Uganda Prayer Update #7 (sent 6/24/08)

Hello everyone!

It struck me that I only have less than one month left here in Uganda! As usual time certainly flies and as with most transitions in my life I am approaching this one with a number of different emotions: excitement, sadness, and anxiety to name a few, but I definitely will leave a part of my heart in this red soil. I want to thank you all for praying with me for my time here and for the work that I am doing, I feel so blessed being here. This email is a bit long, I have been delightfully busy since I last emailed so feel free to skim or skip down to prayer requests.

Iganga Project Trip
About 2 weeks ago, I went on my third EMI project trip. Our team consisted of interns Jill, Greg, and myself and a new summer intern Jared, staff members Janet and Brad, and volunteers from the states Joe and Kelly. For this project I worked mainly structural with Brad and electrical with Joe. The ministry we worked with is called Abundant Life Ministries and they are planning to build a secondary school in Iganga, Uganda. The ministry is supported by Ernest and Thelma Howie from Northern Ireland and they are working with Pastor Dan and his wife Florence who stay in Iganga and John Faith who is their Ugandan counterpart. The Howies have come to Uganda a number of times to do crusades and teaching pastors and they have a great vision for growth in this country. The team stayed with Pastor Dan and his family in their compound that has a hole in the ground for a toilet and bucket baths. I was glad that my hair was in braids for the trip which means that I didn't have to wash my hair.

This being my third project trip, going into it I knew what to expect and wasn't worried or anything and I think that allowed me to really put my whole heart into being present with the people and with our team more so than on previous projects. On our first day, some ladies were dancing in the compound we were staying in, so I went over and asked if they would teach me, well one thing led to the next and I ended up dancing with the choir for the church service in front of a congregation of about 150 laughing Ugandans. I really thank God for this experience and just being able to enter into Ugandan culture in a new way that I hope really blessed those that were there. My relationship with the ladies of the choir continued as Greg and I met with them nearly every evening to teach them new English songs. After one night, Nora translated I Will Worship into Luganda and we were able to learn it and sing with the whole team and choir together. I also really treasured our time together as a team, everyone got along remarkably well and we were able to design a school that will be an asset to the community. During this trip I really felt the prayer covering that I know has been with me and it was an incredible blessing that no one on our team got sick and we were able to make a lot of progress in such a short time.

Life in Kampala
Since coming back to Kampala, I've been trying to find a way to get more involved in the community here and I went to a choir practice at Amazing Grace (Janet Strike's church that is mostly Ugandan) where we learned the song Hallelujah, Salvation, and Glory it was really fun to sing and dance with the Ugandans and I hope to go back soon, although scheduling has been a bit difficult because of other commitments. Jill and I are going to visit Gideon's village near Kasese in the west of Uganda on Thursday until Monday. Gideon is one of our guards and he invited us to go and meet his family and spend some time in the village with them. I am really excited to get to experience a bit of village life because I know it will be very different than life here in Kampala. I'm not totally sure what to expect, but I hope that I can connect with the people in the village and get a taste of what life is like and whatever else God has for me there.

It has been fun getting to know all the new interns and having more extroverts around. Having them around has shown me a lot of things that I have learned about being here in Uganda because they are always asking questions. Also, they have a new perspective on things that I have gotten used to. For example, one night we were served whole fish and I didn't think anything of it but everyone else was like whoa there is a fish head and tail and then I remembered that it wasn't normal. I think this may be a preview of how weird it will be to adjust to being back in the States, it is amazing the things that you can learn to take for granted.

In the office, I've really enjoyed working on the structural design with Brad. He has been really good about explaining what he is doing and I've been drawing up everything in AutoCad. We've been through many iterations of the drawings (I've gotten used to looking at a lot of red pen) and have been getting close to completion. We are about ready for the whole project review on July 3^rd. I have enjoyed having a lot to do and trying to get everything to a good point before my dear friend Martha got here!

Martha has come to visit me here in Uganda and arrived on Thursday! She is volunteering with the PeaceCorps in Tanzania where I visited her after my last project trip and now she has some time to visit me. It is still a bit surreal that we both happen to be in East Africa, but it is good to get some Harvey Mudd flavor even on this side of the world.

Some of What I Have Been Learning
I have been thinking recently about what God has been teaching me over my time here in Uganda. It has been a little overwhelming and is still a process but here are a few of my thoughts. One thing that God has really been teaching me is how important our heart posture is before him and other people. I feel that it is really easy for us as Westerners and "missionaries" to place ourselves above those that we serve, but that attitude can really get in the way of building meaningful and lasting relationships and being really able to help people in a sustainable way. It is only when we humble ourselves and let go of "our way" that we are able to enter into the struggles of others (especially cross-culturally) and allow God to use us. God has also been teaching me to trust Him, both with my circumstances and who He has made me to be. There have been times when I have felt uncomfortable or unsure, but God has always brought me through and I am learning more and more not to worry about what is going on. I have been learning to trust Him with myself and being able to put myself out there and let go of some of my pride and self-image. It has been in the times when I have most lost myself that I have felt most alive and most myself. One of the mysteries of life I suppose.

Praises:

· Praise God for a really great project trip!!

· Praise God for bringing the new interns and the relationships we have been able to build in such a short time.

· Praise God that Martha is here!

· Praise God for His amazing provision and blessing!

Prayer Requests:

· Safe travels for when Jill and I visit Gideon's village on Thursday.

· Safe travels for Martha to get back to Tanzania.

· Continued involvement in Amazing Grace choir.

· That I will have/take time to process more of what God is teaching me and remember it.

· God's direction for the next chapter of my life.

· That God will use our plans for Abundant Life to serve the people of Iganga and glorify Himself.

By His grace,

Heather