Mozzarella Cheese

As you may have noticed, it has been a bit tough to muster up the desire to blog lately. I am in Uganda for one more month and two days- and blogging just hasn’t been jumping to the top of my list. Here’s the thing. I am soo excited to see you all. Can’t wait, really! And I’m excited to start my new job. And I am also really looking forward to eating some real mozzarella cheese (yes, that’s what I’ve been missing lately…) and momma’s fried chicken.

These pictures are from visiting my stand-in Mama, Janet, for her birthday last weekend

BUT, I loathe the thought of all these heart-wrenching goodbyes I have to make in T-1month2days. But thanks to my dear friend who just returned to the US (shout out Jessie!), I am trying something. For every time that something is so awesome that I just want to be sad for how much I’ll miss it- I instead focus on how extremely grateful I am for the blessing. Whatever it may be.

Hopefully that is enough of an excuse for my lack of blogging… In other news, work has been grrrreat! I’ve been posing as an architect the last few weeks and working on finalizing construction documents and doing 3D building renderings! I’m talking sketch-up, Photoshop, the whole 9 yards. Crazy out of my comfort zone and skill set. But crazy fun. And Lord-willing I will be working on the estimate and construction schedule for this project after a client meeting this week.

The Lord has been teaching me thousands of lessons. I have discovered how much he can teach me if I just walk ever closer with him. Tons of lessons in just a single day! He’s cool, isn’t he? And by cool, of course I mean amazingly kind and generous, so worthy, and unrelentingly loving. Anyway, I’ll just share one with you. Soo, orphans. If you’ve read any of my blogs- you know I’ve been volunteering at an orphanage a few hours a week. I’ve been digging in a bit to God’s heart on orphans, and just love this:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

Guess what God’s heart is for orphans? (PS Not pretending I know it all- or even half of it…) He calls for justice for the orphans and adoption into his family. Beautiful! “Oooh, ooh! Pick me! Lord, I want to do that! Adopt all these precious ones that I’ve grown to know and love so that I can teach them about YOUR family! Lord, yes please!”

But guess what else. I’m 100% sure that is not what I am supposed to be doing right now. Mostly, because it is illegal. I’m not 25 and I am not living in Uganda for the next 3 years. Also, I have only half of the whole “parent” thing to offer. They deserve a Daddy, too. But at least while I am here for the next month I get to pour into their lives and try to help them understand (at the tender young age of 2 or 3) that they MATTER. But soon, I won’t have an orphanage to volunteer at. Or a design project that will be serving orphans. So….then, what?

I’m not sure yet. But of this I am sure. When I get back to the states, if I’m not serving the “poor and needy, the widow and the orphan” then I am NOT living a biblical faith. I think I kinda faked
it before. Give a little money here, sponsor a child there. But that is not the way God has taught me to serve. He gives fully of his time, resources, emotion, and energy. He gives that freely to me. And so when he calls me to give, he wants me to do it in the SAME WAY. Is that what your giving looks like? In the words of Brooke Fraser and James, “Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead.” (Shout out to Reid for pointing me to Brooke Fraser’s song Albertine.)

Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Ps 82:3

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Is 1:17

Praises:
-Can I list them all? Just thank the Lord for how good he is. He is worthy of all our lives and devotion and praise without offering us anything in return. And yet he gives us eternal salvation, an ever present helper, peace and strength for each day, and amazingly blessed relationships with others. So, just praise him for all of that.

Prayer Requests:
-For my attitude to remain thankful!! not sorrowful as I approach goodbyes.
-For the precious kids at Nsambya Babies Home. Pray that the Lord would be near to them this week and love them through us.
-For project work and all my fellow staff and interns. The end of a term can be a stressful time as we push to finish all of the projects and reports before the interns leave.

You May be in Kampala if:
-Your kiwi companion takes you all sailing one day off a semi-deserted island on Lake Victoria. (Mostly I just wanted to point out here that I got to go sailing on Lake Victoria…)
-Great worship is often characterized by lots of tribal dancing. Hips often move in Uganda as an act of worship to our Lord- which is pretty fun!
-You cannot imagine a better snack than fried banana chips.

Uganda Cranes game!

Thank you all for your love and support. And thanks especially for reading!
SForbes

The Weakness

Excerpt from June 8th, 2013:

"...Lord, help me run fast to you on mornings like today. I feel especially weak today. And today I feel brokenhearted. Today I just want to cry and moan for the brokenness. For how a man can treat a woman in this world. For how a parent can treat a child. For how an orphan is abandoned. For how my family is so far away. Father, help me recognize this weakness as a good thing- a blessing even!

For when I am weak, then I am strong. Lord help me recognize my weakness as another way that you pursue me. You use my brokenness to push me into your arms. I love your arms. How they hold me. How they comfort me.

I love my King. How he saw no obstacle too great to COME FOR ME. Not his status as God; not his perfection against my sinfulness; not even his perfect understanding against my stupidity. Nothing was big enough to keep him from coming for me. Not even his own separation from the same relationship he offers to me with Almighty God was an obstacle too great for him.

What a love. What a lover."

I just wanted to share a reality that I've been learning lately. (We even talked about it at church this morning in Mark 10.) Really- I am in a constant state of weakness. I just pridefully and sinfully don't recognize it most of the time. But, especially lately, the Lord pursues me with the reality of my weakness so that I will draw near to him. And I recognize more and more how every circumstance I face- joyful or sad, blessing or curse- is always just meant to push me towards HIM. Accept these nudges from him, it is SO worth it.

Mark 10:49
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you!"

2 Cor 12:9-10
Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I Am Home

A few weeks ago I found myself in a kayak out in the middle of Lake Victoria. I was somewhere between the shore and an island. I saw thousands of snails in the water that I knew would give me bill harzia disease, beautiful exotic birds along the shore, and lots of wooden fishing boats. And I was overcome with this knowledge: I am home.

Philippians 4:11-12
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

I used to think of this passage only in terms of material needs. But the Lord has been teaching me that I can share Paul's attitude here in every aspect of my life. Because the "secret" I think Paul is talking about is a really good secret. We have absolutely everything we need in Christ.

I desire good relationships, or home comforts, or wealth, or validation from people, or a wonderful marriage, or children (adopted or mine!), or satisfaction in my work, or a sense of peace and comfort- but I do not need those things. I find completeness in Christ. I find full provision in Christ. In Him, I live and move and breathe. I am content not because of his blessings. I am content that he is enough. I am fully content in Him.

In Him, I am always home.

Praises:
-The Lord granted my visa extension for FREE in Uganda in less than 5 minutes at the immigration office. Unheard of! Praise God!
-Following the successful visit to immigration- Anne, Uriah, and I went to visit the beautiful Sipi Falls in Eastern Uganda. The Lord is so creative, so beautiful, and so good!
-Julia Horne was born on Monday! I was blessed to meet her today. She is beautiful and Kayla, Matt, and Micah are all doing well!
-I've got a new roommate. Rachel arrived yesterday! She is not working with EMI, but she is living with us girls and she is super nice :)

Prayer Requests:
-There has been a lot of sickness going around the EMI office and families the last few weeks (including myself). Pray that God uses this time of sickness as he desires (maybe to make us slow down and/or rest) but that he would also heal us quickly- cuz being sick ain't no fun!
-Mom and Dad are coming to UGANDA! Please pray for logistics as we work out the details together.

You May Be in Kampala If:
-You miss cheese like nobody's business. It is either really expensive, really bad, or it's gouda. All they have is gouda.
-In lieu of an epidural, you are given laughing gas when you give birth at the most respectable hospital in town (PS that's Kayla's experience...not mine!)
-You have acclimated to the point that you wear jeans, long sleeves, and a scarf...but it's barely under 70F...

In His Holy Name,
SForbes