Home!

I'm home! After being back in the U.S. of A. for just over a week, I'm beginning to settle back into West Michigan life. It's been a blessing and a pleasure to be surrounded by family and friends over these last few days, getting a chance to relax and regroup.

The last few months have been an incredible adventure! I've learned so much about myself, teamwork, and God's huge heart for His people all over the world. There's no way to tell you everything I'm feeling and every detail of the journey, so I thought I'd share just a few pictures of some of the people I'll miss the most.

This is Josh and Joshua. They are the oldest boys (11 and 9 years old) living at Amecet, the baby home in Soroti. They have been taken from their families due to health reasons for a few months. They are the sweetest little boys!

These are two of my beautiful neighbors, Lydia and Walter. They are siblings, living with two other siblings, two cousins, their mother, father, and an uncle in a small cement home across the street. They spend a couple of hours most afternoons in our yard, playing games and sharing their lives. They are sweet, always willing to join any activity and help out in any way they can.

This is my fabulous roommate, Brittany, and two of my teammates, Moses and Avalien. We had so much fun spending everyday life together. From shopping in the market to baking chapati (our favorite bread) to lesson planning to reading afterschool Bible stories with the neighbors to water balloon fights, we were almost always together. The three of them, and each person on the team, have been incredible blessings in my life over these last two months.

Saying goodbye to my team, to the beautiful children I met, and to the wonderful Ugandans that I was blessed to meet was the hardest part of my summer. I hope I could have been at least a sliver of what they were to me!

And thank YOU for reading and praying. The encouragement and support I felt was overwhelming! Please continue to pray for my transition home, for the start to student teaching, and my future in missions (whatever that may be!). Please keep this special team and the wonderful people of Soroti in your prayers, too. Pray that they continue to shine God's light and share Christ's love in such a special city.

Love and thanks in Him,

Steph

Party Time!

Party #1: The Indian Party

About 100 Indians living in Soroti celebrated a successful time with their businesses by throwing a big dinner party one Friday night. Our team felt very honored to be invited, and it turned out we were the only non-Indian guests! Most of the Indians in Soroti have settled here to open or help out their families with shops in town. In fact, most "successful" shops in town, from fabric stores to grocery stores to stores that sell only batteries and sugar (yes, in that combo), are owned by Indians. The party was a bit surreal, with glamorously-dressed women and men seated on opposite sides of the large outdoor gazebo. Against the norm, the MEN were spoiling us with wonderful homecooked Indian food (a VERY nice contrast to the quite flavorless Ugandan traditional dishes). A rainstorm ended the evening early, but as we walked out past their mosque, we knew we were helping the team share a bit of Jesus with their Indian friends!

Party #2: Independence Day

The day started out as a typical Ugandan Sunday. We attended a church service that flew through, and past, the 3 hour allotted time slot. The pastor talked about how we are human-beings but we are often fooled into acting like human-doings; this really hit me. How often do I concentration so hard on what I'm DOing instead of just BEing? I'm still thinking about that one!

Later that evening, my roommate Brittany and I joined about 15 other Americans for a 4th of July celebration! We had a highly-anticipated game of volleyball (it took about 2 months worth of planning to get the net put in the yard), and as we gathered ourselves and began to dish the amazingly scrumptious food onto our plates, we began to feel raindrops.

It rained for the next hour or so, but we were happily cozy in the house and even played patriotic charades (my favorites were "Plymouth Rock" and "Lewis and Clark"). Soon it was dark (meaning it was about 7 pm) and we were ready for our s’mores…made out of graham crackers, nutella, and marshmallows. Also included were fireworks—called candles here. They were a good combination of the two and looked like a giant candle with some sparkler capabilities. The only thing missing, really, was a big lake and a long dock. :)

Party #3: World Cup Championship

Walking into Amecet (the children's home) today, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise! The entire living room was decked out in orange and blue. Balloons, streamers, banners, and a giant Dutch flag covered the ceiling and walls. I've got Dutch blood in me, and many of my Grand Rapids friends do as well, but this was the first party I've attended that was hosted by true Holland-ers! The lady that runs the children's home is from Holland, as well as two of the other volunteers here. They are extremely proud of their country and their country's place in the World Cup... so, naturally, they wanted to host the championship game with flair. My overnight shift welcomed this distraction wholeheartedly, and I had a blast watching the game while attempting to be a good hostess, feed babies, make popcorn, and keep the cheering volume down so the kiddos didn't wake up.

My World Cup Championship viewing party was extremely international this year, made up of:
-15 Ugandans
-2 Holland-ers
-6 Tongans
-1 American!

Thanks for reading and for praying!

Love, thanks, and peace,

Steph

It's Kind of Like Christmas in July

These last few weeks have absolutely flown by! Each day has been filled with fresh glances at God's HUGE creation. Each day is new, exciting, unpredictable, and overflowing with beauty in so many ways! I have seen beauty in babies, the smiles of teenagers, the forgiveness of children, and the selflessness of teamwork. Every single day has really felt like Christmas!

Before saying goodbye to Lisa, our team got to spend a few days hiking and camping at Sipi Falls. This was yet another day where I found myself surrounded and overwhelmed by the care and love of my Father God. To know that His hand is on every tree, every sunflower, every drop of water gushing from the falls, every person on this team... causes me to be so thankful!

Thank YOU for reading and praying for me as I continue my journey and adventures here. Please pray for continued health, strength, and peace of mind as I wind down my ministries here and begin to say goodbyes.

Love, thanks, and peace,

Steph

Life in Pictures

Hello Friends! I wanted to give you a little taste of what I see here in the beautiful city of Soroti.

Most of my days include a combination of these four scenes:

These are two of my housemates, Alibina and Julius. They have been adopted by a wonderful German lady named Stephanie who has lived in Soroti for about 5 years. She is a nurse by trade, and has spent the last few years volunteering at Amecet, the local baby home, from where she adopted Alibina and Julius.

A few times every week, I go to visit Amecet. I work a couple of shifts a week and stop in to visit as often as I am able. This is Rukia. When she first came to Amecet a few months ago, she was completely skin and bones, weighing only a few kilos due to neglet from her family. Now, after a lot of food and a lot of love by the "aunties" who work here, she is chubby and happy! The staff is hoping to send her to home to a loving member of her extended family. Rukia's case is quite typical of the babies who live at the home. The home is meant as temporary housing for children from families in need.

These are my preschoolers! Moses (far left) and Avalien (far right) are the son and daughter of our team leaders, Tim and Angie. Grace and Lydia (inside, left to right) are the daughters of some of our other team members, Josh and Mandy. Lydia has become a bit of a helper, while the others enjoy many fun lessons (many courtesy of Miss Kristi). I've been helping them to explore the different parts of an egg, the laying of eggs, the different animals who lay eggs, nests, and more. They are having a blast!

These are my wonderful students at Harmony Primary School, a school funded by Youth With A Mission. I have about 10 students from ages 10-15 who meet with me for help with reading. I have just started working on some writing with them. Typical Ugandan curriculum includes lots of recitation and repetition, and I want to help my students with some creative writing. We are going to start making a book this week! I'm very excited to see how it goes!

Thanks for reading and thanks for keeping me in your prayers! Lisa is now home safe and sound, only to be whisked off to her job on a summer camp stuff in Northern Michigan. Please continue to pray for her adjustment home and for continued health and energy in my last few weeks here.

Love, Thanks, and Peace,

Steph

It just seems normal now

When I spoke on the phone with Lisa last Saturday, the comment that stuck in my mind is, "it all seems so normal". Last time I wrote, I asked for prayers that she could settle in and be at ease with the lack of schedule. Those prayers have been answered above and beyond what I ever thought. As she says it all feels so normal, they are showing the movie "Up" to 100 ugandans in a single stall garage with the projector being run by generator. They have had an average of 2 hrs of electricity everyday since Sunday. No refrigeration and cold showers. No Internet on the compound since arriving in Uganda, and on the morning I spoke to her no water. But, "it all seems so normal now".

She had plans for the week that she was quite excited about and I hope to have the opportunity to call her again tomorrow before I go to work. She left message on my Facebook that said, "we have a lot to talk about"- I can't wait!

Please continue to keep Lisa and Steph and the rest of the team in your prayers. Please pray for the hearts of the people they come into contact with each and everyday.

Jane

Life Is Good

Hello All! Life in Soroti is grand! However, in the last five days, we've had about 15 hours of electricity... :)

We are finally finding ourselves in the swing of things. We've both got our own bikes now, which are helping us gain more confidence in getting around town. We can make it around market on our own, get to work on time, find choir practice, make it to soccer practice with the street boys, and find our own way into town to teach 15-year-olds their alphabet!

Lisa's been spending each afternoon with some street boys playing soccer. There are about 40 street boys in Soroti. Lisa and Bobby (another short termer) are teaching the boys American football! She's also been visiting some families that have children with disabilities. Children with disabilities (both physical and mental) are often ignored or mistreated here. There are a few organizations that offer support to these families, and Lisa and Jennifer (a long termer) are sowrking with some of these organizations.

Steph's been doing a lot of work being with the babies and teaching. She works at the baby home twice a week. One shift during the day, and one overnight shift. A few mornings a week, she teaches a small group of about 10 students who struggle with reading. She's working on preschool with two of the missionary kids, and working with Lisa on a Bible study for a group of girls who live across the street.

Both of us also got an interesting opportunity this week to lead a choir rehearsal at a local church! We'll probably be helping out a couple of times a week there.

Life is good. Thanks for your continued prayer and support! We would love to fill you in more stories when we get home!

Love,
Steph and Lisa

Doing well

How do go about updating your daughter's blog after you talked to her for 45 mins and discussed everything from peanut butter sandwiches to why people who have sickle cell disease don't have malaria? I know that during the time I was talking to her I was on cloud nine - she just sounded so good.
She said she was having an awesome experience. She said she was being stretched, she said she is not doing what she thought she would be doing. She told stories of street soccer, bible studies, game night, and movie night. She asked me to set up a TB test sometime during her 36 hour period home because she has been spending some time in the hospital (thankfully NOT as a patient). She has observed and participated in the work of living, the hassles of Ugandan Internet, the ins and outs of VISAs, and been exposed to the needs of the disabled. She purchased a bike to get around town with and is coming to the reality that she will not be able to take it home
Her biggest personal struggle? For those you who know Lisa, she likes to have a schedule for the week. When we were in Uganda last time, Tim had most of our 2 week visit planned. We knew what we were planning to do the next day. Lisa goes to bed at night and rarely has a real distinct plan for the next day. She knew that things would be a bit on the fly, but this is a real stretch for her.
Thanks for your interest.
Thanks for your prayers.
Please continue to pray. Pray for health, for safety, for opportunities, and for God's will to be done in Uganda.
Jane