More Than I Expected

I finally made it! And below is a picture of the night I landed in Uganda, Africa...

The Lord never promised it would be easy. In fact, He said that it wouldn't be easy. It is never easy stepping out in a leap of faith, and following the Lord to wherever it is He has called you go. I am now one week into living here in Uganda, and I can honestly say it is a lot harder than I expected it to be. Yes, I knew it was going to be hard. However, it is a lot harder in different ways than I expected it to be. I expected home-sickness, tiredness, weariness, and jet lag. Life in Uganda is nothing like life at home..

Above is a picture of Aly and I's home. If you notice, the windows are all open due to no air conditioning. At night we have to shut them to keep out the mosquitos that carry malaria, and sleep under mosquito nets. Here lately it has been very hot, because it is about to be in the dry season of Uganda. For the past 3 or 4 days we have been without power. We went to the market to buy some food a couple of days ago, and all of a sudden the power went out! So, we had to shop in the dark. And when we were eating dinner one evening, the power went out and it was pitch black in the house. All we could do is sit there and laugh, and look for the lanterns in the dark with flash lights! You would think not having power, and windows open during the day isn't such a bad thing. However, when you lose power all day almost every day, you worry about the refrigerator that has food in it. Sometimes the meat goes bad and we have to throw it out even if we just bought it that day..

The green bucket is our "washing machine".  We spent all morning and almost afternoon cleaning the house. I realized how easy we have it at home with our washing machines and dryers! The bucket holds a few pieces of clothing, and you have to turn the knob on top for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dirty the clothes are. It has been quite an experience, and very tiring on my back and feet. Not only do we have to hand wash clothes, but also towels, sheets, bed spreads, dishes, etc. It takes so much longer cleaning here than at home, because you have to do it one thing at a time. After we are finished with washing, we hang our clothes to dry on the line outside in our yard which usually takes up most of the day.

The picture above is a picture of our filtering system. Filtering water usually takes about 30 minutes. We have to filter it for cooking and having water to drink in general. The water that comes from our faucets is not clean water, and needless to say, I have forgotten that quite a few times when I go to brush my teeth and end up soaking my tooth brush in hydrogen peroxide. The other day, Aly and I were sitting down eating while filtering water and totally forgot about it. There was water all over the kitchen floor! Again... we just had to laugh! This has also been a learning experience. At home, you never have to worry about shower water getting in your mouth or not being able to brush your teeth with the faucet water. I never realized how much of a habit it is..

Going into the city is a huge difference than just driving into town at home. There are people who cover the streets, and who will actually walk right out in front of you if you aren't being careful! There are boda-bodas (motorcycles) that squeeze in wherever they can find to get by quicker. Usually the boda-bodas have anywhere from 1 to 3 or 4 people on them! Craziness! Not only are there tons of people flooding the streets, but traffic jams are horrible. I think I might have saw one traffic light, and that is about it! It is very polluted and dusty within the city. 

With all of this to say, adjusting has been very tiring. A lot more tiring than I had imagined, and I realized a lot of it is still jet lag and adjusting to the 8 hour time change. However, the Lord has been working within me throughout this past week. He has taught me that even during laboring at the house, the craziness of the city, and the adjusting to a completely different culture, I am to always glorify Him. He has placed me here to be a light to others, and to look to Him in everything I do here. I have learned that when I feel lonely or out of place, He is always there to pick me up and keep me going. When I am home sick and nothing feels right, He is there to help me through the day. I have already begun making new relationships, and growing in the ones I already have. I am so thankful the Lord has placed Aly in my life, because if it weren't for her either.. I would be a complete mess right now! Even though our work has not quite started yet, He is preparing my heart for what is to come when the kids return from Christmas break. I know that what He has in store is something huge, and it is only a matter of time before His plan is revealed!

- Kaitlyn