Hey everyone.

I know I havent blogged much, But I was sending emails today and realized there was a lot on my mind. I thought it would be worth putting on my blog. 

First off, this weekend was awesome. My group went to a remote place in the sierra of Ecuador called Intag which is in the cloud forest. There are so many absolutely beautiful places here. The Cloud forest is like a jungle/forest that is high up so often there is cloud mist through it. It is very mountainous and very very green. We stayed at a center where some locals and activists live who are trying to preserve the forest from the very destructive effects of mining.

We went on this walk for 3-4 hours! In the jungle jungle. It is actually more like forest, but nonetheless amazing. We climbed a small waterfall even, oh my gosh I was in heaven. And the walk was super hard which made it even better. It was full of giant leaf plants, all sorts of cool bugs, unique small birds, we pretty much followed this small river the whole way, there were unique flowers and it was so steep everywhere. There were even tree vines like in tarzan! It was really magical and the group had a great time.

The place we were staying was really cool too.They had like a small farm where they grew their own food, and food for their animals and had different natural techniques for fertilization like using human waste. I bathed in a waterfall which was sooo sweet and also freeeezing. 

The other awesome thing was I really bonded with everyone. In case you don't remember there are 11 in the group; 5 boys and 6 girls. We played partner hearts (Hearts is a 4 person card game, but we played with partners and 5 groups) and it was so fun. So fun. We also just talked a lot, sitting in hammocks watching ping ping matches on the ping pong table they had. I got to get to know some people I hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to yet. 

Lastly we stopped in a town called Otavalo and were able to do some shopping. I got some pretty hott stripped cloth pants and some other small things. There are a million times more handicrafts here than in Africa which is really fun.

Oh.... I forgot to mention the food. My first two weeks with my host family have been rough. First I had a parasite from Uganda, then I had stomach inflammation immediately afterwards. But now that I am better... not throwing up and all that stuff... I can EAT! And the food in Intag was AMAZING. Everything was natural, grown either on the farm or in the area, and just delicious. I could feel the health pouring out of my skin. So so good. 

Despite all this, I have been really challenged. The hard part for me is my mind; everything I think is turned upside down. 

My director Fabio is an anthropologist and has done a lot of research with indigenous people. His PhD thesis was on cosmology in a very indigenous community and basically he said that he concluded that the work of missionaries was “cultural genocide.” It’s hard because my motives for caring about the environment and social problems are really different and there are a lot of conflicting ideas. But what he says really is true. Missionaries really do damage sometimes and certainly changing I lifestyle to follow Christ will change culture. I’m just struggling on what cause I want to live for, what it really means to be living for Christ.

I feel like in the Christian culture, people really really value being reckless and just going for it and leaving everything up to God and telling people all about Jesus no matter what because it is the truth. But really… there is a bit of truth in what non-Christians say. What if you really do have to be careful? I mean in the past missionaries have really been destructive, and who says they still aren’t now? M mind is all over the place… who is right? Where is the balance? Where is the line? Are people more important than the earth? What is good living?  After being in Uganda for so long, this has really been a challenging mental and spiritual adjustment,

There seem to always be contractions I see in people’s motives to better developing countries. People want political and economic stability, which of course requires development and planning… people want electricity and transportation and education and opportunity. But activists also want to preserve culture, preserve the environment and preserve simplicity of life…. All things that I totally love. But how do you do both? For example in Ecuador, if you want to stop the people from mining because it will kill the environment, but you also want to travel to the city and have more opportunity and wire your house so you have light, all which require copper, how can you flight for both?

That is why I think God really can be the only solution. When I see problems in the world, I keep seeing more and more sides. A problem that has 4 sides turns into a problem that has 8, then 12, then dozens and dozens more factors come into play. Then it just becomes one big circle, or one big mess where everything is intertwined. How can a single person or a single idea or a entity solve any problem to the fullest? It’s impossible. That’s why I am glad I have the peace of knowing a savior. Despite all my efforts and all my future aspirations to help the world, ultimately the most I can do is just give my trust to God. I think, I hope, I pray, that he can do a lot more than me. And of course, I trust in the fact that he has complete control. Maybe things seem on the edge, but in the end things can’t go over the edge. Because even dying isn’t the end, I have hope for eternity in peace. But at the same time, I want to be responsible in how I live my life and the way that I affect others. Yeah... basically my head is a mess.

Thank you for listening... I hope this post wasn't too complicated. Below are some pictures from Intag. they are the best... but its a little taste. Also I put a couple of when I went camping with my host brother at Quilotoa... a GORGEOUS lagoon that used to be a volcano. So amazing. 

This is Quilotoa where I camped with my host brother and his friends. It is amazing! We camped down next to the lagoon. This is a crater from a volcano, and it is at a very very high altitude so the whole time it was FREEZING. When we left, we walked up those mountains, it took like two hours.  My favorite place so far, it was so beautiful.

Also Quiltotoa. that is my brother on the right and two friends. Below is mi hermano y yo! (my brother and I) Mi amigo mejor Ecuatoriano

This is la cascada (waterfall) that we climbed up in Intag on the 3 hour walk.

Todas las mujeres de mi grupo! Que Lindas! (All the girls.) From the left: Clair, Jocelyn, Amiee, Andreja, yo, and Tia.

Todos los hombres! Que Guapos! From the left: Tyler, David, Kyle, Steven, and Tyler.

Also in Intag. 

Thanks everyone! 

Hello friends and family. Just for the sake of ease, I am going to continue my adventures now in Ecuador on this same blog so that once in a while you can keep up with me but not have to find a new site. I obviously am here for a very different purpose, but I am not a fan of facebook so I just want the people I am close to to be able to see pictures, know what I am doing, know how I am feeling, and still know what God is doing in my life in this very different place.

I arrived on Saturday in Quito, a large city in the sierra region of Ecuador. I was there one night by myself and then one more night with 7 other members of our 11 member group (very small!) The 8 of us went to a town on the Equator  called San Antonio from Monday to Thurs and on Tuesday night the other 3 joined us (they were stuck in the Miami airport). In San Antonio we did a lot of listening and some fun activities for orientation. Then Friday we went to "Los Chillos" where I am now staying with my family!!! :)

The first week was fun, but really difficult for me. I think I underestimated what I was doing in hopping from culture to culture. Ecuador has many artistic elements to it I did not expect, and the people of course are very different from Africa. I guess I was also expecting to see a lot  of poverty, dirty cities, people living on bare minimum... but clearly Africa has much more poverty. But it is ok and I am excited to learn about the culture.

The other difficult thing, probably moreso than the new culture was the culture shock of United States college students. I found myself very internally frustrated at my lack of many things. I felt like communication was more difficult, one because my mind is still kinda in Africa, and two I spent a lot of my summer in silence, and in the US we talk a lot. I think there were many things that just came as a shock and made it hard for me to feel comfortable, but I have been trying my best to ignore my discomfort and just engage. I think it is going much better at this point.

My host family is wonderful! I love my mom and I have a 19 year old brother and a very sweet 13 year old sister. The mother is named Sol (which if you dont speak spanish it means "sun") the brother is named Christian and the sister is Camila or "Cami." I have yet to meet the father who should be back from a trip today. I am glad the younger sister can speak english well so when I get stuck I can ask for help. But honestly I am doing well in understanding (at least better than I though) and the family is very patient with me. next week we will be starting just Spanish class. There are 3 teacher for 11 students, and we will be studying 5 hours a day 5 days a week, plus some other classes in some afternoons. By the end of 4 weeks I should be pretty good!

Yesterday was the highlight so far. Sol said "You want to go for a walk with Cami, Chris, and Martin?" (Martin is a HUGE dog). And so I agreed and they told me they were going to climb the hill to the top where there is a cross (in spanish "cruz"). Ok.... NOT A HILL. It was DEFINITELY a mountain. I will have to take a picture, you can see the cross from my house.... its so steep and tall. I litterally think it was the hardest hike I have ever done. There were 3 times near the end where we had to stop for a min, and I literally thought I can not finish this walk. First, it was steep the whole way, no flat parts, no nothing. Second, the altitude in the city is 10,000 feet so already I am trying to adjust to breathing less air. I was so proud though when I made it and as you can see below it was SO worth it.

Hello everyone!

In case you didn't know I am home safely now. I successfully made it here without any illness, crashing planes, car accidents, killer insect bites... nothing! I am even feeling healthy. I am a bit tired but my jet lag or whatever you call the tiredness you get when you travel isn't so much.

I thought I would do one more post sort of wrapping up my trip, or my thoughts, or anything. I might be using this blog in the future to briefly update about my next trip (which is very very soon) so if you still want to periodically check it to see how I am doing, you should!

I am really suprised at my reaction to being home. I know on my short term trips, and specifically my Africa ones, I have really had a case of reverse culture shock. But honestly when I got home this time, I felt great. I was really anxious on the place to see my family and I was just happy to be home. It's almost as if I never left. I am still very sad that I have left Uganda and the people there but there is something different then the last times I went. This time I know I am going back someday and that I will be with my Ugandan family again. I don't know how or why or when but I know I will go.

When I went to Africa the first time when I was 14 I had this crazy dream that maybe one day I would live there. But getting older made me realize that I could do important things here at home, maybe it wouldn't happen, blah blah blah. Even the last time I went, I wasn't sure when or if I would ever come back. Even now I am amazed I went this summer. I honestly didn't think I would travel to Uganda during college and I was starting to doubt if I would go back at all, at least maybe not until I was older. But I am so glad I went and it was the perfect time in my life to go..... as God always plans things perfectly. I don't have some whimsical dream to live there one day anymore, but instead I see an open door. If God really wants me to go somewhere, now I see he WILL take me there. And he can take me there.

My biggest challenge was to have a purpose in going to Africa. I really wanted to be useful, I really wanted to be helpful. I think all Americans do when they go on trips like missions trips. I see that a lot of people have a goal and they want to accomplish it and they want to make an impact and use their resources to be helpful. Which are all great things. The problem I was running into when I got there was that I had been there before, so I saw the other side to things. I saw that when people looked at me, many times all they saw was my skin, and white skin mean money. But that wasn't why I came. Now I know I came there to learn, I came there to be open and willing to do whatever I was asked by Aloysius, or by Christ to do. I came there to serve. And I didn't want an agenda because I didn't want to be disappointed when it wasn't met, and also I didn't want to miss out on the greater things God has planned.

I really struggled for a while on this trip, but in the end it was clear that God really used me. Esther and I really bonded even if it took a little time. I think spending all that time with Joshua and accomplishing the little things around the home were a huge blessing to her. I know her and Aloysius both struggle a lot and sometimes it causes depression. I sensed it in both of them when I first came, but Esther especially I saw a change by the end. For me, that was the hugest gain of all. When I come home from college, I might not always do the best job, but I just want to be a help to my mother because I know she works so hard and I want to give her even just a little break. I wanted that for Esther too. Esther is a silent servant. She is soooo strong and so committed and she does many many things people don't see. So when she told me that my being in Koro brought peace in her heart, my soul lit up. I am so happy that God allowed me to do that because I see so much value in that blessing.

The other thing that was hard was learning. I was very very very blessed by all the many things I got to do and see and learn. I just got to have a little bit of a better understanding how the world interacts with each other, especially in ministry. I always knew this, but it became solidified in my soul what it means to depend on Christ. It was really interesting in church one day Aloysius was preaching and he said something really remarkable. In the US we really really value independence, but God requires us to be completely dependent. that is the total opposite of all that I have been taught, and what my culture aims for. We value standing on our own two feet, but really to have value and success I need to cling to the Lord with everything. I know it's kind of an obvious idea but it's not so clear when I am living my life everyday.

Another huge thing I learned was sacrifice. Esther really helped me to see what real sacrifice looks like. You put God before everything, even before your family or your children. Sacrifice them for Christ because he takes care of all those things. But I hope I can see that in everything I do. There was a girl from the Brentwood Church team who gave a very very short testimony in church but to me it was really powerful. She said, with tears in her eyes, about how she had recently lost her business and her health and was learning what it means to rely on God. That just really spoke to me because now I see... When I attach myself to my things, my family, my education, my friends, all the important things... and then they are taken from me, it becomes very painful. But if I just keep attaching myself to Christ, he will never be ripped away from me, and when those things go or die I still am fully secure. I honestly wouldn't mind living so simply, without a lot of things, maybe in a place like Uganda. Because if I was doing the Lord's work I don't feel a need for anything else. But if God blesses me with wealth and a nice place to live in the US, I just pray that I use every little thing I get as best I can, and give it all back to my Savior.

I want to thank everyone so much for all the support you gave me. I feel so thankful, I have so many people who care about me and what I am doing in my life. Honestly I was surprised when I went to church and so many people knew where I went this summer and even were looking at my blog. I know I am TERRIBLE at following blogs and all that so THANK YOU THANK YOU! I really really really appreciate it. And especially thank you to the people who financially supported me. Your gift was very well used. I pray God blesses you for your faithfulness and generosity, and I know he will.

Maybe you will hear from me again soon. I have 10-11 days left and then I go to Ecuador for my study abroad trip. I am actually really nervous. I know it will be completely different, and I know rest will be a key key thing. So if you are willing you can always continue to pray for me. I know, being human I have a lot of pride and I especially don't like to ask for prayer. But I know it is God's desire and that he is faithful when you communicate with him.

Again thank you so much. I pray that God will bless you. And may he bless Uganda; provide for the many needs that are there, and bless he faithful people who are doing his work.

It's almost 5 in the morning and I think my time-zone confusion caused me to wake up at 3. I have been trying to cycle through some pictures. So I want to do a post just of many pictures from the most recent activities and maybe some old ones I didn't get a chance to put. Enjoy :)

This was the final picture I took in Uganda with my African mother Esther. I love her so much and really was crying in my heart when I said goodbye to Esther and Joshua. But I know and they know one day I will see them again.

This is Ivan! I interviewed him the very last day! We were tight for time so I didn't get to do all the shopping I wanted but at least I got to talk to him. I am hoping to help him with University studies for engineering. I think I talked about what inspired me in an earlier post so if you want the full version you might want to read further back. But in short he is very smart, has been a leader in the slum ministries for a while (he still lives in the slum by the way) and since I am an engineer I really see the value in that sort of education. Pray that I can work it out to maybe find someone to sponsor his schooling...... its really really NOT expensive.

Me and my BEST FRIEND! :)

This one is compliments of Karen.......

Also compliments of Karen..............

The futbol team for the mechanics. They are from the Central so they speak Luganda and I was playing the match when we were competing against them.  I don't know why but I was asked to take their picture....

Kampala chess program

Gulu town....


These next few pictures are from the time we went to Lagutu village for the meeting (that was 5 hours long) and for the images of the children saying thank you to different sponsors. If you dont remember when I posted, Lagutu is the village I went to in 2008 so it was cool to see it again.

This is a student who did well in school and was given gifts. Of course they wanted the "women from outside" to congratulate them.....

Lagutu.

 

Children are saying "Thank you!" to Aloysius's video camera.

I hope you have enjoyed!! Thank you for all your care and prayers.

Today is the morning of when I fly home. Its becoming very very sad for me to leave, especially for me to leave Esther and Joshua. I love them so much, and also Fred and Nicollette who have been hosting me again for the past two nights. But at the same time I cant wait to see my family.

Yesterday I went shopping with Esther. I thought we were going to go to the small tourist markets that I have been to in the past, but we went to the real market. It was so huge I got soooo lost. I am glad I was with Esther because otherwise I would have never gotten all the things I wanted, and probably not made out in one piece. I didn't even see a single white person the whole time. It was a really fun experience.

Also yesterday afternoon I spent the afternoon at Esther's small  small place in Kampala near Makere University. They rent it so that they have a quite place to stay when they come to Kampala. I loved being there it is so small and peaceful just to be alone for a while. Also I got to take a nap which was much needed. 

 
Here are some of Esthers neighbors that Joshua and I played with.

I think this one is self explanatory.

I don't have much else to say at the moment. I am very tired because I think when I get anxious I don't sleep well. But you will be hearing from me again when I reach home and I will be sure to have my final pictures by then :) Thank you for all the support.

Oli Otia. This might be my last post in Uganda. I will write one more time after I get home, but until then I think this is it. Maybe....

I have just arrived safely in Kampala from Gulu. Esther Eric and I (oh and Joshua) rode the bus from Gulu to here. It was quite an experience, and it has made me even more thankful that Esther agreed to come to Kampala with me. I felt since she had been gone to pick the children I didn' have enough time with her and she decided to come back to send me off. What a great mother. But the bus ride.... lets just say it was a little crowed and kind of long. I didn't mind so much though. Of course I sat by a little 6 month old baby, so of course I got to hold her. :)

The last few days have been so busy. The children came back on Saturday and the whole house changes when they are home. Somehow things around the house are misplaced more easily... food and water seem to run out quicker... and there is SO much more energy. The children are Hannah who is in S1 or S2 and she is 14. Then Job just turned 12 and he is in P7. Then Esther Karen (who I just call Karen) is 9. Karen is so adorable! She instantly became my best friend. I think anyone who meets her instantly becomes her best friend because she just has a sweet spirit. We played Uno, board games, tickle monster... we played everything!

So that is Karen. She also became an expert photographer with my camera. In the top picture we were trying to jump... but it didn't really work out. Then this other picture is Karen and Eric so is her other best friend.

I know some people at home will be happy to hear that two days ago I learned to make Chapatis! I had asked Aunt Jessica if I could make then the whole time I was there and finally I got a chance to learn. It's much more intense than the attempts I have made at home so I am going to need to keep the muscle I have gained if I want to be able to manage making them later.

This is Gloria on the left and Hannah on the right. Gloria is not one of the children but she stays at the farm on holidays. She is almost ready to graduate in November from Secondary school.

You cant see the face, but this one is Job.

And this is my baby :) Baby Gary. I love him sooooo much. He looks like a girl, but trust me its a boy. This is the son of a woman who sometimes works on the farm and I met her husband during the wheelchair team distribution. I didn't really want to take anyone home until I met baby Gary. I think there have been at least 3 days where I spent the whole day with him.

I didn't mention about the meetings that happened last week. On maybe Friday I think.... I dont know... but anyway Aloysius Moreen and I went to a village called Lagutu. This was the village that I visited when I was with Don and Jubi in 2008, so I had been waiting for a long time to see it again. I am really glad i went. It is about 15 mins closer to the farm than Pugwinyi so it is still pretty far. When I was there last, there was a small daycare/church that was held in a shelter made of a few logs and corrigated metal. Now there is a whole school up to P3. And plus the school is really nice. there is also an office and some other buildings.... it has changed a lot.

We traveled there for two reasons. The first was to get some film and pictures of the children. They were supposed to be thanking some sponsors for different gifts the school had recieved. So Aloysius once again made me the official photographer. It was actually really fun and really cute to watch them all say "Thank you Vicky... clap clap clap!" The most precious thing for me though was something really amazing. At the end Aloysius told them to sing a song for the people who sponsored them. You know what they sang? "May the lord bless you, may the lord keep you...." Jubilee and I taught them that song in 2008! I was so amazed it was really special for me. And Jubilee... if you are reading this I wanted you to be there so badly! I really missed you then and wish you could have seen that.

The other reason we came was for some end of term meeting with the school staff, children, and parents. I am telling you..... AFrican meetings....... my Gosh! And I thought two hour classes were bad. This meeting lasted almost 5 hours. We arrived at 11 and didnt leave until after 6. And really... they didnt talk about that much. I dont know how Acholi people are so long winded! If you want to learn patience just come to Acholi land and attend a meeting. I know now how to be attentive at school, class will be a breeze.

I want to post pictures of Lagutu but I just realized that I left my other card in Gulu. Somehow I hope I can get it back. So maybe I will post again before I leave Uganda.

I will talk again soon. I think it is time for me to go with Fred. I am so excited to stay with their family again :) And I am happy Esther is still here I was not ready to say goodbye to her yet. Thank you for praying. Know I have been praying for home a lot and I am sad to leave but definitely ready to see my family again. I miss them a lot. And maybe a hot shower would be nice.

Hello Everyone

This post will be kind of short. I don't have a whole lot to say. But I do have some pictures so hopefully they will load.

This week has been a bit slow. I think it was Monday that I decided to go with the wheelchair team. There was the team that came in June and then now there is a small group of people who are doing interviews of people who received chairs. They went to two places.... one place was pretty much in town and the other was really really really really far. Like over 2 hours of driving. Really far.

The first man was actually I believe a commander in the war. He was one of the first people to be abducted when he was 15 in like 1987. Yeah, thats a long time ago. He lost his leg close to year 2000 and was in the war for 15-20 years total. He story was really incredible, but you could also see how the war really affected him. He has many wives and has a bit of a skewed perspective of churches and Christianity but I also see hope in him to have a big impact on people. It was really amazing to listen to him and all the things he went through.

The second man was the one from the village really really far away. I remembered him from the wheelchair distribution, and he also remembered me! He stepped on a land mine and that is how his leg got really messed up... and it was only last year that it happened. His name is Richard and he said very few words but you could tell he had a good heart and a lot of hope. He had no bitterness or complains which is kinda rare in this area. He was just really thankful for his life and even had hopes for the future. It was worth the drive to meet with him.

These are twin babies Opio and Achen. They were so adorable they belonged to the first man we visited who was in the war. The only problem is that Robert (the doctor) found that the boy Opio was having trouble holding up his neck which is why he is in the basket.

This is Richard the one who remembers me from the distribution. 

I dont know why this picture is distorted but that was the man who was in the war and some of his family. 

In the wheel chair is Katie. The one with the Camera is Glen (who went to George Fox!!) and Robert Doctor is the black guy. The two are from Joni and friends and were a part of the interview team. There was also Tommy, Lori, and Pastor Francis.

There should be another picture of pastor francis and a baby but it didnt upload. 

So yesterday I was also in town and I went to my friend Lydia's home to pick some clothes I has made! Oh my gosh they were amazing and it made my day. Everyone thinks I look so smart in them (that means I'm lookin good). She sews so well and she had polio as a child so her legs dont work. So she is the only seamstress I know who sews sitting on the ground. Erik took pictures of us... a few too many.

As you can tell we had a good time. 

That's about all for today sorry I dont have time for more. Aloysius was gracious enough to take me to town even if it is a small amount of time. It seems like everyday he tries to rest and misses the oppertunity. I think the people at Sports Outreach need to spend 2 months here like I have. Then they would really see what goes on and the amazingly huge tasks that Aloysius and his family face everyday. Thank you for your prayers.