What makes me any more worthy?

There are people all over the world starving, with only one pair of clothes, no roof over their head, who work eight hours a day to earn one dollar a day that will go to feeding 5 children. These people don't have the access to get out of the situation they are in. These people were born into this situation. They were born into a community that did not have access or a community full of turmoil or a family that was abusive. These people didn't ask for this life, they just got it. So what makes me different? What makes me more worthy of a better life than these people? Some people are born with HIV/AIDS, some are born with no fathers, some are born and then sold into sex trade. Why them? Why not me? I am blessed with access to education, daily food, a multitude of clothes, opportunities. I have a family that wouldn't allow me to fail, they wouldn't allow me live a life of pain. I am healthy, I have a variety of foods to choose from, I have protection from the dangers in the world. This is the protection that as a teenager I hated, but as an adult I am blessed to have. Protection from a world of pain. So what makes us different? Why did God choose for me to live here and them to live there? I work at the Rec Center for 4 hours a week where I earn roughly $28, I'm a student so this might not be the greatest comparison. All I do at this job is sit there, make sure the doors are locked, and provided students with athletic equipment. People all over the world work 8 hours a day, 6 days a week earning $1 a day. These jobs include sitting outside in the blazing sun digging. Eight straight hours of digging. These people have callused hands and soar backs, but they earn that dollar. Why do they have to work so hard for so little, when I have the access to working so little for so much? Doesn't something about this not seem right?

All these thoughts came after lil meg and I had a talk about our practicum papers. ... Oh and I am big meg.

Understanding and Figuring Things Out

Hello Everyone! I am back in Kampala, the city and capital of Uganda. I apologize for not posting in such a long time. We did not have the internet like we expected so the time I did get, I used sparingly to get graduate applications completed. So I owe you all a good update on life as it is in Africa.

I will begin with Mbale, the town that I lived in while I was on practicum. Mbale is the third largest town in Uganda, but it is very small compared to Kampala. Although, it is pretty large compared to most of the other towns. Two other students and I lived in the Food for the Hungary (FH) office for a few days under four weeks, pretty much the whole month of October. While we were there we worked in two of the near by villages called Makhia and Bufukhula. FH has different programs, but the one that was active in the Mbale district, where I worked, is the child development program. We got the opportunity to work with a program that helped send children to school, provide uniforms, make sure children were getting a meal at school, helped children at home, and closely interacted with the schools. Most of what I did while there was taking photos of the students for their sponsors and filling out their progress reports. It was a very interesting experience, I learned a lot but not in the way I expected to.

When coming to Africa and especially when preparing to go on practicum, I prepared myself to see a lot of poverty and be faced with the struggle of understanding how to help and how to see God through it. And although we were prepped on not expecting to the change the world and make huge strides, I still secretly expected to make a huge impact. I told myself to serve in anyway possible, even if it wasn't fun and wasn't exactly what I thought my job was. But after I was there I realized that I secretly expected to do certain things and experience specific things. One of the communities we were working in had an established Child development programs for almost 10 years now. FH has had a huge influence on this community and was beginning to phase out of the community. So, we got the opportunity to see the success stories of the CDP program and to see how well the community was doing. Overall, I left practicum sad that I was unable to see sadness and poverty which is weird. I learned once I arrived with the rest of the group how great of an experience I received because I got the opportunity to see how great a program can be when people work together and a program is ran well.

So, I went in to practicum expecting to learn about about poverty and to see sadness and to learn a lot about that, but that isn't what I learned. What affected me most and where I learned the most was through the interaction with the staff and through the books we have to read for our literature class.

1. To start off, if you weren't aware African time is very different than the time we are use to. African time usually means at least 20 mins later than the time you actually say. This can be stressful when you are set on getting work done within a specific amount of time. Many times we didn't get started on actual work till around noon. This was difficult because I didn't feel like I was being utilized as much as I could have been. I realized that time is just something that we make up to get things accomplished. I realized that there is no reason to bring the "American" idea of time to Africa when all of Africa is running on their own time. If everyone is moving at the same time, than it is fine. Plus God's time is not our time, so why would we think that our idea of time in America has to be the time that we go by in Africa?

2. Secondly it really hit me how different cultures are and it really makes a difference on how we think. There were moments when comments were made and my first reaction was to be offended, which would put me in a sour mood. After the first few times of these occurrences it hit me that I was being ridiculous. How could I even begin to put what was happening in Africa in to the context of America. If you think about it a lot makes up how we think, act, react, and interpret. Our heritage, countries history, family's history, personal experience all play into how we interpret and react to life, which means ours is difference than people in Africa. Once I realized this I approached conversations very differently. I was more careful about what I said and how I reacted so to make sure that I did not offend any one, as well as being aware that they are not necessarily try to offend me. Having this mind set made it easier to get to know others and explore this new culture. It also made me very aware of how complex the Lord is. I continue to keep learning that the Lord does not wear an American face nor have an American mind. We are all made in the image of God and therefore all display characteristics of God. To see how different people are just allows us to see more of who God is. This is what is so great about exploring different cultures... you aren't just exploring different cultures but you are exploring different characteristics of God and seeing new, beautiful things that were all created by the same person who created us. Isn't that AMAZING?!!?

3. Lastly, the African literature books that I was reading for my classes started to make me think a lot. I am not going to write too much on this because it could be a book of its own. But overall... all of the books involved tribes that were content and then white man showed up and brought turmoil, and most of the time the white men were missionaries. This made me really think and rethink what I am doing in Africa and what our ancestors did here. These thoughts have formed not only from the books but have also combined with stuff discussed in classes that we had in Rwanda. Skipping through a lot of my thoughts and getting to my conclusion thoughts.... I started to try to apply what was occurring in Africa to the bible. I realized that all through out the bible people turn from God and begin to worship false gods and there is always that person that comes to the people, or tribes, and bring the good news and tells them to turn back to the one creator. So... are we just finishing the story? Are these tribes in Africa just ones that fell from God many years ago and that one person hasn't yet come, or in some circumstances has just come in these last 60 years? Is the bible not over and are we finishing out the story? Are we doing what Moses, Paul, and so many others did when they brought God's word to the people?

So that is where my thoughts have been and a lot of what I have learned over the past month. There is a lot more I could have written, but I don't want to write a novel. Sorry if it is kind of scatter brained. Thanks again for checking in on me, I hope all is well in the states. And if any one wants an Obama belt, watch, bag, t-shirt, or pair of jeans just let me know because they are EVERYWHERE! Love you all so so much!

Just Another Day in the Neighborhood

Adventures of the Day....

1. There is always room for more: Have you ever looked for seat on a bench or in the pew and saw a tiny spot between two people but knew you would never fit. Well I am here to say that you can always fit more! I’m not sure if I have told you guys about the Matutus (the local buses) that we take everywhere. But they are a tiny bit bigger than mini vans and over 20 people can fit in them at times. Today I got on one to go from Makhai back to Mbale and I looked in the very back seat really confused as the lady began to motion me to sit down. There was no way I was going to fit in there. So I attempted to plop my bottom over the location where she thought I should sit and some how I was able to wriggle it right in. The rest of my group (which there was 5 of us in all) proceeded to get into the Matutu, although I was sure there were only 3 spots when I got in. The Matutu then when on its was, but as we continued onto Mbale we made at least two more stops to pick up people before any one got off. I’m not exactly sure how they fit, but I guess there is always room.
2. Kettle of boiling water + a mug = one good shower: I am getting pretty use to not taking a shower for a few days, but when you begin to smell yourself during work I think it is a sign that a shower should be in your near future. So today I made an executive decision to take a “shower”. The lady that stays with us and cooks for us, Vicki, boiled me some hot water in the kettle so that I could have a hot shower. So, I then proceeded to take the kettle to the tub with a mug. The guy, John, I am here with did it this way so I figured I would try it too. It is a very interesting experience when you take shower using a mug and a kettle. But something about living in Africa for an extended of time and learning to improvise makes it some what of an adventure and I feel well accomplished. You would be surprised how refreshed and clean you feel after taking a kettle and mug shower when you haven’t showered for a while.
3. What language do I speak?: All my life have been told that I speak English. So, as I travel and people try to talk to me in different languages I have to look at them stupidly and apologize for only being able to speak English. But today I found out that I have been wrong. As we were returning to Mbale on the Matutu the other people in my group and I were talking about how many people keep getting on the bus and we don’t know where they will sit. Soon after we fell silent the lady next to me turned to me and asked what language I was speaking. I kindly replied, “English”, only to be told that I was indeed not speaking English. The others and I tried to convince her that we were indeed speaking English when we were talking to each other and it was the same English that we were speaking when we were speaking to her. She was not convinced and after many tries at persuading her we decided to move on with our lives. Although, I’m pretty sure she is still convinced that we are with holding information from her and speaking in spy code.
4. Child Sponsorship Programs: Have you ever sponsored a child and received a picture of that child in the mail? Have you ever wondered who took that picture? ... doubt it... but if you did, wonder no longer. I take those pictures! Today we took a collective of around 200 pictures of kids who are sponsored through Food for the Hungary’s Child Development Program. The Program in the Mbale area has around 900 children. There were roughly 200 photos taken before we arrived, then we took pictures all day today (Tuesday), and the rest of the pictures are due with names in Kampala’s Head office by Thursday. This is the exciting life of a professional photographer... or just a practicum student trying to serve any way possible!

Just Another Day in the Neighborhood

The End is the Beginning

(This picture is from the week we spent doing surveys in Rwanda. My camera decided to stop working so my pictures might be limited. Although, many people have been very wonderful and said I can use their camera when ever needed! Just thought I would let you all know)

Our time in Rwanda is over now and we are getting ready to begin a new part of our journey. Yesterday we woke up at 4 a.m. to go to town in Kigali to board a bus and drive to Kampala, Uganda. It was roughly an eleven hour car drive. There isn't too many stories from the ride except at the boarder. When you get to the boarder you have to get off the bus stand in line to check out of the country. Then walk over the boarder stand in another line, check into the country and pay for our new visas. During this time there is a chance that the boarder control will go through all of our luggage, which can be kind of stressful. Now we traveled on a charter bus so we are only a small portion of the people that are riding on the bus. And we have to remember that we are in Africa and the whole concept of time and waiting is very different. Many times in Africa things happen a lot later than planned, that is just African time, but there are those times when the few people like to define their culture and attempt to be in a rush. So what does this mean for our group of mzungus (white people) that are attempting to figure out how to get through customs and need a short call (bathroom break). Well it means there is a lot of yelling and angriness. See there were a few of us that were getting on the bus and had went through customs so we had everyone's passports. And there were a few others that decided to use this time as an opportunity to go to the restroom. Now you need your passport to get back on the bus, and we had others passports, but they were yelling at us to get on the bus. We had many people on the bus telling us to hurry and get our group on the bus. And many others were asked why they were just standing around, when actually they were waiting to go to the restroom. All in all it was a very interesting experience. And to top it all off... after we started getting on the road we realized that they had left some people so we had to stop and wait. Luckily it was not mzungus, so we didn't have to hear them complain about us any more. It was a very interesting boarder experience.... and now I have one to tell when ever I think about going through customs.

So that was the trip on the bus. Today we are just relaxing. We will leave early tomorrow morning to travel to Mbale and we will begin work on Monday. I am very excited about this opportunity, because so far we have spent most of our time in a city. We have not gotten the opportunity to have a rural African experience, so this should be a real big change. I am excited about what I will experience, but at the same time I am a little bit nervous about what I will experience. But I'm sure that it will only add to my experiences and I'm excited to see how God can use me and what he can teach me! I'm not sure how much internet I will have, but I'll keep you updated as much as I can. Again thanks so much for reading!

I love you all a lot and miss you more and more every day! ..... 12 weeks until Christmas!!

The Beauty of the World Surrounds Me

I have just returned from Giterama, where we spent the last week. We ended classes last Friday (September 18) and on Monday we headed off for Giterama. While in Giterama we spent the week going to local villages and talking to people. Food for the Hungry is looking at starting a new program in the Giterama area, but needed to know the needs of the community. Usually FH (Food for the Hungry) focuses on "at risk children", but this knew program is going to be focused more on "at risk households/families".

Our group was broken up into three and assigned a cell. Rwanda is divided into Provinces then districts, then sectors, then cells, then villages/towns/cities. With in each group of three we were paired off and then given someone to translate for us. Every morning we drove about 45 minutes away and each couple w/ translator... so triplet... was dropped off in a different villages. With in the villages we went door to door gathering information. At each house we were invited inside where we began by explaining to them why were here. Then we proceeded with roughly 7 pages worth of questions. The questions involved things like how many people were living in the house, how many children were going to school, house

hold monthly income, do they use mosquito nets, was the family tested for HIV/AIDS, what kind of crops does the family grow, and many many more around those lines. The interviews lasted any where from 20 minutes to an hour and the responses were all over the board. We were required to average 5 houses a day and we did the surveys for 4 days.

There were many challenges through out the process. The biggest issue is the fact that we can not understand a thing the families are saying. This caused some issues. We were unable to understand exactly what the translator was saying or how they were translating what we were saying. This caused problems because at the end of the day when talking to other groups we realized our responses were really different, which could be the cause of the translating being slightly off. We also were unable to hear all the responses. Many times the families would go on and on in their response, but all we really heard was the yes and no part. Not being able to understand them, even a little bit, made it frustrating at times. So many times I start to answer them in Spanish and realize that they really won't be able to understand me if I talk in Spanish.

There were all some really great things about the week. We got the opportunity to go into these families homes and meet their families. Sometimes the families would of

fer us food and many times they would bless us and thank us for coming. The people we would talk to were so incredibly beautiful! And the children would follow us aroundfrom house to house. There was one little girl that followed us for three days and would just it on our lap during each interview (she is the girl in the first picture). It was so great to talk to the people and hear about their lives and how different they are from our western life style and western way of thinking. Life is so much simpler than we make it and we can learn so much from people that are different than us. Once again I am reminded that we are different in so many ways, but yet we are so similar. We were all made out of God's image! No one person better, prettier, stronger, or more intelligent than the other. All bless with different gifts and different talents. All share in the same salvation . Isn't God GREAT!?!?

So today after we finished our quota for the day we had some time to kill before the bus picked us up so I decided to play soccer with some of the kids. Every where I travel... from Portugal, to Prague, to Guatemala, to Rwanda.... I am always excited about how wonderful the sport of soccer is and how blessed I am that my parents chose to put me on a team! Soccer (futbol) is played EVERYWHERE... literally. From inner city kids in St. Louis to rural village children in Africa, everyone plays the sport and it brings so many people together! BUT back to my story... so I was playing soccer with about 1/2 a dozen kids who are saying all this stuff to me, but I really have no clue what they are saying. And then after a while I realized we were playing keep away. Sometimes when I think about it I don't understand how we can all be on the same page on something when we all speak different languages, it is pretty awesome! (the last picture is all the kids who played soccer with me and we are holding our "ball")

So overall the week was pretty good! The villages were in the hills, like all of Rwanda is, so the view is breath taking! I really enjoyed the week and I am sure I will continue to learn different things from it as time goes.

Thanks again for reading my blog! Love you all so incredibly much... and missing home a little bit, but afraid to believe it incase it spreads through my whole mind... which would be no good! I leave for Mbale, Unganda in a week and only 11 weeks left in Africa, time will fly!

Quick Update.. An AMAZING Discovery!

So after posting my blog last night the intern and I went to the kitchen to bake cookies. As we were pulling everything out to begin we came across a problem.... no eggs!! We searched the internet for recipes that didn't need eggs, but every recipe was indeed of something else that we didn't have. So we decided to look for egg substitutes online. We found out that in cakes bananas are a direct egg substitute. So we decided to try it. The result was... AMAZING cookies! I am very proud of the discovery and since I am up extremely early this morning I thought I would just tell you all.

Oh by the way... the cook came into the kitchen around 10 and showed us that there was literally 100 eggs on the shelve. So it was probably God thing... he wanted us to discover the amazing taste of bananas in sugar cookies!