Rubber Chocolate

Is it normal for chocolate, when it sits outside, to turn into rubber? Not in taste, but in total texture? Flopping around….

Hmmm….

Two things I have come to realize in the past week:

1.) Praise God if I get what I want or NOT GET
2.) His timing is so unbelievably perfect

3.) I only said two things, but the third thing is that I think I could survive out in the bush….I mean no power, no internet, no water….heck it is like I live in the bush already!

Kampala – amazing. Lots of connections, rest, errands and resources.

Karuma – new friends, new ideas, connections and the Nile River.

Nothing is better than waking up in Uganda to the African sunrise, animals singing and the Nile River rushing through…cutting its way through the land.

As much as it was nice to eat American type food and be in a big American like city, I am so relieved and happy to be back in Gulu. To be home is to breathe again. Sweet breath…Gulu air is like non-other.

Sometimes I feel like I am writing a romance novel – not one that we all are thinking of, but one between Uganda and me….or maybe more of God and me. Each day I feel the love over and over again. As much as the struggles may arise, the love is there and unending.

Not sure where that came from.

4.) Realized that Satan knows he can’t touch Team Gulu spiritually, physically (though he tries – pray for Ashley!!!) or mentally because we are super-conquerors in the LORD – so he attacks us in other ways….our vehicle. Our vehicle has been a crucial instrument to Satan’s demise to Team Gulu. Yet, we find ways to persevere, grow in wisdom, be patient and love more. Now the engine is fixed so the tires go nuts….Satan’s hand tries so hard. What a sucker…has no clue that he can’t defeat what He has planned for His glory. Sucker. I would feel bad for Satan but he is against the Creator….and I am on His side. Boy o boy.

I feel like I have much to catch everyone up on….and I do.

The smack down is here! And by that, I mean the kids and parents are being held accountable for things like they haven’t before. Let’s just say Ms. S is in the house and teaching everyone else that they need to find their inner Ms. S. Children’s education, future and health are so important and no one should play with that. I believe we are all on the same page. Praise God. We are teaching children and parents what being children, parents and family are all about.

Counseling is going great. We are finding there is a need for more people to counsel (duh).Praise God. I feel like the release has happened…people are realizing freedom is happening. Jennifer is learning and now teaching her kids how to write A and B; Monica is smiling and initiating hugs; Godfred BEAMED when he got his new Acholi bible and went straight to a verse that knocked me around and kept on coming up:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

As I was praying today Joshua 1:1-9 just floored me. I felt very connected to it. Maybe it is the land issues the Acholi face; maybe it is the promises God has given us; maybe it is just being courageous in the LORD and to never forget it. All of it just made sense. It seemed almost like there was music enhancing the dramatic-ness of it all. Very poetic. Very real. Very cool.

Children are learning. Okema, after we told his grandmother of his behavior which was followed with a caning, started teaching other children how to write the alphabet…and he just learned last week. Wow. AND he is behaving.

Children are the greatest investment ANYONE can make.

I think I am going to try to use the latrines at school tomorrow so we can save our water here for showers….cuz showers are WAY more important than flushing toilets. Heck….flushing toilets is a TOTAL luxury….showers…a necessity.

See, this is where Evelyn (Mama Laker/Godfred) needs to believe me that I want to live on her land. I asked. She pointed to a place I can build a hut. In the meantime, if I help harvest and work on the land, I can stay in the guest house that is almost done being built….for when I am too tired to drive back home. She told me not to be afraid, God will protect me (this is AFTER she shared stories of how rebels came to her home many times). I believe her. I hope she believes me. Cuz I wanna live there. Oh, how sweet would that be?

I told my mom that – she then asked me if I was thinking of being out here for good.

I told her I had no clue….but I do have 2 years to fill up….why not out at Tegot?

God will lead me….He always has and always will. He says He will. I just need to listen. So if He tells me one thing….that one thing is all that I need to concentrate on. I don’t need to know where I am going, who am I going with, how I will get there….I just need to follow Him. I just want to respond in every instance with an “immediately (she) left (her) nets and followed Him” Mark 1:18

Even if it scares the mess out of me….I need to hear His voice over and over saying to me “Do not be afraid”

Shout out: Happy Birthday, Mohammed.