Soroti, Uganda & a series of FIRSTS :)

How many Americans can say they lived in an African village for a week?

Not very many :) But I can!

And it was a great week! At around 11am the coaster dropped me off in the middle of nowhere- literally. I had my backpack with 2 skirts, 2 shirts, a sleeping bag, mosquito net, jerry can, and a letter for my new family. And that was it for the next 8 days. I looked around and no joke this is what a saw; miles of weeds, 5 huts, chicken, cattle, turkey, a dog, a cat, a whole lot of dirt, some random bricks, a mango tree, and more weeds. And it was 90 degrees with the sun blazing on me- no shade to be found. Then a woman came out of one of the huts and walked towards me to greet me in her language, Ateso. She was mama for the week. Luckily, I had learned enough Ateso to introduce myself and follow her into the hut to put my stuff down. Hello Soroti, Uganda :)

My mama- which I actually called toto since that’s what it is in Ateso- was WONDERFUL! She spoke very little English and understood none; so needless to say, I spoke very little the entire week. I had a papa that spoke broken English and also understood very little English. I had a niece (Esther), two nephews (Aaron and Immanuel), one sister (Gladdis), one grandmother, and a few random men who were huntsmen that lived in my village. My toto and papa were the only ones who spoke English, so I was forced to learn Ateso as much as I could during that week. Luckily, Ateso is a very easy language to learn :) To say hello you say, “Yoga.” Funny, right? It was fun to be like “Yoga! Yoga Noi.” Multiple times a day. I got used to it tho :)

So those 8 days I lived like none other. There are no such things as mirrors in the bush- so I never saw myself for 8 days. They don’t have utensils, like forks, so I ate with my hands for every single meal. They consider our hands a “natural fork.” It was awesome haha. They also don’t believe in clocks. So I NEVER knew the time. Ever. It doesn’t sound so bad, but you begin to lose track of days and a sense of ANYTHING and feel like you do when you imagine being stranded on an island with nothing- I was lost half the time. I learned pretty quickly the patterns of the sun tho :) Which was cool. I bathed 3 times a day, at night when I’d bathe it’d be PITCH black with nothing shining on us but the moon and the stars and it was possibly one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. Who would have guessed there were SOOOOO many stars in the sky? It was like the Lion King or something- it was gorgeous. I actually felt like I was in Africa. I loooved it. I also learned to milk cows, slaughter chickens (yep, I chopped the head off of a chicken and even after I’d cut the head off I’d watch the body squirm for about 1 minute, it was sick), shell groundnuts, and cook EVERYTHING by fire. It was very enlightening. Oh & literally NO electricity or technology. At all. It was beautiful :)

I typically woke up at 7am, the last of everyone in the village to wake up. I’d bathe right away, then help sweep, which sweeping was moving around the dirt on the ground, weird concept but it did make the dirt look nicer so whatever haha. Then we’d make tea and roast groundnuts and eat them with HARD bread for breakfast. After breakfast I would spend the afternoon playing with my little nephew, Immanuel. He’s 2 years old and has all the energy in the world haha. He’s the most precious little boy ever and I looooved playing with him every day. Then toto would come get me and we’d make tea and roast some more groundnuts for “afternoon teatime” then I’d go play with Imma some more. Then lunch would be ready, which was ALWAYS millet bread (google this stuff, it’s sick), some sort of meat, and rice. I struggled, I’m not gonna lie. Eating was the hardest thing ever that week. I never eat meat, and that week I ate pork, beef, liver, chicken, and three types of fish. Needless to say, I have had enough meat for a lifetime. And when they serve you food, they give you A LOT. and they watch you eat it- so you gotta eat it all. Which is rough haha. After lunch I’d bathe Imma and put him to bed for a nap and then bathe as well. Then I’d go shell groundnuts with my toto for hours. Then eventually my papa would come home from work and listen to him talk while my toto did soooooo much work. Ester and Aaron would also come home from school and begin working right away as well. They’d serve us tea for “evening teatime” along with more groundnuts and bread. Then they’d cook us supper while my papa and I just SAT THERE IN SILENCE. Then eventually- when it was pitch black out already, we’d eat supper. Then I’d go and bathe and head to bed. There were spiders and all sorts of sick bugs all over my walls. And rats squealing all night long. No exaggeration.

And that happened every single day. Same routine every day- besides when we went to church on Sunday- which took TWO HOURS to walk to. Yep- closest church to us. We were literally in the middle of nowhere :)

But I LOVED it. I really did. I learned so much about Ugandans those 8 days and I felt so close to my toto, niece and nephews. I learned a lot in those silent moments, there were a lot of them. I was so blessed with free time each day to just journal, read the Bible and take in everything I was experiencing. There was one day that was really tough, I hated that my toto and the kids were always doing so much work while my papa was just served. It was like discrimination against women and child labor. I really hated it and struggled to really accept it. But then I was reading the book of Ezekiel- everyone should read it :) But it talks a lot about catastrophe and trying to make meaning of it- but at the end Ezekiel renames the city “Yahweh-Shammah” which means “God is there.” And when I read that- I felt this overwhelming peace from God. It was like He was telling me that despite the suffering and corruption that I sometimes notice in Uganda- “God is there.” and I really just need to trust that He knows what He’s doing and know that He’s in control. And that reaaaallly helped me the rest of the week. Sometimes it’s easy to think we’re the ones who fix things and really make a difference in the world, but that’s soooo wrong to think. It’s humbling to realize that God is there, God has always been there, and He’s not gonna leave us. He’s going to take care of us and everyone around us so it’s senseless for us to take credit for any good thing that happens here. So, as much as I wanted to try to help my toto and the children always working, God showed me that regardless, He would take care of them and never leave their sides :) And same goes for everyone- God could never overlook a single soul.

So my week in “the bush” was awesome. But I was soooo excited to be reunited with everyone from USP and my Ugandan friends after that week. We went to Kapchorwa and stayed on Mt. Elgon at Sipi Falls and did some hiking and went to the falls and also literally picked coffee beans and made our own coffee :) It was a great end to rural home stays. But nothing I’ve written really gives justice to my week. It truly was an incredible experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world and I LOOOOVE my Soroti family so much :)

And now we’re back at school :) And time is going way too fast and we have sooo little time left here that we’re all realizing how essential it is that we really embrace every single second that we’re here, cuz it’s all going to be over before we know it :(

But here are some really good scriptures that I journaled about while living in Soroti :)

Deuteronomy 7:9- “Know this- God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments for a thousand generations.” ß This was the verse we all really focused on before rural home stays since we were all really nervous about going!

John 14:18-20- “I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father and you’re in me, and I’m in you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6- “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; He won’t leave you.” :)

Ezekiel 48:35- “’Yahweh-Shammah’, meaning ‘God-is-there.’”

1 Corinthians 14:1- “Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it- because it does.”

1 Corinthians 13- “Love never gives up, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies.”

1 Peter 3:14-15- “Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are.”

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” Proverbs <3

Love you all! :) xoxoxo, Bethany

This is little Immanuel :) "reading my Bible" while I journaled. This happened every morning :) He's precious! I promise to upload pics on facebook eventually :)

White Waters- 150ft Plunge- Killing Chickens- & Other Memories in UGANDA :)

Well quite a bit has happened since I last blogged, it’s been so long since I last blogged! The month of February fleeewww by. It’s so crazy to think that I’ve already been in Africa for 2 months and I only have 2 more months left. Time is going way too fast :( I can’t imagine ever leaving this place..

So this past weekend was definitely the BEST weekend here! Friday night started off with babysitting some kids whose parents are expates here. It was a lot of fun cuz not only did we get HOMEMADE PIZZA- but we also got to take HOT SHOWERS. It was so amazing :) First hot shower in 2 months. And it was really interesting to talk t o the kids, they’re only 10 and 8 but they are super smart and it was just so different talking white kids who have grown up in Africa compared to babysitting American kids haha. It was a lot of fun :)

Then Saturday we headed to Jinja for WHITE WATER RAFTING and BUNGEE JUMPING! Ohhh my goodness. 25 of us USP students went and it was crazy. We started out on the Nile around 10am for our 20 mile rafting adventure. There were 8 of us on my raft and our guide Josh, who happened to be a Canadian. He was pretty entertaining and LOVED taking us thru the “wild” part of the rapids. There were 5 different rapids that we went thru and it was soooo crazy. It was my first time rafting ever so I was soo scared. We had practice drills before we actually reached the rapids and I was TERRIBLE at having the right techniques. For our practice flip I got stuck under the boat- not a great start. So when we hit our first rapid I was panicking. Luckily we made it thru without flipping :) Then on the second one, a level 3 rapid, our guide Josh thought it’d be fun to flip our raft on purpose, so in the middle of all this rushing white water we flipped and I have no idea what happened but I got thrown sooo far away from the raft and one of the guys on the kayaks had to come save me haha. It was terrifying cuz the rapids were sooo strong so I thought I’d never reach the top of the water, but I did and safely returned to the raft. I was the only one who got flung far away from the raft, of course haha. It was awesome tho and we reached some really calm water so we got to have some free time swimming in the water. I swam in the NILE RIVER in the month of FEBRUARY! It felt sooo good. Then we reached an island and had some lunch, which was lunch meat sandwiches and it was DELICIOUS. I’ve never liked lunch meat sandwiches in my life but after eating beans and rice nearly every day for 2 months, lunch meat sandwiches were heavenly. And not to mention they had cheese! Fyi- cheese is nearly impossible to find in Uganda. And it’s super expensive. So getting to have cheese is rare- and it was great :) Then we continued down the Nile. We hit another rapid pretty soon after that, a rapid that had a waterfall in the middle of it. We were going to try to go down the waterfall, but unfortunately our raft hit his HUGE rock and popped our raft in the middle of the rapid, which was really scary cuz we were deflating as all these huge rapids were pounding up against us, but Josh is an incredible guide and got us safely to the bottom of the rapid and we found some rocks to pull off to the side on and the safety boat saved us and we got a new raft :) So off we went again, rafting down the Nile :) We hit our second level 5 rapid and it was sooooo awesome! The rapids were HUGE and we were flying everywhere- but we didn’t flip :) Altho our guide did somehow get knocked off the raft so we panicked for a little not having our guide, but we found him soon enough :) Then we soon hit our last rapid which was unbelievably MASSIVE. Apparently a couple of years ago someone died trying to raft part of the rapid, so we dodged that area. But still we hit the level 5 part of the rapids- and we were hopeless. Within like 5 seconds this huge rapid hit us and off we flew. Every single one of us. And this was a looong rapid. So these rapids literally took me under the water for what seemed like eternity and I’m pretty sure I thought I was doomed. God made one powerful river. The Nile is wicked haha. It was fun but it took forever to get up from those rapids and just float down the river not knowing where ANYONE else was b/c we’d all been thrown really far from each other. Eventually I saw a body in the water and it was MB! I was sooo excited and finally we found the raft and were rescued from the massive rapids of the Nile. It was so amazing :) Around 5:30pm we ended our journey and we were all sooo exhausted, and not to mention pretty burnt. We got chapattis and kabobs for dinner and it was delicious. Then we headed back to the camp/resort and just hung out super late with everyone and had a great time. Not to mention I climbed in a kayak UPSIDE DOWN FROM THE CEILING. It was super random but apparently it’s tradition so I did it :)

Then Sunday morning we woke up- got some breakfast- then BUNGEE JUMPED! I can honestly say that getting ready to jump was the most scared I have EVER been. 150 feet above the Nile River is where I jumped from :) I jumped tandem with Marybeth which was the best decision ever b/c I really don’t know that I could have done it alone.  So we climbed the stairs which took quite a long time and got to the top of the platform. We decided to go second, Jake went first. He’s brave :) It was so scary watching him tho b/c literally all you have is this towel and rope tied around your feet and linked to the bungee. And this platform moved everytime anyone moved so I was scared to death that the platform was going to break off haha. After Jake went I’m not joking, I really wanted to chicken out. But MB and I sucked it up and walked to the platform to got all tied up. I think I was seriously shaking and asking a million questions just to make sure I wasn’t going to die jumping. After about 10 minutes of learning the correct way to jump and making sure we were tied tightly, we slowly “scooted” to the edge together b/c our feet were tied together so it was literally impossible to walk. Once we got to the edge I remember looking down and FREAKING out. MB looked at me and was like “Are we seriously doing this?” And I was like “yeeppp.” and then everyone yelled THREE TWO ONE BUNGEE!!! and we fell forward- 150 feet. And screamed the entire way down. And while hanging. And while getting untied. And while walking back afterwards. We were literally laughing and screaming the entire time. It was soooooooooo much fun and I would literally do it again in a heartbeat! :) It was such an adrenaline rush. I’m definitely an adrenaline rush junky :) It was great- everyone should do it :)

Sunday night I went home to my Ugandan family cuz I had missed them SO MUCH! MB & Angela went with me- we took 2 LIVE chickens home- which involved a 40 minute walk with 2 live chicken in their hands. I refused to carry them haha I hate chicken. Then we took the chicken out back and my papa taught us how to cut the head off. Literally just chopped the head off right in front of us. It was pretty sick- between the chicken crying and trying to get away, plucking the feathers off, chopping the neck off, lots of blood gushing out, then cutting the chicken open and taking out all the insides- I nearly barfed. I’m not good with that kind of stuff. Then Angela gladly took control of the second chicken and cut it’s head off. It was soo gross, again. We’ve got lots of good pictures and videos that we’ll upload asap :) My mama then cooked the chicken for us and we ate it for dinner. It was pretty good :)

Monday was a good day- nothing exciting tho. Oh except I got an article written about me in “The Standard” which is the UCU campus newspaper- and apparently it’s a big deal to get in it :) So yayy- that was exciting!

Today I taught my first lesson at Salama :) I taught science and took the kids on a “field trip” to some mango & jackfruit trees since we were learning about plants. The kids thought  it’d be fun to climb the tree so a few of them climbed up in the tree. Blind kids climbing a tree- seems super dangerous- right? I was freaking out so I was yelling at them to get down- but of course they wouldn’t listen to me. They dared me to climb up with them so naturally, I took the dare and climbed in the tree. They kids were laughing and screaming so loud, “Madame Bethany is in the tree!!! hahahahah” They thought it was hilarious. It was pretty funny tho- not gonna lie. Lesson learned- never underestimate blind kids. They’re brilliant.

And now I’m procrastinating homework. I have 4 papers due this week and I’m not looking forward to writing them. But then on Friday we head off for our rural homestays. 7 hours away from campus in the middle of NO WHERE alone. For 12 days with families we don’t know at all. Living in huts. Literally living like Africans. I’m really nervous but I’m also excited b/c I know how much I love my Ugandan family here in Mukono so I’m sure this next family will be just as great. It’s just going to be A LOT more “African” cuz we’re gonna have to do all the hard chores and we’re not sure if the families speak English yet or not. Sooo- I’m sure I’ll have lots to blog about when I get back. Not to mention we’ll have NO connection with anyone at all. Just me and my new Ugandan family for 12 days. So yeaaah. It’ll be interesting :) And after that we’re going to Sipi Falls- which is this beautiful waterfall on the border of Uganda and Kenya and we get to hike :) So it’ll be an amazing next week!

I guess I should start some homework- but I don’t want to finish my blog without saying how incredibly REAL God has been to me lately :) Just through nature, silence, interaction with my friends, journaling, prayer time, I feel soooo much closer to God than ever before :)

I love Africa- if you can’t tell :)

Love <3

Bethany Diane Joy

Blessed to be a blessing...

So I’m really not that good at keeping up with a blog :/ ….

I started working at a school for the blind called Salaama on Tuesday. I’m going to get to work in a 6^th or 7^th grade classroom and teach science :) I’m really excited! It’ll definitely be challenging and a totally new aspect to teaching- but I’m really, really excited about it!

Tala’s birthday is on Friday so we’re going to Kampala to celebrate :) Our first girls night out on the town :)

In one of our classes we’re reading the book, ‘When Helping Hurts.’ It’s about how to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and yourself. It’s an absolutely incredible book and I’d recommend it to anyone! There was the really, really amazing story in part of it that I wanted to share because it really, really made me think about some things…

“One Sunday I was walking with a staff member through one of Africa’s largest slums, the massive Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. The conditions were simply inhumane. People lived in shacks constructed out of cardboard boxes. Four smells gushed out of open ditches carrying human and animal excrement. I had a hard time keeping my balance as I continually slipped on oozy brown substances that I hoped were mud but feared were something else. Children picked through garbage dumps looking for anything of value. As we walked deeper and deeper into the slum, my sense of despair increased. This place was completely God-forsaken, I thought to myself.

Then to my amazement, right there among the dung, I heard the sound of a familiar hymn. There must be Western missionaries conducting an open-air service in here, I thought to myself. As we turned the corner, my eyes landed on the shack from which the music bellowed. Every Sunday, thirty slum dwellers crammed into this ten-by-twenty foot “sanctuary” to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The church was made out of cardboard boxes that had been opened up and stapled to studs. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a church, a church made up of some of the poorest people on earth.

When we arrived at the church, I was immediately asked to preach the sermon. As a good Presbyterian, I quickly jotted down some notes about the sovereignty of God and was looking forward to teaching this congregation the historic doctrines of the Reformation. But before the sermon began, the service included a time of sharing and prayer. I listened as some of the poorest people on the planet cried out to God: “Jehovah Jireh, please heal my son, as he is going blind.” “Merciful Lord, please protect me when I go home today, for my husband always beats me.” “Sovereign King, please provide my children with enough food today, as they are hungry.”

As I listened to these people praying to be able to live another day, I thought about my ample salary, my life insurance, my health policy, my two cars, my house, etc. I realized that I do not really trust in God’s sovereignty on a daily basis, as I have sufficient buffers in place to shield me from most economic shocks. I realized that when these folks pray the fourth petition of the Lord’s prayer—Give us this day our daily bread—their minds do not wander as mine so often does. I realized that while I have sufficient education and training to deliver a sermon on God’s sovereignty with no forewarning, these slum dwellers were trusting in God’s sovereignty just to get them through the day. And I realized that these people had a far deeper intimacy with God than I probably ever will have in my entire life.

That day in the Kibera slum, God used the materially poor, people more visibly broken than I, to teach me about my own brokenness. They blessed me, even while I was trying to bless them. We are all broken, just in different ways.”

Pretty humbling, right? The story still leaves me in awe. Much like the people here in Uganda, I have noticed this so often- I am being blessed, even while I am trying to be a blessing.  And it’s so true, you feel such a deep intimacy when your prayers to God are no longer prayers for convenience but actually prayers of desperate need. It’s kind of beautiful what happens when you really do need God’s guidance to help get through the day safely.

But all in all..

We are all broken, just in different ways.

Just something to think about.

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time, thank God no matter what happens.” -1 Thess. 5: 16

<3, Bethany Diane Joy :)

PS: My roommate and I got a frenchpress for our room- so now we can make coffee ALL the time :) it’s great- our room always smells like fresh coffee :)

Philippians, Jinja, Nile, Braille, Guitar Chords, AFRICA!

“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Philippians 3:13-14

I think this is probably one of the most prevalent Bible verses I’ve ever read- especially prevalent to my very life.

This past week was really good :)

We’re all back moved onto campus- which is bittersweet cuz I already miss my Ugandan family sooo much. But luckily I’m going home this weekend to stay the night with my family again :) It’s so crazy how much they really do feel like family :)

This past weekend we went to JINJA! Which was absolutely incredible. First of all- we stayed at a resort so it was beautiful. Second- HOT SHOWERS. Unfortunately my shower had NO water pressure so it took a good half hour to wash the soap out of my hair but whatever- hot showers are God’s gift to this earth. Thirdly- Gooooood food. Fourth- We played hours of euchre in the sunshine :) Fifth- We were at the NILE RIVER! Took a boat ride on the Nile and went to the source and wow- it was just so incredible. Everything about it. We saw some cobras, otters, a million kinds of birds, and the place where some of Ghandi’s ashes were spread. And I saw men fishing using fishing nets. It just reminded me soo much of all the Bible stories with the fishermen casting their nets out :) Needless to say- it was quite the experience :) I loved it! The Nile really is the main source of life- we saw people using the Nile to fish, bathe, wash clothes, get drinking water and some other things. I’m not sure why but I was just so fascinated by it all.

Sunday night Angela and I made some guacamole and it was DELICIOUS! :) We’ve become quite the cooks :) And we’re digging into the book of Exodus which is just really cool to read right now considering our location :)

And now it’s FRUIT WEEK! We’re totally loading up on fruits this week instead of the constant rice & beans. It’s great- fresh pineapple, mango, bananas, oranges, and apples :) It’s good!

Today I learned Braille & Medaline taught me how to play a few chords on the guitar! For my practicum I’m working at Salama- it’s a school for the blind so I’m learning the Braille so I can better interact with the kids and the guitar because those kids are so musically inclined and just looove music. & I’m hopefully gonna get to do some teaching and get really close to the kids- I’M SO EXCITED! :)

President Museveni is coming to town on Friday for some campaigning- could get interesting!- just pray for peaceful campaigning as well as elections- especially with everything going on in Egypt.

Everyone is getting soooo close. It’s so funny cuz we’ve all known each other for about a month- but I can’t imagine life without them. They’re all just so beautiful inside and out and it’s such an answer to prayer the people God has placed in my life this past month :)

The internet is being waaayy too slow to upload pictures so I'll try to do that later this week :)

Peace, Love…

and DEUCES! (that’s for you 106 ladies :))

Bethany Diane Joy

PS: Currently there’s a ban on all incoming and outgoing mail between Uganda and the US- soo :( Don’t send any letters until further notice :(

When in Uganda :)

As I write this I am listening to Taylor Swift :) Makes me think of my Maplewood 106 girls- Oh how I miss them!

This past weekend was quite eventful. I FINALLY got to go to Kampala! Friday we spent the day in Kampala shopping and had AMERICAN food. Oh my goodness- it was delicious. And I got a coffee drink for the first time in nearly 3 weeks- I almost forgot how much I LOVE coffee. Then Friday night I spent with my sister, Eve. We made dinner together and just talked all night and I fell in love with the girl :) She has got such an incredible story and I really think she is the strongest person I’ve ever met. She had to drop out of secondary school early because her father died and so she had to stay home to take care of her siblings. This past year her family ran out of money so her mother sent her away to here, Mukono, to work and make money for the family. She works for my mama and papa by weaving, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, basically everything. She wakes up at 6am everyday and never goes to bed before midnight. I don’t know how she does it. She wants to go back to school one day to become a teacher :) She’s so beautiful- inside and out. I love her so much- so if you can remember, say a prayer for Eve. She reminded me that she’s doing this work because God is preparing her for something bigger and better- I nearly cried when she shared that with me. She has so much hope. She deserves so much more from the life she’s been dealt. So keep her in your prayers please. Before we went to bed she wanted to sing a song together so we sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and the line “Strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow, great is Thy faithfulness,” really stuck out to me. That’s the strength and hope Eve has :) And we all do- thank God :) He’s so good.

Saturday my papa told me that I needed to experience the real Uganda- so he took me to the slums of Kampala and downtown Kampala. It was terrifying. I can honestly say I hated every moment of it. haha my papa kept laughing at me cuz he said I was “fearing everything.” But I really was; especially downtown. If you get the chance- look up some pictures of downtown Kampala. There’s hardly room to breathe between the cars, boda-bodas, people, shops, just everything. I thought I was either going to get run over or get jumped- haha but I definitely experienced downtown Kampala thanks to my papa.

On Sunday I took Eve to the church service on my university campus. She loved it! She met a bunch of my friends and after church I showed her my dorm room and took her out for ice cream- which she loved :) Then we went home and I finally cooked an entire meal on my own! And I’m not gonna lie- it was delicious! It was an African version of spaghetti :)

Sunday night I got my first marriage proposal. It lasted 20 minutes. His name is Michael and he’s a 27 year old police officer. The entire time he was proposing to me he had this HUGE gun in his hand- it was quite intimidating. After 20 minutes of him telling me all the things he’d do for me and how we’d go back to America together once we got married, I told him no. He didn’t like that very much so he said he’d come back tomorrow in case I changed my mind. My mind isn’t going to change hahaha. He’s a nice guy though. And if I ever really get afraid that I’ll be single forever- I’ll just come back to Uganda and find Michael; after all- he said he’d build me a beach house and cook me my favorite food every single day :) Doesn’t get much better- right? ha

I got made fun of for the first time this weekend for my HUGE calves haha- kind of made me feel like I was home again :) My mama told me that I should give some of my legs to my sister Eve since I have big enough ones for two people. Good thing I’m not self-conscious about it- right? Africans are the most honest people you’ll ever meet. Oh and fyi- my mama also told me that I’m turning into a fine young African woman. Best compliment I’ve ever received :)

Tomorrow is my mama’s birthday! So I’m going into town soon to get her a cake and some party decorations :) She said she’s never celebrated her birthday before so I’m ready to show her what a good ol’ American birthday party is like :) I’m so excited!

Friday we’re headed to Jinja, Uganda, which is where Lake Victoria is. And the source of the Nile River! I’m soooo excited! :)

Okay well- have a great week everyone :) Once again- thank you so much for all the prayers- prayer is sooo powerful :)

<3, Bethany Diane Joy

PS: I’m sharing Lauren’s devotional that she gave me for this week- “Joshua told the people, Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5. She said that this week may have been hard for you, but don’t worry, tomorrow is a brand new day, a clean slate, a new week, and brand new opportunities. Forget past concerns and focus on the positives of a brand new day. The sun will always rise every morning.

I think that applies to pretty much everyone. I love her! She’s the best. Miss you roomie!! <3 Enjoy your last few days in Belize!

Home Stay & Such..

“Keep Calm and Carry On.”

That’s the “motto” for my cohort group in my Faith & Action class. As much as we all love Uganda, it’s definitely a challenge to adjust to everything here, even though it’s only been 2 weeks- the culture shock along with complete lack of routine here really takes mass amounts of energy.

First of all- CONGRATULATIONS TO MATTHEW AND ASHLEY FOR GETTING ENGAGED LAST WEEKEND!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!! :) :) :) I’m so happy for both of them!!

I started my first home stay on Saturday. For 12 days we’re all living with separate Ugandan families and living as if we were a Ugandan. It’s a great experience but it’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be. My mama and papa here are great, they’re so kind and very generous, but it’s soooo different to live in a Ugandan home. My mama is a tailor and my papa owns a workshop that makes placemats from raffia, which is soo cool. On Sunday he took me to his workshop and I got to see how they’re made and helped him dye the raffia. I loved it! Then my mama taught me how to make fire from charcoal, a stick, and a match. It was kind of terrifying- I hate fire. But I’ve got it down now :) And I now know how to properly cut up vegetables and a fruit, which is major progress for me because I’ve never been much of a cook- AT ALL.

Like I said- I really love being here and the people are all so great- but sometimes I just really miss home. Nothing here is easy by any means. Ugandans work harder than anyone I’ve ever met- I finally understand why everyone thinks Americans are lazy- we really are compared to how much these people do just to have a meal to eat or a bed to sleep in. At my home stay, my mama probably spends about 3 hours trying to prepare a meal. Then an hour to clean up after the meal, and by then she has to start making the next meal. Even getting clean water is hard work. I am sooo weak. I had to go “fetch” water the other day and it was a 20 liter jerry can that I had to fill and I was literally sweating by the time I got back from trying to carry that thing. Two little girls walked past me carrying the same thing acting like it wasn’t even that heavy- I was pretty embarrassed haha. I may just have ripped arms by the time I get home in May :)

The girls I’m interacting with here are so great. Everyone is just honestly so encouraging. We’re all really pushing each other to totally rely on God and let Him have control of our lives. It’s amazing how real God becomes when He’s honestly the only thing you have. So often I go to bed at night just totally exhausted from the day and really discouraged because nothing here is simple and it’s frustrating to have to put soooo much effort into the most simple things, but then I look back on the day and I can’t help but smile because I can just see how much God is working in my life. The hope and grace I’m finding in Him are the strength I find to get through the days here. I am just so at awe by the difference my attitude has been due to my reliance on God. I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s like an “endurance run” not a “sprint.” I need to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, instead of rushing and trying to figure everything out all at once. I’m learning that it’s okay to be uncomfortable- that’s when Go d really helps guide us. And silence is okay- it’s actually a beautiful thing. It’s all about presence. Even if you can’t understand the language being spoken, if you don’t know the people you’re surrounded by, or the meaning of your circumstances, God is right there and taking care of EVERYTHING.

Okay well I’m gonna go enjoy Africa :) Love you all!

PS: Facebook hardly EVER works here so if you think I'm ignoring you on facebook cuz I've been on the internet and haven't gotten back with you- don't think that :) I should be able to get facebook in the next week tho :)

Wednesday Morning in Uganda :)

Things are going so well :)

I finally feel really comfortable leaving campus and going into the city of Mukono. The roads are absolutely insane though. I’m pretty sure there are no restrictions. The boda-bodas (kind of like motorcycles only a million times more dangerous) do NOT stop for people nor swerve for them when they’re about to run a person over. All the traffic is like that. You basically have to be a defensive pedestrian or you’ll get run over. Ask Angela about it- she about got taken out by a matatu (taxi). But going into the city is so much fun besides the fact that pretty much everyone stares and can’t get over the fact that a mzungu is in Uganda. They always ask us how we found Uganda haha. But overall the people are so kind.

Sunday I went to my first church service here. It was sooo good. I love how free spirited the people are. The worship was so incredible, I love just watching the people dance, throw their arms up, and just smile the entire time that they are worshipping God. It’s soooo contagious. I could definitely feel the Holy Spirit :) And the theme for the semester is “Shining for Jesus in a dark world.” The sermon was really good- fairly long and intense- but it was good. The service reminded me that I’m definitely exactly where I need to be :)

Monday I went running for the first time in Africa. Oh my. First of all- we had to go running at the crack of dawn so that it was in the low 70’s. This heat is insane- let alone trying to run in it. I went running with an intern, Molly. We made it about 1 mile and called it quits haha. Then I had my first 2 classes here! My first class was Ugandan Politics and it was a little rough. I could barely understand the lecturer, but he’s really nice so I’m not too worried. Then I had Understanding Ethics and basically it’s all older men studying law in my class. But the lecturer is really intriguing so I really liked the class. Late that night we went “Rolling.” Basically it’s just when a bunch of students leave campus and go get Rolexes. They’re chipati’s with egg like an omelet rapped inside. They are sooo good but so incredibly greasy. And I had chocolate for the first time in a week on Monday. Chocolate has never tasted so good.

Tuesday we went running again and made it a mile and a half :) Making progress. Then I had classes again. Classes here are a lot more lecture structured but the information is really intriguing and I love hearing about politics and history from the perspective of Ugandans. It’s definitely different from any schooling I’ve ever had.  Then some of the girls and I went into the market place to do a little shopping and got ORANGE FANTAS. I love fantas with all my heart, no lie. Then we went out to dinner at one of the canteens on campus- my entire meal was 3,000 shillings which amounts to less than 1.50 American dollars. Hello cheap dinner. It was good though :) Then I got to SKYPE WITH MY BEST FRIENDS!!!!! Oh my goodness it was soo great to see their faces :) I miss them a lot :/ But it’s so encouraging to see them and know that they’re all doing well and that good ol MVNU hasn’t changed a bit. Anyways- I love you girls :) Theeenn my roommate and I decided to do our first trial of washing clothes here. Hand washing clothes with a basin and some really strange detergent. We then left them out to soak for the night.

And now it’s Wednesday morning. By far my favorite morning here so far. I got to skype with my mama, dad, and Rachel. I LOVED SEEING YOU GUYS! :) Everything about it was so refreshing and comforting and it was definitely something I needed. After skyping with them I skyped a little with Kevin. He just kept reminding me of how jealous he is that I’m in Africa :) And I also got to see Peck and Randon for a little! I was supposed to have my Religions class this morning buutt the lecturer never showed up :) So now I’m done with classes for the day and it’s only 10 am. I attempted to finish hand washing my clothes but it’s pretty difficult. Scrubbing the clothes takes forever and the red dirt here has totally stained my white clothes. Needless to say- I’ll never complain about doing laundry back at home again.

I’m jealous of all the snow everyone is getting back in Ohio. I miss the snow more than I thought I would. A lizard just ran past my feet. I’m still not used to all these creatures always being so close to me. This morning while I was skyping my parents this dumb bird just sat beside me and stared for probably ten minutes. Not something I’m used to. A little too close for comfort.

The food overall has been okay. Basically every meal has been rice and beans. And when I say basically- I mean every single meal. Besides breakfast. Usually we just have bread and tea at breakfast but today there was corn on the cob- of course I’d skip breakfast when they serve corn on the cob haha.

Every day is getting easier :) I’m really starting to feel comfortable but I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I AM IN AFRICA. It’s hard to forget though since every morning I attempt to get out of bed before realizing I have a mosquito net surrounding me haha. I haven’t been bitten yet tho :)

This is a super long blog. The rest of the week is just classes and Saturday I have my first home stay. I get to live with a family for two weeks and I am SOOO excited! It’ll definitely be an experience :)

In my devotional today I read this quote; “Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the tie that binds me to Thy service and to Thy heart.” -David Livingstone. I really want that prayer to be my own. I know God has had it planned all my life for me to be right here, right now. And I know that He is with me. I feel so many burdens for the people here and all the chaos surrounding us, but I can feel the sustaining power of God holding me up and helping me be strong. He’s helping me in ways I never realized I needed guidance. He’s teaching me that life is meant to be taken one day at a time, one step at a time. It takes so much stress and worries from my heart. And I know Jesus is working on severing ties in my life that need to be severed, but I know He’ll never lead me away from His service and heart :) I’m still at awe in the way God works.

I love you all :) Keep praying for everyone here and all that is in store this semester- I’m praying for everyone back at home as well :)

xoxoxo, Bethany Diane Joy

PS: Joel- I’ll talk more about why exactly I’m here in another post cuz this one is way too long to try to add it in haha but I’ll definitely do my best to explain it another time.

Finally In Africa :)

Well it's official- I'M IN AFRICA! :) It is so incredibly beautiful here. It all seems sooo unreal.
The flight was so long. It took about 7 1/2 hours to get from DC to Amsterdam, then we had an hour layover and took off to Entebbe, which was another 7 1/2 hour plane ride. SOOO MUCH FLYING. I'm definitely thankful I won't be in an airplane for another four months. I hardly slept the entire way to Amsterdam, but I slept pretty much the entire way to Entebbe. Once we reached Entebbe, we met up with USP people and took a bus to campus (UCU) in Mukono. We got assigned our roommates and spent our first night in AFRICA :) My roommate is Brittany Smith and she is an absolute sweetheart :) Our room is pretty little but it's not too bad.
We had a power outage the first night. Quite the experience trying to unpack four months of clothing in the dark with a little flashlight. I took my first shower that night, and when they say the water is cold here- they mean ICE COLD. Oh my gosh! I survived though haha. I'm definitely looking forward to "getting used to" cold showers.
Yesterday was our first full day here on campus and we got a tour and went on a little hike up this hill called "Monkey Hill." It was sooo beautiful. And we saw 2 monkeys. It was awesome! We then went down the hill a different way and walked thru a little village and saw a lot of little kids. They were so cute and all were yelling "Hii Mzungou!!" It was pretty funny.
I think I'm gonna try out the track team here. I'll definitely just be that slow white American girl- but they're all so nice that I don't think they'd care. And a guy named Jake who is here with USP is going to do it also- so it'll be fun and a good experience. Buuutt we'll see :)
Today we got up and MB, Brittany, Lisa and I did devotions outside then had tea with a lot of Ugandan students at 10:30. And then took a little walk around campus and now are just waiting for lunch and going into the actual city of Mukono.
My mama left me a ton of sweet notes in my suitcase and they're really encouraging- so thanks mama :D It means so much to me.
Love you all :)
Hebrews 6:18- "God cant' break His word. And because His word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable." <---- really comforting verse I read this morning :)
xoxoxoxoxo, Bethany Diane Joy