tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24617467954224669462012-03-17T23:16:14.697-04:00"May you always be covered by the dust of your rabbi." -ancient Jewish blessingAshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.comBlogger1561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-72179011908129338522011-09-29T17:19:00.000-04:002011-09-29T17:19:56.020-04:00

A few pictures from the last couple months: July I went home for the fourth of July for a fun time in Oklahoma with my mom's family.  I "worked from home" (or was on call? - I don't know, but I didn't actually do much!) that week while spending a few days at the lake enjoying the extended family while baking in the Texas/Oklahoma heat!  Somehow I didn't take a single picture that week, so the

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-73450799315790600812011-06-20T20:25:00.000-04:002011-06-20T20:25:21.388-04:00

I've been at my job for over a month now and I've gotten to the point where I actually feel like I know what I'm doing.  A definite plus!  The job is a bit different than what I was expecting, but mostly in good ways.  The range of things I do is huge.  A sample: refinance property (what???), grocery shop, change homeowner's/car insurance, pick up dry-cleaning, register a non-profit as a 501(c)3.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-81007680280365611192011-05-17T20:21:00.000-04:002011-05-17T20:21:53.882-04:00

I have a job!!  After a little over two months of searching, about 8 interviews, and over 100 resume submissions (can't believe it was that many!), I have been offered a position and have accepted. The job? Personal Assistant to an interior designer here in D.C.  I know. Kind of crazy.  I will be helping with a wide range of her needs, but my focus will be assisting with her business and a

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-13617295815785516942011-04-13T20:55:00.000-04:002011-04-13T20:55:52.272-04:00

Cherry blossoms at sunrise with my roomies last week. Very early, very fun, very beautiful. :)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-90200147508549076662011-03-18T12:59:00.000-04:002011-03-18T12:59:36.562-04:00

As of yesterday, I've survived D.C. for two weeks!  Transition is always interesting because in some ways it passes so fast yet in other ways it drags on.  Such has been my experience this time around... The Lord has been just incredibly faithful in every aspect of my life here.  The people He has placed around me have been friendly and encouraging and I can forsee them becoming great friends! 

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-68496341525541031182011-03-03T23:08:00.000-05:002011-03-03T23:08:21.010-05:00

I'm officially in D.C.! Stay tuned for more on God's amazing faithfulness in orchestrating this fun new chapter of my life... "Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds." -Psalm 36:5

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-69815826024030026502011-02-21T23:02:00.000-05:002011-02-21T23:02:23.562-05:00

The last couple weeks have been a flurry of business, yet with an overwhelming, ever-present sense of God's grace.  Seriously, I have yet to even be stressed; I'm just enjoying spending time with people here before I transition to new community in D.C. I went to Oklahoma a couple weeks ago to visit my sweet friend Natalie and her husband, Matt.  Natalie and I have been friends since kindergarten

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-2511300001847986572011-02-07T18:53:00.000-05:002011-02-07T18:53:31.061-05:00

March 1 will find me in a new city. This city, to be exact. Yep, I'm moving to Washington D.C. To do what, I'm not exactly sure. But the details are coming together quickly and, once again, the Lord has richly provided for me, down to even the small details. The quick story on how I came to find two amazingly awesome girls to live with: on a roommate website. I know. Sounds creepy. Now

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-58910457868191115832011-01-23T09:20:00.001-05:002011-01-23T09:20:00.218-05:00

Sorry for two videos in a row, but I saw this video a few years ago and then again a couple days ago. In honor of Sanctity of Human Life Day today:

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-57052988482495216652011-01-21T22:15:00.001-05:002011-01-21T22:15:00.134-05:00

I LOVE this video. It's a great reminder of the wisdom of God's sovereignty. This Was Grace from Andrew Laparra on Vimeo.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-78323832106275251432011-01-21T14:42:00.000-05:002011-01-21T14:42:32.812-05:00

Christine is my super fun, Jesus-lovin', friend and Ugandan sister.  She and my sister Laura got to meet when Laura came to visit me. We went and ate pizza at a restaraunt on Lake Victoria and it was awesome. Miss you, Christine!!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-70862755272622025372011-01-20T22:13:00.000-05:002011-01-20T22:13:00.213-05:00

It's officially been one year since I left for Uganda, which just totally blows my mind.  It already seems like such a whisper of time that I was even there, yet I still catch myself saying, "Oh, I just got back from Uganda." So, in honor of the one year anniversary of me leaving for Uganda, here's a short list of great ways to support missionaries (other than financially): 1.  Pray for them

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-89462133306495434762011-01-01T20:59:00.000-05:002011-01-01T20:59:53.277-05:00

Has it really been over four months since I've posted?  Yikes! I'm alive and well and just about fully adjusted back to America (though I think there are some things to which I will never completely adjust).  I've been busy, though not doing a whole lot to speak of.  I worked at a day care for a few months and it was just not a good fit for me.  Now I'm working at Crate and Barrel, which I LOVE!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-77435399339384014612010-08-24T11:47:00.006-04:002010-08-24T12:20:02.807-04:00

My last day in the village was super emotional, yet wonderful at the same time.The moms and the ECM staff planned an awesome going-away party and I felt so blessed to be honored by them in that way.The day included me getting three live chickens as gifts, to take home to my family. The concept of customs is definitely foreign, so I just said thank you and later gave the chickens to Ugandans who

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-80089685639321183522010-07-28T22:03:00.002-04:002010-07-28T22:05:08.688-04:00

Some of my neighbors. I miss them!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-50647554434225401742010-07-17T10:44:00.002-04:002010-07-17T10:52:04.100-04:00

I arrived safely home Thursday afternoon! In the past 36 hours I have eaten La Hacienda, Chick-fil-A, homeade hamburgers, and Braum's ice cream. And I've had a Dr. Pepper. Nice.Plus, I've hung out with my family, which has been awesome (more awesome than the American food I've eaten).I'll try to catch up on blogging in the next few weeks. I have a lot of cool stories and photos to share!Can't

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-11428118245893946242010-07-04T09:16:00.002-04:002010-07-04T09:24:47.428-04:00

My computer officially died the day before Laura left, so it has been interesting using the Internet cafes for all my computer needs. Needless to say, my updates will be infrequent if any for the remainder of my time. The cause of computer death is not certain, but the sand and small, dead, flying ants found on the motherboard were highly suspicious. What can I say other than TIA?In other news

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-15225825530026300492010-06-26T10:50:00.000-04:002010-06-26T10:51:03.199-04:00

Hello everyone! I am now back in the States (arrived late Thursday evening), and this will be my last blog post here. Since arriving, things have not been too eventful; I am adjusting back to the American culture. Last night I was able to go to my cousin’s graduation party, which was fun. My Mom, brother and I also went to see Toy Story 3, great movie! Everything here is much different than what

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-33465881237990895742010-06-24T04:41:00.004-04:002010-06-24T05:06:38.152-04:00

I am currently in Kampala. I am supposed to be on a bus headed back to Gulu. But when I arrived at the bus station this morning, I discovered that the bus is broken down and is not running today. So now I'm back at the guest house waiting until tomorrow to leave.While frustrating, it is kind of nice to have a day of rest. The bus cancellation caused me to realize that I've been feeling quite

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-83967035231419396792010-06-22T15:13:00.003-04:002010-06-22T15:29:30.806-04:00

Because of a combination of poor internet availability, crashing computers and busyness, we have been having a hard time making blog posts. We actually have a couple that are almost ready to be posted but saved on a computer that isn’t working, so we’ll try and update you on the latest happenings. This will be a joint blog post between the two of us. Laura is leaving early tomorrow morning and

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-29279566527019728862010-06-18T05:35:00.000-04:002010-06-18T05:38:35.534-04:00

These last couple of weeks have been really awesome. On Sunday, we were able to go to the very first week of a new church plant. This was not on my bucket list, but it definitely should have been. It was so incredible, and I was blown away watching the Holy Spirit move on this first day. There were all sorts of very different people there. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a church with that much

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-14719739617664618362010-06-13T14:41:00.002-04:002010-06-13T14:44:23.202-04:00

As an Aggie, I thoroughly enjoy spreading around Aggieland traditions. This weekend, while watching the four Forester girls for 3 days, I have had a unique opportunity to do so. Kent Forester, their dad, is a very enthusiastic supporter of Texas Tech. Because of this, his girls have been taught many of the cheers from the school and also have much of the paraphernalia. Kent has been really

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-54161981569525171232010-06-12T09:45:00.000-04:002010-06-12T09:45:00.349-04:00

I got a package! A real, USPS, sent-all-the-way-from-America package from my sweet friend Amelia! I got it a couple days ago and was ridiculously excited. And it made it here in near record time – only a little over a month!She sent me a collection of poems by Amy Carmichael, who was a missionary to orphans in India. The crazy thing is that I had JUST finished a book on the life of Amy. How

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-25851002876597767602010-06-11T09:00:00.000-04:002010-06-11T09:00:07.098-04:00

The FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on Friday. If you have ever lived or traveled in Africa, Europe, or South America, you will know that this is a big deal. Basically everywhere BUT the States is crazy about futbol (or soccer, if you prefer).[For those of you who know nothing about futbol (of which I am one, except that I’m surrounded by it), this is the first time the World Cup has

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-35728373014584461952010-06-10T09:44:00.000-04:002010-06-10T09:44:00.622-04:00

It seems that since Laura’s arrival there have been a multitude of different reasons why trips to the village have been canceled. This has been discouraging on one hand but very exciting on the other – discouraging because I love the village and encouraging because I equally love the town of Gulu and the people that live here!The Foresters (the family I met in the airport when I first arrived)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-23332266965561255832010-06-09T14:18:00.000-04:002010-06-09T14:23:43.801-04:00

One of the hardest things to process about being here is the previous activity of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) and the impact that this group has had on Gulu. The village we work in, Tegot Atoo, actually means “place of death”. There is not a single family in that village that we have met who are not directly affected by LRA activity. Hearing stories about this is unavoidable, and

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-80701975752452348922010-06-08T09:18:00.000-04:002010-06-08T09:18:00.171-04:00

Upon further reflection on my trip to the hospital, I realized that I left out a lot of important (and entertaining) details concerning my time there. So here are the top ten ways you know that you are in a Ugandan hospital, not an American hospital:1. The doctor looks about 20. Maybe 23 at most.2. When taking blood, a latex glove is tied around your arm. To the point that your arm turns a bluish

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-72292812284823035432010-06-07T05:54:00.003-04:002010-06-07T06:29:52.405-04:00

This Thursday was Martyr’s Day in Uganda! While I find this to be a pretty unique reason for a holiday, it gave us a chance to take a group trip to Murchison Falls, a game park in Western Uganda. It was so much fun and a nice break! We went with the Forester family and Andrew. Here are a few pictures and stories: Our more interesting experiences started when we drove up next to the Nile River.

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-85099378401182784962010-06-02T02:01:00.003-04:002010-06-02T02:05:50.187-04:00

Today is going to be full of random facts/thoughts/stories, hope you enjoy : D-It is rainy season here, and you can definitely tell! We have a tin roof, and when it starts to pour I’m still not entirely accustomed to the noise. It is very loud. -The other night, Ashley and I took a boda-boda home in the rain and dark. I laughed for almost half the way, going through dirt roads after it has been

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-76591440579960730912010-05-31T11:33:00.003-04:002010-05-31T14:47:06.134-04:00

For the most part, my four months in Africa have been pretty healthy. Apart from the first couple of days of sickness when I first arrived and a couple of days of giardia also in the first month, I’ve not had any trouble.And unfortunately, sickness had to present itself during my sister’s time here. Ugh.I got sick on Wednesday, but it was a different type of sickness than I’ve ever had. The

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-91594879988857447732010-05-30T10:36:00.004-04:002010-05-30T10:42:02.953-04:00

It has been a while since my last post, I hope that everyone is doing well and have really enjoyed hearing from all of you! This will be my first post since arriving in Gulu, and I will be trying to condense many thoughts and stories. First of all, the power has been out quite a bit lately. We also ran out of water for a while, and this has all combined to create some interesting experiences.

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-82514300827044603102010-05-26T09:00:00.000-04:002010-05-26T09:00:00.664-04:00

Ever since the dog bite incident, things in the neighborhood have been awesome. They weren’t bad before, but things have just taken off. I have gotten to know my neighbors more over the past two weeks than I have over the past four months. Even my relationship with Cosmas, the night guard, has gotten a lot stronger. I am SO excited about the opportunities to minister near my home as well as

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-77372703132019824362010-05-25T09:00:00.001-04:002010-05-25T09:00:04.416-04:00

Acan Irene and Piloya Mercy. Love these girls!I think this picture of Laura is one of the sweetest pictures ever. I just love it! These are some kids we befriended outside of Cafe Larem. Calvin (I think) and Mercy. Isn't this just adorable??

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-66232107797779100122010-05-24T12:51:00.005-04:002010-05-24T13:27:36.330-04:00

These are e-mails Laura and I sent to our parents the day we got to Gulu. They both thought you all would enjoy reading them as well, so I am posting it here. Sometimes I don't know what's interesting or useful information, but they informed us that these would be good for the blog. So here they are. (Andrew is the intern we picked up at the airport.) Thanks for the suggestion, Mom and Dad!***I

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-74166595275634362512010-05-24T09:00:00.004-04:002010-05-24T09:00:10.544-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mom! We love and miss you so much.Have an awesome day!In honor of your birthday we made signs and played with kids.And had fun making faces for the camera.If the Internet was faster, we would post more craziness, but this will have to do.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-40042083486950046832010-05-20T15:13:00.000-04:002010-05-20T15:20:01.543-04:00

Hello everyone! This is Laura, blogging in Africa for my first time. It has been an exciting and wonderful first few days. I have a few observations/stories: So first off, my airplane landed next to a dirt road. And goats. And Ugandan families walking along with their goats, children and baskets/bananas piled on top of their head. This was definitely not America. It was amazing though. To my

laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05440090299339637248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-14313116522319452662010-05-19T12:51:00.004-04:002010-05-19T13:05:18.767-04:00

We are currently still in Kampala and are waiting until Friday to return to Gulu.Laura was feeling pretty sick yesterday, so we decided it would be best to wait an extra day before taking the long, hot, and bumpy bus ride to Gulu. She is mostly better today, although she had waves of nausea throughout the day. All to be expected after long amounts of air travel with very little sleep!Plus, I was

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-86722583918887566282010-05-18T09:29:00.002-04:002010-05-18T09:33:03.453-04:00

Laura arrived this morning after over 30 hours of travelling. She's exhausted and feeling sick, but it's so nice to have her here!She wanted to try a boda-boda today, so we went into Kampala to eat lunch and pick up a few essential supplies (soft toilet paper) and not-so-essential supplies (Ugandan greeting cards).Other than that, it's been a restful day and I'm hoping that by tomorrow she'll be

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-56941444489820017402010-05-17T13:07:00.002-04:002010-05-17T13:19:06.657-04:00

If so, I'm in trouble.Last week, I walked through the deep bush to visit a family (Opiyo Denis from a few posts ago). In the process, I got bitten by what I think were flees. And when I say bitten, I mean that I have at least 150 bites on my legs. I know because I had kids that counted them. Basically, my legs looked like I have a severe case of chicken pox or some other weird African

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-67778555374836915812010-05-15T10:36:00.002-04:002010-05-15T10:44:42.357-04:00

Things could not have turned out any better!Simon, Cosmas, and I went to talk to the family this morning and I agreed to take Janet (who I thought was Bridgette, but that's a different sister) to the clinic to get her hand checked out. Thankfully, the dog HAS gotten a rabies shot. We have a certificate that proves the vaccination. I looked for it last night and just could not find it. However

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-50412443929084834732010-05-14T14:18:00.002-04:002010-05-14T14:48:49.373-04:00

Tonight, my dog got out of the compound and bit a neighborhood kid. It wasn't a super bad bite. It was on her hand and his teeth only broke skin on one finger. But still. He bit a kid.I knew the dog had gotten out. I was outside the compound with my nightguard, Cosmas, looking at the road to my house, which is now blocked (another story). I even saw Odie jumping around Bridgette and heard

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-72123218593024346802010-05-13T07:44:00.004-04:002010-05-13T08:02:14.997-04:00

When I saw my Dad in Botswana, he brought tons of stuff for kids. Most of it was general donations of clothes, shoes, books, stickers, etc., but some of it was for specific kids.Opiyo Denis' sponsors sent him a couple outfits, a ball, stickers with Jesus on them (don't know where they came from, but it was pretty entertaining), and lots of other goodies. We went and delivered his package

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-37107841339744497302010-05-10T13:40:00.000-04:002010-05-10T14:39:59.819-04:00

I got back Saturday after almost a week in Gaborone (pronounced ha-bore-own-ee), Botswana with my Dad.He was there for business, so I flew down and stayed with him in the fancy hotel while he worked then we got to spend the last two days together.Botswana does NOT feel like the Africa I've come to know and love. There is a lot of wealth, consistent power, you can drink the water, and there are no

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-78993201045012560432010-05-09T12:05:00.002-04:002010-05-09T12:16:07.970-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms from Gulu, Uganda! Especially to my mom, I miss you and love you very much. You are awesome.I didn't have a picture of just my mom, so here's our whole family a couple days before I left.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-76367400435345986192010-05-07T08:50:00.000-04:002010-05-07T08:50:00.226-04:00

If you didn't guess already, I'm currently with my Dad in Botswana. I scheduled posts in advance since I've been terrible at blogging.As I'm writing this (which is at least four days before you'll be reading this), I'm at an awesome hotel just outside of Kampala and very near the airport. They have an awesome missionary discount, so I'm staying in the nicest hotel I've seen in Uganda for a

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-6144381935311507342010-05-06T09:07:00.001-04:002010-05-06T09:07:00.246-04:00

I might have already posted this picture, but Piloya Mercy just has such a great smile!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-32528259883039628742010-05-05T08:59:00.000-04:002010-05-05T08:59:00.162-04:00

I don't know this baby's name, but he sure is cute. And he was lovin his rice and beans!P.S. My luck of never having been peed on by a naked baby has ended. It's happened twice in the past two weeks. I survived, but barely... :-) (just kidding about the barely surviving part!)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-71445013242229692352010-05-04T08:54:00.000-04:002010-05-04T08:54:00.172-04:00

These are some of the unschooled kids that come eat lunch with us every day. The day I took this picture was an exam day at the school, so I took a couple hours and played with these babies. We had fun...I can't remember why they're all holding their hands up, but I like this picture anyway!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-78903960830329464702010-05-03T08:46:00.000-04:002010-05-03T08:46:00.213-04:00

I really do love this kid!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-59727209320964956832010-05-02T08:40:00.000-04:002010-05-02T08:40:00.281-04:00

His name is Oscar.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-12414701299565377592010-05-01T08:30:00.004-04:002010-05-01T08:40:54.003-04:00

Despite the fact that most people in Ugandan cannot pronounce my name, there is now at least one Ugandan that shares my first name. Little Ajolo wasn't given a second name when she was born and so last week her parents decided that Ashley would fit her well. She's two years old, but already responds to her new name. The people in the village usually say "Ashley Metidi," meaning "Little Ashley"

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-55285077428664786312010-04-26T12:49:00.000-04:002010-04-26T12:49:00.906-04:00

Acci, Lamwaka Patricia, Akwero Eunice, and Akello Jaclyn

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-21977353331238026622010-04-25T12:29:00.002-04:002010-04-25T12:38:17.538-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged. This is where I would usually promise to be a better blogger, but things have picked up so much, I'm not quite sure I can promise that...but I'll try!We are fully into discipleship now. We're using a basic church-planting model (house-churches) to disciple new believers and have already had a new Christian lead another person to Christ. That's what's

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-75242696239688127432010-04-20T12:25:00.002-04:002010-04-20T12:31:01.832-04:00

Remember the twins I got to name when I first got here? I went and visited them today and they have grown SO much. I had a lot of fun making them laugh and snuggling. Here are Opiyo Michael and Ochem David:

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-24153781418799740432010-04-19T13:46:00.002-04:002010-04-19T13:53:30.955-04:00

Since I haven’t been diligent about sharing pictures lately, here’s Okot Michael, Okema David, and Odong James. This is what I get when I say, “Big smiles!”P.S. My sister is coming next month! She'll be here for a little under one month and I am SO excited. And everyone here is thrilled to meet her - she's high on the list of conversation topics these days. :-)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-13197916092608639472010-04-18T12:36:00.003-04:002010-04-18T12:54:32.977-04:00

Three more salvations today in Tegot. A whole family made decisions ensuring their eternal salvations. That makes over 20 just this week. How cool is that? I really wish I could describe how exciting that is to watch the Gospel just take off like it has been!I’ve been praying for God to draw out the heart of a man in the village, and today it happened! Now we have two families to pour into

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-19302754603855941582010-04-16T08:40:00.002-04:002010-04-16T08:52:29.118-04:00

This is a picture of Gulu I took from a hotel restaurant that can't be seen from the street. Aren't my surveilance skills excellent?? :-)This is a pretty good respresentation of what the shops look like, although this is one of the better roads in Gulu. Most other roads are dirt or have WAY more potholes.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-82622743247301320542010-04-16T05:24:00.000-04:002010-04-16T05:25:34.043-04:00

God is absolutely doing incredible things in northern Uganda right now. This week alone, almost 20 people in the village have prayed to accept Jesus. Fifteen of those salvations were today. Fifteen. In one day. All we did was share the Gospel to a group of PTA moms and fifteen responded. What? Fifteen women traded a life of sin for communion with God and eternal life!We had AWESOME

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-34144053579822168302010-04-11T14:35:00.001-04:002010-04-11T14:38:01.164-04:00

There’s a new mzungu restaurant that opened up in Gulu. Now I have TWO options for good ice cream and pizza. And this new place even has Coke floats, milkshakes, and some of the best homemade bread I’ve ever tasted (and it’s only $1.50 a loaf). I could get spoiled here, I think… :-)***The people at Café Larem, the first mzungu restaurant, now know what I’m going to order depending on what time

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-44334206554653001532010-04-10T11:20:00.003-04:002010-04-10T11:31:56.216-04:00

The mom who was caught abusing her children got a sentence of twelve months. From what I can understand, the sentence is basically like our probation. She can live at home, but has lost permanent custody of her children. If she touches a child during that period, she will serve the time physically in prison.This is a very, very long sentence for here. I saw her today back in the community and it

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-4200770431952544632010-04-09T02:54:00.000-04:002010-04-09T03:13:24.365-04:00

It has been quite a crazy week.The girls are doing incredibly well. Super emotional on both extremes, but still very well considering all they have been through. Yesterday included them jumping up and down with the other kids and singing for a good thirty minutes. It was so good to see!Today is my day off and I plan on doing nothing important. I'm teaching one of Ugandan friends (Christine)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-59008501074844866502010-04-07T14:51:00.001-04:002010-04-07T14:53:04.488-04:00

Tuesday was one of those days.We found out that one of our children had been beaten in the head with a hammer by her mother. This is the same child that I brought to the clinic a couple of weeks ago to have her arm x-rayed; we thought it was broken due to a separate incident with mom.The child is OK. She most definitely had a concussion, but there should not be any long-term physical damage.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-84721418766823266402010-04-04T15:28:00.001-04:002010-04-04T15:30:14.749-04:00

It seemed appropriate that on Easter, I went to see Jane and her family – such evidence of God’s promise of new life to those who accept the gift of Jesus!I missed being home today, but at the same time was so thankful to be here. There’s no doubt that without the Easter message and how it changed my heart, I would most definitely not be living in Uganda right now.I’m here in response to the

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-37524801375004246442010-04-02T02:19:00.000-04:002010-04-02T02:20:54.373-04:00

I am currently babysitting four girls (the family I met in the airport) until Saturday. They are 10, 8, 5, and 3. I’m having a blast! I have to admit, I had been a little bit nervous about it just because things are SO different here than at home. Thankfully though, things have been really great and I have yet to feel nervous!Today we played outside, climbed some trees, went out to dinner,

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-45348730988716127082010-04-01T02:34:00.002-04:002010-04-01T02:37:53.196-04:00

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-67833060196002915682010-03-31T01:17:00.001-04:002010-03-31T01:20:06.322-04:00

Jane is the sister of someone I work with at ECM. She is 16 and we found out yesterday that she was in the hospital for the 3rd time in about two weeks, but still with no idea what was wrong.So all of ECM staff (8 of us) went to the hospital this morning to visit Jane and her family and to bring some rice and sugar (the hospitals don’t provide food here, so someone has to stay with the patient

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-30688391939453355622010-03-29T05:16:00.002-04:002010-03-29T05:33:57.106-04:00

Sunday I went to lunch at the only place in Gulu where you can get a steak and watch American news on a big-screen TV. It occurred to me that the UT game would be on at 9:30 PM my time and would be on ESPN International. Chrissy, Kent, and I confirmed with the hotel that they would show the game and decided to return Sunday night.So we arrived right as the game was beginning to find that Ugandan

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-74827951330976642832010-03-28T11:02:00.004-04:002010-03-28T11:15:53.317-04:00

Sorry to have been away for awhile! The power was out for the last six days with the exception of Wednesday, so I was saving my computer battery and not blogging!It came back on a couple hours ago and my computer and phone are now completely charged.The extended periods of no power really aren't too bad, with the exception of charging electronics. It's cooler, so I don't NEED the fans, we have

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-61300227687611657562010-03-25T03:30:00.002-04:002010-03-25T03:51:24.872-04:00

Yesterday was Chrissy's birthday, so we had a bunch of friends over to celebrate. We made spaghetti, which was a hit with the Americans and Canadians, but most of the Ugandans didn't like it. I was sad for them. Becky made some awesome peanut butter cookies (and some other type of cookie I didn't try because it was chocolate)!It was a lot of fun!Chrissy is in the chair in front of me.The far

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-21765599850665975102010-03-23T12:12:00.000-04:002010-03-23T12:15:07.986-04:00

That was the state of Gulu for most of today. Awesome. But it’s improving. Power is back for now, although it’s been off more than on the past three days.The boys drove south to get fuel for the van and we’re told that trucks should arrive tonight bringing more. It’s rumored that some major price-gouging will occur, but I’m pretty OK with that. And it’s far better than the alternative.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-11029639539131286062010-03-21T12:35:00.003-04:002010-03-21T12:44:58.822-04:00

It has been an uneventful couple of days here. I spent a good portion of Saturday snuggling with Acan Irene (I posted a picture of her a couple of weeks ago), who's having trouble with mom at home. She's a sweet girl and I thoroughly enjoyed loving on her!Friday Chrissy and I babysat for our friends' four girls. We watched a movie and it was a lot of fun! I did have to smile at the fact that my

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-21974435442487727092010-03-19T22:28:00.000-04:002010-03-19T22:28:00.454-04:00

Love this picture. And the story behind this sweet baby.This is baby Steven. I first met him when he was in the hospital, very sick with malaria. This was a couple days later when he was home, completely well and not afraid of me. The babies mostly don't wear clothes here, but I haven't been peed on yet...a definite plus, I'd say!**This lovely photo was taken by Becky, who's gotten to be a great

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-9597396939364216472010-03-19T02:58:00.001-04:002010-03-19T03:01:05.013-04:00

It’s Spring Break season in the States and I can tell because there are TONS of American college students in Gulu. It’s almost overwhelming to me at times (In a good way, except they've been eating all the ice cream at Cafe Larem. Lame.)!***I’ve been to the market almost every day this week and I’m happy to say that I rarely get “mzungu prices” anymore. The reason? Because I know what things

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-3104003885545013652010-03-17T07:41:00.000-04:002010-03-17T07:42:55.952-04:00

Since this has been a bit of a slow week, I really don’t have all that much to report. Chrissy got diagnosed with malaria today but so far it is a mild case, thankfully. But still, please pray for her!I’ve had quite a bit of time to read the past few weeks – all books I loved and feel like I benefitted from.First, I read Spectacular Sins by John Piper. Whoa! It was sooo good. I would highly

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-79051862428563506462010-03-16T02:54:00.003-04:002010-03-16T03:14:16.500-04:00

...both are "essentials" that I try to carry in my bag at all times. Because you just never know when you'll run into a kid that might need one. Or both.This is Rita. Her mom died recently and so Maggie, who works at the coffee shop I frequent, is taking care of her. Rita comes to work with Maggie every day and sits quietly in a little chair behind the counter. Yesterday, though, she sat in

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-87828880146895019592010-03-13T12:52:00.003-05:002010-03-13T13:19:51.649-05:00

Ajok Winnifred. No lack of personality here – when her leg is completely better we’re fully expecting a girl version of Okema. I brought her to the clinic today for her second-to-last treatment. Afterwards, I gave her juice, a banana, and a lollipop. At one point, she was sitting in my lap with banana and lollipop in one hand and juice in the other, singing “Jesus Loves Me” complete with

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-15463712838680197612010-03-12T06:07:00.002-05:002010-03-12T06:39:40.804-05:00

Last week, we set up a wound care “clinic” for the kids in Tegot. There were nastier wounds than I’ve certainly ever seen. The crazy thing is, wounds are treated here with no anesthetic. And when I say these wounds are big, I mean that in the States, to clean a wound like this, a person would be put completely under because the pain level would be so intense. The children cry, but rarely

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-56688804414004455772010-03-11T11:05:00.002-05:002010-03-11T11:05:00.120-05:00

Monday morning we had a fabulous breakfast that included real bacon and coffee then headed to Murchison Falls. Once again, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was not disappointed. Murchison wasn’t like any waterfall I’ve ever seen, but was more like a vertical rapids. The river narrows substantially and all the water is pressed through a pretty narrow opening in the rocks. A hundred

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-4939029731525078202010-03-10T12:34:00.005-05:002010-03-10T13:11:02.125-05:00

Monday was a Ugandan national holiday, so we took advantage of the long weekend and took a trip out to Murchison Falls and the game park. In a word? Incredible.In total, there were 14 people who went. All in one van. That was the beginning of the adventure. The drive was about two hours with surprisingly good roads for Uganda. Day 1 we drove around the park and saw elephants, water buffalo, tons

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-11800322142088372922010-03-08T05:05:00.000-05:002010-03-08T05:05:00.457-05:00

I'm out of town for the night visiting a game park (the closest to a safari in Uganda), but here's one of my favorite pictures I've taken here so far. This is Laker (pronounced la-KAY) Lady. She always has an awesome smile!Not sure why it's flipped, but it's still cute! :-)

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-87075244570897030122010-03-06T08:11:00.003-05:002010-03-06T08:29:18.920-05:00

This is from a couple of weeks ago when I was in Kampala. We had to go to the airport in Entebbe and took a little detour to eat at an Italian restaurant on Lake Victoria. It was absolutely gorgeous and the best pizza I've had in Uganda!Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and is the source of the Nile, so it was neat to be able to see it.Here's a couple pictures: P.S. I found a place

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-57981468591938699852010-03-02T14:36:00.002-05:002010-03-02T14:38:25.368-05:00

I thought I was coming to Uganda solely to share the Gospel with orphans. After being here a little over a month, I am beginning to see that is only a small part of what I am called to do here. While that’s still my main focus, there are so many other opportunities that just can’t be passed up.The adults here are aching for something worth living for. You see it in their faces. It often

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-36000200215622260812010-03-01T11:42:00.003-05:002010-03-01T11:48:35.765-05:00

When we arrived back at our house from Kampala, this little guy was waiting to greet us in our living room.I'm no arachnid expert, but I'm pretty sure that is a tarantula. And he was in my house. Ew!

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-28462746168955561002010-02-27T11:46:00.002-05:002010-02-27T11:46:00.449-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-14038097508706244182010-02-25T15:05:00.000-05:002010-02-25T15:05:00.340-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-76669280816612393152010-02-25T03:02:00.000-05:002010-02-25T03:04:40.769-05:00

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,

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-78970882424630750442010-02-21T00:40:00.003-05:002010-02-21T00:49:55.586-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-61695439657354744952010-02-16T00:08:00.001-05:002010-02-16T00:10:02.358-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-12823052749833428652010-02-14T14:11:00.001-05:002010-02-14T14:17:59.567-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-64902509745373391172010-02-13T05:42:00.000-05:002010-02-13T05:46:51.685-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-5535770407070146002010-02-13T00:47:00.000-05:002010-02-13T06:38:56.826-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-52945617311516247362010-02-12T10:22:00.004-05:002010-02-12T10:40:00.946-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-69602337060335094502010-02-08T08:20:00.000-05:002010-02-08T08:20:00.243-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-59134804425769001632010-02-07T06:39:00.004-05:002010-02-07T07:19:37.352-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-81559425856549583542010-02-04T12:08:00.004-05:002010-02-04T12:26:32.857-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-8651123845646048362010-02-03T11:10:00.003-05:002010-02-03T11:23:21.125-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-34837899069888045732010-02-02T12:48:00.002-05:002010-02-02T12:53:26.799-05:00

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

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-65726491940537824012010-01-31T11:41:00.003-05:002010-01-31T12:02:26.400-05:00

So many times in the last week I have felt as if I’m completely clueless about how to take care of myself. Everything here feels different. And hard. I’m praying that I learn to live like an Acholi quickly, because I’m getting tired of feeling overwhelmed by life!For example, we have had a mouse – a totally uninvited little guest that I have not appreciated. He ate approximately 10 of my

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-88627687059514285352010-01-28T00:02:00.003-05:002010-01-28T00:10:49.454-05:00

Today (Wednesday) was basically an awesome day! It began in Gulu University Hospital, where we went to bring food to a mom from Tegot, the IDP camp where we work. This is actually the second time we’ve been to see her since I got here, but the first time my experience there was so horrendous that I’ve had to take a few days to process and not talk about it. I promise after the bad my day got much

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461746795422466946.post-35310989411856981002010-01-26T12:24:00.002-05:002010-01-26T12:43:57.528-05:00

I know I've only been here less than a week, but I seriously feel like I'm already settling in to life in Gulu. So far, I really have loved it!Today was a Ugandan holiday, so we didn't work, but instead Chrissy (my roommate) showed me around Gulu. We walked through the market, bought a fan (yes, yes, yes!!), and had breakfast with another American missionary I met through someone at Fellowship.

Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414269900027678173noreply@blogger.com5