Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Mzungu Crosses the What? The Lake.

June 16

Today I had the privilege of spending my Wednesday with Becky (long-term with ITeams) and Benna (World Vision). Benna (Bernadette) has an amazing vision to enhance and develop the identity of the children of Uganda. Becky and I went with her to a primary school, about a half hour from Soroti. We spent hours (about 3) there watching Benna talk to a group of 20 children aged from 11-15 about early marriage, abstaining from sex (teachers often pressure students to sleep with them for passing grades, etc.), taking a stand for themselves, gender equality, respect, and assertiveness.
After we ate lunch (with our hands) at 3, we went to check out the lake that was ‘nearby’ (close is a subjective term in Uganda). What we expected to be a look-and-go situation turned into a, drive into the bush-wade in the water-get in a boat-paddle across the lake, type of hour. It was so, so fun.
The below video will give you a good taste of what the journey entailed.
[Excuse me, this is where the video would have gone if the internet was strong enough to post]
Today was more than just an informative and fun day…it was a day of the emergence of a bright and positive attitude.
These last few days have been difficult; I have struggled to find my place. I entered an already established team and have been trying to enter both into the culture and the team. I was feeling like it was taking me way too long to adjust to where I was. Because of this tortoise like pace, I began to lose sight of my purpose and whom I should be depending on. Last night I pulled out my prayer journal for the first time. It was so good…just what I needed (thank you SO much to all those who contributed). For those who don’t know what a prayer journal is, I will briefly explain. Basically, someone close to and SOS-er is asked to put together a book of encouraging notes from friends. My youngest sister, Hannah, wrote to me about our time in Mexico—and about past regrets. This, along with an allotment of other wisdom, was perfection
Needless to say, I was built up in an incredible way not only by the encouragement that was found in the pages, but also by the truth that was spoken to me; truth that I knew, but I still needed to be reminded of.
Today was such a good day…I not only crossed the lake of Uganda, I crossed a lake of knowledge…or something (clever, eh…not only literal, but metaphorical).
p.s. Mizungu means white person in Ateso.

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