The land of the extraordinary

Hello everyone!

Sorry its been so long since my last blog. I’ve been quite the busy bee! The end of the conference went well. The turnout of 3000 didn’t quite happen, but it was a great turnout none the less, and I think it’s the beginning of something very special to come. Seeing so many different people coming together as one, each learning and growing, and sharing in knowledge and friendship- all I can say is that it was really awesome being a part of it! And as much as it may surprise my friends and family- I ended up being the assistance treasurer! Yes, yes I know, Olivia and math’s don’t really mix… but in this case we did! Because I had this wonderful laptop, I was able to help balance all the incomes and expenditures and help the actual treasurer with reports and account keeping. It was a heck of a lot of work, but it felt good to be so busy and get lots of work done!

The Monday after the conference ended, the Roberts [the family I was staying with] went to Kampala with Pastor Edward, and then flew back to Aus. Then Judith, the Scottish lady that came with us to Queen Elizabeth, came and stayed with me- and what a ball we’ve been having! She’s absolutely hilarious and we just laugh and laugh and laugh. She is even a fellow fan of my favourite tv series- Gilmore Girls- and happens to have seasons 1-4! So we had a little GG session the other night- with Kimani [its Mukiga for fake] chocolate that I’m actually getting used to- and laughs were had by all. What’s great is that no matter how many times I watch that show- I still find something to crack up at! Anyways, Judith is pretty amazing- she’s been through so much here- she’s lost love ones, faced disease and starvation [literally as someone ran off with all their money] yet she has so much strength and is incredibly inspiring! No matter what’s been thrown at her and her husband John [also a wonderful man of God] they remain ever strong in God and his will for them to be here in Uganda. Where most would throw in the towel and give up life here to go back to an easier life, their convictions and faith in God are truly remarkable. They know that no matter what, God wants them here, and they trust him completely with their lives- they live totally by faith and I have been very inspired by their lives. I only hope that when I come to live in Africa one day, that I can have as much courage, strength and faith in God as they have!

I also met this extraordinary lady named Marianne. She’s an 85 year old Canadian and has been a missionary in the Congo for 45 years!!! She was still there for 2 years when the war started, but eventually came here 6 years ago, to be safer. Even at 85 nothing stops her! As I write this, she is preparing to leave to go back to the Congo for a week or so to visit a refugee camp, where she’ll live in a hut, sleep on a thin mat and have only her shawl for warmth! She speaks fluent Swahili and she goes to the camp to visit her friends that she’s known since she came to the Congo all that time ago. I asked her what she does there, and she said “I just be with them. I live with them- I am there to be with my friends”. It sounds simple, but it would mean so much to the people she is seeing- after the trauma they’ve escaped from, having a caring, smiling familiar face around, would certainly bring some comfort. She’s seen so many terrible things, but a theme that I’m discovering here, is that people only use it to make them stronger- in most western countries where we have everything else to rely on, all people have here is God- and their relationships with him are amazing- nothing deters them- it only brings them closer to Him! Just amazing! When she gets back I’ll be going to have some tea with her- I’ve asked that she tell me some of her stories. I’d love to write about them and bring them back to Australia- there are just so many remarkable people here!

Yesterday I met this lady named Heidi- she’s a 22 year old from New York who is here with the Peace Corp for two years. Pastor Edward introduced her to me because she is looking for extra work to do whilst she is here, so she’s going to help at the drop in centre and also with the kids. Pastor Edward asked me to show her the ropes, so she came down with me yesterday and it was great. The kids have taken to her well- and I think it will be good to have someone else doing similar things that I have been doing here, after I leave. That way the kids won’t miss out! God works in pretty awesome ways I’d say- always making sure his kids get looked after!

I also taught my very first ‘proper school lesson’ in Africa yesterday- whilst I’ve taught here before, it’s usually less formal and out in the open, but yesterday we took the P1 kids into their classroom and I taught for an hour on alphabet pronunciation- aka ‘phonics’ for the primary educators reading this [hehe] . It went way better than I thought it would, considering the language barriers, and the kids were even able to demonstrate some of their learning. On Monday I’ll revise the work we did yesterday and move onto blend pronunciation- such as ‘ch’ ‘st’ ‘ck’ all those type of things- then possibly onto some word formation and reading… I hope I’m not being too overzealous, but it’s still worth a try! They are very bright kids and have so much potential, and I have to say, my heart really is in the classroom- [good thing considering my career choice] so it’s been great to get in there and feel like a teacher!

As mentioned Judith and I get on very well, and tend to go a little crazy in each other’s presence… yesterday on one of our crazy whims we started to play jokes on our gardener Junior- he only speaks about 10 words in English, so he must have thought we’d been possessed, but it was hilarious! At one point he was up a huge avocado tree getting some avocados for us, and Judith ran off with his gumboots! He just looked so surprised, as not many Muzungu’s would play tricks like that! Then later that evening he was gathering tree branches from down the road for his firewood, and after he’d dropped some off and gone to get some more, under my watchful eye, Judith ran out and took his branches away and hid them! We then hid behind the curtains, watching and waiting for his return- you should have seen his face! The poor guy, wondering what on earth had happened to his tree branches! When he disappeared out of sight, Judith went and got the tree branches and put them back, but he caught us- luckily he got the joke and had a good laugh. Poor Junior!

Tomorrow I’m going out with Audrey to see some of her friends and then I’ve got to prepare for Sunday. I’ll be preaching at Word of Faith church for a small session on how when God uses someone, he doesn’t care about a person’s age- he looks at the heart of a person. Particularly here, younger people have a lot of limits put on them when it comes to ministry- so I think it’s important to let them know they can make a difference, no matter how old they are. And the same goes for older people as well, and people without qualifications- God will use anyone as long as they are willing and act in his wisdom and guidance. In Job 32:6-8 it says "I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.' But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that gives him understanding, it is not only the old who is wise, not only the aged who understand what is right”. So that is the main theme of the preaching- and I’ll be using how God has sent me to Africa at 15, 16 and now 21 as an example, so I hope it goes well!

So two more weeks left in Kabale- I don’t really like to think about it- I’m going to be so sad when I leave! The friendships I’ve made and the things that I’ve done- I’ll never forget any of this as long as I live that’s for sure! It’ll certainly be weird being back home in Australia- having all that processed food, [but bring on the ice-cream oh how I miss you] humidity and the twang of the Aussie accent… but it will be great to see all my friends and love ones-be prepared for some big hugs! But I know for sure another part of my heart will be left in Kabale- I better be careful- if I travel all over Africa my heart will be everywhere! Anyways, it’s a very special place, and I am sure that one day I will return!

Well I better go, lunch will be ready soon. I’ll write up another blog in a week or so- but I’m going to be very busy. As its my last full week in Kabale next week, I’ll be going to see the kids every day! Ah I love them so much!

Bye for now.
Liv.