Planning for Uganda

Here are some women I can't wait to meet (and Rachel Eggum-Cinader -- one of our mission team leaders and one of my personal heroes :-))

It is less than four weeks now from when I will leave for Uganda. I am excited. I am consciously stopping myself from saying, "I am scared" or "terrified", etc. There is no turning back and I need to remove those words from my vocabulary in regards to this trip and just let myself enjoy the planning and anticipation of what lies ahead.

I don't know exactly what I will be doing there. I am going to teach something. What will I teach? I can teach reading or writing (I just hope I have more patience with them than I have with my children!!!). I have been praying about it in a panic that I want to know what I am going to do or teach. Of course, I want an answer NOW so that I can plan, but things don't always work out that way. I have felt an overwhelming feeling though that I am going to be used to help the widows that I meet strengthen their community. I feel like I need to impress upon them the value of coming together (not living in isolation) and supporting and encouraging one another. That is the seed I feel that has been planted in me. We shall see how this develops.

So, for now I am making lists, updating a master calendar for Darrin. Making emergency contact lists, buying a SIM card for my phone for Uganda and hoping it works there!, planning my workload distribution at work.....trying to make sure that all my 'bases are covered'. We have a team meeting this Saturday and I get to meet many others that I will be traveling with and serving together. I so look forward to this time. Many have been before, so I can ask my list of questions to help me to prepare. Although, my friend Laverne has been to Uganda at least 2 or 3 times now and will be joining me on this trip. She is super business oriented and more driven to planning than I am (she is a Six Sigma expert for those that know about that -- so SUPER process driven!!). She laughed at me when I told her that I was trying to put together a plan for my time there. She told me that I can't plan this time. It is out of my hands and most things in Africa never go as planned. Talk about a challenge for me....NO planning.....out of MY hands? Sheesh...Okay, God, I get it! I give......it's all Yours! :-)

I hope that I am able to update this post while in Uganda. Please check back or 'subscribe' and if I can get to an Internet cafe or access to someone's computer (I don't have a laptop to take), I will post some updates.

Counting down the days, Jodi