Adventures with Ethan, Part 2 (Lake Bunyonyi)

Finally...Part 2 of E and E Christmas adventures! So we made our 5am Kampala Coach bus, but it took forever to board because the conductor was trying to check everyone's luggage, open up boxes and bags, and "wand" people with a broken metal detector. Security is hilarious here (except when the president is around.) They had never done this before, so at first, I was getting slightly annoyed and just tried to sneak on the bus, but they stopped us and said everything had to be "checked." Apparently, the night before, a Kampala Coach bus coming from Nairobi was targeted and bombed by Al-Qaeda, so they had to do their "job" here. It really just amounted to them shaking everyone's luggage and asking, "Are you with Al-Qaeda?" Ethan thought about answering with an affirmative one time, but I said no, we don't wanna hold up this bus anymore. So we finally boarded the very, very back seat. My Rwandan friend, Celestine, who works for the bus station, phoned me early that morning to make sure we were up, and even offered us chapatis for the ride. But I declined because even though I don't usually suffer from motion sickness, it's always smart to ride any African bus with an empty stomach, especially when you are in the back! You don't wanna learn the hard way.  

We got to the border in about an hour. Everyone files off the bus, and it's smart to hurry and head straight to the first line to fill out the Rwandan exit card. I can fill those cards out in less than 20 seconds now. It's my record. You always wanna hurry, so you don't get overrun by the hawkers selling all kinds of food, and also so you aren't the last person in line. Or even worse, the last mzungu in line. After you fill out that card, it's still not advisable to stop at the first border "loo." Because now you must hurry across the bridge of No-Man's-Land. This is where you meet like 50 money changers in pale green jackets trying to earn your business (and your trust.) But you have to be careful with them, because they can slide small bills in with the large ones and fool you. They are sly. That's how they earn a living. Then, we reach Uganda, and head to the small outdoor "office" ,and stand in a longer line to fill out the entry card to Uganda. This process takes a lot longer. Meanwhile, our bus leaves and goes across empty, while officials check it for illegal items. Then, you finally reach the border patrol and pay the visa fee and get a new stamp! I have to say, Ethan was a pro at the border. He wasn't as slow as I thought he would be. :)  

Our canoe :)

Once we reached the small town of Kabale, I called up my friend, Isaac, who has a taxi to take us to exchange money and down to the lake. This ride is absolutely gorgeous. Once we reached the lake, we threw our bookbags in a dugout canoe and paddled about 40 minutes to Bushara Island, where we were staying. I love this trek! The water is so clear, calm, and clean! This lake is so clean, it has a very large otter population, and you can see them out swimming. We also passed villagers washing their clothes and cleaning their fishing nets, and paddling their canoes to the local market where everyone arrives by canoe! Really neat.

I've blogged about Lake Bunyonyi before, back in October. It's my favorite place! Here's some other pics, and info about the 29 islands! http://emmyginrwanda.blogspot.com/2010/10/lake-bunyonyi.html

We stepped out of the canoe, and this turkey was there to greet us!

I could honestly live here forever. I love this place! It's simple, and pure, and surrounded by God's creation. We stayed in this awesome tent, and to me, it was the best accomodation ever. All you need!

Our outhouse and shower! This shower is as good as it gets! You pre-order it the night before, and a man comes early in the morning, climbs up the makeshift ladder, and pours the boiling water into the bucket. Then you wait a while until the water cools down, and you enjoy a fabulous outdoor hot shower, with an incredible view of the lake. Nothing beats it!

This is Dorcas, my dear friend at Bushara. She has just finished school, and is working on the island to help support her family. The island is a wonderful community, one where you find love and peace. Bushara is run by the Church of Uganda, and these young ladies here, (Dorcas included) use the profits to take care and raise many orphans in the surrounding islands. Marvelous Grace is a sweet baby girl who lives with them here at Bushara.

The night we arrived, we were headed up for dinner with our laterns in tow, and I heard a young boy yell, "Hey, I know you!" I was confused at first, and then I saw it was Mattias, a 2nd grader from KICS! The entire Jelsma family was at Bushara too! They are from Holland and Canada, and have also spent many years living in the Philippines. Jocelyn is a trained midwife, and Richard works with a Bible College here. Marijke, (in the blue hooded jacket) is in my class this year, and Danieke (older girl) is a faithful member of our girls running club! It was neat to run into them away from Kigali. Jocelyn apologized and said that Miss Griggs picked the wrong place to vacation. :) But I loved seeing these awesome kids and introducing them to Ethan!

Lake Bunyonyi actually means, "the place of many little birds." Birds are everywhere! And they are absolutely stunning! You can walk around the island in 2 hours and spot 50 or more different species! They are 100 different species on this one, tiny island. The only annoying thing is trying to stop them from pecking at your breakfast, or making sure they aren't directly north of you when you're eating a meal! :)

This lake the most beautiful lake I have seen. Here's a view of the floating swim dock, and across the lake is Sharpe's Island, which used to be a leper colony until the 80's. Now there is a school and church on the island.

We decided to take the free boat back, instead of rowing. We were tired. :) But feeling refreshed! We both hated to leave.

January

I never intended for it to take this long to tell of my adventures with Ethan! He left almost a month ago! All I can say is that January has been waaaaay too long! So glad we've only got a few days to go. You know, it seems like every year that I'm away, January seems to be the "downer" month. Not sure why that is. Even though it's my birthday month, and the excitement of a new year, every year that I've been in Africa, January has been the "ugh" month for me. Either a bit of homesickness sets in after the eventful holiday season, or REAL sickness comes, or I'm faced wth a big decision, or have a big change to make, or something. This January has stretched on for what seems like an eternity! But it's all good; I'm ok, I'm healthy again,( I pray I stay this way!) and thankful, and have joy....but I just want this month to be OVER!

But you know it hasn't been all dumpy. I've had some absolutely wonderful conversations this month with friends and people that God has brought along my path. I mean WONDERFUL! He's been at work, even though I haven't been at my best. He's ALWAYS at His best, and working in us and through us, even though we don't feel up to it! The Spirit totally works in us and intercedes when we can't. I've learned that this month! I had the pleasure of hosting some friends, Heather and Greg, from the UK last week. Ethan and I met them on safari in Uganda! They are traveling for 3 months around Africa for their honeymoon, and are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro this week! They've been to 6 different continents, and are getting ready to just up and move to New Zealand in March! We had some great talks about life, traveling, God, love. The Lord continued what He started in Uganda for real. And the week before, I hosted our friend Joe, from Kosovo. I'll tell you more about my new friends later! And pics too!

Also had some great dinner talks with two friends this week that are nonbelievers, and definitely doing some searching. One lives here, and is confused about many things, and asking some great questions about whats going on and how God fits in everything. He is one person that I would NEVER have thought would be open to what God is trying to do in His life, but of course, God likes to surprise us. :) I have been praying for this person everyday for a year now, and I can totally see the breakthough coming. :) The other friend also works here, but is getting ready to make a big move to Atlanta. She's not sure what she thinks about God, and is also asking some really great questions. She's excited about the move, but really anxious too about reintegrating back to life in the States, and also life with her new fiance, another friend who we both met over here. I love it when you can really see God working in and through people that don't even realize it yet! It's gonna be a great day when they do finally realize it! A day of rejoicing!

Anyway, it's been BUSY month. So sorry to be behind on blogs and many emails to you. I'm trying to plan an outreach service day for our school/community now, and visit some schools to arrange some b-ball matches too and build some new relationships there, and work on accreditation stuff for our school. A LOT going on this month, and a LOT of GOOD stuff! I'm soooo excited that a K-town friend from church, Chris, is coming out here on Saturday to help at our school for a few weeks! It'll be great to hear another accent like mine for a change. :-) All my friends from Bridge to Rwanda, who have been in the States for 2 months are now back, so it's been a busy season of catching up, and fun talks, and GREAT conversations with new folks too. I count those conversations more than anything else! :) And on top of everything, I've been trying my darndest to get well and beat these pesky parasites too! I usually don't have to try so hard to get well, but they've been pesky and persistent, that's for sure. But I'm back now! And ready for whatever February brings! I just want January to end! Thank YOU for all your prayers for my health, for my kids, our school, and for more conversations like the ones I've been blessed to have this month!

Peace!

awesome!

Report cards went home on Friday. If you're a teacher, (anywhere in the world), you also know that means it's time to hear from "those parents" too. You know those ones I'm talking about. :) Yes, they are in Rwanda too.

I have a really awesome, VERY intelligent, yet VERY bubbly girl in my class, who we'll call "J." J is the youngest girl in my class, and the smartest too! She spends her summers and holidays with her extended family in India. J sometimes (often) tests my patience, because while she is very eager to learn, she is also very LOUD. :-) This precious 9 year old also has a deep affection for the Lord, and is the first Christian in her family.

She amazes me with her understanding of God and who He is in her life, and she routinely asks wonderful questions that tell me she really knows Jesus. She overflowingly tells us stories (always interrupting!) of times when she's afraid or alone and then she feels the Holy Spirit with her. Wow, the Holy Spirit! She'll come in once a week and tell us stories about how she talked to another girl in her neighborhood about Jesus, or read her Bible or memorized a whole chapter in John! Her enthusiasm blows me away.

J also shares with us during prayer time about tougher times at home with her father...and how she tries to deal with that. And we encourage her and pray with her. He's away on business a lot, but when he is at home, it's often not pleasant for J and her mom.

I struggle with wanting to encourage J and also discipline her...but I want to send many positive notes home too, so her parents, especially dad, can see the great things their daughter is doing and learning. J has shared with me about praying for her parents, who are of the Hindu faith, and telling them things she has learned in Bible class. They have even started asking her questions!

So, today, I had a visit from J's mom, asking about her report card, and how some behavior areas could be improved. And we were talking, and I was trying to be very positive and encouraging. And then she started crying, and I didn't really know why, because the information I was telling her was not at all bad. Then the mom just poured out her heart, so much was on it too...about things she and J are dealing with at home. And how she wants to please and do what is right for her family. She asked if I would pray for her. So I took her hand and we prayed and cried. And prayed some more. And she smiled, and shared that when things get to be too much, J will say, Mom, we just need to pray. She said that even her husband is beginning to understand that "there's something about prayer."

Awesome. It was another out-of-this-world parent conference...who would have ever thought? God is doing great things at this school! J shared that she had no idea who Jesus was until she came to KICS last year for 3rd grade. And her parents are glad she is here. God is working, for sure! Please pray with me for this family, who is seeking, and struggling too for some peace. Please pray for the father, as he makes decisions for the family, that he will seek the family's best interest. Also, that he will continue to be open to J and her mom's desire to know more about Jesus!

This conversation today reminded me of another one I was fortunate to be a part of a few weeks back in the airport. Ethan's flight was delayed, and I was sooo bored at the airport. A KICS family from Lebanon was also there waiting. I don't teach their children, but the mom called me over to her and hugged me and said Merry Christmas. She thanked me for what we were teaching at our school, and said that since her husband has allowed the kids to be enrolled at KICS, she can see an incredible difference in them. She said the youngest one is more open and has "life." And her older one prays every night with her, and even taught her how to pray. Her husband is a Muslim, and she follows his beliefs, but she really does not practice any one religion. They are moving to Zambia in June, and the father has already left to go look for a job. They have other family members there. She said she was so sad that her children would leave KICS, and asked me to pray for her that she can find them another school that will teach them about Jesus in Zambia. Wow!

God is definitely at work here! I know it, and I feel it every day when I go to work, and it's an awesome feeling. But it's great to have the affirmation from parents, and see that these children are shining their light outside of school, and letting God use them to benefit His kingdom. It's so neat to see Him be glorified!!

trap doors

We're studying the digestive system in Science now, and today I showed my kids a video of how food digests. When it got to the part where it shows the epiglottis, and explains how it's a flap of skin that acts as a trap door at the top of your trachea so as not to allow any food to go down your windpipe.....two of my boys, sitting on opposite sides of the room, shouted at the same time, "Man, God is sooo cool!" :-) (It was a cool diagram.)

That's the kind of response a teacher always loves. Giving Him all the glory that He deserves! When I get to teach about how our body works, and learn about it before I teach it, :-), I am in awe! Our Maker is incredible. Even the parts that we're not quite totally sure about yet, like uvulas and appendixes, and why our body does certain things....nothing is a question for our Creator. It's neat to see these 10 year olds, many who come from families who aren't believers, making statements about how cool God is. And who can disagree about the coolness of an epiglottis?? I mean, wow. Everyone thinks trap doors are cool.

Of course, it was with almost equal coolness that they understood how waste was released from our body. :) Gotta love 4th graders! And I do. I love them. Today, when Marijike gave our lunch prayer, and said, "Lord, let this food nourish our bodies," I actually prayed it. I prayed it, and didn't recite it like some days, out of habit because I'm really hungry and just want to get down there before the 5th graders. I'm always in awe how God uses sickness, and other not-so-cool things, to help us lean on him more and even reconcile us to Him.

It's ironic that I'm teaching about the digestive system now, cause for the past couple weeks, mine hasn't been digesting. :-) Honestly, it's been a bit of a scare, but at the same time, I have felt so well taken care of, and loved on. I wouldn't want to be sick any other place. My principal, a former Army medic, dressed in his leather jacket, rides his dirtbike over to check up on me and bring me meds. And my doctor is a parent of one of my students; they're from Oklahoma. He comes to my room and then carries me around in his old Landrover to the clinics, the pharmacie, even lets me stay at their house. He's the same guy who stitched up my lip on his kitchen table last year. :-) And we've been talking to great docs from SC, even Morehead Scholars, who went to Harvard! There are great minds here! So it's been a weird two weeks, and frustrating not to be at 100%, but we have finally turned a corner, and yesterday and today I ate meals with no pain, nothing! We all think now, I had some crazy parasite/worm that just needed an extra kick to leave my body. But we've kicked the infection out now, and I know it wasn't just the meds. I totally believe in His healing power and the power of prayer! Thank you for your prayers! I felt so loved...I even had friends in the States making calls to "their people" over here! That's what I call crazy love, like Francis Chan! :-)

This whole ordeal was actually a great experience to have a little fear, (I think a little fear is good for us,) but also just to slow myself down and spend time just resting and doing what God has put in front of me to do. Not all those million other things I think I need to get accomplished in 24 hours.

I realize I still take things for granted. But God still has a way of reminding me whats important. I'm back to looking at the simple things now, and celebrating them in a big way! Lord, let this food nourish our bodies. I really prayed that today! Celebrating eating food, and my body working as it's created to! It's very cool and wonderful. I am enjoying it again. I'm so thankful for friends, for community, even for an epiglottis.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." 
~Psalm 139:13-14

Adventures with Ethan, Part 1

I'm gonna try my best to document my adventures with my bro on here! Ethan, I might need your help remembering things! I should have journaled more. But it's too hard on a dirty, bumpy bus with chickens and goats cluttered all around you! Ethan, I think you should write at least one "guest" blog entry, from your point of view. k!

So, the first few days Ethan was here, we hung around Kigali and he got to see a little bit of "my world." But what do you think we did first? Of course, we immediately unpacked him and opened all the Christmas goodies. I now am stocked with an abundance of skittles and starbursts and chocolate! :-) Here's a pic of Ethan opening his giftcards. It was fun opening gifts together. Thanks fam!

No, honestly, the first thing we did was hop on a moto and head to the orphanage to play with the kids! We caught motos from the airport, cause his bags hadn't arrived yet, so we grabbed a quick meal at Bourbon, and went to Home of Hope. I so wish we could take pictures of my precious kids so I could show you how beautiful they are! We played with them, gave them piggy-back rides, and sang to them. Then Ethan went inside a dimly lit room and we helped feed and spent time with the mentally challenged kids. Some weeks, the nuns won't let you in this room, but I'm so glad Ethan was able to see these kids and just hang out with them. During playtime, when the other kids come outside, these kids are never allowed outside of this dark room. On occasion, you can coax the nuns into letting you carry them up to the screen door, so they can look out on the sunlight! These kids almost always break my heart, and I think it was the same for Ethan. Hard. Often times, when I'm allowed in that room, I'll just walk over to some who are lying in this crib in the back and just massage their tummys and legs, and see them smile in response. They love and crave stimulation! And sadly, they hardly receive any.

I took Ethan to eat at all the local and fun ex-pat restaurants too while we were in Kigali. A lot of the local ones in my area have been bulldozed down in the last few months, to make room for new development. It's been sad. No more cheap and delicious goat! Even the one that I took Ethan too was razed this week! Ethan says he lost weight during our trip...I definitely gained...I told him I'm not used to eating out all the time anymore! :-) But not to worry, I've had a visit from my nasty friend, e.coli, this week, and all is back to normal again. ugh. That's why I've been slow bloggin.' Not fun.

Anyway, Ethan had a fun introduction to African transportation. I think he enjoyed the motos allright, (I love them!), but for some reason, when he was here, we had bad moto luck. We had one run out of gas, one have a blow-out, and on New Years Eve, when I was riding with my cute dress on, I hear a super loud banging noise, and then the moto just rattles to a stop. I jump off, and look, and half the side of the moto had fallen off right there in the road! Of course the driver took it all in stride, and said, no worries, no worries, and started pulling out all these random tools. (this is normal, by the way.) He told us to wait until he fixed it, but Ethan's moto driver who had come back for me didn't look too pleased, so I just flagged down another one. Poor guy. But all in all, motos were awesome! You feel completely free, swerving in and out of traffic, down and around hills, going faster than everyone else, overtaking semis...it's awesome! The real challenge this trip was not the motos...it was the buses! I'll write about them later on! 

He got to visit my school, and my classroom. Here are the Fruits of the Spirit Christmas trees my kids made, hanging outside. I took him on a run through my favorite village, and he enjoyed getting mobbed by the children shouting, mzungu, mzungu. Usually, theres only a sprinkling of kids, but school was out, and we interrupted a soccer match, and then were just immediately flooded with hugs and High-fives and handshakes and about 50 kids running behind us. Those are my favorite runs! Such joy! We spent one sobering day, touring the genocide memorial. I know he wasn't looking forward to it, but so glad he did it afterwards. It is really a must for anyone coming to Kigali. I think it helps you understand the history, and the places you will walk and people you will meet, and it really puts things in perspective for you, whether you're coming to stay like me, or just coming for a few days. We got to spend some time visiting with my friend, James, at his coffee factory, but sadly it was raining too hard that afternoon, and most of the factory was closed for the holidays, but he still got to understand a little bit of the coffee business here, and how it gets back home to Starbucks!

I also took Ethan to my favorite Rwandan buffet restuarant, called "Karibu." That means "Welcome" in Kiswahili. Karibu is the Rwandan K&W, but it's all outside. The lunch buffett is $4, and you pile your plate as high as you can (sometimes we have contests), and you eat until you tap out. When you come to Karibu, let it be known, it should be your only meal of the day. But this time, with Ethan, there were no contests. We didn't pile high. We were polite and we just enjoyed our big lunch of matoke, goat, pasta, potatos, spinach, yams, and tons more. The night before leaving for Uganda, we enjoyed pizza at New Cactus, which has the best views of Kigali at night. My friend, Mary Elise, from Texas, joined us. She's Catholic, but we still love her! :-) She's here as a Salesian Lay Missionary, and she lives and works on 27-acre farm, right outside of the city. She lives with over 150 reformed street boys, and is the first woman to live there at the site! They call her mom. You can check out her blog here. http://www.maryelisemission.blogspot.com/ Her experiences on the farm remind me a lot of my experiences with the girls at Wema in Mombasa. I met Mary Elise at the orphanage, and before seeing Kerry and I, she hadn't seen another mzungu for 3 months! She is now estatic to have friends that she can get away with and process things with...it's so necessary! And she keeps us laughing!

Finally, on the morning of the 22nd, we woke up at 4:30, got a taxi, and barely made our Kampala Coach bus, headed across the border to Lake Bunyonyi! At the time, Ethan was complaining and thought Kampala Coach was a dirty, po-dunk bus, but two weeks later, he was praising them left and right! Ha! :-) Stay tuned for more Adventures with Ethan. Next up is the border crossing, and Lake Bunyonyi, my fav place!

Entering my classroom

Mass graves at the memorial

Ethan, Mary Elise, and I at New Cactus, enjoying the view!

Headed to Uganda. It's too early!

Life

"find life experiences and swallow them whole. travel. meet many people. go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. try everything. exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life." ~lawrence k. fish

In beginning a new year, I've been thinking back to experiences I've been blessed to have this past year...people I've met, mountains climbed, rivers paddled, conversations spoken and felt, people understood, dreams realized; 2010 was a life-giving year! I just stumbled through my photos and just randomly found some photos, that to me, celebrate life. I love this quote by fish, but I like to read the last line a bit differently. I like to say, 'exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of God.' If we are pursuing Him, we are living! We gain life, and through Him, so much more! Enjoy 2011! Let's live it!

Please Pray for Sudan

Only 4 days from now....this Sunday...on January 9, Sudan will hold a referendum vote to decide its future. This will be a historic day for Sudan, as the people of Southern Sudan will decide whether to remain in a united Sudan, or to secede and establish their own nation. Voting will be held in Sudan on Sunday, but it will take 2-4 days for votes to be counted.

This referendum vote is a huge part of the Peace Agreement that was signed 6 years ago which ended 20 years of civil war in Sudan, where over 2 million people lost their lives. This is no small matter, and the country really needs prayers beginning now! There will be huge implications whatever the outcome is on Sunday. People who have been displaced from their homes by the war, are now giving up their jobs and their "new life" to return home to vote. People are flooding into Southern Sudan right now.
If Sudan splits, a new country will be formed that will need much outside aid, lots of development and many people praying for them. And if Sudan remains as one country, it will face MAJOR challenges in uniting the north and south under a new federal government, and in helping the South to bring fair government and development in rural areas, especially in the human rights sector.

One positive thing is that the Christian church in Sudan has agreed to remain as one church. But it will really need to support those churches in the north, because the north will be in a new Islamic state, should Sudan decide to split.
There are huge tensions and expectations on all sides about a likely outcome for Sudan and much political wrangling over power and wealth distribution. There is also much argument over the actual border line between North and South Sudan, because much of this area runs through rich oil fields. This could easily become a source of new conflict. Whatever happens, in a country more used to fighting than talking and with so much at stake for all involved there is a huge potential for violence and bloodshed at this time.

On a side note...in what many are saying is just strictly politics, the U.S. has placed an embargo on all mail from East Africa to the U.S. right now. It began on December 15, and we're not sure when it will be lifted. We can still receive mail, but can't send anything out! Most say that the embargo is a direct effect of the political climate in Sudan, because the U.S. has a different take on things than Rwanda and other countries. It's all an interesting political game, but I want it to be finished, so I can write a letter to my momma! :-)

Please join me in praying for Sudan this week, and especially on Sunday. Prayer for Sudan at this time of change is very important. January 9th has been requested as a day of prayer in churches in Africa. Pray with us!

A New Year of being certain!

I read somewhere that the nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty.

I wrote that down in my journal when I read it, and I keep going back to it. I have to read it a few times, and really try to think about what that really means! I've got a few thoughts...

Having certainty..living a life of certainty all the time, is like a commonsense kind of life...whereas a life of uncertainty, living from faith, and covered with grace, is the mark of a spiritual life. Really, to be certain of God, means that we are totally uncertain in all of our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring, or even what today may bring! Or especially what a new year may bring!

Who knows what 2011 may bring?!? Not me! I am totally uncertain, but completely excited and putting my trust in the only one who does know...and I trust in His complete and amazing plan that He has orchestrated for me, His beautiful daughter for this year! That's what I do know.

I can look back on 2010 and be thankful for His mark on my life. There were some "uncertain" times, where decisions were placed in front of me, and I just went out and said, ok God, I don't know what you're gonna do or what you're doing, but I trust you. And each time, He revealed himself. It's hard sometimes, to go out, especially in uncertainty, and completely surrender to God whatever it is you need to....and then just watch and marvel, and not even be surprised by what He has done, because you are CERTAIN of Him who is doing it!

"As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises.".(..another quote that I have no idea who wrote, but I have down in my journal!)

I want to do this this year, in 2011...totally surrender all to Him, do the work that He has placed before me, and watch and see Him working! I want to have a faith that doesn't worry...that seeks God's will, and moves towards Him, not worrying, but totally knowing and being certain in Him and His purpose.

"My earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death." ~Philippians 1:20