The Crazy Adventures of an American Mzungu

I am sitting in the Entebbe airport, when a woman strikes up a conversation with me. I am always so thankful when someone else starts the conversation. I am horrible at small talk, and always feel awkward when there are only two white people in a room and they are not talking. She asked me where home was. That is the most complicated question for me to answer anymore. I grew up in Oregon, then moved to Boise for school and decided that was “home”. Then the big move to Africa. One of the first questions mzungus ask is “where are you from?” Depending on my mood, I flipped back and forth between Oregon and Idaho. Sometimes, I would say one and want to slap myself because that was not the one I wanted to come out of my mouth. Then I take five minutes bumbling through this weird explanation on why both Oregon and Idaho are home. Well, now let's mix Uganda into the mix! I started through my bumbling mess when this complete stranger asked me where I was from... and being way past my be

 I grew up in Central Oregon, where the Cascade mountains bust through the skyline, and here is where my love of nature comes from. Moving to Boise, I appreciated the hiking trails that would take me through miles and miles of God's creation. There are also the best sunrises I have ever witnessed! But Uganda -- oh! Uganda is the most beautiful place I have laid my eyes on. I am always amazed at the glorious splendor God sets before me, as I soak in His artwork. Lush vegetation, amazing scarlet soil, the Nile River, Lake Victoria, sunflowers (my personal favorite), trees, and the most amazing skies I ever witnessed!  So often, I get caught up in whatever I am doing – work, ministry, life – that I forget that I am surrounded by God's glory. I forget to take the time and soak up the beauty God created for my pleasure. He created it to woo my heart. I must admit, this past year I have been bad about enjoying the beauty of God's Hand. But when I do stop, I find myself com

In 5 short days, I will be heading back to America. I must say, going home proves to be a much larger leap of faith than when I came here to Uganda. I had three weeks to prepare. I knew that God was calling me, so I dropped everything and came. Now, I am returning to basically nothing. Sure, God continues to provide for me, and I know He will continue once I land and jump back into American life. However, I am still nervous. For the past couple months, I have been praying that God would go before me and pave the way. A few days ago, a friend of mine was praying over my return. She prayed that God would not only go before me, but go with me. Those words struck my heart, and I have been mulling over them for the past couple days. I cannot count how many times I have prayed God would move before me -- to work in hearts of those I would be meeting -- to guide me through a new adventure. Yet rarely, if ever, have I prayed that God would go with me, where He should be in the first place. I

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 This precious face is one I met earlier this year. A dear friend of mine continually invited me to her village, in hopes of reaching her Muslim family with the truth of the gospel. It was the last time I went out there, I met this beauty. His smile can capture the coldest of hearts. He is both deaf and mute and would be considered less, but lit up the dark hut! He was treated well, and even took charge of the other children. While out there the final time, his mother (my friend's sister) accepted Christ as her Savior. A moment of sweet joy! We then left, and I cherished the precious smile of this boy who captured my heart and his mother's decision. This week, I ran into my friend in town. She told me things in her village were not going well. The uncles in the village were angry to hear of the new Christian in the family. When the

No persons were harmed in the making of this photo.... THIS photo.... the real thing is a different story.... Six months ago, my friend Brittany and I were getting on a boda (motorcycle taxi). I was in a skirt, so I needed to ride sidesaddle to be culturally appropriate. When we took off, I could tell I was going to fall off. I chose to jump instead of attempt to stay on the boda. I knew if I tried to stay on, I would only cause more damage! So I decided to jump. I landed on my feet, and it was no big deal. Elegance. Grace. Class. Three things that did NOT happen today! Once again, Brittany is in town and we were on a boda. This time, she was in the skirt, but when she tried to ride sidesaddle, the boda man made her "sit properly". When it came time to get off, Brittany wanted me, who was sandwiched between Brittany the boda man who sat on my lap the whole ride, to get off first so she would have more room to modestly get off the machine. I was grateful I was not the one

Since coming to Uganda, I have been able to witness so many beautiful sights. Uganda itself is the most beautiful place I have ever seen; the green and lush forestry, the Nile, Lake Victoria, the red clay dirt all make such beauty that my heart swoons after God, the Creator of it all. Yet, I have also witnessed beauty in the lives I come in contact. The most beautiful of stories involves a boy with the most beautiful smile, Eddie. Eddie has three brothers, who are already in America waiting for him to come home. When the others came home, Eddie was unable to join them. However, the prayers never stopped. Eddie had a family waiting for him in America, and he believed God was big enough to bring him home. Tonight, we are praising God because Eddie will be able to go home! We had a bon fire, music, dancing, a pinata, cupcakes, and Russian candles to celebrate. The Redeemer House family was joined by four other adoptive families, and together we soaked in the glorious work of God as

Some people know that I am heading back home on December first. God has revealed things deep in my heart that I get the pleasure of doing for the rest of my life. Going home will mean preparing myself to come back to the mission field as soon as possible. One thing I am still uncertain about is my education. I never graduated from Boise Bible College, and am looking at possibly going back to finish. I do not know how that will look like, but I am trying to accomplish whatever possible before going home. I am able to use my last few months as an internship for school, so I may graduate as fast as possible and get back into missions. Part of the internship is a book report. I cannot explain how many times God spoke to my heart while I wrote about this book. One of the most heart felt passages went like this: When we get caught up in ministry, it is so easy to get caught up in numbers. How many people came to the Lord? How many patience did we help? How many children did we feed, cl

Through the past ten months, I have learned a rather large deal! The funnest has been living in the culture of Uganda. Now it is true that some of my learning moments were not fun in the moment, but great stories as I look back on the scenario! If anyone is planning to come to Uganda for any amount of time, believe me when I say I am no where near being an expert, but feel free to learn through me. Cut down on some of your own stories (because no matter how prepared you are, you will mess up and it will be funny... eventually). For this first story, I need to explain a few things to get the full picture. Neighbors know when a mzungu lives near by. Even if you never left your house, they would know all there is to know about you. Yes, it is creepy... especially for an introvert like me. Also, you always leave the house looking decent. No such thing as a Walmart outfit, which requires effort on lazy days. Finally, kneeling is a sign of respect. Women and children kneel when greeting

The past ten months brought me through some of the most difficult challenges I ever faced. As I served in Uganda, I witnessed life far different than I ever experienced. Death became a reality. Poverty surrounded me. I became accustomed to dirt, trash, and an abundant lack of garbage cans (seriously, I miss sidewalk trashcans!). True, I still found joy in what I witnessed. Nothing brings greater warmth to a heart than serving the Maker. Even though I seemed to battle more sickness than I ever dealt with before and had to quickly become accustomed to a whole new culture, I loved the life I was made to live. With such a choice, came a great desire to stop the gospel from spreading to people who needed such a hope. I was knocked down to my knees more times than I can count during the most challenging spiritual battles I have yet to face. So many times, I felt like just staying down and giving up. But I stood up once more because my Savior never gave up on me. With His nudge, I came to my

Okay, let's face it – I quote Audrey Hepburn all the time. She is my all-time favorite actress, and she was one of the classiest ladies who ever lived. She once said, “I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.” I wish I could claim these words as my own, because they describe my life. For as long as I can remember, I just let life happen. Whatever happened, happened, and I just went with it as I allowed God to work. I never imagined being able to experience the things I already cherish in my heart. I am only twenty three, and I feel I have a lifetime of unimaginably amazing experiences that I know many will never be able to experience. And I believe the best is yet to come! If life would have happened according to me, I never would have left Central Oregon and I probably would be som

The biggest lesson I have had to swallow since coming to Uganda is simple: Life moves on. As a missionary, I ventured off into the great unknown. I left behind friends, family, and plenty of memories.... and good coffee from great people (Dutch Bros shout out!). I stepped forward to chase after what God called me to for 2014, and embraced life in Uganda. And for everything I left behind, I wanted to be just that, left behind. Never changing. Almost as if my American life was put on pause while I was in Africa. But life goes on. The loved ones in my life continued down their own path, and follow what God calls them to. My friends continued to be crazy. They continued to drive around Boise with the music blaring. They continued to make Dutch Bros trips -- just maybe not twice a day to my favorite one across town. As I changed, so did they. Life goes on. Yet, there are rare and beautiful moments when two worlds collide. I was able to have a taste of home for two weeks as my mom got a tas

We drove down the red clay road no wider than the tires of local boda bodas (motorcycle taxi) in a fourteen passenger van. The rain clouds were rolling in faster than we made our way down the makeshift road. My mom, friend from the States named Lura, Ugandan friend Lisa, and I all prayed the rain would hold off long enough for God to do something in the hearts of Lisa's Muslim family. I once visited this family, and was able to share the scene of the Throne Room of God with them. Because of the rain, I needed to leave before I was stuck in the village. Lisa faithfully ministered to her family, and used her trials in life to teach them the hope of Christ. We did not want to be chased away by the rain again. We pulled up to their twenty by thirty foot home, and as the children swarmed us with hugs and love, rain began to fall on our faces. We were already there, and could not leave the moment we arrived. So we crowded into the smallest sitting room imaginable. Ten women and count

Some of our children come from areas around Kampala. When they are out of school, we will send them home to visit families. This holiday, they were gone for two weeks and there were five of them. The house just seemed so quiet. Sure, there was still plenty of noise, but not to the extent of fourteen children enjoying life and running wild. By the end of their stay, I was ready for them to come home! I estimated what time they would be home, and every time I heard anything at the gate or any honk outside, I went to see if it was them. Finally they arrived home at around 8 in the evening. We had just started our nightly prayers, and were in the middle of a song. I saw the headlights through the gates and screamed to the top of my lungs, waving my arms in the air, and skipping out of the house. Everyone else followed shortly. The kids piled out of the van screaming with pure excitement. Ivan, who is just a solid rock of muscle, jumped into my arms as he shouted the most beautiful words

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 reminds us to have a spirit of praise in all circumstances. It does not say to rejoice in the good, when ministry is smooth and all things are going the way you pictured them. Nor does it say to give up in times of struggle. It says to ALWAYS rejoice, to be in a spirit of praise through thick and thin! The past few weeks have been a battle. Living in Uganda means you are surrounded by images of poverty, brokenness, and death on a daily basis. That alone will encourage anyone to lose a spirit of praise. But of course, that is not all I deal with. Lately, it seems like everything is coming down at one time. Dear people in my life are struggling, including people back in the States. These are people who I use to be there to hold a hand through difficult times, and now they are going through something else and I am halfway around the world. A couple have confessed they wished I were there instead, and no matter how much

I am a fan of quotes. At the end of each of my journal entries, I put a quote that sums up what I wrote about. Each stage of my life, I have some kind of quote page of things that were said during that time. Throughout all my college scrapbooks, I write the funny quotes of the strange scenarios that we got ourselves into. I have pages of quotes from different jobs. I have also been collecting quotes throughout my time at Redeemer House. Many are too good not to share. Here is a small collection with explanations and stories. Every night, we have a time of devotion and prayer with the children. Some of the best quotes come from this time. Here is my prayer collection: Vestor: *praying* “I THANK YOU for me! And I THANK YOU for me, Father!” *Beating the couch with emphasis* Trevor: *Praying* “I thank You for street children. I thank You for sick people. I thank You for people who don't have food...” Ivan: “Do angels have plaited hair?” This was asked during our tim

Yesterday was my birthday. I am not one to ever want to draw attention to myself. I love celebrating, but all eyes on me... no thank you. So I didn't plan anything special, but still it was a birthday to remember! I spent time with friends, and made new ones. I soaked up this country I so desperately love, as God reminded me He called me to His great work. I believe God also orchestrated one special “coincidence” for me. Since the first time I ever heard a Reba McEntire song, I was a huge fan.... We redheads must stick together! A few months ago, I saw she was asking people to send in videos for a new song called Pray for Peace. Being the fan that I am, I thought that the kids here at Redeemer House should send something in. After all, they are pretty adorable! Would you believe that we got chosen for her video? And would you believe it would come out on my birthday?? Well, it happened! Happy birthday to me!! You can see the video here.  We are about halfway through. Even more

After painting and cleaning, I was determined to get some errands ran before a very important meeting with our lawyer. The errands were few, and I longed for a quick little nap. That all changed as I watched Sarah return through the gate after lunch. Kids will come home for lunch, and then return to school. Once they are back on the journey to school, there is no reason for them to come home until classes are over. I saw worry and distress written all over Sarah's face, as I asked her why she had returned. “I van has been knocked,” she whispered as she fought back tears unsuccessfully. Complete panic showered over me. “Ivan has been knocked.” He was hit by something. What I did not know, and at the time I did not care. I shouted to Mercy, who would be joining me on my days errands. I told her what was happening, and I have never seen someone move so fast! I praised God my keys were already in my hand. The children home fell into a deep worry, and desperately wante

God has brought so many people into my life since coming to Uganda. I met so many I can pour into, and together we can come closer to our Savior. Of course, my Ugandan friendships are my favorite. They are the reason I am here, and being able to share life with them changed me completely. But not all are Ugandan. I have made plenty of other mzungu friends as well. These are people God uses in my life to help hold me up, as I help hold them up. We are here because of our missional God, and we need the encouragement from one another to keep going. It is such a wonderful set up going on in Jinja! But I still have met those mzungus who I feel like I am pouring out into like I would my Ugandan friends. That is the strangest sensation, and sometimes feels like a hinderence to ministry. Let me introduce you to Peaches. For the life of me, I cannot remember her real name! But I was sharing with one of my friends what was going on with this woman, and for some reason that I cannot remember n