So this past weekend went a little differently than planned...but it was still very good. While traveling 7 hours away to see a traditional circumcision ceremony did sound like a good experience, I wasn't too disappointed to find out that the trip was cancelled. We have so many trips coming up and the semester is already about half way over – I feel like I’m never going to see my family! With an unexpected free weekend, many of the other USP students went white water rafting and bungee jumping at the Nile, but I didn’t want to rush into a decision like that (it was a lot of money too) so I just didn’t make plans. I originally thought I wanted to go rafting but many of the rapids were class 5 and I’ve never been rafting before...it sounded like something you would want to be experienced in before going. Hearing the stories of those who went was a lot of fun (you should read their blog entries about it!), but most said it was absolutely terrifying...a great and incredible experience but completely terrifying. After hearing about the bungee jumping and seeing video however, Danielle and I have decided we want to do that in about a month! We jumped out of a plane together last semester...I think we can jump off a bridge, right?
There was a singles retreat Saturday that I attended with our church – a nice surprise since I thought I would be doing housework all day! About 20 of us met at the church around 8:30 in the morning (since everyone was told to be there at 6:30 haha), and we drove to a resort in Jinja to spend the day worshipping and talking together. It was wonderful to make some more Ugandan friends who are about my age. For the first few hours we listened to some very good preaching by Rev. Titus...he had a lot of good things to say not only about being single, but being spiritually disciplined in various aspects of life. After lunch we moved outside for a time of questions and open discussion. We sat on a cliff overlooking the Nile, and I was thankful for the incredible view because about 90% of the next 2 hours of discussion was in Luganda! Every once in awhile the girls sitting next to me would explain what in the world they were talking about, and asked me a few questions as the rest of the group continued their discussion. One of the conversations I had with Rachel (the one sitting next to me) was so meaningful...it was one of those “aha” moments, and it made the whole trip worth it.
For the past week or so our family had hired someone to watch Enoch during the day and also help with the cooking/housework. Her name was Justine and she only spoke Luganda so I didn’t really have a chance to get to know her. Last night when I got home from school we had a different Justine...the other had gone home for personal reasons.
It turns out she was involved in practicing sorcery, which we had no clue about when we hired her. The other night when I was going to sleep I heard Musumba talking and praying with one or two people in the sitting room, and then they moved outside and began singing. It was around midnight so this was all very strange, but I wasn’t too worried because I could tell it was some kind of praise song, though it was in Luganda. It was beautiful by the way...I felt like I was getting a glimpse of heaven! Anyways, since this was so out of the ordinary I asked about it at dinner last night and apparently they had led Justine to Christ and had also exercised some things from her. Unfortunately, the next day she decided she wasn’t happy with the decision she made to follow Christ, and returned back home to continue practicing sorcery.
Hearing about all of this made so many things make sense. For these past few days, every time I would be at home things just felt wrong...I thought that our family was just having personal issues and it was causing me to feel like something wasn’t right. I really think that I was experiencing a presence of evil all those days when the first Justine was here. There was such a marked difference between yesterday evening and the last week that she was here. Last night everyone was just in brighter spirits and there was more laughter than we’ve had at dinner in a long time! Please continue to pray for our family and for Justine.
Rittah is having a really hard time dealing with not being able to go to school because of school fees. Her dad stopped by on Monday and she thought he would have the money, but he didn’t. They have 6 kids in their family all together so it’s understandable why they are having a hard time coming up with it...it’s such a hard situation.
Last night after dinner she was clearly not okay, and after everyone else left the room I just asked her what was troubling her. She could barely get the words out as she began to cry...I just sat there crying with her, feeling like the biggest jerk and hypocrite, knowing that I could easily provide the money. At the same time I know that’s not necessarily the best or right solution because it could really lead to a lot of problems. Even my host parents could provide the money but they don’t.
I know in my head that handing over some money isn’t the best thing to do, but in my heart it makes no sense to sit there and pray for God to provide when he could be wanting to use me to provide for her. What kills me is that a couple weeks ago when we went to Kampala she saw me spend the same amount of money on food and transportation for a day of pleasure as she needs for some, or possibly all of her school fees. Does she think of these things when I sit and cry and pray with her? Does she wonder why I sympathize but don’t offer any real help? I haven’t felt God leading me to give in this way, but it’s hard to know what to do or even how to act around her.
Please continue to pray for this situation...I know God has a plan, and maybe for now it is his will for Rittah to struggle through this, but it’s not easy to watch a close friend go through a difficult time.
I probably won’t be writing for quite awhile because Friday we are leaving for our rural homestays. We are taking a week off school to go stay with families in the mountainous district of Kapchourwa to see what life is like in the country. I know this will be a great experience, but I’m really not excited about it right now. It seems so stressful! They speak a completely different language but some English thankfully, there will be no electricity, its very conservative, and if I end up in the home of a reverend, it’s guaranteed that I’ll be giving the sermon on Sunday...that’s not intimidating or anything!
So don’t expect to hear from me for a while, but when I get back I will have tons to tell you I’m sure! Thanks in advance for your prayers!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Ups and Downs
A lot has happened since I wrote last...where to begin?
Wednesday night of last week we had our overnight intercessory prayer service at the Cathedral, and it was quite an experience. Since we had classes the next day we only stayed from 9pm-1am and we actually would have stayed another hour or so, but we were already an hour late getting Betsy home. I don’t know why I haven’t ever written much about the other USP students yet (Betsy being one of them)...we have so many crazy experiences together and are such good friends...I can’t believe I haven’t talked about any of them as of yet! I have so much to write about from the weekend, so some other time I will share some stories of our adventures, but if you follow the links you can read some of their blogs and get to know them a little better.
Anyways, for the first 3 hours of the prayer service we actually just had a time of praise and preaching. The preaching was pretty intense, and the power went out a couple times making things even more interesting, especially since the purpose of this service was to pray against all the witchcraft practiced in and around our area. I was misinformed when I said in my last post that they would be having a similar service going on simultaneously. The reason this service was focused around this issue was because those who practice witchcraft here usually gather privately, but now they want to worship publicly and build a cathedral. We were also praying for our pastors and their families and churches because they are all under attack. Those who practice witchcraft have recently been sending some of their members out as agents of evil to attend churches in the area on Sunday mornings. They seek to bring discord and harm to our congregations, and especially our pastor’s and their families. To give you an idea of how prevalent this is in our town of Mukono, apparently last year we had the highest number of child sacrifices in Uganda – 52. As you can see, this is an ongoing thing that we could use prayer for all the time here. So we finally had the first time of prayer from about midnight to 12:45, and they continued to alternate between preaching and prayer throughout the morning hours. The presence of God was so heavy and so obviously present – it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, hearing hundreds of people praying aloud in their native languages for 45 minutes straight. It was so hard to leave – we all felt like we could have stayed all night had we not had class the next day.
The weekend was full of excitement, but Saturday morning was rough. I woke up to find that Grace would be leaving in a few minutes to go home with her brother and go back to school. It came as a shock to our whole family, as her brother just showed up that morning to take her home without warning. When I told Grace that this made me very sad she said, “Even me, I am not happy.” The whole situation was really hard on everyone, especially Grace. She is the most amazing 13 year old girl I know – what 13-year-olds do you know who would gladly clean, do dishes, look after a 2 year old, and cook for a family of 8 every day? I am going to miss her witty sense of humor and even her laugh. Our family jokes that though she is so young she already has her masters – in laughing! I am thankful to have had a month with her but we all miss her so much.
Some of us had been planning to go to Kampala for the day on Saturday and it was really good to get out of the house after such an unexpected goodbye. Becca, Betsy, Caroline, and I set out with our sister Rittah to the capital city for shopping, American food, and cello playing! We took a 45 min. ride in a Matatu (taxi van) for less than a dollar to get there. Since we had to be home before dark we were pressed for time and didn’t end up going shopping, but we did have a late lunch at the “New York Kitchen” where we got calzones, lasagna, and mac & cheese! You’d be surprised at the kind of foods you miss when you’re here! After lunch we took a taxi to the YMCA where, low and behold, they really did have a cello! I got to rent it for half an hour for about $1.25. It wasn’t the same of course, because the cello wasn’t the best quality, but it was actually in better shape than I expected. There was so much I didn’t get to play because of time, but it was well worth it – just enough to tide me over for another month or so!
The ride home was an adventure all its own as we had to take 3 different Matatus to get back! The first was just to get to a different side of Kampala where there would actually be taxis going to Mukono, and the second one got a flat tire halfway home. This happened just as it was getting dark and we had to find another taxi to get us the rest of the way home. Since it was getting dark and we weren’t back yet, Musumba was worried and prayed for us...praise God the flat didn’t cause us to get into an accident. Have I mentioned yet that Uganda’s roads are the 2nd most dangerous in the world? Feel free to add traveling safety to your list of ongoing prayer requests!
Sunday morning Betsy, Becca, and I went to a nearby high school for their Sunday morning service. We preached a very short sermon about trusting God, and just enjoyed worshiping with about 25 teens. I have never experienced such sincere worship with a group their age. Apparently something they’ve been learning lately is to really mean the words when they sing and I could tell they are really getting it. Being a part of this school ministry is something I feel I need to be involved in on a regular basis, which I never expected before I came here. I wouldn’t be preaching every week of course, but I would love to get to know these students better, counsel and mentor them, and continue to learn from them.
School work is getting tougher, and USP is keeping us all busy with trips and meetings, so unfortunately I won’t be able to post as often...this weekend we are going to see a traditional Bagesu circumcision (also something I didn’t expect before I came!), so I’ll tell you all about it next week!
Prayer requests:
-I am getting very accustomed to everything here and I don’t want to take it for granted...I want to enjoy the time I have here and not let it pass me by.
-Rittah had started school again last week but now she cannot attend because she can’t pay her school fees. Please pray that God will provide quickly...this is her last year of school before going on to University. Note: I am asking only for prayer, not money! Sending money from the U.S. would cause more problems rather than solve them, so thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday night of last week we had our overnight intercessory prayer service at the Cathedral, and it was quite an experience. Since we had classes the next day we only stayed from 9pm-1am and we actually would have stayed another hour or so, but we were already an hour late getting Betsy home. I don’t know why I haven’t ever written much about the other USP students yet (Betsy being one of them)...we have so many crazy experiences together and are such good friends...I can’t believe I haven’t talked about any of them as of yet! I have so much to write about from the weekend, so some other time I will share some stories of our adventures, but if you follow the links you can read some of their blogs and get to know them a little better.
Anyways, for the first 3 hours of the prayer service we actually just had a time of praise and preaching. The preaching was pretty intense, and the power went out a couple times making things even more interesting, especially since the purpose of this service was to pray against all the witchcraft practiced in and around our area. I was misinformed when I said in my last post that they would be having a similar service going on simultaneously. The reason this service was focused around this issue was because those who practice witchcraft here usually gather privately, but now they want to worship publicly and build a cathedral. We were also praying for our pastors and their families and churches because they are all under attack. Those who practice witchcraft have recently been sending some of their members out as agents of evil to attend churches in the area on Sunday mornings. They seek to bring discord and harm to our congregations, and especially our pastor’s and their families. To give you an idea of how prevalent this is in our town of Mukono, apparently last year we had the highest number of child sacrifices in Uganda – 52. As you can see, this is an ongoing thing that we could use prayer for all the time here. So we finally had the first time of prayer from about midnight to 12:45, and they continued to alternate between preaching and prayer throughout the morning hours. The presence of God was so heavy and so obviously present – it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, hearing hundreds of people praying aloud in their native languages for 45 minutes straight. It was so hard to leave – we all felt like we could have stayed all night had we not had class the next day.
The weekend was full of excitement, but Saturday morning was rough. I woke up to find that Grace would be leaving in a few minutes to go home with her brother and go back to school. It came as a shock to our whole family, as her brother just showed up that morning to take her home without warning. When I told Grace that this made me very sad she said, “Even me, I am not happy.” The whole situation was really hard on everyone, especially Grace. She is the most amazing 13 year old girl I know – what 13-year-olds do you know who would gladly clean, do dishes, look after a 2 year old, and cook for a family of 8 every day? I am going to miss her witty sense of humor and even her laugh. Our family jokes that though she is so young she already has her masters – in laughing! I am thankful to have had a month with her but we all miss her so much.
Some of us had been planning to go to Kampala for the day on Saturday and it was really good to get out of the house after such an unexpected goodbye. Becca, Betsy, Caroline, and I set out with our sister Rittah to the capital city for shopping, American food, and cello playing! We took a 45 min. ride in a Matatu (taxi van) for less than a dollar to get there. Since we had to be home before dark we were pressed for time and didn’t end up going shopping, but we did have a late lunch at the “New York Kitchen” where we got calzones, lasagna, and mac & cheese! You’d be surprised at the kind of foods you miss when you’re here! After lunch we took a taxi to the YMCA where, low and behold, they really did have a cello! I got to rent it for half an hour for about $1.25. It wasn’t the same of course, because the cello wasn’t the best quality, but it was actually in better shape than I expected. There was so much I didn’t get to play because of time, but it was well worth it – just enough to tide me over for another month or so!
The ride home was an adventure all its own as we had to take 3 different Matatus to get back! The first was just to get to a different side of Kampala where there would actually be taxis going to Mukono, and the second one got a flat tire halfway home. This happened just as it was getting dark and we had to find another taxi to get us the rest of the way home. Since it was getting dark and we weren’t back yet, Musumba was worried and prayed for us...praise God the flat didn’t cause us to get into an accident. Have I mentioned yet that Uganda’s roads are the 2nd most dangerous in the world? Feel free to add traveling safety to your list of ongoing prayer requests!
Sunday morning Betsy, Becca, and I went to a nearby high school for their Sunday morning service. We preached a very short sermon about trusting God, and just enjoyed worshiping with about 25 teens. I have never experienced such sincere worship with a group their age. Apparently something they’ve been learning lately is to really mean the words when they sing and I could tell they are really getting it. Being a part of this school ministry is something I feel I need to be involved in on a regular basis, which I never expected before I came here. I wouldn’t be preaching every week of course, but I would love to get to know these students better, counsel and mentor them, and continue to learn from them.
School work is getting tougher, and USP is keeping us all busy with trips and meetings, so unfortunately I won’t be able to post as often...this weekend we are going to see a traditional Bagesu circumcision (also something I didn’t expect before I came!), so I’ll tell you all about it next week!
Prayer requests:
-I am getting very accustomed to everything here and I don’t want to take it for granted...I want to enjoy the time I have here and not let it pass me by.
-Rittah had started school again last week but now she cannot attend because she can’t pay her school fees. Please pray that God will provide quickly...this is her last year of school before going on to University. Note: I am asking only for prayer, not money! Sending money from the U.S. would cause more problems rather than solve them, so thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Perspectives
I love my African family. I knew they were very accepting and understanding of our culture and very accommodating for Caroline and I, but I had no idea how great the really were! As a disclaimer I am going to say that I do not mean for this post to be judgmental because I have also been guilty of these things in one form or another.
Monday night, when we had the missions team from Michigan over for dinner at our house, I observed the clashing of two cultures. It was a rare opportunity to see my culture through different eyes, the eyes of my Ugandan family. I am by no means saying that I have any real grasp of this culture after being here for just 3 and a half weeks, but there was a significant difference between my understanding and the MI team's understanding of how to behave and interact in this context.
The team of 8 Americans and two Ugandans spilled out of the van and we welcomed them into our small sitting room. Our family sat in the other room, waiting for us to be done with the food while Msumba, Caroline, and I sat and ate with the missions team and their escorts. Msumba welcomed them all and announced the variety of food that we had prepared for them - Matoke, chicken, fish, Irish potatoes, various sauces, pineapple, and sloppy joes! Upon hearing the words "sloppy joes" the whole team cheered and clapped, and while I was honored, I had to suppress a cringe as they had just unknowingly communicated that they would not have survived eating just the African food. You may think I'm overreacting, but you did not see their expressions as they listened to the list of prepared dishes that were not exclusively American. As the team was getting their food, one member specifically thanked Caroline and I for the sloppy joes as she passed up the matoke, which several team members had not even tried yet. The staple food! She had not even tried it yet and would not take any, even after we assured her that it was better here than anywhere else in town.
Throughout the evening the team mostly talked amongst themselves and to Caroline and I, only engaging in conversation with our Ugandan hosts once or twice. It was strange to hear harsh sarcasm and joking, as this is just not a part of Ugandan culture. Here, people are generally very encouraging and build each other up in conversation. I realized as I observed their interactions just how much I've changed in the short time I've been here in regards to my usual sarcastic humor. Most of the conversations I had with the people sitting next to me during dinner were very negative, and I do not think they would have talked so openly without the other noisy conversations that made it impossible for our hosts to hear them. One man asked me questions about what we normally have for dinner, confident that our family was "putting out the spread" for them but normally starves throughout the week. I proudly defended my family and informed him that we always have more than enough for dinner every night - a lot more than a normal American family would eat for dinner!
He also made comments about varying exchange rates and how Ugandans will do anything to get another dollar out of us Americans. For a brief moment I felt myself wanting to agree with him, until I remembered where I was and what I've experienced here so far. Instead of affirming what he was saying I sat in silence, wondering how anyone could seriously make generalized, negative statements about Ugandans taking advantage of Americans while sitting as an honored guest in the home of an incredible Ugandan family who had spent the past 4 hours preparing the meal he was now ungratefully eating!
The one time they did make an effort to engage in conversation with our parents, they asked a very imposing question for this culture. To Mama Irene, " So, why'd you decide to marry this guy?" The team chuckled at their typical American humor as our mom just politely smiled. The tension in the room was almost visible to me, as after an awkward silence she finally said, "I saw how he served the Lord." Then, with the tone of an adult speaking to a small child, the man said, "That was important to you." There was nothing really wrong with this comment, but the manner in which he spoke to our mom, as if she was somehow intellectually inferior, was incredibly offensive. The unfortunate, but enlightening part of it all - he had no idea he was doing it.
After they had all left, my stomach literally ached as I thought about all the culturally offensive things I have unknowingly done and am still doing! It kills me to know that there are things that I do here without realizing the messages they are communicating. This whole experience came with incredible timing, because it really challenged me to check myself in what I'm doing here. I criticize them for not engaging in the culture and interacting mostly with other Americans, yet I have done nothing but the same. I spend the majority of my time on campus with the other American students, including lunch, but I am now changing that. Also, since I have recently been feeling more comfortable with my family here, I was going to loosen up a little more and be myself. I now realize that "being myself" would only make matters worse because the parts of my "self" that I have been withholding are very American and would not necessarily be received well in this culture. I will instead continue to observe how my family members here interact with each other and incorporate those things into my life.
Our parents never said anything negative about the evening after our guests left, only positive things. I respect Henry and Irene even more now, and Caroline and I expressed great thanks to them later for being so understanding towards us, especially in the first few days when we didn't have a clue how to live and interact in this culture. Our family is incredible!
Prayer requests:
-from 7pm-7am our time, (11-11 EST) our church will be having an ongoing intercessory prayer service as there will be a similar event going on simultaneously among those who practice witchcraft here locally. These people normally meet in more private settings but are now wanting to do things publically so our church here is responding with this all night prayer service. Several of us students will be joining in this prayer service for a few hours and I'm sure this will be an experience unlike any I've had before - I will keep you posted on this!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Mzungu Night!
I can't believe I'm starting my fourth week here already...time is flying now! I think we are all finally starting to get really comfortable with each other as a family, even though the members of the family keep changing. School is starting up again for all the kids here so some people are no longer staying at our house. Imma (whose name I was mispelling as 'Ema') left on Friday, but we thought she was leaving Sunday so we did not get to say goodbye. Also for the past week Reverend's younger brother and sister, Becca (16 or 17) and Elisha (15 or 16) have been staying with us but Becca left today to go back to school. So this is the current family roster - Msumba (the Luganda word for 'Reverend'), Mama Irene, Elisha, Rittah, Grace, Enoch, Caroline, and me - and this actually seems to be quite small for a typical African household!
I've had some interesting conversations with my family lately. First of all, I am surprised at how much our parents here compliment us on how "smart" Caroline and I always dress. They have actually thanked us several times for dressing so well because usually, Mzungu students bring their casual concept of dress over here with them and don't really make an effort to fit into the culture in this way. I guess it really does have a big impact on how people receive you!
We have also been talking about some of the differences in weather between here and America - especially Michigan! Mama Irene was asking me about what we do when it snows, and apparently she always thought that life just stops during winter. She thought that no one went to work or school when it snowed and everyone just stayed inside all the time! She asked me how people travel when there's snow on the roads and I attempted t tell her about plows and salt trucks. Then she legitimately asked me how those trucks drive through the snow. She thought maybe we had to drop the salt from planes because it would just be impossible to drive through snow! The whole conversation was very eye-opening for both of us I think. For someone who has lived in Africa her whole life, the ideas she had about snow actually make sense when you think about it. It has been fun thus far to see parts of my world back home through different eyes.
This weekend Caroline and I went with our parents to a college graduation party for our new friend Dambale. She just met Caroline and me last week when she came over to the house to visit, and the next thing we knew, we were invited to her graduation party! It was quite different than any open house I've been to in the states. For one thing it officially started around noon or 1, but when we showed up at 2:30 there was still no one there! Gotta love African time. After visiting and meeting people for about an hour, the presentation/ceremony began. This involved everyone sitting in rows of chairs on the front lawn with Dambale and some of her family at a table in front of us. There were several pastors there, so in addition to some prayers and songs led by our host father, another pastor gave a short sermon. We sang several songs in Luganda at random times throughout the event and it was a blast! The whole thing was really a great experience, and apparently we are going to another one next Sunday!
Yesterday at church there was a missions team visiting from Muskegon, MI! One of them preached the sermon and the others introduced themselves and also gave a guitar to the worship band as a gift! We talked briefly with them afterwards, thinking we may or may not see them again, but later that afternoon Msumba came home and told us that all the "Michigan guys" were going to come over for dinner Monday night and said we should cook some American food for them! After thinking about the ingredients and cooking facilities we have here, Caroline and I decided that Sloppy Joes would be a feasible dinner to prepare.
I called my dad to get his recipe for the sauce, and it's sort of funny - the first time I call home is mainly for the purpose of asking how to cook sloppy joes! It was really good to hear my parents voices though, of course!
So no pressure or anything right? We just have to cook sloppy joes (which I've never done) over hot coals (which I've also never done, but thankfully, Caroline has) for about 20 people! Thankfully, our family is also cooking the normal African food we eat every night as well so if something goes wrong there will be food to eat! We normally eat dinner here between 9 and 10 pm but we are moving it up to 7 so that it's closer to Mzungu dinner time. People here usually don't worry about eating at specific times, they eat "when food is ready," or as Msumba says, "Here, we don't eat time, we eat food!"
I'm sure no matter what happens tonight we will all have a good time so I will try to stop worrying so much enjoy the experience! I will definitely let you know how everything turns out, complete with pictures too!
Thank you so much for your prayers and comments - they are such a blessing read!
I've had some interesting conversations with my family lately. First of all, I am surprised at how much our parents here compliment us on how "smart" Caroline and I always dress. They have actually thanked us several times for dressing so well because usually, Mzungu students bring their casual concept of dress over here with them and don't really make an effort to fit into the culture in this way. I guess it really does have a big impact on how people receive you!
We have also been talking about some of the differences in weather between here and America - especially Michigan! Mama Irene was asking me about what we do when it snows, and apparently she always thought that life just stops during winter. She thought that no one went to work or school when it snowed and everyone just stayed inside all the time! She asked me how people travel when there's snow on the roads and I attempted t tell her about plows and salt trucks. Then she legitimately asked me how those trucks drive through the snow. She thought maybe we had to drop the salt from planes because it would just be impossible to drive through snow! The whole conversation was very eye-opening for both of us I think. For someone who has lived in Africa her whole life, the ideas she had about snow actually make sense when you think about it. It has been fun thus far to see parts of my world back home through different eyes.
This weekend Caroline and I went with our parents to a college graduation party for our new friend Dambale. She just met Caroline and me last week when she came over to the house to visit, and the next thing we knew, we were invited to her graduation party! It was quite different than any open house I've been to in the states. For one thing it officially started around noon or 1, but when we showed up at 2:30 there was still no one there! Gotta love African time. After visiting and meeting people for about an hour, the presentation/ceremony began. This involved everyone sitting in rows of chairs on the front lawn with Dambale and some of her family at a table in front of us. There were several pastors there, so in addition to some prayers and songs led by our host father, another pastor gave a short sermon. We sang several songs in Luganda at random times throughout the event and it was a blast! The whole thing was really a great experience, and apparently we are going to another one next Sunday!
Yesterday at church there was a missions team visiting from Muskegon, MI! One of them preached the sermon and the others introduced themselves and also gave a guitar to the worship band as a gift! We talked briefly with them afterwards, thinking we may or may not see them again, but later that afternoon Msumba came home and told us that all the "Michigan guys" were going to come over for dinner Monday night and said we should cook some American food for them! After thinking about the ingredients and cooking facilities we have here, Caroline and I decided that Sloppy Joes would be a feasible dinner to prepare.
I called my dad to get his recipe for the sauce, and it's sort of funny - the first time I call home is mainly for the purpose of asking how to cook sloppy joes! It was really good to hear my parents voices though, of course!
So no pressure or anything right? We just have to cook sloppy joes (which I've never done) over hot coals (which I've also never done, but thankfully, Caroline has) for about 20 people! Thankfully, our family is also cooking the normal African food we eat every night as well so if something goes wrong there will be food to eat! We normally eat dinner here between 9 and 10 pm but we are moving it up to 7 so that it's closer to Mzungu dinner time. People here usually don't worry about eating at specific times, they eat "when food is ready," or as Msumba says, "Here, we don't eat time, we eat food!"
I'm sure no matter what happens tonight we will all have a good time so I will try to stop worrying so much enjoy the experience! I will definitely let you know how everything turns out, complete with pictures too!
Thank you so much for your prayers and comments - they are such a blessing read!
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