Monday, May 25, 2015

Arrows

On New Hope's logo, there are arrows shooting out from the country of Uganda.  Since last writing, we have had the privilege to see some New Hope kids (some who are now adults) spreading God's truth to other places in Uganda.  Two boys from Kasana started a band called "Kingdom Arrows" to reflect this and early in April they had a concert in Kiwoko, the town closest to us.  It was a wonderful time with great music.  The guys talked about how everyone has a "sphere of influence." They were influencing the media through their music which was glorifying God.  

We were also able to visit the New Hope kids who are attending the Kiwoko Hospital Nursing School.  Some of them actually graduated this month.  We know one of the girls well, because she lived in David Family during her Investment Year training.  She was a part of Daniel Family in Kobwin before that.  We enjoyed a picnic with the students--fried chicken and salad made by Auntie Constance.  It was a great time of fellowship with those young people.

The next Sunday we went to Kiruli for church.  It is a village about 30 minutes away from Kasana where Pastor Paul Kusubiira and his family live.  Pastor Paul was one of the very first Kasana kids and in addition to pastoring a church in Kiruli, he heads up New Hope's Pastoral Training Institute.  The week we were there, however, one of the guys from Kingdom Arrows was preaching.  It was his first sermon and he did an amazing job.  After the service, we ate lunch with the Kusubiiras, the rest of the Kasana people, and some people from Kiruli.  I was especially blessed to see one of the little boys who used to be in Hope Family.  I hadn't seen him since he left last year, and it was wonderful to see how well he is doing.  

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Number 100!

This is my 100th blog post in almost 5 years! Looking back on all that has happened, I am amazed at where God has brought me and my family.  (If you would like to have another look at one of the posts, click on the link.) My first post was about the experiences of my first two days in Uganda.  Now things that seemed strange to me then, seem normal now.  The next year, we returned again to New Hope and I enjoyed going to school with my friends. In early 2012, we made the decision to move to Uganda for two years! We were very excited when we arrived. We had some excitement for Thanksgiving when Mama Janet came to Kasana. We kept very busy during those first few months! Catriona and I had our first taste of a Ugandan delicacy.   That December, we enjoyed making some new Christmas traditions!  The next year I started helping in Treasures Class which has become a weekly occurrence that I always look forward to.  Our family had a quick trip back to North America, filled with visiting family and friends. We arrived safely home and jumped back into life at Kasana. We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving in October!  I killed my first snake! We enjoyed good times with Treasures Class and Hope Family. I had a wonderful 14th birthday and trip to Kobwin. We had a piano recital and I spent a month helping out in P.1! I also worked at Hope Family for a month. In August, we moved to our new house! In September, we went back to Canada for a month. Soon after we got back, I traveled to Kabale, a beautiful town/city in south-western Uganda, for a burial. We celebrated Christmas again and welcomed in the New Year with some good friends. The rest of the holidays were filled with fun activities. In March, we went on a busy trip to Kobwin, Musana, and Jinja.  In that time, I also celebrated my birthday!  And then sadly, a few weeks ago, we said good-bye to sweet Carolina

These have been a snapshot of the experiences of the past five years.  Actually in four days, it will be the five-year anniversary of us arriving in Uganda for the first time.  When I first stepped off the airplane on May 12, 2010, I never guessed that I would be writing this post today.  This blog has shared some stories of my life here.  Many stories have been untold, but I hope by reading "Christina in Uganda" you have understood a little of what it is like to live as an MK in another country.  The past five years have been a mixture of joy, sadness, love, peace, and discouragement, but I wouldn't trade these years for anything.  I am so blessed to have lived in Uganda for three years and be a part of the New Hope Uganda community. Webale nnyo Mukama!