blast from the past

So, today is Halloween. Not that we really celebrate that here in Uganda, but we do what we can!

Yesterday at Heritage, we had our Rain Festival. All week long, we had been preparing for it, doing various activities throughout the week. Monday was Decorate Your Door Day, Tuesday - Create Your Class Movie, Wednesday we presented the movies, Thursday - Draw Your Costume or something, and Friday was the actual Rain Festival.

Oh yeah, did I mention my 6th graders won the Video Contest? They were so great, and got SO into the movie!. I'll try to post the video as soon as I have a chance, but it's 700 MB, so it'll take a while with my Internet! But worth the wait, I promise you!

What's up with the name? The Rain Festival is basically like a lot of the Harvest Festivals back in the U.S., where churches just want to have something fun to do that isn't based on ghouls and goblins and witchcraft. Hence, the name.

It was a busy school day, frenzied set-up, and a crazy, fun evening - and it was all worth it. The kids had a great time, I had a blast, and even though I am EXHAUSTED simply thinking about everything that we did to get ready, it was definitely a fun memory to add to the books! One particular reason it was busy for me was that I had to try and run my 6th grade booth, take care of the sound/music that we had for the evening on my laptop, take pictures here and there for the yearbook, and oh yeah - GET THROWN IN JAIL and BE PUT IN THE DUNK TANK.

Now, when I say "jail," I mean the soccer goal post that had the net draped on both sides :) And when I say "dunk tank," I mean a shower nozzle that the kids get to turn on for 10 sec. intervals if they pay 1,000 shillings. Needless to say, I was thrown in jail within the first 5 minutes of the Rain Festival beginning and I had 10 kids pay to 'dunk' me... but only 9 of them actually got it (I didn't realize the last kid was waiting, so I left - oops!) ... it was awesome.

We also had a little get-together tonight, just a little hang-out Halloween party to carve pumpkins, eat desserts, play Monster MadLibs, and eat roasted pumpkin seeds. Yum!

Jill (the cat) and me (Little Red Riding Hood)

Blast From The Past...



All the festivities this week made me miss SLO a lot. Last year was just an amazing time of fellowship, friendship, and community in general. A few of us dressed up as pirates and invaded Grace's Harvest Festival... and then got thanked for 'helping' in the bulletin the next week. We tried to set the record straight and say that we, in fact, played the games alongside the kids, but our picture still stayed in the bulletin for many weeks to come. We were also supposed to have a softball game (since last year, Halloween was on a Friday night = SLO Softball) but the other team forfeited. So, after we bombarded the kids at the Harvest Festival, we all headed over to Greg & Bonnie Johnson's house for some amazing soups!






As this Halloween has come and gone, hectic as it was, I still found myself missing that fellowship that we had last year. I love these kids here, please don't misunderstand me. And maybe it's just the exhaustion speaking here, but I have been missing SLO a lot. Please pray that I'd love and cherish the memories that I have from there, but that I'd be content and desiring to really BE where God has put me!

oli otya

this is a phrase in Luganda asking, ''how are you?'' right now, I would answer... only ok.

~

Today especially I've felt very much under spiritual attack.

I know that might sound strange to some who are reading this, so I'll explain just a little.

I know that God called me to come to Uganda and work and minister to these kids and be a part of their lives. I have had days when I KNOW Jesus is right alongside me in the classroom, and the Spirit is speaking through me in a conversation. There are also days when I feel discouraged, regretful, and tempted to give up. Especially here in Uganda, there is evil very much more prevalent than I've ever felt in the States.

~

I've felt discouragement, heartache, and loneliness in America too, don't get me wrong. But here, it comes on swift and strong, and literally knocks you down and has made me physically overwhelmed. Today, I just felt very much attacked.

~

Without going into a lot of detail, basically a parent of one of my students told me I was unfit to be a teacher, that I hated her daughter, and that she was going to get me fired. And while I know that none of that is even remotely true, it is still hurts my heart to hear those words.

Alicia, a friend and teacher at school, told me that when she's had confrontations like that, it reminds her to think of how much Jesus had to suffer when he came to save us; how people mocked him, called him names, hated him... and how he responded and still loved them. His grace and His mercy are boundless.

~

I would just ask for your prayers and encouragement in this area right now, that Satan wouldn't have a foothold in the school and that I would seek the Lord to be my ever-present help in times of trouble.

Love you all.

Psalm 23

these are all plants and wildlife from Sipi Falls!

sipi falls

mmm... an amazing resort for a weekend retreat from the crazy city life of Kampala.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, after a LONG day. Woke up around 5:30 am. Showered. Finished packing for the weekend. in one backpack. Met the girls at the boda stage at 6:30 am. Grabbed a matatu (taxi type of ride that can ALWAYS cram more people inside... there's no such phrase as "there's no more room!" in Luganda!) into downtown Kampala. Walked over to the bus park, where basically lots of bus drivers wait around until their buses are full, and then leave whenever they feel like it. We asked the driver and made him promise to leave by 8:30... it was 7:15 at this point in time. He said yes. 8:30 came and went... surprise, surprise. We're in Uganda, people. Come 9:30ish, some of the girls 'threatened' to leave and demanded their money back. Basically, this is the only way to actually get Ugandan bus drivers to actually keep their word, otherwise you, as a mzungu, may be waiting there all day until every last inch of space is taken up, and you'll never reach your destination!


9:45ish... we leave the bus park and start heading to our destination. (The name of the city was like Mbumi or Mbazi or something... oops.) After multiple stops of letting people on and off and the lady behind me incessantly grabbing my hair, we finally were driving out of Kampala. Unfortunately, around 11 or 12, there was a noise and all of a sudden, our bus moved over onto the 'shoulder' of the road. That's right, we had a flat tire. Everyone piled off the bus and several went to use the restrooms... That's right, they squatted on the side of the road. Many didn't even bother moving out of eyesight. They were about 5-10 ft away from the bus and just stopped and dropped their trousers, or pulled up their skirts. Oh, Uganda.



After waiting probably 30 minutes, we decided to grab another matatu and head on down the road. We arrived to the city that I can't remember the name of an hour or so later. Then, we met up with the driver we had made an arrangement with to drive us up to the lodge. A few short 60 minutes later, we had arrived.


Although it was only Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning that we stayed at the lodge, it felt like forever. Watching the rain come down, hiking amidst the lush green tropical plants, having some fun girl time just praising the Lord... it was blissful and relaxing, and exactly what I needed after a kind of stressful, busy week at school. I'll be sure to blog more about the amazing scenery and experiences we had there and the people we met at the top of the waterfall and all of that later...

but for right now, I'll just say that God is so good.

What an amazing Creator, Architect, and Designer we have!

number the stars

Today, I really enjoyed my sixth graders. On most school days, I simply just love teaching them, along with the fact that I get to get them excited about spelling, reading, and using really cool vocabulary (dogmatic, ambiguous, discerning, etc.). And I know they think I'm a goof; just the fact that I get excited (yes, very excited) when they use advanced, specific vocabulary to describe something or provide me with a very well-articulated sentence. I love these kids.

Today, we had finished their Spelling and DOL tests, and were working on our 'Plot Chart' for the Lois Lowry story, "Number the Stars" about a girl who lives in Denmark during WWII and her plight to save her best friend's family, who were Jewish, from being captured and taken by the German soldiers. It's a wonderful book; we read it last year during my 6th grade student teaching assignment, which is why I decided to do it again!

After we filled in the Main Characters section and the Setting section, we filled in several of the key events that have happened so far. Long story short, in the second chapter, the girl, Anne Marie, remembers how her father had told her once that he would gladly die to protect their king, the king of Denmark. Two of my students were WAY off in their one-sentence summary of this chapter, so we started talking about why Anne Marie learning this news was so important. You see, as we read in the third chapter, Anne Marie draws the connection to protecting the king of their country and being willing to protect the people being oppressed within their country.

We then started talking about being willing to lay down one's life in order to save or help someone else. It just made me think... what an amazing gift we had in Christ being willing to lay down his life for us, to knowingly go into a situation for us and say, "No, take me instead." Forget even for the moment that He was the Perfect Son of our Holy Creator. Even the fact that he was, as a man, willing to be sacrificed for someone else to LIVE is mind-boggling and forever humbling.

Many of us would say that we would die for those we love. Many of us would also say that we'd "step up" and interject if we witnessed a crime being committed against someone else. It makes me think of a sermon Francis gave at church, a few years back now, about stepping out in faith. He told us about how one of the pastors at Cornerstone had witnessed an old man being beaten violently in his car on the side of the road by another man. The pastor didn't know either of the men, but he acted and became involved because it was the right thing to do: to protect someone who was helpless and needed saving. (Not a key element of the story, but our pastor took the bad guy out in one punch.) Francis asked everyone, "Would you be willing to punch someone out if you saw someone else who needing saving?" Almost everyone replied in the affirmative. Of course we would. What a thrill to save someone! But the next question that followed was, "What if you see someone sitting alone at a restaurant? Would you be willing to step out and go share the message of Jesus Christ with them?"

That one had hit hard, and still makes me stop in my tracks, even today. The point was that most of us would act without a moment's hesitation in the first circumstance... but when it comes to interactions of eternal significance, we stumble on our own insecurities and wonder what others will think of us, which hinders our willingness to step up and out and simply share with others the love that we've been so freely given.

In "Number the Stars," Anne Marie wonders, "Would she die to protect them? Truly? ... there in the darkness, she wasn't sure. ... She admitted to herself that she was glad to be an ordinary person who would never be called upon for courage."

Oh, but I am an ordinary person who has been called upon by my Maker to be courageous! To step out in faith, even when I don't want to talk, even when I want my alone time, even when [insert excuse here]... because our time on earth is precious and it's gone like a vapor in the wind.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous!

Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.

For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!

~ Joshua 1:9

think blue.

The Tale of Yesterday.



7:30 am . Wake up for school. Little later than I thought. Oops.
8 am – 3 pm . School. I miss all of the Dodger game. Bummer.
3 pm – 4 pm . No Soccer practice. Kind of glad. Thunderstorm.
4:30 pm . Fall asleep. Oops.
7:30 or so pm . Wake up. Again, oops.
8 pm – 10 pm . Watch a movie with Jill, Shanna, Betsy, Jenna.
11 pm . Jill and Shanna go home
11 pm – 1 am . Photoshop. And Facebook.
1:30 am . Dodger game starts. Think Blue.
2:15 am . Ethier hits a home run. I want to cheer out loud.

Sometime after that, I begin fading in and out of sleep...

3:30 am . Probably need to go to sleep. but I want to finish the game.

A little while later, I wake up and realize the game is over. I missed the amazing 9th inning comeback! But I am able to quickly re-watch it since GameDay is still open and running.



The Dodgers have done it! YAY!!! Loney (and Pierre pinch running!!), Casey Blake, Belliard, my man Russell, and Loretta... it couldn't have been any better.

And then I went back to sleep. The End.

soccer! err... football!

My little kiddos had their first game on Tuesday of this week! They played a good game, but we ended up losing 3-0 to this team from another international school called Rainbow. My guys were so funny, running around the field, going the wrong way, taking the ball from each other, using their hands to stop the ball... you know how they play! Although, I didn't have a single kid picking daisies, which I was thankful for.

I coach the under 7 team, which means I have 2 four-yr olds, a couple five-yr olds, several six-yr olds, and one seven yr-old. My littlest ones (Jogi and Graysen) were so precious. Any time it was time to sub out players, Jogi would run off the field and jump into my arms and cheer! Graysen decided that he needed a drink while he was on the field, so he just ran over to his mom (Alicia, whose other son, Jonah, I blogged about a little while ago!) on the sidelines. He hadn't a clue in the world that he was supposed to stay on the field.

On Monday night, I went down and played with Alicia's kiddos (Brody (gr. 4), Jonah (gr. 1) and Graysen (gr. K)) since they live a couple compounds or "houses" down from us. Alicia invited me to stay for tacos - which were AMAZING - and before we ate, Jonah prayed for us... I can't tell you how much I adore this kid! Here was his prayer, "Dear Jesus, thank you for today and school. Jesus, I pray that we play well tomorrow in our soccer games. Please let us only lose by one, or win by a lot. [here, Brody added, "Or tie, Jonah!"] Oh yeah, or tie. Thank you Jesus, and please bless this food to our bodies. Amen." love it.

One of the other first-graders, Emmanuel, came running over to me and said, "Miss Fuller, I need a rest," but he was our GOALIE! So I sent him back out. Yep, I'm a meanie. It was really cute, though, he was trying to drop-kick the ball and it went right back over his head into the goal. Oops! More to work on in practice :)

Most of my players have very Ugandan names, and honestly, they all look similar when they're in their uniforms and on the other side of the field (with the exception of my three little white kids!) I really do have a hard time getting their names right sometimes! Here's our roster: Jogi, Graysen, Sirafumu aka Joshua, Wasswa, Ndemi, Emmanuel, Jowell, Paul, Jonah, Rueben, Akutch, and Calnan.

My kids are so great! We had practice cancelled today due to thunderstorms and rain... minor details. But, our next game is going to be on Tuesday!

real friends write threatening notes

this might sound like a strange title, but it's true :)

I had a lot of firsts this week...

• first time I was proposed to
• first time I drove a car (all by myself and at night - yeah!)
• first time I had all of my kids get at least an 80% on their spelling & DOL tests (wahoo!)
• first time I went venturing out into the marketplace with nowhere in particular to go
• first time I made pancakes here!
• first time I bought some clothes in Uganda
• first time I received a package!
  

and (obviously) I'm still here, so each has been a fun experience and I'm feeling more and more confident and adventurous as the days go by.

Now, on to the meaning behind the title of this blog...

The reason I say that real friends write threatening notes is because I received a package from Danielle and Jess this week. Though they mailed it mid-August, it just arrived on Oct. 2nd. (calculation: 1 1/2 months) However, I firmly believe that one of the main reasons why it was not stolen or taken was 1) they only declared "3 candies" very small on the customs form, 2) they wrapped the box with an inside-out paper bag & wrapped it shut, and 3) they sent a threatening note inside.

I got such a kick out of this! Both girls had told me that I'd laugh when I saw what they'd written. I was really confused when I looked at the outside of the package, because it just had my name and address written on it... and then I opened up the package and busted up laughing.

I have really cool, awesome, and stealer-forgiving friends :)