Scary

What do you first think of when you first hear "Africa"?

Of course, this question is more for those who haven't been. Here were my first thoughts at the word "Africa":
-huts
-scary
-bugs
-scary
-different
-wild animals
-scary
-shots
-last place I ever want to go
-dirt. lots of dirt.
Then I signed up to spend a summer there. I like to keep myself unpredictable. Keeps me on my toes.

Really, though, what do I feel about this right now--about going to Africa? I'm not completely sure. I know I'm supposed to go, there is no question about that (unless God ABSOLUTELY stops me, in which case I really don't have a say). I know that I am severely excited as well. Last week, I spent time with some folks in a band from Malawi (another country in Africa) who came to campus with my hallmate's missionary father. They were so much fun, even with--no, especially because of--their cultural differences. I hear so many things about the wonder of the culture there, how friendly and relational the people are. I love the music, I love the dancing. I love hugging people, and I hear that they love that too.

But I'm also scared out of my mind. I hear about the culture, but I haven't experienced it. I will be completely out of my comfort zone. There is so much pain there--pain that I can hug, but I can't fix. Actually, I think that's the main thing. I'm afraid because I don't like facing situations that are out of my control, and that's what God is calling me to do.

A couple hours ago, I watched a video about malaria in Africa, particularly Northern Uganda, called "When the Night Comes". The statistics are absolutely astonishing. Over 2,000 children die from malaria A DAY. The world freaked out when 31 people died of swine flu in the span of a few weeks, but didn't notice when, during that time, tens of thousands of people died of malaria. The funny thing is, to prevent it, all that's needed is nets. Isolate one village with nets = killing malaria in that area. We used a similar method to kill it in America.

The video portrayed the death of a child in a hospital. It showed his mother, a woman who remained silent nearly the entire time. After they put the blanket over the baby, the mother started wandering around the hospital--lost and alone--until she found the exit.

It's one thing to watch a video like that from the perspective of someone who isn't going to be in contact with it, as an American who will stay safe in America. But I will be dealing with people who have experienced this--shoot, I will probably see some of it firsthand. Yes, I am a little bit scared. All I can do for these people is hug them, cry with them, and pray for them. I realize that God heals and it's His job to take care of them, but I know He is going to break me this summer.

I suppose, then, what I most need to do now is prepare to be broken and built up differently.

Ouch.

IN TERMS OF TRIP LOGISTICS:
-All I need now, in terms of funding, is $725, not including what I will need to buy before I go and things I may need to buy while I am there. But out of $4200, that isn't bad.
-We are buying airplane tickets this week.
-Soon, Dr. Ward will be giving us literature to read concerning the culture. We already had a lesson on greetings last Sunday during our weekly prayer time. We also had a three-hour lesson on evangelism last Friday.
-I need to make an appointment for shots in April. Shots are probably one of the most frightening things in the world, and I plan on rewarding myself with ice cream afterwards.
-Still need to buy: skirts, sunscreen, malaria medicine, and gifts for hosts. And maybe a few other things.

My biggest prayer now is that God would prepare me for this. Prepare me to be broken, to keep my eyes open, and to hear His voice while I am there. Who knows, this could turn into something long term.

Scary, right?

As Simba says in the The Lion King: "Danger? Hah! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger--ha ha ha ha!"

47 more days.

At this point, I figured it was time for blog number two. 

The updates on the actual trip have been a bit slow because last week was spring break, meaning that very little has happened in the way of meeting/planning. However, my mom did give me details from the conversation she had with Dale Hollenbeck (one of the missionaries overseeing us in Mbarara) a few weeks ago. There are two schools that I may be working in, one that is within walking distance and the other that is--well, I'm not sure how far it is but it's an international school. This may mean the difference between my walking to school with kids and my riding to school on the back of a crazy-fast Ugandan motorcycle taxi. The interns will be receiving some specialized training from the Hollenbecks and Boyetts while we are there, meaning that they will be teaching us in evangelism, Bible orality (how to effectively tell Bible stories, the African way of evangelism), finances (not just missionary budget but also how to handle people on the streets who ask you for money), and other things, on top of mentoring us in our callings. WOW. There are two families that he is going to ask about keeping us for our culture-stay, and I'll let you know about them when I hear more. Also, as of today, it ends up that the short-term group will be coming with us to Mbarara as well, meaning that for the first 3-4 weeks there will be 10 of us Covenant kids there, not just the three interns.

Oh yes, and the best part of the trip: the possibility of swimming in hotel pools and Thursday volleyball nights! 

--JUST kidding. 

Over the last few weeks, I have been in awe at how much God has blessed me with the support of so many people. Every time I've received something in the mail--whether it be a financial gift or just a note saying "we love and support you"--I've felt overwhelming gratitude. God has provided so many people who WANT to be a part of what He's doing through me. Last Sunday, I spoke to my home church, Evergreen, about what's going on, and afterwards I had three people come up to talk to me about how excited they were. Then, today, I received a card in the mail with little messages and a 90-day devotional in it from folks in the church. The support is genuine, and I'm so excited to be sharing this trip!

Things that still need to happen:

-final thrift store shopping trip for teacher-type clothes

-yellow fever and typhoid shots (which are actually quite costly, meaning that my babysitting money for the next few weeks is going straight through a needle and into my arm.)

Two big prayer needs in Uganda:

-ongoing prayer for the invisible children crisis and the defeat of the LRA. For those who don't know, the LRA ("Lord's Resistance Army"), led by a man named Joseph Kony, is fighting to overthrow the government and abducts thousands of children to fight in their war. I would suggest going to youtube and looking up "Invisible Children documentary" to get more information. It's horrific.

-the current issue about the homosexual law that they are trying to pass there, which, if passed, will possibly mean death for those who are homosexual. 

8 more weeks everybody! Woohoo!

Let's begin....

Hello to all! I promised a trip blog, so here we are. The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone up-to-date during the whole process--preparation, actual trip, and afterwards--as well as where God may send me next.

First, I should probably flesh out EXACTLY what is going on here. To those of you who are still a bit clueless, I have been given an opportunity through Covenant this summer to go on a ten-week internship in Mbarara, Uganda. The main purpose of this internship is to learn more about missionary life, so two other interns and I will be hosted by two missionary families, the Hollenbecks and the Boyetts, who will mentor us. The plan is to spend the first week living with a Ugandan family for cultural acquisition and then spend the rest of the time in placements of our choice. I will probably be working in a school alongside/helping a Ugandan teacher in the classroom to learn more about education in a culture other than my own. But, no matter what I am assigned to do, I will be working with children, who are basically my favorite people in life.

I am really excited about this opportunity--but really scared at the same time. However, I suppose that is the place where God loves for His people to be. The only overseas experience I have had was a ten-day trip to Ukraine, which is slightly different from an internship in Uganda. I am about to spend 2 1/2 months in a country--on a continent--that I have no experience with whatsoever. Though we will be doing a lot of preparation work to learn about the culture, I will still be diving in headfirst.

On the flipside, this is definitely a call from God. Several events over the last few years have made me feel a pull to become a missionary overseas (as a teacher, because my major is elementary education, after all). However, before I actually try it, I want to get my feet wet to see if this is really a life call or just an exciting thought. Spending a summer completely immersed in a different culture may help with this.

So what is the status of the actual trip? Originally, the trip was supposed to include a group of eleven or so, all but three of whom (the other two interns and me) would be staying for only four weeks. However, there was a bump in the road and the trip had to be revised so that the four-weekers will actually be going to the capital city of Kampala while the three interns (that's me!) go to Mbarara on our own. As far as trip cost, I have raised $1,675 of the necessary $4,200, which is actually very cheap for a 2 1/2 month stay. I still have to get yellow fever and typhoid shots. I also need to go thrift-store shopping for cheap longer-than-the-knee length skirts, because that is the proper attire for women in Mbarara and I don't want to be mistaken for a prostitute.

The prayer needs at present are:

• That God will keep the road clear for the trip to happen.
• Adequate mental and spiritual preparation for those who are going and those who will be hosting us.
• That the funds will be provided by April 1st.

I will be updating this blog soon with what God is teaching me during this unique preparation time. 

65 more days to go! Well, that is if I did my math correctly...

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