Dear Victoria
How are you my friend? I am happy to see you my friend. Thank your kindness and prayers. I will pray for you every day and may God bless you in everything you do. Always remember how much he loves you and you are never alone. He surrounds you with his love, mercy and grace. Always kind to understand and work hard and study hard in school. I can see that you have a kind and gentle but strong spirit. Let the spirit of God guide you and follow your dreams. God bless you my friend
Love
Simon Kinyera
I have five sisters and three brothers. How many in your family? Bring your family picture.


I received this note tonight from one of the guys here. Such a sweet, sweet note that I just had to share. To be honest, I don't even remember who he is... Oh dear.. Today we did some random jobs, like pruning bushes, cleaning out a closet (where Jenna ran into a rat), helped kids make beads, threw around a frisbee, and helped women from Gulu learn how to knit. Fun day. Hot, too. It actually feels generally cooler than South Dakota or Alberta. Except today was pretty hot in the sun. 


I have gotten around 8 notes from kids here. I have to write them back but the problem is, I don't even remember who some of them are, or what house they live in. This one from Auma Stella writes," I love you so much my lovely best friend. You look beautiful in my eye. If you enter in my heart you will see my love for you." How poetic :)

We've had 3 full days at the Village! It seems like a lot longer. It's been good, hanging out with the kids, and getting to know the American team from Texas who is here till next Tuesday. Our first night here, we were so exhausted from traveling that we slept 14 hours. We were quite surprised we could sleep for that long. It's kind of hard right now, to know exactly what we're supposed to do, how to interact with the kids, and how to spend our time. Our days are pretty much up to us how much time we want to spend with the kids, or resting, or helping out with random jobs. I'm looking forward to getting more comfortable here, and getting a routine down. This morning Kayla, Kari, Jenna and I got to help with the bead project. We took the beads off of a string that had been dipped in vinyl and then sorted out the good and bad beads. We even got to make a pattern and string a bracelet. Now people will buy a bracelet thinking it was made from Ugandan children. haha- not that one :)

The people here are so friendly and welcoming. Their common greeting is "You are welcome," or "We welcome you." I really like it. The kids are often smiling and laughing. The kids are so respectful. Whenever we walk by a couple kids walking the other direction, they will often kneel down until you pass. It's kind of strange. Almost like they're bowing down to you, but it's just a cultural thing to get used to. 

From what I've observed here, everything here seems long. Or it's at least done for longer periods of time. Like singing one song in church or doing a traditional Acholi dance. They don't seem to get bored with it. During church, especially, I was thinking of how in our western culture, a worship song will last for about 5 minutes, and even in the song there is variation of harmonies, rhythms, and intensity. Here the songs seem like the same level all the way through. Along with the dancing. The kids performed a dance for the rest of the village and us mizungoos (white people). I was expecting a 30min performance with different types of dancing. They did maybe 4 different dances over the course of 2 hours. I was thinking, "This is really nice and fun.. but it's kind of long.. they've been doing the same exact thing with the same drum rhythm for half an hour....okay, I cannot be getting bored. I'm in Africa. This is crazy!" So my thought process probably reflects a lot of western culture. We like variety. I think I can be learning to enjoy each moment no matter how short or long it lasts. 

Thanks to everyone for your prayers! I so appreciate them. It's really encouraging to know that people are thinking of me and caring about me. Some things you could pray for... getting to know the kids, good sleeps ( the roosters have been waking up Kayla and Kari at 5am), the kids here, and that I would take every opportunity I can to get to know people and really make the most of my time here. 2 months seems like a really long time. But pray that in our time here, God would be working through us and working in us. I miss you all!

1 week prior

5 days till I head out to AFRICA! It's hard to believe that in less than a week I'm going to be completely submersed in a new culture, with new people, new foods, new climate, new new new.. I am so excited.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is connecting with the kids at the Village of Hope. I don't even know the details of what our time will look like for the next 2 months, but I know that God has really great things planned for us. The spontaneity of how 4 of us cousins are going there adds to the fact that we're supposed to be there.

Some things that we will be helping with...
-the library. There's "library time" where someone reads to the kids, or helps the kids read. The kids go to school, where they actually are taught in English. However, they don't understand that much of the English language.
-making beads. They have a project at the Village, making jewelry out of recycled paper beads. They're pretty sweet. We might be helping with making the jewelry and helping sort beads.
-playing with the kids :) A lot of our time in Uganda is spent how we want to spend it. The more we invest into the kids, the more rewarding it will be.
-teaching music. The kids love music, and some really want to learn guitar. There's also a keyboard there, so I might get to teach some of that.

I would love your prayers for me and the other girls going on this trip. That God would open our eyes and our hearts to serve completely, to grow to love the people we are working with, and to give us the strength we need.

the vision of Village of Hope...

In the 1980s, the Lord’s Resistance Movement, a militant group in Uganda started rising to power. It has been estimated that 66,000 children have been abducted in Uganda and made to work as soldiers, porters, sex slaves, human shields, bait and as “wives” of rebels. Village of Hope provides a safe home for rescued, orphaned children, training widows as “moms” to the kids and supplying the children with an education. This is a unique place where nurture and counseling helps the kids move beyond the pain, wounds, and heartache from years of abandonment, abduction and hopelessness. At Village of Hope, they know that healing comes through time, love, and hope in the grace of God. There are still about 1,200 Ugandan children being held by the Lord’s Resistance Army. God has been at work in Uganda, bringing healing and restoration to the rescued children. Please pray that the children at VOH would be able to feel God’s unconditional love.

 

prayer

I have just been realizing more and more this school year how good prayer is. Ah man... it is so comforting knowing that we can go to God and tell him anything and everything that is on our minds. And he hears us! This year I have felt really blessed to have a lot of one-on-one prayer with close friends. I hadn't really had that much before. To know that I have people who are watching out for me, and notice when I'm down is, well, an answer to prayer. It is also really humbling. A lot of times in prayer, I come before God having to admit that I am not strong enough to do things on my own, that I need God's strength.

If you have a couple spare minutes, I would encourage you to spend some time with God. Stop from whatever distractions you have, whatever is on your to-do-list and just breathe... be with God. be refreshed. be honest. God already knows what's going on in your heart, why not tell him?

Some prayer requests I have right now are...

-Brazil mission trip in January, we have to get our visas done this week

-my health, I feel sick and haven't had energy this week, or even joy for a while

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire,

and it shall be done for you."

John 15:7

no sacrifice

To you I give my life, not just the parts I want to

To you I sacrifice these dreams that I hold on to

Your thoughts are higher than mine

Your words are deeper than mine

Your love is stronger than mine

This is no sacrifice

Here's my life

To you I give the gifts

Your love has given me

How can I hoard the treasures that you've designed for free?

To you I give my future

As long as it may last

To you I give my present

To you I give my past

- Jason Upton

Why is it so hard to give? to surrender? to release? It seems easier when I have things under my control. I have really been struggling with surrendering my life to God. Surrendering plans... hopes... time... relationships... I want everything to be figured out, to know what to do with my life. Why does his timing have to be so different than my own? I have been realizing that it is so much better when I place all of these things in God's hands. But it is so hard to do. The older I get, the more life seems really complicated. I feel really blessed to be at a place like CLBI, where I am surrounded by loving people who are so supportive of me. To be open and vulnerable in a safe place. being real... a good place to be.

.... I get to see my fam jam in two weeks! Can't wait. American Thanksgiving on the coast. oh yeah... :)

Light

We've probably all heard it said before that Jesus is "the light of the world." As Christians, I hope believe it, too. There is definitely plenty of scripture that says Jesus is our light. I was talking with my Nana tonight, and she was telling stories from when she lived in Nepal. She was explaining to me that people in Nepal would not go out in the dark because a fear of evil spirits. They would stay where there was light because they had an knew that there was something evil wherever the darkness was. There was one time when she was coming home from a wedding, and her vehicle broke down. She tried to get people to stop and help her, but no one would stop. She finally decided in order to stop someone she would have to go out in front of the next coming vehicle and take the risk by either getting help or getting hit. Thankfully, the next car was someone coming home from the wedding. What she found out later, however, was that the other people were afraid to stop because they thought she was a spirit. Here she was, out in the dark, alone, wearing a long, black coat, on the side of the road, trying to get someone's attention, and people think she's a spirit . Can you see how their culture would see it this way?

I think the Nepali people's view of darkness can help us understand what it means when Jesus says he's the light of the world. Although some of us have a fear of the dark, it doesn't mean quite the same thing to our culture today as it might have then. John 8:12 says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Never walk in darkness. For some Nepalise who become Christians, they find it so freeing to not have fear of darkness.

1 Peter 2:9 says, " But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Jesus calls us out of that darkness and to be free from the fear associated with it. We are chosen by God to live in his light. The next time you read something about the light of Jesus, or maybe even sing a song that has to do with darkness or God's light, think about what this really means. What is Jesus speaking to us?

Surprises

January 10th

I had a day full of surprises. I woke up this morning to the sight of girls coming into my room singing happy birthday, holding Tim Horton's donuts and hot chocolate. The donuts had special meanings behind each one, for example, Boston Cream because I'm American, a donut with sprinkles because I "sparkle," an Apple Fritter because of Jonnny Appleseed, and we think he's American :) It was such a wonderful way to start off the day!

Because the roads were not very good weather-wise, we didn't have class until later that day because the teacher wasn't there yet. We had chapel at 10. It was so fun to see everyone again. Because we had no class, I went out in the snow with my cousin and a friend. We climbed piles of snow, made lookouts in a pile of snow and tackled people in the snow. It brought me back to memories of playing King of the Hill and digging tunnels during recess at elementary. During lunch, I had to stand on my chair while people sang "Happy birthday" to me (It's a CLBI tradition). I went back in the snow after lunch and we wrote the letters, CLBI, all nice and big in the snow right under a bridge. We were pretty proud of our accomplishment. When I came back to my room, I was shocked to see a bunch of girls in my room with balloons covering the room! They surprised me with a bunch of messages that they had written on the balloons. Some of them were funny, like "Your eyes are like someone took stars from the sky and jammed them in your face," and "you're pretty fly for a white girl." Others were thoughtful things about me, like "You have a beautiful soul and it shines through in everything you do, love you!" Some friends cards were written on the balloons. It was quite the sight! After all the excitement, I spent some time to open a couple cards and listen to voice messages that I got on my birthday. Man, people are so thoughtful :)

After supper and class, I was hanging out with some friends in the cafeteria. We decided to head to the coed (an on-campus hangout place for guys and girls) to see if there were any people hanging out in there. When we got there, the lights were all off and I was thinking that maybe people were watching a movie. Then all of a sudden everybody popped up and shouted "Surprise! Happy Birthday!!!" I was completely blown away! Almost everyone was there, even the teacher haha. My friends had even gotten my favorite snacks and drinks. Some friends even made me my own cake. I also had to do this funny challenge of finding 19 gummy worms in a bowl of whipped cream. With my mouth. It was, uh.. interesting, and really funny. Did I mention there was a dance party? There was a strobe light and music. Even learned how to waltz :) Today was one of the best days ever. I couldn't have even planned anything better. A huge thank-u to Naomi who planned so much! And so many others who helped with everything-Lenea :) What thoughtful, wonderful, caring, loving people I'm surrounded by.

3 birthday surprises. 80 some balloons. 132 birthday wishes on facebook. Don't think this birthday can ever be topped ;)

*side note: I've always wanted a surprise birthday party, but of course you can't exactly plan that yourself ;) Also, I recently saw the movie, Patch Adams, and in it there's a birthday party where a room is completely filled with balloons from top to bottom. I thought that would the sweetest thing ever. How fun for these 2 wishes to come true :)

*be sure to check out the photos from this day in the photos tab!