TREASURES
What have I been up to…
…I’ve been spending a lot of time with Saida, the witchdoctors’ wife, the woman who gave her life to the Lord a few months back. I really enjoy my relationship with her and her husband. I really believe that the Lord wants to bring him to salvation. He is open with me and enjoys when Saida and I read the word together he just does not allow her to attend church because he thinks others in the community will view him as being weak and not having a respectful wife…. Respectful to his muslim faith and to his position as the island witchdoctor.
……karina, a friend and a woman who is on the islands with me serving and who is committed her life here is in the midst of starting an NGO (non-government organization) and is waiting on the registration process. I have been helping her get the finances and admin. structured. The ngo has many facets, a clean water project, discipleship training, heathcare and the child sponsorship/development that I’ve written about in the past…that’s exciting!
…. Also the school is soon to be registered… or so it always seems to be until they need another paper or signature or whatever. I am praying for this process that it goes quick from here on and the school will be registered! The school is going on well, the senior 4 class (they take a big examination at this level to move onto the next level, depending on how they score determines their next step) is registered for their examination at a school on the mainland (once we are registered they will be able to take their examination at our school and save a lot of money!), the teachers have been getting their salary every month, the school is not in debt, communication is happening, students are doing practicals because some of the lab equipment is bought, there is student housing to provide safety for the students from being in the camp and a serious learning environment is being cultivated, and I believe and have heard from the mouths of students that there is real unity amongst the teachers. This past week I was the honored guest (pretty much because I was the only one around!) for the student prefect party (the student leaders). It was great for the students and staff to come together to honor the student prefects and to say goodbye and thank you to last years prefects. I spoke about leaders and the two types of leaders the bible talks about… David versus Saul leaders and how Jesus too modeled the perfect type of servant leadership we should all be aiming at. I thank God because he gave me words.
…I am excited because my duties of serving ywam with their finances will be transferred over as of April 1st. Catherine, the women who runs the ywam base with her husband Shem will be taking it.
…A little African fun…. This last week I took a Sabbath day and boated around the entire island with my friends Robert and Innocent. The waves on the other side of the island were pretty rough since the lake opens up to the larger part of the lake, so it was so good it was three of us. it was so fun and most locals couldn’t believe that a woman could boat (here boats travel primarily for fishing and I’ve only seen men doing the fishing).
…my flight details are here for my departure home…my Ugandan visa expired may 25th and the gov’t has been really tough on us with renewal, therefore I am departing 1-2weeks before I originally hoped too, but my visa has been such a struggle yet a blessing in disguise, but I am done playing the visa game and I am coming home. So I depart on the 23rd of May and arrive on the 24th of May in the afternoon in Chicago.
…so a bit of my process about coming home….
As my time is coming to an end my heart and mind feel as though they are beginning to enter back to the US while with the reality of being very much here in Uganda. Last night, after dark, I had to go out and bring my super dishes to the dish rack after the realization of 100’s of ants piling into the left over scraps on my plate left in my room… as I went, I grabbed my toothbrush (you know me always trying to multi-task :))… as I walked with dishes in one hand and the toothbrush in the other, I dropped the dishes at the rack and started looking for a place to spit my toothpaste... now remember I have no sink to wash up… I am left to the wild, but you can’t just spit anywhere it has to be in a secret strategic place that is off the beaten path because if rain doesn’t come for sometime the white toothpaste in the path doesn’t look so pleasant. as I was thinking about where to ‘release my toothpaste’ (doesn’t that sound better :) ) and I was thinking how I have only two more months to enjoy the toothpaste game in the wild!
I have come to love Africa, the people the most and I have loved every moment of my time (well almost… ;) ). I have found peace and a part of home. Home is where you make it and I believe I can find home anywhere partnered with treasures (people dear to my heart).
The other day I sat open handed before the Lord, excited for what he wanted to speak to me concerning direction for next year… I believe the Lord is specific at times and other times he leaves it fully up to us, but I have peace about serving in the public schools and returning to my profession. Therefore I am choosing to step back into the schools. At times I have really struggled in this sphere and I think that the public school is a challenge for me, and really difficult at times. I am hoping for an east side position to open in the middle school (preferably) or even the high school. I tried to submit an application for an assistant principal position a few weeks back but failed due to the documents refusing to upload from the computers here in Africa. So I let that go.
I am doing my best to follow my heart and my desires that God has placed inside of me… why sometimes does that seem difficult? It seems like it should be so easy… it probably is, and I just make things difficult. I just want my life to bring Glory to Him.
I am glad I am moving back to Madison to stay near my treasures.
Love you all,
mandy
a quote from a friend: Christianity is not primarily a moral code but a grace-laden mystery; not essentially a philosophy of love but a love affair; it is not keeping rules with clenched fists but receiving a gift with open hands.
…I’ve been spending a lot of time with Saida, the witchdoctors’ wife, the woman who gave her life to the Lord a few months back. I really enjoy my relationship with her and her husband. I really believe that the Lord wants to bring him to salvation. He is open with me and enjoys when Saida and I read the word together he just does not allow her to attend church because he thinks others in the community will view him as being weak and not having a respectful wife…. Respectful to his muslim faith and to his position as the island witchdoctor.
……karina, a friend and a woman who is on the islands with me serving and who is committed her life here is in the midst of starting an NGO (non-government organization) and is waiting on the registration process. I have been helping her get the finances and admin. structured. The ngo has many facets, a clean water project, discipleship training, heathcare and the child sponsorship/development that I’ve written about in the past…that’s exciting!
…. Also the school is soon to be registered… or so it always seems to be until they need another paper or signature or whatever. I am praying for this process that it goes quick from here on and the school will be registered! The school is going on well, the senior 4 class (they take a big examination at this level to move onto the next level, depending on how they score determines their next step) is registered for their examination at a school on the mainland (once we are registered they will be able to take their examination at our school and save a lot of money!), the teachers have been getting their salary every month, the school is not in debt, communication is happening, students are doing practicals because some of the lab equipment is bought, there is student housing to provide safety for the students from being in the camp and a serious learning environment is being cultivated, and I believe and have heard from the mouths of students that there is real unity amongst the teachers. This past week I was the honored guest (pretty much because I was the only one around!) for the student prefect party (the student leaders). It was great for the students and staff to come together to honor the student prefects and to say goodbye and thank you to last years prefects. I spoke about leaders and the two types of leaders the bible talks about… David versus Saul leaders and how Jesus too modeled the perfect type of servant leadership we should all be aiming at. I thank God because he gave me words.
…I am excited because my duties of serving ywam with their finances will be transferred over as of April 1st. Catherine, the women who runs the ywam base with her husband Shem will be taking it.
…A little African fun…. This last week I took a Sabbath day and boated around the entire island with my friends Robert and Innocent. The waves on the other side of the island were pretty rough since the lake opens up to the larger part of the lake, so it was so good it was three of us. it was so fun and most locals couldn’t believe that a woman could boat (here boats travel primarily for fishing and I’ve only seen men doing the fishing).
…my flight details are here for my departure home…my Ugandan visa expired may 25th and the gov’t has been really tough on us with renewal, therefore I am departing 1-2weeks before I originally hoped too, but my visa has been such a struggle yet a blessing in disguise, but I am done playing the visa game and I am coming home. So I depart on the 23rd of May and arrive on the 24th of May in the afternoon in Chicago.
…so a bit of my process about coming home….
As my time is coming to an end my heart and mind feel as though they are beginning to enter back to the US while with the reality of being very much here in Uganda. Last night, after dark, I had to go out and bring my super dishes to the dish rack after the realization of 100’s of ants piling into the left over scraps on my plate left in my room… as I went, I grabbed my toothbrush (you know me always trying to multi-task :))… as I walked with dishes in one hand and the toothbrush in the other, I dropped the dishes at the rack and started looking for a place to spit my toothpaste... now remember I have no sink to wash up… I am left to the wild, but you can’t just spit anywhere it has to be in a secret strategic place that is off the beaten path because if rain doesn’t come for sometime the white toothpaste in the path doesn’t look so pleasant. as I was thinking about where to ‘release my toothpaste’ (doesn’t that sound better :) ) and I was thinking how I have only two more months to enjoy the toothpaste game in the wild!
I have come to love Africa, the people the most and I have loved every moment of my time (well almost… ;) ). I have found peace and a part of home. Home is where you make it and I believe I can find home anywhere partnered with treasures (people dear to my heart).
The other day I sat open handed before the Lord, excited for what he wanted to speak to me concerning direction for next year… I believe the Lord is specific at times and other times he leaves it fully up to us, but I have peace about serving in the public schools and returning to my profession. Therefore I am choosing to step back into the schools. At times I have really struggled in this sphere and I think that the public school is a challenge for me, and really difficult at times. I am hoping for an east side position to open in the middle school (preferably) or even the high school. I tried to submit an application for an assistant principal position a few weeks back but failed due to the documents refusing to upload from the computers here in Africa. So I let that go.
I am doing my best to follow my heart and my desires that God has placed inside of me… why sometimes does that seem difficult? It seems like it should be so easy… it probably is, and I just make things difficult. I just want my life to bring Glory to Him.
I am glad I am moving back to Madison to stay near my treasures.
Love you all,
mandy
a quote from a friend: Christianity is not primarily a moral code but a grace-laden mystery; not essentially a philosophy of love but a love affair; it is not keeping rules with clenched fists but receiving a gift with open hands.
posted by Amanda at 2:37 AM
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