Today in Maryland

I spent the day wandering through photographs after having gone out for coffee and some catch-up shopping this morning. I kept trying to step on the clutch in my little black car, only to let out a happy little sigh because I realized that I no longer have to shift gears in that old truck I've been driving the small winding roads of Spain! It's surprising how much I appreciate the little things when I get back home.

Although I have my photos organized, I need a software update before I can post them. So, I'm checking out for the evening, and will get back to posting later.

I have to admit that Spain, Uganda and Costa Rica have worn me out! I'm glad not to have to leave the country for a while.

My Last Week in Spain

Being at camp for four weeks for four different kinds of camps has been tougher than I thought. Sleeping in a teepee with new people each week, walking around up and down for electricity, food, bathrooms, or anything else I need has reminded me how grateful I am for a relatively care-free life in America. I can't even count how many different kinds of bugs there are here, most of which reside in my tent! I am so ready for my homeland.

But even as I think of all the struggles that come from living here these weeks, I remember that Spain has less than one percent of a Christian population. And the ones who do believe face ridicule and temptations from every quarter. This camp is one of the few ways that the youth of Spain, and most of Europe, can even be reached anymore. They no longer value the religion and churches of their forefathers, it has not worked for them. So they are looking for new answers.

For the short time we endure the inconveniences, the heat, the bugs, it's worth it. To see the lives of young people strengthened, and new answers given, that's worth it all.

I admit though, that I have to remind myself of this over and over, each time that I find a new species of bug in my tent that has just shed it's skin.

Blessings as you go, and remember that all the world was made by God, and we are all His children.

Kampala traffic is on my mind!!!!

Our short term team here has been praising me for my adept abilities in this amazing tangle of transport, but they don't see the concentration and reflexes that seem to drain me of every bit of energy! All I want to do is get to the destination without harming anyone!

Joy and Pain

Driving in Kampala was a BEAR today! And I am worn out. So, I leave you with a couple of images from the orphanage we went to yesterday. Forever burned in my memory -- the cry of a child abandoned left wondering why, and the joy of a child remembered by God.

Meeting of Minds

This morning I got up early and attended a prayer breakfast here in Uganda. About twenty-five or thirty people attended, one of which is a member of Parliament. We had a discussion afterward about her district in the northwest regions of Uganda, and her dream to start vocational training there, because there are no jobs for the people who actually finish high school level. Unemployment is still extremely high.

My next conversation was with an old friend, a respected Ugandan businessman. We discussed ideas for improving agriculture, and finding retired teachers to donate time to come and teach in Uganda. Lately, there has been little rain, and people who do not live in the cities are going hungry.

Driving around Kampala and visiting old friends reminds me how much I care about what happens here, and indeed in every country where there are people struggling to live out each day in good health and peace. I cannot help but lay my life down again to do whatever work God puts before me.

Going Irish

This week I have been staying in a Christian Guest House with a team from an Irish girl's school. Last night they invited me to join their quiet time, and I discovered once again that when we are in God's Word, we have the same heart. There are about twenty girls, and a hand full of counselors, one of which is the president of the school. As I listened to their quiet time, I could see that many of these girls already have such a great heart for Jesus and God's Word, and it was a blessing.

Today, I'm working on editing the second in a series of Christian television shows. The first was televised yesterday. It's so cool to be a part of reaching even more people through that medium. Who knew? Yesterday (or so it seems) a graphic designer, today a tool in God's Kingdom and loving it!

Blessings!

Long and Winding Road

At last! I am in Uganda. But not without a long trip through the London Heathrow Airport. I flew in to one terminal, lugged carry-ons down stairs hooked up to the plane, stood on a bus for ten minutes, stood in line for twenty more, walked through 3 security checkpoints, one more bus, two more lines, to wait twelve hours to take a tram to another section of terminal!

But I am back in this country that I love so much. I forget until I get here about the unique bird sounds, the people walking everywhere on foot, the friendliness, and the places I grew to cherish while I lived here. I am staying at a Christian Guest house at the moment, planning for the next two weeks. I feel blessed to be here.