tell it like it is.

"Here, my life is extraordinarily normal. I think that when I told people I was going to Uganda, they imagined that I’d be rocking orphaned babies to sleep and changing the world. I'm not. I go to class, brave the freezing water of a shower, cry about missing my little brother back home once in a while, crave American candy and chicken nuggets like crazy, find encouragement in the same Bible verses my friends do, and forget to bring toilet paper to bathroom. But how can I make this normal extraordinary? How can I incorporate kingdom living into my life here in Uganda for the next three months with more than my smile and a few words of encouragement tossed out to those who need it? I am called for that in my everyday life, whether I’m in Uganda or not. I’m praying to see it."

That is a quote from my friend lindsey who is studying abroad here as well. i love the point she makes in the very first couple sentences. I am not going to be doing amazing missions-trippy things while i am here. yes, i will be having moments that i hope i will cherish and remember forever. but while i am here, i am studying. living. being.
one of the key elements to african culture is learning how to just be. presence is a huge value here and people will just sit with each other for hours and consider it good quality time. In the states, we think we have to have deep, meaningful conversation, but every african i meet here loves you from the very start. they accept you like you are family, yet they dont even know you. this is something that i want to learn and take away while here. accepting people as they are. i hate how i am so quick to judge others. or say something bad about those around me when they arent around. this is definitely something God is instilling in me while i am here.
God has brought me to Uganda for a reason and as it says in esther "for such a time as this". even though i wont be doing ministry while i am here, i pray and know that He is going to be setting up divine appointments for certain conversations i will have with those around me that are just as much ministry as any missions trip. I am asking the Holy Spirit to give me the missionary mentality to gain the most out of all my interactions. as i am here for the next three months, and just being, I fully believe He is going to bring opportunities into my everyday life that will challenge those i come in contact with as well as stir up my spiritual convictions. One of the things we talk about in our classes is coming in with a "missionary mentality" but stepping back and not being so forward about changing the culture you are in right away. You cannot just drastically turn things around if you dont first embrace the environment, learn to be with and know the people, or understand where others are coming from.
I have things to learn too, i dont have all the answers. so for now i am learning to live with questions. and challenge my assumptions. even learn the hard lessons that i never "had time for" back in the states...