Update :)

"When we are complacent and satisfied with our lack of spiritual growth and we fail to continue in our spiritual journey full force, we too set ourselves up for failure."

this past weekend has been filled with blessings! here's an update on what's been going on. i'm still in awe of everything around me, trying to take it all in. it's such a different environment and totally different change of pace. the cattle herding in the middle of the road, the chickens always crossing the road, and the goats make me smile :) the kids with the big stomachs and the ones sitting on the side of the road begging for money because their parents make them is heart wrenching to say the least. i hugged my first little black girl on thursday!!! it was awesome! she was the cutest and sweetest little girl begging for money right outside the church and i was immediately drawn to her. she kept looking at me with the biggest smile on her face (which was probably because i was white, "muzungu", and she wanted money, but i like to tell myself she just wanted a hug). because everything in the city is so crazy i was forced to keep walking, but as i looked behind me she started walking toward me and gave me a hug :) i wanted to take her home and keep her forever.

i tried my first african food on thursday as well. it's called matoke. it's like a mashed banana or plantain. this one was more like a plantain with indian curry on the outside!!! it was amazing! i've tried a couple more foods since then but they're very plain. since i'm living with americans i'm very blessed to be fed some of what i would normally eat, but even american food tastes different here.

i've been spending a lot of time at the church the past few days, getting my schedule figured out and whatnot. last saturday was my first day with Frontline (the street kids ministry). i loved them from the moment i saw all of them. there were about 30-50 boys who were some of the most dirty and smelly, torn up kids, but i loved them and wanted to hug all of them. most of them come to get food and then go back out onto the streets, but while they are there on saturdays they do worship and have a message, and this time i got to draw with them and paint with them, serve them food and just hang out with them. i got to here come of their stories, which are insane! some of them have been on the streets for months and some for years. i can't imagine living on the streets anywhere, but especially here. they steal to get money and food, and then they sell whatever they steal to get money. they get beaten by cops if the cops catch them. but while they're at the church and safe on saturdays they have so much fun! the people i'm going to be working with are great and have such a heart for these kids.

after that we all went to the discipleship house, where some of the boys who show a willingness to change live and are taken care of by one of the people who works there. when i say house, i mean a very very small two room shack, that has three sets of bunkbeds in one room with three beds on each bunk, and the other room is the sitting room thats about the size of our mail room. so small! we played cards, ate bread and tea (tea is huge here and its very good) and we had a great time!

i rode my first boda boda on the way home. i was really nervous haha it had been rainging really hard earlier that day so all the roads were wet. they are not safe and the drivers are crazy, weaving in and out of traffic! sometimes they get into accidents and people get very injured on them, but sometimes you're forced to take them. on the main roads they go super fast and on the back gravel roads there are so many potholes, that they have to swerve a lot and you feel like you're going to tip over. the women ride sideways on them, but they're crazy! the taxis are like big 16 or 17 passenger vans that everyone rides in, which is normally what i take, because it's the cheapest mode of transportation. i feel much safer in a vehicle. i almost get run over by a boda boda or a taxi everyday here haha but it keeps me on my toes.

i went to my first tribal dance/cultural night last night with some friends from frontline. it was absolutely awesome and definitely something i've been wanting to do while i'm here! i was kinda nervous because there were a lot of american tourists there but the Lord's hand was upon the event and we had such a good time!

i got my first full night of sleep last night since i've been here, which was amazing and definitely needed. and i'm going to get all my shots tomorrow.

so, along with frontline, which i'm super stoked about working with, there are many other ministry opportunites available for me:

*jordan house- works with women and children in the slums. it's a community based program to teach them how to live. the children stay in a residential facility and the women come and go for a month or more. i'll learn more about this when i meet with the lady that runs it this week. i'll be taking a tour of the facility, which is based in the slums.

*bombesia-this is a project for women at risk or women who used to be prostitutes, visiting them in the slums and ministering to them. i'm going to be meeting with the lady that runs this later this week as well.

*there is an orphanage that i will be visiting today, to see if thats a possibility. i get to hold some little black babies!!!

*i'll be going out into villages and maybe schools to show the Jesus film, which brings many people to the Lord! so stoked! that's one of the things i really wanted to do, was to go out into the villages and show this film. never thought it would be possible.

*i'm going to be helping teach a Bible study with the girls who work with Frontline Ministries, which will be awesome! i've never taught a Bible study before, but i feel like the Lord's been wanting me to for a while.

*So Sweet!!! i may have the opportunity to go up to northern Uganda, to Kitgum, to work at a church for about a week or so. this is where the LRA and child soldiers were, so i may have the opportunity to minister to these people who have been completely traumatized by everything that happened! i can't even imagine! for more information on the LRA check out www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/lra.htm

*other than that i will be doing office work at the church and helping out with anything else they might need.

so there's a nutshell of whats been going on. the Lord is teaching me a lot personally and i'm excited to see what else He has in store.

thank you again for your prayers! God is great and greatly to be praised! I feel more than blessed to be here and be a part of everything! I can't believe I'm here doing this right now!