To Spite or to Love?

Discouraged. I think this sums up how we have been feeling the past couple of days. School starts this coming monday and the playground we are building is still not finished. This is the same playground we were hoping to finish 3 weeks ago. We have spent many many hours digging, sanding, cleaning, painting, sweating, pumping water from bore holes, and carrying jerry cans. Not to mention the hours we have spent trying to clean our own selves and clothes free of sweat, paint, and dirt. We realize all of these things come with the job of putting together a playground. What we did not realize was the disappointment, lies, and loss of money that would come with our welder. We have spent countless hours talking over plans with the welder, giving him more and more money when we thought he needed more. Little did we know, he had more than enough for cost of supplies and labor plus. We also had driven out to the village on a couple different occasions expecting him to come and finish work, and then he would call with an excuse. So as you can probably guess, discouraged was not the only thing we were feeling this week. I also struggled with anger. I have never been a good one to hold out anger. I usually bottle it up and when I can physically feel my blood pressure start to rise I crack. From what I've learned about the body in school, this probably isn't the healthiest way to deal with anger. [Sidenote: I'm sorry this all sounds depressing, but keep reading, this is where it becomes exciting] If you didn't know this already, God works in mysterious ways. I just so happened to wake up early the other morning, so I took a shower, listened to some music, and then proceeded to crack open my Bible. As I was reading the book of Matthew I came across Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I started reading the beatitudes, about being the salt and the light, about God's law, and then I came across His teaching about anger and loving our enemies. Through this whole ordeal with our welder I kept hearing my mom and dad's voice in my head saying 'Kill him with kindness, Kendall. Just kill him with kindness'. This is a lot easier said than done, but from what I have learned in the past, it works. In a total human way of thinking, killing your enemy with kindness might be the best form of spite. It throws your enemy so far of course, I imagine they feel like Wile E. Coyote getting hit with his very own contraption he laid to catch the Road Runner. BUT, that is a super spiteful way to think, and that totally goes against what I'm about to say next. As I was saying about reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-42, "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow." I then kept reading. I came across Matthew 5:46-47, "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that." These words hit me, strong. I realized that the anger and resentment I had towards George was so wrong. If Jesus who is dying on the cross can call out to God and ask for forgiveness for those who were beating him, why can't I forgive this man I barely know who has not physically harmed me nor said anything but nice words to my face. Yes, he has stolen money and time from us, but who am I to judge another man's sin? Money can be replaced.
George will not be finishing the welding job he has been paid to finish. This is disappointing news, but it will all be okay! As for the work that still has to be done, we are so blessed to have a couple welders from East Africa Playgrounds come with us today to finish the playground. We will be painting the see-saws, the netball posts, the futbol goals, and the A-frame for the tire wall. Then, as soon as the welders are done the finishing touches on the watch tower, we will sand our hearts out and put primer on that. If all goes well, we should be [fingers crossed] finished with everything by Tuesday!

Here are a couple pictures of us working this past week:

Patrick and I touching up the Elephant 

Janine, and Michelle touching up the Caterpillar 

Courtney mixing paint

Simon and George putting up the swings

This week may not go as we wish/want, but I'm sure it will be a good one. We have put this playground in God's hands, so when He wants it to be finished, it will, and it will be good!
School, for the Fishers and I, is supposed to start this week, but with the playground as priority we are going to be delayed just a little. I think this will all work out for the best since we still have to wait for Chris to come home from America with the curriculum. Once he comes back I will be locking myself in my room all weekend with the curriculum, planning things for the next couple of months. I am so excited to get my hands on the materials! I don't mean to brag about my profession, but I'm pretty sure teachers are some special people. There are some teachers who don't get their jobs until a couple days before school starts. That only gives them a couple days to familiarize themselves with all the curriculum, the school building, and setting up the classroom. Then not to mention the first day of school when 20+ students walk into your classroom and you need to individually figure out each student's likes and abilities. Teachers are awesome! :)
Thank you to all my prayer warriors out there! All of this is made possible thanks to your continued prayers! I have just a couple prayer requests for this week. Please pray for energy and continued positivity as we finish up with the playground and get ready for school. Also, for safe travels as we trek these wild back roads of Uganda the next couple of days. Thanks again!

Grace & Peace 

Love, Kendall

Settling In

As you guys have probably noticed, I have been quite busy since I have been here. With the team from Hillcrest traveling with me, we came here and hit the ground running. I think God knew what he was doing when He sent me here with the Dykstras and Holtrops. They were all a true blessing to me. It was great to get out in Uganda and see so much right away, but it also was a little overwhelming. Friday afternoon we all hopped in the vans and headed out to Kampala, and we would end our day in Entebbe. We all had heavy hearts that morning, because we knew that in a few hours we would have to say our goodbyes to the Dykstras, Holtrops, and Christian Fisher. We had a great two weeks together, and made many memories.

Kendall, Mike, Christian, Josephine, Michelle, Chris, Trayton, Noah, Chloe, Darwin, Sally, Bri, Arry, Sandy, Kidist

This past week has been quite an adventure as well. We had a few days to relax and recover, but Thursday morning we all packed in the van and headed 4 hours to Soroti. We had a wedding to attend! Pastor Fred and Ruth married on Saturday. It was beautiful! Chris and Michelle were both in the wedding, standing beside Fred and Ruth as best man and matron of honor. In Uganda, weddings go a little differently than they do in America. In America we set plans in stone way in advance and do everything we can to put everything together right away. In Uganda, things get pulled together still on the day of the wedding. As I have seen, both ways work! The wedding began at 12am on Saturday morning and ended around 9pm that night. Attendance was through the roof, with 600 invitations going out and more verbal invites being given, there was no telling exactly how many people were there.

At the church

Fred and Ruth cutting the ribbon at the reception.

The smart couple ('Smart' in Uganda means 'nice looking')

There is so much I could tell you about the wedding but I wanted to share a couple of the differences I have seen between American weddings and Ugandan weddings. One major difference was the cake. In America the bride and groom cut the cake, give each other a bite, and the caterers cut and serve the rest of the cake to the guests. In Uganda it is seen as more of a gift. The bride and groom cut the cake, and serve bite size pieces to their parents. Then while people are serving the rest of the guests, the bride a groom sit and serve each other cake and water. 

Ruth feeding cake and water to Fred.

Fred feeding cake and water to Ruth

After everyone has had a bite size piece of cake, the bride and groom present a cake to representatives of different groups of people; the head of the church, representatives of the government, the parents from each side of the family, etc. Another thing that is different is the presentation of gifts. In America, when you get to the reception you simply walk the presents to the gift table and then proceed to your table. In Uganda you bring your gifts to your seat until it is time to present the gifts. When it was time, Fred and Ruth lined up across from each other with the wedding party on each side. At this time people went up and waited in line to present their gifts individually. Some of the gifts were money, some wrapped, and some alive. It is typical for a Ugandan wedding gift to be chicken, goat, turkey, etc. It was an experience of a life time. I am so beyond grateful that Fred and Ruth invited me to such a special event after only knowing me for a day. They are a very special couple, and I am looking forward to getting to know them more as my time continues here in Uganda.

Trayton, Kidist, Chloe, and I at the wedding. (The three kids I will be teaching)

After the wedding, we woke up on Sunday morning and had the opportunity to attend Fred and Ruth's church, Jesus the Way Ministries. This is where Pastor Fred teaches. They have a wonderful thing going in that church. God is bursting at the seams of that brick building. Pastor Basil taught about God's grace. He taught us that God does not look for the imperfections in us, if we go to Him, He will set us free. I hope to make it back to Jesus the Way Ministries again in the future. 

Although we have been running around a lot, I am finally beginning to settle in. While we were in Soroti for 4 days, I was ready to go home. Home being Jinja. :) It's a nice feeling to feel at home in a country so far away from where my actual home is in Michigan. The Fishers have been so welcoming. They have been a HUGE blessing onto me. God has connected me with the right people. I am so excited to get to know them even more as time goes on! 

As days go by, school is right around the corner. Chris will be leaving us tomorrow morning to head back to the states for 10 days. When he comes back, he will be bringing the curriculum and tablets that I will be using to teach the kids. While he is gone I will start reviewing some math and reading skills, and figuring out where each of them are at. I am excited to being teaching!! We are also getting ready to set up our classroom! :) I will post before and after pictures soon. We went to the market this evening and bought some fabric to hang, so I am very excited to see it all done!

I want to thank all of you for your prayers. I have seen God work in many ways within the days I have been here. We ask for continued prayers for safety while Chris will be traveling to the states and while we're back here setting up for school. Also, for the Fisher family as there still seems to be a void since Christian, their oldest son, has left to start the school year in Michigan. I love you all!

Grace & Peace

Kendall

T.I.A. (This Is Africa)

What an exciting week it has been! Monday morning we packed the vans and headed to Niagobya. The team of visitors from Hillcrest CRC came to Uganda to visit with the Fishers foremost, but to also build a playground at St. Paul Primary School in Niagobya. The children's worship group from Hillcrest raised money for this playground. What an awesome blessing it is that children from Hudsonville, MI can help out the children in Niagobya, Uganda! We first visited the school last week Wednesday. The school has about 6-7 classrooms for 350 elementary students. There are so many students that some have to sit on the cement floor because there are not enough benches for everyone. This picture below shows a building with 3 classrooms, they are not very big. Also, they teach by the light of the sun. There is no electricity. 

When the kids have a break from learning, there is an open soccer field and a field that was previously used to grow sweet potatoes for them to play in. So you can only imagine how excited these kids are to have a playground! The playground is going up in the field. Here is a picture of the field before the work. 

As you can see, we had our work cut out for us! When we returned this week Monday, the workers had tilled all of the field for us! It was a huge blessing! This way we could get right to digging! Most of the playground consists of tires. The first day we put in the snowflake, the caterpillar, the elephant, the see-saws, and the tables. Later came the boda-bodas (motorcycles) and the matatu (taxi). 

The snowflake (the kids have no idea what a snowflake is, so I'm sure they'll come up with a different name for it) 

The caterpillar 

The elephant. (One of my favorites!)

Chloe by the boda-bodas (motorcycles) 

The next big thing to enter the playground was all the steel. The watch tower with a bridge over to the slide, the swings, and the rest of the see-saws. It was a huge event! This is where the phrase T.I.A.(This Is Africa) comes into play. Last week, Chris and Darwin had been making visits to our welder George. Making sure he had all the plans, money, and material to have things ready for this week. Everything was going smoothly, but here in Africa things seem to move a little differently than they do in America. We were hoping to have the steel delivered to the playground by Monday afternoon, but as the day went on we knew that wasn't going to happen. Tuesday was the day! We went out and were all anxious for the truck to come. We started the day by painting some more and touching up with second coats. The steel was on its way...at least that's what we thought. Turns out the truck wasn't going to make it till at least 2 in the afternoon (in Africa, that means maybe by 3 they will leave the shop). This was a problem because it takes us about 2hrs to drive out to Niagobya, so by the time they got there we'd want to leave so we could have dinner at a decent hour. The men from our group decided they would stay till the truck arrived and they would at least set all the pieces in the designated spots. The steel finally arrived later that afternoon, but then it rained and it poured. This stopped the whole process. They called it a night. So Wednesday rolled around and we were rearing to go! We were exhausted, but wanted to make progress. Then, we get a call and George, our welder, got malaria! :( there was no chance of him coming out that day to finish the on site welding. We were scrambling! Then we got ahold of a couple welders from East Africa Playgrounds. They specialize in making these playgrounds, so they were ready to leave with us. We headed out to Niagobya. Little did we know, it is a cultural thing to critique people's work to the point where things have to be completely torn apart and re-done. Most of us sat around all day because the welders had to re-do all of George's work. I have to admit, Wednesday was my hardest day here so far. I left Niagobya feeling discouraged and defeated. But at the end of the day we had to praise God for getting the steel delivered and standing in the ground, and for keeping us safe on our travels back to Jinja. 

The watch towers being lifted into place late Wednesday afternoon :)

The next day, Thursday, was a blessing and a heavy reminder to be patient and trust God. Most of the Fisher family stayed home to help Christian pack to head back to the states. But Sandy, Arry, Darwin, Sally, Bri, Michael, Chris, and I headed to Naigobya for one last day before they take off (the Dykstras and Holtrops) for home. We sanded and painted one of the swing sets. It wasn't much progress on the playground, but it was so nice to see some more color out there! Also, a lady from Hillcrest CRC made a bunch of dresses to be handed out throughout a village or two while the Dykstras and Holtrops were here. We had the opportunity to dress many of the girls in Niagobya. I wish you could all have seen their faces! They were glowing!

 A mother of one of the girls came up to me and presented me with 3 eggs to say thank you. She was SO grateful. I was overwhelmed with joy, but how could you not be when surrounded with a bunch of beautiful smiling girls?! 

After this busy week, reading the story of Jonah with the Fishers, Dykstras, and Holtrops, brought so much light to our experiences. Nothing positive comes with a selfish heart. We need to keep listening to God and trust His will. He will bring everything to light. He wants the best for His children. 

As for now, I need to remember that what I have in mind for my day might not be what God has planned, so I am going to try my best to take things the African way, slowly but surely. God will lead me where I am supposed to go :) 

Love you all! Thank you for all your continuous prayers and support! 

Grace & Peace

Kendall :)

LOVE

My first week in Uganda has been overwhelming to say the least. Not a bad overwhelming, it's the kind of overwhelming where you can't quite process what is going on in that moment. I have seen so much in just a few days. We have traveled quite far on the Ugandan map. Just the other night, Thursday through Friday, we spent the night in Soroti. Soroti is the town of some very special people. I had the pleasure of meeting pastor Fred and Ruth. This couple will be getting married in just a couple weeks, and Chris and Michelle are both standing in the wedding beside them. Thursday night we attended Fred and Ruth's wedding meeting. From what I have gathered, they way people here in Africa plan their weddings is through these monthly wedding meetings. The meetings are set up very professionally, with an agenda, chairperson and all. At these meetings, all of the bride and groom's friends and families attend. They help fundraise and plan the wedding. There are different committees that you can be apart of (i.e. Bridal, transportation, flowers, cake, etc). I officially got the invite to the wedding on Friday, and I am very anxious to see what it is like compared to an American wedding. There just so happens to be two weddings in the same church that day, so Fred and Ruth are now getting married at 9am. I must admit, I have never been to a wedding that early, so we will see what the day brings! 

Friday morning, we all woke up in Soroti, and made our way to Fred and Ruth's village. They have a home both in Soroti and in the village, Obule. Obule is truly and oasis of villages. 

When we arrived to Obule, the people greeted us with open arms. I have never felt love so strong as the love of this village. The Fisher's have been to this village many times, but for me as a first comer, you would have thought they have known me for years. There were chairs set up under the shade of the trees for all of us to relax. Fred introduced all of his family to us and then we introduced ourselves. They shared a brief history of the village, performed music, and prepared us lunch.

They shared how happy they were to have us, and how much they loved us. It was overwhelming to be in the presence of so much love. Fred even told us, multiple times, to tell everyone when we get home, how much the people of Obule love them and care for them. Can you believe it?! So I am telling all of you, the people of Obule love you! Even though they have never met you. This was a huge wake up call to me. I spend too much time in my day trying to get everything on my list done. I forget to take time out of my day to stop and love on those around me. Personal relationships is what Africa is all about! They do not have set schedules here. Things seem to run at least an hour late around here. This is one thing that is harder for me take in. I am an on-schedule type of person. But when I see the people of Obule put personal relationships over accomplishing a list of 'to-dos' on a wrinkled up piece of paper, it puts things in perspective for me. Love wins. It is as simple as that! :) 

We did not get home from Soroti until late on Friday evening, so we all took that as a sure sign that we deserved a nice relaxing Saturday. Saturday we did indeed relax. I purchased a SIM card for my phone, so now it is official, I have a Ugandan phone number! Who would have even believed I'd ever have a 13 digit number, with a Jinja area code?! After we ran some errands we came home and had a nice evening by the fire. It really felt like home. It was really nice to have the Fishers, Holtrops, and Dykstras all together to have some time to debrief what we have seen over the past days. 

What a great first week in Uganda! I want to thank you all for your prayers and financial support! You guys are the best!! 

With love, 

Kendall

My First Day

Hello from Uganda! I arrived in Uganda early this morning around 2am. We are praising God for the smooth travels! Also, we are so thankful all 14 pieces of our luggage arrived with us! We went to bed fairly quick after and woke up around 8:30. Today was a pretty lowkey day. The Holtrops and Dykstra's are staying in the house with us for 2 nights so it's a packed house! We all had a nice breakfast together then Chloe (The Fisher's oldest daughter) and I took the babies, Josie and Noah, for a walk around the neighborhood. It is a lot busier that I imagined! All the houses are in compounds, and there are a few hotels on the street as well. After our walk I unpacked all 5 of my bags (so much stuff!). My room is so cute!

This is a little entrance room to my bedroom. This green door is an exit out onto the compound. 

This is my bedroom! It's perfect. I can't wait to go into town and buy some art to make it a little homier :)

And here is my bathroom! Complete with all the essentials; toilet, shower, sink, & mirror! And don't forget my little gecko friend that was on my window screen:)

After we had a quick lunch, we then headed to the market in Jinja. It was unbelievable!

They sell everything there; Produce, meat, clothes, shoes, tools, and a couple electronics. All the people selling we're staring at us. I also heard the term 'mzungu' a lot! This is the Ugandan word for 'white person'. It can also be used for people of other color, if they seem to be foreign to the area. It is funny because they will simply say 'hi mzungu'. If somebody in America said 'hi white person' I would probably be a little taken back and confused, but looks like it will be a natural occurrence here! Going to the market, I will have to learn how to barter well because this will be my store for the next while. Many people sell the same product so I want to make sure I find the best deal! Hopefully I can get the conversion between the American dollar and Ugandan shillings down fast because it is quite confusing to me at the moment. Overall my first day was great! I cannot wait to explore more of the land here in Jinja and other parts of Uganda! Thank you for all of your prayers back home, you are all a true blessing! 

Grace & Peace