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!

Back Home

I arrived into Denver about 2 weeks ago. I’ve had two full weeks of reconnecting with friends here. I just wanted to check in to say I’m alive, kickin’ & enjoying the comforts of the familiar. I miss my friends in Uganda dearly.

I leave Wednesday to see my family & more friends in Ohio – looking forward to that!

No huge culture shock yet – that’s usually the biggest question I get. More than anything I’m continually amazed at the convenience of life here: electricity, hot running water showers, restaurants of amazing food at every turn, microwaves, and really, really, REALLY fast internet! If anything, some days I just get overstimulated by the quick pace.

I promise to post more soon.

Isn't it great to be back home ???

It actually is good to be back in Manchester. Seeing family and friends, catching up with people and being able to share whats happened in the last few weeks has been great fun

Some things though, do make you scratch your head a little bit in bewilderment!

I've been back at work 3 days. The credit crunch is hogging all the headlines. Ive been working in London today. I shared my flight back with a girl who works for my company and has just been made redundant. She has worked for the company for over 8 years , won't get much in terms of a payoff and to be honest, was in a bit of a state this evening. Where do i want to put my own security, in a multinational corporation or something with much more permanence,. Yes im talking about the creator of heaven and earth, God himself. I know where my loyalties lie!!! I've also been watching with interest the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the struggles of AIG and Merill Lynch amongst countless others this week. Listening to the doom and gloom merchants in the media, the world as we know it is about to end . Once again, Im grateful for being able to put my faith in a God who does not change and remains a constant in my life throughout everything!

Tonight, i went out to catch up with a good friend. We visited a fairly well known bar in South Manchester to have a chat and watch some footy. We must have been there 30 minutes when the guy next to us interrupted to ask why we were talking so much and would we shut up so he could watch the football in peace. Not surprisingly, this moron was sitting by himself. I was quite proud of myself for ignoring this idiot, walking off and finding somewhere else to sit. I was tempted to respond, but he was probably just looking to light up his pathetic little life with a fight. Im sure you can find people like that anywhere in the world, but its a bit depressing...i've only been back in the UK 3 days and have to put up with that rubbish. I'll pray for that guy anyway!!!

Chariots of Fire

I made it home this afternoon...finally. My journey home was not without its problems unfortunately. I actually landed at Heathrow yesterday evening, but because British Airways took over an hour to deliver my bags i missed my train to Manchester. Not the end of the world, I guess I should be thankful they at least managed to get all my luggage delivered to the right place!!!

On the flight home, I watched the film Chariots of Fire. Its a great film - the story of Eric Liddle is very inspiring. A devout Christian, he remained loyal and faithful to God, even when it looked like observing the Sabbath would make him miss his event, the 100 metres at the Olympics. Of course, he ended up winning the 400 metres and went to China to complete his calling as a missionary soon after.

His kind of unwavering commitment, complete faith in God makes a remarkable story. Its something I really need to think about now Im back home in Manchester. What has the last 6 weeks been all aboout? Where is it leading to? It would be easy just to settle back into things here, where everything is clean and comfortable, but its really important now that i don't just settle for a life that is second best, that i really push on and try to see everything that God has for me. The last 6 weeks has been an amazing experience, but i don't want it to just stop there. At least i don't think i do!! Please feel free to challenge me if you see me around in 2/3 months and see that im falling into this trap. For me, its quite an easy thing to do!!!

Anyway, im going for a hot bath, putting some clean clohtes on and heading out to catch up with a few friends. Speak soon!!!