Living Completely.

We are now 25 days from coming home! It seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane, and entering into a scary world of unknowns. Now it feels like home, and now that we are preparing to leave it is so bittersweet. It has been so long since I have blogged because I’ve been so busy… but I thought I should update everyone on what I’ve been up to.  

First things first…. Rural Homestay.

            At the end of February we all went to Kapchowra, Uganda for a week. We all stayed with separate families and lived life with them for seven days. This was the hardest/most emotional/crazy good week of my life. I stayed with a sweet family of seven. I had a Dad & Mom, and five siblings. My days consisted of waking up early in the morning and fetching water. We then had breakfast, and then did chores (washing dishes, clothes, etc). We would fetch water about three times a day. The water well was down the road, and carrying the water so far was challenging. One day, the water well went out and we had to walk twice as far. My siblings and I walked together and I was constantly amazed at how strong they are. They carried twice as much water on their head as I did. Seeing how much work they have to do in order to get water for bathing, washing, etc. is so humbling. After we finished fetching water at the end of the day, we would begin supper. Cooking with my thirteen year old sister was my favorite thing to do. She has way more skills than me in cooking, even on an open fire stove. We had such good talks about her faith, and her culture. She is incredible at such a young age, and I know that she is going to do big things in her life. After we finished supper… we had to bathe the babies. Something that may seem simple, but definitely isn’t. Trying to get my one year old sister to stay in a basin was hilarious, and trying to get all the red dirt off of her was crazy. Needless to say, I would fail as a Ugandan Mama. This week was full of hard work, but sweet moments. I learned so much about culture, and life here. I will always be thankful that I can walk to the sink and get clean water... I will never forget these moments or this family. 

Fam. 

My little sister Ruthie was such a crazy kid. Love her. 

I was not too happy about milking a cow...

We have the best creator y'all

#stpeterslovin

These past couple of months the majority of my time has been spent at St. Peters. Thinking on my first couple of weeks working for compassion, and how far I’ve come since then is amazing. I spend Tuesday through Saturday at my site, and with my supervisor. My supervisor Ann is an incredible woman, and someone who I adore. She has taught me everything I know about compassion, and then some. We spend our days filling out reports, making home visits, assessing children and families, and laughing ALOT. We now have center days on Saturdays where we hang out with the kids, and teach them life skills, and just have fun. We currently have 286 sponsored children we care for, and it can get overwhelming at times. I think the coolest part of my job is seeing the other side of the sponsorship program. Hearing about it in the states is cool, but working with the actual children in the picture is amazing. Some days are exhausting, but I am so so thankful that I have had the opportunity to spend my social work internship here. This experience is priceless, and so worth it. I only have one week left with compassion, and I’m not quite ready to leave yet. This time is so bittersweet, but I’m going to soak up every second that I have left.

A day at the Fun Park :) 

Jumping on slides with my roommate 

Ann-my partner/supervisor/superwoman

My amazing coworker Hope

 One of the greatest times I have had this semester is reuniting with my family from Acres of Hope. I spent the whole weekend of Easter with Geoffrey and his family. Getting to see my girl Melody, and all of the kids was awesome. Everyone has grown so much, and it was cool to see how much everyone has changed in two years. We started the weekend by just hanging out. Then I went with melody, and the social worker to the market to get some clothes. This was such a fun experience, and I am glad to have had this time with her. We ended the day playing games with the kids, and hanging out. The next day we went to Arua for fabric shopping, and White Castle. Yummy pizza & cheap fabric was what this girl needed. We then went back to AOH to hang out in the shade, and play games again. The last day we went to church for Easter. It felt right at home because of all the dancing. It was such a good time, and I couldn’t help but stand there and think of how far I’ve come since I stood in that church for the first time. I was a freshman, and now I am about to graduate. This just reminded me that time flies, and not to waste a minute of it. This visit came at just the right time, and it was so refreshing. I can’t wait to visit again… Fourth times a charm right? J

Us when we went to the market

Papa Geoffrey

My namesake Karissa 

My girl Melody. 

Twinning with Karissa

Mama Rhoda

The most recent trip we went on was our rafting trip to Jinja.

This weekend was so much fun. It was a chance for our group to spend some time together, and relax before the end of the semester. We ate yummy food and hung out Friday night. It was good to just all be together. Then Saturday morning we left early in the morning to hit the rapids. On my boat was Jenni, Carly, Cassandra, Micky D, and Bethany. We had the most hilarious time, and had some near death experiences (not even kidding). By the end of the day we were exhausted, but all so happy. It was so worth it, and such good friend time. J

Question after this weekend... But did you die? 

So there’s that. That’s my last couple of months in a nut shell. I have two w

eeks left at Uganda Christian University, and then we will all travel to Rwanda for debrief. This is such a bittersweet time, and my heart is a little uneasy. I am excited to come home to my people and graduate but leaving is a little harder than I thought. So, Here we go… last month here. Lets do this.

See you so soon fam!

"Be Free"

Four whole weeks… Wow. I can’t believe I have been in Uganda this long. Time is flying, and in these past four weeks I’ve learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I am thankful for this time to discover what direction the Lord wants me to take in the future, and learning to rest in his presence has been amazing. Lots of things have happened since my last blog, so I will try to give a run down of what’s happening here.

First, I had the opportunity to stay two weeks with an incredible Ugandan host family. I was loved so well, and cared for. During this time I was able to experience what it was like to live with a Ugandan family, and I am so grateful for all of the many lessons I learned.

Things I’ve learned through my host family:

1.     Be completely honest at all times about how you feel. It is completely okay to be yourself.

2.     Regardless of what country I am in, mornings are still not for me.

3.     Carrying Jerry Cans full of water is hard, and some 4 year olds here can do it better then me.

4.     Hospitality isn’t a joke here. Caring for someone else, and making them feel comfortable is one of the top priorities here. These Ugandans put southern hospitality to shame.

5.     There is no such thing as an awkward question-see statement #1.

6.     Love yourself completely, and if you don’t… you have no reason not to because Mama says God made you who you are for a reason.

7.     God has me in Uganda for a purpose, and a season. Don’t waste it.

8.     Embrace others for their differences, and learn from them.

9.     Always, Always, Always stop and have tea.

10.  How to wash my hair while bucket bathing. (This is a bigger deal than you think)

Life with my family was so much fun, and so humbling. I still go and visit them weekly, and can’t wait to see what else the Lord shows me through such precious people.

I am still loving my time working for Compassion. I have been able to sort of fall into a routine, but there are still some surprises along the way. My supervisor Ann is wonderful to me, and she has made my transition working for compassion so smoothly. Its exciting to be able to put my social work skills into practice, and figure out how things work. We will be starting our compassion center days next Saturday… and I am so excited. This is when all of our kids come to the project for one day to eat, have devotion, play games, and learn. This is such a great time for us to be able to spend some time with them, and see how everyone is doing. Working for compassion is such an amazing adventure, and I pray I never take what I am able to learn for granted.

Two weeks in, I was starting to become homesick for my comfortable life back in America. I missed the comfortable feeling of knowing what was next, and the comfort of being home. But things are becoming easier here, and the overwhelming feeling is starting to go away. This is becoming home for me, and I am learning a whole new meaning of the word comfortable. The Lord is holding me when I am lonely, or when I am so uncomfortable I can’t even stand it. Life is so good though. I couldn’t do this without the support of my sweet Jesus, and great people back at home. I always feel loved, and prayed for… and that means the world to me. I am missing everyone dearly, but I can’t wait to see what else I learn in these next three months.

I will try to update everyone again soon, but life is so busy sometimes.  J

Oh, also…. Someone eat some king cake for me. Holla.