A Dream on the Nile

I was able to cross more than a few things off of my bucket list this month. To take our first much needed weekend off, Jill, Turner, and I jumped in a Matatu and headed about an hour and a half down the road to Jinja, Uganda. To say the very least, it was an unbelievable, breathtaking weekend. We white-water rafted the Nile River, bungee jumped over the river, and simply floated down a few rapids, taking in every inch of the beautiful scenery. An email from a friend the other day told me that God uses the sky and the landscape as a sort of daily canvas that He paints on. I have never understood that more than I have during these few days in Jinja. He wants us to see these beautiful pictures He creates all over the world, and also take a second to stop and enjoy everything He has given us. This weekend was filled with adventure, beauty, relaxation, and thrill. And the whole time I could hear God saying, "Look at this, I painted this for you!". 

Ugandan Sunsets

I have been searching my brain for things to make this next blog about. There are so many things that I could explain, or try to explain, but honestly, many of these experiences are just too difficult to put into words. I will settle with something simple, but it's something that makes each week even that much greater. 

Jill and I signed up for a 10k fun run along the beautiful Lake Victoria in the beginning of October. The goalkeeper inside of me cringes at saying this, but I actually can't wait to run it!  So, as we begin our "training", we spend a few beautiful evenings a week running around the pitch in our small area of Nsambya. Luckily, we are never alone. We have the the privilege of two running partners. Ishara, 11 years old, and Sam, 12 years old. If we say we will be at the pitch at a certain time, they are waiting at the top of our hill 10 minutes early. They are so eager to run with us each day, even though they are running on rocks and dirt with broken sandals. Jill and I listen to our iPods as we crank out lap after lap, and both boys are running hard with us, nearly every step of the way. They keep up, too! In their plastic, barely useable footwear, as we run beside them in expensive American tennis shoes. I wonder to myself, how is this fair? In plain terms, it's not. It's in no way fair. But, I have to remind myself each time that they are as happy as I am striding around field, gazing at the current game being played, next to friends, as the Ugandan sun sets beautifully in the background. I've learned through the past 8 weeks that life in Uganda, and how it is in many other places, isn't valued on the things we have or the things they have, but it's valued on the people that surround us. Having these two boys as running partners is often the highlight of my week. Walking back down the hill with them, having great conversation, laughing, talking about what's for dinner and how we couldn't have made it through that run without them. And it's always a comfort saying good-bye, because I know when I see them tomorrow I will again be surrounded by great individuals, who care about people. And that's what really matters.

"But know this: When Jesus invites on an adventure, He shapes who we become with

 what happens along the way."   -Bob Goff, Love Does