I Could Write a Book, Part 2

One of the greatest lessons I have learned overseas is that activity does not equate godliness, nor is "success" an automatic outcome of busyness.

It's been a tough lesson to learn and I am still "revising" - constantly reviewing - it, as they say here.

Over and over, Jesus takes me back to verses like John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 

Or to Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Or Jeremiah 17:7-8: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream."

These verses don't explicitly speak of rest, but they do emphasize abiding in Christ and drawing on His strength for lasting fruit and fulfillment of His purposes. For me, this means periodically taking time away for rest and refreshment.

In my last post I wrote about traveling to western Uganda for the funeral of one of our dear secondary teachers. The following weekend, God blessed me with a few days away with sisters in Christ on the opposite side of the country, in the Mbale area. This get-away had already been in the works and the timing could't have been better.

Sipi Falls, eastern Uganda.

Like western Uganda, the eastern region is also mountainous, with cooler temps, and lots of trees. We stayed near Sipi Falls (pronounced "sippy"), a series of three beautiful waterfalls. We did a lot of resting - reading, talking, eating, laughing listening to music, and coloring. Yes, I admit, I love coloring, and recently re-discovered adult coloring pages of flowers or encouraging sayings or geometric patterns. My friend April and I call it our "coloring therapy." :)

I took many, many photos of the stunning foliage and was happy to find among other fine flora, the familiar dahlias - one of my favorite flowers from home.

Isn't our God creative?

We stayed in cute little bandas...

...ate scrumptious meals and enjoyed tea-coffee-banana-cake time each afternoon...

...and made new friends. Meet Ranger, a lovable "host."

Sipi Falls and Sipi River.

Loved this bridge, which we crossed on our hike to the falls.

The views were stunning!

A "tourist" sign.

A delightful field of sunflowers bid us farewell as we headed homeward.

Sisters in Christ - April, Stacy, Lauren, and me, Ruthie.

I came away from our "holiday" weekend feeling more refreshed and renewed. Sometimes getting away from the grind is indeed necessary to give us time and space to reconnect to our Creator, be reminded of His love, and to refocus on His purposes for us.

Need a holiday? ;)

My "Summer" Break

(So, I realize it is now October, but this is a "catch-up" post. I wrote it a few weeks ago, but didn't finish it as other things came up. If you want to know more about the "others," see my last post.. :) )

I put "summer"in parentheses because we don't have seasons like summer, fall, winter and spring. We have two - rainy and dry, which alternate throughout the year.

Oh, I should note that we do occasionally have "winter," like when the the temps drop below 75° and people are wearing jackets, complaining about the cold, and clutching cups of tea. Yes, I admit, I have become one of them. :)

After 5 weeks of "holiday," (Aug. 1-Sept. 8) school began "again" in that we started our third term. While the rest of y'all in the States were just starting your year, we are more than halfway through our ours. That is because Uganda kicks off its school year in February, while you are halfway through yours. Confused yet?

So back to my break...

It was fun and it was full, and despite ending with a nasty case of malaria, it was overall quite enjoyable.

In mid-August, to conclude her time in Uganda, Delaney and I ventured to Murchison Falls National Park - Uganda's oldest and largest park, spanning more than 5,000 kilometers. It was amazing, breathtaking, and awe-inspiring. We saw some incredible creatures, like giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, antelope, warthogs (okay, so warthogs are not really incredible, but they are odd looking critters), plus many types of birds.

A stately-looking giraffe. We saw a ton of these spotted fellas - I'm sure some of them were gals, too. ;)

A "cool" African tree.

The falls itself was also amazing, as well as the sprawling savannas and the endless rolling hills dotted with those African-type trees that you usually see in those cool wildlife documentaries. (They are even cooler when seen in person!)

At the top of Murchison Falls.

I shared a number of photos of our trek in this post and a couple of videos here, so will share only a couple of them here.

After sadly seeing Delaney off in mid-September, a few days later I headed east, accompanying one of our island students back to her home in Sironko, near Mbale, about 5 1\2 hours from the island. It is amazing how far students will travel to come to school!

Eastern Uganda is another stunning part of the country, with its hills, the Elgon Mountain range, lots and lots of green scenery, and of course, many warm and friendly people. :)

Tracey, far left, and her gracious family in front of their home.

I enjoyed the gracious hospitality of student Tracey's family and also visited some folks with island connections, like the dear family of Pastor Philip, the one who started the fellowship group in Katonga. That small weekly gathering yielded many new believers and 13 baptisms last summer.

Pastor Philip, center, his wife Harriet, far left, and their beautiful family.

Two days later and a four-hour journey home - in a packed car, on a packed taxi, and ending with a boda ride, I was back to Jinja - my mainland "home" when I am not on the island.

A couple of hours later, I was back on the road, but to Entebbe to pick up a friend who was returning from furlough. It was great to see her again after two months.

Interspersed with some rest, some work, and some house-sitting, I also had the chance to visit other friends. Julius, our talented farming guy, excitedly showed me the improvements to his mushroom-making endeavor, while his wife served us a delicious lunch. 

Ruth and Julius in front of their Mayuge home.

Julius showing his mushroom "house." They grow out of the plastic sacks!

With an impending storm, I left Julius and Ruth's place in Mayuge, also in eastern Uganda, and boarded a taxi for the nearby Bugaade. The dark skies opened and poured down torrential rain, making me thankful I had not taken a motorcycle for the trip, and that I was not sitting near one of the vehicle's leaking windows. :)

Upon reaching the town center of Bugaade, Fauza greeted me with a hug and a smile. I hadn't seen her since last November when she finished at the island secondary school, leaving as one of our 2013 top graduates. For nearly three years, I also enjoyed meeting weekly with Fauza at the school to study the Bible.

As is customary for visitors, I was served food - a steaming cup of tea - perfect for a rainy day - and half a loaf of soft brown bread, which I was expected to consume by myself. After only two pieces, since I was still full from Ruth's lunch, I asked for help from Fauza and her cousin, with whom I had been chatting.

"But, Madam, that is all for you. You are supposed to finish it," Fauza insisted.

I carefully, but not rudely, tried to explain that I simply could not finish ALL of the bread she had placed before me. Thankfully, the mountain of bread was not the center of our conversation, but rather the challenges that had kept Fauza from entering a new school, specifically having to do with spiritual warfare. Coming from a predominantly-Muslim family, Fauza had her share of encounters with witch craft, which is commonly intertwined with Islam here.

Asserting her position in Christ, Fauza has and is recognizing that the Creator God is indeed more powerful than Satan; however, remaining firm in her faith is important, especially when her family believes otherwise. After sharing Scripture and a time of prayer, I reluctantly left, knowing it would be some time before I would see my young friend again.

A cold boda ride, another taxi ride, concluding with a bus trip returned me to Jinja again, thankful for friendship, hospitality, and God's gracious provision and protection.

Before I knew it, it was time to return to the island and begin thinking about the new term. The Sunday after my return, my friend Justus and I witnessed the baptism of 9 new believers, following a Sunday service in the new church in the small village of Dubai. Located on the back side of Lingira, Dubai has mostly been just a pass-through to get to the other villages, though at one time it was a bustling place of trade, which earned it its name.

Church in Dubai - praise and worship under the mango tree.

Celebrating the joy of baptism with a new believer.

No longer forgotten, Dubai now has a church, which was birthed after evangelism efforts earlier this year. Each week, believers from Dubai, as well as three other villages gather under a large mango tree to praise and worship and study the Word of God.

I have come to realize that there is no "forgotten"place or "forgotten"people to God. He knows each and every corner and each every heart. And His love and light can find and penetrate each one.

I am grateful for that full and fun (yes, I did do other work, too!) "summer" break. I think God knew I needed it before entering an intense school term. He knows best what we need, doesn't He?

Sunrise at the ferry landing on the Nile River, Murchison Falls.

The impressive Sisi (see-see) Falls in eastern Uganda.

"And, my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

A Subject Dear to My Heart

  I truly love and value friendships.

 I think God wired me this way, but I also attribute this affinity for friendship to my name - Ruth, which means "friend," "companion" or "compassionate friend." I, of course, didn't choose the name and for a long time I did not value it. But, when I learned its meaning, well, my name "took on a whole new meaning."

 I was named after the Biblical character of Ruth, a Moabite woman who demonstrated great loyalty to her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi. (By the way, the book of Ruth was a great influence in my mom agreeing to become the lifelong companion of my dad - more than 30 years ago.)

 This weekend I have been reminded of the value of friendships and relationships. During the last two days, I said goodbye to a group of five girls, whom I had never met before they came to the island one month ago. This diverse group of college-age young women hail from the state of Wisconsin. They came to the island to do a variety of projects, like re-start girls' football (soccer) teams, demonstrate farming methods, and teach in the island's primary and secondary schools.

 But, there was also lots of time for good conversation and fun as we washed dishes together, shared meals, and coversed and ate popcorn and drank tea in the evenings.

 For so long I wrongly believed that friendships took years to form, but that is not always true. Friendships can be forged in a month, week, day, or even in a short hour.

Me with members of the EDGE team from Wisconsin.

 Thank you, EDGE team, for your friendship and for blessing the island and those of us at SHIM during your stay in Uganda! You are always welcome to return. : )

 This evening, Amanda and I enjoyed a really good time of fellowship at one of the monthly gatherings of our fellow Global missionaries who are serving in the Jinja, Uganda area. I am so blessed as I see the love and dedication that each missionary has for the work and ministry God has called them to here.

 I was excited this evening to meet a young woman who came to Uganda in June to teach missionary children for two years. I became acquainted with Amanda K. via her blog, which I found through the Global website. We then became friends on Facebook and chatted back and forth. So, it was a delight to finally meet Amanda in person and to hear more of her story and calling to Uganda.

 Speaking of Facebook - I know different ones have varying opinions on this social network, but, I am honestly grateful for it. That gratitude has increased since I have been in Uganda. Facebook helps me stay connected with family and friends back home. I have also reconnected with old friends whom I had lost contact with and it has enabled me to stay in touch with new friends as well.

 I believe friendships are like gardens - they require tending and good proportions of time, energy and giving of yourself. If you are not purposefully investing in a friendship, then it is probably not growing and flourishing, but rather fading or dying. The Bible has good advice along these lines. Proverbs 18:24a says, "A man that has friends must show himself friendly."

 God certainly created us - His highest creation - for relationship. First and forement, we were designed to be in intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father and Creator. But, secondly, we certainly need each other. We need people in skin who can encourage, counsel, mentor and love us.

 Here in Uganda, relationships are the highest priority. They trump time (thus the reason that most everything is late), any claim of personal space or possessions, and a person's assertion of independence. This, of course, has good and bad implications. But, I believe Ugandans could teach a huge lesson to those of us from developed and industrialized countries, that in the end, friendships and relationships are what really count.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

"Strangers are just friends waiting to happen."

"Friends are the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life."

"A good friend is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget..."

The Blessing of Friendship

The foursome - Amanda, Ruthie, Shanna and Katie

 I marvel at the miracle of friendship.

 It is amazing to me how two people, who begin as complete strangers, can through shared experiences, shared beliefs, shared thoughts and/or shared environments, find themselves transported into the realm of friendship, with hearts united.

  This week I saw two dear friends off as they returned to America. I have had the joy of their company for the last two months as they visited Uganda for different reasons. Katie arrived from South Carolina in late January to conduct her practicum in Uganda - a big step in earning her master's degree in public health this May.

 Katie with students from the Lingira Primary School.

 Katie doesn't know this, but when I first began communicating with her by e-mail, prior to her arrival, I pictured her as a shy, sophisticated blonde. Boy, was I wrong! Katie has dark, curly hair and is Italian, which means she is very expressive. : ) She is not shy and quiet, but very outgoing.

  Katie and I are actually opposite in a lot of ways. Yet, through conversations over coffee, washing dishes together, shopping together, sharing a room and other shared experiences, we moved from being strangers to being friends - almost without noticing. Katie is very personable, loving and loves quality time, including "tea time." : ) I enjoyed watching her learn more about God and His care and desires for her. She was certainly a blessing to me during her stay here!

 I know Shanna because we are both from Clatskanie and attended the same church at one time. She is 13 years younger than I and we really didn't see each other so often - until she came to Uganda. She came to minister and to observe missionaries to see if missions work might be in God's future plans for her.

 At first I had a hard time reading Shanna because she was so quiet and shy, but the longer she stayed, the more comfortable she became and the more I saw of her true personality. I so admire her spirit and perseverance, which shone through a number of challenges, including several health difficulties while she was here. Through her entire stay in Uganda, her main desire was to receive all that God had for her. And, because of her desire and thirst for God's best, I believe she received and learned much during her stay here.

Shanna with a few of her young island friends.

 
 Shanna also blessed and touched the lives of many while in Uganda - the young Muslim mother who recommitted her life to Christ, the young Muslim boy who claimed ownership of Shanna's hand whenever she was nearby, the secondary students who were blessed by her example and her sharing of God's Word with them, and those of us at SHIM, who enjoyed her smile, humor, wisdom and her artistic talent. (Thank you, Shanna, for the beautiful mural - her first ever!)

Shanna and her mural - to remind us that God is our refuge and fortress, based on Psalm 91.

 I marvel at the miracle of friendship and how God uses people in our lives - to bless us, to grow us, to challenge us, to cause us to look to Him.

 Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of friendship, and thank you for the blessing of Katie and Shanna. May you richly bless them as they return to the U.S. Uganda won't be the same because of them.