Welcome to My Gulu Home

After over a month, I finally got my shelves and finally got to unpack! I am very excited to feel a bit more moved in and to have some space to walk, rather than having four suitcases opened on the floor. So, here is the house:



The view from the front porch. Thanks to rainy season, the grass is now green! Please note the empty driveway. The van is gone because it is hopefully being sold.



The living room. I know it’s cluttered, but Chrissy got two Christmas boxes yesterday (yes, it takes that long to get here!) and I, in the process of unpacking, put a bunch of supplies all over the house. But, these are the African chairs we ordered for about $1.50 each. They’re surprisingly comfortable! Please note the lantern on the back table. I bought that in Kampala and not only is it very useful when the power is out, but it also makes me feel like I’m living out of the books “Little House on the Prairie” – always a plus!



The kitchen. It’s very small, but I’m so thankful for a gas range (on left) with two eyes and the new shelves that now hold all of our dishes, including the real glass dishes AND coffee press we bought in Kampala!



My room. There are no closets here, so the shelves and my suitcases serve as a replacement. So far it has worked out quite nicely!



My decorations. Definitely a last-minute addition to my bags as I was leaving, but I’m really thankful to have pictures from home! I’m going to add the letters of encouragement that I was given before I left.

So, that is the basic tour of the house. Not pictured: Chrissy’s room, bathroom, two spare bedrooms, and garage (which is for storage only).

We’re in Kampala for the weekend, hopefully finding a car that we can purchase as a replacement. The car has gotten bad enough that it’s taking away from ministry, as we seriously broke down or blew a tire almost every day this week. Not only is that incredibly frustrating, but it just sucks up SO much of our time and money!

Living in a Bubble

When I am sitting (or sleeping) under my mosquito net, I affectionately say I am “living in a bubble.” And as far as mosquitoes go, all the “preventatives” seem to be working very well! The net I have is treated with pesticide and I know it works because every morning I have dead mosquitoes on top of the net. Kind of gross, but definitely worth it.

The citronella soap that my mom got me also works really well. If you’re ever coming to Africa, I would highly recommend it. It’s by Herbaria. An unexpected bonus with the soap is that the smell is not as overwhelming after use, so I don’t smell quite as bad as I was expecting!

With rainy season beginning, I’m anticipating an increase in mosquitoes, but so far I’ve only gotten a couple of bites, so I’m really hoping to make it out with no malaria. The good news is that even if I get it, it’s super common here and very treatable!

I also live in a bubble in the sense that I have no clue what’s going on in the rest of the world. We don’t have TV or radio, and the internet is so slow that I don’t both visiting news sites.

And thank you for tuning in for totally useless information!



There's one spot I can sit on my bed where my head doesn't touch the net. I spend a lot of time there!

An Absence of Men

Perhaps one of the worst things that the LRA robbed Uganda of is its men. Everywhere I go, there is an obviously lack of men…lots of single mothers, grandmothers, and children.

Many men were taken by the LRA in the war, leaving few remaining.

There are almost no men between the ages of 25-35. They were the prime age for the LRA to target.

Those that are remaining are often physically disabled, alcoholics or totally absent from their families. Sometimes I look at them and see only shells of people. The LRA stripped their ability to protect and provide for their families. You can see how detrimental that is to a man in the alcoholism that is rampant here.

I pray a lot about how to address this issue. As a girl, I feel totally useless. I can disciple women, teach children, and share the Gospel with men, but when it comes to teaching them how to be husbands and daddies, I can do nothing. The majority of missionaries that I’ve met here are young, single women…interesting because the NEED for men is huge here!

There is one dad in Tegot, Godfrey, who is a Christian and has a deep and true desire to grow in his relationship with Christ and to care for his family. He even talks about his desire for Christian community and accountability with other men. This is so cool! Chrissy and I talked to another missionary (married with children) here and asked him to pray about working with Godfrey. Godfrey is a man could seriously change that whole community.

Someone shared a stat the other day that if a child comes to know Christ, the family will convert 15-30% of the time. If a man accepts the Lord, the family will convert over 90% of the time. Not surprising when you look at the way the Bible outlines marriage relationships and men’s v. women’s roles, but still quite incredible.

On a lighter note on the topic, the difference in gender roles here has also been an interesting adjustment for me. Women are definitely viewed as inferior to women here (which is strange because they run the households and do all of the hard work) and there is no concept of a gentleman. As a high-maintenance girl from the south, this continuously catches me off guard. I mean, I am totally used to being taken care of by my dad, brother, and most of the other men in my life as well. More than once I have approached a door at the same time as a Ugandan male and stood there expectantly waiting for him to open. I have also waited for men to offer to carry heavy items. Thankfully, so far I’ve caught myself before embarrassing myself or someone else!

This is not to say that Ugandan men or rude or impolite, the cultural standards are just very different and I am not quite used to them. It gives me a good laugh! I have to also mention that the ECM staff does a really good job of recognizing the difference and most days they open doors and carry the supplies. Plus, in the areas that are really important, like safety and “mzungu prices”, they totally have my back!

Random side note: It has been raining here every night (although most of the Ugandans insist that this is NOT the beginning of rainy season) and the weather has been amazing. It’s 80-82 in the house at night instead of 92 and feels absolutely wonderful! I even had to sleep under a sheet one night it was so “cold!”

A Crazy Week

I hardly even know where to begin to describe this week. I will apologize in advance for the stream-of-consciousness assortment of thoughts that will undoubtedly be this post!

The week started a bit rough for Team Gulu as Simon tragically lost his brother. We all went to the burial on Tuesday and it was rough. The service was very different than any funeral I have ever attended. It lasted a couple hours and included a sermon (not eulogy) on the story of Dorcas and a sermon on speaking in tongues. I couldn’t understand most of the words, but the pain that the family was obviously feeling made my heart really sad. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. Please keep them in prayer through the upcoming weeks and months!

There is a lot to be thankful for this week. First, we have a new sister in Christ! Adjok (pronounced a-JUCK) Monica, one of the moms we work with, accepted Christ in Sunday. You can physically see the difference in her smile, her disposition, everything. Everything about her screams, “I now have joy in Christ!” I am continually thankful that the Lord allows me to witness and be a part of the work He is doing here in Uganda! Words can’t describe the excitement of seeing her beautiful smile!

Second, Mama Ochira (the mom who has been in the hospital with TB and AIDS) is doing wonderfully. I saw her on Saturday after not seeing her in about two weeks and she looks amazing! Her lips are full, she’s getting a little meat back on her bones, and she just seems happier…awesome. The nurse said we need to bring her food more often because she’s now eating multiple times as day – definitely a good issue to have! We brought her an avocado since it’s pretty high in fat and are hoping she enjoyed that. Chrissy took a picture of her and showed it to her children (who haven’t seen her in the 3 months she’s been hospitalized) and they were SO excited that she is doing well.

The week also included a LOT of car trouble. In the past week, we have gotten flat tires twice on the side of the road. We have also overheated twice, causing breakdowns on the side of the road. And, we have slid off the road and gotten stuck in mud, even with 4-wheel drive. Rainy season is definitely here and that means that the roads go from bad to worse as soon as it rains! We are working on selling the vehicle and purchasing something a little more driving-in-the-African-bush-worthy, but cars are extremely expensive here, particularly ones that can handle the driving conditions that we experience each day. It makes me thankful that boda-bodas are here if they are needed!

Lastly, several have asked about ways to help the children in particular. Right now, I would say the best way is to sponsor a kid! It’s $30 a month and that provides them with school fees, uniforms, shoes, supplies, medical care for them and the family as needed, 5 meals a week, after-school tutoring, and Saturday Club (like Sunday school with a meal and games) each week. There are currently 57 kids in the sponsorship program and the goal is to be up to 100 by the end of the year! Since all of the children live in poverty, to qualify for sponsorship a child has to be orphaned or come from a single-parent home. There are a couple of exceptions, but the vast majority fit this criteria. If you’re interested, you can visit: http://www.ecmafrica.org/269849.ihtml or http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?v=info&ref=search&gid=168868880760. The children I work with are from the Tegotatoo Project. And if you sponsor a kid, I promise I’ll give him/her lots of hugs and send you pictures of your child!




This is Paloya Mercy. Isn’t she gorgeous??? This is one of the girls I talked about in the “Handshake” post that walked home with her arms around my waist. She’s a total sweetie! Please ignore the extra hand – African kids are just like American kids when it comes to taking pictures. They LOVE to be goofy!

Guacamole, a Day of Rest, and Other Randomness

Today was a good day. I stayed home from Tegot today because I’m still not 100% recovered from giardia. Feeling much, much better, but still just a little funky this morning. I decided to stay at home for an additional day of rest and just to let my body recover. Tegot is very dirty and there are always runny noses everywhere. I decided one more day of break from the intense germs would probably be wise.

I missed those kids though! Chrissy said little Okema asked where I was and I was really excited about that. I’m so glad he’s eager to learn! He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s getting introduced to the beauty of alphabet flashcards next time I see him. He’ll love it!

I figured out that podcasts will download here! I am ridiculously excited about that. Almost nothing else will work here because the internet is so slow so I’m really surprised but so thankful. I got to download and listen to some Matt Chandler today and I was super pumped!

Tomorrow will officially be one week of no water in Gulu. Why? No one knows. T.I.A. is all I can say. It’s not that bad for us because we have quite a large reserve, but even that is running low. We buy our drinking water in huge containers and then fill our water bottles, so that is and will not ever be a problem. However, if showers have to be rationed (and it’s getting very close), I may be singing a different tune…

I officially got my first African sunburn yesterday. I. am. fried. It was the second time I have gone without sunscreen and the first I was totally fine. Since yesterday was Sunday and I knew I wouldn’t be out much, I just didn’t bother. I was seriously barely out in the sun. It was after I was burned to a crisp that I realized that the medication I took for giardia probably made me super photo-sensitive. Lame. Thank goodness for aloe though!

The American coffee shop in Gulu, Café Larem, just got new management and they now have guacamole. And it is good. Really good. We stopped for an evening snack this evening. Just one more reason to love that place!

I’m looking forward to being back in camp tomorrow and hoping to post more pictures soon. I have yet to get my shelves, so I still haven’t taken pictures of my room (because I’m still living out of my suitcases) but they keep promising they’ll be ready “tomorrow.” Whatever that means…

Hugging in a Handshake Culture

Something I noticed almost immediately upon my arrival in Gulu and, more specifically, in Tegot, was that most of the kids tense up when you hug them. They are totally cool with handshakes and are actually culturally obligated to shake hands with and kneel or curtsy to adults. I initially thought that it was just because they didn’t know me, but then I noticed that the same happens when they get hugs from Chrissy, whom they have known for several months now.

Upon further observation and a little research, I have discovered that part of this is due to Acholi culture. Parents do not ever hug their children or show physical affection. Another aspect is that almost all of the children are orphans or come from single-parent families. While they are all being cared for in someone’s home (mostly a grandmother), adoption is not often viewed in the same way as America, so the children are not necessarily taken in as part of the family but more just fed and housed. Plus, most of the kids are in their situations because of violence done by the LRA – very traumatic way to lose a parent or parents. Finally, and probably the biggest part of this is due to the years of violence and atrocities that they have lived with – it has caused them to emotionally pull back as a coping mechanism. People who visited Tegot even a year ago say that the kids did not used to smile. It is hard for me to even imagine an entire village of children that have been robbed of so much that they don’t smile.

Even though it is obvious that most of the kids feel incredibly awkward when hugged, it is equally as obvious that they enjoy that physical contact. After the initial shock of being embraced, they almost always break out with huge smiles. Chrissy has continued to hug them through the awkwardness for months now and I will most definitely do the same. It is undoubtedly healthy for kids to be hugged and is a great way to affirm to them that I really do love and care about them. I want them to know that hugs are good and safe. Plus, I heard somewhere that to maintain physical and emotional well-being, a person should receive 5-10 meaningful touches a day (for all your Crossroad-ers!). :-)

There are some kids who have already adjusted to hugs (mostly from Chrissy’s time working on this) and just skip the obligatory handshake altogether. I even walked two girls home a couple days ago, both of them with their arms wrapped around my waist. I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me the blessing of being trusted by these precious children. It is my prayer for each of them that they will one day trust in the Gospel if they haven’t already.

If you’re interested in getting a better idea of the history of the camp, there’s a video you can view at http://limegreenphotography.com/tegotatoo. The focus is more on the resettlement process rather than the kids, but the images are professional and excellent. They capture how camp looks, although I would say they don’t capture the HOPE that lives there now. Still, worth the five minutes to watch!

Also, I’m fully recovered now. Giardia was not fun, but didn’t last long and for that I am so thankful!

Praise God

Since being in Africa, I’ve noticed that I say “praise God” or something along those lines quite often. However, it is often when the power comes back on, the Internet works, or we have water in the city. Now those are great reasons to praise God, but in the last few days I’ve been really convicted about the need for praising God at all times.

I’ve been sick the past 36 hours – a nasty sickness called giardia that comes from a protozoan in water. I’m not sure where I picked it up, but all I’ve been able to think is “praise God.” God is no less worthy of praise because I’m sick or hot or tired.

So that is my prayer for right now – that no matter what the circumstances are, that I will praise God and be thankful for the immense blessings He has bestowed upon me.


**I took medication about 12 hours ago and it’s supposed to take 24 hours to take full effect. I’m already feeling a lot better!

Success!

Little Okema has definitely become my project. The kid is absolutely adorable yet SO naughty. This is rare for here. The kids are typically extremely well-behaved and respectful - I have yet to see a child disobey an adult. Until Okema. He pretty much does whatever he wants.

I found out that he lives with his elderly grandmother who is almost entirely deaf. When I heard that, everything made a little more sense...she can't hear half the stuff he says! We went and talked to her a few days ago about his behavior during school and our after-school program and that made a huge difference.

The day after we talked to her, I was outside with him and a couple other kids working on learning the alphabet. He decided he didn't want to work anymore and got up and left. I told him to come back (in Acholi) and he did not respond. So, I went and took his arm, sat him back down, and said "No" really close to his face. He stared at me for a couple seconds (I'm sure he was shocked that a mzungu was going to enforce the rules) and then got right back to work.

I've been teaching Gloria the alphabet too. Her parents are raising nine kids and can't afford to send her to school. I'm hoping to get her in the sponsorship program soon, but until then, we're working on the alphabet.

She was really struggling with writing the letter B. I showed her multiple times, had her trace the letters I had written, and guided her hand. Still, she wasn't fully getting it. It was an exciting moment for me when Okema looked at her blackboard, stopped what he was writing, took her hand, and wrote a perfect B while explaining how to do it! After he helped her write a row of excellent B's, she could do it by herself.

Of course, I made a huge deal about how smart and helpful he was and he was SO proud of himself. It was really awesome!




Okema and Gloria, working hard on mastering the alphabet!

The Nile

Sorry for the lack of update - the Internet has been down since Tuesday!

In typical Uganda fashion, we arrived home to Gulu an additional day later than planned. However, it was totally worth it because we drove almost the whole way and stopped in Karuma, a small town about an hour south of Gulu. There, we stayed at Restoration Gateway, a developing ministry that will eventually include orphan homes, an agricultural program, a hospital, and multiple other community development programs.

The land was gorgeous, bordering the Nile. I have to say, it was quite incredible to wake up to the sound of the rushing Nile River! We rode back from Kampala with the family I met in the airport in Entebbe – it was an interesting journey, as they had all of their furniture in the van, so it was me and Chrissy with four girls smashed into two seats.

Tuesday night Chrissy and I sat outside and looked at the stars. It was absolutely incredible. I have never been able to see more stars more clearly. There wasn’t an inch of the sky that wasn’t filled with light! God’s vastness is incredible!
I could have stayed out there for hours, but when a wild dog ran within a few feet of us, we decided it was time to head inside.

Wednesday morning we got up early and walked down to the river. As we walked, there were monkeys calling in the trees – awesome! It was so cool to stand on the bank of and dip my hands in a river that has such a huge role in Biblical history!

When we got back to the house, the people we were staying with showed us the snake skin of a 12-foot python that they had killed down by the river. Needless to say, I was thankful to see that AFTER I was back.



The bank of the Nile!



The river is gorgeous.



The sunset at Restoration Gateway.

Mzungu, Stop!

One of my favorite things in Uganda has been the voices of the children. Our house is in the middle of a "neighborhood" of mud huts, so no matter where the kids are, we can hear them. Of course, I can't typically understand them, but their voices are sweet whether they're speaking Acholi or the few English phrases some know!

Whenever we come home, all the neighborhood kids come running and shouting, "Mzungu, stop!" We always stop, shake everyone's hand, and say hello. The next phrase they know is, "Mzungu, give me ball." I always respond, "Ashley, please may I have a ball." They just smile back at me and try to repeat. It's quite cute.

I am so thankful to be here loving on kids in Uganda!

Kampala and Culture Shock

What was initially supposed to be a Thursday night to Sunday trip to Kampala has now turned into a Friday morning to Tuesday afternoon trip. I think I'm slowly learning to throw out planning... Personally, I'm thrilled to have a couple extra days in a big city where beef can be purchased at the restaurants!

It's interesting though, because I'm experiencing more culture shock from being back in a Western-like city than I did when I first went to Gulu. I am definitely beginning to understand the extent of the poverty in which I live in Gulu. There is most definitely poverty in Kampala, but there is also wealth. There's some buildings with air conditioning, the roads are mostly paved, and the people generally appear healthier. I have yet to see a mud hut; in Gulu, that's almost all there is outside of the few mzungu houses, NGOs, or businesses.

I did almost die on a boda-boda again. We were driving on the wrong side of the road in VERY busy traffic trying to pass this truck. The truck starts drifting towards us, the oncoming truck wasn't slowing down, and then our boda died. Completely ran out of gas and we stopped moving forward. I just closed my eyes and put my head down until the driver started yelling at us to jump off and run to the side. It was quite terrifying. I'm quite confident that if I get injured in Uganda, it's going to be on a boda-boda in Kampala!

We are staying at the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in south Kampala, and I couldn't have asked for a better place. It's clean, cool, serves homemade meals, and is super cheap. The family I met in the Entebbe airport told us about it and we are actually staying here with them, as they are in Kampala to pick up their vehicle and supplies before going back to Gulu. I am SO thankful that I met them. They have four little girls that have been fun to be around and have been more than willing to help us out in any way they can. I feel like I've known them forever (even though I've only seen them twice before this weekend) and they are already great friends. If we were in America, it would definitely be totally weird to be friends already.

For those of you who have asked for pictures of the city, I really can't take any here or in Gulu. If the police or military see you with a camera, they will confiscate it, demand a bribe, and sometimes arrest you. This happens often, so I am not willing to risk that, as I would prefer to make it out of Uganda without being thrown in jail. I'll just stick to pictures of the village and my house when it's furnished! However, we ARE stopping to stick our feet in the Nile on the way back to Gulu and I will definitely take pictures then!

Eating Ants

Today I most definitely ate an ant. A huge, fried, white ant. It was as you might expect an ant would taste – crunchy and pretty disgusting. Actually, if I’m completely honest, the taste really wasn’t bad. But I couldn’t mentally get past the fact that I was eating an ant and therefore it was quite nasty. The Ugandans really enjoyed them and apparently it is quite a delicacy here. Maybe I will try another one in a couple of months, after I’m a little more adjusted to eating strange things…

My day was once again teaching the alphabet. Today, I had four pupils: Okema, Moses, Gloria, and Walter. Little Okema is doing wonderfully. He can now identify and write A, B, and C in both Acholi and English. The accomplishments academically have made him behave a lot better as well. He can be quite naughty, but I have noticed improvements over the last two days. Moses is definitely going to struggle, but he too is improving. It’s so fun to see the kids proud of their achievements!

Chrissy and I are heading to Kampala in the morning. Her visa is expiring and I’m just excited for the opportunity to see the city. I was there for two days when I first arrived, but I was sick both of the days and did NOT enjoy my experience. I am confident this trip will be much better! We really have no plans other than going to the Ugandan immigration office and the US embassy and relaxing. Sounds like a plan to me!



Okema, showing off his achievements!



Working with Moses on the letter "A".



Our view as we walked back from Tegot after the car broke down. The sun setting over the African dirt roads really is gorgeous!



My littlest friend, Oscar. His sister is Gloria. They come visit me every day at the school, and this one LOVES to cuddle!

The Letter "A"

Today was a great reminder of why I came to Africa.

I spent all afternoon working with a little boy named Okema, teaching him how to write the letter A. This kid had seriously never even held a pencil in his hand, and by the end of our time, he could write and identify "A"s and "B"s. I have never seen a kid so proud of his accomplishments. I took a picture with him holding his chalkboard, but it takes a long time to upload photos and we don't have power right now, so I'll share it later.

It's so encouraging to watch a child succeed, and when it comes to literacy, being able to read and write is so empowering!

We also met with the family of little Gloria, who is the one in the blue dress in the first picture that I posted. Their family has seven children; 3 biological and 4 orphans. They were a sweet family and one of the few people I've met so far that regard adopted children as the same as biological. That was super encouraging to me and I'm looking forward to furthering that relationship.

Gotta save battery power, but I'll post pictures of our writing lessons soon!

T.I.A.

T.I.A. or “This is Africa” is a phrase I have used many times in the last couple of weeks. It is three little letters that attempt to explain the various things that occur here that make absolutely no sense or seem utterly ridiculous (to Ugandans and Americans alike). Today was a T.I.A. day.

Our time at camp was great. It was the first day of school, so all the kids looked smart and clean in their new uniforms. It’s really a privilege to go to school here, so all of the children really look forward to the start! Their day ended early, so we fed them and then required all the sponsorship kids to come to our newly constructed library so we could explain the expectations for their studies.

One of the things I really like about ECM’s sponsorship program (if you’re interested in the program, check out the “Hope in Uganda” F@cebook group!) is that the kids are really held accountable to take care of their schooling. If they don’t, they will be dropped. Sounds harsh, but when there’s tons of other kids who want to go to school, the threat is enough to keep them in line!

After we met with the kids, our team was having a meeting when we hear Apio (the deaf girl who’s picture was posted yesterday) screaming outside and a bunch of other kids running away. Naturally, we’re suspicious. It turns out three kids were being mean to her. So, in a scene I only wish occurred more in the States, one of the Ugandan staff makes the three lay on the grass on their bellies. After a long lecture, he gets a long switch and smacks each of their butts twice. Let me assure you that he did not hit them hard at all. There wasn’t even a sound with the paddle. But the point was that their behavior was unacceptable and wouldn’t be tolerated. Plus, in a culture that runs off shame instead of guilt or punishment, the point was well taken. And I will add that Chrissy and I had to walk away because we were laughing. It’s moments like these that I really wish I spoke Acholi.

So, we finish our meeting and are leaving Tegot to head back to Gulu. We get probably 3 kilometers out of 20 when we blow a tire. Thankfully there was a boda-boda (motorcycle) going past which we stopped to help. Our spare had already blown and we haven’t had money to fix it, so it was clear that we were going to have to get this one repaired. After about 20 minutes of trying to level the dirt road to get the jack on solid ground, we (meaning the men there, I did nothing) finally get the tire off. Simon hops on the boda with the tire and heads off the Gulu to get it fixed. Almost two hours later he comes back with a newly repaired tire and we are once again on our way...

Only to get about 5 kilometers outside of town before blowing the same tire. At this point, we make the decision to send two of the guys to drive slowly back to town while the rest of us walk. The only problem with this was that I had new shoes on and my feet were killing me. I seriously have eight blisters. In hindsight, I should have just ridden with them, but that didn’t occur to anyone in the stress of the moment!

So, we shuffle shoes around and Christine, one of the Ugandan staff lets me wear her shoes. Only problem is I cannot walk in them. They looked like regular flip-flops, but they were definitely some African version that my American motor skills could not handle. I felt (and looked!) entirely ridiculous and we laughed almost the entire 5 kilometer walk back. While I wish I did not look like a fool, I treasure that time of fellowship with Chrissy (my roommate), Christine and Mary (another Ugandan staff). I have been praying that I would be able to connect with Christine and Mary as friends and not just co-workers, and this really gave us a great opportunity to bond. The ability to laugh at myself has come in useful more than once, even though it’s sometimes forced laughter! By the way, Chrissy tried them the last stretch home and couldn’t walk in them either, so it’s seriously a Ugandan talent to walk in these shoes!

And since that wasn’t enough for one day, there was a snake in our house when we got home. Not too big around, but still about two feet long. Sick. Luckily, Chrissy’s a much braver woman than I and she got it out! We found out later from our night guard that it was poisonous, so we are very thankful no one stepped on it.

Oh, and the power is out. Again. T.I.A., friends, T.I.A.

So, in closing, God is good. His presence is so clearly evident in the ministry here and I can see Him working in the lives of so many of the children and families I’ve been working with. I’m so thankful for that! The verse that I am continuously reminded of is “the people living in darkness have seen a great light.” There truly is a spiritual awakening occurring in Uganda and it’s so awesome to witness the freedom that the people are realizing in Christ. They have been free from the oppression of the LRA for almost two years now, but that is nothing compared to the freedom they are gaining in Christ.