Saturday, July 30, 2011

I know I live in Uganda when...

Ok, so sorry to be a terrible blog updater.  The last 6 weeks have been crazy busy...went to Kenya to see my sis, then she came here, Gwen and Suzanne visited, my computer crashed, my parents and our friends the Hills came, I moved to Kampala, and I'm preparing to move back to Jinja...busy stuff.  But, sorry for slacking here! Prepare to have a number of blogs coming at ya in the next little bit. For the first...some things that let me now I'm for sure living out life here....

I know I live in Uganda when...

1. I sleep under a mosquito net {almost} every night


2. I can get heaps of fresh produce--avocadoes, mangoes, bananas, pineapple, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, passionfruit, and more--for the equivalent of only a few US dollars


*borrowed this picture, mine got lost when my computer crashed...*

3. These are the ones I wake up to see and love on and be loved by every day....









 4. My vacation time includes these new friends...(look in the background...)

giraffes!

oh hey elephant!



5. Holidays look a bit different...



 


6. Sweet family and friends visit but it's not quite home







6. My dependency on Christ grows each day because there's less here to make me think I've got it "under control" and much more here leading me to run back into His arms moment by moment and live from that place


7. My heart cries out a bit more every day, "How do I respond?" and I ask Jesus to guide my response and my heart. And by His grace I keep dreaming, and hoping, and loving with all I've got. And one foot in front of the other, I follow His lead and I look towards His promise of all things new.


8. As my heart breaks and His hope carries me, I find this smile and this peace ever present. This smile that creeps across my face from a deep place in my heart. This peace that comes from way beyond myself, that settles my racing thoughts and brings them back to Truth. As I sit feeding a bottle or chase littles or change diapers or do whatever it is my day finds my hands busy with, I find my heart at peace and a huge smile on my face and I know that for today, for right now, this is so right and He is enough. Always.