02.20.09

today marks the halfway point of my time here in uganda (close enough). it doesn't feel like i've been here a month and a half, yet it feels like i've been doing this forever. i love being here ... even on bad days. especially on bad days. i'm thankful every morning. i've noticed some improvements in the classes i've been involved with. though they are far apart in age, the preschool class and the P5 class are at the same level in some ways ... speaking english during school, listening and understanding instruction, becoming better accustomed to the structure and flow of this school. it seems the majority of the first term is just getting them used to school and teachers. after i griped and griped so much about teaching that P1 class, i hunkered down and prepared to teach for the week. of course, monday morning, teacher cissy was back and hasn't been gone since. ok, God, i hear ya.

this week we have been preparing for a visit from home office (the bosses) next week. this has meant getting ready for class presentations and doing some spiffing up around the campus. i am putting together the 4 year old presentation ... they are singing a special song that i think you will recognize and enjoy. :) the housemates are gone this week on safari and i'm looking forward to having the place to myself for a few days. i've been lucky to have roommates that i've become friends with. these college-faced whippersnappers keep me young.

our less than spectacular visit to the equator.
i was expecting more of a "south of the border" ambiance.

i don't touch very much on the changes within me or what i am seeing God do in uganda in this blog. let me just say that plenty of that is going on and i'm seeing and experiencing it and i hope to share it with you. (like, that i'm recognizing that i was being prepared for this trip way before i had even heard of rafiki.) but the intentions of this blog are mostly for information sake. and that's intentional. i need time to mull over and understand these "God moments" that i'm in the midst of. (or "mid-est of", as it is pronounced here.)

my new favorite author, and possibly all-around human being, is elisabeth elliot. her first husband, jim elliot, was one of the five missionaries killed in ecuador in 1956. soon after jim's death, she picked up where he left off and continued his work with the deadly acua tribe, living with them for two years. while her conditions and those she was serving were much more primitive than mine, she sums up *perfectly* my feelings about my time and purpose in uganda in one of her books:

my speculations concerning the acuas' attitudes toward outsiders,
the reasons for their former behavior, their nature and character proved to be quite wrong. ideas i had about how to approach them were turned upside down, and my perspective on my own society was changed. i felt in many ways that i knew less, after living with the acuas, than i had known when i went in. my hammock by the fire became an ivory tower. i was isolated from my own people by distance, from the acuas by being a foreigner. unable to communicate, i was forced to reflect.

and i did take some pictures. i made notes on what i saw. it is my hope that these will convey some idea of who the acuas are, how they live, how we lived with them, and some of the problems we faced. perhaps the contemplation of this society may give a new perspective on our own and help us to know what it is that really matters.

the word "missionary" may call to mind preaching, teaching, church-building (and even this often means merely a physical plant, rather than a spiritual building), medical work, baptizing, catechizing, social improvement -- almost any form of philanthropy. i found myself quite unable to undertake any one of these activities. a strange position for one who was called a missionary. i began to search my Guidebook to learn whether my definition had been an accurate one. the word "missionary" does not occur in the Bible. but the word "witness" does. i found many passages indicating that i was supposed to be a witness. one in particular arrested me. it stated that to be a witness to God is, above all, to know, believe, and understand Him (isaiah 43:10). all that He asks us to do is but means to an end. he will go to any lenghts to teach us, and His manipulation of the movements of men - acuas, missionaries, whomever - is never accidental. those movements may be incidental to the one thing toward which He goads us: the recognition of Christ.

from the savage my kinsman by elisabeth elliot

T.G.I.F.

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY. what a week this has been. let me start by saying that God is good, and i wouldn't have gotten through this week without God's mercy and guidance. i know what you're thinking, what happened?! civil unrest? monsoon? typhoid? nope, none of those. worse ....... first graders.

i've been carrying on my "usual" routine - assist preschool in the mornings and two computer/independent study classes in the afternoon. i like that schedule. it's solid. and allows me enough time to plan because not much happens after dinner during the week besides me falling asleep reading a book. one of the national (local) teachers missed a couple days last week and i filled in. no biggie. i can wing it for two classes. well, this week she was out every day and me being the "wonderfully flexible" person i am (flattery has gotten them everywhere), was asked to substitute. usually, i'm informed of this at morning assembly right before school starts ... not much time to prepare. no lesson plan, at least not one that i can decipher, and a room full of wiggly six year olds. being unprepared is not my favorite position to be in. i just knew by friday she would be back or that someone would relieve me of this duty. that didn't happen. and coupled with other challenges and frustrations in the classrooms this week, it was too much for me to bear. there are language and cultural barriers that add to the ordinary obstacles of teaching. i felt overwhelmed and confused and had to leave my preschool class early to get myself together. after an intense cry-it-out-pray-it-out session in my bedroom, i powered through and the rest of the day went better than i expected.

my word for 2009 is confidence. this recent string of "put teacher laura in that classroom, she'll do it" has been my first test ... i asked for it, i got it. instead of fleeing the scene as is my per usual response, i'm trying to remember to use my talents and to treat each day here as a precious gift. (plus, where am i going to go, right?) i actually put some creative effort in my P4 class this afternoon and it went great. they may have actually learned something! ahh!

*it will not be you speaking, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you." - matthew 10:20

with all the rain lately (that is MUCH needed), i've been cooped up on campus ... no one wants to drive these roads in bad weather. thankfully there are some games set up for tomorrow, so we'll get to play and take lots of pictures. sunday, i'll ride to church with a couple of the families. it's pretty great to pile into a taxi and sing old hymns with twenty or so children dressed in their sunday best. as long as the windows open.

i hope my sporadic blogs are satisfying your need for updates. finding the time and energy and consistent internet connection to do these is not always easy. never fear, i am keeping a journal of my adventures. despite some eek! moments, things are going great here and i am thankful every day that i have the opportunity to serve in this beautiful place that is a constant reminder of despair AND of hope.

some of my favorite quotes of the week:
"tit tis well (tit tis well), with my soul (with my soul)" - preschool 4's class

"sula bulungi teacha!" - moses, age 3 from across the playground
(sula bulungi = good night)

"teacher laura? i want you to teach me spanish." - thomas, age 10
(that was so random and, knowing thomas, so funny)

"good job, guys. good job, girls." - john, age 4 ... when it was his turn to help teach the alphabet to his classmates

"twinkle, twinkle little star how i wonder what you are. bah, bah, bah the world so high like a diamond in the sky." - harriet, age 4

"kwata auntie." - what the mamas or carolyn say to the smallest children. literally means "take" or "hold" auntie ... my hand. or my skirt, depending their height. :)

do they have the sun in america?

wow ... i didn't realize it had been so long since my last update. the past couple weeks have been busy, busy. i'm now sitting in a much quieter house, save the crickets and bats outside. my texas housemates left a couple hours ago to head back to the lone star state. while i am more accustom to bachelorette living, i enjoyed having them here to live and work with my first few weeks in uganda. i'm glad i have my "quote book" to remember our time together. so, for the next few days, i have the place all to myself before the next batch of minis arrive. it's not much different than my home life in wilmington ... i eat most of my meals over the kitchen sink, i'm too tall for my bed, and i put the trash by the door until absolutely necessary to take it all the way out even though i pass by it's final destination all the time.

last sunday, i went into town with joann neal, one of the ROS here. she is well-traveled and knows all about good food. woman after my very own heart. she told me the places to eat while i am here in kampala. we had a great lunch and i loved hearing about her life and travels. she will be transferring to the rafiki village in ethiopia in march. i know she and her yummy desserts will be missed. the texans were gone on safari which was apparently quite boring. oh, unless you count this baboon jumping in the back of their van ...

this past monday started the 2009 rafiki school year. what wonderful chaos! there were a few frustrations -- mistaken identities, missing uniforms, power blips -- but with 179 students and 20-ish teachers bustling around, we did quite well. in the mornings, i "subbed" for nancy ballman, who arrived just the day before with her husband art to begin their new life as educators at rafiki. my mornings were language arts with P4 and P5 and my afternoons in computer/study hall with the same two classes. armed with nothing more than a plush frog, quick wit and lots of prayer, i somewhat reluctantly powered through to mold the minds of the youth of uganda. (lesson plan? curriculum? what are those?) P4 and P5 ... talk about two ends of the spectrum! P4 is comprised of all but four rafiki residents (including the two oldest anderson kids). elijiah, shira, brian and ritah are new to the school (and it's structure and pace and american accents). the "veterans" are so helpful with their new classmates. our discussions ranged from the use of pronouns to the new york subway system to my marital status to WWII. i'm going to love getting to know these kids. and teaching them completely useless slang.


P5 was a different story. even though they are a grade level higher, they are all new day students. the first couple days was me versus the deer-in-headlights look. i can't say that i blame them. the first day of school can be pretty overwhelming. add in lots of structure and movement and mzungu teachers. just giving simple instruction proved to be a challenge for them and me. it made it all worthwhile to eventually see their faces light up each morning and to hear "goodbye teacher lora!" as they made their way to the gate at the end of the day. i don't know how much wisdom i'll impart to those in my classes, but i hope they will learn love and laughter every once and awhile.

and, hopefully, when to turn the computer on and off.

this week, i'll begin my school schedule for the duration of my stay -- preschool in the mornings and continue with P4 and P5 computer/independent study. the education director has really been amazed that i will be here for the entire first term ... my computer classes are taking the place of a kswahili class that had to be postponed at the last minute. talk about sweet timing.

uganda photos

i'll be uploading my pictures on flickr.com

http://www.flickr.com/gp/34344979@N05/Vm38yU

enjoy

and nightbirds sing to you an empty tune

it's 5:30am and i'm awake. again. as much as i do love "living" in africa, my sleep has not proven to be high on it's priority list. it's been ten days, i should be over jet lag by now. i've almost gotten used to the nightly bird chatter right outside my window. (not songbirds, my friends ... there's one we call the laughing bird and another that sounds like a metal detector you'd see your uncle using at the beach.) we have power here at rafiki, but it is regulated by "the man", so two generators are in place for those times when we are cut off. apparently, they haven't had to use them for quite a while until this past week. the not-so-gentle start up hum of this diesel-fueled power source in the wee hours serves as my own personal alarm clock. despite all of these african sleep depravities, this morning i blame my new contacts. that familiar throbbing pain, sensitivity to light and horribly red, or should i say PINK, color of my eye can only mean one thing ... thank you doctor's vision center-racine drive for yet again possibly permanently damaging my cornea. i'll pay a visit to doctor tyler this afternoon ...

this past weekend was very chill. thankfully, nap time is fit into the schedule here at rafiki. sure, it's intention is probably for the children, but i like to actively participate in every aspect. saturday was visitation day ... rafiki school is required to provide a visitation day for willing and able relatives of the kids. i sometimes forget that this is an orphanage ... the children are so healthy, loved, intelligent (they were counting in japanese the other day) and, for the most part, happy. visiting day can be pretty traumatic. mostly because some of the children are afraid that they are going to be taken away when family members come. in light of the day, i made myself scarce and relaxed at the guesthouse. season 10 of friends was the pick of the day. on sunday, we attended church with andrea who is leaving, actually as i type, to go back to the states. she has been here for one year and i know will be greatly missed.

some of the ROS with andrea (center) and us, the minis, at lunch

i have enjoyed most of the food i've had here so far. though if you know me at all, there's not much i don't like. we eat lunch and dinner with the families during the week which is mostly traditional ugandan fare ... beans, rice, various "potatoes", fresh fresh fruit. our experienced ROS know where to go and not go as far as restaurants outside the rafiki walls. those meals have been ... "not bad" ... if you don't mind your food looking at you while you eat ...

on monday, we went to jinja to shop and to just be tourists. jinja is a bumpy two hour drive from kampala and is home to many sightseeing spots. we had tea on the nile at a beautiful resort, visited bujagali falls and took a boat tour of the source of the nile - where lake victoria and the nile river meet. it was a great day to see more of the beauty of africa.

yesterday, we were back to work. and work we did. the morning was spent moving desks from the cottages to the new residence hall for older boys. seeing the less than stellar pace we were at in africa heat and long skirts, uncle stu (ROS) let me drive his truck to haul the furniture. man, i love driving the prado! maybe by march, i'll be out on the actual roads ... maybe. it took me a couple times to remember that the driver is on the right. good to know. i also got homework yesterday! i will be teaching language arts to P4 and P5 grades, at least for the first two weeks of school while a teacher is out. YIKES! talk about being used where i feel the least confident ... teaching in a classroom on the first weeks of school. i think i am assisting in the preschool after my morning classes. now that's where i'm at home. i'm excited and nervous, but ready to give it a try. the P5 class is all day students, which mean they do not live at rafiki. it's something to start a new grade (for students and teachers), but to do it with two different nationalities and accents that haven't come in contact much ... oh boy. this will truly be a test of my faith. and my nerves.

PICTURES - soon, i will give you all a link to see more of my pictures when i get all of that set up. i don't have any pics of the kids here yet ... it has been a "rule" to not have our cameras out the first couple weeks. we don't want them to see us as the mzungu (white people) behind cameras. personal relationships is key in this type of work and meeting someone with a camera between you doesn't lend itself to that. there is a designated "picture day" where i'll be able to get some photos and tell you more about some of the personalities of these awesome kids. you won't see pot-bellies and flies and trash everywhere ... though it is a reality, that is not what africa is all about. you'll see happy and healthy kids. and maybe a few tears from mercy, depending her mood. :)

good night, y'all. time for me to start another early day ...

mzungu have arrived

hello from uganda! my first week at rafiki uganda has been great. all of my flights were hassle-free and i arrived at entebbe airport late sunday night with all of my luggage ... which is more than i can say for the other mini-missionaries who arrived here a day before. i admit, i was quite apprehensive about arriving at and staying in entebbe by myself. luckily, i met a grad student from duke university who was traveling to uganda for mba work. he had never been to africa before, so i dazzled him with my knowledge of the continent. godspeed, caleb varner. after making it through customs with a charming smile and the greatest of ease (i can't say the same for caleb), i was met by the heat of the summer air and a sea of dark faces, most of them holding signs for passengers. it took a moment to locate him, but i finally found my name and my driver, and i smiled when he greeted me with that familiar east african handshake, the long "u" in my name (la-uuu-da), and the unmistakable warmth of the people here. we arrived at the airport guesthouse and after a brief conversation with the owner, a dutchman with red wine-stained teeth and a love for my german last name, i made it to my room and was ready to crash for the night. little did i know i had a roommate waiting ... a bug-eyed gecko with lightening speed and clever moves. i spent the first thirty minutes trying to get the tiny dragon out of my room without actually touching or going near it. the need for sleep eventually won out, so greenie and i called a truce for the night.

on monday i finally made it the the rafiki campus which is amazing. and much bigger than i thought. there are several buildings which either house classrooms (separated by grade level), the orphan "families" (of which there are twelve), a clinic, a dining hall, the ROS (rafiki oversees staff), maintenance, and us ... the minis, as we are called. there are four college students from texas that are here for three weeks and it has been nice having them around in the guesthouse. we have swapped stories about the children and the food, and we have laughed. a lot.

the guesthouse is really designed to make living in africa easier ... this place is a long way from a straw mat on a dirt floor. the wonderful ROS have made the transition easier as well. from movie night with the anderson kids to just appreciating southerness with carolyn, i have felt quite at home.

the kids do not return back to school until the 19th (they have been on summer break), so we have been getting the classrooms/supplies ready for the new term. we have also had the opportunity to get to know the kids and their "mommas" which is pretty awesome. the children are divided into cottage families, in groups of 5-10 children (there are 95 total), with a national woman as the head of the household. we have been eating meals with different cottages and been able to spend time with them after dinner. this past week, we were part of G.A.M.E.S. in the mornings, which is somewhat of a mini summer day camp. i was in reading club (you've never heard jungle book until you've heard it reported on by yoweri) and with the four year-olds. i cannot wait to be in a classroom when school begins.

we are really treated as special visitors to the campus. it does a servant's heart good to be welcomed with such grace at each meal and in passing. "witter" hasn't quite caught on yet, but i don't think i'll ever get tired of hearing "good morning, autie lora" or "yes teacha" ... i have been waiting for these children for a long time.

other than some bumps in the fundraising and communication road, i have felt such a sense of peace throughout this process. there has not been one time when i have felt nervous or unsure. i feel like the time and the place here have been truly prepared for me. i am so thankful that i am able to stay connected via the internet (get SKYPE!), but i do want to remember to stay focused on the task at hand ... kampala wireless internet has proved to be a blessing and a curse in that area. while i enjoy being chief wittaka back home, the issue of "living my own life" is something i hope will become clearer to me as i continue this adventure on my own.

"wherever you are, be ALL there. live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." - jim elliot

this is going to sting a little.

that's what she said. that's was the nurse said each time before she stuck me with needles this morning.

"this is going to sting a little. big stick." ... jab.
"this is going to sting a little. big stick." ... jab.
"this is going to sting a little. big stick." ... jab.
"this is going to sting a little. big stick." ... jab.

she was right. it stung a little. not the shots themselves, but the dose of reality that came along with them. the reality that i'm traveling thousands of miles by myself to a place where i know no one; to a place stricken with disease (of which i better be highly guarded from), war, poverty and hopelessness. that i have no real idea what i will be doing other than "working at a school." that the transition at my job will not be a smooth one. that i have so much to do and so little time to do it. that i still haven't reached my fundraising goal and that it breaks my heart that i honestly do not have faith that God will provide. that my family will have to make financial sacrifices because i didn't plan properly. that i'm second guessing this whole thing as another one of my quick decisions and that this is beyond God's control. that when the doctor asked me why i was going to uganda, my initial thought was, "i ... don't ... know."

as the day progressed, things --including my arms-- became heavy and numb. heavy and numb. (especially after my stop at the cashier's desk on the way out. if only she had given me the same warning ... "this is going to sting a little" ... jab.) so heavy that i want to lay this burden down and forget about it. forget the whole thing. so that's what i'm doing right now this very minute. laying this burden down. i can't carry it. doctor trotta assured me that my arms would be sore soon after the immunizations. his instructions? keep moving.

when they're painful ... keep moving.
when they feel heavy ... keep moving.
when they're tired ... keep moving.
when you're frustrated with them ... keep moving.

forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, i press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - philippians 3:13-14