Kenya!

So this weekend I went back to Kenya and got to spend the weekend with the Leisters and with Brea! I had so much fun. I left Kampala at around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't have enough money to get across the border. I prayed and had my parents praying and anyone they could get a hold of. Anyways God blessed me when I found extra money when I was exchanging into Kenyan Shillings and then at the border they didn't even charge me for a new Kenyan Visa like they were suppose to (I had no problems on the way back either). Anyways Horace picked me up at the Bus station and then I went to their house to spend the day with all the kids and Brea! The next day Phyllis and I walked to the Tuckers (which is who Brea is living with, and also who married my parents) and picked Brea up with Dema one of the little girls that lives with the Leisters and is my "chubby chubby" friend. During Christmas I got her to say chubby chubby all the time because that girl has rolls everywhere and is so cute! Anyways that day we spent the whole day at the Leisters helping taking care of the kids and Brea stayed over for dinner and movie night (which is suppose to be Saturday nights but Troy and Dannon insisted that I be present when they had it). Anyways I left the next day which was Saturday at 1pm and it was really hard. Dema came running out to say bye and I almost started crying. I really have fallen in love with all those little kids and hope that the Leisters will save one for me so that I can addopt one once I am married so they might be 13 but hey worth the try. Anyways I had so much fun and am planning on going back in February for two weeks of more and really can't wait to go back and see the babies, the Leisters, and Brea! Anyways my life will be mostly the same back here in Uganda except for a week trip to Miyuge the first week of February. And maybe going and helping out another pastor in Kampala named Deo for a week or less. But other than that I will be teaching dance classes and being a part of the music ministry and life here at GCC and ARMS. I love and miss all of you and will continue saying that at the end of these messages until I have been to Seattle, Yakima, Wichita, Lewiston, and seen everyone that I love and miss!










Large

Busy!

So this week is going to be a lot of fun. I am taking pictures of the Mwangaza Music Festival. I will be using one of the ARM's cameras and I think that it will be a lot of fun. Then tonight I am taking Rachel (my sister) and Abby (my mom) out to dinner because after I go to Kenya this weekend I won't see Rachel the rest of my trip since she will go back to school. Then I will head back to Kenya to visit the Leisters and Brea for the weekend. I leave on Thursday at around 6:30 am and will be in Kenya Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Anyways I am going to be seriously busy and having a great time. I also hopefully before I leave will go to Fortunate's house one of Abby's many adopted daughters to get So You Think You Can Dance DVD's which will be awesome if I do. Anyways I am doing better than I was an am not feeling very homesick. I love all of you and miss all of you but need to get back to taking pictures.

Large

Home

It is really weird how homesickness kind just comes and goes while I'm here. The last couple days I have really just missed home a lot. I missed hanging out with friends sitting down in my parents room to watch T.V. with them. I miss driving my car, and my bedroom. But today has been better. I called Sam this morning and got to talk to him, Danny and Connor. Also I bought my ticket to go back to Kenya to visit Brea and the Leisters. I went to the immigration office because last time I went across to Kenya they told me I needed something else added onto my visa anyways I went to there and the guy told me that I couldn't be volunteering at ARMS with the visa I have. It doesn't make any sense to me, but there wasn't any problems besides that I know that if I just say I am visiting instead of volunteering then it is all ok. Anyways there hopefully won't be any problems at the border when I am going to Kenya which I leave here at 6 am but I will get into Eldoret at around 2pm. so that will be good. Anyways I also have some really really exciting news. I just got asked today to be in a music video for a local artist. So tomorrow I won't teach the dance class with the kids I will be dancing for a music video how cool is that! Anyways I still miss you all at home but I am not homesick which is good. I love you ALL! And I mean ALL of you!

AWESOME!!!

So if today wasn't already great, which it has been, I just got my packages from home. I am so excited and it was really good to get things from home it makes me feel so happy and warm inside! I love you mom and dad and thank you so much! Also thank you everyone who put things in their, the Carters and Joel and Alica. Seriously I am so excited you have no idea. We now have enough movie here to watch for the rest of the time I am here and I know that it will bless Michael, Abby, and everyone I am friends with here. I can't believe how awesome today has been I hope and pray that it just gets better and that tonight something big happens at the revival meetings! I am very expectant and know that something big will happen. Thank you again guys I feel so happy and loved right now. I pray that you are all blessed to the nth amount. I love you a whole lot!


Large

How?

So I am still in wonder on how a young man from Lewiston Idaho is in Uganda, Africa. And to top that off, I have met basically famous people here while I have been here. Like the speakers at this revival meetings. The main speaker lived in Benny Hinn's house for a period of time. There is a lady here named Annette Biggers and she is a famous photographer who seriously is so talented, and she and her family go to Rick Warren's church, you know the guy who wrote A Purpose Driven Life. Then the lady from Las Vegas named Jenifer goes around the U.S. speaking to groups for business and Christians. It almost, actually it isn't possible that I could ever meet these people. But going across the world shows you how small the world is and how big God is. I mean I have gotten to talk to these people and have created a relationship with them and really it is all because we have Jesus in common. I got to show Annette some of my pictures yesterday and she liked them. Seriously this life is such an adventure and I have been blessed so much. Also within the last couple of days I have talked to both Ron and Ryan King. It was really good to hear from both of them and I am excited that Ron is thinking and planning a trip to visit me. I am so blessed to have such a strong and large family back in America. My family has grown past blood and names and now is truly is a kingdom family. I was talking to my parents this morning and my mom said that she is going to send Abby my host mother here a letter thanking her for being my Ugandan mom. Also she reminded me that I have a Japanese mom that I need to reconnect with. I have been thinking about them and will email them as soon as possible. This is truly a gift from God and all I can think of is, How? Seriously there is no way this is naturally possible. I am seeing the supernatural all around me in simple things like a mother that is African and not white like me. God I thank you so much for all the blessings around me, I pray that I would be a good steward and would not keep any of this for myself but that I would pour it out into others lives. This week has been so good and I have really grown and drawn closer to God. I still am in Awe on how Good God is and how he blesses us so much. Love and Miss you all!

Large

Falling In Love

Now don't be scared Mom, Tiagh, and Randi. I haven't fallen in love with some Ugandan princess. I just had a realization last night about something. I was thinking about love and God and I realize how much I have fallen in love with him here. Yesterday I got the chance to lead worship at the night revival meeting, and although it didn't go perfect it went true and from my heart, it was worship. As I was singing and playing the guitar I began to love my God even more. I don't know how to explain it rather than that. Lately I have been thinking about love and relationships, a lot because of things back in America, and I realized that there is a phrase used in the Christian community that needs to be true in my life and in everyone's life and that is our First Love. That shouldn't mean that Jesus was the first person we fell in love with, it should mean that He is our First Love. That no love, no person, no thing comes before Him. I know that I have always known this but it came more into view last night. A lady from Las Vegas named Jenifer spoke at the meeting and she talked about gifting and talents and how we should be giving out of all our blessings. It was a message on what I have been learning here since day one. I know that I am blessed with things and gifts and it is my duty as a Christian and as a Lover of Christ to follow in His footsteps and give everything I am to Him and those around me in complete worship to Him. So if that means taking thousands of pictures while I am here and sharing that with those in America and putting Africa in their DNA I will (and am doing that), or if it means dancing my heart out and teaching others how to I will, and if that means leading worship or being a part of the worship team and teaching them more songs that I know I will. See the thing is I will fall more in love with God, with Christ the more I pour myself and my love into Him and into my neighbors that is why those were the greatest commandments. And really all other commandments are based out of those two. We won't be murdering others if we are to busy loving them. So I am falling in love. Falling in love with my God and falling in love with Africa and Uganda. T.I.A (This is Africa) and it is beautiful.

Large

INTERNET

Today has been a great day. I went with William to the MTN store in Kampala to reactivate an internet modem that Pastor Peter had bought but wasn't using. At first it wasn't working but I worked my magic and now I will have internet the rest of my stay no matter where I go. I really just had to add the international code to the phone number in my internet settings then they gave me the rest of the information that I needed. Also today one of the ladies here for the revival meetings held a photography class. She and her son have a business in photography and have done photos for famous people and they are really good. If you want check out their website at www.triplecord.com to see some of their work anyways I really learned a lot and even figured out some better ways to use my camera to its fullest potential. Now I can't wait to get my camera back from Kenya. If you didn't know I left my camera on the Leisters table as I was leaving. I kinda just forgot to put it in my bag. Anyways I am excited to be able to add to my blog no matter where I am and am really happy to have gotten to write twice in one day. I will make sure to write more on the revival meetings next time, but with the modem I have to switch some things around about every ten minuets or it looses connection. I love all of you and miss you a lot.

Large

A Kenyan Christmas, A Ugandan New Year!

Hey everyone,
It has been a while since I have posted anything and it seems like so much has happened since the last time I wrote. I got to go to Eldoret Kenya and spend Christmas with the Leisters, all of them baby Tekoa included. I had so much fun and it was hard leaving all the kids and family but I needed to come home. I got back into Uganda on the 27th and headed for another camp the next day after church. Within one week I celebrated the two month mark of my trip, my 19th birthday, and the new year. Camp was really exciting and I got to meet another Mazoongo which is what they call white people. Her name was Anna and she was from Sweden. I can't believe that I have been in Africa for over two months. Time is so confusing because it seems like yesterday I was walking off the plane and yet it seems so far away. This week they are holding revival meetings at Ggaba Community Church and so I will be attending those every night at five. I am expecting God to move in great ways and know that he will. I got to talk to Ben Goodman while I was at camp and it was really good to hear from him. I have been praying that I would get to do some more training under him and that I would get to spend time with him out int the world. I have been talking with my parents and am excited to hear that Breanna Holben will be coming to East Africa, she will be in Kenya, in just a couple weeks. I am planning on going back to Kenya to visit her while she is here. I hope that she will get to come to Uganda and know that she wants to. I will be helping a dance group come up with some coreography within the next week and will start the dance classes next week. I am really excited and can't wait to dance again. I have been dancing in my room for the last two months but it hasn't given me my fix. I need to go all out which is hard to do in a small room. I am excited to see what God will be doing this week and this year. I made some hopes and goals for this next year and one of them is to step foot onto two new countries. I think that God may answer my prayers if I get to go on a trip with Ben and then go to India with the team from RCC in September. God is so good and I am realizing even more how Big He is and how small the world is. I love and miss all of you and promise to write again soon.


Large