To get a clearer picture.

My African mom sits next to me preparing Matoke over a charcoal fire. Josh just walked by and grabbed the torch (flashlight) to equip his venture out to the squattie-pottie. By my shoulder, little Mark is trying to cram more random Luganda words into my head, and under the table the cat Max is preparing to claw my feet again. Just another night in my Ugandan house and I’m now just trying to be present. Its quiet except for the TV (a computer monitor with 2 channels) breaking the noise softly in the background, which is quite different from then the monsoon-sounding rain that pelted our roof earlier today. Our house is a nice brick house with cement floors about a ten-minute red-dirt walk from the university. The academics here are pretty great so far. The schooling is British so lots of lectures, one or two huge papers, and mountains of nightly reading. Discussions are constant here, and I’m trying to learn how to prioritize my inputs and save my (unofficially) limited comments for times when they matter (which is hard because as I’m sure you guys know… I always have things to say.) The issues we’re dealing with are mostly new for me, and so for the first time in a while I’m trying to struggle towards solid answers over hard scenarios. Its fun, and I’ve been blessed with the ability to meditate over several issues. It’s amazing what GOD will do when you are constantly expecting HIM to teach you things.
On a lighter note, most of my free time in the neighbor (which isn’t a lot) is spent tossing the Frisbee with about 14 neighborhood kids… who all run away from it, but still call for “mzungus” to throw it to them. This last weekend we went to the farm where we’ll work “a good amount” on the Saturdays we’re in town. The grow matoke (a cousin of the banana and the staple food here), cassava, sweet potatoes (my favorite with g-nut sauce (peanut)), beans, cocoa, vanilla, and other things. Its very pretty here as its still the rainy season and so many trees have brilliant color flowers on them.
I still miss home quite a bit, but am slowly getting more adjusted to my schedule here… which on weekdays goes like… 7 am. Wake up. 7:30. Morning tea. 8 go to school 8:30 classes start. Work on school stuff almost unceasingly til 7 at night when we go home. Once home we have evening tea, wait and talk, and then eat around 9-9:30 where we watch part of the news and go to bed. Repeat.
It’s a good schedule and I’m starting to enjoy the restfulness of it. Since being here joy has come some easily, and I feel free. I’m constantly thankful to GOD for the grace and am learning how to live in the joy. Sometimes, that ever so familiar darkness threatens to rear its head. But GOD has strengthened me to be able to recognize it and refuse it for the lies that it brings. Freedom, Hope, Life, Love, and questions, and refusing the flesh are what my mind dwells on. I have received comfort from the confidence that I will go where the LORD wants me, and I will be who He wants me to be. This semester will not be easy, but that’s not what I would want anyways. Please pray that GOD would continue to transform my mind as is also my constant prayer.
Know that I am always trying to keep praying for those I am not with right now.
Love you guys,
Drew