosted this team before but never had then been this size, and this was my first time organizing a medical clinic. Needless to say I learned A LOT. Logistics for teams of that size are tough enough, but then bring them to Uganda, and well... yeah, you definitely learn flexibility and how to manage organized (and sometimes not so organized) chaos. We were in two villages - spending one day in Iguluibi and two in a village called Kikondo. The medical team saw several hundred people dealing with everything from malaria to jiggers to leprosy (yes, that's right leprosy). The outreach team did door to door evangelism, programs in a few schools, and also presentations in the middle of the village as well as ministering to the people who came for the medical clinic. We were busy, and I can't believe how tired I still am, but I praise God for Jess, Bev, our translators and one other key guy (see below) without whom this past week of ministry would not have been possible.

That brings me to the next subject... the latest development in my life is that I have been blessed with an amazing man who cares for me and treats me better than I could have ever imagined. His name is Davis, and can I just say that every single day, I'm blown away by the man he is. I want to tell all you girls out there who think you need to "settle"...DON'T. I used to think that I had too high of expectations of the man God had for me, but God has not only met those expectations, but has totally blown them out of the water. I just ask that you would lift us up in prayer that we walk according to His plan, keeping Him our focus never allowing one another to usurp His place in our lives, and that we would allow Him to direct every last element of our relationship.


So there you go, a little update on life. Now I get to be back in the swing of things as "normal life" was on hold for a little while as I dealt with this team. I'm teaching through the book of Amos to my guys at Jinja SS and continuing through the book of John at youth group. Those groups along with the people I get the privilege to meet with individually and discus His Word and how it impacts ever facet of our lives are what make every day a blessing and I continue to be in awe of all that God allows me to be a part of.

A blessed birthday

Eh eh! It's been a whole months since I've posted! Where on earth has the time gone?! I guess it's just because everything has been happening and yet nothing has happened all at the same time. It's been basically the normal routine of teaching at Jinja SS and leading the youth group while dealing with new and exciting adventures in life as well. One of which is that this past Saturday I turned the big 2-6. Last year, turning 25 kind of brought on what I would refer to a quarter life crisis just realizing that I'm now really truly an adult without excuses, I have to be responsible, and "act my age"... it was definitely a tough time. This year however, I definitely was able to ring in a new year with a much better attitude. On Friday night I was taken out for an amazing evening and it definitely started my birthday on a great note. Saturday morning began with opening presents from my family and care team (they blow my mind how with how awesome they are). Then it was time for the gym, and breakfast with some of the missionary girls. I had an amazingly rich chocolate cake with our staff and school of ministry students. Then went out to lunch with a great friend from Kampala. And then had youth group teaching from John 4 about the Samaritan woman and two of my girls totally drenched me in water to "bless" me for my birthday. Then I went to dinner with an awesome family where my friend made some of the best enchiladas I've EVER had (and coming from a New Mexico girl that's saying something). Then it was party time and some karaoke. It was such an awesome day getting to spend it with so so many awesome friends and friends who are more like family. I'm so blessed to have the people around me that I do both here and in the States, I don't deserve them but will continue to praise God for them. Twenty five really was a year of growth and I'm so thankful for all God taught me. Now as I embark on my 26th year, I can't help but wonder what new things He has coming my way. Many people say that 26 was their favorite year, I'm trying not to get my hopes up to high... but here's hoping that 26 is one for the books.

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!