Skip to main content

Taste of Home

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 taste of Uganda.
I loved being able to show my mom this new world of mine... even if she was afraid of traffic and geckos! I was able to share everything from food to friends with her. She has been listening to stories of people for nine months, and now she has a face and a memory of her own... and what Ugandan experience does not include chicken on a stick (or more commonly known... in my world... as sticken)???
But what I loved the most was that for two weeks, my two worlds had met. My two worlds may go on with or without me, but they came together for a few short days. It was enough to let me know that even if life goes on, I will always have the love and memories. People may continue life as normal, that doesn't mean I am left behind. I was reminded to cherish the time I have with the people in my life at the moment. God calls me to some crazy places, and it usually happens in the blink of an eye! I need to live in the moment, and cherish the memories I have.
 Loved ones may be separated for a time. Memories are made without the other. New relationships form without insights from the one missing. But that doesn't mean that something good has come to a horrible end. Rather, life has simply changed. We cannot stop this natural flow, and if we try, we miss the goodness God gives us in the changes He planned. Instead, we should cherish the memories we have, and soak up the moments we have in front of us. Do not let bitterness or a saddened heart cloud over memories in the making.
So, life goes on. I have beautiful memories and a heart to store them all. I will continue making them, and expect the loved ones in my life to do the same. I look forward to the day I will see them again, and we can share our memories, and take a moment to make some more before the chance is gone again.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

State of Praise

“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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Would You Go With Me?

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Time I Made My Dog Puke

  Fridays are my day off. They generally consist of me barricading myself inside my compound with my pups. We may do a number of things, but usually it is a whole lot of nothing! As Thursday evening approached, I looked forward to my Friday. Oh, I would nap and maybe binge watch something stupid, but most importantly, never get dressed! This dream crashed when I realized my house was the only one not receiving power. This meant calling the electric company and corralling my enthusiastic lab away from people who are terrified of him. But we did it. This brings us to noon. I still had half the day to relax. I sprawled out on my bed and put on an episode of Psych, one of my favorite shows. I get ten minutes into the episode, when I hear Teddy barking at the gate. He is such a wonderful watchdog. He has different barks that I have learned, which help me to know if I should respond or not. He will give off a warning, but if someone pushes the bounds, he produces a sound so intimidating ...
Post a Comment
Read more