Life as I know it is about to change once again. Last night (December 9th) was my last night with my Ugandan family. We have three days of debrief in Entebbe and then I am Arkansas bound. It feels like just last week I was arriving in Uganda and now I am leaving once again. I remember thinking about how different my life here in Uganda was going to be, and I was right….my time here has changed my life, but more than that, it has changed how I value things; especially people.
It is all too easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and miss out on the incredible people that God has placed within your life. My time here has taught me to slow down; to stop and just appreciate life for what it is. If my family here has taught me anything at all, it’s that people matter more than your own agenda. There were times this semester that up to 15 people were staying in our 3 bedroom house simply because they needed somewhere to go. When is the last time you stopped, looked someone in the eye and really asked how they were doing? I’m not saying be a good person and care for someone, I’m saying we are called to love one another and that could look like a million different things, but how are we loving? The Bible clearly instructs us to love one another in word and deed, and I’m sure that each of you would agree with that statement, but how are we living out what we read (and agree with)?
This semester was not about abrupt change, but a gradual metamorphosis. It’s as though life is a clay pot and this semester has been a beautiful, intricate addition to the already existent masterpiece. I wish there was a phrase or a picture or something I could give you to define my life right now-to show you what Uganda has done to me, but it is next to impossible. I came to Uganda in hopes of clarity, but I think I am leaving with more questions than what I came with, and I’m ok with that. Something else this semester has been about is tension-finding the balance between what we have learned and the application we are all seeking out in our daily lives. Life as I know it has been changing for the past four months, and I know this is only the beginning.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7
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