Week 3 1/2

Okay I know i just updated this...but I have some extra time today, and thought of a few more things I want to write about. First is a story. This morning I hiked up monkey hill to find a place for my quiet time. After about 15 minutes of hiking and looking for  monkeys without any luck, I found a tiny tiny trail off the road and it led to a little place surrounded by trees, with a little spot to sit where I was sure no one would pass by. About 10 minutes after I sat down I heard a splash splash (nice use of onomatopoeia ehh?) and looked up to see a monkey! He saw that he missed and was repositioning to pee on me, but I got up just in time! By bag was still in his danger zone, so I was trying to figure out a way to get to it, when a Ugandan walks by and looks at me like I'm crazy (first because I'm white, because I'm standing in the middle of the forest with my bag about ten feet away from me, and because I'm bent over strategizing how to best get to my bag!) My response: Oh hi...I'm just watching the monkeys! He definitely thought I had lost my mind! Anyway...my quiet time today was definitely not a success today.

I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures of my host family on here, but technology has never been one of my strong points, so they are on facebook.

I've really been noticing the sounds of Uganda lately...so this is what I hear throughout the day: In the mornings I wake up to roosters crowing (not just once like they do in movies...but continually from 5 to 9ish), the neighbor's goats, and the kids doing their morning chores. At school I hear my name pronounced many different ways, but the best description of it is, "Hello Tar-een". The kids still run after me when I walk home yelling by Mzungu, and the brave ones grab my hand, but most run away and hide when I turn around to wave. Other frequently asked questions are, "are you saved?" (usually asked within the first 5 minutes of a conversation with someone new); or at meals, "will you add more to yourself? (meaning would you like more to eat?); or when you are dressed nicely they say, "you look smart!" Then at bed time I fall asleep to dogs barking and fighting in the streets, the neighbor's baby crying, and the TVs blaring.

Every night my family does devotions together before supper, around 8 o' clock. We sing 4 or 5 hymns (the kids know more old hymns than I do) and then do a scripture reading which the kids make comments about and ask questions, then we all pray together. When we were reading out of 2nd Samuel 6: 7, the kids were discussing how God's punishment towards Uzzah was a little harsh, and Festo added, "I think God was hungry, that is why he ate Uzzah!" We all tried to hold back our laughs...he had gotten the words hunger and anger mixed up, because they are pronounced pretty much the same in their accents.

Since I have gotten here, I am finding my views of what it means to be a missionary changing. I'm not sure I can really articulate how I'm feeling about it, but the Ugandans and other Africans are so self sufficient. They don't need white people coming in and planting churches...the church is more alive here than ours is at home! For my internship, we went to Kampala to a Juvy center to talk to them. We went with the German lady who began the ministry and some other German volunteers who were our age. What ended up happening was, she preached, all of us Westerners stood up front and introduced ourselves, they raised their hands to be saved (probably for the 3rd or 4th time), and we left without any interaction. I'm not a fan of this preach and run business. Although I know there is value in this sort of ministry, discipleship is what's needed! We can't just tell people that Jesus died for them and then run...and why are we the ones doing it? Is the message any more valuable because we are white? These are just some of the thoughts I have been struggling with lately. I'm sure these questions and thoughts will develop more the more time I spend here. My only conclusions I have come up with, is that I am here to learn. I don't really have anything new to offer them, but they have a lot to teach me. It's so important to know their culture before telling them their ways are wrong, or of less value. Anyway, those are my deep thoughts of the day.

Things are still going great! The starchy food, may or may not be making me obese, but oh well! The sun is still scorching hot, and the breeze is still perfect. The monkeys are no longer as cute as they used to be, and the exotic birds are getting more and more obnoxious...but hey, it's Africa!