“First we’ll go to Hoima, then we’ll go to Kyangweli to get the meat for Christmas then come back to the Masindi house.” Rachael’s dad spoke in his rich Ugandan accent as he shared the plans for the day. More than happy to go along with the plans, Rachael and I piled into the four wheel drive Prado ready for another day of hours spent … Continue reading A Ugandan Christmas
Cancer. It’s a big word. It brings big feelings. It has a number of huge implications just hearing that word. It also carries a spectrum. Sometimes super treatable, sometimes an instant death sentence. Sometimes everywhere in between, but always bad news, and always a litany of unknowns. My moms brother died of cancer. Her mom had cancer. My dad’s grandma had cancer. They’re not even … Continue reading The Good and the Hard
I put up my Christmas lights this week. I literally danced around my house yesterday plugging them in right as the sun set, excited to have my living room lit up with joy and wonder- because that’s what Christmas lights hold to me- joy and wonder. It’s been really busy lately. I feel like I’m on the edge of bursting with the things that have … Continue reading Nearing the End.
“So for my electives I’m taking Leadership Class and CS Lewis literature… I know they’re harder classes for an elective, but why not? They help me grow!” I was blown away by this students assessment of his schedule when we talked last spring, his choice to choose challenging classes for the sake of growth over the ‘easy fun’ options. This fall, I was faced with … Continue reading Leadership Training
If you’ve read many of my other posts, you’ve read about two senior guys who’ve wiggled their way into my heart, mostly by asking me to make them cookies and by coming to my classroom last year to complain about chemistry. This story isn’t about them… it’s about their friend. This friend, I never had in class, he took chemistry at a different school, and … Continue reading 10:1
Over the past month or so, I’ve seen this to be so true. Being here for my second year, I already have established relationships with students, and how do you continue those once the students aren’t in your class anymore? Well, I have them over for food. I’ve created a calendar where I track my hosting and feeding of students (mostly for intentionality with tracking … Continue reading Food = Ministry. Ministry = Food.
Squeals of joy has been the most common sound leaving my mouth these past two weeks, usually followed by excited hugs and mostly uninterpretable shouts of glee. My loves are back. But they’re not back in my classroom. They’ve moved on. They’ve moved to a new grade, a new schedule, new teachers, and some even a new dorm. But they’re still here. It’s a strange … Continue reading THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE BACK!
I’ve officially been here in Kenya for one year. Right now, I’m sitting in JKIA Airport in Nairobi, waiting to board a flight to visit family and be in a friend’s wedding back home. I’m not quite sure yet how, but I know this year has changed me. I know this, because this past weekend as I checked out at the cash register of a … Continue reading The Students I love
Today started at 7:00am as I got up a little later than usual since I wasn’t teaching- just giving my final exam. I puttered around my kitchen, pulling out of the fridge the meal I’d prepped the night before, plugging in the crockpot before walking the 100 meters down to my classroom to get things lined up for our year-end final exam. Ten seniors had … Continue reading Living the Dream: Students on the Front Porch
I’ve never liked politics. I’ve always find them divisive and difficult to understand why they make everyone hate each other so much. We’re all working towards the same overall goals, just with different opinions on the best way to achieve them. While I know that statement in and of itself likely has some folks shaking their heads and disagreeing with me, I have found the … Continue reading Politics on Campus… the good kind!
Faithful Footsteps 