Another week has FLOWN by, and we're now to the "count down" days. Only 5 more days left of teaching our incredible kids, 2 more biblestudies with the girls, 2 more Sunday afternoon biblestudies, and 14 days left here in what now feels like our home, Uganda. It's a wonderful feeling and such a blessing to have TWO places I now think of as home and have my heart in. I am eager to see return to America and be with my sweet family and friends again, but my heart hurts at the very thought of having to leave the Eby's, the children at Zana, or this country in and of itself. It is truly something I thank the Lord for though, that He has given me an abundance of things to be thankful for on both sides of the world, in two opposite countries.
Lets see though, this week was filled with craziness at school as we administered mid-terms to the children each day. A mid-term for my Top Class tests their skills in language, social development, mathematics, and English. Unfortunately though, a lot of the material that was on the tests, were concepts that the children either had not understood when being taught, or had never even seen. Many words like "pineapple" and "sugarcane" were far above their reading level, making the questions that required them to draw these fruits quite difficult. It was hard for me to ignore their requests for help, and I can't lie, many times, I aided them and helped them along on a question until I was pretty much just telling them the answer myself:) I also couldn't help but smile when they were obviously NOT supposed to be helping each other, but the more intelligent ones would whisper the answer to those that are not quite as far along in the learning process. How could I discourage teamwork and being a good friend and helper? It just seemed wrong;) Needless to say, it was a full week, and one where I am thankful that the children are getting an education at all, but it also made me think about how much I would LOVE to stay here and give my life to helping educate these children in numerous ways and with various techniques that aren't used here yet. I just realized as I watched them take these tests, how important education is for them, how it is the only way that they will be able to help support themselves, their families one day, and even help influence their community and country. I am praying that if the Lord ever gives me the opportunity, I could come back and have a class of my own to teach, loving them each through their struggles and successes:) My heart is wrapped around these sweet children, to leave them in a week is going to hurt more than words can say. But it is such a comfort as I sit and look around the room everyday praying for them individually, that I know that even when I leave our great Heavenly Father will still be present here and will take care of them far better than I ever could!
Besides school everyday, we had wonderful biblestudies on Tuesday and Thursday on Purity and being ready for the coming back of Christ. The girls in our biblestudy asked many more questions this week, and we are so so encouraged with how we see them wanting to know more of the Word and what living for Christ looks like tangibly. There are many that are already so full of wisdom and know so much about the Scripture, and they are a constant encouragement and joy for me to listen to and learn from also. We also took another little outing on Tuesday to Kampala with Joel and Rebecca, as we made our way to the Cineplex downtown for a half-priced movie:) After two hours of waiting in traffic, we walked into the movie, hands full of popcorn and cokes! When we walked in Mary and I didn't know the movie had started (seeing how Joel had chosen the movie and we really had no idea what we were even seeing!). We sat down, talking pretty loudly, laughing, commenting on how much we loved a certain actor on the screen, thinking the whole time that we were watching the previews, and like all Americans at movies, you discuss each preview right?! Welllllll we soon learned, with a little bit of embarrassment, that this WAS the movie, not a preview, and we mine as well have been disrupting the whole place! I am sure every Ugandan in there was thinking, "Ignorant Muzungus" haha! We had a blast seeing "Battleship" though, and the four of us sang the whole way home, windows down, just enjoying a beautiful Ugandan night.
In our afternoons, Mr. Dave has pulled out some different movies for us to watch on Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses lately, and they have been so educational and just fascinating, yet saddening to watch too. As we have learned about these people, we have seen men and women who believe they must kill each other for blood atonement, or a family that almost let their baby girl die because their belief in being a Jehovah's Witness did not allow for their daughter to be given a blood transfusion. It is heart breaking to see what choices people make due to the ideas and false teaching that other religions provide. While watching these though it hit me, why was I, Kadie Allen Payne, chosen by the Creator of the entire Universe, to be His daughter? Why wasn't I born in to a family that did not raise me to be a Christian? Where I might be in a home where they believe that their faith and actions are getting them to Heaven, but because they are not following Christ, their eternity is really in hell right now. I have been pondering so much on why do I get to be a Christian, saved by grace alone, who gets to spend eternity with the Father? Every bit of the Gospel: being chosen, being crucified for, I'm absolutely so underserving of and it baffles me beyond belief. This thought though, this recognition of how undeserving I am to have been chosen by God Himself, gives me such inspiration to share the Gospel more. One, because if I've been saved and chosen by this great price, then my only "debt" or "job" is to bring much glory to God. That's it, that's all God asks of me. That in return for Him giving up His perfect and blameless Son, He asks that I live a life that brings complete glory to Him. What deal could possibly be better than that?!:) But secondly, if I get this incredible blessing, I want to share it with as many as I can. I have know this my whole life. I know that there are non-believers, I know there are people going to hell. But I was once told that we should preach the Gospel to ourselves EVERY single day, and I think it' so true. Because with every single day, the Gospel becomes more real to me. And with that reality, comes a burning desire to share this Truth with those that are lost, so that they too can feel the incredible love and grace of what it means to be a daughter or son of the King.
On a sad note, I was told a story about one of the little girls in my class yesterday that brought me to tears. I have 35 children in my class, and although I love them all so much, it is hard to not want to hug on and love and laugh with the ones that are a little more outgoing and reciprocate the love. There is one sweet girl in my grade though whose name is Esther, and she is a little more reserved and less "lovey", but still so kind and always respectful and gracious. Yesterday, I was told about her life's story. A few years ago, when Esther was around 6 years old, she was seen limping with a cane on the side of the road by an MTW missionary here. The next day, the same missionary saw the her dragging herself now along the road, and so he stopped to see what was going on. Esther's leg was broken, and torn open, to the point where she had to have surgery and was hospitalized for 5 months to recover. It is said that he mother is absolutely crazy, like insane, and while the leg had been broken, she may have even taken part of the bone out of her daughter's leg. (This isn't actually 100% proven, but those I spoke to said this is what they heard). When Esther was better, her and her sister were taken back home now that she was healed. Within a day or two, the two sisters had run away from home back to the MTW missionary and another Pastor that lives here that had aided in Esther's recovery. The girl's mother had threatened to break Esther's leg again, and for years had been sending the girls out alone at night to get things for her, all along knowing that they were continually being raped by men in the town. The girls were removed from their home and are now in a safe living place and doing well in school for the most part. As I sit here and think about this story though, I am speechless when I think of all Esther has endured in her 8 years of living. I have not experienced HALF the pain that she has, half of the scars she will be left with, and I am twice her age. Although I already did love her, my heart goes out to her even more now, as I want to just hug her and wrap her up in my arms and tell her how much I love her. What I mostly pray though, is that Esther grows up not with resentment or bitterness, but instead a realization of how much Jesus loves her.
In hearing all this, I thought about how many other kids here have stories like that. How many teenagers or young children here have stories of violence or rape or have lived in the streets with nothing to eat before, no one who cares a thing in the world about them? It is hard to know, especially because many of my kids are limited in their ability to communicate in English. But it has opened my eyes to how much I want to show endless love and compassion and joy to every single individual I come in contact with, because you have no idea where they have been or what they are coming through. I pray that this realization will not only apply for me here, but that I will be convicted of this even more so in the US. It is so easy for us all to go about our busy days, and to love those that are maybe more talkative, show US love, or are involved in the things we are involved in. But I think about how every individual has a story, every person feels the effects of sin in this world, and has pain and suffering to some degree. I pray that my eyes will be opened to those that need encouragement and help, and that a day will not pass where I do not take the time to speak to a stranger, encourage someone I come in contact with, and take time out of my day to love on someone else. My biggest prayer here is that it will always be "less of me and more of Christ; less of me and more of others." I ask that you keep Esther in your prayers please, and also that this might challenge others like it has me, to reach out in love and gentleness to those the Lord places in our path.
Two weeks, that is all we have left from this exact day. My prayer is that these two weeks are filled with compassion, love, humility, teachability, grace, mercy, joy, and a desire to have God reveal more of Himself to us everyday. I continue to thank you for all the prayers, and hope you have a blessed Lord's day.
KK
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
A Day at Zana!
KK and I arrive at school around 9 o'clock each morning. It's been said that, "Americans have watches and Africans have time". Well we've grown quite accustomed to "Ugandan time"... so our 9 o'clock arrival time now ranges from 8:30- 9:30 depending on the morning.
Once we arrive at school KK and I go our separate ways. In my baby class I help teach, "mark" the books (which i'm doing in the picture on the above), keep the children quiet, prepare the lessons in the books, and whatever else that needs to be done.
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| This is one of my babies named Rina. She is probably 3 or 4 years old. She's a very sweet little girl! Always smiling! |
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| Here is the porridge most of the children take at break. I haven't been brave enough to try it... but by the looks of it i'd say it is close to a watered down version of our grits. |
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| The children sitting on their mats taking their "eats" at break. This is when teacher KK and I usually go to tea with the other teachers. |
Lunch time rolls around at 1:30... Unfortunately, no fortunately, we only eat at school on Tuesday's and Thursday's because we have Bible study with the secondary girls.
Take a look at the picture on the right! That, my friend, is our "Thursday special"! Mmmmmmm.... We get mitoki (the yellow), pocha (the white), and fish with the peanut sauce (the red). Mitoki is a cooked banana mash... The texture is more or less like mashed potatoes but it has a really sweet flavor. I'm not entirely sure what pocha is... I think it's maze but you'd never guess because it's utterly tasteless! The peanut sauce is made with red, African g-nuts. They boil them with water until they become soft and then, using their hands, squeeze them into a soupy sauce... and finally, boil in some fish giving it a nice fishy-peanuty flavor... It's actually rather delicious.
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| I can't believe I'd made it this far without getting something! But, lo and behold, ringworm! We think I got it from one of my babies... They love to touch and hug! But it's all worth it! |
- Mary Grace
Dear Dad,
Dear Dad,
Happy Father's Day! I'm sending my love from Africa! Here's a BIG, cyber, bear hug!!! I love you so very much! I've been thinking a lot about all you said on the eve of my graduation and it is making college seem like such a reality. On August 15th, I will move into my dorm...and will officially live 10 hours (13 hours if an Owen's driving) away from home! Although I don't know everything my future holds, I am certain of one thing... I will miss my daddy immensely! I hope you have a splendid Father's Day! Wish I was there to celebrate with you!
- Mary Grace
It's Like Disney World!!....Ugandan Style:)
The close of another week is here, and I literally can’t
believe that three weeks from tomorrow we will be boarding a plane to come back
to America. I am not going to lie, the idea of getting to see my sweet family,
friends, boyfriend, church family and sorority sisters excites me!.... but the
void I am going to feel in leaving the children I teach, the Ebys, this
culture, this country, is immeasurable. Although, let me tell you, food might
be the only thing that can really make Mary and I leave Uganda.:) Everyday we
go running we talk about the food we miss! We are always looking up different
recipes to make (usually involving oatsJ),
my pinterest food board has increased by like 100 pins as I am CONSTANTLY
looking at pictures of American delicacies, and I even dream of food: pancakes,
sweet tea, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chocolate
covered strawberries, zoes salads, street café, Pannie George’s ( a restaurant
in Auburn). It’s almost become a little ridiculous! Ha as I am thinking about
this now, this is so not important to anybody really, but thought instead of
sharing my heart today, I would share with you the thoughts of my stomach!
Anyways, totally going to diverge off of the subject of food
seeing how it is SO unimportant, and instead tell you about our past week! We
have had a wonderful 4th week, and as always, God has continued to
bless our efforts and our relationships here. Teaching Top Class becomes more
fun with every morning, and I am so proud to officially know all of their names
finally! I am getting very close with Teacher Dorkus as we spend each day
grading and preparing books with one another, and I love asking her about her
childhood, her family, culture, and anything else I can to gain insight from
her. The kids continue to steal my heart away as we sing, dance, laugh, clap,
read stories, spell, count, and just love on each other. I can’t believe I am
only getting 10 more days to teach them. It will be a very emotional day that
Friday that I see them last. I never knew I could become so attached in this
short of a time. Although I love them all, I have become particularly fond of
Silver, Rino, Alliya, Patricia, Anisha, and Smile. These children have filled
my heart with so much joy and I thank God for the promise of Heaven, because
Lord willing, even if I never see them again here on earth, I will be given
eternity with them.
Mary and I led our bible study with the older girls this
week on “love”, and what that looks like as a godly young woman. We focused on
the greatest example of love that we have been shown, Christ Jesus and His
death for us. But then we also dove in to how our greatest love and passion
should be living for Christ, and how to check our own lives on whether or not
Christ is at the center, and if we are loving as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us to.
What a wonderful opportunity to help them grow, but also be reminded of these
truths and challenges for our own lives also. I pray that these girls see the
brokenness of Mary and I both, but the power and strength that God is able to
display through our weaknesses. He is so so good.
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| Our Fearless Teahers: Jennifer, Dorkus, and Jovis |
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| Eager to Ride their First Rollar Coaster! |
Most exciting of this week though was WONDER WORLD!! On
Friday, the five of us baby class and top class teachers took 34 students to
the amusement park here, Wonder World. We arrived at school an hour early (at
8) like instructed to, because we would be leaving around 8: 30. That of course
was without taking Ugandan time into consideration, so we actually were picked
up by the bus at 10:30. We loaded everyone on the Zana church bus and drove
about 30 minutes to this so-called park, one that I had zero expectations
about. As we pulled up, it was a little different than our typical Disney World
theme park, but it looked full of exciting rides nonetheless! We unloaded
everyone, once again 34 kids, aging from 2-8 years old. After eating our snack
in the parking lot, we proceeded inside, where we helped the kids board their
first ride, the Caterpillar Rollercoaster! Watching the children was absolutely
priceless. Some were laughing, yelling, loving it. And others were crying,
going ballistic, begging to be let off. Needless to say, it was the only ride
of the day for some of the younger ones after such a traumatic event!
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| All Smiles! |
We spent the whole day leading them from ride to ride,
laughing with them, hugging them, holding their hands, taking TONS of pictures
of them, keeping up with them, counting heads every two minutes, correcting
them, telling them “no” to the ice cream cart or going down the water slide.
Most of all, I got to feel like a mommy for a day, and I absolutely loved it.
It was so beyond wonderful to spend a day with the children outside of the
school environment. I was filled with such joy as I watched their faces light
up with every ride, every sight they saw, and the soda they so enjoyed at lunchJ After hours of running
and playing, we waited outside for the bus to come pick us up at what was
supposed to be 4:00. Of course, he was there at 5:30. We loaded the 34
exhausted, some sleeping, many hungry, children onto the bus and made our way
back home after an unforgettable day.
The thing I am most amazed by is how God once again just
shows me His faithfulness and love. On Thursday, I had been a little bit
homesick at night. It is now a month since being home and with those I love,
and I was feeling a bit sad. I woke up Friday and was praying during my quiet
time that I would remember God’s promises. I know that dwelling on God and
having Him as the center of my heart and mind produce joy and contentment. I
also know that God says He will never forsake me, He is always present no
matter where I am or what I am doing. With both of those being said, I know
that I can be joyful and content no matter what because I have the love of God
at all times! I watched God give me a day like yesterday that I will never forget
with these children I love dearly. As we rode home yesterday, I looked around
at 34 little faces (many asleep on my lap), and thanked God for them. I looked
out the window at a country that speaks more of God’s creativity and beauty
than any other place I have ever seen. I saw people and a culture that are full
of graciousness and compassion, and that I am blessed to even get to be a part
of for a small time. I saw God once again showing me that HE alone is joy and
happiness. He is ALL I need, because He gives the greatest blessings I could
ever imagine! |
| Three of My Absolute Favorite Kids: Silver, Anisha, Rino...I Will Cry When I Leave Them |
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| My Precious Anisha Loving the Swings |
On a funny note, being at the park did have it’s interesting
moments. At the first ride, the Ugandan worker there handed Mary and I his card
and asked if we could meet him Saturday to hang out. He also said he would be
coming to the states soon and wanted to know if maybe we could meet up. Ha, we
were both like “ummmm…I don’t think that is going to happen, sorry!” Then at
the next ride I had a man hand me a little girl and hold up a camera to take a
picture of us. I said, “Sir, I don’t even know this little girl, she doesn’t go
to Zana.” He knew that, but still pressed for the picture. It wasn’t that he
wanted it of the little girl, he wanted it of the American, me. This trend
continued as countless other male teachers approached us asking if we could
come teach at their schools also, or if we could send friends back from America
to teach for them. To all these requests and questions, I finally learned to
say the word “NO” quite fluidly;) The funniest part was too, that we were
almost part of the fair as a spectacle for the other school kids at Wonder
World. I forget that we stick out like a sore thumb sometimes, because to our
children we are just “teacher KK and teacher Grace”, but the other hundreds we
were constantly waving and yelling “Muzungu, Muzungu!!” All of these events
added up made for a day I will never forget, and one I am more thankful to have
experienced than words can say.
We are looking forward to church tomorrow, and praying that
God allows us to continue to seek Him in all we do with these last 3 weeks.
That we will not be complacent ever, that nothing will feel “comfortable”
necessarily, but that we would be given opportunities to be bold and courageous
for Him everyday! Please keep Mr. Dave in your prayers also as he begins his
return for home from Atlanta tomorrow afternoon.
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| My Favorite Man in The Entire World! |
Lastly though, it is almost midnight here, and therefore it
is Father’s Day already! I wanted to say Happy Father’s Day to my own dadJ Dad, I hope you have
the most wonderful day, and I am sorry that I am once again gone on this
special day for you!;) I hope you know how much I absolutely adore you though,
and how much I tear up from happiness at the thought of getting to see you in
three weeks. I can’t begin to express my thanks to you in letting me take this
trip and being such an encouragement throughout it all. I will never be the
same because of this opportunity. Not a day goes by where I don’t thank God for
your leadership, strength, work ethic, providing for our family, humor, love,
zeal for Christ, and most of all your example for me of what a godly husband
and father look like. I pray fervently that God gives me a husband who fears
the Lord like you do, and I thank you for loving me unconditionally everyday.
You are my dad, the first man I ever loved and the longest lasting of my loveJ I hope you have a
blessed Father’s Day, and even though I am 8,000 miles away, know I am thinking
about you, praying for you, and can’t tell you enough how much I love you.
KK
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| Adorable Alliya and Rino Posing:)...couldn't make this one fit up top, but too cute to cut out! |
Monday, June 11, 2012
When I am weak, then I am strong.
"I looked back at Bobby, who was steering the boat and smiled. How strange that I had gotten to this place, that I felt the way I did about these people. It was God who had brought me. I never would have come myself. And even if I had wanted to, I could never have made it past all the problems, past the loneliness, past the danger. In fact I never would have left my home in Minneapolis if I had not had His powerful, determined Presence inside me." - Bruce Olson, Bruchko
As a boy, Bruce Olson was the definition of a weakling. He had contracted bronchitis as a young child and never regained full strength. His body was tall, lanky, and uncoordinated. His piers nicknamed him "bug-eyes" and "four-eyes" because of his thick glasses. His favorite place to be was alone in his room surrounded by books. And he had only one friend, Kent Lagne.
When he was fourteen years old, he asked the question, "Who is my God?" He began reading his Bible in search of an answer and came across a verse that "sent electricity jingling through [his] body". "For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." He remembered a verse in Romans that said, "If thou shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him [Christ] from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
He couldn't believe salvation was as easy as believing. He talked with God, praying that he would be changed and made new. Bruce says, "I knew that I was being saved. I felt miserable and broken, and sick of myself. But I also realized a peace coming into me. It wasn't something dead and passive, that peace. It wasn't just a silence ending the war inside me. It was alive, and it was making me alive. I could feel that I was going to be able to like myself. And I knew that I didn't ever want that peace, that stillness to go away."
God began to give Bruce a hunger for the scriptures. He attended church with his friend Kent and began to grow in spiritual knowledge. One week the church had a Missions Conference. Bruce remembered a missionary who spoke, "Jesus wants more of you. He wants more than your lip service to the great cause for missions. It's your responsibility to take the Gospel of Christ to these people. Otherwise their blood will be required of you." After hearing this Bruce was anything but attracted to missions. He prayed, "Listen, God, these missionaries are ridiculous. They wear tennis shoes in the pulpit. Their prayer letters aren't even written in English. And their theology. They're always talking about hell and damnation. Where is their love for the people they're living among? They're failures, Lord. They can't make it in normal life, so they go off to be missionaries.... But I can succeed here, Father. Everyone agrees. Why should I have to work with naked, starving people?.... Why can't I be your servant here in Minneapolis?"
Bruce Olson had a life of success ahead of him. He was on his way to becoming a professor of languages, get a Ph. D in philology. But something inside of him said, "That isn't what God wants you to do."
Bruce Olson was called to missions.
At nineteen years old, Bruce Olson left home against his parents' wishes and travelled to South America. He has lived with the Motilone Indians since 1961. He has reduced their language into writing, translated several New Testament books into the Motilone language, taught the Motilones health measures, agricultural techniques, and the value of preserving their cultural heritage. His efforts have won him the personal friendship of five presidents of Colombia, appearances before the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and many honors for his contribution to the medical and social wellbeing of the Motilone Indians.
Bruce Olson's life is a testimony to the weak. "How strange that I had gotten to this place, that I felt the way I did about these people. It was God who had brought me. I never would have come myself. And even if I had wanted to, I could never have made it past all the problems, past the loneliness, past the danger. In fact I never would have left my home in Minneapolis if I had not had His powerful, determined Presence inside me."
Here, I find myself in Uganda serving and teaching at Zana Community Christian School. Three weeks in and I am becoming weary. As time goes on, the days grow longer and the children all the more difficult... and I am reminded that I am weak.
Like Bruce Olson, I find it strange that I am here in this place, that I love these people the way I do. Although I wanted to come, I could have never made it on my own. Past the problems, past the loneliness, past the danger. I am here only because of His powerful, determined Presence inside me.
As a boy, Bruce Olson was the definition of a weakling. He had contracted bronchitis as a young child and never regained full strength. His body was tall, lanky, and uncoordinated. His piers nicknamed him "bug-eyes" and "four-eyes" because of his thick glasses. His favorite place to be was alone in his room surrounded by books. And he had only one friend, Kent Lagne.
When he was fourteen years old, he asked the question, "Who is my God?" He began reading his Bible in search of an answer and came across a verse that "sent electricity jingling through [his] body". "For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." He remembered a verse in Romans that said, "If thou shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him [Christ] from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
He couldn't believe salvation was as easy as believing. He talked with God, praying that he would be changed and made new. Bruce says, "I knew that I was being saved. I felt miserable and broken, and sick of myself. But I also realized a peace coming into me. It wasn't something dead and passive, that peace. It wasn't just a silence ending the war inside me. It was alive, and it was making me alive. I could feel that I was going to be able to like myself. And I knew that I didn't ever want that peace, that stillness to go away."
God began to give Bruce a hunger for the scriptures. He attended church with his friend Kent and began to grow in spiritual knowledge. One week the church had a Missions Conference. Bruce remembered a missionary who spoke, "Jesus wants more of you. He wants more than your lip service to the great cause for missions. It's your responsibility to take the Gospel of Christ to these people. Otherwise their blood will be required of you." After hearing this Bruce was anything but attracted to missions. He prayed, "Listen, God, these missionaries are ridiculous. They wear tennis shoes in the pulpit. Their prayer letters aren't even written in English. And their theology. They're always talking about hell and damnation. Where is their love for the people they're living among? They're failures, Lord. They can't make it in normal life, so they go off to be missionaries.... But I can succeed here, Father. Everyone agrees. Why should I have to work with naked, starving people?.... Why can't I be your servant here in Minneapolis?"
Bruce Olson had a life of success ahead of him. He was on his way to becoming a professor of languages, get a Ph. D in philology. But something inside of him said, "That isn't what God wants you to do."
Bruce Olson was called to missions.
At nineteen years old, Bruce Olson left home against his parents' wishes and travelled to South America. He has lived with the Motilone Indians since 1961. He has reduced their language into writing, translated several New Testament books into the Motilone language, taught the Motilones health measures, agricultural techniques, and the value of preserving their cultural heritage. His efforts have won him the personal friendship of five presidents of Colombia, appearances before the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and many honors for his contribution to the medical and social wellbeing of the Motilone Indians.
Bruce Olson's life is a testimony to the weak. "How strange that I had gotten to this place, that I felt the way I did about these people. It was God who had brought me. I never would have come myself. And even if I had wanted to, I could never have made it past all the problems, past the loneliness, past the danger. In fact I never would have left my home in Minneapolis if I had not had His powerful, determined Presence inside me."
Here, I find myself in Uganda serving and teaching at Zana Community Christian School. Three weeks in and I am becoming weary. As time goes on, the days grow longer and the children all the more difficult... and I am reminded that I am weak.
Like Bruce Olson, I find it strange that I am here in this place, that I love these people the way I do. Although I wanted to come, I could have never made it on my own. Past the problems, past the loneliness, past the danger. I am here only because of His powerful, determined Presence inside me.
- Mary Grace
Jesus Loves the Little Children!
In our typical fashion, we are once again a little behind on the blogging. BUT we have a good excuse this time, seeing as we have only had power for a couple of hours in the past 5 days, it has been near impossible to keep these posts up to date! Therefore, as always, I have a million things to say, and because I didn't space them out over many days like I should have, I will just pile them all into one blog:)
Let's see, so Wednesday as school was finishing up for the day and Mary and I were about to make our walk back home, Patrick (the Zana school Headmaster) offered to give us a ride home because it looked like it was going to rain. I was of course like, "Oh no, we're fine, we'll just walk don't worry!" But he insisted, and so just as we pulled out of the school in his car, it began to rain. But not just rain, I mean like it began to absolutely POUR!! We were having to take another teacher to a school about 15 minutes away, and let me tell you, it was one of the scariest car rides I have ever been in. The rain was coming down so hard that the road were becoming rivers, everything was flooding, you could not see 2 feet in front of you, and to make matters worse, Patrick's windshield was fogging up horribly. It was literally like driving a car blindly, and with Ugandan traffic, you do NOT want any more factors to be added to the already crazy roads! All to say, we made it home safely, and I am SO grateful for Patrick's wisdom in not letting the little American girl walk just because she thinks she can:) With that storm though, our power was knocked out, and besides it coming on for a few hours Saturday evening, we have been without it since Wednesday until this very moment. There are times when it is fun to brush your teeth or read by candlelight, or eat dinner with candles, but then there are those moments in the middle of the night when you need to get to the bathroom realllyyy badddllyyy but you run in to four walls trying to get there... doesn't seem as fun then. Needless to say, I will not be taking the power here for granted anymore and am EXTREMELY grateful for the days it is working!
The past few days we have continued to enjoy teaching, learning more and more of the what the children are like as individuals, learning personalities, and FINALLY memorizing all the names! They continue to wear me out with their energy and at the age of 6, everyone loves to tattle on their neighbor. Thus, I get a constant stream of "Teacher, this one's beating me!" "Teacher, teacher, this one is shouting!" "Teacher, give me rubber!" (which is the eraser). It is constantly overwhelming for sure, but I continue to do my best to teach them things like sharing and forgiving. It is so funny here too, because being from the south and just having been raised with manners, I am all about saying "Please" and "Thank You", but that is not something that they really say here culturally. So every time the kids want something, they say, "Give me this one." "You go away" "Hand me!" I am constantly telling them, "Say Please", but I am not exactly sure it is going to stick. I have just had to come to terms with the fact that they are not being rude at all, they just say things by their tone of voice rather than words.
We had our first biblestudy on Thursday afternoon with ten of the 16 and 17 year old girls, and I am SO encouraged and excited to have this opportunity to be with them. Mary and I are going to go through what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like, and really challenge them on what it means to be a woman of God. They were so precious, and already I can't wait to be asked questions and teach them, but also ask them questions and learn more about their culture and ideas too. On Sunday afternoon, we began our other biblestudy we are doing with the girls that board at Zana School. We had 18 girls come, and spent time singing worship music, praying together, and just answering any and all questions they had for us. We are going to be spending time going in depth on the fruits of the spirit these next few weeks with them, and learning how to apply them to our life, and then pray for each other to be filled with these fruits also. All these girls, younger or older, are constantly thanking us for our time and for wanting to teach them. What I wish they could understand is how much of a blessing and honor it is for Mary and I to even be given this opportunity. The Lord has opened doors for us to teach the young children, and now minister to the older. It is just such a testament of the countless ways the Lord is allowing us to be His vessels!
So that is kind of a summary of the highlights of the past few days, but the biggest news for me personally is about Anisha! After talking to the school, I discovered that Anisha does not have parents paying for her education, and in fact, she has not even paid for this past term and was about to be turned away for next semester. Although my heart is broken for her and her story, I am thanking God so much for opening a door for me to help her and be a part of her life! I have no idea why God placed her so heavily on my heart, or why I ended up getting to teach her class, but I am thrilled by how the Lord can use me and my family in her life! Sunday, Patrick took me to go to her home and speak with her aunt who keeps her. As I heard the aunt tell me her story, my heart broke. Anisha's father died years ago, and when this happened, her mom realized she couldn't provide for her anymore. Her mother lives in a very very rural village about 80 miles away, and gets to see Anisha VERY seldomnly, whenever she can save enough money to make the trip. Anisha was sent to live with her aunt in the city, in Zana. The aunt does not even have the funds to take care of her really either, and the best she can do is have her a meal to eat every night. Neighbors have helped buy her books occasionally, or her uniform, but at the end of the day, Anisha plays a guessing game of when the school will tell her she can't come back because she hasn't paid. This little 6 year old girl has had to drop out of school once before when they ran out of money, but my prayer is that through me and my family, she will never have to face that situation again! I am talking with two organizations this week about what sponsoring Anisha will look like, and how we can make this tangibly happen. My parents have been incredible, and are all on board for us being a part of this precious girls life!
After watching a movie on the Lost Boys of Sudan the other night, my eyes were really opened to so many things, and Mr. Dave said something that was such a great reminder, "To whom much is given, much is required." As Americans, we have been blessed far beyond most, but with that, we are called to give freely and help increase the Kingdom of Heaven. To help keep Anisha in school, with food at lunch, a uniform, books, pencils, and a medical checkup, it will only cost roughly $30 a month. THIRTY DOLLARS A MONTH!? Think about what $30 usually means to you. Going to two movies maybe. Eating out 2 or 3 times. But, that money is also enough to help give children here a future and an opportunity to be educated and continue to be taught the Word of God at Zana. Anisha is not the only one who needs help financially. There are countless children who do not have parents, or have families that can't provide for them no matter how hard they try. I just want to challenge everyone to have an eternal outlook, and to really ask the Lord where you can begin to give your money, time and life away to. I know not everyone can adopt a child from another country, and some may not even be able to sponsor them financially, but you CAN keep these children in your thoughts and prayers. It has been overwhelming to watch the joy that these children have, when they literally have nothing possession wise. I know people say that all time about 3rd world country kids, but I truly mean it. There are two girls at Zana, Queen and Howa, who are sisters. Years ago, their father abandoned them and their mother is an alcoholic who won't take care of them. They were always seen peaking into Zana school, when finally Patrick asked if they wanted to attend school there. He took a leap of faith, that God would provide, and he allowed them to begin school as he paid for it little by little himself. The girls were Muslims, and have now become Christians. When they were given their first Bible's they took them home, where their mother took them from them and tried to sell them for money for alcohol. The girls now live at Zana, in a more safe environment, and the mother has nothing to do with them any longer.
I want to share these stories, because I hope it stirs you to realize how incredibly blessed we are, but also how God calls us to love and take care of the orphans and widows, and maybe through this God can pull at your heart to help a child just like He has for me and my family. I am in not asking everyone to call me up and ask to sponsor a child, (although I would LOVE if you did!...seriously!), but mostly I ask that you keep these children close to your heart through prayer, and that you do not forget that Jesus is our ultimate joy and satisfaction, just like these children display for me everyday. God is doing incredible things through Zana school, the leaders who give their time and love so freely, and I am humbled beyond belief to even get to be a small part of it. God is opening my eyes to so many of my own sins and complacency, and my greatest prayer is that I never return to Montgomery or Auburn the same, but that I will always remember His faithfulness while here, and the things I have seen. Please keep Anisha in your prayers also, and that God would give me guidance and direction on how to best serve her and show her the love of Jesus!!
As always, this is way too much for people to read again, but I want everyone to see the splendor and love and graciousness of our God that I am getting to see everyday here! We are excited about this week ahead of us, and can't believe how quickly it is all flying by. Also, please keep Mr. Dave in your prayers as he files to Atlanta for a few days on Wednesday. Praying that God is more real to you all with every passing moment, and that you cherish Christ more everyday.
-KK
Let's see, so Wednesday as school was finishing up for the day and Mary and I were about to make our walk back home, Patrick (the Zana school Headmaster) offered to give us a ride home because it looked like it was going to rain. I was of course like, "Oh no, we're fine, we'll just walk don't worry!" But he insisted, and so just as we pulled out of the school in his car, it began to rain. But not just rain, I mean like it began to absolutely POUR!! We were having to take another teacher to a school about 15 minutes away, and let me tell you, it was one of the scariest car rides I have ever been in. The rain was coming down so hard that the road were becoming rivers, everything was flooding, you could not see 2 feet in front of you, and to make matters worse, Patrick's windshield was fogging up horribly. It was literally like driving a car blindly, and with Ugandan traffic, you do NOT want any more factors to be added to the already crazy roads! All to say, we made it home safely, and I am SO grateful for Patrick's wisdom in not letting the little American girl walk just because she thinks she can:) With that storm though, our power was knocked out, and besides it coming on for a few hours Saturday evening, we have been without it since Wednesday until this very moment. There are times when it is fun to brush your teeth or read by candlelight, or eat dinner with candles, but then there are those moments in the middle of the night when you need to get to the bathroom realllyyy badddllyyy but you run in to four walls trying to get there... doesn't seem as fun then. Needless to say, I will not be taking the power here for granted anymore and am EXTREMELY grateful for the days it is working!
The past few days we have continued to enjoy teaching, learning more and more of the what the children are like as individuals, learning personalities, and FINALLY memorizing all the names! They continue to wear me out with their energy and at the age of 6, everyone loves to tattle on their neighbor. Thus, I get a constant stream of "Teacher, this one's beating me!" "Teacher, teacher, this one is shouting!" "Teacher, give me rubber!" (which is the eraser). It is constantly overwhelming for sure, but I continue to do my best to teach them things like sharing and forgiving. It is so funny here too, because being from the south and just having been raised with manners, I am all about saying "Please" and "Thank You", but that is not something that they really say here culturally. So every time the kids want something, they say, "Give me this one." "You go away" "Hand me!" I am constantly telling them, "Say Please", but I am not exactly sure it is going to stick. I have just had to come to terms with the fact that they are not being rude at all, they just say things by their tone of voice rather than words.
We had our first biblestudy on Thursday afternoon with ten of the 16 and 17 year old girls, and I am SO encouraged and excited to have this opportunity to be with them. Mary and I are going to go through what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like, and really challenge them on what it means to be a woman of God. They were so precious, and already I can't wait to be asked questions and teach them, but also ask them questions and learn more about their culture and ideas too. On Sunday afternoon, we began our other biblestudy we are doing with the girls that board at Zana School. We had 18 girls come, and spent time singing worship music, praying together, and just answering any and all questions they had for us. We are going to be spending time going in depth on the fruits of the spirit these next few weeks with them, and learning how to apply them to our life, and then pray for each other to be filled with these fruits also. All these girls, younger or older, are constantly thanking us for our time and for wanting to teach them. What I wish they could understand is how much of a blessing and honor it is for Mary and I to even be given this opportunity. The Lord has opened doors for us to teach the young children, and now minister to the older. It is just such a testament of the countless ways the Lord is allowing us to be His vessels!
So that is kind of a summary of the highlights of the past few days, but the biggest news for me personally is about Anisha! After talking to the school, I discovered that Anisha does not have parents paying for her education, and in fact, she has not even paid for this past term and was about to be turned away for next semester. Although my heart is broken for her and her story, I am thanking God so much for opening a door for me to help her and be a part of her life! I have no idea why God placed her so heavily on my heart, or why I ended up getting to teach her class, but I am thrilled by how the Lord can use me and my family in her life! Sunday, Patrick took me to go to her home and speak with her aunt who keeps her. As I heard the aunt tell me her story, my heart broke. Anisha's father died years ago, and when this happened, her mom realized she couldn't provide for her anymore. Her mother lives in a very very rural village about 80 miles away, and gets to see Anisha VERY seldomnly, whenever she can save enough money to make the trip. Anisha was sent to live with her aunt in the city, in Zana. The aunt does not even have the funds to take care of her really either, and the best she can do is have her a meal to eat every night. Neighbors have helped buy her books occasionally, or her uniform, but at the end of the day, Anisha plays a guessing game of when the school will tell her she can't come back because she hasn't paid. This little 6 year old girl has had to drop out of school once before when they ran out of money, but my prayer is that through me and my family, she will never have to face that situation again! I am talking with two organizations this week about what sponsoring Anisha will look like, and how we can make this tangibly happen. My parents have been incredible, and are all on board for us being a part of this precious girls life!
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| Anisha, her aunt, and myself at Anisha's home! |
I want to share these stories, because I hope it stirs you to realize how incredibly blessed we are, but also how God calls us to love and take care of the orphans and widows, and maybe through this God can pull at your heart to help a child just like He has for me and my family. I am in not asking everyone to call me up and ask to sponsor a child, (although I would LOVE if you did!...seriously!), but mostly I ask that you keep these children close to your heart through prayer, and that you do not forget that Jesus is our ultimate joy and satisfaction, just like these children display for me everyday. God is doing incredible things through Zana school, the leaders who give their time and love so freely, and I am humbled beyond belief to even get to be a small part of it. God is opening my eyes to so many of my own sins and complacency, and my greatest prayer is that I never return to Montgomery or Auburn the same, but that I will always remember His faithfulness while here, and the things I have seen. Please keep Anisha in your prayers also, and that God would give me guidance and direction on how to best serve her and show her the love of Jesus!!
As always, this is way too much for people to read again, but I want everyone to see the splendor and love and graciousness of our God that I am getting to see everyday here! We are excited about this week ahead of us, and can't believe how quickly it is all flying by. Also, please keep Mr. Dave in your prayers as he files to Atlanta for a few days on Wednesday. Praying that God is more real to you all with every passing moment, and that you cherish Christ more everyday.
-KK
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Fickle Mother Africa
"Fickle Mother Africa"
Fickle Mother Africa, you keep me on my toes,
Whether or not to pack an umbrella, no one ever knows,
I thought for sure I'd found the secret to your weather game,
Thinking it was all in the way the children and cattle play,
If they were restless and bucking all around,
Yelling, screaming, and stomping on the ground,
There was no need to account for what the skies might say,
We were sure to have a wet and rainy day.
Fickle Mother Africa, you keep me on my toes,
Whether or not to pack an umbrella, no one ever knows,
Knowing for sure I'd found the secret to your weather game,
I paid close attention to the way the children and cattle played,
They were restless and bucking all around,
Yelling, screaming, and stomping on the ground,
Although assured by what the skies did say,
Not a drop of rain fell from the Ugandan skies today.
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| We took our "eats" inside the classroom for fear we might get caught outside in the rain. |
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| The children were so wired that it was impossible to do actual school work. So, instead, we watched Garfield! Ah, one of the many beauties of my baby class! |
- Mary Grace
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