lost and long overdue

something Ugandans say when they haven’t seen you or heard from you in awhile, which could easily be one day or one year, is “you’ve been lost” and sadly, I most certainly have been lost from my friends and family in America… for more than 4 months now. I think now is the time to give everyone a little life update, so here it is:

I’m moving onto my 5th month since I arrived back in Uganda for my year long adventure of being social media manager and boy, am I loving it. taking pictures of the people and place I love most happens to be the. best. job. ever. I get to capture raw, authentic moments into a picture that will last forever.

In the midst of snapping pictures, I have also had the privilege of building personal relationships with so many people within the village. In my time here, I have realized that I am a people person. I want to know their names, their stories, and just be around them. I genuinely enjoy spending time with the people of Nawabango. as much as I love these people and this place, my heart continues to break a little more when I realize Satan has a foothold in the door of the village I am so fond of. Let me tell you, my friend, the devil is at work and sometimes decides to clock in early while clocking out late, as well. Some things you can just never unsee or unfeel, like when I found out both of my sponsor son’s parents are HIV positive. or when I found out that Robert, a boy I met in 2017, died randomly because of liver problems. or when I found out a mother that I loved abandoned her 5 children in their home to starve and has no interest in supporting them. or when I found out my best friend, Samu, has no idea when his birthday is. or when I found out a girl I personally know is possessed. These things are only a few of the incidents that I have found myself at my knees pleading and asking God why? and every single time, I am reminded of the word that has rested on my soul since the first time I came to Uganda in the summer of 2017. afuga, which means He reigns. and boy, oh boy, is that the best truth He can speak over me in times of grief, anger, and confusion.

As much as I want to know all the answers, God has been teaching me that I don’t need to know them. it’s only a want, a mere desire and I’m currently learning how to desire what the Lord desires for me – it’s not as easy as it seems – I desire to get married. have children. write not just one but two books. travel the world. maybe even have a dog? BUT I don’t want those things if they don’t align with what God has for me, because as we all know – He always knows best, He always has the best plans and He always gives us just what we need. not what we want.

He has also been teaching me that I am a lover and I am victorious. there isn’t much I can go into details about when or why God chose to speak those words over this season yet, but I have found peace and comfort in both of them.

As much as I want to write about all the things I’ve seen, done or am learning – I also just want to tell you about my daily life. I feel like people expect me to be living this crazy life where I’m constantly praying and evangelizing or rebuking and claiming the name of Jesus throughout all these villages, and as some of that is true – the majority of the life I live is building friendships and relationships with the people in the villages of Kawanda, Nawabango, Wabatungulu, Gualemetala, Namatovu, or Wabayuba. I just talk to them. love them. serve them. be in community with them. I have become friend, daughter, Maama, auntie, and sister.

every morning I wake up at the crack of dawn to start my day in devotions with the staff of EAC. then I make my way to the kitchen where I either eat porridge, plain bread, or 3 boiled eggs. once I finish eating breakfast, our teams sets off for “morning program,” which normally consists of cleaning the compound, serving at the school, or doing manual labor – which happens to be my least favorite (not a shocker at all, coming from the least athletic person I know). then I head back to the kitchen to eat lunch and yes, that means rice and beans. every. day. although, this week I’ve chose to only eat rice because I’m sick of beans but I’m sure I’ll switch next week when I’m over rice. after stuffing my face, I normally go to take a nap or read a book. it all depends on my mood. at 3 o’clock, our team is off and out in the village attending our “afternoon program,” which can consist of children’s programs, Jjajja (grandparent) visits, child follow-up visits, or our youth program. Most of these programs happen in one of the 6 villages I mentioned in the previous paragraph. after we return home, I then go straight to the shower to 1) cool off and 2) clean off because walking for hours is tiring, hot and you sweat. a lot. then, I make my way to the kitchen where I eat dinner. we normally have a variety of foods; spaghetti, chapati, fried eggs, potatoes, ground beef, matooke, green beans, zucchini, and lots of pineapple. our team ends the day with evening devotions, Monday through Wednesday, and normally a movie on Thursday and Friday. and then I go to sleep and repeat.

With the new year started, I decided to make realistic goals for the year of 2019, and working out or running every day is not on the list. My four main goals are: 1. read one book a month – January: Friend of Sinners by Rich Wilkerson Jr. February: Who is my Neighbor? by Coach Wayne L. Gordon, 2. find joy in the simple things that would normally go unseen, 3. learn how to cook traditional Ugandan food, and 4. learn all 450 children’s names at Empowered Leaders Primary School.

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I want to first apologize for this long overdue blog, but if you would like to follow along a bit more regularly – I want to encourage you to follow my personal instagram and Empower a Child’s instagram to keep up with what is happening on this side of the globe! You can find both usernames to the right of the desktop or at the bottom of your cellphone.