This month my team is
staying in a lovely little home outside of Mbarara, Uganda in a little place
called Ruti. We live with Pastor
Solomon, his lovely wife Lilly and their little 11 month old Sufficient Grace
(Suffie G). We are without electricity
and running water, but we are blessed with our own beds to sleep in and a
living room with a couch and 2 comfy chairs to sit in.
The lack of
electricity has actually created lots of opportunities for team bonding. I absolutely love sitting around in the
evenings talking, laughing, praying, reading, eating popcorn and drinking hot
tea. We often end up playing ridiculous
“games� or having the most absurd discussions that seem super legit for about 2
minutes and then we realize what we’re talking about.
Please keep in mind
that we are an all women’s team. I never
wanted to be on a team of all women.
It’s not that I don’t get along with girls. I’m the oldest of 4 girls in my family. I have some amazing best girlfriends that are
really more like sisters. I just like
balance I guess you’d say. But let me
just tell ya that I have absolutely LOVED being on an all women’s team. It has shocked even me with the freedom that
it brings, and I am so thankful for this experience. Anyways, just keep this little tidbit in mind
while reading the rest of this as some of it MIGHT seem a bit ridiculous. 🙂
So these evening
happenings…Here’s what comes to mind:
What object am I
thinking of right now? – Personality tests – Are nude band aids offensive to
minorities in America? – How many people will be in your wedding party? – Getting
measured for your correct bra size right in the middle of the living room –
What will our lives look like in 15 years? – Having Bible studies led by Lilly
– When I get back to America I can’t wait to _____ – the ever popular “future
husbandsâ€� conversations – Getting tested for Malaria – Praying – Watching
“Tangledâ€� and “Escape From Hellâ€� –
Are you getting the
picture??? Good. So this evening someone suggested that we all
come up with one word descriptions of everyone.
So we went around and each thought of one word that we would use to
describe each other. We each received 6
words from our fellow teammates of what each one of them thought best suited
us, and here’s what we came up with:
Amanda – Nurturing,
Strong, Loving, Confident, Free-Spirited and Faithful
Carly – Luminous,
Fighter, Safe Place, Confident, Giver, Igniter
Rachel – Inquisitive,
Unique, Dichotomous, Extraordinary, Passionate, Determined
Daniela – Strong,
Spicy, Stunning, Overflowing, Loving, Caring
Elizabeth –
Discerning, Strong-Willed, Expectant, Cute, Independent, Pure
Katlyn – Sweet,
Unexpected, Content, Obedient, Constant, Wise
Jessica – Firm,
Simple, Sassy, Lovely, Peaceful, Motherly
Now I think this is
pretty legit. In the midst of the
ridiculousness that makes up our team, #Acronym, there is a solidness. We are a team of strong women with very
diverse personalities, and the Lord has brought us all together for our good
and His glory. After 4 months of living
with each other, those last 3 months being alone in Africa, we’re finally
getting to really KNOW each other. These
descriptions may seem super simple, but I think they speak volumes about our
how different we all are and how we represent different aspects of Jesus’
character and can call that out in each other.
I LOVE IT.
Thought you might
enjoy an inside peek into our evenings this month. I truly believe that God loves our laughter,
our inside jokes, our prayers, our silly games and our serious Biblical
discussions or our conversations about what we’re struggling with. It’s real life with all of its ups and downs. Less fluff and more meat (even though we eat
mostly carbs).
“Above all, love each other
deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.�
I Peter 4:8
