Oh yeah...

and I dyed my hair, just because!

First few weeks in Ohio

I've been having a blast with my niece & nephew - from soccor & football games to baking pies and playing the Wii, lots of quality time that I'm loving! They don't seem to mind too much either! :)

Maddy & I baking in the kitchen

After a marathon of games

Autumn is here! (actually its almost over, but hey...)

my family's house - lived here since I was born!

the corn field in front of my house - the corn seemed to be mutant this year...


for Maddy's 9th birthday my mom & I took her & some friends for an afternoon of fun!

Home

I left Kaabong on a Wednesday morning about a month ago. I waved goodbye to my friends and a land I called home for more than a year…then sailed away on the hopper plane, watching the beauty of Karamoja and its people fade in the distance. My heart was pretty heavy that morning, hence the ‘romantic’ lense I saw those last few moments through. I cried my way back to Kampala. I don’t know when I’ll ever make the trek back to that remote area of the world again. Not Uganda – I can get to Kampala quite easily (aside from funds), but back to Kaabong. It’s isolation makes it difficult to return to, therefore the faces of those I have come to love and know are already fading in my heart and mind.

The following Sunday I stepped onto my flight back to the US. I am happy to report a smooth journey, as my previous international flights were quite the stressful times for me. I found my heart being ever lighter as I flew toward ‘home’. The anticipation of seeing friends and family after 13 months of being on a whole other continent was thrilling. As I walked through the London airport, I kept saying to myself “I lived in Africa for a year!” Was that really my life that just happened? Did I truly just finish a time in my life that I’d been driving towards since college? Whoa, now what do I do? :)

Home is such a loaded word. Sometimes it refers to a house, sometimes to an area or land, but I think most of us, when we really hone it down, are talking about people when we think about home. Being ‘home’ now, I feel at a loss because part of my home is now in Uganda. The people who have played significant roles in my life, who have loved me and supported me through this past year, who have taught me how to live and laugh in the midst of trial are my home. I felt this while in Uganda, this longing for ‘home’ which at its essence was referring to my family, my friends, my community. Home is where the heart is – I believe that fully! And my heart is torn in two…

Brandi & Natalie picked me up at the Denver airport – after 36 hours without sleep it was necessary to keep me up a few more hours to adjust to the time. We had planned to eat at Jerusalem – my favorite Lebanese restaurant – that night, which we did. So great to see good friends & just bask in the physical presence of these people I love dearly!

The next two weeks were full of walks, coffee, great food, long conversations, and beautiful Colorado nature!

my first snow in 18 months!

Following

God spoke to me a lot when i was out in Africa, about pushing forward and really trying to seek out Gods best for my life. I think I've been trying to understand what that means in the 3 weeks ive been back in the UK. Obviously, i feel my future involves mission and possibly Africa. My future will probably also involve doing some theoloigal training, some study of missiology and i still feel called to the practical side of mission, not just the spiritual side of things

But more than anything, i think this means following Jesus. That doesn't mean just in terms of mission and disappearing off to Africa, but also in terms of how i live out my faith here in the UK. Its easy to pick and choose the bits of the Chrisitan faith you want to follow, but to really follow what Jesus said...to be a true disciple..now that is a challenge! Thats really what I feel is going on with me at the moment

I am part of a strong church yes this is true. There are smaller communties within any church though, and i want to be part of a community that is really following Jesus in everything they do. I think i have found common ground in this already, there are poeple i know who are moving in the same direction and are thinking the same things. Where this will all lead i don't know....its dangerous asking God for certain things sometimes. Asking for help to be a true disciple, a follower, is one of those dangerous questions I think..the way the early church operated, an Acts style church, was far from how i live out my faith here. They shared their possesions, their wealth, all with the Kingdom in mind. Im not saying im at point yet but who knows in the future....im in the mood to be a bit radical and try to follow Jesus in everything!