On My Way Again

I had intended to write a post about my last days in Jinja (of course including some drawn out reflection of my time there), but apparently a two month summer vacation just wasn't enough time to do so. To sum it up, nothing went as planned... We (the Emily's, Erika and I) had wanted to leave really early to catch a showing of the Hunger Games in Kampala and then carry on to the airport for a series of hugs and tearful goodbyes, but baby Grace got extremely ill and it was decided that a trip to the hospital in Kampala was necessary.

Goodbyes were hard to say the least, but that won't be a surprise to anybody. First the kids and Em W at the house, then Em H at the hospital in Kampala where I stopped in to have dinner with her and Erika while they sat with Grace (he recovered fine, by the way). Erika came with me to the airport in order to catch a ride back to Jinja with Job (our hired driver) so our goodbye was last and due to a slight oversight on our part, through a window while we spoke our sentiments into our cell phones and a security guard threatened to physically remove Erika if she did not choose to move on. Again, not exactly as planned. :-)

I could write numerous paragraphs outlining the journey that led me to knowing without a doubt that God was calling me (very loudly) back to Uganda. In summary, it included doubt, death, Facebook, tears, resignation, surrender and a documentary called Father of Lights (which I highly recommend). Since that decision, I have received overwhelming support from friends, family, co-workers and my church; basically everywhere I have turned I have found further confirmation that I am walking the path God has chosen for my life. One year, two years, red years, blue years? I have yet to hear about that but if history is any indication, my God is faithful and He'll share that information with me on His own time.

Tomorrow I board a flight back to Uganda. Joy and sorrow find a strange way to co-exist during times like this; joy at the thought of seeing the faces of my wonderful sisters and my darling kiddos and having the opportunity to spend more time filling a need and living an extraordinary life in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and, of course, the expected sorrow of a hundred goodbyes and the relinquishment of easy access to good cheese and proper healthcare (in order of importance).
These emotions, I accept and relish because even the sorrow is a striking indication of the incredible life and community I have been blessed with; and I am that...blessed...to the nth degree.

Where there is sadness, or where there is laughter, there will surely be a blog post to follow. So with that, I say farewell to those in Canada and see you soon to my family in Jinja and invite anyone and everyone to share in my joy and my sorrow and to come along with me on the second lag of my journey.

And now for your viewing pleasure...yes it's true, the Biebs is big in our house...