What I DO know on Uganda

 

Writers Block—this past month I was at a loss for words which what seemed like the longest time.  It is truly difficult to define and explain everything for what it is and was. You literally have not heard from me in a while.  I’m still alive (in case you were wondering). 🙂
 

I lived in Busia, Uganda on the border of Kenya last month. If you want to hear all about the nitty gritty, here goes my transparent account.
 
Uganda was hard.  For a variety of reasons.  It was a difficult month for my team.  I feel that we grew in unity in various ways considering the amount of time we spent together, but outside of it, there was a lot of oppression from the community that we were in.  I felt a lot of discomfort and the most unwelcome I’ve felt on the entire race.  I want so much to sit here and tell you every bit of goodness and all the butterfly trails I can think of, but truth is its not all rainbows and butterflies.  I have 3 sweet friends from school who have done Missions & volunteering in Uganda and loved every bit of their experiences.  And I wanted the same kind of experience that was straight uplifting, heartbreaking and only left me wanting more of what God has for Africa.  But my experience left me feeling drained.  And there were different lessons for me to learn at this point in my journey. I don't know that I could tell you everything that I learned at this point, but its something that will come with time.   I think my team would say the same. The truth is, the hard and challenging times enable you to appreciate the small simple delightful things in each day.  

Here is an array of things from this past month intermingled together.  It gives you the good, the bad, and the not so pretty moments.  Some of them will carry mental images, others are in photographs below.  Enjoy!
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We did hospital visits with expecting mothers, sick children and feeble women and men.  We saw God heal the physical pain and redeem their spiritual lives.  We went to cell group meetings and shared words of encouragement.  I walked what seemed a miles upon miles each day in the red African dirt. We taught children to play American football and soccer.

I’ve cried more in Africa than I can remember crying at any other point in my life.  I got sick enough to puke my brains out (as my friend Katie Bury would say) and then did it in repetition 5 more times.  I held naked babies.  I've sweat my freckles off, not actually but I feel like it happened.  We did a bible study on 1 Peter as a team.  We worked with street kids– one of my favorite ministry experiences in Africa.

 

 

We did worship songs with them and even sketches of bible stories, this is when we were acting out the Good Samaritan story.

I wanted to shower so bad I took a shower with the absolute least amount of water I believe someone could shower with and made it work—desperate times, I tell you.  I saw 8 shooting stars in one night.  I had one of my favorite worship experiences on the race with Kyle and our African friends in our church with no walls as we strummed our guitars and sang out melodies from our songbooks.

this is the next day at church putting our practice to motion
 I discovered the strange poofy flower– pretty neat if you ask me…

I rode on crowded busses (if you haven't been to Africa– perhaps you need clarification: In the 14 passenger bus there were 24 people at times).  It. Was. Crowded!  I heard the word Mzungu more than I ever have in my entire life, to the point I probably had nightmares about it at night. I laughed a whole lot.  I danced to the Bolingo, a Ugandan dance while I had a baby wrapped in cloth on my back; maybe I'm a multi-tasker.

 

I had so much dirt on me I was beginning to think I was tan.  Jesus healed children in front of our eyes as we prayed for them—one gained hearing, another had tooth pain disappear, another one had relieved head pain.

Jesus spoke to me about being chosen, about looking more like Him, of how to love & forgive and how He truly is the only one that can fill me up. He spoke to me through a letter from my cousin, Seth—that was probably the best encouragement 1) because I love letters 2) I'm overly delighted in encouragement thats prayed into.
We made friends at an Authentic  Ethiopian Restaurant called "Sara's Cafe,"  Sara cooked for us almost everyday.  We were able to feed the team lunch or dinner by splitting a large plate of food for $2!  Yum!

This is Sara and I!

 I rafted the Nile River and don't think I've ever been more terrified in my life (if you fell out of your raft at the top of "The Bad Place" then, I think you'd understand).

I did insanity every morning with Kyle. 

  
This would be our game faces after we finished being insane. 
We spent several hours taking out my braids—now my hair is short again, folks!

My team went camping.  

We hiked to 3 waterfalls and crawled through the heart of a bat cave in Sipi Falls. 

I learned to cook for 8 people at a time. I became a pro at shopping in the African markets.   I taught my sweet little friend that I wasn't a scary Mzungu, to the point that he didn't run away crying, but came running to me every morning, afternoon, and evening that I passed by his hut and greeted me with a sweet 2 year old smile on his face saying "Howww arrre yeee?!"  This was when he still didn't quite know what to think of me yet.
 
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Sometimes its hard to go into a village and explain to people that you're not a "mzungu," or white, aimless wanderer.  Its hard when you have children that without acknowledgment of anything else say, "give me moneyyy!" or to have kids bow to you when they greet you, I know its a cultural thing– my skin color doesn't make me royalty and I don't grow money on a tree.  Most of the women in the village we were in were not joyful– and its almost this spirit of not feeling worthy or loved or that there was nothing to rejoice in, and its something that I had to remind myself of because its like the lack of joy or hope in that place could easily attach itself to me.  But it has no home here, it has no home thinking that it can clothe me in its joy.  

We came to bring hope– the best gift that we can offer anyone.  We came in light– and the darkness CANNOT and WILL NOT overtake the light.   A light that doesn't flicker.  An everlasting love.  A hope of freedom.  Redemption.  Restoration.  And to show them just how God wants to be the author of their story with a purpose and future in mind.  Thats what we came to do in developing relationships with them.  We come bearing truth and in peace and hope to show these people our Jesus, because thats who we are.  We are His face.  We carry His spirit, fire, and passion for His people. 

This is a verse I've kept in mind as I reflect on Uganda.

2 Corinthians 4 says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

There IS hope for the people of Uganda.  And although parts of my time in Uganda are still waiting to be defined by me, I know my God had a sweet plan for my time there.  Everything has purpose, and I'm just soaking it all in a day at the time.  

With love,

Kaitlyn

a few team new heights photos