What a weekend! On Friday, a group of 10 of us decided to go stay on an Ssese Island in Lake Victoria…known for its white sand beaches. So we crammed in a van, drove 2 hours to the ferry, and by the time we got there, there weren’t any more seats for us, so we sat around all the vehicles parked on the main deck for the 3 ½ hour ferry ride. The best part of it: the truck we were leaning against had two giant crates in the back with two ostrich heads poking out. I think it was at that point that I realized this was going to be an interesting weekend! So we got to Ssese and a lady took us to the place we were staying. We were greeted by a giant Great Dane with half of its fur missing because it got burned in a car accident, and by a hippie German couple. The man had a mullet, and the woman was wearing traditional German overall shorts with two braids. All the buildings were wooden with grass roofs and painted with all kinds of crazy artwork, done by the hippie Germans as well! They drank all day and in the evenings they hung around the bar and listened to their 60s and 70s music at night…they were pretty hilarious! The view from the “resort” was great, and there were a family of around 10ish monkeys who hung out with us all day too! Then night hit. We thought the bugs were bad there during the day, well at night we had to cover our mouths and noses when we walked so we wouldn’t inhale mouthfuls. We fit 10 people into our 8-person hut, which had holes all over so it was covered in mosquitoes and gnats, and there was a spider on the ceiling as big as my hand! (Okay maybe it wasn’t that big, but it was huge.) Turns out that was the least of our worries! It was also infested with mice, rats, bats, cockroaches, and who knows what else! I could hear them in our bag of food that we hung from the ceiling, and a mouse dropped on Ashton’s head. Thankfully we all had our mosquito nets tucked around us…they were the only thing keeping me from insanity! I slept a total of 3 hours that night, but laid awake…terrified of the mice scratching around right next to my head, of the bats chirping, and of the monkeys jumping on the roof! The next night was pretty much the same…and I thought having a few mice in my dorm room was bad! I’m just glad I survived =) So there is my dramatic story of the week. Thankfully, the lake was really beautiful and we got some good beach time in, and had campfires every night with some other Germans staying there too...so despite the awful nights, it was pretty fun!
Other things that happened this week:
--We had a campfire under our director’s huge, ridiculously African tree and it was so perfect!
--I got 3 packages from my church family back home filled with snacks and supplies for the rest of our time at Off Tu!! SO thoughtful! I’m seriously so blessed by them (Thanks to all of you involved in that!)
--I went to the weekly debate this week and the topic was the Kony 2012 video. It got pretty heated. I’d say about half thought the video was a good thing, half were against it because it portrays Africa, specifically Uganda, in a false light, and many people were suspicious of the U.S.’s intentions. Neo-colonialism was a big topic along with that, so it was really interesting hearing everyone’s views on the whole thing. I’m still not sure what I think!
--And finally, the social worker at Off Tu took us to the homes of children at the school for home visits. We talked with them about their children, families, struggles they face, and basically made sure the children were being well cared for. It was really interesting to see where they all came from. Some were living with theirs aunts because their parents died. One had a dad who had two wives, one in Mukono, and one in their village. Other children had an hour and a half walk to and from school each day. We found that out the hard way when we asked them to take us to their home, and they took us for a long, long walk up the mountain! Only one home had electricity, half had their own beds, and in one home, the whole family slept in the same room. So it was really interesting to see their living conditions, and how that might contribute to some of their behaviors.
I’ve been asked on several occasions this week what my passion is. My answer every time: I DON’T KNOW! I’ve been struggling with feeling like I’m not the type of person who can be a social worker: like I don’t have enough compassion, or a vision for what I want to do. I can’t put my finger on anything I can call my passion. The whole “finding my calling” thing has been almost a burden the past couple weeks, but I am finding that it really doesn’t need to be! It’s true, I am not adequate, but by embracing that fact, it makes the grace I have been given all the more valuable! Following Jesus should be my main concern, and everything falls into place from that. No need to worry…I am being cared for by the Creator of the world! That is where I am finding my peace through it all.
So that is my week. I can’t believe time is winding down so quickly! I have three weeks left on campus, then 2 weeks in Rwanda, then one week hiking Mount Elgon…then I’ll be heading home! It’s flying by for sure…but thanks for your prayers and everything else once again!
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