Tunaalabagana (See You Later)

I truly dread saying goodbye. Last year, I was so looking forward to coming to Uganda and all God had in store, but I hated even the thought of saying farewell to my family and friends. This year, it is not much different. I am so excited to see and hug my family and friends back home, but I am having a very hard time even thinking of saying goodbye to my Rafiki family. I expected it to be hard. So, this is not a surprise. I just hate that sometimes joyous reunions mean pain in other relationships.

Despite these feelings of sadness, I am encouraged by all that God has done this year - in my life, in the lives of these children, in my relationship with Him. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have met and come to love more of His people around the world. I am so grateful for each of you who has been an integral part of this ministry. Because of you, I know this is not a lasting goodbye for many of the relationships I have formed; for I know that I will see many of these precious faces again, if not here on this earth, then in heaven. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart and journey with you. I pray that this will not be the last! For now, tunaalabagana!

Last Week in Uganda

It's been busy around here. Last week, we had two hours of fun with the kids where we did half an hour stations of reading club, relays, ping-pong, and board games/Uno. I had fun teaching the kids Uno and watching them try to play. Surprisingly, the kindergartners and third graders were the best.

Then, we took the three and four year olds for their 45 minutes of fun. This was my cute, but very active, class.
This also marks my last few days in Uganda. This Sunday, I had to say goodbye to my friends at church. I have been so blessed by my church and my pastor's preaching. He is such a solid man. I am really going to miss him and his wife.
After church, we all went to lunch as my send off. I sure do hate goodbyes. My coworkers have not only been friends; they have become family. I will miss them greatly as I leave.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

(and definitely things I am going to miss)!!

1. The chirp of crickets and other insects that makes me feel like I am camping every night.
2. The beautiful sound of birds that I wake up to every morning (even the monkey birds are fun to listen to!)
3. The laughter of children playing soccer right outside my window.
4. The hills and scenic views I see all around me (it's going to be hard to go back to flat land).
5. The smiles and voices of African children.
6. Movie nights and game nights with my missionary friends.
7. The Andersons who have graciously treated me as part of their family.
8. Practicing my Luganda and getting huge smiles - they LOVE that I try, even though they can barely understand me!
9. The dust from the red muram roads - ok, I lied!
10. Walking almost everywhere.
11. Listening to 3- and 4-year olds belt the Uganda national anthem.
12. Quiet lunchrooms.
13. Bicycles and motorcycles loaded down with an assortment of things (chicken, pigs, beds; you name it, we've seen it!)
14. Running and hearing the excitement of people yelling "mzungu, mzungu!" (This I will miss and not miss all at the same time :) ).
    

The list could go on and on. I know in these next couple weeks and months there will be many moments when I am feeling sad. These will be some of the special things I remember.

Happy New Year!

Ringing in the new year looked much different this year than last. Last year, I was freezing cold in Times Square waiting for the infamous ball to drop. This year, I was in short sleeves around a bonfire, where Christmas trees burned and balloons popped. Last year, I was with family and friends. This year, I was with a group of people who have become my "family," including 95 precious African orphans. Last year, I was anxiously anticipating my departure for Uganda. This year, I am preparing for my bittersweet departure from Uganda. It has been an unforgettable year and I have certainly been forever changed.

The day's events included my P-3 class coming over for an afternoon snack of hot chocolate, marshmallows, and cookies. This was thanks to their amazing pen pals in Mrs. Ross' class. Thank you so much! At 6:00, we had a bonfire (enjoy the video.) Afterwards, some of the missionaries played games together. It was a fun day!The P-3 students enjoying their hot chocolate and Florida snowflakes.

One of the boys had seen one of my pictures with friends that was like this one. He didn't understand how it was done, so we tried it - so cute!

Enjoy this fun video!

Lions and Topi and Buffalo, Oh My!

My last hurrah here in Uganda was to go on a safari in search of tree-climbing lions. We stayed in a tent camp near the river. It was beautiful! I was reminded once again of my God-given love of nature. I LOVE being outdoors and taking in the sights and sounds of God's wonderful creation. Enjoy these pictures, and if you want to see a lot more, click here.

Christmas - from a different perspective

This was definitely a memorable Christmas! It was hard to believe it was really Christmas - it was such a busy day - but it was filled with lots of fun! It started on Christmas Eve day with the families cutting down the Christmas tree they wanted. I was surprised at the small trees they chose.Flavia was so cute. She LOVES her big sister Eva!

Christmas Day was very full. Here was our schedule:
7am - breakfast
8am - church service
9-11am - visit the houses to wish them a Merry Christmas
and let Maggie say good-bye to the children
12pm - Ugandan Christmas lunch
1pm - clean up from lunch
3:30 - start cooking dinner because the cooks had the rest of the day off
6pm - serve dinner
6:30 - clean up from dinnerThis is Mama Christine and Peace peeling matooke for lunch.

Maggie with Mama Alice's family. Notice the tree: it has balloons and cottons balls (to represent snow).

Only mzungus would serve coke, cake, and grilled cheese for dinner - an all-American meal :)
December 25th is all centered around celebrating Jesus' birth. Even the coke and cake is in celebration of His birthday. December 26th is Boxing Day - the day they open all of their gifts. As you can see, some of their gifts included baseball caps and non-prescription eyeglasses. Too cute!

The Best Gift is Giving

On Tuesday, I had the awesome privilege of joining our church in an outreach to a nearby slum area. One of our deacons ministers here each week by conducting a church service on Sundays and a Bible study on Tuesdays. He compiled a list of the families that attend these fellowships so that we could organize boxes for them. Over the past couple of months, our church has been collecting clothes and other items to give away. Tuesday, we sorted through the clothes and picked at least one article of clothing for each member of the 55 families on the list. We put them in boxes based on their family unit. We also added a bag of rice, a bag of beans, sugar, and soap. Some families also received blankets, toys, and cooking utensils. After we packed the boxes, we headed to the slum area - only about 5 minutes from the church. I was shocked when we arrived that no one was clambering for the boxes. In fact, some helped us unload while the others patiently waited for instructions. Our deacon made sure to announce that these items were donated by friends here in Uganda - they were not brought from America or Europe, which is often the case. As he called out their names, they would step forward to receive their box while everyone else clapped for them. It was amazing to watch! After most of them returned to their humble homes, some of the kids stayed to play and admire my white skin. I absolutely LOVED going and seeing the gratitude on their faces. It reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive!

(The other pictures can be viewed here.)