Well I don't know how it happened, but we somehow lost a blog entry. Ingrid had made a post on the 14th of August and there had been a post on the 12th. In that post she had asked for prayer. If any of you missed the post on the 12th you probably wondered what she was referring to when she made her 14th post. Wow, that sounds confusing, but at least, if anyone was wondering, you now know.
One of the things that disappeared was the photos of our first venture driving on the left side of the road. It was great fun and we got to share the road with a herd of cattle. What these pictures do not show is the sign saying, "No Cattle on Road, 50,000 Shilling fine".
I am figuring out how to do pictures so we thought we would include some this time!
Here is a visitor we had the other day.....
Evidently this guy (or is it a girl?), or at least other ones like it, are semi-regular visitors. This is the second time we have seen a monkey, but evidently they are responsible for commando raids on the fruit trees and vegetable gardens! The staff do not view them as welcome guests, even though we really like seeing them!
We had the day off, so we went for a walk to the grocery store. Our path took us across the field that has many cows grazing in it, or at least when they are not in the road. Today there were some, but none in these pictures. The shot of Ingrid is towards the store and the shot of me is going back towards the place we live.
Enough of the sight-seeing. Here is a word from Ingrid...
Adjust
I looked up synonyms for this word “adjust,” and found two
that seem very fitting for where I am right now here in Uganda, The words were BEND and CHANGE. I want to share a
few of the ways God is bending me and answering my prayers that I continue to
grow and change.
·
I have had my first opportunity to drive,
shifting gears with my left hand, driving on the left side of the road and
remembering when turning to keep to the left, my hardest challengeJ.
·
I have gone through six days of language
learning by listening and speaking without seeing or writing the words I am to
speak. We have been sent into villages
to dialogue with people with the few words we have learned. It was very intimidating the first day as all
I knew how to repeat was Good Morning.
As I got out and greeted my first Ugandan, I looked at her and the
sounds and everything connected to it went right out of my brain. I stood there holding her hand, with a big
blank look on my face and her wondering what had happened to the muzungu?? I explained that I was trying to learn
Luganda and forgot how to say Good Morning.
She kindly said it for me and helped me to respond appropriately. By my third day with several more words
learned, the villagers not only were happy to greet me, but were very happy
that I was continuing to learn words and practice what little I knew. Lyle and I were invited back into one woman’s
home behind her vegetable kiosk. Her
name is Anna and her 12 year old daughter Immaculate had asked me to promise to
come back. When we sat down, Anna asked
us to take Immaculate, which Immaculate responded to with a look of sadness
crossing over her face. Anna explained
that Immaculate’s father had left them when Anna was pregnant and went back to
Kenya and never returned. The Holy
Spirit prompted me to direct my comments to Immaculate and share with her that
she has a heavenly Father who loves her and will never leave her. She understood what I was saying and her
expression lost it’s sad look.
One of the quirky things with Luganda, as
with other languages I here, is that the same word said with the wrong emphasis
means something totally different. Two
examples are the word for boy and prostitute has the same letters but one is
said with the accent on the first part of the word and the second on the last
part of the word. The other one is the
word for water and the word for feces are the same letters, but different
accents. Kind of tricky as I would use
both boy and water frequently!!
·
God has been “bending” me to change how I
communicate with nationals as well. In
Uganda, I have been cautioned by other foreigners, when I see something that
perhaps needs addressing with the staff, I either need to use an intermediary
to address this so as not to shame the person being addressed or I phrase my
concern as a question for them to chose how to respond to. This is challenging and I am seeking our Lord
as to how much of this is what He wants for honoring this precious people group
and how much is just human nature having found a way to wiggle out of
responsibility. Please pray for me for
wisdom here.
·
As I become less someone feeling like they are
on the outside looking in to a living environment, and more a part of this
environment, I am being made more and more aware of the Holy Spirit
communicating to me, that all the good taking place is His to be given the praise.
My memory verse for this two week period
is Ephesians 2:6—He raised me and I am united with Him, because this was God’s
idea and He wanted this for my life. As
I was studying Romans 8:20-30 and Eph. 1:5,11 today, this was really made clear
to me, He gets all the glory because Jesus was willing to do what it took for
me to be united with Him, (past tense) what a “mind bending” concept. God’s plan for my salvation was not about me
looking attractive on Sundays or being a diligent pew warmer. He saved me and has left me here on earth to
do His kingdom good in a carnal world. He has a mission for every generation to
accomplish—all of which has been planned before He created the world—and in His
sovereignty, God has chosen to do His work through His people. If we miss our ministry, we will miss our
entire purpose for remaining here on this planet.
I have two opportunities this week, to BEND and CHANGE. Monday, Lyle and I
get to try to find an electronic store in central Kampala with no street signs or
specific directions being able to be given to us. Taking bodas and taxi’s without being able to
specify where to go, ahhhhhh!!! I am glad we go together.
Second, I have been invited by an AIM
missionary, a special ed. Teacher I worked with when we were here in November,
to go to Jinja for 4 days to a special needs orphanage to work with children
there. As I am starting to feel a little familiar at Matoke, the thought of
venturing out into new territory with many opportunity to be stretched further,
is challenging for me. I really prayed when
she asked me if I would be willing to go, and I know my Lord said I should go,
but I am going with quaking knees. You
might wonder why, there are several reasons; bed bug potentials, high malaria
area, and feeling totally inadequate with children with severe disabilities to
even make a dent in their needs. It
seems easier not to know first hand, than to know and not be able to
supply. I hope that makes sense. Oh I do hope you pray for me.
·
I am so grateful to our Lord Jesus for all the
people He is allowing in my life. I sat
in central Kampala with a woman my age, who I am growing very fond of, who sat
and matter-of-fact, explained when I asked about her mission experience,
related one area her husband, and daughter and her served in here in Africa, was
bombed while her daughter was taking her exams.
She calmly related how her daughter kept writing answers with the bombs
dropping around them. They did evacuate
to a city for a few months, but wanted to go back because of their work with
the local church. The missionary
organization said the two could go back but the 13-year-old daughter wouldn’t
be allowed back. They really felt God
wanted them back and their daughter was agreeable to go to boarding school in
Kenya. They went back and worked with
this people group for 7 more years. With
no electricity, at night they had only one candle they had lit but covered so
the rebels wouldn’t see their light and target them again for bombs. Water they got from a river, etc. I wish you hear her tell, there is no focus
on self, I don’t think she even sees sacrifice in this. It is just amazing to me, and encouraging to
me to continue to let God change what I think is living. We sit at dinner so far with people from
Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Scotland,
South Africa, Australia, Kenya, Canada, and the USA. One woman who has been here for quite a few
years uses music with the rescued children from the LRA, Lord’s resistance
army, and Lamentations and the Psalms.
She introduced them to Lamentations and with music allows them to
verbalize or write their own laments over what they have been forced to do to
others, or what has been done to them.
She then helps them to understand David’s Psalms and his cries to the
Lord God for mercy and healing and praise in God’s loving responses. She is able to help them to understand and
receive the promises in Isaiah 61, which came to pass in our Lord Jesus, that
He comforts the brokenhearted, proclaims release to the captive and freedom for
prisoners of spiritual bondage. Beauty
for ashes, a blessing instead of mourning. Oh please pray for these precious
ones whose childhoods and young adulthood has been destroyed by darkness, with
even families not wanting these children back because of their damaged states. Pray for this woman, Wendy is her first name,
as she introduces the Great Physician to them, for nothing is too great for
Him.
I really appreciate the comments we have received. Thanks a lot, you are in our prayers as
well. Love Ingrid
