I'm still here!

Ahh! I don't even know when the last time I posted was, I'm sorry! I just know that the big group of 14 from The River has come and gone already. And so much has happened since then... I really enjoyed my time with all of them here. They were a lot of fun to be with, they were so open to listening to what the 6 of us had to say after being here for a month, and they jumped right into life in the bush. I didn't hear any complaining about the conditions and they seemed to get accustomed to Oditel much faster than I did on my first trip - walking down to the center with their new friends, riding or walking waaay out into the bush to eat mystery meats, and trying their best to learn some new Ateso words. I was very proud of them. Good work U2 :)

In case any of you didn't know, I decided to stay back for another week after all the rest of The River missionaries headed back to the US because I still had some work I needed to get done here. We tried to work it out so that someone else would be able to stay with me, but it just didn't happen. So I have trusted God to keep me safe here as a lone Mzungu - after all, if my dear friend Amelia can make it a year by herself, I should be able to make it a week :)

For those of you who have been praying for me these past few days, thank you, thank you, thank you! Your prayers have certainly been heard and answered! I was a little nervous at first because I had a rough start coming back to the village after dropping the big group off in Soroti. I took public transport back to Oditel - 4 hours in the back of something like a big pick up truck, piled with boxes and bags of supplies. Then people sit on top of those supplies, then more people sit around the outside edge of the truck, making a total of 40+ people in the back. The first 2 hours were ok but the last two I was really just miserable. I was crammed so tightly that I literally couldn't move to get inside my purse, move my legs at all, or even straighten my neck up. I don't know how Ugandans can travel like that!

Then once I finally reached the village, it had already gotten dark. Being a female Mzungu by myself, I really was a little nervous and pretty irritated. There were a few guys calling at me in Ateso after I got off and I wasn't really sure how to get them to take my bag down from the roof. And then I heard "Ayyy Asio!" (my Ateso name). I looked up and saw Andrew, a teenage boy who works/stays at the Catholic mission we stay at, walking down the road. Oooh eyalama Yesu for sending me that boy at that very moment! He helped me get my bag down and carried it all the way back to the mission for me. I also felt safe with him there even though the yelling didn't really stop. He laughed after someone yelled at him in Ateso "How much for that Mzungu?" I'm just glad he didn't name a price for the guy :)

So anyways, I've have been back at home in Oditel for 2 days now. And let me say that just like in America, I prefer being out in the country (or bush) instead of being in the city. I love the closeness and community here, there's always a familiar face nearby.

And for more answered prayers, I have felt completely safe, haven't felt lonely even a single time, and have stayed well fed :) One of the priests at the mission immediately invited me to eat every meal with them while I was here and Pastor Andrew has also offered me many meals.

As for fellowship, I've spent my days with the children, lots of time in the evening with the people from the mission - eating meals, even playing Scrabble with Father Opio, and then after church today, I spent the afternoon sitting at Pastor Andrew's store with a group of people from the church. I had such a good time with them, they were really funny, like they really had me cracking up! I didn't know Ugandans could be so silly. There was also some solid, profitable talks/discussions. After all of that, Pastor Andrew served me another delicious meal with the only meat that I really like to eat here, beef. Luckily, after struggling to ride a bike in my long skirt earlier in the day, I got someone to carry my back to the compound on their bike :)

So anyway, after a wonderful Sabbath day, I'll be back at it again tomorrow working on my remaining work here. Thank you again for praying for me and please keep praying for me - for continued protection, that I would get to meet up with all of the children and finish my work, and that the Lord would be preparing my heart to have to leave this place that I've come to love so very very much. Thank you again!

Amina eong yesi (love you guys!)
Asio Cati