2015: A year of change and learning

2015 was a year of big transition and change for me. I turned eighteen, I completed my A levels, left the school I’d attended for seven years and got into my favourite university to study two subjects I love.

Perhaps the biggest change of all was leaving England and my family and friends to come to work with Smile International in Uganda. At the beginning of 2015, I didn’t know that I would be ending the year in Kampala. Before I arrived, I might have known what I was coming to do here and the reasons why I wanted to do it but I had little idea of what the reality of it would be like. I wondered how I would cope in a new country and culture away from the comfortable structures of the place I’ve lived all my life, about the people I would be working alongside and serving on the projects and the friends I would make here. 

There is something about a period of change in your life that teaches and grows you a lot. Here are some things that I have learnt or began to truly know in my heart in 2015.

God remains constant through the change

I have always known this in my head but being here in Kampala has helped to reinforce that because when it seems that I am far from home, I know that God is the same wherever I am in the world and whatever I am doing.

The song ‘One Thing Remains’ by Jesus Culture reminds me of this and has been a song that I have listened to a lot recently.

Higher than the mountains that I face

Stronger than the power of the grave

Constant through the trial and the change

One thing… Remains

God has a plan for my life

Jeremiah 29:11  ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 This is one of my favourite Bible verses because I often worry a lot about the future and I have written it on a card to decorate my bed here.

I have seen God’s plans play out for me this year in the way He to guided me to Uganda and to Smile International and the way that the challenges of coming here were overcome. There were so many barriers that could have stopped me being here but I believe that this is where God wants me to be and they were removed because of this.

One example of a ‘barrier’ is that I wasn’t sure if I would be free to come this year because my second choice university only offered me a place starting in September 2015 and not September 2016, meaning the year I started university seemed dependant on my A level results. I wasn’t sure what to do about making decisions but God had other plans and the university eventually changed their minds and I got the results I needed.

Another thing that I saw as a potential ‘barrier’ was raising the money to come here.  I have been overwhelmed by the generosity that people have shown in helping me financially and am so grateful.  Through this, I have learnt to trust more that if God wants you to do something or be somewhere, He will make a way.

Also, I have realised more fully since being away from school that my future doesn’t revolve around academia. I love learning and for much of my school life and particularly during sixth form, I have focused on getting the grades I needed to go to the university I wanted. People have told me that so many times but it’s only since being away from an academic environment that I’ve understood more that God’s plans are so much greater than any one thing and this is something I want to always remember when I start university.

God goes before me

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."- Deuteronomy 31:8

Looking back on the past three months, I can see the way that God has prepared a path for us gappers in Kampala. From our team of three to the people who we work alongside and with and the friends we have made here, I believe that God has placed them in our life for a reason and this has taught me more about how God goes before us.  There are people here who’ve helped me to settle in, people who’ve taught me to be more positive and people who've encouraged me in different aspects of my life.

It’s amazing to me that things that I found difficult about Kampala as a city when I first came here are things that I love about it now. I realised that when we went to Rwanda to renew our visas and it made me think about how it’s God who’s changed my heart because he knows everything about me and the city.

2016

2016 will be another year of change for me. I’ll be spending part of the year in Uganda and part of the year back in England, including starting university in October. This year I want to continue to learn more about the things that I’ve written about to make the most of my time in Kamapla by working on the Smile projects to the best of my ability.

I started off the New Year at Kampala Baptist Church’s all night worship and prayer event. It was a joyful start to the year and it was great to spend it with our friends from church. What really stood out to me as different to the way I’ve spent other New Year’s Eves that after we’d gone outside to watch fireworks that had been set off around the city, everyone went inside to pray for each other and the year ahead. I couldn’t think of a better way to start off the year.

On New Year's Day I had a lovely time going with friends to the shopping centre Garden City for shopping and ice cream. It has been fun to be able to do these kind of things with friends from church whilst the schools are on holiday.

Friends at Garden City

On Saturday 2nd, I went for a meal with Lois and Kate to a western style restaurant called Javas, which was amazing because Kate and I chose English style battered fish and chips. Delicious!

Happy New Year again- I hope you’ve had a fantastic start to 2016!

A Ugandan Christmas

Christmas Day

First of all I would like to start by wishing everyone a belated Merry Christmas! This blog post is very late but the sentiment still counts- I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with your family and friends.

This year, Christmas was a very different experience for me. I am used to spending it with my family 
in wintry England with traditions such as sharing a big roast dinner, opening presents together and playing fun games.

Despite this difference, my Christmas in Uganda was memorable for this reason and it was so interesting to spend it in a different culture. I may not have experienced some of my usual traditions but I enjoyed making precious new Christmas memories.

In some ways, being away from home made me think more about the reason for the season because that is the most important thing: Jesus’ birth. This was a gift. Sometimes the commercialisation of Christmas in the western world can be overwhelming with the adverts for presents and food starting in late October and the frantic rush of the Christmas bargain shopping. Being distanced from this helped me to feel the ‘peace on earth’ of Christmas.

Here is what my Christmas time looked like:

Christmas contanta at KBC

Singing

On the Sunday before Christmas, Kate and I performed in the KBC Christmas contanta concert.  There’s been a big build up to it as the choir have been practising twice a week during November and December so it was the Christmas event I was most excited about. I loved it because it really helped me to feel ‘Christmassy.’  

We were pretty proud that we managed to remember the words to the songs in Luganda and even managed to sing a Luganda song we’d never heard before by following the words on the screen and practising our ‘smile and mouth the words’ look.

Everyone looked so smart as the ladies wore long red dresses with the men in suits and ties.  This made a contrast to our usual outfits when working on the projects so Kate and I made the most of dressing up. The stage also looked beautiful with the Christmas display at the front.

I’m so glad that we joined the choir- the contanta definitely put me in the Christmas mood!

Kate and I

Girls

Christmas contanta at Watoto Church

On Monday 21^st, Olivia (the Smile volunteer who lives with us) took Kate and I to see the Christmas contanta at Watoto Church. Watoto is one of the biggest churches in Kampala and we had to get there three hours early to make sure we got a seat as it’s a popular event. It was very worth the wait as the performance was incredible. It was in the style of a theatre show with lots of light effects, costumes and dancing whilst retaining the clear message of the Christmas story.

Christmas Eve

We decided to host a Christmas Eve party at the Smile house with our friends from church and it turned out to be one of my favourite days because it made me appreciate the friends we have made here over the last three months even more. It was good fun to share food and chat in the garden. Thank you to everyone that came!

Christmas Day

On Christmas morning, we went to the church service at KBC after a delicious breakfast treat of Nutella pancakes. It was lovely to be able to wish our friends who hadn’t travelled to their village happy Christmas and it was a joyful service.

When we arrived back at the house, we ate Kate’s delicious Christmas snack foods she’d cooked (thank you Kate) and opened the presents we’d bought for each other and packages from home. Unfortunately, mine from home hadn’t arrived but thank you to my family for sending them- it’s the thought that counts and I can’t wait to open them when they arrive.

We enjoyed a delicious roast chicken dinner thank you to Kate’s amazing cooking and were all able to Skype our families. It made my day to be able to talk to mine and know I was still part of their Christmas day.

My favourite part of the day was mine and Lois’ adventure up the hill near our house to meet some of our friends. We didn’t have a clue how to get up there which resulted in us climbing up rocks and through the bush etc. so by the time we arrived, I was covered in thorns on my dress- a midi dress and sandals really aren’t suited for that kind of hike.

 It was so worth it when we got to the top- the sunset was absolutely stunning! It was kind that you see in photos with bright orange and yellow colours sinking below the skyline. I could have watched it for hours.

God's masterpiece

Boxing Day

It's not every day Boxing Day you get to go to the beach! We decided to make the most of spending the Christmas season in the sun by heading to Spinner Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria near Entebbe with a group of friends from church. It was a great day of relaxing and chatting ended by another beautiful sunset over the water.

Fun at the beach

Chips and chicken for lunch

I have really appreciated the time we have had off from our work on the Smile projects over the Christmas period as it has given us time to relax and enjoy spending more time with friends here.

It has been such a special and valuable experience to spend Christmas in a new country- I'm sure I'll remember Christmas 2015 for a long time to come!

Love from Stephanie x

Highlights from the past weeks

Children at FBC 

We have been very busy the past few weeks wrapping up our work at school and planning for the next months. Here are a few highlights:

Ruth Mother Care graduation-

On Saturday 28^th was the Ruth Mother Care graduation for the children who are moving up from the top class of nursery section to P1. In the morning, we got up at 6' o clock to catch bodas to the school in order to help the teachers prepare food for lunch later and supervise the children. We helped Teacher Monica to roll out the chapattis and of course had a taste of them too!

It was so wonderful to see them performing the dances, dramas, songs and poems that we have seen them preparing and rehearsing for over the last few weeks. They performed the ballet we taught them too, which resulted in jokes that we should consider a career in choreography.

Once they had finished all their performances, it was time for the graduation ceremony. My heart bursts with pride for these children, they have worked so hard and really appreciate the education they receive at RMC. They looked so smart in their graduation gowns.

This is the last time we will see the children until term opens in the middle of February and we will miss them and the teachers so much over Christmas! I have come to love them so much in the time we have spent with them over the past few months.

Traditional Ugandan dances

Getting ready to perform the ballet

Joy to the World and nativity play

Top class graduation certificates

Graduation clothes and Alex's speech as the guest of honour

Celebrations after

Family Believer’s Church Christmas party- Friday 4^th December

We are now beginning to wrap up our work on the Smile projects for the Christmas period. 

On Friday, we held a Christmas party for the children we work with at FBC in Nabulagala, which was lots of fun. Kate and I led songs and games with the younger children inside, whilst Lois, Gabit and Innocent did the same with the older children outside. To make it special for them, they used the balloons we took with us to do obstacle courses and other games.

Then, we performed the Christmas nativity to teach the children about the true meaning of Christmas. Lois was Mary, whilst Kate and I were shepherds and wise men.

To finish off, we did face painting for each of the children, cut a celebratory cake and gave out handmade Christmas cards. I was really touched to see that one of the families had put their children’s Christmas cards up on the wall in their home when we visited them a few days later.

Leading games with the younger children

Demonstrating how to play 'traffic lights'

Games with the older children outside- balloon fun!

Kate and I being shepherds in the nativity play

The children with their Christmas cards

The nativity play

Lois giving out cards

Reading Christmas cards to the children

Cutting the cake

Blessed Word Church Christmas party- Friday 11th December


We held another Christmas party at Blessed in partnership with the pastors and congregation there. There were 400 children who turned up at different points! That was amazing to see as we usually have 20 children at our weekly children's clubs at the church. They enjoyed singing and dancing competitions, cake, a meal of rice, small group teaching about the Christmas message and a film. 

Cutting the cake at BW

Gabit teaching the younger children

Enjoying a meal together

Closing up Nabulagala catch up class- Tuesday 12th December

Our catch up education class is now closed for 2015. We held our final session with them this week and have now reached up to the letter T in our teaching of the alphabet. I am so proud of the progress the children have made in learning the letters and how to write them.

Thanks to the generosity of a gift from a UK donor, we were able to buy the children who attend a Christmas present each. They loved their rucksacks, drink cups and exercise books!

Revising letters at catch up

Time at church

We have been continuing to spend a lot of time at KBC in the evenings and at weekends. Kate and I are looking forward to being part of the choir in the Christmas contanta performance. Our long red dresses have been made for us now and we are putting the finishing touches to the songs this week.

I particularly enjoyed going to a worship event at church a few weeks ago with different worship leaders as it was good to have an extended period of worship.

Decoration for the worship evening- so beautiful!

Good times with friends-

As well as our work on the projects, it has been fantastic  to spend time with friends over the past few weeks.

November 28^th was the day I got to have two pizzas! That was probably more exciting than it should have been but when you haven’t had cheese in two months, I think my excitement was justified.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to have two friends from my home church, Debbie and Ruth, take me out for the day to a western style shopping centre called Garden City. It was so nice to spend time with them shopping and sharing food together- thank you so much for your generosity and kindness! I really appreciate it. It was also an interesting afternoon because when we were sitting in Café Javas, we saw the Pope’s entourage drive past!

In the evening after the youth service at church, I enjoyed going out to dinner with Innocent, Gabit, Anna, Reagan, Lois and Kate to Dominics pizza restaurant as a send off dinner for Anna. Anna was a gapper with Smile a few years ago and has been back in Uganda and travelling around different development projects across East Africa. She has spent the last two weeks living with us at the Smile house and we have loved having her here! It was lovely to have the opportunity to talk outside of the time we spend as a team on the Smile projects.

Out for pizza

This weekend I went to a sleepover for the youth at church, which was lots of fun and gave me a chance to get to know people better. There were several speakers, a bonfire and bonding sessions. I think it's the longest all nighter I've had!

Please pray for:

- Us gappers as we prepare for Christmas away from our families.

-For the recovery of Divine, one of the wonderful children we work with at FBC. We have been taking him to hospital to be treated for severe burns and he is slowly improving. 

-Safety travelling around the city, particularly coming back in the evenings from church.

-The final practices for the Christmas contanta Kate and I are singing in on Sunday.