hong kong

My world trip is well underway and it’s been an incredible journey already. Each day I am so thankful for friends in far places and the opportunity to experience new cultures and meet people from wildly different backgrounds from myself. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that no matter where I go, I can always find some common ground with the people I meet – especially in the global Church. I love my global family and revel in being able to rejoice in times of success and mourn in times of loss. That’s what family is about.

I arrived in Hong Kong and was met by my friend Tim who I hadn’t seen in about 7 years! I couldn’t believe it had been that long… but then again, he had 2 children now, both of which I had never met. We jumped in a cab and arrived at their “resort” apartment complex. I only say that because it had a very tropical name and it sat right near the water. From the outside, they were fairly comparable to condos in Gulf Shores or Destin. Thankfully they didn’t have shell art and dolphin-shaped sofas on the interior.

When we got in, Tim and Cindy’s two little girls were sound asleep, but I was able to catch up with them about the last 7 years. It was so good. It’s amazing all that has happened! And it always adds an extra level of connection to friends that have moved outside of what’s comfortable and lived abroad to be involved in ministry. Tim works for Island ECC, an English-speaking church as co-worship leader and with media. He worked with the youth for his first 4 years.

My first outing was to see the Big Buddha. That lasted all of about 30 minutes seeing as the humidity index was 176%. Fact: Hong Kong’s weather is BRUTAL in the summertime. I’m not exactly sure how people make it from one air-conditioned building to another without passing out from heat exhaustion. Although I have to say, it was pleasantly cool compared to Dubai.

*Warning: Tourist alert!

Tim had a gig with his band, the Jeff Caylor Band, the Friday after my arrival. I tagged along with him to his band practice, which was held in one of the coolest studios I’ve ever been in. The studio belongs to the drummer, Jon. He rents it out for people to practice/record and he also works with some photographers that share the space. Jon also has a lot of photography toys [a Canon 5D and a collection of lenses/flashes] that he let me play with while they were practicing. I was in photog heaven. I had a great time hanging out with the guys there and at the Fringe club afterwards. They played a great show and then the band that followed, Good Fellas, was pretty incredible. Tim didn’t peel his eyes away from the stage during their entire set. They were certainly an entertaining bunch. The lead singer was wearing a Ramones-esque suit and the guitarist liked to randomly scream and ended every song with ‘Thank you, we’re Good Fellas’. I mean, how can you go wrong with that?

The following night, Jeff performed at a Michael Jackson cover show at Grappa’s Cellar with 5 other artists. Each band/artist had to cover 2 MJ songs and then play one of their own. It was quite the eclectic mix: rock, singer/songwriter, acappella, big band… they were all in there. And the adaptations of the songs were phenomenal. Definitely an enjoyable evening.

After a quick breakfast and chat with Sunny from Watoto HK, I attended Island ECC for the later morning service. Tim was “mad” at me for going to the second floor where Jeff led worship rather than going to the first floor where he led. Of course, I didn’t realized Tim was leading – and even if I did, I might’ve gone to the second floor anyway since that was the one everyone kept raving about. And for good reason – it’s pretty sweet. I also kinda dozed off during the Church News segment, which Tim puts together every week. So, yes, I’m a bad friend. There, I’ve admitted it. Thankfully Tim has a big heart and forgave me of my sins.

After church, I met some new people – some of which were going to be heading to Uganda to volunteer with Watoto – and so we had Dim Sum for lunch and then had a long chat over foot massages. Why didn’t I think of that? Oh wait, I think I did. Good one, Sydney!

My trip to HK was brief but so very good thanks to old friends and new ones. My first stop on my first trip to Asia – unforgettable! I hope I can make it back someday and explore a bit more of the Hong Kongese culture. Click here to see more photos from my trip.

Next stop: The land of Thai.

cape town

My first stop on my world trip was Cape Town, South Africa. On my flight from Uganda, I had a layover in Johannesburg and I made it as long as I could so that I could see my friend Sue. She picked me up from the airport and we stopped by her house on our way to lunch. I love her house! So open and it’s got lots of different rooms at different levels – not to mention an absolutely gorgeous view. Both her and her husband are creatives, so the art and décor of the house was fantastic. Since both of them have traveled extensively [both separately and together], there was an array of art pieces from around the world. I was certainly getting some ideas for when I decorate my place in Atlanta.

At lunch, Sue’s friend Gary came to meet us and he brought a copy of his book ‘Manzovo – Place of the Elephants’, an epic tale of wildlife in Southern Africa. The paintings in the book were done by Craig Bone, an artist from Zimbabwe that now lives in Florida. It was so great meeting Gary and hearing about all of the exciting things happening with his writing career and with the book. He’s written a second book and Craig is working on the illustrations now. You can buy a copy of Manzovo at www.30degreesouth.co.za.

When I arrived in Cape Town, my new friends Becky & Nadine picked me up from the airport [traffic held them up and I was starting to think they had forgotten me!] and I stayed at Nadine’s flat. The girls work at Life Church in Cape Town, a church very involved in their local community as well as in work around Africa. It was such a blessing getting to meet members of the staff there, visit a small group and hear about the ministry they have in Cape Town. My friend Carita is working with the pastor to build a Watoto village to rescue orphans in South Africa – such an exciting time for Watoto and for Life Church.

My first 3 days were completely cloud-covered, cold and rainy – so much so that I couldn’t even see the city’s famous Table Mountain! Thankfully it cleared up on Saturday and I had 3 days of clear, sunny skies. I have to say – Cape Town may have the most beautiful coast line I’ve seen yet. Carita and I went for a bike ride along the coast my last day there and it was stunning.

Carita invited me to see her friend’s band play — the band’s name is Straatligkinders, which is Afrikaans for ‘Street Light Children’. When I first got to the church where they were playing, I definitely felt out of place because I was about an average of 10 years older than the crowd. But I ended up really enjoying myself. It helped that I had my camera.

Visiting from University of Arizona’s Chi Alpha group was a team volunteering with Life Church’s projects in Cape Town and surrounding areas. I had such a blast getting to know this little diverse crew. We took a trip up to Signal Hill to take in a breathtaking view of the city. We also visited another church in Table View for their evening service on Saturday. I met a guy named Vuyo who I took an instant liking to – he had such a contagiously positive attitude! We could use more people like that in the world and he is an inspiration to me.

My last day I spent some time with my friend Alan who had volunteered in Uganda for 2 months with Watoto. It was really great seeing him and hearing about all that God’s been doing in his life. We visited these great little beaches – they felt like private beaches but Alan informed me that there are no private beaches in Cape Town. Crazy! That evening I attended the Hillsong Cape Town evening service and Christine Caine from Hillsong Sydney spoke. It was a powerful message about forgiveness [being able to forgive ourselves to enable us to forgive others] and about surrender. It was my first time to hear her speak and I felt incredibly privileged to be there that night.

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with Cape Town and I look forward to the next time I can visit. I hope to stick around a bit longer and really take in more of the city and the people. The vibe reminded me of California – laid back and alive, full of excitement and opportunity. I believe there are great things to come for Cape Town and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to experience it. Who knows where it could take me?

Coming up next – Hong Kong.

last days in uganda

I finished up my role as graphic designer at the Watoto head office on May 15. My last two weeks in Uganda were spent wrapping up final projects, meeting with different staff members to get as much up-to-date info on happenings at Watoto, enjoying times with friends at some of my favorite Kampala spots, and soaking up some sun before heading to chilly winter Cape Town.

Here are a few highlights from my last days in Uganda:

Watoto Book Photo Shoots 

A writer, art director, and photographer came up from South Africa to interview and photograph for a book their team are putting together to tell the story of Watoto. I was able to host our wonderful guests and play an integral part in the overall book project. It was a very busy week, but an absolutely wonderful experience. I truly enjoyed my time with Sue, Paul, and Horst and look forward to seeing the final book.

Meeting Edward’s New Baby

My co-worker and fellow Watoto designer, Edward, and his wife Faith had a little girl about a month before my departure from Uganda. A couple friends and myself visited Edward’s home and got to meet his little sweetheart, Tephila [or “Tephy”]. She has incredible parents and I know that she will grow up surrounded by God’s love.

 

Visit to a Living Hope Small Group

Living Hope is a Watoto ministry that restores dignity to vulnerable women, all of which are HIV positive and have been struggling to support their families. Through the program, these women now have access to ARVs [for HIV/AIDS maintenance] and job training to develop skills in sewing and bead-making. During my last week in Uganda, I visited one of the small groups led by a lady that works in the Living Hope Sewing Studio at Watoto Church Central in Kampala named Jolly. She is an absolutely beautiful woman with a huge heart. I’m so glad I was able to visit the group and can’t wait to hear more about their progress and growth in their relationships with God and each other.

Speaking to Ladies at Samaritan’s Purse Event

My friend Roxanne works for an organization called Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit similar to Watoto that helps the less fortunate to learn skills, find jobs, and support their families. Roxanne asked me one morning if I would be interested in speaking to a group of women about the Creator God – how the creativity God has placed in each of us can be used in practical ways to enhance our quality of life as well as return the glory to Him who gave us our ability to create, since we are created in His image. I joined Roxanne and some of her co-workers for lunch at their office and setup as the ladies began to pour in. By the end of the time, there were around 70 ladies! It was such a blessing to be a part of the session and to share what God had placed on my heart for the women. It was a challenge to get through my message since it was being translated into 3 different languages! I had to choose my words carefully because I didn’t want to overwhelm the translators. One of my favorite moments of the afternoon was when one of the ladies began nursing her twin babies at the same time! [Yes, I took a photo, and No, I won’t put it up on here…]

Final Visit to Bbira Village

The Watoto girl that I sponsor is named Saphina – an absolute angel. I went to visit Saphina and her family one last time before leaving Kampala. I joined the family for lunch and then we played some card games. We had a great time. Saphina’s mom’s biological daughter showed me a few photos from year’s back. It was so fun seeing photos of Saphina when she was younger. I wanted to remember so badly that I even took pictures of the pictures! I will miss visiting Saphina, but I know we will stay in touch through letters. It’s such an amazing opportunity to see her grow up into a beautiful young lady and to encourage her to stay connected to Christ and trust Him for everything. I believe that God will use her in mighty ways in her lifetime.

The Farewell Party

I have such amazing friends that I’m really going to miss. My two closest friends in Uganda and flatmates [consequently] threw together a farewell party where friends from work and outside of work came to see me off in style… and I do mean “in style”. The décor and the finger food were fabulous – not to mention the tear-inducing speeches and recap presentation that brought back some incredible memories [and maybe just a few not-so-incredible memories]. I felt so loved and I’m thankful for great friends and for the priceless opportunity to live in Uganda for a year and join the vision of Watoto. Thankfully I get to continue working for that vision full-time back in the US!

That’s a brief recap of my last few weeks in Uganda. I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with me on the journey of this past year and I also hope that you will continue to journey along with me as I travel across some amazing cities on my way back to the States. I’ll be traveling down to South Africa, over to Asia and Australia, and then stop through LA before getting to Atlanta by end July. Come back soon for updates from Cape Town, SA, one of the most beautiful cities in the entire world! Thanks for reading. I hope you’re encouraged and inspired to do something out of the ordinary today! No matter where you are in the world, you have the opportunity to make somebody’s day – touch somebody’s life – share love through a smile, a gift, a word. Be the person you want to meet today.

a poem

A fire lingers in the air;
The scent of singe makes its way through my body,
leaving an impression that magnifies its source.

The ashes surround my bound feet;
I awaken to a flame getting nearer,
its heat getting hotter,
the sound rising up to my burning ears.

no panic – only peace;
how can this be?
Joy where there should be fear,
rest where there should be escape.
I am safe in the arms of my Father.

Whether death or life,
Both are life to me.

– smb

kpc becomes watoto church

Photos from the 25th Birthday Event by Waswa Moses & James Ssekajja

This most recent Easter marked the 25th Birthday of KPC, Kampala Pentecostal Church – the church that I’ve been working for in Kampala for the last year and the home of Watoto Child Care Ministries. KPC has been – and continues to be – a place for Ugandans to connect with God, connect with other believers, and serve God by serving their community. It is a church full of life that has impacted the city of Kampala and the country of Uganda in countless ways for the last quarter-century.

After tireless hours of going back and forth about what the next step was for the church, the leadership settled upon the new name – Watoto Church – which carries along with it the reputation of Watoto, the 15-year-old ministry that has radically changed the lives of 1700+ orphans and thousands of vulnerable women, as well as reached its arms across the world through the Watoto Children’s Choir to share God’s love and the message of HOPE for Africa.

Before I get any further, please watch this powerful video that played at the 25th Birthday Celebration on Saturday, April 11, 2009, to unveil the new church name and logo.

I had the tremendous opportunity to design and assist in compiling a book that shares the history of KPC, the last 25 years and all of the stories and miracles that come along within those years. The book also outlines the vision for the future as ‘Watoto Church’. It was a challenging project and was completed under extremely tight deadlines, but I was amazed at how the book came together so quickly. I believe it absolutely captures the heart of Watoto Church and where it is headed. Below are a few spreads from the book, but you can view the entire book in a new window in PDF format by clicking here.

The book was made available for sale at the 25th Birthday Celebration and is still available at the church until copies run out. I’m hoping to get a reprint done in the US and also hoping to make the books available in each of the countries where Watoto has offices [US, Canada, UK, and Australia]. Here you can see Gary talking about the book and preparing for the unveiling of the new church name to the approximately 15,000 people in attendance.

I wasn’t in Kampala for the many celebratory days leading up to Easter, but I was ecstatic to hear of the great response from the city and the congregation regarding the new name and that everyone had a great time at the event. I am just so incredibly thankful to God that I am a part of such a loving, growing, and life-giving community – a community that is African at the heart, but growing into a global community of people that are living lives that bear fruit. Lives that are willing to truly live out the radical message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lives identified by joy, peace, selflessness, and service. Lives that accurately reflect the genuine love of a big and glorious Creator God. I never want to live a lukewarm life.

If you are feeling a bit static in your walk with God or just need a little slap in the face regarding practically living out your faith, I strongly recommend the book ‘Crazy Love’ by Francis Chan. Francis is the pastor of a dynamic and growing church in Simi Valley, California, that has become known for their reckless [and faithful] giving. A staggering statistic that I learned while reading the book was that the church, which started about 12 years ago, gave away 4% of their budget to charity-related activities. Presently, Cornerstone gives an incredible 55% of their budget away and they continue to see God provide and grow their church. What an incredible testimony to God’s goodness, right? And just another confirmation that we truly cannot outgive God!

I hope that you’ve been inspired to take a step back from your life and ask yourself, “Am I living the way God wants me to live? Completely and utterly surrendered to Him?” If not, why not? What can you do to change that? If you ever just need someone to bounce thoughts off of, I’m here. Seriously. Please do not even hesitate to send me an email. I would LOVE to share some of the things God’s been showing me over this past year. Life is just too short to live without purpose or direction… and we’re not promised tomorrow. Make this day count. And if this day is over for you, start fresh tomorrow. Every morning is a new chance to begin living a full and abundant life with God.

my visit home

I am in awe at how quickly my time in the US passed by. It’s been an incredible month of seeing friends and family, sharing stories, experiences, and the growing passion in my heart for Uganda and the work that God is doing there through Watoto, and just having a blast enjoying all of God’s goodness in my life. I am so thankful for where He’s placed me in His bigger picture and I sometimes can’t believe just how lucky I am. Life is good.

I arrived home to Louisiana on April 1 and headed to Tampa, Florida, to spend some time with the Watoto USA Director and his wife, Eugene and Glenda Stutzman. They are such a great couple and I’m very excited about working with them come August. So – a little update on that:

Around December/January, I really felt God leading me to move back to the US after my year in Uganda would be complete in May. I wrote up a description of what I would do in the US to promote Watoto and also a few initiatives I was very interested in getting started, including the Watoto Art initiative [more on that to come later]. After speaking to Solange [Watoto Marketing Director] and Alan [Watoto CEO] about this, they were extremely encouraging and felt that it was definitely something that would be an incredible asset to raising Watoto’s visibility in the US. In early February, Alan sent along my job description to Eugene to get his thoughts. Eugene wrote back to say that the US Board of Directors had just approved a Marketing/PR position that was very similar to the job I had described. God is amazing, isn’t He?? I love the way He orchestrates things independently and then puts all of the pieces into place as we walk in unity with Him and His calling.

After talking to Eugene about the position and connecting with the direction that Watoto is headed, we agreed that it would be an excellent match. I’m extremely excited about the opportunity and am ready for all that God has in store. I have a lot to learn in the next couple months, but I feel confident that I’m in the right place. I have such peace, abundant joy and an unquenchable fire for the work of Watoto and my place in it.

After my time in Florida, I headed to my annual family reunion over Easter weekend. The tradition started about 45 years ago… 20 years before I was born and we’re still going strong! The family of course just keeps getting bigger and bigger, but I love seeing my fam. The last 2 years have been particularly special since, last year, I was about to leave for my year in Uganda, and then this year I was able to share about my experience and the way my life has changed for the better as well as the clarity of vision and purpose that God has placed in my heart and life. Plus I got to spend some time with my adorable little nephew who had grown SO MUCH over the year. He’s a big boy – 15 months and nearly 30 lbs!

After the reunion, I spent some time in Louisiana visiting friends and family and then drove to my favorite city in the US [possibly in the world], Austin, TX. I lived in Austin for 3 years before moving to Uganda, so it has a very special place in my heart. I threw a little party at my old house so that I could see friends and share experiences and photos from the past year while also telling people about what the future held for me. I got a little teary-eyed speaking about it over the mic [I had to use a mic because my poor voice was practically gone and I knew that if I kept trying to talk over the music, I wouldn't have a voice at all]. I’m so thankful for all of the wonderful people that I’ve met and friends that I’ve made in Austin. They are incredibly encouraging and supportive. *Sniff*.

Click here for more photos from my trip!

From Austin, I headed on a road trip with my friends Jimmy McNeal and Esther Havens, two very cool and very talented people. Jimmy is an amazing singer and Esther is an incredible photographer. Keep your ears open – I’m sure this won’t be the last time you hear their names. We drove about 14 hours [thanks to the many stops we made along the way] up to Nashville, TN, for the GMA Dove Awards. We had such a great and crazy time. The highlights were Steven Curtis Chapman performing ‘Cindrella’ [very emotional], chatting with Kirk Franklin at the afterparty, and meeting a girl named Sarah who is super fun and probably going to be a friend for life now.

So that about wraps up my trip. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It was relaxing, inspiring, encouraging, and gave me such confidence and clarity that this next step I’m taking is the right one. I’ll be in Atlanta in August, so if there are any people that I need to meet there or if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears! I’ll try to be better about keeping this updated more regularly. Two last notes: get on Twitter and check out www.watoto.com/watoto360!

the rescue

I’m sure you have been on the edge of your seat since the last post about my car getting stranded out in the African jungle. Well, you don’t have to wait much longer for the end of that story. Please read on.

Two weeks after the incident, I had an opportunity to catch a ride upcountry. Pastor Gary had a speaking engagement at Gulu University and I traveled up with the worship band. I could conveniently be the photographer for the event and then get a ride with the hired van down to Budongo Forest [my car's temporary home] the following morning.

The Gulu event was actually the launch of a program for the students of the University to impact their region with the love of Christ… “North4Christ” was the chosen name for the movement. It was an encouraging event to attend and Gary’s speech was equally powerful.

When we first arrived in Gulu, I bumped into Gary and a few of the guys from KPC at my favorite little Gulu spot, Kope Cafe. They planned to head out the next morning to some land that Watoto had just purchased, so I asked if I could tag along and get some pics. I’m really glad I went. It was cool to hear about some of the plans for the land, like a trauma rehabilitation center and plans for farming. It was very exciting! Plus, the car ride with those guys was incredibly entertaining.

After getting back to town, Pastor Joe [of KPC Gulu] gave me and Richard [videographer + friend] a ride out to the new Watoto village just outside of Gulu in Labora. The village was started last October, but it was my first time to visit. It was really amazing to meet some of the mums and the kids. I can only imagine the lives that will be impacted in the war-torn northern region through it – to see the start of it was such a blessing! On the way back to Gulu town, Joe stopped and bought us some sugarcane to munch on… It was the first time I’d had sugarcane since my childhood in southern Louisiana. It was sweet.

Okay, so back to retrieving my car. Richard and I got a ride down to where my car had been hanging out, tireless and getting swallowed in dirt and dead leaves. I realized later in the trip that my directions had not been adequate to get us to the place in decent time. I couldn’t remember the actual name of the chimp trekking campsite and therefore just told the driver ‘the chimp trekking place in Budongo Forest’ as the final destination’ When we were getting closer, he just kept asking for directions to Budongo Forest. I wasn’t paying that much attention until I saw we were nowhere near anything I remembered. I later came to find out that Budongo Forest is huge and not really the place you ask directions to. Alas, we finally got ourselves on the right track and reached Kaniyo Pabidi [the actual name of the campsite] around 6 pm. I let Kevin [the site manager who answered the phone] know that we would be needing accommodation for the night. Not a problem.

Upon arrival, we took my 4 brand new tires, one of which was already fitted onto a new rim, out of the van. Richard started to put that one onto the car. Screeching Halt #1: the new rim is the wrong size. Hmm. We had to let the driver begin his trip back to Gulu because he needed to give the worship band a ride back to Kampala the next day. So, Richard and I looked for a ride into the nearest town for the next morning so that we could put one of the new tires on my spare rim [beat-up but the correct size]. Danny, the founder of JGI Switzerland, had been staying at the site for a few months doing a chimpanzee census. He so graciously offered us a ride into town. We made the swap, hung out for a bit at ‘Traveller’s Corner’, and began the 30-minute trip back out to the campsite.

[Okay, I just have to point out the absolutely non-existent tread on this tire... how did I drive on that??]

We got the tire on the car and I put the car into reverse. Screeching Halt #2: Loud grinding noise. Now what? Apparently, my brakes had tightened up considerably from driving on the flat tire weeks before. Leaving the car was not an option at this point, so we pressed on. We just needed to make it to Masindi [the nearest town that could fix up the tires]. Slowly and steadily, Richard and I bumped along the rocky road on sensitive breaks and a ragged rim.

Whew, made it to Masindi without any other major hindrances. The mechanics went to work replacing all of the bald tires with the new ones. Then, after determining that the brakes were rubbing on the front left rim, the mechanics decided to remove the brake pads and clog the brake fluid tube. Sounded extremely ghetto to me, but what do I know? They’re the car experts… right? Screeching halt #3: Just outside of town, after getting to a higher speed, the car began to shake uncontrollably. That just wouldn’t do. I reluctantly turned the car around and headed back to the station to come up with another solution. I suggested that we exchange one of the back tires with the front one since it seemed the major problem was the rim. They agreed and began the swap… Then decided to put the brake pads back on and unclog the brake fluid tube. To add to the comic frustration, they couldn’t get the nail out of the tube. They practically took my engine apart to get the tube out so they could get the nail out. Just incredible.

About an hour later, by this time 6:30 pm on Sunday [about a full day later than I had hoped to be back in Kampala], we were on the road again and headed to Kampala. We reached Kampala without further incident by 10 pm.

My car is now back home and with its rightful owner. It’s good to have you back, buddy.

To add, in relation to the title of this post, check out Invisible Children’s The Rescue – an event happening across the US and in other cities around the world on April 25. Click here to register in your city!

Thanks for sticking with this post – I know it was a long one. Stay posted for some exciting news about my next steps with Watoto and my upcoming visit to the US! Hope to see you soon…

safari

After 9 months in Uganda, I finally made it out for an African safari. For my mom’s last weekend, I wanted for her to have the safari experience… The experience turned out to be much more than we had anticipated. Where do I begin?

I decided to drive us up to Murchison Falls National Park for our safari… It should only be about a 5 hour drive from Kampala. But since the ferry across the Nile to the lodge where we would be staying was closed on this particular day, we would actually have to drive an extra 2 hours around the park to get to the lodge. The fact that I drove an hour and a half on the wrong road really didn’t help the length of this trip. In fact, the 5 hour trip nearly doubled to a whopping 9 hours. But, to stay positive, we made it there alive and with few injuries [only the ones on our wallets for extra petrol].

We woke up early the next morning to leave for our safari. We hired a guide to ride with us to direct us through the park and scare away any animals that might try to attack the car. Our guide’s name was Jimmy. Jimmy took us off the path a few times into the high grass which was pretty great [I love off-roading...] Alas, all that sneaking around a no cat sightings.

The lodge we stayed at was pretty nice. It had a great pool and I was happy to be able to relax a bit after a LOT of driving – and a lot more of that was coming the next day. It was actually Valentine’s Day. I’m not ashamed to say that I spent it with my mom. She’s a cool lady. After dinner that evening, there was a cute little local band playing down by the pool. I really enjoyed the rawness of the music and the dancing was fun – but after about 6 songs that had the exact same beat, I had a bit of trouble resisting the laughter. I mean, the same beat for ALL of the songs? But yeah – it was a nice bit of evening entertainment to close out a long day.

Okay – so here’s where this story gets a bit more interesting [yes, I realize it's been a bit boring up until this point...]

The ferry was open again [in the background of the photo above] and so we decided to take the shorter way back home… Or at least what we thought would be shorter. About 1 hour into the trip, the rocky road that we had been traveling on suddenly decided to penetrate my extremely worn-down front left tire. We heard a strange noise, stopped the car, looked under the car for something hanging [without bothering to check the tires], got back in the car and continued driving. After another minute, it was pretty obvious what had happened.

I’ve had a few flat tires since being in Kampala, so I wasn’t really that shocked. We started to get the tools out to change the tire when a van pulled up behind us. A few guys hopped out and offered to help [praise the Lord]. Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that my spare tire was flat as well. Hmm. What now? We didn’t have much choice – we had to keep driving. A guy from the van said that there was a place not too far where some Australians could maybe give us a hand.

When we arrived at the chimp trekking campsite [the place the guy told us about], my tire was completely shredded and just about to fall off of the rim. I’m sad that I didn’t take a picture of it. It was unreal – and a miracle that we made it there at all! The people there were incredibly sweet and helpful. They could tell we were a bit shaken up from the drive…. Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention. We not only had to drive on a rocky road with a flat tire, but a swarm of tsetse flies had gotten into the car and were driving us absolutely mad! And they were biting us too. We were swatting at them for most of the drive and our own blood that was filling up there fat little abdomens was being splattered on the windows. Sick.

Anyway, Chris and Kylie were at the site – a Jane Goodall Institute campsite in Budongo Forest – and Chris was about to be heading to Kampala. Unbelievable, right? He offered to give us a lift and we were extremely grateful. I felt my car would be safe there until I could return with some new tires and a new rim. When I was later telling my roommate’s mom the story, she eluded to the picture of chimps playing around in my car, pretending to drive and sticking their heads out of the windows. I was dying with laughter.

In the picture above are Kylie and Gerald. Gerald works with a tourism company based in Kampala and was there with a group of chimp seekers. Just a reminder of what a small world it is, Gerald’s sister is a mum at one of the Watoto villages! It was so crazy. Kylie is doing a census of the chimps in the forest and will be moving to Kenya in a few months. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a snap of Chris… but he seemed to prefer it that way.

All in all, I was so thankful to have my mom come to visit me in Uganda. I know that it wasn’t an easy trip and it certainly had its challenges, but she had such a great attitude and it brought so much joy to my heart to have her experience my African home and see the work that I’m out here doing. One thing that I pray I never forget is just how important family is and what a precious gift they are to me. The end [but still, it's only just beginning...]

uniqueness

Where do I even begin? This was most certainly a weekend to remember. My mom arrived for her visit on Wednesday night. She was jet-lagged, so she slept a lot those first 2 days. Let’s skip to Friday evening.

Friday at 7pm, there was a DOD [Daughter's of Destiny - the women's ministry at my church] service. Charlotte Scanlon-Gambill from Abundant Life Ministries in Bradford, UK, was our guest speaker. I wasn’t too set on going since I’m usually pretty tired at the end of the week, but I’m  SO glad that I did. It was really fabulous. She talked a bit about choosing well and not making decisions based on emotions – a really great reminder for me in the midst of the many decisions I’ll be making during my transition back to life in the US this year.

After the service, my mom, Kate’s mom and I headed to my favorite Friday night spot, Emin Pasha hotel, for a bit of jazz and chill time. We bumped into a few friends and joined them at their table. Charlotte, her sister Esther, and their media guy Tom showed up a bit later on. I hopped over to where they were sitting and introduced myself. They were really sweet and Charlotte shared some very encouraging words as I shared a bit with her about what God is calling me to do in this coming year. I truly believe that God has a specific purpose for our new friendship and I’m so thankful for the connections he makes between His children.

Moving on to Saturday… I had a nice little sleep-in and then Mom and I went to lunch at another favorite, La Patisserie, on our way to Lake Victoria in Ggaba. We met up with a new friend, Roxanne, then picked up the two little boys she looks after from her house and rode together to the Lake. We took a canoe across and then took bodas [motorbike taxis] into Bethany Village, a project of African Renewal Ministries and Ggaba Community Church. I visited there last May when Passion was in Kampala and just absolutely loved it. I remembered the first little girl I saw when we arrived in the village! And even better yet, she remembered me! It was a sweet moment . She is precious and growing into a beautiful young lady. It was my mom’s first time on a boda! She did great

On the way to drop Roxanne and the boys off, we stopped by the Speke Resort in Munyonyo so Roxanne could show us the horse stables. They were very cool – just behind the pool and gym! I had no idea. Later, we did a bit of grocery shopping and I cooked dinner for the flatties. Garlic-Ginger chicken and veggie stir fry – delish.  Mom and I watched the always powerful ‘Blood Diamond’ and hit the sack.

Sunday morning, Charlotte spoke again at the Sunday services. We attended the 10 am and it was a powerful message that really hit home for me. She talked about having an ‘after you’ mentality – basically holding the door open for others and waving them through, rather than going through the open door and shutting it behind you exclaiming how blessed you are. I learned a lot from Charlotte’s messages and I’m very thankful to know such a wonderful speaker and leader. I believe I will learn a lot from her for years to come.

After the service, we had lunch and drove out to the Watoto Village in Bbira so my mom could meet her sponsored Watoto child, Jimmy, and my sponsored Watoto girl, Saphina. Kate and her mom came out with us and we had an absolute blast. Jimmy became our tour guide and after hanging out with him and his family for a bit, he took us all around the village. He had loads of information to share and was very patient with us every time we stopped to chat with someone or take photos.

It had been a while since I had visited either of the Watoto villages… I am always amazed at the beauty and peace there. I feel the joy of the Lord all around. It was special bumping into a group of women that were singing and praising the Lord. They were practicing for a song they would be singing at the following Sunday’s church service. I am determined to make it out to the village for a church service before I leave Uganda.

When we returned to town, the group of us met up with a few friends and went to a modern dance performance at the National Theatre. The focus of the performance was on child soldiers. I wasn’t that impressed with the first couple of pieces, but the last two were AMAZING. So powerful – and the talent was just unbelievable. There was drama, comedy, breakdancing, gymnastics, ballet… You name it, this night had it. I am so glad that I went and I will definitely be keeping my eyes and ears open for more. The woman that starred and choreographed the dances was French, had the coolest frizzy blonde hair I’ve ever seen, and seemed a little out of place [see below - don't forget to check out the pants]. But overall, it was a fabulous show.

To finish off the evening, we all went out for pizza at Mamba Point. I invited along 2 guys that I met briefly the day before when getting onto the canoe on Lake Victoria. Matt and Clint from Tennessee. They were just returning from a little jaunt out to Bethany Village and I introduced myself as we exchanged places. They joined us for dinner and we all laughed to the point of tears a few times during dinner. They are really funny guys, but also incredibly dedicated to following God’s calling, no matter the cost. Matt and Clint were visiting Uganda for the first time to get a few projects started to support a village near Luwero, north of Kampala by about 2 hours. Both of them quit their jobs to do what they felt the Lord was calling them to – sacrificing their time and money to change the lives of a small African village. I feel so blessed to have met them and can’t wait to see how the Lord uses them and the miracles they will encounter along the way. Check out their blog.

One things that came out of that night was a quote I will never forget:

“You’re unique… just like everbody else.” – Matt Chambers

Celebrate your uniqueness. It’s what makes you you.

progress

I sit here in absolute wonder at how incredible life is. If I ever forget it, pinch me. Or you can just tell me because I’m not really one for self-inflicted physical pain [I'll leave that to the masochists].

So my last post was a poster advertising a Graphic Design Workshop that I held this past Monday. Over the last few months, I’ve really felt God pulling me out of my comfortable place of “doing”. That may sound strange, but all I mean is that I’ve been a “doer” for a long time, especially when it comes to design. I’ve worked on teams before, but generally I’m a loner that does my own design thing. That’s all fine and good for a while, but there comes a turning point when you just can’t keep years of schooling and experience all cooped up inside. There’s a point that comes when it’s time to spill over and teach, train up, equip.

Part of this realization for me came when Pastor Leon Fontaine of Springs Church in Canada came to speak at my church in early January. Leon spoke so much wisdom over the few days he was here and I was motivated and challenged to not only do, but to impart. Especially since I felt God leading me back to the US to share the incredible vision that Watoto has to raise Africa out of poverty and pain and raise it up to new life through the working of Christ in people’s lives. [The word is out - I'm coming back to the States!] I loved Leon’s teaching – it was so real and tangible and a motivator to be a lover of knowledge and to ACT, not just sit around waiting for God to do something with our lives. He wants to do something with our live – He so desires to bless us and use us, but we’ve got to get up and move. I could go on for days about how amazing those few days were, but I’ll move on. Check out his teachings – you will be motivated and challenged. Powerful stuff.

Back to the workshop… I had no idea how many people were going to show up. Despite the request for an RSVP on the poster, I didn’t get one email RSVP. I suppose I didn’t push it that much, plus Ugandans aren’t so much the RSVPing type. I need to introduce them to evite.com. Monday morning came and it was absolutely pouring. Another thing I’ve discovered about Ugandans is that they don’t like to go out in the rain. This did not bode well for attendance to the workshop. It was set to begin at 10 am. When 10 am rolled around, I had an audience of 3. Well, I could’ve told you that it wasn’t really going to start at 10am, but I didn’t want to start too late because I had a lot to cover and I wanted there to be plenty of time for questions and discussion. Plus, it was a public holiday and I hoped to finish by 3 pm so people could have a little down time [including myself].

But despite the circumstances, 56 people attended the workshop and the response was more than positive. I’m not much of a public speaker, but I felt confident that the information I was sharing would really bring some things to light for people and help them to identify where their passions lie. I could sense from the audience a desire to learn and a hunger for knowledge about design, branding, and marketing as a whole. It was a great start to the workshop series and I’m excited to see how it progresses in the coming months.

While we’re talking about training up and equipping, I have to share a wonderful experience I had today. My roommate Kate’s mom is here visiting from Canada and she is helping to train some of the ladies in Watoto’s Living Hope initiative how to sew. There have been a few different ways that the Living Hope program has been helping vulnerable and war-affected women to rise up from the ashes and gain skills to help them support their families, including training and resources on ‘How to Grow Your Own Vegetables‘. I was walking towards my office when I passed by an open door of a room in the church building where there were several sewing stations set up and I noticed Kate’s mom inside, along with several local women. I quickly grabbed my camera from the office and headed back to the room to take a few photos.

It was so amazing to see the training in process. There’s such a difference between hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes. I was blown away. These women had very little. No hope for a future or of learning a skill that would help them support themselves or their family. And now they have a chance. They have the opportunity for a new life – for free. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

I am reminded today that much has been given to me. It is my turn to give back. Be encouraged – you have something to give. And if you are still on the path of learning, you still have something to give. As little or insignificant it may seem, it will mean a lot to someone else. We’re always on the path of learning – that should never change. But if you can teach, teach. Train up and equip. The benefits for all involved are countless.