Adventure on the way home

I wanted to share an answer to prayer. Last night on my way home, I said hello to a few children as I walked along the side of the road. I was almost to my mama's shop, and the children seemed to find this intriguing. I sat just outside the shop, and after only a few minutes I was blessedly surrounded by about 7, then 9, then 12 or so children! I had prayed that the walk home would not be disregarded as something that God would not want to use, and I soon found myself with the opportunity to read the Bible and sing songs for these kids. We (I:) sang "Jesus loves the little children", "You are holy..", "The Lord is my Shephard", and we just sat admiring one another for a few moments. I don't know that each of the pieces of Scripture read in English were understood, but I do trust that God's Word does not go void, and I know this was a blessing from Him.

Personal learning

This semester has been a great time of being exposed to education in a different way. I thought it would be good to share a few things I think I'm learning. Firstly, I'm finding greater joy in learning to listen. I think that class discussions, and conversations outside of class have been teaching me to minister to others by listening. I also am finding that the paper topics that we need to write about are causing me to understand more of what I'm passionate about. I'm really enjoying learning about and critically analyzing past communication of the Gospel to other cultures, as well as thinking about my own passion for connecting people, and I've found the past few weeks a time to realize more about the love for aviation that God has given me. We have a lot of writing to do this semester, and so far I am also enjoying this- perhaps I will grow in writing skills or something through the course of many papers. I will also try to write often and meaningfully as I blog. May God's peace be with you each,
Geoff

Walking home

A couple of days ago, while walking home in the late afternoon, I met a wonderful man named Robert. He is a Ugandan man who quickly shared with me about Uganda's economy. We covered a good distance as we talked, and I don't even think that he was originally headed in the direction that I was. I'm grateful to have met him, for the first question I'd asked was if he knew Jesus, and he told me that he knew Jesus well, and he eventually shared that many Ugandans know Jesus and that just in our little town of Mukono, there are a number of churches (Anglican, Catholic, and others). On another note, we also saw Jehovah's witnesses here a few days back.
A very kind Kenyan student named Lazerous has been deepening a friendship with me here at the school. He and I hope to continue to fellowship during meal times, but to also play sports activities. He will be competing in a nation wide sports competition next month that I also hope to attend.
Further friendships are being built as we venture into different places on campus. There is a wonderful woman named Lydia who seems to enjoy each day that a few of us students will by smoothies from her. They are called, "Canadian Ice", and she makes them very well.

Trip to Jinja

This weekend we had an amazing opportunity to visit the neighboring town of Jinja. The drive was so beautiful! Through amazing green hills of Tea plantations, and trees, we saw along the way a few small collections of living areas. We had the opportunity to hop in a small boat on Lake Victoria, to visit "the source of the Nile"! The main reason for our trip was to hear from a few missionaries working in different areas, and this was amazing as well.
One couple was from Calvary Chapel in New Mexico, their names were Bev, and Jesse. They work entirely in the prisons around Jinja, and have done so for about ten years with great testimony of the Lord's work through times of not really knowing what to do, through times of "normality", and through times of elation. Many good things they shared with us about being a couple, about hearing God's call, and about going serving in His name even when the people around them have such little hope of returning to lives of abundance here on earth.
There are 16 of us in the IMME group that will take these trips, and on Friday we were all able to spend some time worshipping together for a little bit. After a few of us went to bed, a brother whom we did not know (his name was Ian) decided to join us. We really enjoyed meeting him and learning that he was part of a team that was serving God through something called "The Amazing Race". Ian prayed with us and shared some good things that he'd seen and been learning as their team traveled for missions purposes with the Amazing Race. (They'll be going to a number of countries over the next 11 months).
I think this trip to Jinja helped me to interact with Ugandans outside of the school setting, and it also was good to take what we've been discussing in classes regarding the Gospel, and ask questions about it to servants of the Lord who are living it out here in this Ugandan culture.
Please feel free to email any questions or suggestions as to what I'm sharing!
Love,
Geoff

Thoughts about "War Dance"

We had the opportunity this afternoon to watch a movie called, “War Dance”. Interestingly, this is about some children from the northern part of Uganda seeking to compete in Kampala at a dance competition. Kampala is the capital of Uganda, and we are about 1 hour driving from it here at Uganda Christian University. We’ve not had much direct discussion or exposure to the topic of conflict in the northern part of Uganda, although it shapes a large part of how Uganda is viewed by others.

One night, as I was visiting the neighbors of my home stay family, I found out about the government’s reaction to the warring, etc in northern Uganda (the people group, so to speak, is called the “Acholi”). The brother I was talking to had been a journalist, and I couldn’t help but get the feeling that prayer in our Savior’s name is needed most of all. I am just beginning to feel like praying isn’t that small of a thing- considering that the journalist said he was seeing all kinds of physical and verbal efforts being made in the name of justice, yet corruption found it’s power to thwart the efforts and further discouragement.

Food was soo tasteful today, after not eating much while being ill. We will usually have rice and beans, covered with a bit of bean-like soup. The Dining Hall staff also graciously serves us pineapple many days, and in the mornings we are able to eat plain deep fried donuts, and sweet tea. These oods are wonderful and I like them very much. I admit that it is a bit hard to sit with Ugandan students that I do not know, and I do only know a few. I have enjoyed a couple mornings of running at the track and getting to meet people that way- one brother, named Ishmael said that he's aiming to run in the 2012 Olympics (I didn't do anything but sit beside him on the side of the track:).
This weekend, the IMME track of our program will leave the University and travel to Jinja (about 50Km) away and spend time with a missionary couple, a church, and others in the town I think. I will report more about this. I do desire to be engaging with Ugandans, and to not be hiding from the fact that I am here. I truly need ambition, and courage, and discipline to adventure into not only the country and opportunities around me, but also into the lives of the people that surround me both through the program, and through those I should meet.
Thank you each, dear friends in the country and home from which I've come. I miss you and am glad to be sharing this valuable experience with you all.

I've been sick with a virus of sorts for the past two days. It has put me in a reflective state, and I've been able to stay here on campus. Just today I finally ate a couple of banannas, and a citrus drink- these were soothing. Many of my classmates were praying (my temp. was 103.9!) and I don't think it's malaria, so this is great news.
Coming out of the dorm area, I was able to participate in quite a fun adventure of freeing one of the school's vans from the mud which was created from the rain. About 5 other African brothers and myself pushed the van first from the front, then the back, the side, and then we finally hopped into the van and gave it enough weight on the spinning wheel from bouncing that it gave way to freedom again:) There was much rejoicing and thanking, and I hope to share a variety of other stories throughout the semester.
Writing again soon,
Geoff

Thank you each for caring to hear about this time in my life. It is a gift for me to be here; I've desired to live in East Africa and be with these people for a short while. I know the Lord's blessing is with me- from the grace He's given me in adapting to the lack of conveniences in bathing, using the restroom:), even in all of the necessary reading and writing assignments in the program.
It has only been a week- a full one at that, of new things. We walk on beautiful red dirt roads everyday; taking about 30 minutes from campus to home, and walking through the town of Mukono. Our campus is full of graduates, undergrads, and seminary students- similar to Biola, also in the way of times for the whole campus to gather for worship. The dining hall is wonderful- it sits on the base of what's called, "Monkey Hill" (for obvious reasons- red tailed ones:), and the entire thing is open to view what is around you as you eat.
The other day it rained so hard for about 20 minutes that I think I may have gotten knocked over if I tried to stand in it. The weather has been spectacularly sunny and cool each day since the rain, and even as I write this I can hear about 4 different birds around me chirping away atop the trees here at the University.
I've not really met people who are friendly and warm in the way the Ugandans that I've met are. Even this morning as I walked to school under the bright stars, a man driving what's called a "boda-boda" stopped and asked if he could offer me his motorcycle services, yet when I said no thank you, he stayed to share his name and an extremely warm and seemingly sincere smile. It seems as if many of the families and other folk I've seen really live with the intentionallity of being with one another- I don't think anyone has taught the Ugandan people the word, "awkward".
Bathing is an adventure done out of a bucket of water, by cupped hand and bar of soap. We also get to use the out house each day, at our homes, and cooking is done with coals over a small steal coal holder. So far, we have enjoyed many good meals consisting of rice, beans, matoke (bananas), mango, and even avacado.
A very neat part of the schooling is how much discussion and interaction in the classroom we have. Monday I lead a discussion on the reading we were assigned for "Reading the New Testament in Africa", so I must prepare for this now. Peace to you each! I will plan to write again.

Arrival

Our group has arrived here in East Africa! Classes began this week, and seem to be very academically intensive. Bugs have been appearing around me in many places, and I think that I would have been very discouraged by this, had we not sang at community worship this afternoon "Let all that is within me praise the Lord...":) Our campus is placed on 80 acres, net to the town of Mukono (meaning "Hand" in Luganda), and each day is an adventure on our walk home as we move through Mukono by dirt roads, and many joyful children. I room with David, one other USP student from Illinois, and we've had fun playing cards, visiting neighbors and distantly related relatives of our family. 

Many other things have been happening- I suppose that this could be described as coming into contact with the flesh and bone of Uganda, and I think the Lord will be showing us many  hard realities about certain living conditions in the coming weeks. 

A poem of wonderings

With little true realistic comprehension,
Yet mightily God does guide-
Wherever, how deep, beyond,
beneath- He is our Allaby
Culture has so many aspects,
and a student of culture I am.
This can't exist as simply
something silly, wierd, or different
betweeen you and, he, and me.

Important Addresses

'Geoffrey Hughes,' Uganda Studies Programme
Uganda Christian University
P.O. Box 4
Mukono, UGANDA





http://www.ugandastudies.com/ this is the program website



http://www.ucu.ac.ug/ this is the university website

Leaving the US

Thank you for visiting the blogsite I've created for this semester in Uganda! While studying abroad, I'll be part of a group of 30 students from Christian Universities around the United States. "IMME" is the name of what I specifically have the privalege to be a part of, and it stands for Intercultural Ministry & Missions Emphasis. We'll have the incredible opportunity to live the entire semester in the homes of local Ugandan families, while also visiting local ministries, and
The program website says that by choosing to be a part of IMME, "you are making an intentional commitment to live outside your comfort zone", so I shall need much prayer, and you may find my blog entries to be a bit of comic relief when you need it. As mentioned in the email, please let me know if there are particular things that would be good for me to keep track of, or take note of as I'm there. Grateful to be a part of the Body of the Lord,
Geoff