Continuing a piece of my heart...

(Because the church that we were suppose to hold the seminar at was too dark to see in, we relocated to the local school. With that came the crowds of children, that would flock to come and see the strange white people teaching. So often the kids would get too loud and then the adults would get irritated and tell them to go away...hehe. But one day they were invited to come and join us. So they all piled in and sat on top of the desks, what a great moment.)




(We were able to go into a Sudanese refugee camp, Ariwa. This was one of the many churches in the camp, and the one in which we held the seminar for the pastors at for that week. Let me say, it took some getting used to those benches.)





(At night, Jeremy and I would get games started with the kids. We taught them red rover...of course that ended up in someone getting trampled or hurt. We then switched to duck duck goose, thinking that would be a less violent game. The parents are probably wishing we hadn't come and taught their children anything...hehe. There were a few nights when the kids would find me studying and try and coax me to come and play with them. Those again were some of the most precious memories I have...laughing until my sides hurt, foot races lit only by the moon light, trying to run as fast as these kids...me, being a white girl, verses several African children...needless to say, I lost...several times.)



(This is Sam, the eldest son of the family we stayed with in Ariwa. From the picture you can see Sam hates clothes...this is what Sam's usual clothing for the day was.)



(This is Margaret, Sam's mom. She was only 21 and yet a mother of two, and taking care of cousins and her field, while her husband is away at school. I walked away from Ariwa with a new look on "hardwork" or a "hard life". Margaret is a beautiful inspriation and lesson to all...)

My thoughts...continued....

I hope you are enjoying the pictures and the thoughts of the trip. Here are some more...



(This is the location of the second seminar, the IDP camp, Ratchkoko. There were always kids around our house...One night we had to close the window, the kids would not stop trying to jump up and look in the window, maybe our patience had just worn thin by then...hehe.)



(Playing with the kids was such a stress reliever, it refueled me...)

Uganda through my eyes...my memories...

I have now been home a month. It is sometimes sad to realize how the time has gone by so fast, it wasn't just last week that I was in Uganda. Life must go on now...
I pray and hope the memories and precious times stay fresh in my mind, that I won't forget those cherished moments, those life changing instances and lessons.

In meeting up with people and trying to describe my experience, I have begun to find it impossible, how can I lay out for people and describe exactly what was encountered and what was felt within me? All I can do is show you my thoughts through my pictures, give you a peek into what was seen, what I found important and crucial, what I found beautiful and God-filled, what I found inspiring and world changing...

So here is my trip in pictures...with a bit of commentary...hehe...




(This was my first big teaching. I taught the "Application" step of Philemon. We would take the Pastors and leaders through the inductive method of Bible study, giving them a chance of being "Bible Students". The first step in inductive Bible study is "Observation", this is looking at the text, seeing what is says, and not just looking once, but looking many times and reading it all the way through, not just picking pieces out that we like. We need to observe in order to get the big picture and to see the book as a whole. The second step is "Interpretation". This is the step where they would look through the eyes of the Original reader and the author, we have to remember that the Bible was not written to you or me, so we can't just interpret it for us, we must first go through the eyes of those in which it was written for. Then comes the last step of inductive Bible study... "Application". This is when they would bring the lessons of interpretation into their own lives, into their times, their cultures. So, for Philemon, I taught on forgiveness and reconcillation, how could that play out in their lives...)




(Students at our first seminar. They were so hungry for the word and for teaching. One student told us..."We don't need anymore preachers, what we need is teachers."
Their hunger, passion, joy and love for God despite suffering was moving...)




(More of our students. The one on my right is Christopher, he was our translator the first week, never did that smile leave his face. The man on my left is James, he heared about us on a radio station and road his bike 23 kilometers to be with us and participate for the week. The story of his journey and his determination to be with us brought me to tears...are we willing to give up so much like James to be closer to God, are we hungry like this?)




(This is Lucy, one of the many strong women that I met in Uganda. She seemed to be determined to not be limited by what had occured in her life. She was a single mother, raising three children, and one of our brightest students, never afraid to answer or ask a question. She attempted to be at the church each morning before we got there, even though she had to walk 5 kilometers with her baby on her back. Such timeless and life lessons I have learned from these powerful women...)

What a time this has been...

To my dear family and friends...
here I am at the end of outreach, just seven days left, and yet I have not written in such a long time. I am so sorry, maybe you were wondering what was going on, maybe you weren't. Life has been a whirl wind this past month and a half since I last wrote, full of seminars, sickness, tears, many hours of studying, sleepless nights listening to the rats running around our mosquitoe net, dear new friends, forever lasting images and memories, life lessons, and above all a new dependance on God. I don't have time to tell you everything in this blog (many more to come in the following weeks when I return), but I guess that is what I wanted to share with you all in this small message; the amazing desperation and need I have found for God, he is my strength in weakness (if you are an SBS'er which book is that?). It has been a beautiful time here and I thank you, each one of you for your prayers and thoughts as I have been away, we all know that they have helped and been heard, we serve a faithful and true God.

So I guess this is just a blog telling you all that I am alive (sorry I have not posted more, it has been very busy) and that my time is coming to a close. I will have many thoughts to share, so please keep reading if you would like to hear them, the stories, the pictures, the dear memories. Thank you again, my love to you all...
Molly

Rocoko IDP camp

Hey Everyone. This is Bekah speaking for Molly. She is unable to update her blog because of a slow connection. So everything I am writing for her, I am making up. Okay just kidding these are direct quotes from her, trust me...

"This picture was in Rocoko IDP camp, in the district of
Pader. I will update the blog next week...we
have been travelling to Sudanese refugee camps, Ariwa
and then today (Friday) going to another called
Modiocolo. It hs been going great and I will update
more as soon as I get a good internet connection. "

Yes, short and sweet, but I imagine Molly speaking the words directly and hearing her voice makes it that much better...

On the other hand, I just got an email from my mom, like right now, so I believe that is God speaking and I should share this with all of you.

"This morning I got an email from Molly and is she is very sick. She took sick on Friday as they were heading into a new village for the next round of teaching. She had a headache, body ache and felt as though she would be sick. She thought that she would be able to sleep it off and so she skipped the introductions of pastor and leaders to rest. She grew worse through the night and by morning was so week they transported her back to the YWAM base. She went to the clinic doctor and they quickly began the drugs for Malaria. She continues to take a cocktail of drugs though they seemed to have ruled out Malaria. Our concerns and need for prayer are:

-That the drugs that she is taking do not interfere with the drugs that she takes daily

-That she would regain her strength and that this is just a bug and nothing more serious

-She will be able to rejoin her team. She has a large portion of teaching the end of this week and desire to be able to complete this.

-For the others that may have been exposed to what she has

-She will need to endure a bumpy 9 hour trip back to the village.

Molly asked that I send this email knowing that you would all pray for her. As a family we are grateful for the love and support that you all give. Thank you!"

Please pray for Molly. There is power in prayer. Thank you guys. On behalf of Molly and I, we love you!!!!!

Long week...

This past week, we have been putting on a seminar for the pastors of Rockoko, in the district of Pader. It has been long...

It was a much different week from last week, in which we lived with the pastor and Christian radio station owner of the town of kitchen...This time we lived in the IDP camp. Drastic change. Instead of waking up to the hum of a fan, we now woke up to the women and children outside our door pumping water for their day. An IDP camps are the camps put in place by the Ugandan government because of the 20 year war between Uganda and the LRA. These people have had to move out of their homes and live in these camps...strange concept. So these people have been displaced from their homes, fearing the LRA, and now are waiting to return to their homes...sounds sort of like the exile from period of the prophets in the Bible...

We were very blessed however in our housing situation, instead of living in the mud and thatch huts like the rest of the people in the camp, the pastor gave us his concrete house for the week. It was hard to keep myself in the mindset of being flexible...so much of the time I was afraid to use the toilet, for fear of the cockroaches...you begin to miss your western toilet when you really have to go and the only one is next to the witch doctor. But seriously, this week was stretching, and I haven't even reached the toughest place yet. It is difficult to see the people, those who have nothing, those who wear the same pair of clothes day after day, and so much of the time having holes all over, and then me and the rest of the team coming in with our huge backpacks...I am put to shame...why do I need all this stuff? But at the same time you learn...you see the value in simplicity, in not having all these material things. These people thrive on relationship with one another, not with things...God change me....

It was a harder week too with the students...there weren't close relationships formed like the last seminar. But there was still the same fruit, still the extreme desperation to know more of God, to know how to study his word and to raise the church up in sound doctrine and biblical teaching. It is a beautiful thing to be teaching, standing in front of the class and see the lights within the people begin to turn on...they get this, they need this, they are desperate for this. It is amazing too to feel God using the incapable and inadequate...me...I am studying to teach 2nd Corinthians in the SBS in Jinja in about 3 weeks, and it is all about God working and getting the glory out of man's weekness.

We are now taking a few days of rest before we head out to Ariwa refugee camp. Please continue to pray for safety, health, and team unity. Please pray that I will begin to boldly step into this position that God has placed me in, that I will take risks, teachings and questions that I don't feel adequate for...but God is...that I will begin to trust and rely on the Holy Spirit. Your prayers and messages are so precious to me...truly they are. I'm so sorry I cannot reply to each one...I have limited time, but know that it makes my day when I recieve the messages from all of you.

I pray that you all see and feel God this week in your lives, that we all begin to know his closeness with his people. May God bless you and keep you...
Love,
Molly

FUNNY EVENTS OF THE WEEK...
* Jeremy dropping the toilet paper down the hole in the squattie...but amazingly being able to rescue some of it
* A rat falling from the ceiling, in the front of the class during one of James' teachings
* During a time of a team dis-unity, cockroaches crawling on each one of us, bring us all to laughter, solving the problem


Quote given to me from my dear friend...
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Nelson Mandela

A week filled with blessings...

Dear friends and family...
so sorry I have not been able to write. We just completed our first seminar in a city right under the border of Sudan called Kitgum. Tomorrow we are leaving and I feel as if I will be leaving a piece of my heart here...the question is, will it be like this every week? Each day has been filled with such blessings, people coming from miles away, riding their bikes for hours and hours, for 24 miles, just to come and hear the word of God. They heard of our seminar on the radio and people left their businesses for the week and came and learned how to study God's word for themselves. I am filled with such blessing, many times I have been brought to tears, such joy, despite their situations...they praise and honor God. They hunger after God, they know that is the answer. This is all I can write...I am out of time...
I don't think I can do justice to the way I have felt this week...I have been taught by the people, humilty, joy, perserverance, a hunger for God...
I will write more next week when I have time. Thank you for all your prayers and love...
* this week we are going to an IDP camp (internally displaced people camp), camps put in place for the people because of the disturbance of the LRA in the past...please pray for safety and an openess to the word...though I am sure I will again be blown away with blessing....

Question for this week: God, why have you chosen me for this blessing...?

Beautiful Uganda...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have finally arrived in Uganda. It is amazing...I will give you the top ten memories so far... I have not stopped laughing since I got here...

10. Meeting one of the founders of Invisible Children while in line at customs before entering Uganda...weird...
9. The candles lining the streets at night in the people's shops...so beautiful
8. Taking a shower last night and being shocked by the shower handle and hose...therefore having to rinse my hair and body in the small...small sink...
7. Going to sleep with mosquito nets and smelling like I am camping because of the amount of deet that I have just sprayed on myself...
6. Waking up at 5:30 because of jet lag...
5. Going to take our seats on the bus this morning, just to find that our seat is occupied by a chicken..the chicken then attacking the girl next to us...then being shoved under the seat...
4. Being one of the 4 white people on a bus...I am a minority...haha...I love it...
3. Eating food from the vendors outside of the window of the bus...
2. Being laughed at because we are white and we attempt to say things in other languages...
1. Realizing that I am in Africa...what a blessing...what beauty...how priceless...