Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Africa Update #2

Hello!
First off, I want to apologize to all those who have asked me to post on here. I am sorry I have not been very good about it. Sadly, my computer seems to have broken down. That being said, I now have to type all this out on my phone.
Africa! Wow. Where do I start?!
Victoria and I have nearly finished up our sponsorship program cards. Now we can take the info and pictures back to America and have people sponsor these adorable kids. The process of making these did not turn out to be easy. First of all, the organization was not very good. Even some of the birthdays did not match the kids' ages. Second, my computer did not save my work correctly and then just stopped working altogether. So, we had to start all over. Next, the pictures all got lost. So we ended up retaking those only to find out someone had found the memory card with all the pictures on it right after we finished retaking them. That was amusing. But after all that, we are nearly done. We just have to organize and add a few more kids and make sure all the info lines up, including the birthdays and ages.
This trip has come with a lot of down time. Neither Victoria or I expected that which means we didn't come very prepared. Thankfully, I got a SIM card for my phone so now I have Internet wherever I go. This way I can stay connected and download books to read to keep me occupied on the down times. Unfortunately, Victoria doesn't have the same luxury.
Victoria has started trying to learn how to cook some of the common dishes here. She seems to be enjoying that. She even started helping me wash the laundry.
I started teaching first and second grade reading at the school this week. I was not able to go today because I got a flu bug. Victoria also has been sick. It doesn't seem to be anything serious. It has just been a little inconvenient.
For the most part, I feel like I have adjusted to the food (minus the meat), the showering and restroom, the mosquito nets, laundry methods, etc.
Uganda is a very beautiful place. It is very green here. And just gorgeous. It is overcast almost everyday which is kind of good because when the sun is out it gets very hot! The humidity isn't as bad as I expected thankfully.
The people.... The people are beautiful. The kids are precious. So full of joy and love.
I find Uganda to be a very beautiful place. Yes, for the reasons I mentioned above but also for another reason. This morning, while eating breakfast, I was thinking about how I love Uganda kind of like I love TJ, Mexico. Granted- Uganda is way prettier from what I've seen. But I realized that I love the poverty. Okay, that probably sounds a little crazy. But I love the way of life poverty brings. It is so simple. And the people are so grateful for the little things. So, in a way, I have fallen in love with the poverty of Uganda, Africa.
Now for the more personal stuff..... God has been working in my heart. My heart is so stubborn and hard.... So He has been and will have to continue to do a lot of softening with it. In my life, I continually struggle with doubts, the biggest we being- Is God real? I am ashamed to even admit this. Recently, I have been doubting so much. I feel like I should be past this. Like, I've been raised in a Christian home, I made a commitment to the Lord, and I love Him. I love Him so much. So why do I doubt? Anyways, on this trip, the last few days I have been really trying to journal my prayers and to read my Bible and journal about it every day. This kind of helps to keep me accountable.
Please keep Victoria and I in your prayers. We have less than two weeks left here before we head to Europe for a week. Please pray that the Lord would continue to work in both of ours hearts. Please also pray that we would be a blessing to everyone we come in contact with. And lastly, please pray for our health! Please pray we will get over this cold quickly so we can get back to work. ;)
Thank you all so much!!

Blessings,
Bekah