Last Day in the Field - Closing Rally

May 20, 2010
Last night Jen and I explored the hotel and found lots of random stuff like the fire extinguisher above. We pretty much explored the entire hotel...literally every nook and cranny. :) We couldn't stop laughing to go to sleep. The A/C in our room also decided to become completely DODGY and freeze us out at 17 degrees C. But I was too lazy to get out of bed to turn the thing off so I cuddled up with the blankets and my towel.

Also last night I bought a bunch of bracelets and necklaces from Irene. The beads are made from paper by widows and AIDS victims. I am pretty sure between Jason, Josh, Andrew and myself we took a good chunk of Irene's inventory, haha. :)

Jason led devotional this morning and talked about how we need to live every day devoted to Christ even when we go home.


Today was our last day in Ngelechom. We went to one group of huts which were the witch doctor's family but she was out in the garden and wouldn't come in to talk to us. There were at least 30 kids there. Jason shared the e-cube with one group of adults while I played with the kiddos. They couldn't stop laughing every time I showed them a new picture. Than they would push each other forward so I would take more pictures. Richard presented the e-cube to a group of women and some of the kids. Bernard than presented the HOPE cube.





We headed back to the church plant site. When we arrived many of the young men from yesterday were already there. Jason presented Joseph, the church plant pastor, with Bibles and the names of all the people who were saved, around 50!! Than he preached on the importance of helping the pastor grow the church. Many people in the village are busy during the day so I am hoping and praying that Sunday they will see a good size crowd. I gave Richard the Life Application Study Bible, a picture of my family and a map of the USA with Rockport marked.



Moses, the mother church pastor, gave me another Fanta today. :) I am sure now that every time I see orange Fanta I will think of him. We also met his wife, son and daughter (in picture above).

It feels like I have been in Uganda a long time but when I realize we leave in 3 days I cannot believe how fast a week has gone by. Watching Moses play with his young daughter makes me miss home a lot, especially Daddy. It is weird to think that we won't be going back to the village tomorrow but I know this was just the beginning for that church. I definitely have been feeling drawn to children's ministry during my time here. I just feel like I can openly talk to them. Even teenagers are easier for me than adults. Often with my nationals I worried about what I was saying too much. God will provide the words but I let myself get in the way. I am just more comfortable and open with youth and kids.

Tomorrow we will head to Baduda where the landslide camp is. There are around 5000 people staying there in tents. We are going to evangelize and also bring food for the 16 families of survivors and hopefully some for AIDS victims as well.

In the field, Day 3 Watch

May 19, 2010

Today was the first morning I've woken up still tired. I think the early mornings are starting to get to me. I have never been much of a morning person. :) But it's always easier to get out of bed when you have devotional and a lovely breakfast to look forward too. Allison did a great job leading devotional this morning.

Jason and I actually got to our site at 10 am! BUT our pastors weren't there so we didn't get started till around 11:30 am, you gotta love Ugandan time.


Our first stop was at a hut with a mom, her kids and another middle aged woman. Since we have visited most of the village Patrick and his team joined Alice, Richard and myself. I presented the HOPE cube and Richard presented the e-cube, yay! :) He did great for his first time presenting solo. The mother wasn't ready to accept Christ but her thirteen year old daughter did and so did the other middle aged woman. We than went to the grandmother's house. She was a retired nurse who was trying to start a clinic. I presented the HOPE cube and left one with her so she could use it with her patients. She was already saved but agreed to come fellowship with us.

These were are only new stops for the day. We re-visited the 70+ year old man from our first day in the field. We than headed back because we moved cell group to 1:30pm in hopes of avoiding the rain. Richard wanted a picture with me and I'm hoping I can figure out a way to get a copy to his but he does not have e-mail. He explained a lot of their crops to me and how they live completely off the land. I showed him pictures of my family which all of the nationals love to see.


We started cell group around 2pm and by the end had about 30 men, women and children.
My favorite man from the first day was there and I was so excited to see him. A drunk showed up and I felt very uncomfortable around him. The nationals found him funny and asked if there were any drunk in America...


Jason preached using the Book of John and then Patrick preached. I was praying that the rain would hold off until Patrick was done and sure enough about 30 seconds after he finished it started to rain.

We went to eat, again. I think that the pastor understand now that Jason and I will not be eating, haha. He is so nice though and always brings us sodas. He specifically brought a Fanta for me because it's what we had at the mother church the first day we met. Everyone is just so hospitable here. I forgot to mention that we found out that our church plant pastor has been using a Jehovah's witness "bible" - if you can even call it that. He really didn't want to give it up because of all the notes he had taken in it but we couldn't leave it with him. Jason will bring him a new Bible tomorrow.

Since we have seen all of the village I think the plan is to go as one big group to the witch doctor's house. I'm not sure how to feel about that...kind of makes me nervous but I am really curious as well. Hopefully tomorrow's cell group with grow even more on top of today's group!

In the field, day 2 Assist

May 18, 2010

I woke up to the roosters again at about 5:30am. Josh led devotional about loving good (God) and rejecting bad. Jason and I were the last to leave again so we didn't make it to our site till about 11am. My plan for the day was to let Richard do the e-cube and I would present the HOPE cube but that's not really what happened, haha!

I definitely spent more time in prayer today because yesterday I was too focused on myself. Anytime the nationals would start to talk I would just feel lost so today I spent that time praying. God's definitely showing me that it's not about me.


The first place we went to was an actual house not a hut. There was an older woman, a young man from yesterday, a young woman and at least 10 kids. The woman was saved and the man was saved yesterday so we prayed over the children. The youngest probably around 1 came up to me during the prayer and placed is head on my lap. Afterward I picked him up, butt naked and all. :) His mom joked that he would be my companion for the day.

The next stop was a woman who was already saved so we moved on to the next hut. There were lots of 6-14 year old, a 20+ year old man and his wife. The man said they attended church elsewhere but listened to the e-cube and HOPE cube. They agreed to come be a part of our church. He asked for a Bible like many did yesterday. Three young men (teenagers) were saved. I passed out e-cards to some of the younger kids. This group of kids followed us to the next stop and a few stayed to hear us go through the e-cube again. One, a young boy (orange shirt in the picture) went through his e-card while we went through the cube and showed it to his friend (black shirt). The mom at this stop said they had been attending church but they were not saved. She asked me to pray for her children and to take a picture of them. There was an older boy there who stood away from us but before we left he asked Richard to pray for him because his had had been injured and was still really painful. We placed our hands on him and prayed.

We went to a few more huts, most were mothers who said they were already saved, one told us she did not have time to talk.

Our last stop was with a middle aged man and his family. I guess one of his kids had been around us because the man was already holding an e-card. After going through the cube he told us that the Jehovah's witnesses had been by before. He than clarified with me some of the falsehoods he had been told - it's a sin to say Christ died on a cross. After getting these answers he quoted John 3:16 in English and was saved. He also asked for a Bible so he could teach his family the truth.

As we were heading back one of the young boys who had been following us wanted his mom to meet me so he brought us to her. She was resistant to the Word but she did listen.

We headed back to the church plant site and went in to eat just as it started to rain like yesterday. Again we did not have cell group.

I believe tomorrow since we have reached all of Ngelechom (our village) we are just going to go back to the house that accepted and tell them fellowship is at 1pm. Hopefully we can beat the rain.


Richard gave me some guavas on the way to the car. I'm hoping I can try them since I can peel them myself. I really love listening to Richard preach. You can just tell he loves God and believes every word he speaks.

All in all today was a great day in the field: 7 were saved and lots of kids heard the Gospel. I tried to inform their parents that the children were welcome at fellowship as well. If we have a big group of kids we can do children's ministry which I really love.

In Field Evangelism Day 1 - Model

May 17, 2010
I woke up at 6am went to devotional at 7am. The devotional was on expectations and how we need to let go of our own expectations and let God do His work through us.

Jason and I got a late start to our church plant site. We didn't arrive until around 10am. My field partners are Alice and Richard. Richard is the youth pastor at the mother church. Alice is the wife of Bernard who is one of the nationals. They have an orphanage called New Hope which we will be visiting later in the week.

Our first stop was under a tree where a group of young men were gathered. There were around 3 huts surrounding this spot. There were around 25 people there mostly young 20-something men. I started with the HOPE cube than presented the evangecube. I was a little lost on whether they already were Christians or if this was all new to them. We had about 5 accept Christ. One was a younger boy probably around 16. He was hesitant at first but we explained that it was his own choice and not for anyone else to decide for him. Two more men showed up before we were about to leave so we presented both cubes to them.

The next stop was at a single hut. There was one son and his Mom and Dad. Dad was sick and lying on a mat. Mom was apprehensive but welcoming like all Ugandans. The son was so excited and kind -- for lack of better words. He grabbed onto the E-card and tract and just wanted more and more. His face lit up in a way that I will never forget. He was so thirsty for the Word and he truly desired a relationship with Christ. He asked for a Bible like many of the men at the previous stop had. I wish I had one for each person who asks but we are leaving our Bibles with the newly planted church pastor. The young man's wife came over with her baby and Alice did a great job connecting with her and the older mother. Both women also accepted Christ.

The next stop was at another 3-4 hut place. One older man had already been saved but he brought 4 youth, one of which was saved to us so we could talk to them. A young girl was there and all I wanted to do was sit and play with her. She never took her eyes off me and was constantly smiling. Another man showed up and I presented both cubes to the group. Two of the youth and the later arriving man accepted Christ after Richard preached hard to them. THe third youth never really agreed so Alice spent some time preaching directly to him. We did get his contact information so hopefully we planted a seed today that will continue to grow.


Our last stop was at the hut of a 75 year old man was was all about praising God. I presented the e-cube to him and then Alice began to talk to him about how we needed an elder like him at the new church. He talked about all the hardships in his life but always went back to how God provided. It was such a different mind set than what I am used to back home. He came from a family of 16 but was the only one left. Recently he had been seriously injured but was now back at work. He agreed to come to the new church. In the picture above he is holding a pumpkin leaf and explaining that they eat the entire plant not just the pumpkin. He posed for this picture. :) He was also a big time Obama fan.

By this point the thunder was rumbling and huge dark clouds were forming so we went back to the church plant site as the rain started to fall.

The young man from the second stop was already there and it was really sad to see him walk away because of the rain. He said he would not be able to come tomorrow because of work so hopefully I will see him the next day.

We quickly got inside one of the pastor's huts just in time because it really started to pour. The nationals joked with me that they were going to leave me there to sleep in the hut. I find it pretty amazing that mud walls and a grass roof withstand the weather.

The women brought in food and so Jason and myself had to explain again that we couldn't eat it. The pastor did bring us sodas again to drink though. Sadly because of the rain we did not get to have our cell group meeting. I am praying that all the people we told today will remember to come tomorrow.

All in all a very eye opening day. The people are all so kind and welcoming, even when they are telling you their struggles. We did not get turned down once. They always brought us chairs and were thankful for our visit. I wish people at home cared that much for each other.

Tonight after dinner we all shared stories about our days. It was truly amazing to hear how God is already at work. It is obvious that He has been preparing these people's hearts to be open to His word. So many amazing stories that just seem so unreal. Charles, one of our nationals, actually drove out a demon which is not something you hear about in America. It just doesn't seem real. Tony, Lisa, and Josh had over 100 people at their cell group meeting. A lot of people found that women were afraid to accept Christ without their husband's approval.

I'm very excited about tomorrow, definitely hoping we can have cell group time. I really just need to let go and let God work through me. I like to be in control but I really need to fully submit this week.

Alice said we had 15-20 professions of faith and we talked to around 35 people. I felt kind of lost when neither national was translating for me but I know God was working through them. I need to remember IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!!

First Visit to the Village

May 16, 2010 - Sunday

I got a really good night's sleep, woke up to a rooster around 5:30 am. I still am adjusting a bit but today will be a short day in the field so we can rest up tonight. We started the morning with devotional as usual. Keith led us using Zechariah 8:23 and Psalm 67. We prayed over all the guys since they will be preaching today.

I may be asked to give my testimony which makes me a little nervous but I know God will work through me.

Our home/mother church is in a one room, mud hut. The children collect flowers to place in the walls and on the door. Worship is lead by a single drum and homemade shaker. Everyone dances, claps and sings along. They have two choirs - 1) Children Choir with 6 to 7 kids 2) Youth Choir with 3 young girls. The pastor spoke a short message than all pastors, elders, visitors, etc were introduced. Jason preached on John 4: 1 - 23 and did an awesome job. The evangecubes and hope cubes were explained, followed by more singing and prayer. I did not have to speak today and I have mixed emotions about that. I am relieved because I didn't have to get up in front of a group but kind of disappointed because I had amped myself up to do just that. After the service, the mother church's pastor (in photo with Jason) invited us to stay for lunch. I felt bad because we didn't eat any of it for fear of becoming sick.

The kids were curious as usual and huddled up next to the van as we were preparing to leave. They would get as close to us as they could without actually touching us or getting in the van.

Tomorrow I will be pairing up with Alice and Richard to go door-to-door. Jason said that from here on out the days get very long so I am going to try and enjoy all of my down time this evening.

I have been meaning to write down more of my "observations" so here are a few. The women in Uganda hold very traditional roles - child-care, cooking, etc. There are no women pastors but they are still active in the church - women's ministry, evangelism, etc. It is very hard to go from living in a country where independent women are so prominent to a country where women are not treated as equals. I liked that the children were and integral part of the service. And I loved how worship just made you feel so alive. The people in our village speak Swahili and Sabine. Translating between English and Swahili was a bit bumpy this morning but it was a good trial run for tomorrow. Most of the congregation spoke some English so the translations didn't have to be perfect.

After spending time with our church we headed back to the hotel. I took a power nap before an early dinner. I have been meaning to write down some of their traditional foods - plantains, milton bread (looks like brown/gray bread dough), rice, etc. After dinner we all sat outside and talked about our days. Than went inside to practice the HOPE cubes.

I may have an opportunity to do children's ministry while Jason does cell group with the adults. We will see what happens tomorrow. I am already seeing how God works using His own plan and not ours.

I already feel so comfortable with our group which is a true blessing. I cannot believe we have only known each other for 3 days. God is awesome!

From Jinja to Tororo

May 15, 2010

I woke up this morning to a beautiful breakfast of very sweet bread, bananas, pineapple, mangoes and fresh brown eggs. The fruit here is AMAZING! And most of the team is raving about the coffee. We left Jinja and our currently on the bus to Tororo. As soon as you leave "the city" everything looks like what I imagined Africa looking like. The landscape is scattered with one room huts and buildings that look unfinished. Everyone is outside working or sitting around talking. The kids yell "mazungo" - white person - as we drive by. Everyone stares, most wave. The cows are tied to the side of the street or wander freely. It's beautiful here, much greener than I expected. I definitely have seen the government at work here in Uganda, multiple soldiers and police, mostly carrying AK-47 type guns. Reminds me of the Invisible Children videos.

Our guest house was next to a secondary school. Primary --> Secondary --> College. School is very expensive. The kids wear uniforms. The boys wear shorts until they are mature enough for trousers.

We stopped at one of our National's, Moses', village. The kids were adorable and curious, especially about cameras. Afterward we headed to our hotel which is really nice! Jen and I are rooming together. I think we are warming up to each other and I cannot wait to get to know her more. She has been to Uganda once before, originally from England. She will be staying in Uganda when we leave to work with kids at a school. We had an overabundance of food again at lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to see sodas in glass bottles waiting for us...yay caffeine! :)

We than headed to the Rock Baptist Church for our "kick-off". We met our church planting team. It was awesome to see just how excited they were to get an Ecube. Tomorrow we will attend church at our mother church and than go to the church plant site and also around the surrounding village. The people in Uganda are so welcoming and willing to learn.

We headed back to the hotel and I think it's about to rain here, which I am excited about because I love the rain. It has been a pretty relaxing evening - dinner, ecube/discussion time, shower :). I did make a phone call out to Mom and Dad which was really nice. Tomorrow should be awesome going to our mother church to worship and than the guys are preaching at the service. We will have another relaxing day when we get back from out mother churches before we start our "in-field" evangelism. I am still feeling super jet lagged but I am hoping tonight's sleep catches me up a bit.

Officially in Uganda - Jinja

May 14, 2010

We drove through multiple cities tonight. I do not even know how to describe them. Shops are one room shacks with open doors and are lit by candles. The roads make no sense and driving rules seem none existent. You pass the car in front of you whenever possible. They also drive on the opposite side of the road from what we Americans do. Looking at everything makes you thankful for the things we take for granted every day like lights, and air conditioning. The people walk everywhere around here on the side of the road, seems so dangerous. We met some of our nationals at the airport. They are very nice and I love the way the shake hands. One tried to teach us Swahili/Lugandan; emphasis on tried. :) The team is awesome and already getting along great. Jet lag is awful and we start up bring and early tomorrow at 8 am. We are staying the night at a "guest house" in Jinja and will drive another hour or so tomorrow to Tororo (our final destination). I cannot wait to see God work through this team. He has already thrown some curve balls - the majority of our team got to Amsterdam 10 minutes before take off!! I am excited but very exhausted. I didn't sleep on the flight from Houston to Amsterdam at all and was in and out of sleep on the flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe. I think I will attempt to get some sleep now. I cannot wait to get going tomorrow!

Travel Day #1

May 13, 2010

3:05pm
I'm officially at the airport and really anxious. My Dad drove me up to Houston. We had lunch with my older brother before heading to the airport. With all the high security my Dad could barely even get into the airport, haha. It seemed like the only people allowed in were ticket holders. I am holding in a lot of emotions right not, trying not to cry in front of a bunch of people who don't speak English. I tried to call Megan, my roommate, but I cannot seem to make a call out or even a text for that matter. Saying bye to Dad was weird. I am very excited but just feeling a bit nervous. I am ready to get on the flight and dig into The Word and my travel guide for a bit. -Fun Fact- There are two guys from Texas A&M on my flight. I cannot believe that I will be in Africa this time tomorrow.

4:10pm
Well I am sitting in my seat, 23H (aisle seat :]), on the my first flight. Leaving from George Bush Intercontinental for Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. My expected arrival time is 8:05 am. It is an estimated 9 hour flight...no stops, ugh. I am feeling much better now. I definitely have beyond enough things to keep my busy including music, movies and my Bible. I knew God would provide comfort and He did --> Diet Coke and Colbie Caillat. I am going to dig in the Word a bit than probably watch one of the 100+ movies.

7:35pm
I just ready about the death of Christ and how even Jesus was scared but gave his life because it was God's will. God provided him with great things after he rose again. It is through his self-less act that we live fully.

The Night Before The Journey

May 12, 2010

It's here. For the past 8 months I have been thinking about this day and here it is. Tomorrow I will step on my first international flight, solo. This time tomorrow I will be nearing Amsterdam and will be anxiously waiting to meet the 8 other members of the mission team, Team Tororo! I don't know what emotions to write down or how to put my thoughts on paper. I feel like I should be freaking out right not but I can honestly say that I am not. Knowing that God has been preparing me for this trip provides me with strength and comfort. I just cannot wrap my mind around the fact that He chose me! I feel unworthy but I know that it's not just the Ugandans' lives that will be changed...I am about to have my world rocked! I will find time to write every day. I want to be able to soak it all in over and over. For now I will get some sleep in my own bed. :)

Uganda 2010

I told myself I would start writing before I left for Uganda but alas I did not. I kept a journal, hand-written!!, for the 10 days I was in Uganda so my plan is to update this blog each day as if I were in Uganda.

Tonight I will begin with the entry before my journey and will continue from there on.



So let's begin this journey, again. :)

May 1, 2010

I know, I know it's been about 5 million years since my last post give or take a few hundred years. And honestly I stopped posting because I found myself in place where I felt as though what I was going through and what I had to say just wasn't interesting or captivating or intelligent or worthwhile. I know that I am not blessed with clarity through words. I am not blessed with eloquence of typing. But sometimes I think that if I could just type it out I would feel better.

Why all of this lack of self worth? It's simple I am a 21 year old college student who has no idea where her life is going. I am single and scared out of my mind that this is my path. I am human and I am blinded by my own desires, expectations and fear of the unknown. I have been drawn to a path that is not easy.

It was not easy to pack up all my things and move 4 hours away to a school I never visited. It was not easy to choose "pot-luck" on my option for a roommate. It was not easy to spend my first month in college torn from heart break. It was not easy to set aside my pain and anger and turn to God and say "You're right, I am broken. I need you and not anyone else." It was not easy to watch myself go through cycles of obedience and then complete and total rebuke of His holy word. It was not easy to hear over and over "Rest in me my sweet child. I love you. I am all you need. Rest in me." And more than anything it has not been easy for me to watch as everyone else seems to live a life I see as "fulfilled".

Even as I type that last sentence my heart breaks. But at the same time I feel the Lord "put his hand upon my wound and whisper, rest in me." How many times have I heard the Lord say these words to me? So many questions I have cried to Him, no I take that back, I have YELLED to Him. WHY? Why would YOU CHOOSE this for me? Why would YOU PUT me in this situation? Why would YOU DECIDE this? WHY? WHY? WHY?

But then I remember. I remember that Christ suffered so much for ME. He died for ME. He too asked God WHY? In Mark 14 Christ prays to God "Abba, Father...everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." He cries out in Mark 15 "Eloi, Eloi, lema sebachthani?" "My God, my God, WHY have you forsaken me?" But yet He carried the cross and He died on it. And did God forsake Him? No! God rose Him from the dead and glorified Him. And through Him I HAVE BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! (2 Corinthians 5: 21) HALLELUJAH!

Mae: You asked a beautiful question that got me thinking. Would the sixteen year old you approve? The 16 year-old me would not believe I am where I am right now. She would not believe that I am this person. Because the 16 year-old me didn't even know who she was.

I think back to being 16 and it seems like a completely different life. And then I realize, it was. My life began the day I truly accepted Jesus Christ. My life began the day I gave my life away. And that was not when I was 16.

I wish I could say that I always followed God. That I never turned away when He called. That I was always obedient and willing. I grew up in a family that attended "church". I put that in quotations because it is not the "church" that we are called to. It simply was a building. It was not a community of believers. For as long as I could remember Sunday mornings consisted of a homemade breakfast, church service, and lunch with family. This didn't change for me until about the 7th or 8th grade.

Now think back to that time. Middle school was definitely the most dysfunctional and traumatizing time of my life. I look back on it now and think "Really?!?" I attended a youth camp in 8th grade and for the first time I heard that Christ wanted to have a personal relationship with me. This idea of this intimate relationship with Christ was completely foreign but this was when God started to water the seed in my heart.

The following year I attended the same church camp but this time God rocked my world. He broke down the walls that I had built up around my life. In doing so, He brought me to tears. I cried and cried. I remember praying to Him and saying "I want to know you but you cannot give me the one thing I desire right now. I need a physical hug. I need to feel cared for." At that moment I felt a hug and at first I swear I thought I was delusional. I turned to see a girl with her arms around me crying just as desperately as I was. She had been in my classes all year. She was new in town. Her name was Chelsea.

I wish I could say that I gave my heart to Jesus on that day. That I repented. That I gave up this earthly life and followed God, but that's not my story.

Freshmen year continued. Heart break, laughter, drama, success, gossip, friendship, loss...a never ending cycle of ups and downs. Sophomore year came. Junior year came. Senior year came...And I remained, unchanged. I can honestly say that I fell in love. But it wasn't with the one person who loves me the most. I allowed myself to push aside any reservations to pursue him. Let me make it clear that I DO NOT blame him, I DO NOT despise him, I DO NOT hate him. We were kids who did not have a solid relationship with Christ and without that relationship our own relationship began to crumble.

Than one night after longboarding with friends you Maegan came up to me and you confronted me. I of course couldn't help but be enraged with you. How could YOU of all people JUDGE ME? Harsh, bitter, malicious me came out in a way I had never seen. I didn't want to listen to what you had to say. I rambled on excuse after excuse and walked away feeling justified in my actions. Let's just say that this was the moment God put MiracleGrow on the seed in my heart.

Over the next few weeks I couldn't think about anything else. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't focus. And then one night driving back from Wal-Mart (of course!) I turned to said boy and announced that I could not and would not continue this relationship in this way. Of course I was not strong enough to say "look here mister, this relationship is unhealthy for both of us and I need to diligently seek the Lord." But it was a start. I remember getting out of the car and running up to you, Maegan, crying. All I remember saying is thank you. And I want you to know that that was the night I accepted Christ. In that moment my world changed. But it was not easy.

I look back on the past three years at Texas A&M and cannot even visualize the person I was when I entered. God has continued to rock my world. He has provided me with friendships, accountability, challenges, love, guidance, joy, and so much more. He has taken my heart and shaped it to reflect Him! And I am completely undeserving! I cannot even express my feelings about His power in my life. Even when I falter I know that He does not turn away. He continues to pursue me and I am so thankful He is much more patient than I am. He has used me in ways that I would never have imagined. He has taken me places and put me in situations that I never would have experienced on my own.

And now He is calling me to be a missionary! WHAT?! Really? Broken, undeserving, faltering ME? YES! Now if that isn't a testament of God's almighty power I don't know what is.

The craziest thing about this whole journey has been the misconceptions that He has shattered. I guess I thought that as soon as I committed myself to this mission I would just miraculously become this saint. Well, let me tell you I have not!

I moved into my first apartment in August of 2009. Having a computer in my room for the first time ever I spent most of my nights staying up too late on the computer watching movies or playing games. One night after watching a bunch of I Am Second videos I clicked on an e3 missions link. Immediately I was sent to a website that said "PICK YOUR COUNTRY AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS!!" (Or something like that) I clicked on Africa, than Uganda and before I knew it I was filling out my testimony. I clicked send, closed my laptop, and went to sleep.

Days past and I didn't think much about it. And then I received an e-mail from Lisa Svendsen.

Hey Kathleen! I wanted to introduce myself, I'm Lisa Svendsen and my husband Tony and I
will be leading the trip to Kapchorwa, Uganda next May. We are very excited
to have you joining us! I see that you found out about e3 through I Am
Second, which is wonderful, so I wanted to touch base with you and see if
you had any questions regarding this trip. Obviously, it is still awhile
before we leave, but please contact me if you have any questions at all! Looking forward to getting to know you and serving with you as we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in Uganda!

-----WAIT TIME OUT-----
This is the point where I PANIC!! I e-mailed back with something like I thought this was more of an application process...blah blah...insert lame excuse here...thanks for your time. But Lisa would not give up on me. She continued to e-mail me asking how she could pray.

One and a half months later I opened my ears and more importantly my heart to the path that God was calling me to and I accepted my spot on the mission team. I cannot believe that it has now been over 6 months. I leave for Uganda in 11 days. And through these past 6 months God has shown me just how powerful He is. God has continued to mold me.

I had doubts about getting my parents to be okay with the idea. God handled that by laying His hands on their hearts and offering them comfort through other parents and friends and family members. I figured that raising the money for the trip would be a huge challenge. God handled that and provided over $2000 in the first month. I thought that getting all the immunizations I needed would do me in. God handled that and got me through all 8 without a single tear and without a cost to myself. I was sure that preparing for the trip and finishing up my last semester of Junior year would be impossible. God handled that by providing me down time to spend alone with Him and the greatest support from friends and family. This is what God wants me to do and I have never been this certain about anything.

So where do I go from here? I can only continue to pursue Him. I can only continue to pray. I can only continue to let my guard down. I can only continue to be humbled. I can only continue to remember that Christ died for me. I can only continue to rejoice in grace. I can only continue to spread the Good News!! I will mess up. I will fall. I will stumble. And I will with God's supportive hands get back up, brush myself off, sigh and continue on...