building my ark.

Hello EverybodyJ I was thinking I hadn’t really been able to update my blog, so I decided to throw something together real quick. It has been a week since my last post, so I have a lot to tell!

Everyday someone asks me (in different ways) if I am dealing with culture shock. A couple of days ago, I would have said that I wasn’t and that I was adjusting pretty well, thank you very much! But after this weekend I can really say with full confidence that culture shock is a real thing. It is funny because I learned the text book process that is culture shock in a few of my college classes and I thought it was a little far- fetched. Culture shock is not only real, but it is emotionally draining as well! I go from thinking everything about the culture here is wonderful and great to thinking how weird and different it is from my own. This roller coaster of loving and disliking it all at the same time is quite a trip! If what I learned is true, these feelings won’t last forever, so thank goodness for that. 

A quick view of the city while we were lost.

So what induced my culture shock coma? Getting lost. Getting lost in UGANDA.  My roommate and I had received a map of where we were supposed to go for an AIM meeting on Saturday. We called our trusty Boda driver Michael and showed him the map. Of course we have absolutely no idea how to get to this house, but pray that Michael might have a clue. Looking at the map I thought, this looks pretty easy. It was just a few turns here and a few there, no big deal. Nowhere in Uganda is a few turns here, and a few turns there. Most of that is because there are no street signs. Poor Michael had to calm our nerves down while he tried to get us to a place he had never been. After 2 hours on the back of a boda, turning around 4 times, asking 8 different people for directions, and having to hike up the steepest dirt road, we finally made it. If you know me well at all you are thinking what I was. “This is hell on Earth.” (the being lost in a way that I have no control) I was so frustrated and emotional by the time we actually arrived, 2 hours late, that I had a headache and was on the verge of crying at just the simple “hello” from the host of the house.  No wonder AIM told us to prepare to get lost….

                                                  This is Michael. Serioulsy he is our Gaurdian Angel! (the fact that we have only gotten lost a few times is a testament to that!)

Then we got lost going to church. Repeat of the story above. Two days in a row.

Enter Culture Shock.

Ok, Moving on. J This Sunday we went to church at the downtown Calvary Chapel. It was really good! It was Western enough for me to feel comfortable yet had a lot of Ugandan influence that spoke to the mostly national congregation. Worship was great, and when they sang a Hillsong worship song tears just flooded down my face. I think it was because I could sing along and praise God in language I understood, but also because of the frustration of being lost the past few days had really bothered me. As I was singing all I could hear was “You are not lost, you are right where you are supposed to be.”

I spend most of my time at Dawn, or thinking about Dawn. It is a little overwhelming all that they need. Because of the cultural perspective that disabled children are unimportant to society, even the educated staff members are not educated specifically on how to teach and care for these children. Aside from the small resource library they have that consists of a few teaching DVDs and a few books, the teachers and therapist are basically going off better judgment about what to do. The need for a professional Special Education teacher is huge, but just material and research would help the staff so much. Then there are the basic needs of the Centre like wipes and diapers, soap, food, toys, and movies. The list of needs is too big to even put on one page. The overwhelming feelings lead quickly to frustration because my desire to help and my ability to help are two different things. 

I have been reading a book that highlighted how faithful and obedient Noah was. He spent over 100 years building a boat in a dessert that had not seen any rain before because God told him to.  Noah knew how crazy it sounded that he would need a boat, but he was first obedient to God and then trusted Him that what He said was true.  I feel kind of the same in that I know God has called me to be here. He specifically wants me in Kampala, Uganda working at the Dawn Centre. I don’t know why nor do I feel even remotely qualified to do what needs to be done for Dawn.  I have doubts and frustration in my own abilities, but I do not doubt in what God can do. And that is something to  be very excited for.

 I spend a lot of time trying to find ways to get all of these needs met, and I really need to sit back and prioritize which to tackle first. I will have to take on certain things one at a time. I really feel like there are solutions to all of the problems that face Dawn and that if I spend time in prayer (first) and then really thinking creatively about them I can offer some good help. 

Ann is one of the therapists. She is with L-R Josiah, Fafad, and Esther

After my first full week at Dawn the biggest need was that Dawn is on a downward spiral in the financial department. Enter my first task. It became very apparent that to get the Centre on its feet and able to solve its own dilemmas it needed some outside help.  I spent this weekend and the past few days putting together a sponsorship and donation program for the Centre. I have been getting so much positive feedback from people at home saying they wanted to help Dawn. Here is your chanceJ I will post information about the different ways to help Dawn, and we can solve some of these problems together!  I am very excited about the potential of these programs because I see every day the faces of the children it will help.  If you need any inspiration about giving just email me, and I will gladly send you some pictures and stories of the precious little ones. +

Pool Time! We take the kids outside and play with water and they LOVE it!

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This weekend I am going to raft the Nile River. I cannot wait! I am a little nervous, but have heard it's the trip of a lifetime. So if I am not eaten alive by piranhas, I will let you know how it goes:)