Godiva chocolateness

After our Lenten fast from sweets/sugar, Tif & I indulged in dark chocolate milkshakes from the Godiva chocolatiere. WOW! Mine even had raspberry added...it was a bit of heaven here on earth! :)

Spring had sprung...

and evidently winter decided to finally show up after the fact...typical...

Adventures in Bread Baking

I've never attempted to make 'real' bread in the states before...I've made banana bread & such, but never anything that includes yeast. So in honor of my tutors in Kaabong: Stella, Christine, and Jakob, today I was inspired to make my own whole wheat bread...

the ingredients...

the humble beginnings... (don't worry, I didn't try to cook the dough on the stove...)



the result of lots of aggression & a great arm workout...


the results of an amazing growing bacteria called yeast:


ready for the baking...



and wa-la! It's just that easy, folks! Who'd have thought I could bake bread? And its really good, too! Hooray!

Direction: forward

Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts this past weekend. Though no epiphanies nor the audible voice of God reached me, I believe the alignment of my values and hopes with the Come, Let's Dance team continues to be affirmed as I spend more time with them. This retreat was a lot about defining the core values and mission of their organization. As they have been growing very quickly, their grassroots-nature can easily become a burden and spread them too thin. Their desire is to still claim that nature, but with some clearly defined values that will help them limit the needs they can address and the roles they will play in Uganda.

I love that one non-negotiable is a commitment to the dignity of every person they come into contact with. Be it the street kid who needs a home or the American volunteer who comes over to Africa for the first time, all are welcome and cared for. Their mantra/motto right now is "Love Hard". One of the core team, Jeremy, shared with us a challenge he's had on his heart and what helped inspire this motto. From 1 Corinthians 13, probably one of the most quoted portions of the Bible, where we learn all about what Love is and is not. Verse 7 says, "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home.
~ Jamie Tworkowski, To Write Love on Her Arms

This is why I love this group of people and am excited about the opportunity to be about God's love for the most desperate and vulnerable of our friends in Uganda.

I hope to have some more defining conversations in the next few weeks of what I might be able to add to this team come the fall. I'll share with you as soon as I know more. For now, I'm living fully here and daily trusting in the Lord's leading for my next steps...day by day. Thanks for journeying with me!

Where am i going

You can see the town of Isiro in the far North East of the DR Congo, towards the Sudan and Ugandan borders. Isiro is the capital of Haut-Uele Province. A bit more about the situation in the DR Congo below (i took this info from Reliefweb). Its often described as a chronic conflict and the first civil and regional war began in 1996

A recent mortality survey carried out by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) claims that war, disease, and malnutrition area are killing 45,000 Congolese every month in this conflict-driven humanitarian crisis, which has claimed 5.4 million victims in nearly a decade. Most of these deaths are due to easily treatable and preventable diseases through the collapse of health systems

If you are interested to read more about the DR Congo, I'd recommend looking at various sites on the net, Medair, Releief Web, Alertnet.org are all good starting points.

Why Im going

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Prayer for next steps

So this afternoon I'm headed to Fraser, CO to meet up with my friends with Come, Let's Dance. It is time for their semi-annual team planning retreat - which I'm going to be attending. Why would I attend this...well, because my heart is yearning to be back in Uganda, to be involved in what CLD is up to there, and so far my time back in the US hasn't sparked any major changes in my desire to serve and live cross-culturally! Now, I don't know if this is for sure what I'll be doing - working with CLD - but I'm taking some steps in that direction to see if the dots connect and to be very honest if that's where God would have me to be.

Would you pray with me on this? That the next few days would at least open up a few more steps on this journey and for peace in the way that I'm led?

I don't know who all out there is reading my blog, but I know most of you have been along for the journey over the past few years. Know that I love & appreciate each of you & wouldn't have made it this far without your support in thought and prayers. Even now I need you! I'll let you know how it goes on the other side!

Hope. Now.

Here are a few visual highlights from the CLD fundraiser/celebration I was at a few weekends ago in Steamboat Springs. It was a lot of fun, had a great turnout! I'll post and write more about it soon.

Isiro, DR Congo

Im back in Manchester now after after my week in the Netherlands with Medair. It is very difficult to know how to summarise such an intense week, but i can certainly say i've learnt a lot about humanitarian work, about living and working in a team and about myself. I've been back at home for 10 days and im still processing all that happened. It was great to be in that environment though, surrounded by so many passionate, committed and professional people from all over the world

during the week i was spoken to about a Finance and logistics role in the DR Congo, in a town called Isiro. There was so much to take in during the ROC that i didn't want to make any decisons there and then. I've since had contact with Medair and feel there is where God is leading me. Its looking like I will be heading out there in June. Excitement, awe, fear, some degree of panic - these are some of the emotions im feeling right now, all normal im told. I will post more details about my role in the near future. Thanks for everybodys encouragement and prayers - you're all amazing!!!