Presence... in a new home :)

The past 2 weeks, the group had the opportunity to live with a Ugandan family!

Some specifics about my family:

-       3 generations present: my mom and dad (Jane and Hunnington), 3 of their 4 children (who have already started their own families- Betty, Joseph, and Procy), and 6 grandchildren ranging from 3 months old to 10 yrs old (Mark, also know as bambina (baby), Arnold-2, Moses-4, Vivian-6, Isaac-8, and Arthur-10).

-       Betty and Procy were just their on holiday and went back to their homes after I left.

I LOVE this family J. … well all the group loved their families- God is faithful in that.

During the weekends, when I didn’t have school, I spent the day doing practical family things: get up at 7 am, take tea, wash laundry, chat, wash dishes, play with kids, prepare lunch, eat lunch at 2-3 pm, go to the garden to pick more food (and eat sugar cane!!! J), return home, take tea, play with kids, wash dishes, bathe, help prepare dinner, eat dinner 9-10 pm, family prayers/songs, and bed. presence.

…and Sundays: church!

This experience definitely taught me more about myself:

1.     I like to keep busy.

2.     I am individualistic.

3.     I doubt.

4.     One of my favorite things is connecting with people through laughter.

The experience also taught me more about others:

1.     Presence= love whether you are talking or not.

2.     Laughter/smiles cross all cultures.

The experience also showed me more of God:

1.     God is faithful to meet physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.

2.     ….ALWAYS faithful.

3.     I can have faith because of His faithfulness.

One of my favorite memories of the homestay was simply sitting and being with my mother and sister at night in the outdoor kitchen simply watching them cook by firelight and simply being present…

In one of my classes now, we are reading Primal Vision- a book written by a white missionary in who lived in Uganda for 8 yrs and founded the seminary at the campus I am living on right now.  The key concept touched on so far is this idea of presence.  It all relates back to Jesus because in Him, God came into the world and made himself present to broken people.  Presence with others is the Gospel lived out- and its a crazy concept when you think about how back until Adam and Eve, this process of turning others back to each other, God, and even the reality of themselves has been in process... we are part of this grand plan, where past runners have  passed the baton on and are encouraging us to continue on running after the Lord together and sharing His presence!

…. And it is something very hard to do in a culture as time-oriented as America is.  I am seeing how I have valued “getting things done” and “efficiency” over relationship- simply being with another.  I am not saying efficiency is bad, because in many cases I believe it is helpful and strategic, but the goal should always be relationship even within that: presence.  i am simply learning to be :)

Last thought: even at home, it’s way more fun to do laundry, dishes, and cooking with other people- I am appreciating YOU right now mom J.

In growing faith in the God who is continually faithful!!

nicole

Expectations... :)

**if you are about to study abroad, read this!!!**

Sooo... with every new experience one has some expectations- internal or external... some you are conscious of and some you are not.

"Emotions are signs you're dealing with unmet expectations." -Mark, USP director

Here is a chart of what the program desires this study abroad to be for us:

What USP is not about:              
1. emotionally gratifying experiences
2. helping Ugandans  
3. life-changing experiences
4. simple lessons packed in pretty packages  
5. tourism          
6. cynicism

What USP is about:
1. your reaction to experiences
2. helping American college students
3. one degree change
4. tension
5. pilgrimage
6. faith, hope, and love

Thoughts about that:
1. reactions to experiences teach us more about ourselves
2. I need help just as much as any other person
3. One degree change now leads to significant change in the future- bringing in some geometry here- think about angles :).
4. life is not simple. Tension and balance make up reality.
5. pilgrimage= humility, going with God and others :)
6. ....

with bright mornings and expectations in One who has the control :),
nicole

Glimpses...

Here are a few pictures taken throughout travel/meeting the team!  As you glimpse through them pray for some of the group by name! :)

Here are some of the USPers (Uganda Studies Program) in the airport in Washington DC ready to head over to Amsterdam and then to Uganda!

Pray for Calyn and Julia who are on the left along with Amy and AJ who are on the right.

perseverance.

peace.

humility.

attitude of learning!

Monkies on Monkey Hill/Akara!  Pray for joy and freedom in relating with the children in the next few weeks at Off-Tu Mission and Chain orphanage for the 4 Social Work students: MB, Paige, Rachel, and me. Pray for the children!

This is a group of us walking back from Monkey Hill!  Specifically, in the middle is Erika and Meghan. Pray for assurance and faith as they walk with the Lord in our homestays the next 2 weeks!

This is a group on its way to walk through a small village outside of Mukono.  Pray for Christ's love to be bright in Mukono where witchcraft is common.

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." Pray that we would listen and learn from the good news of Ugandans we cross paths with.  May we encourage one another toward the Lrd!

Thank you for your prayers!  We are off to our homestays this morning! May we connect with our families in humility and learn!
With faith, hope, and LOVE from Uganda,
nicole :)

Extraordinary Moments.

May this be a trip of faithfulness.

A time full of faith.

A space of lighthearted moments

And of tears of connecting with fellow torn lives.

A season of a humble heart hungering for help,

And a trip of an adventurous spirit emboldened with joy...

A new season in life starts.  Newness has always excited me :).  That is another reason I love following Jesus.  He is in the process of making all things new!! I am thankful to be able to be a part of God's newness in Uganda!!!

Monkey Hill Walk:
We walked up to Monkey Hill-- where, as you could guess, there are many monkeys :).  It is also a prayer hill- some groups spend overnight prayer sessions on the hill, and someone will always be there.  What a beautiful space!  It looks out over Mukono- I will post a picture later.

Then we continued on walking through a village to go back to UCU.  My first glimpse of a village.  I was in awe.  There are so many beautiful children... and much poverty.  We will be experiencing this part of Uganda more later.  For now, we just saw the creativity of the children :).

Two boys were playing with two leaves with a stick through the ends of both of them.  It looked like a propeller to a plane.  We asked the boys what they were playing with, and they said, "an airplane!" and with that, they started running away from us, with the leaf propellers twirling in the wind :).  Beautiful freedom surrounded by a space of the oppression of poverty.

Also, have you ever thought about how each moment can be extraordinary?  Whether you are with many or few, in each moment we have the capacity to create, to love, to feel, to move, to think, to relate. May each moment be extraordinary because we have life through Jesus... life to the FULLLLESSTT! Own it :)

Uganda Lessons from Children #1:
If you don't have toys, make your own :).

I also met a Ugandan who I believe will end up being a very good friend :)... but that story is for another time.

Nice <<extraordinary>> time, friends,
nicole :)

Uganda Christian University Uniqueness!

Day 6.... and counting :)

We arrived on Uganda Christian University Campus in Mukono (45 min outside of the capital Kampala) last Thursday when we were tired, still on American time, knowing the group of 28 simply through 30 hours or traveling! :). It was great (squished between 2 soon-to-be solid friends, and eating 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts throughout the trip along with ice cream and many cups of apple juice, water, and sprite!)... and I am glad I do not have to do that again for 4 more months! hah.

First, campus life:

1. We live in Honors College- a floor of about 15 girls, half study-abroad girls and half Ugandan/a few Kenyan girls.  I have 2 roommates- Christy and Sammy Jo. :)

2.  I am taking 4 classes: Faith and Action, African Literature, African Traditional Religions, and Social Work Practicum.  They. will. be. GREAT! :)  In Uganda, classes are called lectures and professors are called lecturers.

3.  Breakfast at 7:30, tea at 10:30, lunch at 1, tea at 4:30, and supper at 7! Food: plantains, rice, hard-boiled eggs, beans, pineapple, bananas, maiz, pocho (white potato-like thing!) yum! ...and can't forget malaria pills!

Unique Experiences!: :))))

1. cold showers

2. grasshoppers the size of my pointer finger

3. sleeping under mosquito nets that make me feel like a princess when I wake up! :))

3. cracking gea nuts (like peanuts)

4. walking through Mukono dodging boda-bodas (motorcycles)

5. being called Muzungu more times than I can count- it means "person with light skin"- not a negative term, but more of an observation I think

6. Meeting "A," who is the first woman I met walking around spending time with her family!

Love, sun, and boda-bodas,

nicole

Be calm and carry on... faithfully... IN UGANDA!!! :)

Leaving for Uganda tomorrow morning to study abroad!  Some initial thoughts...


"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love." -1 Cor. 13:13


Faith. Hope. Love.
what a powerful remainder. a remainder that remembers the past and looks to the future. a balance that lives presently.


I found this story on-line a few months ago...:

Some people understand life better. 

And they call some of these people "retarded"... 

At the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or 
mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. 

At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish 
to run the race to the finish and win. 

All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled 
over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. 

They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went 
back every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed 
him and said,"This will make it better." 

Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. 

Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes. 

People who were there are still telling the story... Why? Because deep 
down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning 
for ourselves. 

What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means 
slowing down and changing our course. 

These runners were faithful to one another. committed.  I so often am the one wanting to run ahead!  To be first!  To compete!  silly... silly nicole.

faithfulness=

full of faith. 

action on how we relate to others. 

a faithful wife does not stray. 

a faithful friend: always there for you.  

A faithful dog (mocha and betsy :) ). 

faithFULL. 

may we be people full of faith in order that others may know our faithful God.

2 Corinthians 1:18-24

Hopes/Prayers:
-continue to learn faithfulness to the Lord and people!!
-Group bonding! (there are 28 of us, most of whom are meeting in DC tomorrow to FLY!)
-Safe Travel.


Love you all!  Thank you for your support and prayers! Adventure here we come! :)
nicole


p.s. I don't know why it's so spread out. technology these days. man. I will figure it out :)