I’ve been in Uganda for almost a month now, and it’s been an adventure. Things here don’t look like they do at home. And sometimes it’s hard. One of my teammates recently wrote about the hard parts of the Race, you know, the ones you don’t see in the Facebook photos. And it was a great post, because it was true. So instead of trying to describe it as eloquently as she did, I’d like to share with you some of the ways that my team has decided to cope with the difficult things we have encountered.
1. You give it a name.
About 2 weeks ago, I had a headache so bad that I threw up outside in the yard. I was nauseous and miserable. I went to lay in my bed, and I swore I saw a tail moving near my head. I got out of the bed as quickly as I could, considering I was ill and in the bottom bunk. After my team leader and I inspected the area, we determined it was safe so I laid back down. Not even two minutes later, I saw a mouse run across the top of my bed inches from my face. Needless to say, my exit was even faster that time. Instead of freaking out about the mouse, I decided to name him. I don’t even know why, but I named our little friend Gerard Butler. He’s lived with us in the edges of the ceiling since then, not to mention Frankfurter and Doc Watson, his friends and Fancy, his girlfriend.
2. You celebrate with your hosts.
On Christmas Eve, our team was in good spirits, missing home of course, but we weren’t too sad. The children of our hosts told us that they had a surprise for us, but that it would be around 11 or 11:30 pm before they were ready for us. So we waited around and then agreed to be blindfolded and led into the church. When we took off our blindfolds, we found the church covered in Christmas decorations with candles and lights all around. It was so beautiful. The family reenacted the Nativity story, our pastor dressed up as Santa, and they served us cake and popcorn. The popcorn was extra special for me, because if I was at home, I would’ve been eating my mom’s “real” popcorn and watching Christmas movies with them. We laughed, sang, and celebrated. It was awesome.
3. You make a poop chart. (Warning: This section is a little graphic)
Because we have an “outhouse” with a tiny hole (about the size of the iPhone, thanks A for that comparison) in the ground, sometimes actually making it in the hole is a struggle. So two of my teammates made a game out of it. “Did You Make it?” After each bathroom visit, we celebrate with two checks if we make it and a check and an x if we miss. They plan to give out awards at the end of the month for various victories.
4. You become sunshine for babies.
As some of you know, I have some pretty significant germ issues. So holding hands with a baby who just spent 10 minutes licking their fingers or holding a baby without any pants (or a diaper) is quite the struggle sometimes. I love these babies though. And their sweet little grins. So you just act as sunshine for them. One day while at the church, a little guy was sitting next to me. He was terrified of me and the other girls because we were Muzungus (white people). So I just sat there and started rubbing his head. I asked one of the girls we knew to ask him if it was okay, and he shook his head yes. I sat next to him like that for several minutes, then I went to help with the sound for the dance team. After sitting by the stage for just a few minutes, he just wandered up, took his spot next to me, and gave me the biggest grin. His name is Real. Now every time we come in to the church, he looks for me and then sends me the world’s best grin! I am not sure if I am sunshine for him, or if he is sunshine for me, but I figure it’s good either way!
5. The Wave
On our off days, we like to venture in to Kampala to enjoy some wifi and food. We usually end up at a tasty cafe that we love, but their wifi is a little sketchy at times. So now, while we are FaceTiming our friends and family, we raise our hand to let our teammates know that we are reconnecting. It’s nice to know that we are all in it together. It would be easy to complain or get frustrated, but we just laugh, raise our hands, and then giggle when it starts working again.
I just keep feeling that life is too short to get frustrated by the silly things in the world. I have been blessed with such an amazing group of women as my team for four months (so far!), I have seen the world’s tallest building, I have shared Jesus with kids in multiple countries, and I have lived an amazing adventure these past four months. So when things get a little tough, or different, I am not going to complain. There is simply too much good in the world and too much love from my Jesus. So enjoy my Facebook pictures, trust me, we’re having a blast. But also know that sometimes it’s hard. But it’s always worth it!
In related news, I need everyone to send up prayers for my squad Coach, Sammye. Her husband, our other coach, went to be with the Lord on Christmas Eve. I can’t imagine the pain she is feeling right now, but I know that even though I’ve only known Jim Campbell for five months, he made a huge impact on my life! I was just thinking about our debrief in Jinja and his kind and wise words he shared. I know that if my heart hurts after knowing him for such a short time, his family must be hurting without him there. I hope that I can live the rest of my life and this Race like Jim would’ve encouraged me to, not letting fear get in the way! So pray for peace for his family and friends, because we all get to celebrate the the life of this silly man who chased after Jesus like crazy. Love you Papa Jim!
