Nothing to Say?

It's been a while since I posted and I apologize. The truth is, it seems as if there is nothing new to write about. Although I'm sure this is not the case, that's how it feels. At the beginning of our time in Uganda our director, Mark Bartels, told us that after only a few weeks here we wouldn't be noticing the same things or experiencing the same "new and overwhelmed" feeling. At the time I thought him crazy. I thought there was no way I'd ever get over the "what-the-heck-I-definitely-don't-belong-here" feeling. But now I'm definitely finding his words to be true. I'm totally comfortable with the fact that I'm currently living life here. Now the crazy boda-bodas (taxi motorcycles that are strictly forbidden to USP students because of the recklessness of their drivers) that drive WAY too close to pedestrians don't phase me. Monkey sightings are no longer exciting. The 25-minute hill from my home to school doesn't seem so tiring. Taking two full showers a day is no longer overkill or a bore but a necessity and a delight. I actually think I'll continue to take cold showers when I come home to the States simply because that is the norm for me now and it feels fantastic.

Today I had to write a "Midterm Self Assessment" about what I've been learning and experiencing through "Faith and Action in the Ugandan Context", the main class taught by our director that every USP student has to take. I chose to write about what I've been learning about the Christian response to poverty and suffering through the readings. So far we've read "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" by Ronald Sider and then "When Helping Hurts" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. I would strongly dissuade people from reading "Rich Christians". Although renowned and very well-known in Evangelical circles Sider uses beat-you-over-the-head guilt as his primary motivator for US Christians getting involved in the world poverty situation. I'm not a fan of guilt or obligation as a motivator. I have been really struggling with "When Helping Hurts". This book has made me question a lot of the "poverty alleviation" actions I've been involved in, even all the short-term mission trips I've been on. Anyway for my Midterm I dealt with some issues from both books, threw in some Tim Keller sermon excerpts on social concern and called it a day. We'll see how Mark liked it.

As I told you in my previous blog, I am now living full-time with my family until mid-April when we leave for Rwanda. This has been such a blessing. I was away from my family for about 5 days in the process to pack and get the okay from the directors and my Momma was overjoyed when I finally was able to return. My brothers went off to boarding school, but my younger cousins have arrived to go to school here in Mukono. Clara is four and is hysterical. She adores me and insists on sleeping next to me on my twin mattress every night. I swear she puts off more body heat than an adult grizzly bear. James is 8 and is currently obsessed with Bloon Tower Defense 4 on my iPhone. He's so sweet. I also have another cousin, Honor, who's 22 and studies at Makerere University in Kampala, the oldest university in East Africa. So he comes to spend a lot of weekends with us. A few days ago we added another family member, Gertrude, who's our "help" from the North. She does all the cooking and washing and cleaning and caring for my younger cousins so that my sister Matilda can focus on looking for a job. Speaking of Matilda, today she and I made a cake for Momma's birthday. She's 53 today :)

Here's a way too large picture of Matilda making the cake :)

Here's the top! I did the writing :)

Last note. Tomorrow I leave for Kapchura, a district in the East. I'll be staying there for 10 days for "rural homestay". Eight of those days will involve living in a hut with a family. Then all the USP students will come to Sipi Falls for a retreat and breakdown of what we experienced on our homestays. This promises to be an interesting experience. First of all, it's a week without school, without internship, and without Internet. Apparently 80% of the Ugandan population live like we're going to live for a week. Thus when we talk about experiencing the real Uganda, it doesn't get any closer than this. So I'll be out of contact for a good while, but I promise to have lots of interesting stories upon my return!