At the end of the first full conference day, I was working on looking over the lessons I'd be presenting the next day to make sure that I was familiar enough with them that I wouldn't just be staring at my notes the whole time. As a result, I didn't manage to write out a whole journal entry that day. However, I did jot down 5 highlights of the day. I'll post the highlights as I wrote them then, and I'll expand them a bit.
Highlights from June 24th
- Connecting with Mary and Teopisto
These were the 2 women that I had the opportunity to talk to the most on that first day. Mary led our praise sessions each day, and upon our first meeting I told her that she had the same name as my mother and that she sort of reminded me of her. By the end of the trip, she was officially going by "Mama Mary" and sending greetings from my Ugandan mother to my mother back home! Teopisto had many questions for me that first day and many days after. She asked all about team members from previous years and my life back at home. In reality, pretty much all the people I met in Uganda were so kind and welcoming. I heard "You are most welcome" many times as I stepped into church or the conference. I miss their hearts.
Here's a picture of me with Mary's mother Ida on that first day. I was so infatuated with Ida's dress!
- The Bishop used the Eph 4 passage that God had given me months ago for this trip
If you look back at my blog posts on March 13th and 24th, you'll see me referencing Ephesians 4:11-16. Early on, these were the verses God gave me regarding my trip to Uganda. When the Bishop came on the first day of the conference, he opened up our conference time. The passage of Scripture that he used was Ephesians 4:11-16! I was so thrilled with this sign of God's unified working in America and Uganda as well as the sweet confirmation that God had indeed called me to this trip,
- The Bishop specifically asked to greet each of us individually, spoke with us briefly, and took a pic
The Bishop is quite high ranking in the Anglican church, and I was so touched by his personal interest and gentleness. He asked to greet each of us in the front one at a time. He exchanged a few words with us, showing genuine interest, and he stopped for a picture with each of us individually as well as for group pictures later. His gentle kindness and hospitality were heart-warming.
Here's a group picture of all of us at the conference that first day with the Bishop. He is standing in the middle with the collar and the pink shirt. I'm a little to the right of him and a row back.
- Praising and Worshiping at conference
We were blessed by a time of praise and worship each morning with the men and the women and then each lesson with the women opened up with a time of praise too. The genuine praise and worship I experienced in Uganda was one of the best things about my trip there. We danced and sang together. I praised so hard with these women that I broke a sweat--several times a day. There was not that air of "What will people think of me?" Instead, there was a genuine atmosphere of praise and of worship! I loved it and wish I could praise with them every day! However, my time praising with them there has continued to enhance my praise and worship of God here too.
- God gave us access to a western toilet at the conference!
This sounds like a small and petty and ridiculous detail to include in such a list, but to me, it was such an example of God's loving kindness. You see, squatty potties were one of my most dreaded parts of coming to Uganda. My squat is not a stable, flat-footed squat in general. The heels of my feet didn't touch the ground for the first 17 years or so of my life. I walked on the balls of my feet, and though my heels touch the ground more now, my squats are still not flat-footed. I totally pictured myself falling over using a squatty potty. Even as I first considered going to Uganda, I considered this as a reason not to go. However, I knew that it wasn't a legitimate reason to not go where God was leading. So, instead I read online about squatty potty techniques and even researched devices that I could use to make the whole experience work for me. I had managed to avoid squatty potties up until this conference day, but I knew this facility only offered squatty potties on past trips. So, on this Monday, I stalled for nearly as long as I could before deciding that it was time to go find out what it was like. I gathered my courage and my toileting supplies and walked to where I had been told to go. As I rounded the corner and peered into my nemesis, I was amazed to find a western toilet sitting there. I was so delighted by God's goodness. I knew this was a gift from my Father who loves me. He had blessed my faithfulness to go with such a personal blessing to me. I actually never had to use a squatty potty the whole trip long.
A few days ago at home, Philip found a lemon upon which I had written 2 "lemontations." They were personal limitations that I felt could interfere with things God would call me to. I wrote them quickly in a church service when instructed to, and I had even kind of smirked at the combined ridiculousness of them at the time. However, they were true limitations I've considered. #1 I can't squat. #2 I only speak English. God showed me again this day how His loving grace was sufficient for me, how I could trust Him wherever He sent me, and how He loves me so tenderly even into the "ridiculous" places of my heart. (Humorously, the next day showed me how God used exactly the language skills that I do have in the work He placed before me...more on that later!)
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