“When everything is falling apart, you will be safe in His arms” ~Phil Wickham

It’s now week 3 here at New Hope. We have been out of power for the past few days, so I haven’t had a chance to blog. Since last time, so many things have happened! Mama Scovia, who basically runs Uncle Ken’s house everyday, has taught me some of the ropes of cooking Ugandan style. Chapatti, which is like a thick crepe, is actually very basic to make. After you combine flour, water, salt, onions and sugar for the dough, you use a rolling pin to flatten them into a circle and transfer them to the hot plate. That’s it! They are really good with sugar sprinkled on top. I have also learned that maize is very tasty without anything added. Scovia showed me how to take the cob out of the ear and simply place it over the coals. After it cooled, we just broke it with our hands and ate it. Believe it or not, I have even scooped out fried fish from the pan. Literally, the fish’s body is broken into several pieces and placed into grease. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Under Scovia’s watchful eye, I’ve learned how to use a small machete to peel an avocado and a mango. Avocadoes are so soft that it ended up getting all over my hands, but it served as a nice cleanser. Olivia, who also helps with cooking and cleaning, loves to sing, so of course, we burst into song as we cooked one night. “Blessed Assurance” never seemed so sweet. I’ve also noticed that Ugandans use every aspect of their food. All of the cooking is done behind the house in a small alley, and the scraps of leftover food, such as the skin of a mango or avocado, are left on the ground for the chickens to eat the next morning. Shadow and Mia, these chickens would give you a run for your money. J The chickens also help out in other ways. One morning, as we were eating our bread and butter, an ambitious white chicken walked into the living room, saw that Amy had yet to eat her share and decided to take some of the burden from her. She actually snatched an entire piece of bread and ran to the door to eat it. We were all shocked, but then again, this is Africa. haha In all actuality, it makes logical sense to take advantage of all of one’s resources the way that Ugandans do. I believe it will be quite interesting to return to American culture and realize how many things are wasted each day.

“You are the hope that keeps me trusting, You are my purpose, You’re everything” ~Lifehouse

Unfortunately, the majority of the past few days, I have not been feeling well. My appetite has reduced significantly, and the only thing I can easily stomach is bread and butter, Sprite, and Coke. Thankfully, this is in abundance, so I will be fine. It’s just been quite difficult because it’s rude to refuse food at any meal. Therefore, I just take a little spoonful of each dish, and take a small bite of rice or mango. This past Saturday night, I had a slight meltdown. I believe that it was merely a culmination of exhaustion, fever, and not being able to easily talk to my mom each day, but whatever the cause, I broke down into tears. It was at this point that I realized how much reliance I have on others. For the past two and half weeks, I have been exposed to so many drastic changes in my daily life, and I would not trade it for the world. However, it was at this breaking point that I truly began to “lose myself in God’s will,” as Amy so eloquently put it. There is nothing else that I can do, because my strength is nothing without His power. God has also used music more than ever to speak to me this past week. I have probably listened to Lifehouse’s “Everything” twenty times this weekend, and when put on shuffle, my iPod would play various Hillsong songs that were simply meant for me to hear. As I was on the verge of being sick on Saturday, “Healer” came on, and tears flooded my eyes. I have never thought that the words “I believe You’re my Healer, I believe You are all I need” were more true. Also, Taylor Swift’s “Never Grow Up” played, and I was reminded how blessed I have been with such a loving and caring family. I do not believe it is coincidence that God has managed to let me hear the words that I need most at the right moment. He is so good, and everytime I begin to complain, I stop in my tracks and reflect on the words “how can I stand here and not be moved by You?”

Saturday was quite an interesting day. Maylott, one of the volunteers from Chapel Hill, wanted to do something fun for her birthday, which is today, so we all decided to leave early Saturday morning to go to a resort in Tororo to use their pool. After boarding a matatu, which is a 14-passenger van turned into a taxi, we rode for about half an hour before being dropped off on the side of the rode at the connecting location in Junction. The next matatu we boarded had about a dozen people before the eight of us piled in. Needless to say, it was packed like a clown car. I actually rode crammed between the first and second row of seats. It was worth it though, because there were baboons lined down the road. It was literally like seeing Rafiki in person, or monkey rather! I didn’t however have any time to snatch a picture because we were going to fast. After learning that the matutu would not take us to the resort, we got on boda-boda motorcycles… These are actually really fun, and they are able to dodge the numerous potholes in the road. We arrived at the resort in Tororo around 11, only to discover that their pool has been drained until August. Note to self: planning ahead- not used so much in this culture. Kiahana asked if there was another pool in town, and the lady at the desk informed her that the nearest pool was 50 km away in Mbale. At this point, I just had to laugh to keep from crying. I learned so much about traveling in a foreign country on Saturday. After another boda ride, losing one of my camera batteries along the way, and ninety minutes later, we arrived at the Mbale Hotel and Resort. It was worth the wait, because the pool was immaculate and they served Western style food. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries! Much to my dismay, my stomach could not handle more than a few bites. Though I must say, those were some tasty bites. After lunch, Jeffrey and I needed to go to the bank, so we hopped on a boda and headed to the downtown area. It seriously reminded me of Times Square Ugandan style. The streets were lined with matatus and bodas, and vendors were constantly trying to get you to buy their merchandise. Kiahana told us to ask to be taken to the taxi park, but no one seemed to know what that was. Somehow, Jeffrey and I made it to the taxi park to meet the rest of our group to head back to Busia. As soon as our boda halted, we were swarmed by people wanting to sell the “muzungu’ things. I literally threw 200 shillings at our driver and ran to the Busia matatu with Jeffrey. It was simply comical, because at least 20 adults, a few children and two chickens managed to fit into the matatu. I ended up in the back row by the left hand window with literally just enough room to cram my body into the space. The next two hours were quite interesting, because unlike bodas, matatu drivers manage to find all of the potholes and successfully drive over each one. Praise be to God that I had a window, because I spent the majority of the time with my head out of it like my dogs. As we passed through towns, many people stared, shouted or even attempted to run alongside just to have a chance to look at the “muzungu.” By the time we made it safely to Uncle Ken’s house around 8, I finally got to talk to my parents! I’m sure they thought I had completely lost it because the first five minutes, all I did was cry. Mom, don’t let this make you upset, but honestly, everytime I hear your voice, I cry. Usually it’s after we hang up, but this past time I couldn’t help it. I guess this is the point where I’m supposed to be insightful and say something along the lines of “don’t take your parents for granted.” Truly though, I have never been so thankful to simply be reminded that I have parents, even if they are halfway around the world, that take the time to listen to my cry on the other end of a long distance phone call. Please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love everything about being here at New Hope, but I am also learning how much I love in North Carolina.

To give a quick update of the sewing course, I have come to the realization that it will be started when God wills it to be. Uncle Ken moved the machines to their own room at the orphanage on Sunday, but he locked the door and has been out of town since then. He should return either today or tomorrow, and I will hopefully be able to see how many machines actually work. I leave for safari early this Friday until Tuesday, so the earliest the course would start is a week from today. Please keep the women that have applied in your prayers. I truly feel like any skill that I will be able to share with them will greatly impact their lives. I am placing the whole thing in God’s mighty hands, because I know that it will be in His time that it will happen.

“Faith is complete engagement with God: holding on to God and His promises because we know He’s holding on to us.” ~Beth Moore

This past week in my Bible study has focused on believing that “God is who He says He is.” I have been blessed with a fresh look at the truth of the God that I serve. He is God, “and there is no other.” If that doesn’t leave you speechless, I don’t know what will. I cannot emphasize enough the extant to which I have come to reflect on the promises that God has made. Isaiah 40 made a second appearance in my time here at New Hope. This time, the emphasis was placed on verses 21-22. “Have you not seen, have you not heard? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth.” This past spring, I sang this in Chorale and it astounded me then. Now, I am just amazed at how God can use the same scripture and apply it in very different ways. Beth Moore also gives the Strong’s definition of certain words in a scripture along with the original Hebrew or Greek word. As I was learning about God as Creator, I learned the difference between created and formed. The original meaning of ‘created,’ of “bara” is “shaped” or “fashioned” with God alone as the author. This is an action that only God is able to accomplish. “Formed,” or “yatsar” is something that is made from preexisting material. You may be wondering, when is she going to tie this altogether? Well, it is very interesting because God “created man in his own image,” (Gen. 1:27) yet he “formed man out of the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). Verse 27 describes the immaterial aspect of man, which is something that God alone willed. He purposefully chose to ‘get His hands dirty’ so to speak, when he “formed” man’s material body. This stuck out to me in my Bible study because I am covered in dirt at the end of each day. I’m not sure if I will ever be able to see the true color of my feet again. With all of that said, it actually serves as a reminder that God chose to use something as simple as dust to create me. It is quite humbling to think about, as Beth pointed out. Whenever I begin to get anxious about being here, all I need to do is look to my dirt-covered feet to remember how God used His hands to fashion me. While I am around these wonderful children, it has been so refreshing to be able to be continually reminded of how one of a kind our God is and how intimately He is involved in the details of each and every one of our lives.

Finally, I know this may seem bizarre, but I haven’t acknowledged that the children are actually living at an orphanage until two days ago. On Monday morning, Olivia wrote me a letter, in which she included the Lord’s Prayer and “requested” that I pray it when I eat, when I am “going to any place” and when I am going to sleep. She emphasized many times how thankful she was that I came to New Hope and that she loved me very much. Olivia exemplifies the values that are ingrained into these children. They love without restraint and worship completely unhindered. It is almost unbelievable what a wonderful outlook these children have in general. I enjoy every moment with these beautiful children, which is why on Monday I wasn’t prepared for the harsh reality that comes along with many of their backgrounds to make itself known. I was walking back from town, and I saw baby Joe, who is the latest addition to the New Hope family being led away from the orphanage by a man. To preface this story, Joe was found abandoned on the side of the road and brought to New Hope two weeks ago. His mother is a prostitute and had left him with a ‘babysitter,’ who subsequently misplaced him. He was adjusting so well to New Hope, and Jeffrey, especially, bonded with him. He always had a smile on his face, and we found out after a few days that he didn’t know any English. Everytime one of the volunteers would ask him something; he would cock his head to the side and say “huh?” It was so endearing! Then I asked him “oleotya,” which means ‘hi, how are you?’ in Lugandan, and he responded “bulungi” or “I’m fine.” It was so precious! I later learned that it was his father that had come to retrieve him because it is illegal in Uganda to abandon your child. If some parents were not required by the authorities to pick up their children, they would simply leave them on the side of the road or in an orphanage. I understand why this law is in place, but on the other hand, it requires parents to keep their children even if they don’t want them. I pray that this is not the case with Joe’s father. I will never forget little Joe’s face. I ask that you all would pray for God to provide a hedge of protection for this little one.

Many nights in the past week we have experienced power outages and rainstorms, but last night was particularly intense. We had just sat down to dinner when powerful gusts of wind seemed to shake the foundations of the house, and shortly after, torrential rains beat against the ceiling. Kiahana had just told everyone that she usually unplugs any electrical devices when it rains to prevent surges by lightning. The words had barely left her mouth when a bolt of lightning did hit the house and went straight through all of the sockets in the house. Thankfully, Maylott had just finished unplugging her computer, but she felt the shock because her plug was by her feet. Talk about power! The weather has always amazed me with the sheer amount of power that it displays, but last night proved trying in our household. Babra, who is in my P6 class, stayed at Uncle Ken’s house all day yesterday because she has malaria. She is usually incredibly lively and talkative, but yesterday, she was completely disoriented and weak. Kiahana and I took turns feeding her lunch. When the power went out as the storm came, she began to hyperventilate and shake. We all believed that she had a panic attack, but paired with malaria, she really began to worry us all. She began to complain of heart pains, and thirty minutes later, when the storm had passed, Uncle Mark decided to take her to the hospital. Miraculously, just as the car came to take her to the hospital, the power came back on. As far as I know, she is recovering, and will be back at New Hope shortly. Please keep her in your prayers. I don’t know how I would cope without my mom when I am sick, but these children all band together. It is quite incredible how much of a family they truly are, and how the older ones truly serve as parents much of the time to the younger ones. My Bible study two nights ago used Psalm 139:13-17 to illustrate how God knows literally every detail about each and every one of us, and I hope to be able to relay this message to as many of the children as God allows me to during my stay. I will continue to praise him because I, along with all of the rest of these beautiful children, am “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

I hope you will be able to reflect on how personally God knows you this week, and praise Him for the wonderful works of His hands.

I love you all dearly!

"With everything, we will shout for Your praise" ~Hillsong

“So, a needle pulling thread” ~The Sound of Music

My second week is underway here at New Hope. I must admit that it has come with quite a bit of joy, as well as frustration. On Sunday morning, Uncle Ken decided that he wanted me to teach a sewing course for young, single mothers who need work, and that I would start next Monday, June 20. I was so excited, because I knew this was something that my mom wished she could start at home. Then came the planning. Kiahana sat down with me later that afternoon to lay the groundwork for the project. World Vision donated seven sewing machines to New Hope some time ago, and they have yet to be used. Several of them do not even have needles, and I haven’t had a chance to plug them in to see if all of them even work. Uncle Ken says that he wants to put them in their own room, so I’m anticipating the move from the resource center, which is a room that the children use to read/ study every evening. Monday, I made an application and a sign to hang in the New Hope Internet café in town. This is where the women will receive and turn in their applications. Ideally, I will accept 14 women and break them into two groups with the first coming on Monday and Wednesday and the second on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2. Uncle Ken also wants to feed the women lunch, which is a fantastic idea. Please join me in prayer for this project, because I so desperately wish to make a difference in the lives of these women. The applications were set out Monday afternoon, so we shall see what God decides to do with them. Thus far, I have received two applications, so I’m getting excited that there is interest in the program. Just now, in the midst of my typing this blog entry in the Internet Café, a man came in and asked about the sewing course. Unfortunately, I told him we were only offering it to women at this time, but hopefully in the future, New Hope will be able to open it up to more people. While sewing is far from my forte, I guess I will see how all of those hours of watching Mom will pay off. Thank you Mom for allowing me to perch on your sewing table just to talk on countless occasions. I ask that you pray that this will be a lasting project in the Busia community, and that God will receive all of the glory!

“The Circle of Life”

This weekend, Sarah and I watched two Disney movies with the children. While this was standard procedure in my childhood, I never imagined how novel it would be to the New Hope children. Saturday, we started Aladdin, because “A Whole New World” is one of their favorite songs, and a flood of children rushed to the Chapel room to crowd around Sarah’s laptop. Much thanks is due to her dad for uploading practically every Disney movie to her computer. We were unsure how all of the children would behave during the course of a 90-minute movie, so we made a rule that no one could talk once the movie commenced. This was completely unnecessary, because as soon as the picture came on, a hush fell about the room. We probably had around 50 children packed into this small room to intently watch Aladdin and Abu embark on an unforgettable journey. The first time that the children laughed, a tear came to my eye. I never realized quite how much I had growing up until I saw how these children soaked in a simple cartoon. On Sunday evening, we finished watching Aladdin and then the children requested my favorite, The Lion King. I know, it seems a bit stereotypical to watch this while in Africa, but of course we did! This is now the second time in the past eleven days that I have watched it. J It was nearing dinnertime when Mufasa had just saved SImba from the stampede, and then lo and behold, the computer died. It was actually quite impeccable timing. Haha We promised to finish later this week, and are now going to make watching a movie a treat for the children each weekend, when they actually have free time to enjoy a nice break from school.

Now comes the frustration… I started reviewing the test with P7 yesterday, and came to the realization that the vast majority of the class scored lower than 30%. One by one, I went through each question, and would explain to the best of my ability how to come to the correct answer. Only two or three out of the twenty-one in the class could even begin to comprehend the correct answer. It’s difficult because each Saturday, P7 takes a cumulative test. The problem results from the lack of knowledge in the basics of math, therefore, the children continue to fall further behind. It’s also quite frustrating, because the language barrier prevents me from expressing my full concern to the math teacher, Mr. Frank. I know that he loves the kids, but I don’t know how to get him to understand that things need to change when practically the entire class is failing their tests. Jeffrey, one of the volunteers from Chapel Hill told me yesterday morning that Mr. Frank approached him and asked if her could take over P7 because the children understand male accents better… Though it hurts to know that Mr. Frank does not have faith in my ability to teach P7, I want the children to succeed in math before their end of primary school exam in August. Please pray that out of this summer, P7 will be able to have a consistent teacher that will be able to explain math in a way that is understandable to them. In the words of John Mayer, “something’s missing and I don’t know how to fix it.” Thankfully, I know the One who does, and my honest prayer is that the children of New Hope will be able to learn not only school subjects from us, but will know that they are loved and valued in our eyes, but more importantly, in God’s eyes. I know that Jeffrey has the same frustrations with his P4 class, so he sat in on my class yesterday afternoon. Also pray that I will have patience to understand how the school system works, because the lack of communication between all of the staff at the school has been starting to wear on me.

“Thou, and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art”

Two insanely amazing things happened before I went into P7 yesterday. The first was before lunch, when I was buying time, so I decided to organize all of my things in my suitcase. My iPod was on shuffle, and a snippet from a Beth Moore study of “Beloved Disciple” came on. She was describing how God’s children please Him in various ways, and you cannot always compare yourself to others and their personal walks. She spoke of performing a ballet to the tune of “Be Thou my vision,” and as she recited the four verses of the hymn, it made me stop in my tracks and completely forget all about my frustrations of teaching. When I take time to let God truly be my vision and light, there is nothing that can take me away from His purpose in my life. He is my joy, and I refuse to get sidetracked by the little mishaps of the day. After this encounter with God, I was prepared to go teach…

“His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me"

I gave P6 12 problems to work on individually to see how they comprehended the material. That was the first time that we had silent work, and oh, how God used those 30 minutes. Amy was teaching P7 English next door, and she was reviewing a passage and answering questions with the children. The passage came from Matthew 6, where Jesus is telling his disciples not to worry, for God even cares for the birds. I have heard this story on numerous occasions, but I needed so desperately to be reminded not to worry about the little things. God has me here at New Hope for a purpose, and I refuse to let my little frustrations take my focus off of the amazing things that God is doing. He didn’t let me forget how much is truly is working here, because much to my surprise, yesterday P7 was the best class that I have had yet. Almost everyone was volunteering to answer questions, and they actually understood what we were reviewing. It was so refreshing to step back and take in what Beth Moore would call a God stop, which stands for “savoring the observable presence.” That was just what I did too, observed how much my God truly shows up in my daily life, especially when you seek Him first. In the past twelve days, whether it has been seeing the kids or getting to know the other volunteers or doing my Beth Moore study, I am learning to truly exercise an “active-present-participle faith,” coined by Beth Moore of course. This simply means to actively pursue a walk of faith in your daily life, and honestly, it has drawn my attention to God everywhere. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and I cannot stop praising His Holy name.

I hope that you can see how active God is in your life, and that you will start to take God stops in during your day. It makes all of the difference in how joyful I am now. I will let you know when more God stops show up here at New Hope. Let me know when you have them too!

I love you all dearly. Savor our great and gracious God!!

"Renew my mind as Your will unfolds in my life" ~Hillsong

I am nearing the end of my first week here at New Hope. I cannot believe that in less than seven weeks, I will be returning to North Carolina. Since last time, I have become a math teacher for Primary 6 and 7. The children go to school year round, with one-month breaks in between terms. I have gotten a glimpse of the daily lives of the children, and I honestly do not know how they make it through each day. They get up at four to pray and do chores before their first class at 6:30. Many mornings, the children do not get to eat breakfast before this first class, so they eat whenever the cook comes. To fully describe the concept of Ugandan time would take me more time than you’d probably be willing to take, but basically, they don’t have one. It has been quite frustrating to stick to my teaching schedule, because the other teachers do not stick to one. It is next to impossible to set up a meeting with the staff because they will not be on time. It is no big deal for someone to show up two to three hours late. Dad, this rivals you, haha, just kidding. Though I am nowhere close to fully understanding how this culture functions this way, Amy helped me start to make sense of it. She said that Americans are task-oriented people, whereas Ugandans are relationship-oriented. This means that Americans are more likely to push back time with family and friends, or other work in order to complete a task. I know that I fall victim to this often, but Ugandans are quite the opposite. They will wait until they are finished visiting with others to get to the next task. When put in these terms, I am attempting to view my time here as a Ugandan.

Thankfully, the time that I have gotten to spend with the children in class has been awesome. I have made a pact with P6 to teach them a new chant/cheer each week. We do these cheers when they successfully complete their exercises or have gotten a grasp on a new concept. Even the boys really enjoy it, so of course, this is my favorite part of class. They have no idea what cheerleading is, so I tried to explain that we are people who help bring a team to victory. I equated it to winning a game of Red Rover. J This they understand. P7 is the last grade of primary school, so after this term, they will take the big exam to determine whether of not they can proceed to secondary school. My heart goes out to this class, because they are constantly in class preparing from 6:30 – 6:30. They have a morning break, an hour lunch break, and an afternoon break, but many times they do not get to have all of their breaks. Today is Heroes Day in Uganda, so many of the children did not have a full day of school, except for P7. Every Saturday leading up to their exam, they have a test in all four classes. I understand that they need to be well prepared for their exam, but I am trying to make their learning experience fun and interesting. It is important that all of the children know that you truly care for them, which is why it is so fantastic to have volunteers teach, yet also play and bond with the kids outside of the classroom. All of the children are ‘caned’ or spanked with a narrow strip of stick if they misbehave. When I came to the realization that this was going on, I almost became sick. A lot of the time, it doesn’t seem to me like any of the children are even acting up. Understanding a different culture has been quite difficult at times this week, because automatically I want to function like an American. This morning I was starting to get frustrated with the various odors, along with the heat and living conditions, but as soon as I got to the orphanage this morning, none of my complaints matter when I see the children. They are why I am here.

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” ~Isaiah 40:31

This verse is hanging on Uncle Ken’s living room wall, where we eat all of our meals. I noticed it while eating lunch today, and it made me put things into perspective. I know that my strength comes from God every single day. It is easy to fall to my human failings when it comes to harping on the difference between here and home, but I cannot succumb to those negative thoughts when I think about how much God is using and shaping me here. Uncle Peter, which is a good friend of Uncle Ken, came to visit yesterday and is staying until Sunday. After lunch, Amy, Maylott, Jeffrey and I were sitting in the living room, and Uncle Peter asked us why we came to New Hope. We all gave our stories about finding New Hope, but what has stayed with me from this conversation is the unity that the children have brought to all of us. It may be somewhat selfish, but one of my main reasons for experiencing Uganda is to attempt to understand the joy that they possess. As Americans, we are taught to help those less fortunate, and teach them our ways. Now that I am here, I do not want to do that at all. They do not need all of the comforts of an American lifestyle, what they need is to know that they are cared about. The children’s basic needs are being met, and yes this is possible because of generous people who have volunteered their time and money, but this does not bring the joy that the children have. I am so overwhelmingly blessed to be able to experience the fellowship that these children share with each other daily. The older children truly parent the younger ones. They function as their own family, and are closer than any American siblings that I’ve known. It makes me miss my brothers so much. Justin, I wish you could see how the older boys aid the younger ones in sports. You would fit in perfectly the way you are such a great leader. They would love to hear about how you fix up cars and wire speakers. I cannot believe that you are graduating today!! I wish I could see you walk, but please know that I love you, even though I may not show it near enough. Christopher, the children would hang on to your every word. They love to have male volunteers come. I guess it is the void of a male authority figure in their life.

“Shout unto God with a voice of triumph” ~Hillsong

As far as music goes, I am starting to write down lyrics to the songs that I teach the kids. Olivia especially loves music, and she is such a joy to be around. It is absolutely endearing to hear her hum “Waves of mercy, waves of grace” or the chorus of David Crowder’s “Undignified.” I must constantly be thinking of new songs to teach. Today during the morning break, Olivia and I sang “Lean on Me” perhaps thirty times, along with “Do-Re-Mi” and “Waves of mercy” (which for the life of me, I cannot remember the name to that song). I also explained what David Crowder meant when he sang about being ‘undignified.’ I believe that she understood what I was talking about. I think I’m going to introduce the children to Hillsong tomorrow. Apart from my music, I love learning their Lugandan songs. Most are set to games, which are played while holding hands in a circle while one person skips around the inside and chooses another. It’s identical to “Little Sally Walker,” but with much cooler words. I am probably going to butcher this spelling, but phonetically it sounds like this. “Simba ne na ne kelele, ke, kelele kelele een-ya een-ya kelele kelele nya-oos.” It is so much fun to sing! I have a video of it from yesterday. I cannot wait to see how the music program continues to develop in the next few weeks.

“Rid me of myself, I belong to You” ~Hillsong

This has been my greatest struggle this week, getting over myself in order to more fully submit to God’s will, which is why I must tell you about my new Beth Moore Bible study. I love taking her with me places! It is called “Believing God,” and this week, I have focused on “four motivations for a life of believing God.” It has focused on the incomparable power that God gives to those who believe, that we were made for God’s pleasure, and through faith we please God, which is our highest goal, and how important our faith is to God. I need this study to remind me that I cannot focus on my selfish ambitions and myself in general while I’m here. Just now, as I am writing this and singing along to Hillsong, a few of the children came to my window simply to thank me for singing. How precious are they? They astound me, and I cannot wait to show you all pictures and videos of them. One of my girls in P6, Barbara, wrote me a letter this week. She just wanted to let me know that she loved me and that “[my] love has made [her] happy.” Relationships matter so much, and God is absolutely turning my world around in respect to this concept. I cannot wait to get to know these children better, because they are so loving and welcoming. In fact, the town in general is extremely welcoming, every time we walk anywhere, all of the little children crowded alongside the road shout out “muzungu, how are you?” Muzungu is Lugandan for ‘foreigner.’ This culture is very blunt, so they call you out like they see it, literally. It is not a surprise for someone to refer to another as “the fat one” or “the lame one.” They are not insults, merely fact. It has taken a while to get used to, but it actually makes sense somewhat. I am learning so much about American culture, simply in contrast to Ugandan. I cannot wait to update you about life here, please do the same with me! I miss you all immensely!

See you soon! Lots of love! May God bless you greatly!

'I look up to the sky and say, 'You're beautiful!'"

Hi everyone! It’s my third full day here at New Hope, wow. I seriously do not even know where to begin. Last night it rained. This may seem somewhat trivial, but apparently, this year’s rainy season has been extremely cut short. Since this is currently the case, only time will tell if the crops will grow. With that said, it was immediately evident that I was no longer in Belmont or Davidson. I guess the best to start is at the beginning. Bear with me as I embark on this long journey.

The air was thick as I stepped off the plane with the other two volunteers, HaWook and Sarah, and saw the most beautiful landscape of luscious greenery against a background of hazy mountains. I thought it would look like the Lion King after Scar took over the Pridelands, barren and dusty. I could not have been more wrong. Entebbe International Airport is four hours from New Hope Orphanage and I cannot emphasize how vibrant Ugandan colors truly are. The drive on the way from the airport was absolutely crazy. Not only do they drive on the right side of the car and the left side of the road, but also there is no established speed limit and the streets are flooded with ‘Boda Boda’ drivers, which are taxi drivers on bikes.

Upon arrival to Busia, we were told that we would be staying with the director, Ken, and were welcomed with the traditional elaborate Ugandan greeting by all who live at his house. An eight-foot wall surrounds the house with a large iron gate at the front. I have noticed that it is common that the gates have a smaller door embedded into them. In the past three days, I have been immersed in the Ugandan culture, which is extremely hospitable. All of the meals are prepared by Ken’s wife and several of the older orphans and they mainly consist of rice, posho, which is basically the same as white rice that has been mashed, or noodle, some type of beef, avocado, and either boiled bananas or some type of potato. I have ventured to try the rice, noodle, and the potato, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I have not been hungry at all since I’ve been here. There is also afternoon tea, which is great, however, the container says that it is actually coffee. It tastes like tea, and lots of sugar is usually added. The sugar is actually brownish, but is actually sweeter than American sugar. We had chapatti tonight, which is similar to a crepe! They are so good!

There were three other volunteers here when I arrived. Kiana, Amy and Mike. Right away, they warmly welcomed us newcomers, and showered us with advice. Amy and Mike have been here for about a month, and Kiana for two. Kiana oversees a program called Microcredit, which teaches business skills to women in the surrounding area and helps them apply for and receive grants for projects. She is so perfect for the work because she is very outgoing and has been in Africa since January. She is taking a year off of nursing school to be in Africa. Amy teaches English and Mike teaches Math to Primary 6 and 7, which are the older children. All of the volunteers are extremely helpful, and have made the transition into Ugandan life much easier. Yesterday afternoon, two new volunteers from Chapel Hill, way to represent North Carolina J, arrived. Maylott and Jeffrey are interning and are both going to be teaching the children. I look forward to getting to know them more! Sarah, HaWook and I are starting to get the hang of things to a certain extent. We have the first week to decide what our main focus will be during our stay here. The first night as we sat around the living room table eating dinner and getting to know each other, we asked everyone their major. Mike was extremely excited to learn that I was a music major because he has been trying to start a music program over the past few weeks! God is so good. Mike is leaving tomorrow for an internship in China, so this is perfect.

“Sing to the Lord, oh my soul” ~Hillsong

Praise the Lord on High! I had the opportunity on Saturday to sing with several of the girls. I taught them ‘Lean on Me’ and they absolutely loved it! All of the children have an incredible sense of rhythm. I realized that they did not understand the concept of harmony, so I began with the basics and brought out “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music. I had to explain what a deer was… I should have likened it to an antelope, but I said, “it’s like a skinny goat or cow.” haha After that crash course, we had fun as I taught them the chorus, “Waves of mercy, waves of grace” along with the motions. They were absolutely thrilled to have some choreography. I am going to enhance the music program this week and try to begin making a structured schedule so that the children will begin to have a specified time devoted to music. I think I will alternate days between teaching basic rhythm and notes on the few recorders that are here and teaching new songs. Oh, and I sang “Amazing Grace” while walking down the streets of Uganda with Irene, which is one of the orphans who is now in secondary school. It was a one of a kind experience. So amazing!! It appears that God did have a plan for my last second decision to become a music major J.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” ~Psalm 139:14

Before dinner on the first day, Ken took us to the orphanage for a welcome ceremony. As we pulled up in the truck, all 80 children charged us. They immediately began telling us all of their names and wanted to know ours. At New Hope, all of the volunteers and staff are referred to as ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle,’ so now I am Aunt Hayley all of the time. I know it is cliché, but it was an overwhelming experience to be so lovingly accepted by so many adoring children. I feel for the first time that I have seen true exuberant joy when I see these children. We were herded into a room, which I later learned is used for church on Sundays and chapel on Wednesdays, where the children proceeded to welcome us with song and dance! The African Children’s Choir has nothing on these little ones! J Seriously though, they are so amazing. Even the smallest of the children dance better than anyone I’ve ever seen. One of the tiniest boys, Ashraph, captured my full attention as I watched his face light up as he sang and danced. Every time he would see me smile at him, he would get shy and smirk! Ah, he has stolen my heart! This is why I have felt pulled to Uganda for so long. To see the joy that exudes from these children greatly overshadows any of the petty complaints that I may have about being away from the comforts of home.

Talk to you all soon! May God bless you!!