Timing is a Funny Thing...

In January of 2011 I took my first trip to Africa. Although I fell in love with the place and its beautiful people, I still told God that I would never be a missionary.

Hah.

Two and a half years later, I find myself face-to-face with a dream that God gave me just a few weeks after that first trip. I find myself living in Uganda... hearing and even witnessing horror stories become beautiful testimonies... and then telling those stories. 

This is a dream come true.

A dream almost three years in the making.

February of 2011 I woke up one morning from a dream that changed my life forever. After much prayer and counsel to search out what God was speaking to me through this dream, I understood a few things: yes, I was going to be a missionary; yes, I was going to tell the stories of these once-broken-now-whole children; and now I realize that yes, I am a writer, despite all the times in my life I've brushed it aside. 

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Wednesday afternoon, we had our monthly volunteer meeting. Usually we have it at the church, but this time we had a special treat: traditional lunch at Bbira village! We split up into groups of three and ate lunch with one of the Watoto house mamas and their Watoto children. We got to ask them questions, they got to ask us questions, we played football (soccer) and volleyball, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken, veggies, rice and beans, and matoke and g-nut sauce.

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Wednesday night I said good bye to the little family I've grown to love so dearly. Our apartment at Nakesaro has been very close to home for two and a half months, and I miss my friends very much. Thank the Lord for end-of-the-month meetings, where at least I'll see a few of them. 

Lulu, Kristina, Hannah, Me, Thomas <3

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Early yesterday morning, I packed up the rest of my things and set off for Gulu with Keele and Jvon. 

Kampala to Gulu is a six-hour drive, three of which I slept right through. However, there comes a point in every African road where you cannot sleep any longer for one reason:

This is the smoother part of the road ;)

We drove over the Nile and stopped to take photos of a monkey that walked right up to our van. 

Oh, Africa. <3

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As I type this, I'm about to head out the door of my new home to my first day at Babies' Home, Gulu. Kampala and Gulu are two totally different worlds. When I first got to Kampala, I commented that it's like a first-world country within a third-world country, and that's exactly what it is. Gulu, however, is small and rural, with a huge market for buying veggies and a small grocery at which you will not find cheese! (For someone who lives on grilled cheese sandwiches, I'm really not sure what I'm going to eat...)

More updates to come as the adventure continues. 

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers! 

All my love, 

<3, Robin

This Journey is My Own

In coming to Uganda, I've made so many friends from all over the world. I quite literally I have at least one friend, if not several, on every continent. 

However, there comes a day when you exchange email addresses and hugs and say, "See you later." Unfortunately, their time is finished, and yours continues. 

Home is not a place, and home is not people. 

Home is Jesus. 

That's all it can be. 

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"I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the road less travelled by

and that has made all the difference." 

-The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

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I say unfortunately, but it actually is a beautiful thing when your road crosses mine. I got to know you and the beautiful path you are on. Your stride, terrain and equipment are all drastically different from mine; although we met in a common ground, our paths wind in separate directions before they meet in our common destination. Your path will cross others'; so will mine. Your path will take you to different sights and sounds; mine will do the same. To meet in this common ground is an opportunity to celebrate where we've been and where we're going... and where we will both end up someday. 

When our paths separate, it is sad, but also temporary and actually necessary. Once we've met, we will pray for each other and be encouraged by the things we have in common and the things that we don't. 

It's not an easy lesson to learn, but this journey that I am on is not yours. It's my own, and I've been privileged to cross paths with so many beautiful people. So I'll exchange email addresses and hugs, and then adjust my backpack and keep climbing these mountains. I will encourage you, and you will encourage me, and we will celebrate each other and the biggest thing we have in common:

Bringing glory to God, the purpose of this journey. 

<3, Robin

A Heavenly Perspective...

Remember baby Esther, from my last post? 

Today I got to work bright and early and immediately heard the exciting news:

Esther's parents had come for her! 

It turns out she had only been lost, separated from her parents and brought (thank God!) to Bulrushes. 

On Monday, you'll remember, I couldn't even get the terrified little girl to smile. 

By Wednesday, we had a full-fledged tickle fight. Naturally, I won. ;)

And yesterday afternoon she was reunited with her family. 

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Every time someone heard the news today, we celebrated. 

"Praise God!"

"I'm so glad!"

"That's where she belongs!"

etc.

Suddenly, it hit me.

I've been given the perspective of the angels' celebration every time someone comes to know Jesus. 

"Praise God!"

"I'm so glad!"

"That's where she belongs!"

This person was lost, but now she is found. She was separated from her Father, but He searched for her until He found her. He took her home where she belonged, and she will grow knowing that her Father loves her and would not let her remain lost. 

And the angels celebrate.

Oh, how we celebrate. 

<3

The Rest of This Weekend... and other stories

I wanted to give Abraham his own blog post, and if you read it, you know why. It was one of the most special days of my life, and all these other stories can make some room. ;)

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Friday night, after spending the afternoon with Abraham and touring the Food for the Hungry sustainability projects, we returned to a local inn called, "Noah's Ark Hotel- Where Great People Live!" 

I actually passed a great night there. After eating with Emma and Moses, I slept ten blissful hours in a room by myself for the first time in two months. 

The next morning after breakfast, Moses met Emma and I and took us to Sipi Falls, just a few kilometers from the hotel. It flows off Mount Elgon at the Uganda-Kenya border, is 100 meters tall, and coupled with a view spanning most of the horizon, is absolutely breathtaking. 

Moses on the left, Emma on the right

We enjoyed a soda and the view for a bit, then left Sipi Falls. We parted with Moses after several expressions of gratitude and well wishing. 

My form of good bye has changed here. Instead of "Good bye, nice meeting you, have a nice life!" It has become, "May the Lord bless you and keep you," quoting Numbers 6:24. Not to be overly "Christianese" but simply because if I must leave them, I want to leave the friends I meet here speaking words of blessing and promise over their lives. 

After saying our good byes, Emma and I started the long road to Kampala. We made one last detour, however:

When we first passed through Jinja headed out to Kitany, Emma asked me if I had seen the Source of the Nile yet. When I answered no, he promised to take me on our way back. Sure enough,  we ate lunch at the Source of the Nile Resort and followed by dipping our toes in the Nile itself. 

"Imagine that whole thing turned to blood!" My roommate exclaimed when I got home. Sure, that was in Egypt, but who knows? It may have extended to the whole Nile. We may never know until we get to Heaven, but in the mean time we get to use our imaginations. 

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Sunday after church I made the spontaneous decision to spend my afternoon at a coffee shop reading. I started reading a book recommended by, well, everybody. At least everyone here in Uganda. Lol. It's called "Love Does" and it's about putting love to action in intriguing ways. Definitely worth reading. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two afternoons.

Anyway, I went to a cafe not far from my house called 1,000 Cups. Grabbing a couch and a cappuccino, I dived headfirst into this book. 

And then the Mzungus started in. 

I literally met like six groups of people.

There was the group of Brits from a hostel. There were the Irish people doing volunteer work with a local charity. There were the Americans from the Peace Corp starting their own organization. And finally, there was the group from Skate Church in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The past few years, Skate Church is a place my Master's Commission has visited on tour. They partner with a Ugandan ministry called "Come, Let's Dance." I know a few people from that church who have actually come to Uganda with this ministry, but I didn't think I'd run into that group while I was here. Although I didn't know anyone in the group, we had friends in common, and we both realized quickly what a small world we live in.

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An update on Baby Girl:

After she went to the hospital about two weeks ago, the doctors changed her medicine and our nurses monitored her carefully. Praise God, the last two days she has not had a single seizure. She is making efforts toward walking, is responding to her name, and when you talk to her she will vocalize sounds. Life fills her eyes as she plays like a normal child, and I am believing for a complete and total healing of this little girl.

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Finally, an interesting story.

Today I worked in Clinic with Baby Girl and a few others. While we were outside playing, Bruce (the one guy caretaker we have at Bulrushes- he works with the Special Needs kids) brought out a little girl I didn't recognize and set her down by the slide. "She's new," he said. "She's here to play with you guys!"

I asked her name, but Bruce didn't know it. I had Baby Girl on my lap and another child hanging on my arm, so I just observed the new little girl for a bit. 

She's dark, like the colour of coffee before you add milk, and absolutely beautiful. About two years old, she walks on her own and feeds herself. However, she's new to Bulrushes, and the look of terror and confusion was always in her eyes. She didn't move from her spot by the slide until finally I walked over.

I held out my hands to her, and as she looked at me I got chills. I saw the pain of rejection in her eyes. I saw the fear of the future and the fear of abandonment. I saw distrust and doubt. 

But as she took my outstretched hands, I felt the whisper of the Holy Spirit. "She is like Esther. Although an orphan, she will be taken in, and she will be a future leader of her people 'for such a time as this.'"

I scooped the little girl into my arms, and she sat in my lap for the rest of the day.

Another volunteer later told me, and our supervisor, Vicky, confirmed it.

"Her name is Esther."

<3

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Thank you, everyone, for the love and prayers. I've almost officially been here for two months, and I'm loving every minute of it. 

<3, Robin

Visiting Abraham

Even before I left to come to Uganda, I knew that this weekend would be one of the highlights of my whole trip. 

Oh, boy, was I right. 

See, last summer I had a time of seeking God for what more He had for me. I heard Him tell me to be a giver, to be willing to make sacrifices that other people would know Him as Lord. So I began sponsoring Abraham. It was just two short weeks later that my job was cut; but the Lord provides. He led me to Watoto, and He led me to a job that would both sponsor Abraham and help me to save for Uganda. 

I've sponsored Abraham for over a year now. Neighbours used to chuckle at me when I received a letter from him in the mail. I would go skipping back to my apartment, tearing the envelope open before I'd even reached my door. Every letter and picture means the world to me. 

Yesterday morning, Emma (Food for the Hungry's coordinator here in Uganda) picked me up here in Kampala and we headed east to Kitany village. It was about a six hour drive, not counting stops, and by the time we got there we were about three kilometers from the Kenyan border. It was cold and the sky threatened rain. 

We picked up Moses (the local coordinator for Kitany village) and finally reached Abraham's village. Upon arrival, I got out of the van and greeted a large group of children that were waiting for us on top of the slope. Giggling impatiently, they started pushing a boy toward us, yelling, "Abraham! Abraham!"

The child ran down the slope and straight into my arms.

<3

My eyes watering, my heart exploding, I took the little hand offered to me and followed Abraham to his hut halfway up the hill. 

Abraham doesn't speak speak much English, so it was a little awkward at first. Thankfully, we had brought a translator, and she helped Abraham and I to talk a bit. It was Abraham's birthday, and he is now ten years old. I gave him stickers and Dum-Dum lollipops, and then had to show him how to use the stickers. 

Abraham had brought all of his friends to his home to see me when I came. None of them spoke English really, so we had to be very creative in how we communicated. The moment it started getting awkward, I pulled out my iPhone and thanked God for the technology that allows children to see themselves making funny faces in a picture.

We did that for quite a while actually, and then we started singing and dancing and playing games. You'd be surprised how entertaining the "Hoky-Poky," "If You're Happy and You Know It," and even the "Chicken Dance" can be. 

I knew this weekend would be one of the highlights of my trip.

It absolutely was. 

<3, Robin

"You might be paranoid!" and other stories...

*insert Jo-Bro song here*

Today has been interesting, to say the least. It feels like the entire African/Arab world is holding its breath, waiting to see what will come from this al Qaeda stuff going on. 

Now let me give a disclaimer before anyone freaks out: I'm really not in danger. More so than I might be at home, maybe; but I'm also a lot safer here than I would be in neighbouring countries. It's really strange hearing these things from a new perspective. Back home, I'd say, oh wow, that's crazy, moving on. But now these are my neighbours. To some extent, this does affect me. The biggest concern that we've had is the U.S. Embassy shutting its doors for the weekend, plus the end of a Muslim holiday is apparently this week. So basically the protocol is to be cautious and not volunteer my nationality to strangers (which is wisdom in the first place). 

So after church today, Whit and I were as paranoid as we could possibly be. A kid's balloon popped; where was the bomb?! What's in that man's back pack? Why did he take it off? Why are those joggers running? Why are they looking at us? Why are the streets so empty?

No seriously, it's eerie today. No traffic, few people at Garden City, fewer people walking on the streets... It's like the whole world is just waiting.

Another disclaimer: most of these paranoid questions were pulled out of the air as we walked to Garden City to buy Whitney more internet. We laughed and practiced every accent we knew (and even some we didn't know), in effort to "disguise" our nationality, and we came up with every worst-case scenario and what our plan of action would be. And then we sang Jonas Brothers' "Paranoid": "I make the most of all this stress. I try to live without regrets, but I'm about to break a sweat. I'm freaking out... Every time I turn around, something don't feel right. Just might be paranoid!" 

(Shout out to Meg, Neeva, and Aunt Lane. Jo-Bro Concert 2009 :) 

All the same, joking and paranoia aside, pray for the African/Arab world right now (and not just because I'm in it). No weapon formed against us shall prosper. I know the presence of the Living God is here. He hems me in, behind and before; He has laid His hand upon me. Pray that peace will be here, but especially for Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt, and other Muslim countries; also pray for the D.R. Congo, next door to Uganda, where some political issues are going to be handled later this week.

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On to other news. ;)

On Friday I got to write!! I spent most of the day writing some of the babies' stories and creating binding titles for their files. I got the privilege of knowing some of the more confidential details to these precious children's lives, something I do not at all take lightly. 

Each story is so unique. They each have their own horror of abandonment, abuse, and desperation; however each story continues. 

Because Jesus had His hand on them.

Because He writes their story.

Because He has greater plans for them than abandonment, abuse, and desperation. 

Praise God for His goodness. 

Jill liked my writing, and it looks like I might get to write more often. I'm so excited and so thankful to be doing something I love so much for the glory of God.

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I also got to check on Baby Girl on Friday. The medication she is on is helping. She is showing improvement, and only had two seizures during the time I was with her. (I know that sounds like a lot still, but compared to the amount that she was having, I'd say this is a fantastic improvement.) Also, she made sounds when I talked to her. Not any words, but then again, she's only a year old. Please keep praying for her. 

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Yesterday during lunch, some of the nannies and staff turned on the TV to a political event. I really didn't understand what was happening, but I know it involved the Bugandan king. (Buganda is one of the biggest tribes here.) I asked the nanny, nurse, and Ronnie (our driver) if they were Bugandan, and they all answered yes. I jokingly replied, "Oh, I am, too." Whitney added, "I'm Acholli, and I even have an Acholli name! Robin, you need a Bugandan name!"

The three Bugandans thought about it, and then Mama Cathy said, "Kirabo. It means gift." 

Kirabo. This is my new Bugandan name :) Pronounced Chee-RAH-bo.

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Thank you everyone for your love and support! 

<3, Robin, Robinah, Kirabo