Thursday, June 28, 2012

difficult is beautiful

"When the call of Christ sears a hole through your self-protectiveness, you go wherever He leads, whether or not you feel like you fit."  ~Beth Moore

 I have been in Uganda, a solid 2 WEEKS now! That is hard for me to believe, to be honest, because I feel as if I have been here 2 months.I have often expressed to folks that a lot of life can happen in a short amount of time and I would say that that certainly applies to the past two weeks. Thank you to everyone that has been supportive during the time leading up to Uganda, and especially now. Your prayers have been felt and I wish I could express in better words how grateful I am.

When people have asked me how life is here, I can describe it in one word. Difficult. Once missionaries are placed onto the field they go through what's called the "honeymoon phase." Basically it is the time of your journey where you are in complete cultural bliss. Everything about where you are is perfect. The sleeping arrangements are adventurous, the food exotic, and the people mysterious.  There is no set amount of time that the honey moon phase lasts because it all really depends on assignment and length thereof. For some assignments (if it is short enough) one never actually leaves this phase. And......for some reason my Pops decided that I would skip leap over this and step right into the reality of where He has me for the summer. 


On Friday, June 15, I arrived at Kireka School for Children with Disabilities. They had been expecting me so when the gate opened and we drove through, the children came running from all directions. These were the children I had been praying for, longer than I can remember, and to know that I was finally getting to meet them made it a moment that I will never forget. I had the weekend to get settled and then began working in my classroom on the following Monday. Since then, life has been....well difficult. 


My daily routine has quickly become the following:


~wake up by the crowing rooster or screaming children
~pick either a cold shower or warm bucket bath
~go to work and deal with-being slapped, peed on, bitten, children running away, children hitting other children, the language barrier, and refusal of doing work (if one didn't know better I would think they didn't like me...but that can't be it!!)
~come to apartment, boil water for the next day, and make dinner, all while listening to children run around my apartment and banging on the door. P.S. "Ne da" (no) was basically the first word I learned in Luganda
~go to bed under a mosquito net and with children slowly but surely quieting outside.
~wake up and start over

Along with this, I have already been sick and had an incident with mango worms (there will not be pictures of this posted.)

I should be frustrated though, right? I mean don't I have the right to have that "honeymoon phase?" Shouldn't I wake up each morning with The Lion King theme song playing in my head?  But the reality is, that I am finding this time more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

I no longer go by Ashley, but rather Muzungu, momma, teacher, or madam. I don't get any privacy. And I'm already learning that there are only so many ways you can change up a skirt and shirt combo. The days are long and I don't stay clean for longer than 10 mins. But the beauty in all of this is that my Pops is teaching me of unconditional love through those that He loves with a passion. I have spent more time in worship,prayer, & conversation with Him, than I have in years. I find myself moment by moment seeking Him and asking to see my students with His eyes and heaven's to betsy does He ever. He is literally showing me what brokenness to beauty looks like. And for that I can only say, thank you Abba, that you are making me experience something far greater than I could have asked for.


For most, Kireka School, is one to be passed up because there's nothing "spectacular" about it. Many don't even know who we are. But for me, it is a place of hope. A place where the students help each other out because they are a family. A place where despite how "different" they are, they see each other as the same. A place where no matter how frustrating a student's behavior may become, in an instant they can reach for my hand and be content in sitting with me and make my heart melt.

1 Cor. 13:4-8 states
Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things; endures all things. Love never ends. 
 Honeymoon phase? pshhh who needs it, when the One true King is teaching me about this kind of love?

Fun Things:
-4 wheel riding around The Nile and surrounding villages
-learning to cook Ugandan food
-meeting lots of new faces


Prayer requests:
-quick healing
-the people of Uganda who lost family members in recent fires and the mudslide
-my students -that their teacher will remain sane during this time. :D 




Students during morning announcements

One of my students-Esther





The Nile











2 comments:

  1. You are an amazing young lady and I am so proud to call you "family". I pray every night for your safety and that your students realize what a wonderful, loving and caring teacher they have. Not a lot of people would give up the comforts of the modern world to go halfway around the world to help those neediest of God's children......Love you, Aunt Deanie

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  2. sweetie, i am so glad to read how things are going there. i continue to keep you in my prayers and know that you are learning so much about Abba and about yourself and that is definitely a good thing.
    keep loving those precious ones the way you do and know Abba will give you the strength and ability to love them when you just don't feel like it.
    i love you and look forward to a personal report when you return. love you much, much! martha :)

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