It’s been over a month since I last blogged which did not
seem like that much time until I sat down to write this. I realized that
although time is a very fluid concept in Africa, there’s still always something
happening. I’m going to try and hit the high points but I guarantee I’ll forget
something but only I know that so it’s ok!
The past few weeks have had no deficiency in adventure and
lessons in mission and life! We went to Uganda for a break while the school was
on holiday break and the clinic closed for Christmas. The original idea was to
be away from our work as minimally as possible. As it turns out that will not
be the case! Enter the lesson of flexibility! While on our break we were
informed that the road back to Maridi was too dangerous to travel through at
the moment, so we would be temporarily relocated to Kenya. With one email, and
various subsequent ones, the foreseeable future of our mission experience has
been turned on its head. The rector of the community we are staying with, Fr.
Sebastian, told us today, while stuck in traffic and late for a meeting, that
one of the best parts about Africa is its flexibility. Specifically related to
time in this sense but applicable to all situations is the openness to change
direction completely, and at a literal moment’s notice. We were late for a
meeting and were still twenty minutes away in bumper to bumper traffic and he
didn’t get mad or frustrated he simply said, “That’s Africa! If it doesn’t get
done today, there’s always tomorrow!” Coming from a production and efficiency
obsessed country like America, that concept is, pardon the irony, foreign.
Being late to a meeting, class or work in America screams irresponsibility and
carelessness while here it’s a way of life.
It’s more important to greet your neighbor on the street than to be the
first one at the meeting. It seems wasteful of time but over the past few
months and specifically few weeks it seems that it is actually the best way to
spend time. Full of wisdom this morning Fr. Sebastian told us a saying,
“European’s (or westerners) have the watch but African’s have the time.” This
saying and the message it gives about flexibility and quality of time gives
such good perspective on where I am at in mission so far. My schedule says that
I should be in South Sudan planning my lessons, creating dances and planning a
retreat. My reality is that I am in Nairobi until further notice while life
goes on in Maridi. This was difficult to deal with at first since my heart is still
very much there and for a while so was my head. My time was being spent wanting
to be back instead of putting quality into my time here. I have a great
opportunity to meet people, explore other Salesian communities and be of use
however possible in this place. Although my heart will remain in South Sudan
along with my prayers, it does no good to anyone to lament. Every change of
pace holds a lesson and if I’m too busy focusing on what my schedule says
rather than taking advantage of opportunities for my time here, I’ll miss them.
During some of our errands with Fr. Sebastian we went to the
Provincial house where Pat and Mike had been staying. We were expecting them to
have already left for their site but they were still there. We were able to
catch up a bit and just see that the others were alive! It was so great to see
them even though we had to be evacuated to Kenya for it to happen! 
Before arriving in Kenya we were exploring Uganda and taking
advantage of all the ice cream and just ice for that matter that the country
had to offer. The trip hit some major speed bumps but ended up creating some
great memories. On one of the first nights we were in Kampala Theresa and I
were walking home from dinner when a boda (motorcycle) sped up like it was going to hit us. We
stepped back to let him pass and as he did he grabbed Theresa’s arm. I grabbed
her other arm leaving her purse in a prime position to be taken, which it was.
The driver sped past ripping the purse off her. Enter the lesson of recognizing all your
blessings. Theresa’s phone, money, IDs, camera and room key were in the bag.
What weren’t in the bag were her passport and the bulk of her money. Just
before leaving for dinner she took out her passport and put it away, mine was
still in my purse. Despite the anger and overwhelming frustration of it all we
had to stop and admit that we were actually really blessed. Theresa wasn’t hurt
and she had her passport so no matter what, we could get home. The night
receptionist kept the blessings coming, letting us use his phone all night to
call her parents and our community in South Sudan. He didn’t complain or
protest and was really grateful for the airtime we left him after making all of
our calls. My first reaction was that we should go home and cut our trip short.
Theresa reasoned that going back to South Sudan wasn’t going to bring her stuff
back and she still had most of her money. Another silver lining (and massive
migraine) of the situation was that we were in a city that received mail from
the US. In South Sudan the postage system was non-existent so no care packages
or letters were possible. Being in Kampala is was possible for us to get
replacement things for Theresa and some other comfort items from home. Seemingly it was a perfect set up but we
quickly learned otherwise. Not only did the package cost a massive amount to
send, getting it out of Ugandan customs was also a small fortune. After
randomly added taxes, arguments and being hung up on our package was finally delivered
after New Year’s, about a week later. In the mean time we stayed in Kampala for
a few more days and then headed to Jinja which is right on the Nile River. Everything inside the package ended up being
intact and accounted for even if my patience was not. 
While we were in Jinja we stayed at a backpackers’ hostel
that offers rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking and tons of other Nile based
activities. We didn’t raft but we did meet amazing people. We met people from
the U.S., the U.K. and other African countries. Everyone was fun and welcoming
and had an interesting story to share. We met one group of three American girls
(Bri, Camille and Elyse) and an Aussie (pronounced AWWZEE) girl (Kate) while
accidentally taking their beds in the dorm room. The guy standing there told us
that he was saving the beds for some girls but that since we were American we
should all meet up. The guy ended up being Kerion or Papa K and the girls were
awesome! The three American girls had met up through their host families in
Africa and went on a trip together. They met the Aussie girl by invading her
personal bubble in a coffee shop and they met Kerion rafting. To see them
together you would have thought they had been friends for years. We hung out with them for the next few days;
swimming in the Nile, lying in a hammock and taking a sunset cruise on the
River. As we were getting ready to leave Brianna told us we should come visit
her in Kampala. Being in our predicament of waiting for our package and being
way over budget on what was supposed to be a week trip we asked if we could
really take her up on that offer. She reassured us and a few days later we were
having a massive sleepover in a gorgeous house in a suburb of Kampala. Here
begins the restoration of faith in the goodness of people. 
Before heading to Bri’s we went to visit a village that
Theresa had volunteered in a few times before, Beduda. Her host family was
beyond welcoming. They gave us meals, hot water and a clean bed and didn’t ask
for a single thing in return. They were overjoyed by our visit and were just
happy we were safe given our little hiccup in Kampala. While we were there we
hiked a mountain in flip flops, baked (and finally cooked correctly) a cake and
had a dance party. Being there was like being welcomed home by family and it
was the first time I had met them. I was so impressed during my days there. Not
just by their generosity and out pouring of love but their consideration for
others. David, the father of the household, developed and NGO geared at
improving the lives of those in and near his village. He built a school,
established programs for kids and was proctoring a savings program for
community members. He had volunteers from different places around the world and
was doing all he could to expand the services and impact of the NGO. The effort
he put into everything he did for the company and us as his guests was
inspiring. They were a financially secure family but not rolling in the money
but despite that they welcomed us and supported us eagerly. They did the same
for their community as well.
We returned to Kampala and made our way to Bri’s home. It
was breathtaking. She is assisting a family of missionaries that works with a
marginalized population in Uganda called the Karamojong. Their generosity was
even more inspiring than that of David and his family. Cody and Michaela have 7
children, four of which they adopted. Cody coaches football (soccer) and
ministers to the community in different ways. Michaela is super mom! She cooks amazing food from scratch,
homeschools the kids, takes care of a one year old and supports all of them!
Being there was not only a blessing because we were safe and taken care of but
it was inspiring. It was an ordered chaos full of love that made me consider
having a big family although mine is pretty small. The constant chaos of a big
family was at first something that terrified me coming from a pretty easy paced
home. After being there and seeing all the benefits that go along with it, I
definitely changed my opinion even more. They also showed me that living
abroad, serving and having a family are all possible and at the same time. The
longer I stay in Africa and the more opportunities I see, the more I consider
living abroad for at least a part of my life. It always concerned me that I
couldn’t have a strong family as well. Cody and Michaela definitely proved me
wrong. Leaving them was bittersweet. It was good for us to get back into
mission and find some direction for the next few weeks but I will definitely
miss everything about them, from playing with the kids, house church and
awesome meals to adventures with the girls!
We were so lucky and blessed to have met them!
The past few weeks have had their share of ups and plenty of
downs. For me it has totally encompassed what mission is. Mission is about being flexible
but still being committed and caring even when you are totally out of your
comfort zone. The weeks have been filled with awesome memories and tons of
lessons as well as many eye openers as to how blessed I really am no matter
what unfortunate circumstance arises. 
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