As I went to visit family a few weeks ago I had a long drive home, God showed me something that makes me so excited everytime I experience it again. He said just this:
Sometimes life is like driving on the interstate because people get on and off around us and we hardly ever notice. Sometimes we feel so alone. Sometimes people are speeding past us and sometimes we are going slower. Sometimes we are just cruising along and sometimes we are pushing hard on the brakes or heavy on the gas pedal. But no matter what part of the road we are on God always knows exactly where we are and is sitting in our passanger seat. Sometimes He's just there to listen, sometimes to convict, sometimes to instruct, sometimes to let us do our own thing and take his hands off, sometimes to help us over the potholes, and sometimes to pull us out of the ditch...
Don't doubt him...He loves you THIS much! :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Don't Ever Forget..
As I was leaving Fargo this summer I got a card from one of my amazing friends and supporters. Inside is a verse I would like to share with you, it says:
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live." -Deuteronomy 4:9
The things I saw and experienced this summer in Africa have broken my heart in two. The things I have experienced in my own family and personal life have also broken me to my very core. It makes me realize more than ever that without God I truly am nothing. Everyday He renews my soul and makes me whole again. If I do not cling to Him for even a minute my whole day falls apart before my eyes. He is my everything and I am CONFIDENT in my walk with Him. I have never experienced this kind of freedom before in my life and I cannot even explain it to you with words.
In my time I have been home I have had to cope with things very quickly as I was thrown back into the reality that I live here in the States. I had to deal with family issues as I stepped off of the plane, coordinating an event, going back to work, going back to school with the heaviest load I have ever taken, and going back to my same apartment with my same roommates and my same friends and my same material things. I wouldnt change it for the world, dont get me wrong, but I LONG for ALL of my friends and family to love their Jesus with total abandon. To surrender their everything to Him. Because He gave them life, He gave YOU life.
I do not know what I will be doing in my future. I do not know where God will lead me to. I do not understand the depth of His love and His promises. I have so much uncertainty in my life but I have the most joy I have ever had before. As Mari was reading to me a passage today about how God calms the storm waves and guides us to shore I came to a realization... If we are in the middle of a storm, He can calm the waves, make the water smooth as glass and easy sailing and guide us on our way, but just because He calms the waves doesnt mean that the trouble is over, we are still out there on the water. It just means He is guiding us in the way He wants us to walk through our trials and keeping our souls joyful, peaceful, and loving as long as we are reaching out to Him. I have not one complaint of the life I am stuck with here on this earth, because to me, this life is only a mere reflection of the beauty and peace of being surrounded by my Dad's presense constantly. I Can Only Imagine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3LUc78vbDk&feature=fvst)...
I will not ever forget....not ever in my life. Not the tears that filled my throat as I saw the children worshipping who had nothing, not the tears that filled me as I helped pick the pus and bacteria off of a 6 year old who looked as though he was only 3, not as the tears that filled me up when my faith began to fail and feel impossible when I was getting bad news from home, not the sorrow that I felt from being away from my family during a difficult time, not the nervousness of coming across my worst fear in the whole world..snakes..at any given moment, not the demon possession, not the spiritual warfare that scared me more than anything has in my life, not the very real destruction of a little girls life after a landslide, not the darkness of black magic, poverty, and hurt. Not the love I saw in the people around me, not the freedom I felt in my heart, not the feeling of holding a hurting little child, not the feeling of hugging my friends, not the feeling of finding life in the pain, not the compassion I felt, not the presense of my holy and almighty God, not the beauty and so much more.
God is doing amazing things all around the world. I cannot even begin to fathom it. More than anything I long to go back to Africa and hold those hurting little babies and show them what love is by God working in me. But for now, I will be serving my Dad here on my college campus and at my job! Please join me in surrendering your life all for his glory, having those hard discussions you want to pretend dont need to happen, giving up the things in your life that hold you back from His love, and loving the people around you where they are at! I love you all so much! I am praying for your salvation and entrance into His kingdom with me on the day of glory!
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live." -Deuteronomy 4:9
The things I saw and experienced this summer in Africa have broken my heart in two. The things I have experienced in my own family and personal life have also broken me to my very core. It makes me realize more than ever that without God I truly am nothing. Everyday He renews my soul and makes me whole again. If I do not cling to Him for even a minute my whole day falls apart before my eyes. He is my everything and I am CONFIDENT in my walk with Him. I have never experienced this kind of freedom before in my life and I cannot even explain it to you with words.
In my time I have been home I have had to cope with things very quickly as I was thrown back into the reality that I live here in the States. I had to deal with family issues as I stepped off of the plane, coordinating an event, going back to work, going back to school with the heaviest load I have ever taken, and going back to my same apartment with my same roommates and my same friends and my same material things. I wouldnt change it for the world, dont get me wrong, but I LONG for ALL of my friends and family to love their Jesus with total abandon. To surrender their everything to Him. Because He gave them life, He gave YOU life.
I do not know what I will be doing in my future. I do not know where God will lead me to. I do not understand the depth of His love and His promises. I have so much uncertainty in my life but I have the most joy I have ever had before. As Mari was reading to me a passage today about how God calms the storm waves and guides us to shore I came to a realization... If we are in the middle of a storm, He can calm the waves, make the water smooth as glass and easy sailing and guide us on our way, but just because He calms the waves doesnt mean that the trouble is over, we are still out there on the water. It just means He is guiding us in the way He wants us to walk through our trials and keeping our souls joyful, peaceful, and loving as long as we are reaching out to Him. I have not one complaint of the life I am stuck with here on this earth, because to me, this life is only a mere reflection of the beauty and peace of being surrounded by my Dad's presense constantly. I Can Only Imagine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3LUc78vbDk&feature=fvst)...
I will not ever forget....not ever in my life. Not the tears that filled my throat as I saw the children worshipping who had nothing, not the tears that filled me as I helped pick the pus and bacteria off of a 6 year old who looked as though he was only 3, not as the tears that filled me up when my faith began to fail and feel impossible when I was getting bad news from home, not the sorrow that I felt from being away from my family during a difficult time, not the nervousness of coming across my worst fear in the whole world..snakes..at any given moment, not the demon possession, not the spiritual warfare that scared me more than anything has in my life, not the very real destruction of a little girls life after a landslide, not the darkness of black magic, poverty, and hurt. Not the love I saw in the people around me, not the freedom I felt in my heart, not the feeling of holding a hurting little child, not the feeling of hugging my friends, not the feeling of finding life in the pain, not the compassion I felt, not the presense of my holy and almighty God, not the beauty and so much more.
God is doing amazing things all around the world. I cannot even begin to fathom it. More than anything I long to go back to Africa and hold those hurting little babies and show them what love is by God working in me. But for now, I will be serving my Dad here on my college campus and at my job! Please join me in surrendering your life all for his glory, having those hard discussions you want to pretend dont need to happen, giving up the things in your life that hold you back from His love, and loving the people around you where they are at! I love you all so much! I am praying for your salvation and entrance into His kingdom with me on the day of glory!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
All I Really Need
Looking around me I see so much poverty, brokenness, and desperation. I see children without clothes, not just because its hot or they dont feel like it and their parents allow it, but because they cannot afford clothing. I see children with huge tummies and bellybuttons walking around the streets on a daily basis. I see children without parents and ones suffering from malaria and other treatable illnesses and yet many die without treatment. I see newly married couples happy and excited about life but cant help but think something is wrong with them because they cannot have a child. They are looked down upon by others since they cannot bare one. I see the use of spirits and black magic all around me. Its everywhere within the Dagara (the people group here) culture. Its not a joke to me anymore. This is real and its flooding the lives of these people. Some have even said before, "I know you are telling me the truth, but the spirits will kill me if I follow your Jesus, they've told me".
These people live their lives in fear. A fear that something will overtake them, a fear they wont have enough, a fear that someone will come in and make them change their ways and their people. But in reality, dont I have the same fears? Dont we all have the same fears?
But guess what we dont have to...and neither do they. It says in Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. If only we would give him our everything. If only we would stop being so selfish and prideful; thinking we can do it all on our own and we dont need any help, He would help us.
The craziest part of this whole thing is that if we would just stop and think for just a few minutes, we would realize that we werent even created to do this on our own, no wonder we struggle so much! We were created to be in partnership with our great and awesome God. A partnership in which we can lean on Him in all that we do, and He will give us strength and no reason to fear since He has a plan for our lives if we would just take up our crosses and follow Him.
But following Him isnt a cake-walk, its uncomfortable, disappointing at times, and hard...just plain hard. But the unending joy, love, hope, and perseverance that comes with knowing our Jesus as our personal Savior is so worth being uncomfortable and difficult. Its so worth it, the reward far outweighs the consequences. If we just accept it, His is all that we need. I see these children in so much need. Money may get them through the day, possibly a week, but more than money or clothes, they need Jesus. They need to know the love that H has for them and in turn the love that has filled our hearts for them. And most of the time I have too much selfish pride to give them the shirt off my back or the clean water in my water bottle or touch them if they have just wet themselves in front of me. All because I want to be comfortable. He asks us to give up our everything, quite literally. Give up your hopes, dreams, plans, money, clothes, food, homes, and rules, give it to me; so I can make it more beautiful and full of life. Well guess what, we dont want to do that. Not on a regular basis because its uncomfortable, because its not "instant gratification" and what does our culture thrive on if that isnt it. Even if we KNOW that God has something better planned for us and we need to give to those in need, we still struggle with giving Him our everything, but He tells us, do not fear I am with you. I pray you realize what it is He is asking you to give up to Him today, because I promise you He will make it even more beautiful than you can ever even begin to imagine.
These people live their lives in fear. A fear that something will overtake them, a fear they wont have enough, a fear that someone will come in and make them change their ways and their people. But in reality, dont I have the same fears? Dont we all have the same fears?
But guess what we dont have to...and neither do they. It says in Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. If only we would give him our everything. If only we would stop being so selfish and prideful; thinking we can do it all on our own and we dont need any help, He would help us.
The craziest part of this whole thing is that if we would just stop and think for just a few minutes, we would realize that we werent even created to do this on our own, no wonder we struggle so much! We were created to be in partnership with our great and awesome God. A partnership in which we can lean on Him in all that we do, and He will give us strength and no reason to fear since He has a plan for our lives if we would just take up our crosses and follow Him.
But following Him isnt a cake-walk, its uncomfortable, disappointing at times, and hard...just plain hard. But the unending joy, love, hope, and perseverance that comes with knowing our Jesus as our personal Savior is so worth being uncomfortable and difficult. Its so worth it, the reward far outweighs the consequences. If we just accept it, His is all that we need. I see these children in so much need. Money may get them through the day, possibly a week, but more than money or clothes, they need Jesus. They need to know the love that H has for them and in turn the love that has filled our hearts for them. And most of the time I have too much selfish pride to give them the shirt off my back or the clean water in my water bottle or touch them if they have just wet themselves in front of me. All because I want to be comfortable. He asks us to give up our everything, quite literally. Give up your hopes, dreams, plans, money, clothes, food, homes, and rules, give it to me; so I can make it more beautiful and full of life. Well guess what, we dont want to do that. Not on a regular basis because its uncomfortable, because its not "instant gratification" and what does our culture thrive on if that isnt it. Even if we KNOW that God has something better planned for us and we need to give to those in need, we still struggle with giving Him our everything, but He tells us, do not fear I am with you. I pray you realize what it is He is asking you to give up to Him today, because I promise you He will make it even more beautiful than you can ever even begin to imagine.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
More Pictures!!
Brittany, I think those ducks we saw in Florida originated in Africa...I decided :)
The Tree of Life..
The view of Diebougou
MASHED POTATOES!!
Sunrise...right outside our gate...majestic.
Two kids just hanging out early in the morning
The view right outside our gate
Our follow-up clinic patients
This is a bridge... :) no cars here!
Tree of Life
Every day Mari and I go on a walk. This is a time when we can get out beyond our "comfort-zone" of hanging out with Jesus in our personal time and perfecting our personal walk with Him. This is a time when we can share our love for our Jesus with the community that we live in. A time when we can talk about all the things that we are dealing with and a time away from the compound that confines us on a regular basis.
On our walk we pass by what we call the "Tree of Life". At this tree there is a large portion of dirt because the kids use it to play futbol and gather and the adults gather with them as well at different times of the day. We call it the tree of life because no matter when you pass by it there is always life going on below its beautiful branches: young, old, and people in the middle.
Today was a special day. We got to go beyond our gate and our compound that has unfortunately confined us for much too long of a time, partially because of circumstances beyond our control. But non-the-less today we got out for a long period of time! Every day we also stop to buy mangos and occasionally a loaf of bread. The people who run the store always know when we are coming that that is what we need! So we went to buy a loaf of bread. We have new Muslim neighbors that live behind us so we thought we should welcome them to our community (even if technically it isnt our community) so we gave them a loaf of bread to welcome them to their new home! After "conversing" for a bit (Mari did the talking as I know very VERY minimal French) we continued on our journey.
It didnt take long and we were finally at the Tree of Life again. While there we ended up with a group of about 20 kids just hanging out with us. It was so so so much fun! We painted the little girls nails and then we played games. We also handed out little pieces of paper that said "Dieu et nous t'aime" which very simply says "God and we love you". We taught them ring around the rosie and "bef, bef, matonge" or cow, cow, goat. It was probably the best day and experience I have had since arriving here in Burkina. I love love LOVE kids and just hanging out with other people and making conversation. God truly blessed us with this experience.
The best part of this experience though, isnt the "satisfaction" of going out beyond the gate and getting out of the compound or playing and hanging out with the kids. The satisfaction of this experience is getting to spread the love of our Jesus with those in our community. Even if we dont verbally tell everyone that Jesus loves them or that somebody died so that they could live, we can show it through our actions. Even if we cannot speak the Dagara or French language that our friends in Burkina do, we can communicate with them through His love and His grace. He lets us be in community with these beautiful children for just a little while so that He can reveal to them His love for their lives, talents, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses alike; just as He will reveal those things to you if only you ask Him to! How great is our God?! :) I hope and pray that He reveals his marvelous love and grace to you today!
On our walk we pass by what we call the "Tree of Life". At this tree there is a large portion of dirt because the kids use it to play futbol and gather and the adults gather with them as well at different times of the day. We call it the tree of life because no matter when you pass by it there is always life going on below its beautiful branches: young, old, and people in the middle.
Today was a special day. We got to go beyond our gate and our compound that has unfortunately confined us for much too long of a time, partially because of circumstances beyond our control. But non-the-less today we got out for a long period of time! Every day we also stop to buy mangos and occasionally a loaf of bread. The people who run the store always know when we are coming that that is what we need! So we went to buy a loaf of bread. We have new Muslim neighbors that live behind us so we thought we should welcome them to our community (even if technically it isnt our community) so we gave them a loaf of bread to welcome them to their new home! After "conversing" for a bit (Mari did the talking as I know very VERY minimal French) we continued on our journey.
It didnt take long and we were finally at the Tree of Life again. While there we ended up with a group of about 20 kids just hanging out with us. It was so so so much fun! We painted the little girls nails and then we played games. We also handed out little pieces of paper that said "Dieu et nous t'aime" which very simply says "God and we love you". We taught them ring around the rosie and "bef, bef, matonge" or cow, cow, goat. It was probably the best day and experience I have had since arriving here in Burkina. I love love LOVE kids and just hanging out with other people and making conversation. God truly blessed us with this experience.
The best part of this experience though, isnt the "satisfaction" of going out beyond the gate and getting out of the compound or playing and hanging out with the kids. The satisfaction of this experience is getting to spread the love of our Jesus with those in our community. Even if we dont verbally tell everyone that Jesus loves them or that somebody died so that they could live, we can show it through our actions. Even if we cannot speak the Dagara or French language that our friends in Burkina do, we can communicate with them through His love and His grace. He lets us be in community with these beautiful children for just a little while so that He can reveal to them His love for their lives, talents, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses alike; just as He will reveal those things to you if only you ask Him to! How great is our God?! :) I hope and pray that He reveals his marvelous love and grace to you today!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Accidents of Birth
Its an accident of birth. An accident of birth that I have white skin, a nice home, food to eat, an education, and a high life expectancy. An accident that I am literate, have access to clean water, and dont have to pick through piles of trash along the road in order to survive.
Its an accident of birth that my friends struggle with education, dont have clean water, healthcare, or food to eat. An accident that they have physical back breaking labor, and have to struggle to survive every day.
We woke up to watch the sunrise at 5:30am. As the colors just began to dance across the horizon, bikes began to pass as we sat on our chairs relaxing. We can take the time out of our day to wake up "early" and relax as they have to get up and work all day at the market to earn less than $1.00.
We went to church to find it filled with small children. The small American child was kept quiet by raisins and cashew nuts. The other children had protruding and malnourished bellies as they filled the wooden benches. An accident of birth.
The most beautiful part is that these children filling the benches with their protruding bellies and little bodies danced and sang their little hearts out for their Jesus. The sight was so beautiful to see somebody with what we would consider as "nothing" have everything they will actually ever NEED.
Its an accident of birth that my friends struggle with education, dont have clean water, healthcare, or food to eat. An accident that they have physical back breaking labor, and have to struggle to survive every day.
We woke up to watch the sunrise at 5:30am. As the colors just began to dance across the horizon, bikes began to pass as we sat on our chairs relaxing. We can take the time out of our day to wake up "early" and relax as they have to get up and work all day at the market to earn less than $1.00.
We went to church to find it filled with small children. The small American child was kept quiet by raisins and cashew nuts. The other children had protruding and malnourished bellies as they filled the wooden benches. An accident of birth.
The most beautiful part is that these children filling the benches with their protruding bellies and little bodies danced and sang their little hearts out for their Jesus. The sight was so beautiful to see somebody with what we would consider as "nothing" have everything they will actually ever NEED.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Lessons I Live With
What a great God it is that we
serve. I have learned so much in the past month that I have been in Africa that
I cannot help but to stand in awe of our creator. I have been keeping a list of
some of the things that I have learned while on my adventures here. I will
share just a few with you...
1.
I live in a “God” bubble in Fargo
2.
Regardless of where you are in the world, people
are people
3.
Spending time getting to know people and build
relationships is more important than getting pety things accomplished
4.
I genuinely love people and “touching” isnt so
bad
5.
God is wonderful regardless of circumstances
6.
The people in Africa are smart in ways of the
world, rich in love, and caring
7.
Dont JUDGE people!! Stupid idea..
8.
Have faith, He will protect you
9.
The devil, witchcraft, and “medicine men” are
very real indeed
10.
People here with epilepsy are considered
“unclean”, Jesus would touch them
11.
I have SO much its actually pathetic.
12.
Tell somebody their good attributes as it makes
them stronger as a person and helps them grow
13.
God really does have a plan
14.
Life is an adventure, dont have too many
expectations
15.
Things that we say will “never happen to me,
thats somebody elses reality” actually can happen to you, we are not invinsible
16.
Let God fill you.
17.
God gives us “big dreams” and thats why we need
to go when he says to go, regardless of circumstances.
The greatest thing I have had to
learn this summer above any other lesson is trust. Many things are going on
10,000 miles away from me. Things I cannot experience, things I have no control
over, things that keep on happening whether I am there or not. These things
break my heart over and over on a daily basis, but I have learned to trust God
with all that I am. He has become my sustaining love, even more than He ever
has been. On a particular day that I was feeling sad I turned to my bible (as I
usually do) and God had just the right words to say to me. “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills
be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of
peace be removed” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 God’s love is so unconditional and permanent
that I can trust him with everything that I am, my whole heart, my whole life,
and all of my troubles and pains. How incredibly gracious of Him!
These are only a few of the lessons that I have learned in my short time here. I still sometimes cannot believe that He has given me this opportunity to love on the people here and surround myself with new experiences and life. This summer God has ruined my life for his glory. This has been my prayer since I began to contemplate this trip and He has done just that. I do not know how I will use all of this information He has bestowed upon me but in giving me this experience He has instilled in me that I will not be able to stand on the sidelines. Having knowledge means having a responsibility, just as growing up comes with different responsibilities, so does having these experiences
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Unreal.
Before yesterday I had just been floating by on my African Adventure, enjoying every minute of what I was seeing and doing. Not that yesterday was any different, but yesterday the brokenness of this place became even more real as the stories of the people we were with were not mere strangers but friends.
We sat inside and waited for our first patient to come. Mari and I got to play "doctor" yesterday, but except real life. We were doing check-ups on malnourished children there were two that were our patients. The first one was about 3 years old and we had to diagnose her with a staph infection. If you dont know anything about staph it is a very VERY dangerous disease and is hard to cure and can kill you even in the United States. When I had been incorrectly diagnosed with staph previously and told them about the size of my sores I was told "leave work and come to the doctor right now" in a very urgent voice. But here in Burkina this is a normal senario and all we could treat it with was some anti-bacterial ointment as we are not doctors.
The next patient was the cousin of our friend here in Burkina. She is severely malnourished..at 2 years of age she weighs 8.55kg, which Im not sure of the conversion but its very small for a two year old. She also had a severe fever of ~105 and we had to send her to the hospital. They sent her home with about 5 medications and a shot and we are unfortunately fearing we will have to test her for AIDS. This is someone who is very close to our friend, at the age of 18 she is caring for her as a mother.
Today we saw one thing we NEVER thought was "real". Well, we knew it was real, but we had never witnessed it so it was more about stories and pictures than reality. As we were sitting in church we saw a lady walk out and fall over, seizing and vomiting. The first thought in my mind was heat shock? No my friends, this was a demon. A real demon trying to go against all that God is in his place of worship. Luckily many were there to pray for her. It was a very interesting event as we didnt even know what to do or how to handle it.
But amidst all of this brokenness and different things we are seeing it brings me even closer to my creator. That he would love those children so much that he would bring them to us and we can try to find them rest. That we can smile at them and show them that we care even when they are so sick they barely even feel like moving. That he would love that woman enough that only HE can set her free of what is inside of her. Just as He can set YOU free of all that is inside of you and holding you back from him! He loves so blindly and unconditionally.
We sat inside and waited for our first patient to come. Mari and I got to play "doctor" yesterday, but except real life. We were doing check-ups on malnourished children there were two that were our patients. The first one was about 3 years old and we had to diagnose her with a staph infection. If you dont know anything about staph it is a very VERY dangerous disease and is hard to cure and can kill you even in the United States. When I had been incorrectly diagnosed with staph previously and told them about the size of my sores I was told "leave work and come to the doctor right now" in a very urgent voice. But here in Burkina this is a normal senario and all we could treat it with was some anti-bacterial ointment as we are not doctors.
The next patient was the cousin of our friend here in Burkina. She is severely malnourished..at 2 years of age she weighs 8.55kg, which Im not sure of the conversion but its very small for a two year old. She also had a severe fever of ~105 and we had to send her to the hospital. They sent her home with about 5 medications and a shot and we are unfortunately fearing we will have to test her for AIDS. This is someone who is very close to our friend, at the age of 18 she is caring for her as a mother.
Today we saw one thing we NEVER thought was "real". Well, we knew it was real, but we had never witnessed it so it was more about stories and pictures than reality. As we were sitting in church we saw a lady walk out and fall over, seizing and vomiting. The first thought in my mind was heat shock? No my friends, this was a demon. A real demon trying to go against all that God is in his place of worship. Luckily many were there to pray for her. It was a very interesting event as we didnt even know what to do or how to handle it.
But amidst all of this brokenness and different things we are seeing it brings me even closer to my creator. That he would love those children so much that he would bring them to us and we can try to find them rest. That we can smile at them and show them that we care even when they are so sick they barely even feel like moving. That he would love that woman enough that only HE can set her free of what is inside of her. Just as He can set YOU free of all that is inside of you and holding you back from him! He loves so blindly and unconditionally.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Burkina
I arrived safely in Burkina Faso yesterday afternoon on my flight! I was so happy to finally touch onto the ground as I really do not enjoy flying very much. Im sure when I finally get back to the states I will want to kiss the ground (even if thats weird). God was so present during my flight as I could just imagine his hand flying the plane like a little boy would hold on to his paper airplane toy. I have been continually reminded of a song that says "The one the wind and waves obey is strong enough to save you". How powerful is that, that our great and powerful God can tell the wind to stop and the waves to calm down. And if he can do that of course He can save us, in so many more ways than one. We are so blessed and I cannot even begin to tell you how blessed you are that you can even read this post. In America we have SO much I could throw up. Even if you are sick now, you have come this far and not been "deathly" ill. Death here is an every day thing. Everybody is affected by it in some way or another usually in their immediate family and we dont have to even think about it until we are old. I was talking with one of my Ugandan friends before I left who is a nurse and only 25 years old. I told her "oh dont worry about it you still have about 60 years left" and at first she said "yea.." but then she paused and said "actually probably about 20, life expectancy here is only 45. Wow. Talk about reality check.
Burkina is a much poorer country, there are many more naked babies here (haha ellen) and even up to the age of 6 or 7 we have seen them without clothing. It is also not even close to as densely populated as Uganda. The weather here is also so ridiculously HOT and HUMID! I will be having a fro every day from now on im sure of it!
Hope you all are having a fantastic day, spending time in the word DAILY, and giving God your everything. Praying for you all! I love you!
Burkina is a much poorer country, there are many more naked babies here (haha ellen) and even up to the age of 6 or 7 we have seen them without clothing. It is also not even close to as densely populated as Uganda. The weather here is also so ridiculously HOT and HUMID! I will be having a fro every day from now on im sure of it!
Hope you all are having a fantastic day, spending time in the word DAILY, and giving God your everything. Praying for you all! I love you!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Another Chapter..
I'm getting increasingly sad as my time here in Uganda is coming to a close. It doesn't seem real that I will be leaving in just over two days. I'm legitamately disappointed about this. I have found such amazing friends here and God has blessed me so much in my time here I cannot even begin to tell you the half of what has happened, only able to point out the big ideas.
I truly love it here. So much. There is no concept of "busy". The days are totally and completely packed with agenda items but rarely do they all get carried out and if they do its in a relaxed manner. None of the hussle and bustle and stress I deal with at home working two jobs and being a full time student.
I am very excited as 6 of my Ugandan friends will be coming to the US about the same time I will be arriving back in Fargo! This is part of their masters program in international infectious disease management (IDM for short). For this program the masters students from the US have to come to Uganda for a summer and the Ugandan students need to come to the US for, possibly, a year.
On early Sunday morning I will be flying to Burkina Faso, luckily God has stopped me from fearing this I'm taking it as an adventure that will only bring me closer to him. But that definately doesnt mean I still love flying, because I definately don't. I'm very excited to see my good friend Mari and all that is going on in Burkina as I have been told numerous different things about East Africa vs. West Africa.
I truly love it here. So much. There is no concept of "busy". The days are totally and completely packed with agenda items but rarely do they all get carried out and if they do its in a relaxed manner. None of the hussle and bustle and stress I deal with at home working two jobs and being a full time student.
I am very excited as 6 of my Ugandan friends will be coming to the US about the same time I will be arriving back in Fargo! This is part of their masters program in international infectious disease management (IDM for short). For this program the masters students from the US have to come to Uganda for a summer and the Ugandan students need to come to the US for, possibly, a year.
On early Sunday morning I will be flying to Burkina Faso, luckily God has stopped me from fearing this I'm taking it as an adventure that will only bring me closer to him. But that definately doesnt mean I still love flying, because I definately don't. I'm very excited to see my good friend Mari and all that is going on in Burkina as I have been told numerous different things about East Africa vs. West Africa.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Church!!
Today we got to go to church! This was my first time going to church in Africa as we have always had something for our class that we are required to attend on Sundays until this point. I was so excited to go! All week I had been hoping to go but not really knowing if it was going to be possible, but last night Josh asked us if we wanted to go with him.
Our God is so great. Really He is. If we give him our EVERYTHING (mind you, it has to be everything, you cant do this thing half heartedly) he will provide. I have seen so many people who are so willing to do Gods work and give him glory here that it absolutely overwhelms me. They will do the best that they can to give him all that they are. I pray to be able to do that with my life on a DAILY basis. I need to surrender to him all that I am so he can use me. I challenge you to do the same if you have not already been able to do that for yourself. He is everything to me. all that I need. just TRUST him!! :)
Our God is so great. Really He is. If we give him our EVERYTHING (mind you, it has to be everything, you cant do this thing half heartedly) he will provide. I have seen so many people who are so willing to do Gods work and give him glory here that it absolutely overwhelms me. They will do the best that they can to give him all that they are. I pray to be able to do that with my life on a DAILY basis. I need to surrender to him all that I am so he can use me. I challenge you to do the same if you have not already been able to do that for yourself. He is everything to me. all that I need. just TRUST him!! :)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Pictures!!
You have asked...and now you shall recieve :)
We got to visit the Equator!!
ROOMIES!! Behind us is Kenya, yea we so went there!
Me and my good friend Agnes (from Uganda) doing what we do best, laughing. She is also my singing partner, that is what we do together when we are bored in the car as we both share a passion for singing!
Unregulated milk production in rural areas....yummm??
I'm exteremely jealous of this warthog as it has a better view than I get, I only get a parking lot in my back yard!!
These are the Water Buffalo that we darted
Yea buddy, rollin like a big shot! These are the vehicles we did our safaris in...pure bliss.
The Elephants that greeted us as we came into Queen Elizabeth National Park, yes, that is how close we were to the elephants
Water: The source of life. If you notice there are cattle to the left and people in the water
Backseat Brigade
GO BISON!! And maybe Washington State too....
I got to hold a bird!!
First Mosquito that I killed...it was a proud moment, had to capture it!
Children of Bududa
Smiles..
The other day we took a journey that was not in the schedule of our trip. A journey that will stretch our hearts beyond what we can even tell you today. It will not be forgotten by any of us...ever. This is a story of utter destruction and pain hiding behind cute smiles and giggles.
In a place called Bududa (lucky for us in the Eastern part of the country) there was a landslide on Monday July 2. We went to Bududa on the 5 (Thursday) and they were still searching for bodies. So many things crossed my mind in the short time that we were at the landslide site. So many people were affected by this event. Entire communities. In this culture you dont marry far from your home where you grew up so your neighbors become your family. These are the people you turn to in times of trouble and need. Because of this some people have no place to go. The pastor was killed along with 2 children and his wife. Others are still buried and many homes have been lost, at least 20. Also, mind you, understand that the birth rate here is much higher than in the US. Many of these families have more than our average 2.1 children. As we were told though, God does crazy things. This landslide happened when it was least expected but at one of the best times it could possibly happen, if there is such a thing. It happened on a Monday some time between 12 and 2 in the afternoon. On Mondays there is a big market in town where many people residing there bring their goods to sell and the children were in school. So the people left would have been the elderly, small children, or people who didnt have anything to bring to the market on that day. Many came home to find their homes completely covered with dirt and totally gone. Obviously, it is still a very serious tragedy and there is no way to possibly diminish that, but there could have been a much greater loss than there was.
As we were standing on the sidelines watching and listening to our friend speak about the occurance of the landslide there were children gathering around us as they ususally do. This specific group of 3 kids were laughing and giggling to themselves about who knows what, but they were enjoying themselves. They were making faces at one of my classmates camera as they were trying to take a picture of something else and did not even notice them. So i took a picture of them with my camera, since the kids here LOVE that. They absolutely love to see their faces on your screen after you take the picture and they just start laughing and laughing! So that is exactly what these three children did. But I couldnt help to be reminded of myself in that very instance. In how whenever something bad happens I always try to cover it up with a smile and thinking about other things. It gets me to notice even more so that how when faced with the mountains placed in our lives no matter how great or how small we are all of the human race. We are not different because we live in a first world country vs. a third world country. We are not different because we can afford "nice" things and they cannot. Deep down inside we are the same, we may think we "need" nice things but we dont, not in the slightest way. We have the same needs: love, understanding, and peace. As I have always known these things, it sunk in even deeper in that moment.
Walking back to the car I met a little girl. She was the most adorable thing ever, probably about the age of 8 or 9 and had the most beautiful smile. She had been following us so I decided to strike up conversation with her. I asked her how she was and her name and I told her mine, as the normal conversation goes. Then she began to ask me questions. How was my home? I told her it was good, not even really thinking and not really understanding what she was asking. I asked her how hers was and she said fine, I dont think she quite understood me. As we were getting into the car, the lady that was showing us around asked her about her home. She said it was buried when she was in school, her and her mother no longer had any place to go. That is the only family she has left. They are homeless. I was already in the back of the car at this point and could not get out. But her lip began to quiver. I wanted so TERRIBLY badly to stay with her, and hug her, and tell her it would be ok, tell her that God loves her and I love her, and give her and her mother a place to stay. But guess what, I couldnt do any of those things. I cannot describe to you how my heart broke in that very moment...
I will never forget that moment, not ever in my whole life. Feeling so helpless and that only Gsod can help them and my hands are literally tied. I have never had that feeling before. I've always been able to provide for others and myself.
In a place called Bududa (lucky for us in the Eastern part of the country) there was a landslide on Monday July 2. We went to Bududa on the 5 (Thursday) and they were still searching for bodies. So many things crossed my mind in the short time that we were at the landslide site. So many people were affected by this event. Entire communities. In this culture you dont marry far from your home where you grew up so your neighbors become your family. These are the people you turn to in times of trouble and need. Because of this some people have no place to go. The pastor was killed along with 2 children and his wife. Others are still buried and many homes have been lost, at least 20. Also, mind you, understand that the birth rate here is much higher than in the US. Many of these families have more than our average 2.1 children. As we were told though, God does crazy things. This landslide happened when it was least expected but at one of the best times it could possibly happen, if there is such a thing. It happened on a Monday some time between 12 and 2 in the afternoon. On Mondays there is a big market in town where many people residing there bring their goods to sell and the children were in school. So the people left would have been the elderly, small children, or people who didnt have anything to bring to the market on that day. Many came home to find their homes completely covered with dirt and totally gone. Obviously, it is still a very serious tragedy and there is no way to possibly diminish that, but there could have been a much greater loss than there was.
As we were standing on the sidelines watching and listening to our friend speak about the occurance of the landslide there were children gathering around us as they ususally do. This specific group of 3 kids were laughing and giggling to themselves about who knows what, but they were enjoying themselves. They were making faces at one of my classmates camera as they were trying to take a picture of something else and did not even notice them. So i took a picture of them with my camera, since the kids here LOVE that. They absolutely love to see their faces on your screen after you take the picture and they just start laughing and laughing! So that is exactly what these three children did. But I couldnt help to be reminded of myself in that very instance. In how whenever something bad happens I always try to cover it up with a smile and thinking about other things. It gets me to notice even more so that how when faced with the mountains placed in our lives no matter how great or how small we are all of the human race. We are not different because we live in a first world country vs. a third world country. We are not different because we can afford "nice" things and they cannot. Deep down inside we are the same, we may think we "need" nice things but we dont, not in the slightest way. We have the same needs: love, understanding, and peace. As I have always known these things, it sunk in even deeper in that moment.
Walking back to the car I met a little girl. She was the most adorable thing ever, probably about the age of 8 or 9 and had the most beautiful smile. She had been following us so I decided to strike up conversation with her. I asked her how she was and her name and I told her mine, as the normal conversation goes. Then she began to ask me questions. How was my home? I told her it was good, not even really thinking and not really understanding what she was asking. I asked her how hers was and she said fine, I dont think she quite understood me. As we were getting into the car, the lady that was showing us around asked her about her home. She said it was buried when she was in school, her and her mother no longer had any place to go. That is the only family she has left. They are homeless. I was already in the back of the car at this point and could not get out. But her lip began to quiver. I wanted so TERRIBLY badly to stay with her, and hug her, and tell her it would be ok, tell her that God loves her and I love her, and give her and her mother a place to stay. But guess what, I couldnt do any of those things. I cannot describe to you how my heart broke in that very moment...
I will never forget that moment, not ever in my whole life. Feeling so helpless and that only Gsod can help them and my hands are literally tied. I have never had that feeling before. I've always been able to provide for others and myself.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Between the Beauty and the Pain
We have arrived in Eastern Uganda as of Sunday afternoon. We are stationed in Mbale and travel daily to our sites which have been about an hour and a half to two hours of driving. If we were on US roads we would be traveling for probably about half an hour to 45 minutes to get to these destinations. The roads in this area are absolutely TERRIBLE. It is beyond me. You will not ever be able to imagine these roads unless you experience them for yourself. The drivers have to drive off of the pavement onto the gravel "shoulders" because the pavement is so full of potholes. Potholes are dodged only to find a smaller and less damaging one to drive over. We consistently are driving on the opposite side of the road for smoother pavement while dodging large trucks. Here though, dodging isnt so terrible, the bigger vehicle ALWAYS has the right of way and they dont attempt to play chicken, ever. Our drivers are very skilled and safe drivers, dont worry :)
Today was one of the best days of learning I have had so far here just because it has pertained most to my area of interests. We visited a place called Kumi Hospital. This hospital is in DESPERATE need of help. The most interesting part is that the people openly admit that they need the help, at home we are usually much too proud to admit something like this, but these people say it with the utmost dignity. I truly honor their humility.
In its glory days there was a farm that had 2000 heads cattle that brought in 60% of its revenue. The hospital sits on a little over 1000 hectors. But during the 1980s the farm during the war the farm was looted and lost most of its cattle in a matter of days. Today they are left with only 73 heads of cattle. This cannot support this hospital. Some of the problems they are facing are improper fencing, poor management, and not having the proper funds or education to support a farm of the necessary magnitude.
Another issue was that they have a very well set up malnutrition unit, but they do not have the supplies in stock to help their people. They do not have the funding to do so because the government says "the east doesnt have malnutrition issues". It is very clear that this is not the case at all, especially considering they have an entire unit at the hospital devoted to the issue. During the seasons where there is food available they do not usually have issues with malnutrition, but during the dry seasons when all a family can give to their child is potatoes there is a great amount of malnutrition.
Yet one more issue is diagnostics. The lab they have at the hospital is very nicely set up and acomodating, but there are still large issues at hand. For example, in order to test for TB they use a microscope. Using a microscope gets results to a patient within 48 hours, so that is good, except, the technician can only determine if TB is present, not the strain. Knowing the strain makes it possible to treat the patient with the correct medicine. It is important that the correct medicine is given to the patient as supplies are limited in this area. The next best way to test is using culture, but that takes a minimum of 4 weeks, a time when the patient can be at home with family and friends living their normal life and spreading their infection. The absolute BEST response to this is testing using DNA, when results can be diagnosed in 2-3 hours time. Usually PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is used to do this, but unfortunately this is very expensive equipment to have and to run. It is even expensive in the United States as I believe it costs ~$600 for 150 reactions. There is only one of these pieces of equipment in all of Uganda and it is currently being used in the research setting.
After we visited these places we went to a place where there is some cultural history. While here there were about 35 school children just hanging out. We climbed up these rocks, since the place we went had paintings (similar to those we hear about from the indians in Mexico and some parts of the US), and all of the kids followed. I couldnt help but to notice their feet. These children do not have shoes. And if they do they are very broken and falling apart. Walking in the dirt all I noticed were bare footprints. This is not safe as they can pick up ringworm, infections, snake bites (luckily the people ahead of me saw the snake...), and any other infection you can think of. Their feet are all very swollen and sore looking. After our trek through the rocks, we loaded up into our vans to head back to Mbale. Some of the people in the group gave the children their water bottles. I cannot describe to you how incredibly ECSTATIC these children were, over a WATER BOTTLE. We would call this trash. One of the bottles had a bit of water left in it, and I saw a girl sharing it with her friends putting some into their empty bottles. This is the life in the small villages we have been visiting.
At home we take water so much for granted. One day we were driving by a river of some sort and I just took a picture quickly not really looking outside closely and little did I know it was filled with people and cattle. Water is the source of life here. If there is ANY body of water, dirty and disgusting or not, people gather there, especially in the evenings.
God is challenging me so much. My heart yearns to help every single person but that is literally not possible for me to do. I just want to hold them all and tell them its ok and to educate them on nutrition, health, sanitization, and water wells. But guess what, I am only ONE person, but the body of Christ is so great and God is so powerful that if God places it on our heart to help the least of these He will provide the means and the people to do it. There are many educated people here but their hands are tied to a certain extent. They need others to partner with them and bring their skills to the table as well...will YOU be one of those people? This process begins with us, most of us are educated, even in the simplest of ways. Will YOU be the one to help the least of these? I pray to be.
Today was one of the best days of learning I have had so far here just because it has pertained most to my area of interests. We visited a place called Kumi Hospital. This hospital is in DESPERATE need of help. The most interesting part is that the people openly admit that they need the help, at home we are usually much too proud to admit something like this, but these people say it with the utmost dignity. I truly honor their humility.
In its glory days there was a farm that had 2000 heads cattle that brought in 60% of its revenue. The hospital sits on a little over 1000 hectors. But during the 1980s the farm during the war the farm was looted and lost most of its cattle in a matter of days. Today they are left with only 73 heads of cattle. This cannot support this hospital. Some of the problems they are facing are improper fencing, poor management, and not having the proper funds or education to support a farm of the necessary magnitude.
Another issue was that they have a very well set up malnutrition unit, but they do not have the supplies in stock to help their people. They do not have the funding to do so because the government says "the east doesnt have malnutrition issues". It is very clear that this is not the case at all, especially considering they have an entire unit at the hospital devoted to the issue. During the seasons where there is food available they do not usually have issues with malnutrition, but during the dry seasons when all a family can give to their child is potatoes there is a great amount of malnutrition.
Yet one more issue is diagnostics. The lab they have at the hospital is very nicely set up and acomodating, but there are still large issues at hand. For example, in order to test for TB they use a microscope. Using a microscope gets results to a patient within 48 hours, so that is good, except, the technician can only determine if TB is present, not the strain. Knowing the strain makes it possible to treat the patient with the correct medicine. It is important that the correct medicine is given to the patient as supplies are limited in this area. The next best way to test is using culture, but that takes a minimum of 4 weeks, a time when the patient can be at home with family and friends living their normal life and spreading their infection. The absolute BEST response to this is testing using DNA, when results can be diagnosed in 2-3 hours time. Usually PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is used to do this, but unfortunately this is very expensive equipment to have and to run. It is even expensive in the United States as I believe it costs ~$600 for 150 reactions. There is only one of these pieces of equipment in all of Uganda and it is currently being used in the research setting.
After we visited these places we went to a place where there is some cultural history. While here there were about 35 school children just hanging out. We climbed up these rocks, since the place we went had paintings (similar to those we hear about from the indians in Mexico and some parts of the US), and all of the kids followed. I couldnt help but to notice their feet. These children do not have shoes. And if they do they are very broken and falling apart. Walking in the dirt all I noticed were bare footprints. This is not safe as they can pick up ringworm, infections, snake bites (luckily the people ahead of me saw the snake...), and any other infection you can think of. Their feet are all very swollen and sore looking. After our trek through the rocks, we loaded up into our vans to head back to Mbale. Some of the people in the group gave the children their water bottles. I cannot describe to you how incredibly ECSTATIC these children were, over a WATER BOTTLE. We would call this trash. One of the bottles had a bit of water left in it, and I saw a girl sharing it with her friends putting some into their empty bottles. This is the life in the small villages we have been visiting.
At home we take water so much for granted. One day we were driving by a river of some sort and I just took a picture quickly not really looking outside closely and little did I know it was filled with people and cattle. Water is the source of life here. If there is ANY body of water, dirty and disgusting or not, people gather there, especially in the evenings.
God is challenging me so much. My heart yearns to help every single person but that is literally not possible for me to do. I just want to hold them all and tell them its ok and to educate them on nutrition, health, sanitization, and water wells. But guess what, I am only ONE person, but the body of Christ is so great and God is so powerful that if God places it on our heart to help the least of these He will provide the means and the people to do it. There are many educated people here but their hands are tied to a certain extent. They need others to partner with them and bring their skills to the table as well...will YOU be one of those people? This process begins with us, most of us are educated, even in the simplest of ways. Will YOU be the one to help the least of these? I pray to be.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Back in Kampala
Today we arrived back in the capital city of Kampala. Actually technically Kampala is the only "city" in Uganda (fun fact). All the others are considered villages or towns. I am still loving it here so very much!
Today we stopped at a crocodile farm on our way back to the city. In this croc farm they had some crocs that the Uganda Wildlife Authority rescued because they ate people. One of them had eaten 4 people. I found this interesting as in the US they would be hunted and killed if they were a danger to people, not kept in a "zoo" like setting.
Yesterday our team leader went to the village and bought a goat. The vet students with our program slaughtered it and we spent all afternoon preparing it for roasting. Which is pretty much making a kabob and putting it onto the fire. It was a great experience.
I have had fun keeping the group busy as we taught them how to play spoons and WOW do they get into it! Its so much fun to watch! They all get so excited! They also taught me how to play their game which is very similar to our Uno but you use just a normal deck of cards! I brought nail polish with and us girls had fun painting our nails yesterday as well!
Driving down the streets in the small villages the children jump up and down and wave and yell "mzungu mzungu" which really just means white person. But the most heartbreaking part of this is not that we are white and they notice, the worst part is that all they see is money. They yell to us "give me money" or "100 shillings?" mind you, 100 shillings is about $0.04. Thinking that money is what will fix all of their problems, when in fact, money will NOT fix all of their problems. The children asking these things are the children running down the streets during school hours because their parents cant afford to pay their tuition to go to school since public education is not free here. The 7 year olds are taking care of the babies, carrying them around. It is very VERY different than poverty in the US. The people in the US still have clothes to wear, even if they are full of holes. Many MANY babies are not even wearing clothes.
God here is so very real. I feel him everywhere I am. The people here have VERY strong faiths. I catch my fellow classmates talking about their faith more than the average student at NDSU. Its very interesting and I really enjoy it. There is a great muslim influence here as I saw more mosques on our drive than I did churches. But he is here the same as he is at home and people he is moving. I know he is. I am getting a little sad as I have already been here for 2 weeks and only have 5 more left! That seems like a crazy thing to be sad about, but I truely am. I have met some great and amazing friends and people here I love them all and they have all found a special spot in my heart.
Today we stopped at a crocodile farm on our way back to the city. In this croc farm they had some crocs that the Uganda Wildlife Authority rescued because they ate people. One of them had eaten 4 people. I found this interesting as in the US they would be hunted and killed if they were a danger to people, not kept in a "zoo" like setting.
Yesterday our team leader went to the village and bought a goat. The vet students with our program slaughtered it and we spent all afternoon preparing it for roasting. Which is pretty much making a kabob and putting it onto the fire. It was a great experience.
I have had fun keeping the group busy as we taught them how to play spoons and WOW do they get into it! Its so much fun to watch! They all get so excited! They also taught me how to play their game which is very similar to our Uno but you use just a normal deck of cards! I brought nail polish with and us girls had fun painting our nails yesterday as well!
Driving down the streets in the small villages the children jump up and down and wave and yell "mzungu mzungu" which really just means white person. But the most heartbreaking part of this is not that we are white and they notice, the worst part is that all they see is money. They yell to us "give me money" or "100 shillings?" mind you, 100 shillings is about $0.04. Thinking that money is what will fix all of their problems, when in fact, money will NOT fix all of their problems. The children asking these things are the children running down the streets during school hours because their parents cant afford to pay their tuition to go to school since public education is not free here. The 7 year olds are taking care of the babies, carrying them around. It is very VERY different than poverty in the US. The people in the US still have clothes to wear, even if they are full of holes. Many MANY babies are not even wearing clothes.
God here is so very real. I feel him everywhere I am. The people here have VERY strong faiths. I catch my fellow classmates talking about their faith more than the average student at NDSU. Its very interesting and I really enjoy it. There is a great muslim influence here as I saw more mosques on our drive than I did churches. But he is here the same as he is at home and people he is moving. I know he is. I am getting a little sad as I have already been here for 2 weeks and only have 5 more left! That seems like a crazy thing to be sad about, but I truely am. I have met some great and amazing friends and people here I love them all and they have all found a special spot in my heart.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Lions, Elephants, and Hippos
For the past few days we have been traveling around Uganda going to visit the different national parks. We first started out in Kibale National Park where we saw a wide variety of monkeys, birds, butterflies, and medicinal plants! It was so very cool! When you think of Africa I am sure that you mostly pictures a savanna and desert climate, but here was not any of those. This place was a jungle, like a rainforest. It was so pretty! I was just extremely happy to not see a snake! Thank you Jesus!! :)
After Kibale we left on Saturday to come to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This place is super awesome it really takes my breath away its absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Upon arrival we were greeted by elephants. We were very warned though that even though elephants seem so innocent in movies and entertainment, they definately are not! They have been known to kill humans by throwing them into the air or by stomping on them, so we were very cautious. But they are so breathtaking, truely mesmorizing animals and so gorgeous, especially in the WILD. I cannot even describe to you the feeling of seeing one of these wild animals in their natural habitat thoroughly enjoying their life.
Yesterday we went on a game drive, meaning riding around in the vehicle to see wild animals. We took one of the classic "safari" vehicles...if any of you are actually interested in what type of vehicle this is its a toyota landcruiser. The most exciting part is that we get to sit on the top of the vehicle as it is driving, I believe our top speed was probably around 50mph! Truely the time of my life I feel so free here. During our drive we saw a lion, waterbuck, water buffalo, kope (similar to an impala), and a lot of birds and butterflies.
After that we went on a boat ride! When we were on this we saw hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, and fisherman! Very awesome.
Today was an adventure! We got to dart (meaning put into an anestheisa) water buffalo! It was sooo cool! At first it was really scary as they kept telling us buffalo are one of the most feared animals here for their charging. But I truely think they just try to scare us, it is unnecessary. So, anyway we darted the water buffalo and I was suppose to take blood samples. The first buffalo we took down had samples already being taken of it before I got there, so I did not get to do it then. The second buffalo wasnt completely undertaken by the anesthetic the first time we got out of the car, so it got up and we all had to quickly run into vehicles! They laughed at me because my reflexes were not thinking and I was carrying a pan of water and didnt let go..oops! I managed not to spill...just imagine it...you would laugh too :). After that I got a littel nervous for that buffalo, even though we darted it again to make sure it was down, so I was going to draw from the next one we took down. Unfortunately they gave us latex gloves. My latex allergy was confirmed today. I got a small rash on my hand and my eyes swelled a bit, so I decided to be done. It was all good though. If you want an adrenaline rush dart animals! It was a great experience and it was so much fun I'm so happy to have been a part of it!
God is so great, He is the God of this univerise and that includes ALLLL of the nations. How incredibly awesome?! He keeps on reminding me that He is here with me and in Africa every single day. It is so great. He loves us all so much! I had a chance to lead a bible study here while we were in Kibale one night. It was only a few of us but it was such a great reminder that even though we are here He will never leave us. No matter what.
I hope that this finds you all happy and healthy and know that I am thinking and praying for you all! Love You!!
After Kibale we left on Saturday to come to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This place is super awesome it really takes my breath away its absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Upon arrival we were greeted by elephants. We were very warned though that even though elephants seem so innocent in movies and entertainment, they definately are not! They have been known to kill humans by throwing them into the air or by stomping on them, so we were very cautious. But they are so breathtaking, truely mesmorizing animals and so gorgeous, especially in the WILD. I cannot even describe to you the feeling of seeing one of these wild animals in their natural habitat thoroughly enjoying their life.
Yesterday we went on a game drive, meaning riding around in the vehicle to see wild animals. We took one of the classic "safari" vehicles...if any of you are actually interested in what type of vehicle this is its a toyota landcruiser. The most exciting part is that we get to sit on the top of the vehicle as it is driving, I believe our top speed was probably around 50mph! Truely the time of my life I feel so free here. During our drive we saw a lion, waterbuck, water buffalo, kope (similar to an impala), and a lot of birds and butterflies.
After that we went on a boat ride! When we were on this we saw hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, and fisherman! Very awesome.
Today was an adventure! We got to dart (meaning put into an anestheisa) water buffalo! It was sooo cool! At first it was really scary as they kept telling us buffalo are one of the most feared animals here for their charging. But I truely think they just try to scare us, it is unnecessary. So, anyway we darted the water buffalo and I was suppose to take blood samples. The first buffalo we took down had samples already being taken of it before I got there, so I did not get to do it then. The second buffalo wasnt completely undertaken by the anesthetic the first time we got out of the car, so it got up and we all had to quickly run into vehicles! They laughed at me because my reflexes were not thinking and I was carrying a pan of water and didnt let go..oops! I managed not to spill...just imagine it...you would laugh too :). After that I got a littel nervous for that buffalo, even though we darted it again to make sure it was down, so I was going to draw from the next one we took down. Unfortunately they gave us latex gloves. My latex allergy was confirmed today. I got a small rash on my hand and my eyes swelled a bit, so I decided to be done. It was all good though. If you want an adrenaline rush dart animals! It was a great experience and it was so much fun I'm so happy to have been a part of it!
God is so great, He is the God of this univerise and that includes ALLLL of the nations. How incredibly awesome?! He keeps on reminding me that He is here with me and in Africa every single day. It is so great. He loves us all so much! I had a chance to lead a bible study here while we were in Kibale one night. It was only a few of us but it was such a great reminder that even though we are here He will never leave us. No matter what.
I hope that this finds you all happy and healthy and know that I am thinking and praying for you all! Love You!!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
We Have Arrived!
We are here! After a very, VERY long flight we made it to the ground around 10pm on Sunday evening Uganda time (8 hours ahead; 2:00pm CST), got to our van around 11pm, and got to our hostile about 12am! We did not get all settled in until about 1am and had to wake up at 6:30am (remember this is about 10:30pm CST) to get to our class in the morning! It was a very long day of lectures yesterday (Monday), we were busy 8:30-5! We stood out very much as we all began to fall asleep in class around 2pm or so because we were totally exhausted, everybody noticed. But I think they were understanding of our jetlag.
Regardless of our falling asleep during lectures, the topics and information we were learning was very interesting and there has been very good discussion with it. We have a very small class compared to anything in the US, there are about 20 of us. We have been learning a lot about the different structures in the health system here and about infectious disease. The diseases we are learning about are very interesting to me as they are not anything we have been exposed to while studying in the states! I love it so much! The main difference I find in what we are learning here is that in the classes I take back home focus very much on genetics causing disease and treatment where as the classes here focus very much on pathogens and vectors (such as the tsetse fly causing trypansomosis), it is very interesting and different and I really am enjoying it.
We have found out more of our itinerary as we were mostly left without knowing it before we left! On Thursday we will begin our journey to Western Uganda where we will travel to Kibale National Park (has primates, birds, and lab work). Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (Hippos, Lions, birds, water buffalos), Lake Mburo National Park (antelope, livestock ranches), and the only crocodile farm! I also was told we will be able to see a giraffe which I'm totally stoked about since we were told that we would not see one here and I was a little bit sad about that. We will arrive back from western Uganda on the 29. We will have a free day here in Kampala (the largest city) where we will probably be doing some tourist stuff, and then head to eastern Uganda. In eastern Uganda we will be visiting mostly health centers, farms, and a research institute in trypsanomyosis. We will also be doing a bit of site seeing on this part of our journey. We will be climbing a mountain, visiting the source of the nile and crossing over the nile (AWESOME), and visiting a national forest. We will then have another free day in Kampala. After that we will have a boma, which will last a few days, where there is a fire, food, and sharing between cultures we were told there will be approximately 150 people there. After the boma we will attend a conference for about 2 or 3 days.
I have already learned so much while here! I am loving my time here. Some may say it is still in the "honeymoon phase" but I believe I truely like it here. The food is not AMAZING, there are about 3 types of food here, rice, posho (cooked plantains--a type of banana), and matoke (corn starch). But it is not so bad. I have made friends with people from all over Africa; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda! Sweet deal!
God is so awesome! I love that he has given me the opportunity to be here with people that are all so different, but essentially all the same. That is what this all comes down to. We all have differences but we all have the same concerns, issues, and in the end just want to meet new people and experience the world. Some of our concerns may have a different face, prevalence but at the very core we all want to help improve the conditions we are living in regardless of where we are in this big world.
Until next time...ta ta!!
Regardless of our falling asleep during lectures, the topics and information we were learning was very interesting and there has been very good discussion with it. We have a very small class compared to anything in the US, there are about 20 of us. We have been learning a lot about the different structures in the health system here and about infectious disease. The diseases we are learning about are very interesting to me as they are not anything we have been exposed to while studying in the states! I love it so much! The main difference I find in what we are learning here is that in the classes I take back home focus very much on genetics causing disease and treatment where as the classes here focus very much on pathogens and vectors (such as the tsetse fly causing trypansomosis), it is very interesting and different and I really am enjoying it.
We have found out more of our itinerary as we were mostly left without knowing it before we left! On Thursday we will begin our journey to Western Uganda where we will travel to Kibale National Park (has primates, birds, and lab work). Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (Hippos, Lions, birds, water buffalos), Lake Mburo National Park (antelope, livestock ranches), and the only crocodile farm! I also was told we will be able to see a giraffe which I'm totally stoked about since we were told that we would not see one here and I was a little bit sad about that. We will arrive back from western Uganda on the 29. We will have a free day here in Kampala (the largest city) where we will probably be doing some tourist stuff, and then head to eastern Uganda. In eastern Uganda we will be visiting mostly health centers, farms, and a research institute in trypsanomyosis. We will also be doing a bit of site seeing on this part of our journey. We will be climbing a mountain, visiting the source of the nile and crossing over the nile (AWESOME), and visiting a national forest. We will then have another free day in Kampala. After that we will have a boma, which will last a few days, where there is a fire, food, and sharing between cultures we were told there will be approximately 150 people there. After the boma we will attend a conference for about 2 or 3 days.
I have already learned so much while here! I am loving my time here. Some may say it is still in the "honeymoon phase" but I believe I truely like it here. The food is not AMAZING, there are about 3 types of food here, rice, posho (cooked plantains--a type of banana), and matoke (corn starch). But it is not so bad. I have made friends with people from all over Africa; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda! Sweet deal!
God is so awesome! I love that he has given me the opportunity to be here with people that are all so different, but essentially all the same. That is what this all comes down to. We all have differences but we all have the same concerns, issues, and in the end just want to meet new people and experience the world. Some of our concerns may have a different face, prevalence but at the very core we all want to help improve the conditions we are living in regardless of where we are in this big world.
Until next time...ta ta!!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Today is June 16!
I have been waiting for this day for over six months, I cannot believe that it is FINALLY here! This is the real deal. Sitting at home with my family I cannot even begin to fathom how blessed I truely am here. I have an amazing God who lets me experience this world and show me new and different things, a supportive family who loves me, an awesome second family (Peterson's, Preble's, and other Peterson's), fantastic roommates, and a group of 13 beautiful girls all of whom I get to share my struggles, triumphs, and doubts with. Can anyone really ask for anything better than that?!
God is continuing to show me new things, I am just in awe of him. It never ceases. In the last week I had been trying to decide if going to Africa was REALLY what God wanted for me. I wished so badly I could be in both places at one time. So I could be here in the states for my family and my best friend as they go through difficult times but I also just want to fix everybody's broken heart and be in Africa too. But lets be for real here. Physically, I cannot do that. Then God just whispered in my ear.......we are ALL part of the body of Christ, so I am a part of that body. If I am part of that body and YOU are part of that body, then really I am still here even when I am in Africa. I am everywhere that God is and He is omnipresent (meaning literally everywhere). And really it isn't MY heart that is yearning for these things, to fix all these broken hearts, and mend all of these relationships, but it is HIS heart that He has given to me since I have given Him all of my earthly self (or at least to the best of my abilities). How awesome right?!
I cannot wait to see all that God has waiting in Africa. He is moving people! How sweet! He is going to be able to use this trip in awesome ways that I don't even know about or can begin to imagine yet. Everyone keeps telling me "This is going to change your life". I cannot even begin to know how, but to be honest I hope this trip doesn't just change my life. I hope it RUINS my life. Ruins my life so much that I cannot go back to living the "normal" American life that I do I don't want the American dream, I want God's dream for my life. I hope that it RUINS my life so much that my heart BREAKS for the people there and I have to do something about it. God has placed a desire (Psalms 37:4 again) in my heart to go to Africa long, long ago. So I intend for this trip to ruin my life for good and all for the glory of our beautiful Savior. Plane boards in 4 hours...ready. set. go.
God is continuing to show me new things, I am just in awe of him. It never ceases. In the last week I had been trying to decide if going to Africa was REALLY what God wanted for me. I wished so badly I could be in both places at one time. So I could be here in the states for my family and my best friend as they go through difficult times but I also just want to fix everybody's broken heart and be in Africa too. But lets be for real here. Physically, I cannot do that. Then God just whispered in my ear.......we are ALL part of the body of Christ, so I am a part of that body. If I am part of that body and YOU are part of that body, then really I am still here even when I am in Africa. I am everywhere that God is and He is omnipresent (meaning literally everywhere). And really it isn't MY heart that is yearning for these things, to fix all these broken hearts, and mend all of these relationships, but it is HIS heart that He has given to me since I have given Him all of my earthly self (or at least to the best of my abilities). How awesome right?!
I cannot wait to see all that God has waiting in Africa. He is moving people! How sweet! He is going to be able to use this trip in awesome ways that I don't even know about or can begin to imagine yet. Everyone keeps telling me "This is going to change your life". I cannot even begin to know how, but to be honest I hope this trip doesn't just change my life. I hope it RUINS my life. Ruins my life so much that I cannot go back to living the "normal" American life that I do I don't want the American dream, I want God's dream for my life. I hope that it RUINS my life so much that my heart BREAKS for the people there and I have to do something about it. God has placed a desire (Psalms 37:4 again) in my heart to go to Africa long, long ago. So I intend for this trip to ruin my life for good and all for the glory of our beautiful Savior. Plane boards in 4 hours...ready. set. go.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
And the Countdown Continues..
In exactly one week we will be on our plane heading to Uganda! It is coming up so fast I can't even believe it! God is still teaching me new things each day before I leave to make sure I am fully prepared for this trip. Lately He has been showing me how temporary our life here on earth really is. He is teaching me to live for him with each and every second because every second here is vital. What if we all make a difference for Him each day? With each minute? What can YOU do for him today? What is your role in the body of Christ?
Maybe you don't know that yet, but I encourage you to figure that out with God, He will show you if you ask! Our life here does not promise us a tomorrow and it does not promise us another breath, so make the most of every one that he offers to you!
He is also teaching me to trust Him with all that I am and give Him my everything because He really is in control and everything happens for a reason. No matter how hard or how easy the road he gives you is. He doesn't give you anything that you can't handle. I have been reminded constantly of the song by Matthew West "Strong Enough"( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuHDPbE5es). I am so excited to give God my everything and trust Him with everything new, challenging, and wonderful that He is giving and showing to me in my life! I hope that you are too!
Packing and tying up loose ends for my Relay for Life team is all that I have left to do before I leave and of course spending some much needed time with my family and friends before I leave! That is my agenda in this last week before we board our plane! I hope you all have a great week as well!
Maybe you don't know that yet, but I encourage you to figure that out with God, He will show you if you ask! Our life here does not promise us a tomorrow and it does not promise us another breath, so make the most of every one that he offers to you!
He is also teaching me to trust Him with all that I am and give Him my everything because He really is in control and everything happens for a reason. No matter how hard or how easy the road he gives you is. He doesn't give you anything that you can't handle. I have been reminded constantly of the song by Matthew West "Strong Enough"( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuHDPbE5es). I am so excited to give God my everything and trust Him with everything new, challenging, and wonderful that He is giving and showing to me in my life! I hope that you are too!
Packing and tying up loose ends for my Relay for Life team is all that I have left to do before I leave and of course spending some much needed time with my family and friends before I leave! That is my agenda in this last week before we board our plane! I hope you all have a great week as well!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Departure is Fast Approaching..
This summer God has provided me with an amazing opportunity to spread his love all the way across the globe in Africa! I have always wanted to go to Africa..ever since I was little. Psalms 37:4 says "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart". This verse is said over and over in our church services but it has really been proven true in my life. If you delight in the Lord he will grant you desires that will give him glory and praise and that is what I intend on doing while on this trip.
God's timing is so evident in all of this, He has shown me so much that some days I can't help but to just stand in awe at what he has done and is doing in my life. This opportunity has come to me at a time when my heart is so very ready to be opened up and shown new things. A time when I am no longer focused on myself but on those that are around me. A time when the power of His love and healing is so overpowering in my life that I cannot go a single day without thinking about it.
To show his love to others in Africa is going to be both challenging, scary, and a blessing and it WILL change me. I am ready to take on this challenge with Him and go to where He told me to go.
There are many different places I will be travelling during this time! I will be departing for my trip on June 16th from Minneapolis with my fabulous roommate Ellen and one of the other girls from NDSU (Kaylin)! We are getting very anxious, a little bit stressed, but very excited to go! From Minneapolis we will fly to Amsterdam where we have a layover, to Rwanda where we have a layover in which we only stay in the plane, and finally we will arrive in Uganda on Sunday night. We will be studying there until July 15. At this time I will be flying by myself (yes NERVE-RACKING!!) from Uganda to Burkina Faso. When I arrive in Burkina Faso I will be joining my good friend Mari for our medical mission trip! A couple of weeks after we arrive a team from Williston will be coming as well and we will be joining them! I will be testing kids for Malaria and Mari will be treating malnourished children alongside others who are already completely educated in these subjects. The other members of the team will be doing an optometry clinic and preaching. We will depart from Burkina on August 3rd and have a day layover in Paris. From Paris I will be flying to MSP and returning home on August 5!
While still here in the states I am trying to have an "impact" attitude. Living every day with the thought that I don't come across any one person on accident. Whether I am sitting at the cash till at JCPenney or working in the greenhouse at the USDA my intent every day is to impact who I see and show them just a little bit of Jesus. Whether that is GENUINELY asking how someones day is at the till or having a meaningful conversation in the greenhouse, nothing happens by accident. This is helping me to prepare my heart for what is to come and I cant wait to see what is going to go on while in Africa.
I challenge you to live with an "impact" attitude every day. You never know the power of your words, good or bad! You may never know, so influence people positively today. I invite you to join me on this journey through this blog and I cannot thank you all enough for all of the support that you have given me. Whether we have known eachother forever or are just starting to get to know eachother now. I love you all!
God's timing is so evident in all of this, He has shown me so much that some days I can't help but to just stand in awe at what he has done and is doing in my life. This opportunity has come to me at a time when my heart is so very ready to be opened up and shown new things. A time when I am no longer focused on myself but on those that are around me. A time when the power of His love and healing is so overpowering in my life that I cannot go a single day without thinking about it.
To show his love to others in Africa is going to be both challenging, scary, and a blessing and it WILL change me. I am ready to take on this challenge with Him and go to where He told me to go.
There are many different places I will be travelling during this time! I will be departing for my trip on June 16th from Minneapolis with my fabulous roommate Ellen and one of the other girls from NDSU (Kaylin)! We are getting very anxious, a little bit stressed, but very excited to go! From Minneapolis we will fly to Amsterdam where we have a layover, to Rwanda where we have a layover in which we only stay in the plane, and finally we will arrive in Uganda on Sunday night. We will be studying there until July 15. At this time I will be flying by myself (yes NERVE-RACKING!!) from Uganda to Burkina Faso. When I arrive in Burkina Faso I will be joining my good friend Mari for our medical mission trip! A couple of weeks after we arrive a team from Williston will be coming as well and we will be joining them! I will be testing kids for Malaria and Mari will be treating malnourished children alongside others who are already completely educated in these subjects. The other members of the team will be doing an optometry clinic and preaching. We will depart from Burkina on August 3rd and have a day layover in Paris. From Paris I will be flying to MSP and returning home on August 5!
While still here in the states I am trying to have an "impact" attitude. Living every day with the thought that I don't come across any one person on accident. Whether I am sitting at the cash till at JCPenney or working in the greenhouse at the USDA my intent every day is to impact who I see and show them just a little bit of Jesus. Whether that is GENUINELY asking how someones day is at the till or having a meaningful conversation in the greenhouse, nothing happens by accident. This is helping me to prepare my heart for what is to come and I cant wait to see what is going to go on while in Africa.
I challenge you to live with an "impact" attitude every day. You never know the power of your words, good or bad! You may never know, so influence people positively today. I invite you to join me on this journey through this blog and I cannot thank you all enough for all of the support that you have given me. Whether we have known eachother forever or are just starting to get to know eachother now. I love you all!
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