Learning and leading

My friend/classmate/brother Amos has long had a passion for missions, and has wanted to see Uganda send missionaries to the field to preach the good news of Jesus.  At last, we are finally taking steps to bring this to fruition! We have sent two recent graduates, Caleb and Diana, to Nairobi for a year of training in missions.  They were back at UCU last week, and shared a bit of their experience.  

When I first saw Caleb, his eyes grew wide, and he told me, "I think I know how you feel being here... it's hard to be in a different culture.  You're trying to learn everything, and yet everyone expects you to be leading."

I was a bit amused by this; Kenya is just next door, and people here talk about being Africans (one people) more than they talk about being Ugandans.  Americans certainly do not share this kinship with Canadians, delightful though they are.  However, it's true that Kenyan culture is somewhat different from Ugandan.  It's been interesting to hear them share about the differences in food, dress, communication, how things work... all the things I comment on and deal with daily.

And yet, he's exactly right.  When I first returned to UCU as a lecturer, I had done quite a lot of my cultural training while I was here for two years as a seminary student.  But being staff was completely different.  My now-colleagues expected that I knew how things worked since I had recently graduated.  Students expected me to know how things worked since I had recently graduated.  I was painfully aware of how much I did not know, and yet I had to lead and pretend that I knew what I was doing.  Thankfully, God is gracious and He walked me through that first year gently.  Colleagues and students alike were kind and supportive (though the students still expected me to know way more than I did!).

I am still learning, though the leading is coming a bit easier.  After all, I am a lecturer.  I am also the archdeacon of our chapel, and the web mistress of the theology pages.  God's grace continues, and for that, I am perpetually grateful.

Library weeding

UCU's tagline is that it is the "centre of excellence in the heart of Africa."  One example of this is the Ham Mukasa Library, the huge building just up from the main gate, and where students flock to find resources for their courseworks.

However, the theology students are remaining with what was called the "old library," and I am trying to refer to it as the "theology library" in hopes of changing the perception that it is old, and therefore, of little value.  The building is old, that is true, and many of the volumes are also old, but theology has a library all to herself.  It is small, quiet, and other students use it as well.  All bachelor's students must take the five courses in Foundation Studies, which include Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to the New Testament, so the theology library gets plenty of use, even when we are off-session.

Since we are off-session, and since many of the volumes are old, and take up space (which precludes obtaining new volumes), one of the professors and I have been working with the theology library staff to weed out these old books.  We are being quite generous, and are automatically keeping volumes published since 1995, though we'd clearly prefer to be firmly in this century.  Professor and I then go through the pre-1995 volumes to determine which ones we want to retain, which to archive, and which go to the regional colleges.  They are getting the books of which we have copious numbers, and they are getting quite a load.

This is how one table looked at the beginning of our weeding:

Yes.  That is what we had to weed through from about five of those bookshelves (I couldn't get the entire bookcase in the frame).  

I am thrilled that we are doing this - it is long, long overdue.  Because of this, it's taking up much more time than we anticipated, but we are hoping and praying that by the time the theology students return in January, they will find a newly sorted library, with plenty of space to be filled with new acquisitions.

Holding great potential

With all the computer excitement of the last week, I forgot to report that my supervisor sent feedback on my proposal.  

I do have some work to do; there are some areas in which the committee felt things were not clear and some in which the explanations given were not sufficient. 

However - I am clinging to these two statements:  "This proposal holds great potential and should be welcomed," and "This study could make a positive contribution to the discipline of practical theology, and the Ugandan church in particular."  Hallelujah!!  I am so grateful for this encouragement.

Further computer drama took away yesterday's productivity, and I need to send an updated proposal to my supervisor by Friday so it can be presented again in November.  She indicated that if the changes I make are sufficient then I should be accepted into the program, and that "these are procedures to filter out those who cannot make it and refine what is already presented."

Please pray with me that this is so, and that I can provide the needed clarity to this proposal so I can move on with it.  I'm getting rather excited!

Grateful

Please join me in thanking the Lord for His provision!  My hard drive was indeed irreparably harmed; I think the tech guy said something like "it's dead, just like you said."  So, they installed a new hard drive, loaded my backed-up data (two weeks old, but it's something), and sent me on my merry way.  Thanks be to God, I even found my product key so that I could use my Microsoft products again.  I am one grateful missionary.

Apparently, I am also one memorable missionary.  While I was sitting in the waiting area, another one of the technicians came out and asked me if I was from UCU.  He just graduated in July, and played keyboards with one of the choirs, and he remembered seeing me in church.  We had a nice chat, and he invited me back to see what they were doing to the laptop, and even offered me coffee.

It's one thing to know that I'm quite visible on campus, but it's another thing to be recognized in Kampala in an entirely different context.  It's also a humorous, yet vital, reminder that people see, and remember, me, so I need to take care with my words and actions.  While I know that's remarkably obvious, I generally think of myself as a naturalized native, so I can forget that I stand out.  

Good news and bad news

First the good news: the serious rain the last two days seems to indicate that the rainy season has begun, which is wonderful. Please pray for the areas hat have not yet received rain yet, as they have planted, and the seeds are desperate for water. 

Now the bad news: my Mac has decided to not boot, and the Disk Utility cannot repair it. 

Back to hopefully good news: I did purchase an extended warranty, and there is an Apple-certified repair place in Kampala. 

Please pray that this can be resolved, both quickly and easily. While this has probably happened at the best time possible, it's really not terribly helpful. 

Receiving greetings

This week I've received several messages on different media from students past and present, which is always a joy.  They often contain some variation on "I've taken long without greeting you," which reminds me how important relationships are here.  

One call was from Nicholas, who was in the first class I taught.  Often, people make associations based on names; I've been told everything from "you are the one who follows me" (meaning that Jesca is that person's younger sister's name) "you are my auntie" (because that is an auntie's name), and my favorite, "you are my wife!" because that man's wife's name is Jesca.  I have to admit, that one was a bit harder to take!

So while trying to learn my students' names that first semester, I told Nicholas that he is my godson, because I have a godson in Virginia with the same name.  Actually, they are quite similar:  both of these young men are very bright, hard working, and most of all, love Jesus.  That I get to be in their lives is a tremendous joy and blessing.

Ugandan Nicholas graduated in July, and due to a number of circumstances far outside his control, is waiting to be ordained while his classmates are preparing for their ordinations in December.  I had heard that Nicholas would be ordained in February, and I have been planning to make the journey to the far north.  He is my surrogate godson, after all!

So Nicholas called yesterday just to say hello.  I told him that I heard he was going to be ordained in February, and when he said that he thinks the ordination will occur then, I told him to keep me posted, because I'm planning to come.  He was a bit surprised, then replied, "eh! Yes, you have to come, because I'm your godson."  

Yes, he is. 

Double blessing

In Africa, having visitors is everything.  Since I received my first visitor to Uganda in July, I've had a steady stream of visitors, which has been wonderful.  First, Dr Alison stayed with me for most of the All Clergy Conference, then my classmate Beatrice stayed with me the last night of the conference because she was locked out of her room (and we still don't know why). 

Then, about a week ago, SAMS president Stewart Wicker, the Chairman of the Board, Rev. Jeff Rawn, and his wife Cinde came for a short visit after the "Pathway to Global Vision" Mt. Kilimanjaro trek.  Though they were on campus just about 24 hours, it was such a joy to visit with them, share a bit of what my life is like here, and pray with them.  I know I don't talk about SAMS much, but this organization is staffed with people who are so fabulously supportive.  It is a tremendous comfort to know that my people are just a phone call or email away, and that they will do everything in their power to help me.  I have worked in organizations in which this is not the case, so working for SAMS is like a breath of fresh air.

These visitors have been the first blessing.  The second blessing is my current visitor, a missionary named Leah.  She serves in South Sudan, and needed literal peace and quiet to work on papers for her masters program.  Fighting has been increasing in her area, and she felt it wise to leave for a little bit so she could work, but also for safety.  She will be with me until the end of October.

Leah said that she's not slept this well in two weeks, and I imagine that it's difficult to sleep while there's gunfire, or even the threat of gunfire.  Many people have left the town where she lives, and she said that being here in Uganda, where it's safe and quiet, is a blessing.

However, I've realized that she is the one blessing me.  This is my first "long holiday" without the Dennisons, who were my default go-to people whenever I wanted to be around people, or go get coffee off-campus.  I am still adjusting to being "alone," and not having my students here has certainly exacerbated things.  Then Leah came, and now I have built-in community right up to the time that I go to the US for leave. 

I'm rejoicing in how faithful our God is in providing what we need, even when we really don't know it.

Goings-on

I know I've been light on blogging of late - as soon as I think not much is happening, things happen.

First, some good news... my proposal is done!  It will be presented 4 Oct, and I'm thrilled/nervous/relieved/thankful.  My supervisor thinks there will be changes, and that is fine with me.  It's just great to be at an end-point, even if it felt anticlimactic to read her email.  I get to keep reading (what else?), but I can work on the questions I will ask in the interviews, and I can watch YouTube videos on how to conduct a focus group.  That made me smile; my supervisor has no idea that I've conducted quite a few focus groups in my day, though I probably need to brush up on my skills.  It'll be interesting to see how those work in the African cultural setting!

I have some friends who are in Uganda for a mission trip, so I wanted to visit them.  If they can fly several thousand miles, I can drive a couple hundred kilometers!  Michael and Jen were "deep in the bush" as we say.  Getting to that village was a typical Ugandan adventure... drive down the road, branch off where you're supposed to, go down the murram (it's dirt, but it's not called dirt) road, praying that you're going down the right road, then calling to get the remaining directions and paying a boda driver to follow him because he's the only one who knows what those remaining directions mean.  Pray as you go down that path that you're using as a road that you can climb the hill that feels precipitously steep as you go down, then offer many thanks to God that you arrive at your destination well.  Amen.

I will be having a visitor for the next month.  She's a missionary serving in South Sudan, who needs to get away for some literal peace and quiet so she can work on her masters dissertation.  I understand that concept, though I'm completely humbled - she is serving Jesus under tremendously difficult circumstances.  I am in awe, and am looking forward to having her.

Hope deferred

Tomorrow is the day that my proposal is supposed to be presented to The Powers That Be.  Unfortunately, that's is not going to happen.  I'm more than disappointed; I was really ready for this phase of my life to draw to an end.

This morning I received an email from my supervisor that she sent at 10:30pm my time (South Africa is an hour behind us), and she says that I'm closer to begin done, but I have missed the presentation deadline.  I have to get this draft to her by Friday.  I can't even begin to think that this might be the final product, though it could be the end.  That would be utterly delightful.

I am clinging to Romans 5:3-5:  "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (ESV).  I feel like I'm stuck in suffering, though I may be in endurance.  I'm not quite sure whether I've developed any character through this yet, but I am trying to rejoice in my sufferings.  I'm grateful that God is patient with me!

Rushing for the Eucharist

This week, UCU is hosting the All Clergy Conference, an event that is supposed to happen every ten years, though was last held in 1980.  Since such a great amount of time has passed, there is a great deal of excitement among the participants, many of whom seem to still be "on the way coming."

Last night we began the conference with Holy Communion, and Amos had asked me to assist with the distribution, which I am always happy to do.  [As an aside, it also ensured that I could have a seat in Nkoyoyo Hall because many came who had not previously registered, and many "on the way coming" arrived during the service, and not all of them were able to sit, but I digress.]

I happened to be one of the first to go to my station for the distribution, and I am accustomed to the fact that people just come up to receive the Eucharist - there is no row-by-row progression.  However, I was utterly and completely mobbed by these clergy, all with outstretched hands to receive the body and blood of Christ.

At first, I was a bit taken aback; the American in me wanted these people to form some semblance of a line.  They're all clergy, every one of them... don't they know how things should go?  Don't they know that I'll get to them eventually?  

Then it occurred to me - this urgency, this almost desperation to take part of the Eucharist, is entirely appropriate.  I'd say it's how we really should be, actually.  I've never rushed up to a priest to receive the Eucharist, but shouldn't I?  Isn't Jesus' sacrifice something that I should rush to celebrate?  

Anglican decorum and procedure aside, I am deeply humbled by my brothers and sisters, and their eagerness to partake.  I grew up celebrating the Eucharist every week, and when we are in session, we celebrate it twice a week in chapel.  Not everyone has this privilege.  I imagine that when one cannot celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection every week, each service becomes rather special.

I think I need to renew my sense of joy, wonder, and reverence for the Eucharist.

My first visitor!

I had a missionary milestone last week - my first visitor!  While several people have come to Uganda and UCU whom I have either known or come to know, this is the first time that someone has come expressly to visit me!!  

Several friends were in East Africa for a mission, and since they were nearby (geographically speaking; being on the same continent is "close,") one decided to pop over and say hello.  It was a ridiculously quick trip, but it was such a tremendous joy to have someone come, stay with me, and get a glimpse of my life here on campus.

I picked her from the airport Saturday evening, and after supper on the shore of Lake Victoria, which I had chosen in hopes of viewing a gorgeous sunset, but was denied, we then experienced the joy of a Kampala Saturday evening traffic jam on the way to Mukono.  All in all, the journey wasn't bad, but the jam will always be there.

After church on Sunday, we took a walking tour of campus, and ran into several theology students along the way.  I assured her that she would be the talk of evening tea.  In Africa, visitors and hospitality are everything.  Normal life stops when one has a visitor, and hosts make a wonderful fuss over them.

We attended our Sunday evening Eucharist, and during the notices [announcements], the student leader forgot to introduce me to introduce the visitor.  As she was returning to her seat, one student protested, "but we have a visitor!" which I found endearing.  Proper introductions were made at the end of the service, so all was well on that front.

Monday we went to Jinja to visit the Source of the Nile, though one can no longer stand for a photo op at the marker for the actual source, the separation of the River Nile from Lake Victoria, because construction from a new bridge has raised the water level by about a foot.  However, our boat guide maneuvered the boat that we got the photo while she was safely seated in the boat.  After a quick lunch in Jinja town, we then headed back to Mukono to get her bags and return to Entebbe for dinner and then her flight home.

As we say here in Uganda, "you come!"  Though the "my first visitor" title has been awarded, the titles for sequential visitors await you.  :)

Blogging silence to continue

Hello there!

I know I've been lost (Ugandan for "I haven't seen you") lately; I blame this proposal, along with beginning to wrap up the semester.  It's been a little crazy, though good.  We're making plans for the coming semester, year, and five years, which is both exciting and exhausting.

The good news is that I'm in the home stretch on my proposal - it is due for real on 14 August.  It will be presented to The Powers That Be on 9 September.  Please pray for strength, wisdom, and good sleep as I enter this last leg of this part of the ThD marathon; I'm finding that I need more sleep that I did when I was in my twenties.  Go figure!

This is my mantra for the next few weeks:

Also, I highly recommend this recipe for chocolate banana bread.  For me, it finished baking sooner than the indicated time, but then again, I'm not really sure what temperature my oven is.

I'm trying to keep a list of things to write about when I have a moment that is simultaneously free and lucid.  Until then, love from Uganda.

Jungle kitty improvement

Thank you so much for your prayers for Meri!  She slept well last night; I didn't, since she was in the exact middle of the bed, but at least one of us slept.  This morning she was back to her slight limp and favoring the right back leg, which is a HUGE improvement over how she was when she came in last night.  Praise the Lord!  She's eating and drinking like normal, and demanding to be petted, so I'd say she's 90% back to normal.

I didn't want to leave her outside while I was at church, so I stayed close while she did her business outside (which I think answers the question of why nothing's grown in my garden since she's arrived!), and she fairly well mauled my hand when I picked her up to bring her inside.  Having said that, I think she's seen the wisdom in staying close to home the other times I've let her out.

The hard life of a jungle kitty

I think Meri, my inherited cat, has a pretty good life. She has a doting human, food and water, and the campus as her playground. She has a tendency to walk into homes as though they are hers, and she even has a cardboard box that she seriously avoids. 

Meri is my first inside/outside cat, so I'm still learning how to have a real jungle kitty. She did kill one bird in my little compound, and I know she hangs out in her old stomping grounds a lot, as that's where her true jungle kitty can flourish, and she can chase birds and monkeys. I am curious as to how she handles the mongoose. 

This morning I let her out at 4:30 (still trying to teach her what 5 is), and she did not return until about 7:30pm, which is rather unusual for her. Yesterday, I thought she had a slight limp, and tonight, it's much more pronounced. She does walk on her injured leg, but she is making unhappy sounds that I've never heard her make. She never enjoys having her abdomen touched, so it's hard for me to determine whether it's her leg or her abdomen that's causing her pain. 

Please pray for wisdom for me and healing for Meri. There is a vet in Mukono, and he makes house calls, though things are quite basic. On the one hand, it's nice that I don't have to decide whether to get an MRI for the cat, but one the other hand, it's awful knowing there's not a lot I can do for her. 

In the grand scheme of things, this is small, but I would greatly appreciate your prayers. 

How to induce a panic attack

Tonight, I'm trying to work on the methodology section of my proposal, which should be straightforward, but isn't terribly fun.  Since tomorrow is 1 July, it will be time to apply to renew my work permit, since that process takes about a month, and my permit expires 31 July.

Last weekend, we were on a faculty strategic planning retreat, and since we were away, I had to ask someone to stay in my flat to care for Meri.  This meant that I had to organize the desk a bit since it's in the guest room.   When I left, it looked lovely, and the retreat was good, even if we did plan for a boat load of work.  I had flashbacks to being at Booz Allen, and used phrases like "Gantt chart" and "low-hanging fruit," which quite honestly appalled me a bit.

To prepare for the work permit reapplication (and procrastinate on the methodology, let's be honest), I needed to get out my appointment letter and Interpol certificate of good conduct.  I haven't written about that process yet, but I will, because bureaucracy is torturous in any country.

So, I started plowing through the pile of paper on my desk looking for the appointment letter and certificate of good conduct.  I knew they were here, because I scanned them.  I knew I hadn't filed them, because I was going to need them fairly soon.  

And as we say here, "all of them were not there."  THIS is how to induce a panic attack; misplace critical documents that could be replaced, but at great cost to one's pride and time.

After some frantic searching and praying, I looked through the bottom drawer of the file cabinet, which conveniently holds the things that really don't have a place to be, and there they were.  Hallelujah.  I don't think I've been so happy to find paper in my life.

Other Duties as Assigned: Football Patron

I think this one is all my fault.

In January, I asked the football [soccer] team to be serious about practicing so that we could beat the Catholic seminarians in the annual football match.  I'm all for ecumenism, but all's fair in love and football.

I think some of the students filed this notice away, and a couple months later, they asked me to accompany them on a trip to Namugongo for a friendly sports day.  Namugongo is the site of the Anglican martyr's shrine, as well as an Anglican seminary that trains student at the certificate and diploma [associate's degree] level.  Some of the Namugongo graduates come to us to "upgrade" their papers and get a degree.

That day, though I really didn't want to go on a field trip, since the students had gone to the trouble of organizing themselves and booking a coaster [small bus], so I went.   Namugongo won the volleyball match, and we won the football match, so essentially, it was a draw.  However, the students loved having a member of the faculty with them, and all told, it was a lot of fun.

A few weeks ago, one of the captains of the theology football team asked me to be their patron, because I have "ever been with them."  Keep in mind that one only has to have one experience to "ever be" somewhere, and I think the trip to Namugongo cemented that.  Being a patron entails providing a box of water and some glucose at the end of the match for the team.  While the team likes me to be there, I think it's the water and glucose that they're really looking for.

Theology footballers in day-glow green.

I've learned that there is a position in the Guild [student government] that oversees sports and recreation.  I know this because the first match I attended, the other team didn't show.  The Guild Minister in charge of sports was late, and we had a talk about responsible leadership.  My students were on time.  :)  The second week, the other team came and beat us.  This week, the other came and also beat us.  Perhaps it's time for another pep talk.

What intrigued me is the number of students who were there to watch the matches.  I suppose that if you live on or near campus, and you can't go home on the weekend, one of the things to do is to watch the intramural football games.  Some of the spectators were hecklers, and I could have done without them, but we had a respectable turn-out from theology.  Now to win!

Proposal update

Last week, I thought my proposal was due on 22 June.  I was working frantically to get a draft to my supervisor for her to bleed on.  Bleed she did, and I stayed up most of Wednesday night and all of Thursday night to send something to her so we could talk on Friday.

As it turns out, 22 June was the deadline for a draft.  My supervisor told me that I have about three or four drafts to do before I'm done (and she sounded fairly chipper, I might add).  However, I got about five pages of handwritten notes out of our 90 minute conversation, for which I am exceedingly grateful.  Now to get those drafts done so I can be done and move on.

In the course of the conversation, she said that at the end of this, I'd be an expert in my field.  I find that simultaneously exciting and utterly frightening.  I'm not ready to be an expert on anything.  I don't feel like I'm qualified to be an expert on anything.  At this point, since I haven't even conquered the proposal, I wonder whether I will get to that stage.  But by God's grace, I'll try my level best (as we say here).

When life feels like a rewrite of Job

In class last week we were discussing the book of Job, which seems appropriate, given all that’s going on.  In the last three weeks, we’ve lost a Ugandan bishop to cancer, as well as two other senior church leaders.  Two students have lost their sisters, and one of those has just lost another family member.  Several students are recovering from illnesses, one of whom had minor surgery, and I’m still fighting my own crud.  I received news last week of three deaths in the US, one of whom was a young man I taught when he was in my middle school Sunday School class.  I read on Facebook that another SAMS missionary is also in a season in which it seems like there is a lot of death.

It has been a tough time, but reading Job’s epilogue is a reminder of God’s nearness to us.  We see Job's wisdom in Job 42:1-6 when he realizes that he can never comprehend God’s ways.  In class, we discussed how we feel when we can't understand God's ways and to handle our feelings with and about God when trials come.  

It is hard to rest in God's goodness and to say with Job, "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (42:2) when messenger after messenger comes to announce tragedy.  However, God notes that Job has spoken the truth about Him (42:7); we can trust God's purposes.  I pray for the wisdom do be able to do so.

Remember me?

Hi there!  I'm Jessica, the long-lost-from-the-interwebs missionary.  I've been a little consumed with my proposal/chapel/lectures/marking/recovering-from-ick/sleeping that I've not been blogging, mostly because I'm saving whatever coherent thoughts I may have for the proposal.  I submitted a draft Friday evening, and I'm waiting for the bloodbath of comments.  I'm actually getting a little concerned, because my supervisor is usually quite prompt, and time is ticking (my delay hasn't helped any, either; please pray!).

As an aside, I mentioned to one of the staff that I was going to want some mornings off from chapel to work, because something has to give, and I don't want it to be me, and he told me to just take care of the teams like I always do, and that will be enough.  Well, that only releases me from one morning a week (two if you count Dean's Hour, and I don't, and neither of the evening services), so anyhoo...

One of my Other Duties As Assigned is serving as a liaison with Langham Literature, a division of Langham Partnership, for two book programs for theological colleges.  One is a grant for theological libraries, and the other is a program by which students and staff can purchase books at a discounted price.  The huge thing is that they pay shipping, and that is absolutely tremendous.  I have looked into purchasing books on Amazon, and shipping is often the same as the price of a book.

While I enjoy helping the students to grow their libraries, I have to be The Mean Lecturer and require that they pay for their books when they place orders, or else I become a bank and an accountant and an enforcer.  I am also allergic to numbers, which is rather tragic, and despise the idea of chasing after people forever, hence the mean rule.  

The catalogue is quite robust, so I make a list of books of general interest for the students, and send a soft copy of the catalogue to the Theology staff so they can enrich their personal libraries.  Oh my.  I was scrolling through the catalogue today... All.The.Books.  I shall not covet, I shall not covet... I did order a couple books for me, but mercy.  

A new title

Do you remember my little friend Cranmer from the students' retreat in April?  His dad is in my discipleship group, and Cranmer often comes with his parents to our Sunday evening Eucharist.  Since we're friends, he often comes to sit with me for at least part of the service.  This week, he sat with me during the Intercessions [Prayers of the People], and sang through it.  I told him we were praying, but he wasn't interested in our prayers, and chose to pray in song.

I know the picture's a little blurry, but I love the joy in his face in this photo from the retreat.  

Last Sunday, Cranmer gave me a new name:  jaaja.  It's a wonderful thing to be named, isn't it?  

Jaaja means grandmother.  I suppose one could say that his dad is my spiritual son, since he's a student and is in my discipleship group, but I'm not old enough to be a grandmother!  

I'm trying to convince him that I'm an auntie rather than a jaaja, though I suspect that this new name is going to stick.  At least to him!

Lost and found

When you've not seen someone in a while, you tell them, "you're lost!"  I don't quite understand the origin of the phrase, though I hear it a lot.  I've been lost from blogging because of the proposal, as well as all that goes into starting the academic year and the semester.

Today, as I was looking for an index in "A Century of Christianity in Uganda," I noticed that there was a list of some of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries who served in Uganda.  There are only 693 names.  But look who I found (hint: it's number 326):

At some point, I'd love to research who this other Miss J. Hughes was.  She was "only" in Uganda for two years, and I'm inferring that she had only intended to come for a short time; others who left "early" had reasons for their departure listed.

I'm rather intrigued by this mystery woman.  Hughes is a common surname, so I doubt we're related, but wouldn't that be amazing?

And so it begins

After an entirely too brief short holiday (about a week once the last retreat ended), the students began to return on Wednesday to register for the semester.  Lectures begin on Monday, and I suppose it really doesn't matter whether I'm ready or not; this introvert needs put on her big-girl skirt.

In order to make the chapel rota, I have to know who has actually returned on time (it's probably fewer than you think), and the best way to do that is to go to the dining hall.  The theologians are often the first to arrive for meals and tea, and generally sit at the tables on either side of the middle aisle, which I refer to as sitting on the banks of the Jordan.

The returning students have come to expect me to come to the dining hall during dinner on the Friday before lectures in order to pull together the team for the first week of chapel.  Last year, when I had so magnificently split my lip and chipped my tooth, I asked one of the senior students to do it for me, and he reported that people were annoyed that I hadn't come myself.  In my defense, I really didn't want them to have to eat while looking at the horrific mess that was my face at that point in time.

The new students were a bit shocked and perplexed as to why this white woman was entering the dining, and then sitting down to chat with students.  It's a joy to see them, especially as they're so relaxed.  That will change next week; I know I'm giving assignments in my first lecture.

I actually had a hard time finding the seven students I needed for the team; we don't put first years on the rota, and the returning students were slow to return.  Finally, I saw some of the third year students enter (why were they late?  Theologians are never late for meals!), and when I went over to tell them my grand plan for their life, one of the young women, even before I had the chance to speak, looked up at me and said, "I want to be on your team."

She helped fill up the team, which was fabulous, but those seven little words represented so much more to me than completing a task.  It's been a season of personal and professional upheaval, and in the midst of all that's going on, her wanting to be on my team was a beacon of light.  It may seem small, but it was a tremendous gift.  I am exceedingly grateful.

A life overseas

Every once in a while, one of Facebook's "if you liked that you might like this" is actually spot-on.  One of these suggestions is the blog "A Life Overseas," written by a group of missionaries as an online missionary community.

I found this a couple weeks ago, which I believe is God-ordained, as I think I'm [finally] going through the usual missionary/cultural adjustment:  I'm different here, why doesn't anyone think the way I do, etc.

Adjusting to the Dennisons leaving has been hard.  Awful.  Gut-wrenching.  I'm still working through it, and a lot slower than I would prefer.  This post was particularly helpful for me, and so well written.  

Growing up around DC, I'm accustomed to people moving in and out of my life.  I lived in the same area for four decades before I made a significant move (and what a move it was!), and while other expats have come and gone, this is the first really deeply significant friend loss I've had here.  I'm hating it.  

I'm glad that my head knows that God heals all wounds, because my heart just isn't there yet.

Retreating and winding down

At the end of the January semester (now renamed Easter semester; next is Trinity semester, and September is now Advent semester), we have a week of two retreats:  two days with all the students, then a day of leaving and the new guests arriving:  the spouses for the finalists arrive, with children in tow.  Then we have two more days of retreat with just the married finalists and their families.  

In previous years I tried to not attend since I'm not married, but I was quickly reprimanded.  I told this story to one of my students, and his reply blessed me tremendously:  "It's good that you're here.  You need to meet our wives because the relationship doesn't end here; it will continue."  Amen!  

Though this introvert gets quite exhausted and doesn't feel that she gets sufficient rest to prepare for the students to arrive on the first Wednesday of May (with lectures beginning the following Monday), the retreats really are a lot of fun.  The students are relaxed because they've finished their exams, and they actually smile again.  The lecturers may be stressed because of the deadlines for marking exams; I was working with my three students to get their dissertations complete so they could print, bind, and submit them before the deadline.

What I enjoy most about the marrieds' retreat is meeting the spouses and the kids.  The majority of families remain at home while the student comes here; it's quite rare for the entire family to uproot and stay in Mukono or Kampala, though it does happen.

A special joy for me was meeting my little friend Luke, whom I had the honor and joy of naming last year.  I'll get to see him again in December when I go to Kumi for his dad's ordination, though I doubt he'll remember me.

My student George, his wife Grace, Luke, and I didn't get the girl's name, though she's a helper.

Then there's little Jeremiah, who's a pretty happy kid, except when he's looking at a camera phone:

Poor Jeremiah... his dad's lecturer subjected him to selfies!

And now the campus is fairly quiet while we wait for the students to return next week.  It's a tiny bit eerie, though it is a nice change.

Repatriating a cat

The Dennisons left on Wednesday, which for me, was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.  I have been praying for them to hear clearly when the Lord wanted them to go, and I prayed for all to go smoothly with their exit.  The Lord graciously answered those prayers, even though the time frame isn't anything I wanted!

Mary Jane asked me if I would take their cat, Meri, and of course I would.  I've gone long without a cat, and have missed having one.  Meri knows me, and my flat is one of her hang-outs.  Here, she decided that she wanted to come inside for some reason:

Meri is a bit of a free spirit, so I've been a little concerned with how her repatriation would go.  Wednesday, David, one of Mary Jane's kids (and Meri's human) brought her down the hill while I brought her food.  I was hoping that if she knew her food had moved, she'd be more inclined to come.  

Around dinner time, I went up to the Dennisons with a tiny bit of warmed chicken to entice Meri down the hill, and it worked.  She scarfed down the food, and made herself at home all night.

I let her out this morning, and went looking for her at lunch.  She's used to coming and going at will, and I'm not always home.  I brought her down, she ate, and then made herself at home.  In my chair.

And then she found a place to hide during the thunderstorm.

I think we still have a ways to go, but the repatriation isn't going badly.