six years ago i was in my final year of high school… sitting in my english class just waiting for it all to be over. in order to graduate we had to do a special project. we could pick anything that we wanted, as long as we completed the required hours and did a special presentation at the end. unlike many of my class mates i wanted to do something that i might never do otherwise, i wanted to do something that would change my life, change the way i think about things.
so i chose to study sudan, uganda, and rwanda … to look into the affects of the genocides and civil wars on these three countries. the more i read about them, the more i wanted to know. i fell in love with these far off countries that i might never know otherwise. the tradegies that were still occuring broke my heart and i longed to be able to do something to help, but didn’t know what.
in the summer of 2002 i had the priveldge of going to rwanda and doing a summer program at an orphanage with Friends in the West (the African Children’s Choir). it was amazing!! the country was beautiful and i was finally able to see the place i had once read about… so much had changed from what i had read. you could see hutus and tutsis spending time together. it was a short time, but something i will never forget. those children were amazing and it showed me once again that when we put our love of jesus christ first he can help us through anything.
as i was home a year ago praying about what god wanted me to do i had two different opportunities, i could go with my mom’s church and work at a refugee camp in northern uganda (where my heart is really at) or i could come on the world race. it was a hard decision at first. what do i chose? do i follow my heart and got to africa or do i put it aside and go around the world for a year? after some thought and prayer, i obviously chose to come on the world race. i knew that god would one day allow me to go to uganda…..
well after many years, i am finally here in uganda. no, i am not in the north…. but i do get to claim uganda in jesus name ~ after all he says that he will give us everywhere that we place our feet – and well, i want uganda. god is doing great things here and it is awesome to be apart of it….
the moral of the story ~ hold onto your dreams and desires, you never know when god will help make them come true.
