"I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane......"

I can't believe its time to say goodbye!!!!!! Tomorrow is my final day in Kampala, and then we will be flying out early Monday morning to JoBurg for our debrief! Tomorrow will be an incredibly hard day, but I know the Lord will be sufficient for us. And, honestly, I am thankful it will be hard to say goodbye..because it represents the love that I have grown for my brothers and sisters in Christ here.

I know I haven't updated the blog in awhile, but please know that there is an INCREDIBLE PRAISE REPORT COMING SOON!! With all of the emotions of saying goodbye, I just know right now I couldn't do these last few weeks justice. So, within the next week--- it will surely come!

For now, thank you all so much for your support and encouragement! YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLE BLESSING!!!

Can't wait to be able to write about these last couple of weeks!!!! And see you in Texas!!!! I'll be leaving JoBurg Friday (5/29) and arrive in Dallas, Texas on Saturday (5/30) at 2 pm!!!

I actually can't even believe I'm typing this! What an incredible adventure this has been... but how sweet it will be to be home!

2 ½ weeks. 18 days. 8 visits to Kawuku. 3 church services.

There are moments this seems like an eternity. Other moments I have to fight back the tears that try to fall as I think about finishing out my time here. Only 8 more visits to Kawuku to see the smiles that have changed my heart forever. Only 8 more times to catch Zina in my arms as she runs towards me. Only 8 more chances to have little Brite steal my heart as he yells out my name and then proudly says something in Luganda that he thinks I can understand. Only 3 more services to watch Grace and Sister Pros lead worship.

As hard as it has been for me, the beauty in what I have been surrounded by is unexplainable. How, when everything has been hard, does my soul still see beauty deeper than ever before? How can such an impoverished area produce such hope in this “all American girl?”

To work in the slums here in Kampala has both produced the most heartbreak and the most joy.

To know that some of my people live off of 2000 shillings a day (= $1). To see their tattered second hand clothes and torn shoes. There are no manicured yards for the kids to play in. No libraries near that they can sit and read in. No air conditioning to escape the Ugandan heat. No packages coming with brownie mixes and spring colored Oreos. No good medical services when they are sick. Money talks here…in a horribly corrupt way…and when you don’t have it- you don’t have a voice. They are welcome at the clinic, but there is a chance they will get the left over, outdated medicine that possibly has nothing to do with their illness. These are the things they live with day in and day out that I will never understand.

We don’t know what it’s like to go without food. We don’t know what it’s like to have to walk sometimes for miles, because we can’t afford the transport. I know that some of us walk places…. But it is our CHOICE. What about when you can’t choose………

Yet, the smiles on the faces of our church members reflect a joy deeper than I can ever explain, or even understand. They are so thankful. They have dirt floors, yet clean them as if they were hardwood. They have torn second hand clothes, yet they take perfect care of them.

I thought I was coming for them…. I thought I was coming to share Christ and the hope of His message….. I thought I was coming to love and serve…. To fuse courage into them…… There are a hundred more reasons “I thought I came” that all have to do with me giving to them.

And maybe I have done all that. But what I didn’t plan on was them so abundantly giving to me. They have given me JOY, LOVE, HOPE, and CHANGE. They have forever changed my heart, and the hearts of those God has chosen to embark on this journey with me. They have forever changed the way that I minister, surrender, and love.

I have to be honest- I am really excited about coming home to air conditioning, drinking water straight from the faucet, good food, no mosquitoes buzzing around my room at night, and a gazillion other things. But…… what these people have given me is deeper than any of those. They have shown me what life really is about. What really matters. And how love and joy can greatly abound regardless of circumstances.

It breaks my heart to see their lifestyle. But, you know what? It breaks my heart to see ours too. We have everything, yet somehow for the past 23 years… I’ve missed all of this.

White Water Rafting on The Nile

1) Can you believe its May 1st?!?!

2) In total exaggeration---- I am thankful to be alive to see this 1st day of May!!!

Yesterday, my team and I drug ourselves out of bed between 5:30 and 6am to begin our trek down to the Nile River to WHITE WATER RAFT!!!! Oh my.... if you know me, you know A) I always enjoy a little adventure but B) I am in total agreement with the philisophy that, "too much of a good thing is bad."

We signed up for an all day trip to raft down the Nile. 12 rapids with a lunch break halfway, rapids ranging from grade 3 to grade 5. 4 of these rapids were grade 5. Just to highlight a couple, we rafted down a waterfall and a rapid called, "the bad place" (you'll hear more about that one later.)

As we set out in the morning, we noticed rain clouds, but thought "surely it won't rain on us........". I was seriously underestimating the rainy season here in Uganda! As fate would have it, within an hour we found ourselves rafting the Nile in the middle of a thunderstorm! I felt like I was in a movie!!!!!!!!! We continued down the river in the storm .......did I mention I was holding a metal paddle (just want you to make sure you get the full effect here!) ...until we arrived at our lunch destination. I was so proud of our rafting team!!! We swept through all the morning rapids without falling out or flipping! =)

When lunch came, we climbed slippery steps up to a tin roof with a large picnic table underneath. It was actually a nice spread! Sandwiches, potato salad (hadn't seen that yet here), and fruit. Freezing cold, eating, and thinking about how much I was loving this!!!!!!! I even remember telling Sarah how I would definetely want to do this again!!!!!! (amazing how quickly those feelings can change.....)

So, with a smile on our faces and rain jackets thankfully now on our backs..... we headed out for the afternoon. The afternoon went well.......much slower than the morning...... until the last rapid. The second to last rapid, we did flip though. Thanks to our guide! He was a little overconfident in our rafts ability to withstand the water of the last rapid. He thought we'd safely make it through..... and felt it was his job to make sure we flipped atleast once! I am now saying that I am very thankful we flipped on this rapid because atleast when it happened for real I was a little more prepared.

So...... now we're at the last rapid of the day..... "The Bad Place." The Bad Place has forever engrained my feelings about Grade 5 rapids. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now.... I confidently say I will not feel a need to experience this type of adventure or adrenaline again. As Jake said, we each have our own story to tell of what happened. For me..... well, lets just say I never knew I could go that long without taking a breath. It was the craziest feeling...... like calm chaos. I think I was keeping my composure pretty well....... however, at some point---you just become disoriented. Suddenly, when I came up to gasp for air, I realized how far from the main rapid I had gotten.... ..yet I was still caught in something and coming up with barely enough time to gasp for air. It was at this moment that I hit panic mode..... My arms started trying to get someone's attention....as if I thought that no one saw me way down there.....

Thankfully, within 10 seconds of hitting panic mode and seriously thinking, "this is it for me... I was sure done. Atleast my last breath was taken doing something awesome on the Nile Rivier..... " the safety kayak arrived to save me. I really actually feel sorry for the guy. I can't even imagine how big my eyes were or what I sounded like gasping for air. Actually...now the thought of what that poor guy was thinking makes me laugh out loud! But..I was so thankful to see him!!

All in all, the trip was awesome! We had a lot of fun with our team and I created some lasting memories!! I'm so glad that I went!!!! =) I wouldn't trade that trip for anything. However, if you ever ask me to raft the Nile River with you again...please don't be offended if my answer is no. Its definetely an experience but I no longer feel a need to defy those powerful walls of water.

Thank you Nile for an amazing time and great memories! I had you beat until The Bad Place. But, I think you won yesterday.

And.....on a side note, I know there are some of you that aren't believing me. That's why we got a DVD of the entire trip! =) Maybe soon I can post clip for you. It will be pretty hilarious to see how long we ACTUALLY were under the water compared to how it felt!

Thankfully, these next 3 weeks will be spent with those precious kids in Kawuku and all of the wonderful people I have come to love here.