The Crazy Adventures of an American Mzungu

I fought the bitter cold at o'dark-thirty to enthusiastically torture myself in my crossfit class. I conquered another class, and came home (still in the dark). Longing to crawl back under my blankets, I made the proper hygienic choice and showered before doing so. Just before my head hit the pillow for my early morning nap (when you wake up at 4AM, you take morning naps), I noticed I had a voicemail. This could only mean one thing -- I am being summoned for work! Forget the nap, it's time to kick it into high gear and get ready for the day like a sub (I really wanted to write "boss" but I'm a sub...). "Ah! You know that light green scarf would go so great with this outfit," as I rummaged through my scarf drawer, I began a rather lengthy conversation with myself. I generally feel entitled to such conversations when I am up many hours before the sun, and yet to have the proper amount of coffee. "Where is it?!" I began to panic as my super cute

She gripped my hands with such urgency, as she begged me to bring a package to her husband in Uganda, whom she had been separated from for a year. I was headed to Redeemer House, and she saw her opportunity. How could I say no? I explained I had small space, but would love to help in any way I could. Now, this package was not as small as I hoped -- plus so heavy! With some creativity, every piece made it's way to Uganda. However, the real challenge would be finding a man whose name I did not know, nor which refugee camp he lived. I carried on with my work as I assisted my first team at the house. I drove them all over Jinja, gathering supplies for their project when my phone rang, "Auntie Mary," Mercy started, "you have a guest," "I have a guest?!" At this point, I had been in country for three weeks, and made very few friends. "He said you have something from his wife in America," "Mama Mupendo's husband! I will be there as soon

On my twenty-fifth birthday, I looked back on a high school goal of mine. In one of my classes, we had to make those “by this point in my life I will (fill in the blank)” and make tangible goals to reach the dream. Mine? By age twenty-five, I would own my own hair salon in Newport, Oregon. My plan was to move to the Coast and have my hair license by age twenty so I could begin building a clientele that would sustain my own salon, as I saved to make this dream possible. This July, I hit that birthday. Let me tell you, not a single one of those goals or ambitions were accomplished! Yet, not a single part of me regrets not following my dream. First of all, it was my stubborn personality that kept that dream going for so long. The dream really should have stated, “Prove to others I can do what they said I couldn’t” because if I were to boil down a very long story, that was at the heart of this dream. I pretty much refuse to spend more than five minutes on my own hair. I don’t know what

"Are you fully engaged and running to the front lines to do battle with the enemy? Is your goal to be, and do, and spend whatever it takes to win this war? Enrolling in His army means Jesus Christ is our commanding officer, and 'making disciples of all nations' our marching orders. It means we will let vision pull or train, not budget, and trust God to supply everything we could possibly need to get the job done." -- The God Ask by Steve Shadrach. As I read these words, I never felt more like an author somehow looked into my life, and wrote directly to me for this very moment in time... especially in a support raising book, not one that would generally pierce the heart and make you stop and praise the Lord. Here. Let me explain. When I first began looking into AIM, I was informed on the final step in the application process called Connect Week. I was told I should begin to come up with around $1,000 for a trip to Georgia. If invited, I would be meeting people at th

January 2015 -- Upon arrival back in Boise, I began to pray God guide me as I transition back into my life in Boise. He impressed on my heart to take a year and seek after Him. My world had just been rocked in the most beautiful way imaginable, leaving me drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He knew I needed this time to remember who I am in Him. Although all I wanted was to jump on the next flight back to Uganda, I listened to His impressions. March 2015 -- The passions God ignited in my heart while I was in Uganda earnestly began to take root. In Uganda, I came to realize many things I don't want to do. Those things such as working in an orphanage. Although a noble calling, I saw my life going in a different direction. Now, after having the time to slow down and reflect, I was able to see what I wanted to do. I want to keep kids in families. I want to walk along families and give them the tools they need to watch their children succeed. I want to tech children about

The love of God is colorblind. I sit on the floor, his body so relaxed as he leans over into my lap. We listen to this week's Bible story, and I rub his fuzzy African head. His little hand slipped into mine, a contrast of color, and an out pour of love. This particular child is one of the youngest in our Children's Church program. Most weeks, he runs, screams, kicks, and hits all around as he is accompanied by two others his same age. All three are new to English, making any possible character breakthroughs a seemingly impossible task. But today, oh today was different! This week's story was on the Tower of Babel, and the kids were broken into several groups to see who could build the tallest tower. I helped these rambunctious little ones build their tower. They diligently built with blocks of different sizes. The goal was to stack from smallest to largest, but they were having a hard time grasping this concept. I helped them pick which blocks were biggest, and together o

As I share with friends and family about applying with a new ministry, I continually say, "if I get accepted...." Which is followed by a, "Why wouldn't you get accepted?" Which leads to, "Well, it isn't as though I think God can't make it happen, but if it doesn't that means God has something else in mind, and that is what I want." Which leads to an, "Oh I guess that makes sense," and I am left thinking, "you are still confused." This past Saturday, I was at church. As I was washing my hands, I struck up a conversation with a friend. She was doing her makeup, and we talked about how we feel when our makeup does not end up like we hoped. "So how has your new year gone?" my friend asks, "Good!" I reply. I mean, it was a week into the new year, and I still cannot wrap my head around the fact I am in 2016, "I have been working on an application to a new ministry. If all goes well, I will be bac