Home?

Technically our journey has come to an end, but in reality I think it is far from over.  I decided to do a blog entry as it is sometimes a good way for me to process what is going on in my head, and I feel like I've been avoiding doing that a bit since we've returned.  Be forewarned.  I am long winded on a normal day, so that can be times ten when I'm processing life changes.....no pressure to keep reading.  

I titled this entry Home?  Of course this will always be home here in the States, but it's a new thing for me to feel that "home" connection to another place besides Colorado and Nebraska.  I will forever call Nebraska "home" because that is where I was born, grew up and have so many memories.  But then after moving away for college, getting married, and having kids, Troy and I obviously now call Colorado "home" as well, just as we did St. Louis and Houston before.  And now, I feel like I have added a third "home" in Uganda.  We haven't spent nearly as much time there, but the people we met and worked with feel like family and I think that part of a definition of home for me is somewhere that you feel a piece of you will always be and that you hope to return to.  

So, just like people had tons of questions before we left, I know that people will have tons of questions for us now that we're back.  Processing through them is a bit challenging.  I don't think there's a way to avoid feeling like a broken record when you get asked the same questions by a lot of different people, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate the questions.  It's just hard to know where to start and to try to convey our actual experience in concise answers. How was Africa? is a really big question with no easy answer.  But, in conversation with a dear friend in our first week back we talked about it and I think she had the best answer - Life changing.  Obviously there are a lot of details behind that answer, but I realize not everyone has hours upon hours for those details.  

But, herein lies my struggle at the moment.... It was absolutely a completely life changing experience, but in these past two weeks, it somehow also feels like we never really left.  As we carried our suitcases (all 12 of them) back into our friends' house when we arrived back last week, it felt like deja vu.  It literally felt like we had just done the same thing a week before when we moved out of our house and stayed with them our last week before leaving for Uganda.  It has felt like I'm a time warp these last two weeks almost.  Did those last 10 months really happen?  Did we really leave our life in Colorado and move our family to Africa?  Of course we did, but then why does it feel like we never left in some ways?  

I don't know the answer to this yet, but tonight it popped into my head that there is a really great aspect to consider about this time warp that I feel like I'm in.  For me, it truly proved how quickly time passes and that can be such an incredible gift for people.  If you want to make a change in your life and it seems too big and too forever, it's really not.  If you decide to do something and it doesn't work out - it will be over before you know it and you'll be on to your next thing.  On the other hand, how do you nurture an experience to stand the test of time when it's so amazing, yet your location and environment in life do change and time just keeps passing by so quickly?  I don't know the answer to that one yet, and that's a big one for me.  

I guess that is what our family will be working on as we "continue on" with life here in the States.  Troy coined that phrase a few months ago as he didn't like to use the term "going back" as he didn't desire to "go back" to his old life before Uganda.  We really weren't sure what it would be like when we came back (I can't seem to avoid using this phrase - Troy is much better at it than me.)  And those are our most common questions people are asking us at the moment, "What's it like to be back?  How is it going adjusting back to life here in America?"  To be honest, I don't really know - very mixed answers.  The first day was very strange for me.  As much as I was sad to be leaving the amazing people and experience we had, I was also really looking forward to returning to seeing family and friends and just having some of the comforts of home again.  So, when I woke up that first morning after we got back and had some feelings of sadness and just inability to focus and process thoughts, that was surprising for me.  I was "home" and was expecting to be just overflowing with joy and excitement, but it was kind of muddled.  I was in tears at least twice that day - once because I was just confused by my emotions and then the second time as I was talking with our friends about some of our experiences.  So, some of that I attribute to emotional jet lag (and it did take a full week for Troy and I to return to normal sleep patterns), but obviously it was reminding me that this transition wasn't always going to be as I expected.  

Two weeks later I am having the exact opposite emotion.  It has been almost too easy transitioning back.  Like I said a bit earlier, it's almost like we never left and that's kind of scary for me.  My life was changed, why does it not feel like it now that I am back?  

I didn't have the panic like attacks that some people say can happen when you return just from the simple things like going to a regular grocery store with thousands of choices when we were used to buying most of our food from a small veggie or fruit stand.  I am actually enjoying experiencing the luxury of some choice and variety again.  Now, I say that, but what has stood out is just the amount of excess that exists in our culture.  When I say this, I don't want to sound cynical.  

That was what I was praying a lot about before I left - that I not return as this very cynical person that is judging everything wrong with our culture.  I decided in my mind that they are just too incredibly different worlds to try to compare and judge them.  Sometimes that is easy to remember, sometimes it is more difficult.  I feel like it's very easy to get sucked into indulging in all the extras we have here, and I just have to keep asking myself, did I ever really need that in the last 10 months when I was gone?  Most often not.  

So, I think one challenge ahead at least for me personally is to try to find that balance between not feeling guilty about having some luxuries that to be honest, just make life a bit easier or more enjoyable and yet to do with a lot less.  I really don't need all those things and what else could my time and resources be put towards?  So, as I enjoy each "new" meal like Mexican or steak since we've returned home, to remember that many people in the world do not have these choices and that I am so blessed to be able to have these provisions in my life - to be grateful in my abundance and want to share that abundance someway, somehow with others in life. 

I guess in all my rambling, all I've really discovered so far in transitioning is that how my transition goes is totally up to me.  I can so very easily get pulled back into my life before we left, but I need to always ask myself if that's what I want and if I feel it happening to be honest about it and intentional about making changes.  Some parts of my "old" life are keepers - like those amazing constants of my family, incredible friends, love of being in relationship with and serving others, cooking, etc.  But, what "new" parts of me do I want to try to protect - (as I type that, it seems like that kind of makes a statement about our culture - do I really feel like I need to "defend" myself from it?  interesting?)  

Some of these "new" parts are being in a real relationship with God and making time for that daily.  I grew up in the church and was also very involved with our home church before we left and had started to seek that personal relationship with God in the couple of years leading up to our time in Uganda, but I think now I really "get" it. When we decided to go to Africa it was because I/we felt a greater calling that I couldn't really explain, but since the moment we decided to listen to that call, God has done nothing less than provide for us and protect us every step along the way.  Just because we listened to him this one time doesn't mean we're "off the hook."  His challenge to us is daily as is his love and grace for us, even when we can't understand or remember it.  I saw people live their lives with this kind of faith on a daily basis in Uganda and it is inspiring.  When their faith is one of the few possessions they have in their life, they treasure it, nurture it and rely on it daily.

Another "new" part is taking life a bit slower.  The pace in  Africa is much different.  It could be  frustrating at times, but I also admire how their priorities in life are much simpler.  I always prided myself on being an amazing multi-tasker, and to some extent that is just who I am, but I want to try and at least ask myself what my priorities in life are and each day try to really focus on those instead of ten different things that probably don't really matter at the end of the day.  

I also learned the value of just being more vulnerable and intentional about opening yourself up to people who you may not have a clue on how they can impact your lives.  A big unexpected benefit from this year is all the incredible people we had the privilege to work with, both Ugandans and volunteers from the States.  It feels like we extended our community tenfold.  These relationships can't happen unless you are open to receiving and investing in them.  Each day brings new opportunities for this.  

I also want to foster the sense of dreaming that I got to experience this year.  From seeing Avery's dream of owning a goat some day, to seeing CLD program leaders dream of a better future and then seeing it in action, it is really cool!  I am a planner, but I'm hoping to learn how to become a better dreamer as well and to have the confidence in these dreams becoming a reality, whether it be in a week from now or 10 years from now.   I think that plans are ours as humans and God has a big hand in dreams.  

On that note, I need to be wrapping up this stream of consciousness processing, but another question we obviously get a lot is, what is next?  Well, these first two weeks have been somewhat surreal, but yet so great.  We have been (and I know will continue to be) welcomed back with so much love by both friends and family and being back "home" on the farm has been a great thing.  It's been a way to kind of live that slower paced life and avoid the busyness of returning to Denver and just jumping right back into figuring out our new life.  But, we will be facing reality here in about a week as we return to move back into our house on July 1st.  We don't have it all figured out, not even close, but we have a rough plan.  

Troy is going to try and venture into the world of working for himself.  To begin, he is going to work for a friend who already has his own established IT business and he is willing to try it out for a bit with Troy to see if their skill sets could complement each other and make it much easier for Troy to get his feet wet without having to set up the infrastructure all on his own.  Our time away has really had an amazing impact on Troy and he just doesn't feel like he can be content going back into the corporate world as he knew it.  His passion for IT strategy and leadership has not changed, he just now sees a different way he'd like to use it.  He hopes to being doing consulting for non-profits and in time hoping to be able at some point be able to just "work" four days a week and spend one day a week just volunteering his skills to help non-profits.  

As for me, some of you know I have had a crazy dream for a really long time of owning a small restaurant.  I know, it's one of the hardest industries, etc.  But, it's a dream.  So, feel like that is where God is calling me next.  I have lots of thoughts in my dream notebook and they may never end up a reality, but I'm at least going to take some baby steps.  Thanks to the great advice of my little sis, I'm going to just first try to get a job in a restaurant as I really have no clue about how anything works in the business.  I just love food, cooking and bringing people together in community over food.  There were things I had been doing over the past couple of years that were pointing in this direction, and when we were in Uganda and I felt like I couldn't just not do it - it really hit me that this is one of my true loves and many of my favorite memories of our time there was cooking in community with others.  My vision is just as much about bringing people together as it is about food.  But, this dream takes lots of money and some clue about what it takes to run a restaurant, so I'm starting from the ground up.  I'm going to apply at some local breakfast/lunch places as that is the type of place I would like to have. Should be a humbling, learning experience.  As to the start up capital, that is going to take a lot of prayer.  Just going to try and start earning a little to be able to help support our family first and see where it goes from there.  Maybe I'll love it, maybe I'll hate it, but I'll be more wise at the end.  

After finishing two more units of Math study this summer with Dad, having more fund adventures this summer and turning 9 at the end of July, Henry will be settling back into 4th grade at Sandburg.  He is saving his money for buying a mandolin someday as he was trying to learn how to play it these past few months.  

Avery has recently decided to change her "style" and has been turning in her typical t-shirt and sweat shorts daily outfit for a more girly look, so Grandma has had fun doing some shopping for her.  She picked out a book on What to Know for Middle School and is reading her way through that, so guess she'll be ready come mid August.  We stopped by and took a brief tour last week on our own, but will get the rest of the details with orientation events in before school starts.  Her blood sugar was great while we were in Uganda and my goal is to help empower her this summer that it's not a bad thing to be "different" so she can be prepare for the new challenges it may bring in middle school.  I am hoping she and Henry will both keep up their singing of Ugandan songs and their love of music.  

Finally, we got so used to community living these past 10 months, we decided our house would be too quiet with just us, so we're really excited to have a great friend Hannah moving into our basement at the same time we move back in the first week of July.  She just graduated from Baylor and was a spring intern with CLD this past January through April and we fell in love with her.  She decided to come job hunting in Colorado and we're so happy to be able to make her feel at home for as long as she needs it.  

Oh, and we are also being asked if we will go back.  We don't know the answer to this right now, but we do know that we can't imagine NOT going back.  So, what that looks like and when is a big open question.  Obviously it becomes challenging with having to earn income and keep Avery and Henry in a regular school routine, so most likely it would not be for an extended time like this past year.  So, we will be praying about what this may look like for our family and we've only just tossed around ideas like, what would it look like if we could go for one month every year and when would that be, etc.  Many more questions than answers.  But, would be hard not to ever return to one of your "homes."  

So, this is us for right now.  Stay tuned.  This was theraputic for me.  Not sure what it was for you, but thanks for reading.  Not sure if we'll keep the blog going or for how long, but we'll let you know if we keep posting.   

Oh, and I absolutely cannot end without thanking a bunch of people.  First, CLD, you are amazing!  There are too many names to name, but to each and every one of you, you made this incredible experience possible for us as a family and we love you so much for that.  You are changing so many peoples lives and hearts both in Africa and here in the States.  We feel so blessed to be part of the family and hope to continue to always be (yet another thing to figure out what that looks like, but an exciting challenge!).  Next, for the countless people, both family and friends that supported us and also made this journey possible with your financial support, prayers and just love.  Our deepest gratitude is not sufficient.  And finally, to our new family in Uganda.  You captured our hearts and changed our lives.  Thank you for loving us.  

~Heather

Avery's and Henry's Donation

Over the last couple of months the kids and I have been working on spending their donation to CLD and the school. A year or so ago the kids raised money for Uganda. Many of you reading this blog may have either bought something or donated something for the garage sale. Thank you! But I'll leave the story to Avery and Henry.

Ideas (Avery)

Well, it's been a journey to get the playground equipment but it all worked out at the end. Pretty much the last 6 weeks of school us and student council were working on thinking of what to do with the money me and Henry fundraised. They came up with lots of ideas like a lawnmower, soccer goals, drums and playground equipment.

First we thought we should not do the lawnmower because we wanted something the kids could enjoy and play on. We could not do the soccer goals including a real soccer pitch because we didn't have enough money but we still thought drums and playground would be fun. So we starting looking at playground ideas. Then someone told us about playground equipment in town. So one day we took most of the student council members to help us pick out playground equipment. We found the playground equipment and ended up that day getting 3 swings, a slide, monkey bars, a little carousel, and a climbing thing. Then that same day we got a set of 4 drums. The kids love everything a lot.

Last Wednesday at school during chapel they played the drums they sounded GREAT!! It took like 5 days to make the playground area ready and just today we saw them playing on it. it made me so happy to see so many smiles and so much laughter while playing on it. It brightened my day up so much! I hope they enjoy it super much!!!!!!!!!!! - Avery

Playground (Henry)

I was so excited when we picked out the stuff for the playground.

When they loaded it up on the truck, it was amazing how it all fit.

The next day I wanted to help so that it wouldn't get bored.

Today, June 7th. A week later the playground was done and it looked amazing. I could barely control myself not to get on it.

Then we came back from lunch and my mom said "I hope the kids will play on it". When we got close to the school we heard a bunch of screaming it was almost the whole school playing on the playground. Then I said to mom "I do not think we will have to worry about that." -- Henry

The family gets a turn.

We just want to thank all for your love and support of our very large Ugandan family. God Bless.

The Greenwoods

 

Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Since January a main focus of my time has been helping develop and implement a plan for Thread of Life to be able to sustain its monthly operating budget.  Prior to the beginning of this year TOL has been supported by monthly revenue earned by one of Come Let's Dance taxis.  Unfortunately this taxi seemed to always have maintenance issues and it got to the point where the costs being incurred no longer made sense and the taxi needed to be retired.  

So, Thread of Life found itself facing an unavoidable and immediate push towards sustainability.  Our team worked on a proposal in January to detail how Thread of Life could achieve full sustainability by May 2013 using the funds from the sale of the taxi as seed money.  The main idea was to capitalize on the large amount of unused space at the property.  Our challenge was to analyze the cost of constructing rental units at the property, and evaluate TOL's current business/ministry practices and costs to determine if the return on investment in these rental units would be able to support future operations.  As a team we developed a plan that proved this could work, knowing that it would take many hands, talents and a lot of prayer along the way, now and in the future.  

It has been an amazing four months being part of this process.  I have been able to tap into my business background and have a visible 50 page proposal as an end result, but by far the best part has been working with some really incredible people in the process, seeing people be empowered through change and opportunities, investing sweat equity, and seeing how God provides through so many people in so many ways.   

The movie below gives you a glimpse of the physical changes that have been amazing to be a part of.  I only wish I could share the emotional and spiritual journey as well that I've been blessed to experience as part of this process.    While our proposal could not ignore the profit and loss projections for Thread of Life in the months ahead, my prayer as our family begins nearing the end of this visit is more about how the Spirit will continue impacting and changing lives through this great ministry. 

~Heather

Update on Uganda by Avery

Uganda has been good.  School is fun and home (base camp) is good as always. Yesterday was April 7,2013 and it was hard to believe it was exactly 2 months before we leave. I have liked it here in Uganda. I have met new friends, learned new things, done things that are awesome. I personally think it hasn't been a year. Sometimes I think it was too short other times I think it was long. My brain is just confused.

I've read the bible a lot more. I never really read it at home, I have learned a lot of new things from it.  Something else that has changed me is we do Devotions every morning. Devotions is where sing, praise and worship God and pray. That usually starts out my day good. Sometimes I'm even singing the songs while doing other things. So I praise and worship him pretty much all the time.

School is almost over for the term. Terms are 12 weeks then they call it "holiday". School is great, there is a lot of kids in my class for here. I think that there's 19 including me.  Our teachers are good. I am excited to be on holiday but dad said he's going to pile us up with math. BUMMER!!! I guess I do need to be good in school. Mom is our spelling, reading and writing teacher.  She doesn't do so well we hardly learnt any last holiday.:)  She said she's going to improve this holiday, hopefully. As much as I love Uganda I have really been missing Colorado. I miss my dog, friends, family and house. I try not to think about it so much. But, I know I'm back really soon!!!!!!!!!!! :)

HUGS TO ALL I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Avery

Ask the Audience

Not doing that great with keeping up with blogging lately.  I also felt like my posts might be starting to sound a bit repetitive, so I posted a request on my FB page for any questions that people might have about our time here that I haven't yet answered.  

Thanks to those of you that threw some out there!  There were some good ones.  Here they are with my responses.  

We'll start with the fun one.  

Question 1:  Who is your favorite CLD American staff member besides me (submitted by none other than Cody Goings)?

That one is easy Cody - your super fabulous fiancee Leigh.  Maybe if you had stayed longer in Uganda after we arrived you could have won this honor.......or maybe not?  :)  You know we love you both!  Seriously, wish everyone back home could have an opportunity to work with this great team that is CLD America.  Oh, wait a minute - everyone does!  If you ever have the wild idea to go to Africa to serve CLD is the way to go.  They welcomed us with open arms even though they didn't really have a model for families coming over for this amount of time.   They were really the only organization we were able to find that did this and wow, has it changed our lives being able to serve with them.  

Question 2:  Eric Smith had some good ones.  His are the next four.  
What feature of Ugandan culture will you continue to practice back in the States?  

I hope several, but I do worry that American life can easily distract me from these, so I will need to be very intentional in trying to continue these things once I get back home.  

-To be joyful and thankful in life no matter what I have
-To make people feel welcome and loved in my life even if it is my first time meeting them
-To make room in my life for God on a daily basis, love him outwardly, and anchor my life in prayer 

Question 3:
What food will you eat first upon return?  

-Such a hard choice, but think it will have to be a perfectly grilled steak.  Eating meat (other than the minced meat which is like ground beef) has been a challenge for me here.  Seeing it just hang out all day in the open air butcher shops is something I just can't get used to.  Other things I really miss are turkey sandwiches and chips and salsa.  Overall I just really miss having a variety of foods and more of a choice of non-fried foods.  

I'm adding a related question of my own here (hope you don't mind Eric).  

What are some foods that I will miss from here when I get back home?  

The amazing fresh fruits:  truckloads of pineapples everywhere you look for around 75 cents a piece and they'll even skin it and slice it for you, mini bananas, the unique experience of jackfruit, and "breathtaking" mangoes, as Henry is famous for describing them.    The avocadoes are also amazing, they are just a bit lower on my personal favorite foods list.  But, if you love them, you will never taste any as good and see any as beautiful as you do here for an unbelievable 40 cents or so.  

And the incredible vegetables:  the tomatoes and carrots taste like you just picked them that day.  

And, also I can get any of these by walking outside our gate just a few steps.........

Question 4:  
How do you think Facebook has impacted your experience?  

I will admit that I was not a FB user until about a month before our family left for Uganda.  I didn't get on board earlier I think because I was mostly fearful that it was one more thing that would distract me and I would find myself spending way too much time on it when I have other more important and valuable things I should be doing with that time.  I felt like I already spent way too much time on email and that FB would only be a bigger time suck.  

But, I finally gave in because I was even more fearful of losing touch with everyone when I was leaving to move halfway around the world.  I am really glad I did.  I've found FB to actually be a time saver since we've been here compared to email.  I feel like I can post pictures and a few quick updates every week to keep people in touch with our lives here rather than emailing all our friends on a regular basis.  It sounds silly, but every time someone "likes" a picture or post on my FB page, it's like I was a little part of their lives that day and I wasn't so far away.   I also love staying in touch via FB with what is happening in their lives back home as well.  

With that said, there are a few realizations/regrets I've had in regards to using FB.  It's all just too much for me to keep up with and the one thing I've given up and used FB as a substitute for instead is journaling.  I am sad to say that I have one entry in my journal I bought for my time here.  It is an entry I wrote on our plane ride over.  I wish I was more of a journaler and I have always wanted to be, but I have never found it something I can do consistently.  I think it may be related to my tendency to be long winded.  I have never been someone who is able to just write in little blurbs or short thoughts.  I end up writing a book each time and with all the adjustments and emotional transitions, I just was too overwhelmed to open a blank page in a journal knowing it could be an hour affair each time I did.  So, still need to try again in life to change my perception of what journaling has to look like.  But for now, I have tried to keep a journal of sorts on my FB page and blog. 

The other disappointing realization I had when my parents visited is that even though I have tried really hard to capture our experience here mainly via pictures on FB, it just isn't really possible.  They said after seeing it first hand that you just can't really "get it" unless you see it in person.  But, I just have to accept that and I'll still keep posting pictures, but at the same extend the invitation to anyone that really wants to "see" Africa that you should just come!

Question 5:
How are you going to fill First Plymouth (our home church) in on all the adventures?  

-Funny you ask this question.  I was processing this in one of our morning devotions just last week.  I'm not sure my exact answer to this, but this is what I am thinking thus far.  What I don't want this to look like is Troy and I conducting an informational series of Sunday CE hours about our experience.  I know people will have many questions about what life is like here and not that I won't be willing to answer these or probably have hundreds of stories I could tell, but us just describing our time in Africa to a big group of people is not going to be an agent of change in people's lives.  

I would rather invite people into a challenge or discussion about doing God's work and "being the church" in whatever way that looks like for them in their own lives.  While we are here, the spring team is doing a group study on three books.  I'd love to do something more along those lines within our church back home.  If you're curious about these books in the meantime, they are:  Crazy Love, Hole in the Gospel, and Radical.  But, a warning comes along with these.  I had already read two of the three before coming here and I would say they were very instrumental in us making the decision to come here, so I can't guarantee they won't change your heart, but in a really great way!  Hole in the Gospel was my favorite.  

I don't want this to sound negative, like I won't answer any questions or share any pictures when we return.  Being able to talk and share our experiences with people back home will definitely help us in our attempt to transition.    I just fear that people won't be able to really understand the experience without being here themselves, but that doesn't mean I can't try to share it.  We are totally willing to do this, I guess I'm just saying that I want it to go beyond this and have the conversation continue on and on.  Not just about Africa, but about what in life are we being called to do?  

And I would so much more enjoy having these conversations in a small group in someone's home over a good meal. :)  

Question 6:  
Thoughts on living in community.

Wow, this one has been really interesting for me.  It's been a bit of a roller coaster of sorts.  We were living pretty solo in the house here up until mid January and had our own groove and routine going and then our world changed.  The spring intern team arrived, my parents, and various visiting groups started coming in and out and that will continue until we leave.  

I always thought of myself as someone who loved being in community with others and I still do, but I have realized that I also am challenged when the community is 24/7 and in larger numbers.  I have always been more of an observer and an introvert and therefore really large groups can be overwhelming for me.  I also have realized that I need and enjoy quiet time to myself to just decompress after the day.  Living in community has also helped me realize how much you need to learn to try and appreciate everyone's different personalities even if they have traits that you find annoying.  To have an open heart to engage in conversation with someone that you might not have much in common with or feel very comfortable with is a hard but good challenge.  Like we've been talking about in our book studies - God says it pretty simply.  Love God and love your neighbor.  Easy to say, hard to do sometimes.

With that said, I am starting to hit a groove now living in community.  I'll never be really great at it, but I'm getting better.  It begins to feel like a family.  Sometimes you really like your family, sometimes you'd like to have a different family. But, some of the joys of living in community are seeing the kids really thrive in the environment.  While she is still shy, Avery is beginning to warm up to people more quickly and show them her personality.  And, she is becoming quite the little babysitter thanks to adorable Saylah who is living with us in the house.  She is always disappointed now in the house whenever it's just our family around and is just waiting for her
"other family" to come home.  The kids are also learning how different people are from each other and how to adapt to these different personalities.  It has been a challenge though for me also with people coming and going all the time out of the community.  You don't want to avoid getting "attached" because you know they're leaving, but yet it's hard each time someone leaves that you've connected with.  And lately when people leave it's made me miss home a bit more.  

My heart must be opening more to living in community as I mentioned to Troy in a conversation we were having last week that I thought when we return we should consider opening our home to invite someone to live with us in our finished basement. I'm still not ready to live permanently with 20 people, but maybe just 1 more wouldn't be so hard?  We shall see......We've realized we have to be very careful with these "what if" conversations around Avery as we were joking around about maybe just keeping our house rented out and living in a different house and that really impacted her.  I'm realizing that while she has done incredible adjusting to this experience, knowing we are returning to our home and life as she knows it is one of those anchors for her that has enabled her to handle this adjustment.  So, think we'll be calling 3197 E. Otero Circle home still when we return.  I just had to type that out as the other day I actually blanked out on our address as I hadn't written it in so long.  Funny.  


Question 7:  
What is still on your "must do" list while you are still there.  

Good question.  As I'm realizing how quickly time has been passing since the new year, I've started to be more conscious of this and trying to think of these things.  

Here are some that I can think of right now.  

1.  Go to Rwanda.  We have sponsored children there through our church for quite a few years now and we would love to try and visit this village.  

2.  Would like to get in one more short family getaway to an island on Lake Victoria. 

3.  Still wanting to attend an Introduction (like an engagement party) or a wedding, but not sure this one is going to happen......can't rush anyone into marriage.  :)

4.  Go to the village - I wasn't up for the trip to the village that everyone went on a couple of weeks ago so I stayed back with Avery, but we're leaving tomorrow morning to go to the village of a good friend here so am excited to have this experience.  Usually no running water or electricity in these areas, but their families are so excited to have us and sure we will be shown grace beyond what we can even imagine.  

5.  Still wanting to get two photo series' yet:  all the different fruit trees and the amazing things they carry on bicycles and bodas. 

6.  Try to make pineapple samosas.

7.  Just try to keep pouring into this experience and the people we're surrounded with on a daily basis and not get overwhelmed or completely distracted by thoughts of what life looks like when we return home.  

Sure there are more, but it's getting late and need to sign off. 

Hope I answered everyone's questions.  Thanks for asking them!

~Love Heather

Harvesting and Creativity

Before we came to Uganda people used to ask us what we will do. At the time I didn't have answers so today I thought I would share two things I have done recently: Boy's Harvest Week and Create! class.

Boy's Harvest Week

Back in January had the opportunity to implement a week where six boys went to the Double Portion Farm to help with harvest (starts in late January). The boys from WCIA were on two month holiday with potentiality of not having all meals and not a lot to do.

The boys had a great week: full of stories, harvesting, shelling maize, good meals, new friends and knowledge about farming. They even made a little money for their work!!! The boys would have easily stayed longer and all wanted to do it again. Here is what they said they liked best:

"I liked the farm so much. Liked the people so much. Liked the food very much."

"Farming was the best. I enjoyed praying. I enjoyed harvesting."

"Good meals. Love for us. The people. The work."

"I liked the food our Freddy cooked and we didn't work for free."

I so enjoyed this work and making this great week happen for these six boys.

Create!

The second example is teaching a class of 1st thru 7th graders about creativity -- I believe one of our greatest gifts. Interesting how I feel compelled lately to teach. It is definitely a strange, foreign and scary place the spirit is taken me. Not sure where it leads but I'm enjoying it. Back to the class, in the first class we discussed our Class Rules:

• there is no wrong or right answer only not trying
• "And it was good". From Genesis 1, Pastor Ben preached on it and I used his wisdom. Basically when you look back at what you have done should be proud, know that you did your best and say it was good
• Takes trying new things and hardwork
• Listen
• Have FUN!!!!

Then we brainstormed what the word create means, I told a dramatic version (with silly voices) of the three little pigs, discussed being original, did crayon rubbings of an item from nature and ended up with game (describe an object).

The Second class was today and again it was a lot of fun. We brainstormed and word mapped about stories and parts of a story. We then started a creative writing project I found on the Internet called circle stories. I gave each student a paper with 10 circles on it and asked them to make a picture from the circles. The next step that we will do later is to write stories about our circle pictures.

I'm gonna keep trying new things in this class to hopefully get them to see the world they are used to in new ways. It's more than just art I'm trying to teach. I'm just not sure what it will all look like but I think that is part of the fun.

So these are just two recent examples of the type of work I do here. It is new, challenging and I hope makes a difference to these great Ugandan kids and Come Let's Dance. I do know this work is making a difference in me and my family.

And for all of it I am extremely grateful.


Troy

 

Halfway

Troy and I try to take turns blogging to share different perspectives and we obviously have different styles - his short and sweet and mine, well, ........exactly the opposite.  We had some time to catch up talking over different things this weekend while we were on a weekend getaway to Jinja and blogging came up. He said that some people had commented that they liked both our blogs, but they preferred his short and sweet style.  So, it seems that living in Africa for a while now has not yet eliminated my prideful, competitive side as of yet and I just couldn't believe this could be true; that his short updates (with grammatical errors that I love to point out) could compare with my eloquent, very grammatically correct writings that I take great pride in.  But, if I'm honest, I know he is absolutely correct.  We all have such busy lives - who has time to read all my ramblings?  

Now I write this all with a sense of humor, but I am going to try his style this time and see if I can do it.  Obviously, not going too well so far as I've taken this long to even intro my topic!  When I comment to Troy I am going to try and write my blog that day he always asks me, "What is your topic?"  I think I need to realize it's just not going to be possible to write anything very concisely or coherently when my answer is usually, "I have no idea."  So, here we go.  Trying to stick to a topic and be concise this time.  You can be the judge after reading.  

TOPIC:  Halfway 

We are officially more than halfway through our planned time here in Uganda.  Out flight home is the first week in June.  So, this milestone seems like it requires some reflection on what we've already experienced and some thoughts on what is to come in our remaining months.  Thought I would break these down into a few Top Five lists (my attempt to force myself to be concise!) 

Part 1:  From Our Experiences So Far  

*note that lists aren't in priority order, just as they came to my mind

Top 5 Lessons I've Learned

1.  My children are more amazing than I realized.

2.  How to be more honest, open and engaged in a relationship with God and what it can add to your life.  And also, instead of just reading the Bible, let it speak to you, challenge you and comfort you wherever you are at in your life.  

3.  That welcoming people into your life and loving them is so much easier than we often make it.  

4.  That things that seem so little can really mean so much.

5.  That there is so much more disparity in this world than I ever realized.

Top 5 Surprises

1.  That things that seem so obvious to many of us are not at all obvious to many people in the world.  

2.  That Troy and I can work together and also spend not a single day away from our children and we are all still speaking.

3.  That so many people are open to keep learning more and more, even though their traditional system of learning would have burned me out a long time ago.

4.  That life is so fragile and people are dying every day at a rate of which I was very naive.

5.  That people can be so grateful even though in our eyes they have almost nothing.  

Top 5 Frustrations

1.  I still struggle with patience and pridefulness, which results in me not always treating people that I love the way they deserve to be treated.

2.  That Ugandans live in such a beautiful place, but that so many do not understand or realize how to take care of its beauty by keeping it clean.

3.  That sometimes there seems no solution as the problem is too big you just don't know where to start.

4.  When you work really hard to honor your commitments to people and they do not do the same in return.

5.  Lack of good communication 

Top 5 Moments of Happiness

1.  Experiencing the amazing beauty of God's creation in places I'd never guess I would have the opportunity to see:  On Safari in Tanzania, at Sipi Falls, the Nile River, and at CLD Double Portion Farm

2.  Successful baking in a charcoal oven

3.  Completing saving circle training and having a committed group of members (up to limit of what we can take at 30) that are now saving each week for their futures.

4.  Making so many new friends, hopefully for a lifetime. And also seeing Avery and Henry do the same.

5.  All the time I have gotten to spend teaching and learning alongside people that are so appreciative and eager to learn.  

Part 2:  Yet to Come

Top 5 Fun Things Yet to Do

1.  Welcome my parents and sister to Africa!!!

2.  Visit Rwanda & Ssee Islands

3.  Meet more family members of our friends here

4.  Work on my photo series of amazing feats on bodas and bicycles

5.  Attend a Ugandan Introduction ceremony and/or wedding 

Top 5 Hopes

1.  That our relationships with our new friends and colleagues here continue to grow and strengthen, both for Troy and I, as well as our children.

2.  That we leave each CLD project a little further ahead in professionalism, sustainability, and reaching their goals than when we arrived.

3. That before we leave I will be able to see the new direction of Thread of Life begin to take shape and that at least one of the women I have had the privilege of getting to know will be able to start to begin taking real steps toward supporting themselves and their family.

4. That the teachers at WCIA continue to challenge themselves in small steps to teach in new and exciting ways and see positive responses and results from their students.

5. That discussion and education around financial literacy can continue to happen within CLD's programs.   

Top 5 Fears

1.  How to translate our experience here to our life back home 

2.  That the changes we are trying to help make here in people's lives and the programs will not last

3. That we will feel out of place when we return home

4. That our kids will lose touch with their friends here after we leave 

5. That I am going to have to figure out how we can own and take care of a goat to help make Avery's new dream come true

Okay, since I've already failed at my goal of staying short and sweet, I might as well throw in a few fun ones:

Most Useful Donation Item we Brought Over:  Cash bags from a local bank - every program loves them as everything happens in cash here so you need a way to store and manage it
Most Useful Item I've Purchased Here:  A small wash basin (very multipurpose) and mini bibles for the kids
My Biggest Temptation to Purchase Here:  Jewelry and fabric
My Favorite Snack:  G-nuts
Kid's Favorite Snack:  Samosas
Troy's New Addiction:  Krest soda
New Favorite Drink:  African Tea (I always hated tea and called it dirty water)
Most Missed Item:  Hot water
Pet Peeves:  Fruit flies and mosquito bites
Most Scary:  Being on the roads here (Troy is a master driver, but I still cringe at least once a day as a passenger)
Items I Can't Find:  Pretzels, Tortilla Chips, Yellow Cake Mix

Thanks again for reading.  I surrender and give up.  I cannot be short and sweet. I know that you will all still love me anyway.  :)  

Hope your year is off to a great start.  We'll try to continue writing about our continuing adventures.  Both his and her styles.  

~Heather