Kapchorwa... Easily the best week since I have been here

It has been a little over a week since we returned from a week long homestay in Kapchorwa District.  Kapchorwa is located in Eastern Uganda and it was about a 4 hour drive from the university.  We all got placed in families from Friday to Friday all over the village, and our sole responsibility for the week was to live life.  I was pretty nervous going into the week, I didn't know what it would be like to live with no electricity, no running water, and with a family that might speak little to no English.  Also, all of us USPers have become so close over the last 2 months, I didn't know what it would be like to not be with them for a week as well.  Luckily, I got placed with the best family possible and had the best week of my life!  My momma and papa were named Mike and Annie.  My papa owns coffee plantations and sells the coffee to factories, and also owns a small shop.  And my momma stays at home while selling buns, mandoesies, and vegetables at the market every night to make some extra money. 

 

I had the most amazing brothers and sisters I could have ever asked for.  Elizabeth-15, Brynic-14, Bowel-14, Finnasia-11, Emmanuel-8, and Tracy-3.  These 6 kids light up my world, and were by far the best part about this week!  Elizabeth was the only one that new much English with the older boys knowing a little, but that didn't matter one bit.  When they came home from school we would kick the "soccer ball" around for a little bit, then I would sell goods at the market with Finnasia, and then every night us girls had a sleepover!  I would also play with Tracy during the day all day.

Tracy.

All of my siblings. 

Finnasia.

Elizabeth

 

Eman, Bowel, Brynic

One of the best things about the week was being able to walk outside and be in awe of the beauty around me.  Kapchorwa is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever been in.  And lucky for me, my papa took me on "tours" everyday practically and I got to see all around the town and all the beautiful sites. 

This what outside the back of our house overlooking papa's plantations. 

We went in a cave on one of our first ours, it was really cool because there were crystals. 

Alli met up with us one day to go on a tour, she was a neighbor and family friend of my family. 

This week consisted of a lot of resting and relaxing and taking tea, but I loved it.  After a week of midterms, all I wanted to do was relax and not focus on school.  I appreciated how much I was able to get to know my neighbors, I wasn't able to talk much to them because they don't know English and I just knew how to say hi and how are you, but yet I was able to go over to their places and take tea with them and just sit and be present with them.  There is such a beauty in a community that just focuses on being present and nothing else. 

The first night there they had me kill a chicken and help prepare it, I screamed a lot once I cut off its head and yet the body was still moving.  They also had me eat the gizzard which was interesting experience. 

Dish dyer

Nicely made fence :)

Selling at the market every night in the evening. 

Papa's friends drinking one morning, a little different than American drinking, and it looked pretty nasty as well. 

Our house and papa's shop.

This is an expert from a journal entry I did for a class after the week. 

The last night there during my “farewell party” my brothers, sisters, and I were dancing the night away.  At one point I was dancing with my sister Finnasia, hand in hand, and all the sudden looked up at the sky and tears started running uncontrollably down my face.  In that moment, I was the happiest I have been in a long time.  I started praying to God praising Him for this moment, and thanking Him for placing Finnasia in my life for that week.  I realized that this past week, my 11 year old Kapchorwa sister was my guardian spirit, and the Lord sent her to fill me with exactly what I needed. 

            If you would have asked me at the beginning of the semester, where am I going to find mentors and guardian spirits?  I would probably have answered, the teachers, my host parents, my classmates, the PAs, or other adults, I would have never answered an 11 year old I met for 7 days.  All those people I mentioned have been guardian spirits and mentors helping me along the path, but right now Finnasia has been one source of unexpected help I didn’t see coming.  In this one week, God choose to reveal Himself to me and seek to comfort me through my sister.  Finnasia’s English was not that strong but that didn’t matter.  Once she warmed up to me, I just felt like any moment we were together we both couldn’t help but smile.  Every night I sold buns, and she sold vegetables right next to me, and I treasure those 2 hours together at the market so much to me.  We were also roommates with my other sister, and I loved sharing a room with Finnasia, and actually sought much comfort from sharing a room.  Finnasia was filled with so much joy and was also so happy.  She showed me what it really looks like to love your life, and love the moment that you have been placed in.

            When we started reading Primal Vision we really looked at not putting God in box, and be able to think that He can reveal himself in ways that we cannot even comprehend.  These past few weeks it has been my prayer every night, asking God to reveal Himself to me in ways I have never seen Him before.  I knew while I was in Kapchorwa, I was going to be stretched, with no power, no music, no friends, what I felt like, no anything.  How was I am suppose to see Him, when how I normally see Him is all removed from me, so He decided to send a spirit my way through my sister, which is such an AMAZING and COOL thing to think about!  We serve a God so big, He knows how we see Him, and reveals Himself in ways we can understand him. 

            This has really made me think about how God chooses to reveal himself here in Uganda.  I think Taylor once mentioned the concept that God may choose to be revealing himself through Muslims or the concept was something along these lines.  Though this concept may be farfetched; I am starting to see how it is applicable here.  In America, we may be use to God revealing himself through blessing us with a job with money to have a nice house and afford a good education.  Here they don’t necessarily get those blessings but they have each other and nature.  God chooses to reveal himself through family, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors, and that is so awesome to witness.  I love my time here, and how God sends spirits to watch over me and comfort me, and I cannot wait to see what else or who else He sends my way.