News, News

This is my second week teaching at Ruharo on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the middle class, which has 34 four year olds, and top class, which has 47 five - seven year olds. Each day it gets a little easier, a little better, and a little more manageable. The children are beginning to understand me more clearly, and they are learning some of my behavior expectations. It has been great to introduce many new ideas, activities, and methods of teaching and learning into the classroom. It's helping to keep the students engaged and on-task as well as modeling different and effective teaching practices for the teachers I'm working with.


top classroom

It has been interesting to see how the teachers perceive their students' abilities and what skills they have actually mastered. It's common here for teachers to say that the children know how to read. What I've found, though, is that the children have memorized a list of words that are written and repeated over and over (mat, sun, van, etc.). These words have become sight words to the children, but they don't have any concept of letter sounds, therefore, "sounding out a word" is a totally foreign concept to them. Literally. 

In middle class, I've decided to bring it back to the basics and emphasize letter-sound correspondence in my literacy lessons. After just two weeks, I can already see improvements in many of the children. I hear them humming the songs I've taught them as they do their work, and their memory from week to week is serving them well! I'm hoping that by the end of the term in December we will be able to sound out some simple words.

Literature is never utilized in early childhood and primary education here, so it has been my joy to introduce some stories to the classes. A humorous, completely cross-cultural, and staple book in early childhood education is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Not only do the children get to practice upper- and lower-case letters and their sounds in this story, they also enjoy chanting the refrain "Chicka chicka boom boom!" throughout the story.

In middle class, we're also working on recognizing numerals, understanding one-to-one correspondence, and counting backward from 10. One of my college professors donated a large bag of Wikisticks, reuseable and pliable wax sticks, and they were perfect for practicing numbers! The children loved using this new material, and I'm excited to use them for more lessons. 

Each morning these classes starting with sharing "news." I haven't figured out the purpose or benefit of this daily routine, but it goes like this: A child or teacher come up to the front of the room and says, "News, news." The class responds, "Tell us (insert name)." "On my way to school today, I saw a big, big (fill in the blank)." Sometimes variety is added by saying "a good, good..." or "a beautiful, beautiful..." Then the class repeats what that person said.

I'm not a fan of this daily routine, but let me borrow from the format and tell you the good, good things I saw on my way home from school this afternoon.

On my way home from school this afternoon, I saw a small group of children collecting termites from the road. I stopped to watch and asked them what they were going to do with them. "Eat them!" they responded enthusiastically. It was lunch time after all!

On my way home from school this afternoon, I saw a small toddler playing a wonderful game with a large calf. The calf was tied in a field to graze. The child walked just within reach of the cow's head, the cow would gently butt the child, and the child would fall over. This process was repeated over and over. Satisfying!

Please continue to pray for wisdom as I plan lessons for these classes and build relationships with the teachers and children. Pray that above all else, Christ will be glorified and His kingdom will be furthered at Ruharo Infant School, in Mbarara, and in all of Uganda.

Dream Differed (with apologies to Langston Hughes)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. My dream is different now.

In the past month, I’ve been struck time and time again with the realization that the dream I’ve so carefully and passionately held in my heart for the past 3 and a half years is changing drastically. What I thought God was calling me to all along stands in stark contrast to the reality that has been set before me here in Mbarara.

I’ve humbly learned that no matter how large your skill set or how qualified you may be, culture runs deep, and traditions are strong. Habits that have been passed down from generation to generation have created mindsets and beliefs that are not easily replaced. They have affected Ugandans to the core of their being and dictate their beliefs on how they think they are created to live and learn.

Only Christ can redeem what has been lost and forgotten along the way. 

I came out here with plans and dreams and hopes for the Ugandan schools. After spending a significant amount of time observing in a typical Ugandan primary school, I set those ambitions aside realizing that they’re not realistic. Not only because of time constraints and cultural barriers but also because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing good in me apart from Christ.

I can have the best intentions and the greatest ideas, but if I act out of my own desires rather than with the sole purpose of bringing glory to God, then it’s all for nothing. Any plans that I came out here with have been stripped away. God is in the process of replacing those dreams with something different. Something better. Something bigger. But I have no idea what that means yet.

I have no doubt in mind that the dream I held on to for all these years was indeed from the Lord. He was the one to give me a reason to live for something bigger than myself. For something that involves fulfilling the Great Commission. He is the one who challenged me to defend the cause of the weak and fatherless and compelled me to bind up the broken hearted. For those reasons I am here, but I’m also here for reasons I don’t know yet.

What I do know is that God is taking me on an amazing journey this year that involves delving into his Word, seeking wisdom and truth for myself, and striving for obedience to God’s purposes in my life whatever they might be. Anything positive that comes out of my time here, any small difference that I can make in the lives of one or many people, any act love and compassion that points others to Christ and brings glory to his name... They only happen by the grace of God and by his Spirit that is at work in me.

I’m already 2 and a half months into my time here, and I feel like I actually have less of an idea of what I’m supposed to be doing here than when I first arrived. Fortunately, time is nothing to God. When he chooses to give me clarity and peace about my ministries and about the time I spend here is a matter of God’s sovereignty. And in the end all that really matters is “I AM THAT I AM has sent me” (Ex. 3:14). I am here, and He will do the rest.

It may be unfulfilled. It may be unrestored.

But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord,

 just watch and see,

it will not be unredeemed.

-Selah

Core Values

I want to take a moment to share a bit more about our team and what we are striving for as we all serve here in Mbarara.

Currently, our team is made up of 9 (soon to be 10) adults from the US, England, and Northern Ireland. Some lead Bible studies for university students, others teach in secondary and primary schools, some focus on discipling and pouring into the lives of young Ugandans, one teammate is a physiotherapist in the hospital, and others are involved in teaching better farming techniques and agriculture skills. Although we are all serving in very different areas of ministry all over the city and surrounding areas, each of us is striving toward the fulfillment of the same vision and goal.

Our team vision statement is this:

“Christ-centered churches planting and building Christ-centered churches with a focus on discipleship unto missions.”

We are working with Christ-centered churches to help them plant and/or build up Christ-centered churches. In that, we focus on discipleship with an aim for indigenous missions – raising and sending out missionaries into the community and into the world!

Our team also has five core values that are taken into consideration in every ministry and in every person that is recruited for the Mbarara team.

• Church-Centered: Serving and supporting the leadership of the local church and functioning as a part of the Body of Christ.
• Discipleship: Developing knowledge, character, and skills in the lives of those we disciple.
• Grace-Centered: Recognizing redemption through the work of Christ in our words and actions.
• Indigenous Missions: Casting a vision for and creating church sent missionaries to plant Christ-centered churches.
• Transformational Development: Creating sustainable and reproducible, holistic ministries by being lifelong learners and servant leaders. 

Only God would think to bring together the people on our team! We all come from unique backgrounds and have a wide variety of skills sets, talents, and passions. I'm grateful to be part of a team that upholds such God-glorifying standards in ministry here, and I'm honored to be working alongside others who are committed to seeing God's Kingdom come and His will done in Uganda!

My Name is Nimusiima

 Proper names are poetry in the raw.  Like all poetry they are untranslatable. 

 - W.H. Auden

Words have meaning and names have power. 
My name is Nimusiima. It means "I am thankful."

This is the African name given to me by my friend, Sophie. I think it's beautiful, and I think that people tend live up to their name and their name's meaning whether they realize it or not.

If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things. 

- Confucius

Nimusiima. I certainly am thankful to God and deeply grateful for all that He's done in my life. A lesson I was learning this summer is that thankfulness always preceeds the miracle. A heart of gratitude bowed before the Lord is essential in seeing the miraculous works of God.

Although this name was just given to me, I am thankful. And now that it's my name, I pray that thankfulness will become a part of who I always am. I so desire to live up to this name!

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalms 9:1

Where It's Always Summer

The other day Kelsea and I were in town doing some errands when we decided that ice cream would be a wonderful treat for our walk home. We went to a favorite, local grocery store and found some single serving cups of ice cream. As we were walking down the sidewalk wearing sunglasses, skirts, and sandals enjoying  our cold treat, Kelsea said, "Ah, what a perfect summer day."

Only it was the end of September.

I loved growing up in a part of the United States that has four distinct seasons, but I'll be honest, I'm not going to miss winter this year. Minnesota winters for the past four years have turned me off to snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures for awhile. I'm happy to be living on the sunny equator where it's always in the 70s or 80s, and we only have two seasons, rainy and dry!

While I won't miss winter, I've found that I do miss fall. I see pictures from back home and notice that trees are blazing with colors, sweatshirts are out of storage, apples are being picked at the orchard, and my favorite fall treats, like pumpkin spice muffins and lattes are once again in stores.

As much I miss those things this year, I am surrounded by Ugandan substitutes that are just as satisfying and wonderful in different ways! Rather than admiring the beauty of fall colors on trees, I get to marvel at the flowers blooming all around our front porch and the endless colors in the central market.   

Rather than wearing sweatshirts and jeans, I can wear skirts and beaded sandals made here in Mbarara. I can sit out on our front porch reading in the sunshine almost any afternoon I please.

Rather than picking apples from Wilson's Apple Orchard, I can pick avocados from my yard.

Rather than enjoying pumpkin flavored treats, I eat pineapple and bananas that put all others to shame. Flavors that simply can't be reproduced!

 

 

 

While there are days that I miss those fall favorites, I'm fully enjoying all the seasonal delights here in Uganda, too. And while it's dumping snow up north, I'll be happily soaking up the sunshine!