4 days ago...the most precious little boy you've ever seen turned 1 year old. ONE. How did that happen so fast?
3 days ago...Two women accepted Jesus in a remote fishing village on an island after hearing a few mzungu's (white people) speak about the Good News. PTL!!
In 1 day...America has it's birthday while I'm in Uganda. We'll be celebrating with a watermelon eating contest, cookout, and *hopefully* some sparklers if we can find them at the market in downtown Kampala.
In 4 days...I will visit Sam (from Doors Ministries) at his boarding school in Kampala and say goodbye.
In 10ish days...I need to finish a construction estimate for my current eMi project. Eeek!
In 15 days...I get to see MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!
In 16-22 days....I have to say more goodbyes than I care to think about right now.
In 23 days...I will be in America. What? How did that sneak up on me so fast? This one also means that I will get to see YOU!
In 40 days...I will be at WORK in AMERICA. Crazy crazy crazy. My life does not seem real.
Speaking of real, I'll be real with you for a second. I am not going to continue blogging when I get home. "An Engineer in Uganda" blog doesn't quite make sense in America. Want to know a secret? I am really kinda excited to not have to always be so vulnerable and transparent with the world wide web of anyone! I look forward to continuing this openness and vulnerability with all you who I know and love- so you can help keep me accountable with that.
But, since I'm not yet there (America), and I still feel compelled (by the Lord or myself, I'm not sure) to share my journey with you, here's this:
Do you ever struggle with believing the prosperity gospel? A gospel that says if you trust/love/honor/give to God enough- you will experience success in the world. Material success, job success, family success, relationship success... any old kind of success you can think of that sounds good on earth. If I'm honest, I have unwittingly believed this lie before (in small part or in whole). It is a rampant lie in the American church and has ruthlessly worked it's way into the gospel in Uganda, too. Often, people want to hear Mzungu's talk about God- because most mzungu's are wealthy- and so we obviously have a better understanding of God since we're so materially blessed. Yikes, right!? So, just to prove that prosperity on earth is not something we should be chasing OR something that is promised in the gospel message of Jesus Christ...
Jesus says, in Luke 6:24-26
"What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets."
Eeek. Gut check. So, maybe, just maybe...don't chase/crave/treasure happiness and prosperity on earth. Sure, the Lord is good and he often pours out earthly blessings. But he's mostly in the business of receiving glory and dishing out eternal blessings as a bonus.
Praises:
-My precious nephew turning 1. That just rocks.
-The women who accepted Christ this weekend. That rocks more.
Prayer Request:
-For continued attitude of thankfulness on my part- not sadness!
-For our time at the Nsambya Babies Home. It has been challenging lately as the kids are getting older and bigger (healthier, too!) And there just aren't enough loving arms to go around some days! Pray for the Lord to move in this place where I know his heart is so close!
You May Be Outside Kampala on a Remote Fishing Island If:
-Every day life is pretty much comparable to camping.
-Tribal dancing is abundant and exhausting!
-You smell fried cassava (a starchy root) and you immediately think you are smelling momma's homemade fried chicken. (I'm still craving it, Mom. Guess what my first request is when I get home?)
THANKS as always for EVERYTHING!
SForbes
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