so full

I never knew two weeks could feel so full. Kyle and I plunged into our time in Uganda right as we stepped off the plane, getting into a car and driving straight up to Lira. It’s about a five-hour drive after two days of traveling with no sleep. I also never knew I could be that slaphappy. It was such a dizzying drive, falling in and out of dreams, waking up to red dirt roads and the blurred green peripheral. Deep breaths reminded me this wasn’t a dream.
After dropping off our stuff at the guesthouse we headed over to the new children’s village. My nauseous stomach was filled with a flood of excited emotions. I couldn’t contain the joy of seeing the boys again and all the COTN staff. I wondered how Solomon had grown this year and how the kids had adjusted to life in another new home. But all my questions and curious thoughts stood still as I ran into the circle of beautifully built brick homes and saw their bright eyes heading for my arms. I wept… to say the least. And then to add to the joy I see the intern team, all comprised of good friends of mine (Elena, Chris, Tyler, Hanna, Ashley, Maci, Alex). I was so full.

There began a very busy two weeks of venturing out with the interns to serve at schools, hospitals, a babies orphanage, and just spending time in the village. Each place has had its challenges, its joys and adventures. I don’t think you ever get used to seeing extreme poverty. The pain of watching death wait at the edge of a child’s bed in the halls of the malnutrition ward never dulls. But there is a very different way of processing it when you have spent more time sitting with these realities with the people that live them. Death, sickness, new life, and joy are all very present at most parts of the day it seems. That being said I felt such an odd mix of celebrating and mourning throughout the two weeks here. God has done miracles with these children living in our new village as he has opened up the way for COTN to take in more kids. We have seen incredible change in their broken hearts. It’s very hard to just feel like I am stopping by on the way to Malawi, driving through this beautiful country in my dizzy dreaming. I want to slow it down and keep my eyes open but its time to leave… for now. There is much work ahead of COTN and much ahead for the people of Lira, for the people of Uganda. I am praying about the ways that I may make my return to walk alongside these people for an unknown amount of time once I graduate this upcoming fall. I am so full.

Kyle and I are in Sipi Falls with the interns till Thursday for a beautiful debrief and then to Kampala for 2 days until we fly out at 5:00am Saturday to Malawi! Pray as you feel lead. We are ready for this next adventure as both of us have never been to Malawi and are excited to work with Flood Malawi, start creating our intern exchange program and future human rights clinics.