The Penthouse Dream

Today is official move-in day at Augie! For those of you who don't already know, this year I am an RA for the sophomore dorms. I've actually been here for two weeks for training and preparing the buildings with bulletin boards and door decorations. We have done more bonding than seems necessary, but I can safely say I know my coworkers on a very personal level. So far I am really enjoying it, but i'll let you know how I feel when I start having to be the "bad cop". I lucked out with the penthouse suite...or rather the top floor of the building. I thought this was awesome, and don't get me wrong, I do love being on the top, and I have an incredible view, but when we had some flash flooding a couple days ago, top floor was not too kind to me. Let's just say this building has some real rustic charm :)

Another tid bit of info, I have decided to change my major. I am not sure what it is going to be... we call that "exploring" here... but I'm not too worried. The big man upstairs knows the plan, so I feel pretty confident that it's going to be okay :) As for this semester, I am checking out my options with some sociology classes. I have also recently had the thought of working for an adoption organization abroad, or maybe helping families with the travel process, I don't exactly know what that looks like or anything, but keep it in your prayers...God knows I need them :) until next time!

BodaBoda

We stayed some nights in Kampala and explored the unknown parts of the city. The first night we stayed in a hostel and ended up getting bed bugs...not ideal! Although, silver lining- at least it wasn't lice! So the next couple nights we decided to upgrade to a nicer hotel. One of the days we took a bodaboda (motorbike) tour around the city. They took us to each of the main 7 hills that make up the city. 

We went to the Gadafi Mosque, Bahai Temple, Eidi Amin torcher chamber, and they showed us a place called "organized chaos" 

And this is only half of it.... 

This is all the taxi's lined up ready to go to anywhere and everywhere... And it truly lives up to its name, but I would maybe go a little heavier on the chaos!

Tracking the scat

To finish off our grand adventure, we went on safari! We lucked out with an incredible van full of people from the UK and Australia that made it all that much more enjoyable! We were able to get super close to the animals for pictures and what not, but the other vans scared away the lions, so unfortunately we did not get to see any of them. 

And in our camp we had baboons, warthogs, and hippos! Made for quite an interesting time :)

Sippi Falls

If there is one thing to learn about Uganda- trying to get absolutely anywhere is a pain in the arss! However, although the journey is long and tiring and wayyyyy more difficult than it needs to be, the destination is always worth it! After the escapade down the Nile, we traveled up to a spot called Sippi Falls. This was the most beautiful spot I have ever seen! We stayed in this little grass hut that reminded me of Swiss Family Robinson style, and it was right on the edge of a cliff overlooking a waterfall. There were three waterfalls altogether that we hiked to, and at the last one we repelled down 325ft. It was incredible, and oh so safe! There were 2 big hooks they had pounded into the dirt at the top and one guy feeds the rope and holds you as you go down. The guy holding your life wears no safety anything, and is wearing flip flops. I'm not positive on this, but it would seem to me that something like this setup may not fly in the U.S. Haha

Uganda-be-in-(De-Nile)

Dare Devils that we are, decided to go white water rafting down the Nile. We traveled to Jinja, about a 5hour Ugandan taxi ride from where the Show Mercy base is, to this site called Nile River Camp. Walking into it, it seemed like a place for a bunch of hippies...which only meant we fit in quite well haha. 

At this camp they have a rope swing into the Nile, which was an absolute blast! 

And the next day we went rafting! Our guides name was Issac, and he was the coolest Ugandan I have ever met. The Rapids we went in were all class 5, but unlike most places in the U.S., the Rapids are caused from the water condensing into smaller areas for passage, so you don't really have to worry about rocks. There was one rapid in particular that mom and I both got thrown out. The Ugandans call this "very bad place" which feeds into "washing machine". We both saw our life flash before our eyes, and swallowed about half the Nile, so if you do decide to go rafting, I'm not sure how much water will be left :) it was an incredible experience! 

Uganda-relish-the-moment

I think of every picture I've gotten, this has to be my all time favorite. I can't remember what we were doing, teaching, singing, or preaching, but I remember this exploding feeling of joy! This picture is just the essence of happiness in its purest form. And maybe the smiles don't jump out right when you look at it, but looking at each child's face I can't help but also smile. I ❤️ these kids! 

Uganda-step-out

Meet Hanifa. Through the Ugandan outreach team, this amazing mother of 5 at the market came to know Jesus. In the time we've been here she experienced and told an amazing testimony. 

One of her fellow stand mates came to work on day to find a witchcraft charm hanging in her booth. The rest of the market was terrified and telling the woman she was cursed and was going to die. So Hanifa stood up and basically started laughing at them saying "God is so much stronger, this is foolish". But the people couldn't grasp this, so Hanifa picked up the charm and threw it. The people started freakin out telling her she was going to die and probably wouldn't make it through the day. Well I am happy to say Hanifa is definitely alive and well and an amazing leader for the market.  It has been so amazing to see her a couple times a week and minister to her...even though she is really ministering to us. This woman has remarkable courage and a heart of gold!

Uganda-need-some-shades

The kids absolutely LOVE to have their picture taken and more so, to see themselves in pictures. I don't think it is very often that they see what they look like and when they do, you get roars of laughter in response. I had a fun time with some kids in the village wanting to try on my glasses... I think it suits her well :)

Uganda-dress-them

Before we left, many from our church took part in making pillow case dresses for the girls. We handed them out at the "say no to hunger" and te smiles couldn't have been bigger! Thank you so so much to all who helped! 

Uganda-love-her

This is my girl Rashida! I fell in love with her last year and started sponsoring her. Thankfully in the time that I have been here, I've been able to spend a lot of time with her. I brought her some goodies (clothes and school supplies) and met her parents and sister. Her mom and dad were so grateful and kept bowing down to show gratitude. It broke my heart, but they were so gracious and welcoming to me. They said I was part of their family and the Ugandan staff said that was a huge honor. Rashidas teachers described her as a cute little girl with a big personality and tends to get goofy and forget she's at school.... So pretty much exactly like me :)

Uganda-be-brave

We have been talking a lot about stepping over "chicken lines". "Chicken line" is the term used to describe that thing where you draw the line and say "ha! Yeah right, I'm not doing that!"... Whatever you are too scared to do :) so our group discussions have been about the things that God calls us to do yet we shy away because we are scared, and the amazing things that will come if we just take the step over the "chicken line". For me it was going on one particular outreach. Luckily when I was here last summer, there were so many people on my group that it was always filled and I "didn't have the opportunity to go"... Aka "I didn't have to sign up!" All I knew about it, is that you go to a market shopping area and pray for people. Just walking up to people and praying for them is or was one of my fears. I think about random people coming up to me and doing that and I hate the idea. It seemed weird and awkward. Well I stepped over that line and went. That God fella, he seems to know what he is doing! This ended up to be one of my favorite outreach! 

This market is filled with little booths of people selling all sorts of fruits and veggies. We met several people and it was so much more than just praying for these people. The men and women we met wanted to share with us and hear our stories as well, they wanted to tell us about their kids, and what they sell. It wasn't like walking up to strangers but family you haven't seen in a while. We were also able to bless them all with clothing. They were like little kids at christmas and put it on and paraded around to show off what they got :) 

Uganda-learn-something

We traveled to one of the nearby schools with the plan to teach the kids some basic body parts in English. We started with pointing to different body parts and they could name every single one! The kids are 1st grade and learning some English but the amount they knew was incredible! So we sang "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" and then played an intense round of Simon says. I am constantly awed by all of these kids and the circumstances they live in, yet the heart they have in each and every thing they do ❤️

Uganda-get-some-veggies

I had the opportunity to go shopping for all the goods the compound would need for the week to come. The first stop was this market. This market probably stretched a little more than 1mile by 1mile. These vendors are set up anywhere and everywhere and selling just about everything under the sun... It is by the equator, so pretty much everything grows. The vendors set up whatever produce they have on what look like mini, cut up, dirty tarps. Then they swarm you to buy their product. 

The crazy thing about this market is that witches will come up next to you, touch your arm, as start quietly chanting curses and whatnot until you come buy from them. So lesson learned: know what you want, know where you're going, and move quickly. It was a unique experience to say the least! 

Uganda-meet-them!

This beautiful country is just as profound as the time I last saw it! It has been so incredible to see all the Ugandan staff members, and they remembered me without me telling my name!  It has also been wonderful to see familiar faces of all the village kids. So far this trip has been full of very new and different experiences than last time, yet every bit as extraordinary. 

Meet my friends, Hudson and Trevor. These two boys are parts of the sponsorship "say no to hunger" program. Stepping out of the van, these two ran up and jumped on me, and the entire 3 hour period we were there, they never left my side! At this program, the kids come every Sunday to their designated village church (there are 4 locations) and they play games, do a craft, learn a bible lesson with memory verse, and have a meal. This meal is one of the few they will have for the week, and for sure the only meat they will get for the week. Regardless of circumstances, the kids know no different, and their smiles say it all in the picture :) 

Uganda-be-kidding- me!

It is official, tomorrow is the day!!! Mom, Dad, and myself will be traveling to Uganda to the same place I was last summer. I am so very excited to see how God uses us and to have my parents experience some of what I did. Hopefully they will see why I love this place as much as I do! :) I will be posting as often as I can, and trying to keep you updated on the thrills of the summer. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to my trip! If you haven't and would like to, just log on to 

showmercy.org then click on donate- missions- missions- and find my name. Donations are tax deductible and can be done right there online! Payment is due before we get to the base, so 2 days!  Otherwise just contact me and I can get it taken care of! Please pray for my parents and I as we travel abroad and stay tuned to the upcoming adventure!  

Just a little flying

On my, and all of my family's, bucket lists was to go skydiving! A couple days ago there was a deal we just could pass up with discounted prices, so we went! It was one of the most exhilarating experiences and if you haven't done it, you must!! 

Camping!

Over the weekend this gem and I went camping at Palisades, which is like 20min from campus. This is a super pretty spot with a river flowing and cool rock climbing cliffs. We of course had a campfire with smores, Oreos, peanut butter, and for good measure, some fruit. We found the perfect spot, set up camp, and shared stories. It was the absolute perfect temperature, and we hit the hay. About an hour later we heard somebody shouting at us from outside the tent... Well the park ranger informed us that we had chosen a day only spot.. However there were no markings! So anywho, he told us to pack up and move spots but by this time it was already 1am so we just packed up and headed back to campus. Regardless, it was a pretty perfect night! 

Trifecta

Today I competed in my first triathlon! The whole thing was 1/2mile swimming, 15mile biking, and 4mile run. Surprisingly, it was not as terrible as I was expecting it to be, and I finished!... That was really the main goal :) plus, we got a free tshirt! 

 

Show Mercy Banquet

I have been terrible about posting, but I promise you I am alive and well! Here is some updates...

My birthday fell on Easter this year and some family friends put on a nice little show singing a birthday song! 

Some friends and family attended the Show Mercy International banquet. Show Mercy is the organization I went to Uganda with. They had the founders share about how they got started, and talked about what they do and shared some stories. It was incredible! I got to see some of the people I went with on my trip last year too! 

And the girls I brought

And for those of you that don't know, I have convinced mom and dad to join me this summer! We will all be going from the end of June to the beginning of August! I am so excited for them to experience all that I did and fall in love with it! Please be praying  for us and the journey, and if you feel moved to donate please let me know!! 

Do as the Grecians do

As I always say, this was the trip of a lifetime! This was my first international trip I've been on that hasn't been for mission work. There was so much to soak in and so many places to visit, but in all honesty, the things I'll remember most is nothing I learned in a museum. If I could change one thing, it would be to spend more time in the culture of Greece. After a while, the ruins all run together... I saw so many danm columns and sculptures with body parts missing! Although it was interesting to learn the history and stories of these ancient places, I thrived exploring with my friends in the streets of Greece. I will return one day... And when I do, I promise to not go back to a single museum!!! 

The people from my school group, as all groups go, we're not all stellar... There always has to be a few haha. But I would say that I was extremely lucky in the choosings! It was such that the people I didn't care to be around all formed a group of their own and the people I did, we bonded like never before! Spending so much time together really tests ones patients, but I definitely formed lifelong friendships. And I could not have been more pleased with the babysitters! The professors were incredible, not just in the sense that they really knew their stuff, but upstanding, funny, and laidback! They always encouraged us to stay up late and to go exploring when we had the chance to really experience this life. And of course, I charmed them as I do so well :) 

Here are some others pictures! 

London

On the journey back home, it's only fitting that we traveled to London... I mean we were basically already there! Primarily we came because at the British Museum is an exhibit holding the Parthenon Marbels and part of our "school work" is learning about why they are here and not in Greece and what that means for all artifacts. Mostly though, it was a free two days to explore London! 

Naturally with only a limited amount of time, we tried to sqeeze in as much touristy stuff as possible. 6 of us went around to everything together, and figured out the tube system... Which you wouldn't think would be that difficult but it seemed the each worker we asked for assisstance was an idiot and had no idea the lines that did in fact connect or weren't closed being a Sunday! But in hindsight I feel like a BA getting lost and then finding out way! Here are some random pics from throughout the day.