Wrong continent but close enough…
A lot of my blogs have been about what I’ve learned emotionally, mentally, spiritually etc. This is a quick recap of the actual things/ministries we were part of in Africa!
Uganda (September)
Place: Bulenga, Uganda (right outside of Kampala…30 minute taxi ride or so). We lived in a house that the ministry rented.
Ministry: Raising up Hope Uganda (RUHU) – This awesome ministry involved teaching at their school Monday-Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we went to the slums and helped with a feeding program for the kids living there.
Host: Patrick- a 25 year old crazy, awesome, passionate guy
Favorite Part: Having my birthday in an Indian restaurant in Uganda!
Challenge: Going to the slums and interacting with all of the kids who were high. While I loved going there it broke my heart to see those kids constantly sniffing the rags to get high to starve off hunger.
Bathroom: English toilet for the win! Our water didn’t always work but hey a toilet is a toilet.
What I learned: I actually enjoy teaching. While it may be different in America, I grew close to my kids… even saying “my kids”. I was able to help a kid who was too old for my class (P2) but was dyslexic.
Rwanda (October)
Place: We lived in the village! (A common theme for our team) Our town name was too complicated so the biggest town near us was Nygatare. We walked 3 miles to get to our church every day. Most days we would do this trek about 3 times (one day we got 2 free taxi rides so that was exciting!). We lived in our Pastor’s home.
Ministry: This month was less tasking and more preaching oriented. Some days we would go to a school and teach. Every day we would go to a different bible study (singles, widows, ministers, etc.) and we would share. 2-3 of us would preach every Sunday.
Host: Fatier K. She was the Pastor of the church that we worked with.
Favorite Part: During our debrief in Gysenyi(sp?) I was able to take a boda ride around Lake Kivu. It was absolutely breathtaking!
Challenge: A month of preaching was hard for me. I am a task-oriented person and I love to do things that I see as productive. While preaching is awesome and productive in its own way, it was a month that I had to do something that I didn’t thrive at (welcome to growth and life…).
Bathroom: Squatty but with an English toilet on top, sort of a compromise.
What I learned: We had a ton of free time in the day. It made me learn to relax and to utilize my time wisely. It’s amazing how much more you process, read, think, talk, pray etc. when you don’t have wifi.
Ethiopia (November)
Place: We were in (drum roll please….) the village! Specifically we lived in Yirgalem. The week before we arrived our ministry had received a new center from the government so we lived in their old center.
Ministry: We worked with Talita Rise Up. This was an orphanage/sponsorship program for the community. 7 babies/toddlers lived in the center and we got to play with them J. During the day we would put on mini-program for the kids in the community (think song, dance, bible story, craft).
Host: Abenezar. This 25-year-old ambitious man was a great host. He was super sarcastic, which made me feel right at home.
Favorite Part: The coffee! It was basically espresso and you drank it in rounds of three. God bless Ethiopia.
Challenge: There was an incident where I had a sort of PTSD breakdown. Working through that away from home was tough.
Bathroom: Our first legitimate squatty. As far as squatties go, this one was pretty nice. Ledges to stand on, a basin in front… living in the lap of luxury…
What I learned: You create your atmosphere. There were points where our team was attacked on all fronts. You simply cannot allow your surroundings to dictate your mood and your actions.
That was Africa! It didn’t look like I thought at all but it was great! Comment below with any comments or questions!
Katie
