I was ugly crying in Seth Barnes’ office, after showing up unannounced. I’d reached the end of my rope, ignoring the call on my life for several months. I was burnt out, frazzled, and all at my own doing. That tends to happen when you ignore God’s prompting.
I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone or let anyone down. I didn’t want to leave anyone hanging. I loved Adventures in Missions, I loved the people behind the organization.
But I couldn’t stay. Not when I knew the Lord was asking me to step into a new season.
And gracious and kind as he is, Seth pointed that out to me. And gently told me I needed to follow my heart and my calling (If you don’t know this jewel of a person yet, please meet him).
So I did it. Scared.
Four days after my last day at Adventures, I stepped onto a plane headed to Uganda. Actually, I anxiously jogged onto the plane and almost missed my second flight too – because if you know me, I kind of wait until the last minute for these things (this is a foreshadowing of events to come).
I thought I would be filled with excitement and adrenaline. I’d pictured this moment for years, complete freedom to pursue Kindred. But I was a little terrified. And a lot crammed (tell me why I picked a window seat on a full plane for a 16 hour flight?!).
The first few days walking around the lush, jungle-like compound of the Sole Hope Guest House, I took inventory of the state of my soul. It was stifled, a little crushed. The state of missions in the US has been declining over the past few years. Our organization had been under attack by naysayers. We, along with most other mission sending groups, had seen declining numbers. It had affected me deeply. I needed time to fill back up, I felt completely empty.
During our meeting, Seth had told me I needed more adventure in my life. In Uganda, I found it.
I found joy in the simple day to day. The orange morning sun slowly warming the dew off the backyard leaves. The red dust that got on everything. The sound of (the guard) Obama’s broom on the walkway in the morning. The sweet guard dogs – Bear, Boomer and Rosie. The families staying in the same house – TJ’s laugh. Mary’s kind voice as she cooked dinner. The walk to get coffee every morning. The feel of my hair blowing as I took a boda into town. The never ending potholes on every street.
A few epic adventures – a nighttime fishing expedition on Lake Victoria. A boat ride to an island on the Nile.
I slowly started to become alive again.
But not everything was easy. Starting a business is HARD. Starting a business with another culture involved is next to impossible.
I’ve been lied to. Stolen from. The artisans I work with got malaria. Couldn’t find materials we needed (there’s no overnight Amazon delivery in Jinja). Our electricity went out right when I needed it and our wifi was down for weeks. My friend’s compound got raided by bandits one night and we all sat, terrified, as our friends and our own night guards went to help. The only police who showed up were the ones our friends picked up on the way. I *did end up missing a flight home – due to unexpected police checkpoints outside the airport (three of them, one that you had to get out of your car for). A costly mistake.
I found out three days before I left that a person I trusted didn’t file the right paperwork for Kindred.
Now, my savings is running out and the spring festivals I’ve been relying on are canceling because of coronavirus.
It’s been discouraging. But I’m not discouraged.
Seth says that the best stories are the ones that have lots of conflict, big problems that we need to overcome. That’s where we grow. That we need to share that conflict, that tension when things aren’t going well. So here I am, sharing it.
And – if you’re reading this – thank you, Seth. For encouraging me to take big risks – and for helping me to realize the hard parts of the story just make it better.
I’m learning it takes misfortunes to see miracles. So here I am, waiting for the miracles. I know they will happen.
Bringing Yonnah a bunch of leather supplies from Tandy Leather in the states. Good
leather supplies and dyes are hard to come by in Uganda!
The compound where I stayed – the Sole Hope Guest House. Such a special place!
A lantern in the kitchen during one of our power outages.
Went to a jigger clinic in the village – this is my friend Conrad who is studying to be a
doctor – and our new little friend we met that day.
I love visiting villages, they are so peaceful and the people so kind.
Jug fishing in the dark – an adventure!
Photoshoot with Yonnah – his handmade journals are top notch! And he’s training other artisans as well.
Our second photoshoot for new items with the amazingly talented Cana Ditty.
Sunrise the morning before I “left” – err, missed my flight 🙂
Staying a little later meant I had time to go to this amazing sanctuary on the
Nile River – that’s a pool and then the Nile in the background. $20 well spent!
