Hello! Greetings from the farm... and I mean from the farm. Sorry it has been so long. (Ok.. maybe I say sorry too much)

This week I really was an Acholi women. You know during the wheelchair mission one of the wise ladies that works at Koro gave me an Acholi name (Acholi is a tribe that is mainly in northern Uganda. They speak Luo). She calls me Anyadwe (On-ya-d-way) which means daughter of the moon, or as beautiful as the moon or something like that. This week I think I finally deserved the name because I finally got to just live sorta like a Ugandan.

I finally was taught by Erik how to wash my clothes, and it wasn't too bad! Except the second time I tried I think I was a little too ambitious and I rubbed some skin off my knuckles which really stung for a couple days. Haha... maybe Esther is more wise than I assume when she tells me to let her do things for me. I also got to cook a little, of course I washed the dishes (That part is easy), and even today I fetched all the water on my own. They get water for the house from a huge huge basin that all the rainwater runs into. At first I could only fetch half a bucket because it was too heavy but already I am strong enough that I fetched the whole thing today. I think my muscles are growing :)

Almost every morning this week I worked in the garden... finally! I love to work outside. I would get up around 6 and leave at about 6:30 to cut sweet potato plants and then plant them in a garden across from the piggery. I forgot to take a picture, but the next time I write I will be sure to have one.

After the garden I would usually wash or play chess with the interns from Mekere University. I think we all became good friends, even though the boys are kinda funny... I especially liked Heather (who you saw in my last post). They were the ones who put on the sports competition. They were supposed to leave last sunday, but instead stayed until Friday, which turned out to be a huge blessing.

Midweek we did some outreach. Usually during an outreach a team of staff people from Koro will play against a school or group or people, and then have a small devotional afterwards. I didn't play when we went to the vocational school or to the remand home, but I did yesterday evening. We played against these men who work as mechanics. Aloysius brings them to church to have an early service on Sunday's so they can work and go to church. So Sunday evening we had a match.... man it was hot. I was dying but I think I did ok.

This week we will mostly be preparing to meet the upcoming team. Justin's church will arrive on Saturday and stay for one week to work in a village called Pwigwini (or something like that) to build a piggery, some laternes, and to paint the daycare. It's so much work so I am anxious to see how it goes. As of now, 27 people are coming and out of the 3 vehicles we have only one is working. Also, the village is more than an hour and 1/2 drive away so it's becoming a logistical challenge.

Overall I am being really challenged spiritually, physically, and emotionally. The people here have a different way to doing ministry, conducting business, and even a different focus for their faith at times. Overall, christians all over the world can relate, but even moreso then past times I have been here, I am realizing where my faith is lacking because of the excuses I make in my life and just conforming to the culture I live in. I really want to live more purposefully. I think it is easy for me to make excuses for taking my walk with God at a slow easy pace, maybe even leaving it stagnant. But the reality is that the only thing I am doing is missing out. Missing out on the wonderful things God offers and shows you when you chose to obey him and serve him. It seems like the simplest concepts about following Christ are sometimes the hardest to really understand.

I am also being really challenged about how to effectively minister in other countries. Now that I am more involved on this side of things I am seeing struggles and cultural perceptions that I didn't see before. There is benefit, no doubt, for people to come and aid developing nations, but there are underlying things that come with it that I don't think people realize. They are things that are really difficult to overcome. It just has made re-think maybe what I want for my future and how missions or ministry or even traveling will be most effective. My second major at OSU is international studies along with ecological engineering and my whole goal (for now) it to combine practical things that empower developing nations (mainly environmental) with a good means of implementing them. I guess this internship turned out to be a perfect opportunity for me to really think about how to do that. Praise God!

 'This is where Brentwood church will work in Pwigwini. That is the start of the piggery

 These are the other interns besides Heather who left on Friday. hahaha... they are funny. From left to right we have Abdu, Ram (pronounced Rum hahaha), Mose (moses), Edwin and Muda.  I am going to miss them they were a lot of fun, and I am going to miss beating them at Chess!

 This is a piggery. To the right is where we made the garden, only it is much much bigger than what you can see

 Ok these are bicycles, but you saw earlier a picture of a boda boda (motorcycle.) Justin and I went to visit a missionary couple in their home. We played Farkle, baked brownies, ate pizza, and I got to ride a boda to the store!! Life goal Accomplished! (just don't tell Aloysius... he doesn't know)

PIGZZZZ


Thanks for your prayers. I can tell that people are watching out for me. God bless.