Hot Tamale!

I thought it was just the doxycycline* that was making my skin feel so hot out here. But aparently it is indeed quite toasty! I think this reading is deceiving (125 F), but I also think we exceeded 100 today. Sizzlin!

Don't be fooled. I love the weather over here. It's a dry heat. Especially compared to Liberia - sorry guys. And God is good to adjust your thermostat quickly. I sleep with a blanket at 75 degrees already.

Enjoy Springtime, my friends! Maybe plant some flowers today. :)

*Doxycycline is an anti-malarial regime which does have a side effect of making your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Kiburara Gospel Center and Covenant Mercies

(Kiburara Gospel Center praising God! )

Today was a very special day! Moses, from Covenant Mercies, came to pick me up and take me to church with him in Kiburara, just 30 minutes away from Kamwenge. His church is home to more than 80 children who have been sponsored by Covenant Mercies (and YOU.) We worshipped God together. I gave a short message of encouragement. Then we worshipped God some more. And Moses baptized a baby. Then we worshipped God some more. And one of my team members, Alfonze, gave the main message. Then we worshipped God some more. Oh it was wonderful!

Alfonze preached a message about experiencing Jesus Christ. He was explaining to us that we could go to church every Sunday and still not experience Jesus. He encouraged everyone to open their hearts to Jesus and allow Him to penetrate their lives. It was a strong, sound message. I am so blessed to have Alfonze on my team to help lead us spiritually!

After church, the congregation gave me the warmest welcome. I think every single person shook my hand with a sweet smile. I felt very comfortable with everyone. A gift from God. This really is a sister church, my SGM friends.

(The children were were having a blast with the camera!)

Funny sidenote - one of the elder men introduced himself and said - you are a beautiful young woman. You are not married? I said no, but then quickly pulled out a picture of Phil from my bible. We both laughed and he kindly got the point. :) Wew - marriage proposal diverted.

Next, I visited Covenant Mercies' office and the health center for the children. It is a beautiful space. Equipped with a fantastic well, spewing out lots of clean water! Well done, my friends.


And then we had lunch at Moses' home and let me tell you, it was seriously the BEST Ugandan food I've had since I arrived! His wife, Sarah, is a phenominal cook. I hope to have her teach me her secrets in weekends to come. She made us matoke (banana mush), rice, chipatti (thick tortillas), beans, goat stew, and chicken stew. I ate all too much, but left very happy!


I hope to visit our church family once a month and to share more of their lives with you. For now, some prayer requests for our sister church in Kiburara are:

• For God to provide the resources and funds needed to finish their church building
• For God to bring unbelievers into their church - so that they may hear the Gospel
• For God to continue his healing work in their congregation - physically and spiritually

They thank you all for your many prayers! They were so excited to hear your greetings - I mean hooting and hollering excited - literally. :)

You have made a very meaningful impact in their lives. God is using you to encourage them and to spur them on in spreading His love throughout their community!

Embraced by God

I made some new friends in Kamwenge - the children next door. They are super cute and curious about the Muzungu (white woman) who walks by every day. When they see me, they run to the edge of their yard, yell greetings, and wave their little hands with big smiles.

I love it! I smile, greet, and wave back.

Today I wanted to buy a pineapple to give to my friend Moses (from Covenant Mercies) as a gift tomorow. I started asking around town, and they told me to go to the market. I soon realized that I couldn't find the market, so I asked another lady for directions. She said, "follow me, I'll take you." "Wow - so kind", I thought.

Ten strides later she said bluntly, "you buy me my pineapple because I show you."

This expectation frustrated me. So I just turned around and decided to go back pineapple-less. And with a really bad attitude.

I prayed a lot on my walk back. Praying that God would help me to love as He loves - not because we love Him or are even kind to Him - but unconditionally.

So I approached my place and could hear the kids laughing and playing. Already, they had made me smile. But this time, they did more than greet me and wave - they ran up to me one by one, arms open wide and gave me a bunch of great big hugs! I was shocked and immediately filled with so much love for those children.

God was answering my prayer with those hugs - He was helping me to love Uganda - and He was showing His love to me - unconditionally. I was embraced by God today!

May He continue to help us love Him and his children more...may He place unconditional love in our hearts...and may we share it with those who need it most.

PS. Sorry for the lack of photos...my internet connection isn't quite strong enough to download them right now.

Field Survival Tips

These tips come from my personal experiences in Uganda...enjoy!

1. Do NOT take Larium - and if you are - stop now! Doxy is a thrify alternative coupled with sunscreen. Or splurg on the Malarone. Just trust me here.
2. Cinnamon and honey in your tea are a great anti-histamine.
3. If your vehicle gets stuck in the mudd, use your snow-driving experience to get unstuck.
4. African shortcuts = American scenic routes, aka. the LONG way
5. Railroad tracks are never meant for minibuses
6. 1 African kilometer = 2 American miles or more

It's been a fun week so far. I'm thankful to be healthy and still smiling - thank you Lord!

Long day

(another photo of the village where our teamhouse sits)

"At least it'll make a good blog post, Mel" Phil said to cheer me up. :)

Monday was quite a long day. I was travelling to Kamwenge. It was to be a 5 hour trip. Usually quite beautiful, but not this time.

I had a brand new driver, George - this was his first day of work. We got directions and he drove the Pajero (small SUV) back from the garage where it was getting fixed. They took it for a test run to make sure it wasn't a lemon and we hit the road, optimistically - already two hours behind schedule.

Two hours into our trip we lost power. All I know is that it wouldn't accelerate anymore. I had one bar of cell network, so we made some phone calls and told our team in Kampala what was happening. Praise God we could communicate!

So we turned the car around and tried to head back, but with little luck. The Pajero stopped again just 5 miles down the road and this time we were really stuck and I didn't have cell phone service. Time for decision-making, Mel. So after hesitantly parking the car at the local police station (not really safe in Africa), I hopped in a taxi (aka. Mini Bus) back to Kampala.

About an hour later I got cell phone service and was told to get out of the taxi because our mechanic, Felix, was on his way to fix the Pajero. So I yelled at the driver to stop the bus, jumped out, throwing money and immediately saw Felix driving past. Only God could have orchestrated this timing! I flagged him down and hopped in his landcruiser and we drove an hour back to the Pajero.

It was getting a bit late, but I really wanted to get to Kamwenge, so they offered to take me in the Landcruiser - promising only two hours - which would get me there before dark - and I said let's go! Not driving at night is important in Africa for security reasons.

So three hours goes by, it was dark and we're driving super slow on this dirt road that seemed to be going to nowhere. I was sceptically wondering if I was ever going to make it to Kamwenge. I was all tense, super hungry, and getting tired. Bad combination.

Praise God, Phil called just as I was just about to break. He made me smile and laugh and assured me that everything was just going to be okay. And he was right! We arrived in Kamwenge at about 9pm - only 6 hours later than expected. It was a long day, but it ended well - my friend Stephen even had food waiting for me. Now I'm in Kamwenge and working with my team again. Tuesday was a good day - Praise God!

Oh these beloved rides to work - they make for interesting blog entries at least. And I didn't even include the huge snake part....let's just say I tried to get George to kill it, but we missed.

Answered Prayer: Home sweet Homes!

Just to explain to you a bit more of my life in Uganda, I will be living in two places while I'm here. 50% of my time will be in the capital city Kampala, and 50% in rural Kamwenge. Here are a couple photos of my new homes.

(Kampala: we are the first cozy apartment on the left - it's a very comfortable place)

In Kampala, I live in a pleasant suburbian community. I can take a nice jog, treat myself to ice cream and then meander to the coffee shop around the corner. I currently share this place with my Sudanese friend, Lagu and our American finance lady, Lori. It's also the SP guest so we have visitors coming through on a regular basis.

(Kamwenge: we have the office on the right, with a set of 12 rooms in the back)

In Kamwenge, we are renting this hotel from Justice, a widow in the community. It is a blessing to be able to support her. It will be used as our office space and our home. There are 12 rooms in the back so I will always have lots of company. However, digging a new latrine is going to be one of our first orders of business because let's just say the old one is all filled up. Oh the joys of living in Africa!

Water source

This is the photo of one of the water sources I described in my previous post. You can see the community - along with their cattle and goats - gathering water from the lake. It is a dangerously unhealthy scene. Though at the same time you get a glimpse of beautiful Uganda. The bright blue skies and lush green fields. It breaks your heart and makes you fall in love all at the same time.

I will be travelling back to Kamwenge on Monday for about 10 days to be with my team. Please continue to pray for us - that we would have wisdom and demostrate love as we partner with villages and local churches in Kamwenge.

I am so grateful for you!