Some of you know that I have decided to continue longer with EMI. I thought it would be good to let those of you who have heard know, and also to expand a bit on what that means and what that will look like.
I have been working with EMI for the past year and a half. I started as an intern at the beginning of last year in the office in the UK. It was a great experience. Out of that internship there was an opportunity to join the office in Uganda as a volunteer. I have been here in Uganda since September last year. It has been a great year as I have stepped out in faith to do something I never saw myself doing. I have learned a lot about myself. I have been challenged to examine my motivation and why I am doing the things I do. I have been blessed to join a wonderful community here in Kampala. It has been challenging and encouraging for me to see the faith and trust of the people around me. It has created in me a deeper desire to pursue God and follow where he is leading.
What are my next steps?
Next I will be joining staff at EMI here in Uganda, which means a longer term commitment, 3 years or more. I will be employed by EMI Canada, but still required to raise support to cover my costs and salary. What does it mean that I will have a salary? Not too much different than my costs now. I will share more details as they are worked out. But my standard of living will not be increasing here. As staff I have committed to being here longer term and I am required to raise support with the same mindset and plan for the future, build in some savings, etc. I am also no longer a volunteer and as an employee I will be required to pay Canadian taxes. This means I will need to raise my level of support. That is always daunting. It is uncomfortable to ask for money, but it has been rewarding to see other people excited about what I am doing. It is scary to have to trust that God will provide through other people. Trusting God to provide is required for me to continue in this work. I am excited to see how God will provide and grow in me more faith. Please consider whether God is calling you to continue partnering with me in this journey. I cannot go by myself and in my own strength. I post more specific details at a later date.
What is my schedule?
I will be returning to Canada on August 23rd to reconnect with friends and family and to raise more support. I am required to have minimum support levels and monthly commitment from partners before returning to Uganda. I don't have a set return date yet but I will likely be in Canada for 2-4 months. I would love to connect with as many of you as possible to hear how life has been going with you and to share some of my experiences.
Why am I coming back?
I have enjoyed living in Uganda. I am an easy going person and not too concerned with luxuries. And Kampala is a relatively easy place to live compared to other places in East Africa. You can find most things at the stores here, although some stuff is very expensive. I enjoy the local food. Ugandans are friendly people.
But, it has not always been easy. I was reading over some stuff I had wrote a couple on months ago and was reminded of some of the challenges of being here. The culture is very different. I did not want to engage life much after I had been here a couple of weeks. I wanted life to be comfortable and familiar. Over time those feelings diminished, but they are still there in some small ways. I have been lonely at times. Even though I am surrounded by a great community here, I have only been a part of this community for less than a year. I miss the deeper relationships I have back in Canada. That has been the toughest part of living in Uganda, the people I love in Canada are not here.
So it was not an easy decision to continue with EMI. In many ways it would be easier to return to Canada. Life is familiar there, I know what to expect from people. I know how things work. I know where to go to buy stuff.
So how then did I decide to live in Uganda longer?
During my work review at EMI at the beginning of the year I was asked to consider staying longer. I didn't think about much for a couple of months. As I have thought about the opportunity to return, I didn't have a strong desire to stay but I didn't have a desire to return to Canada. Over the course of a few weeks I had numerous people here in Uganda mention that I should come back, most of them did not know that I was considering it already. I have really enjoyed my time here. The biggest reason that I am coming back is that I have a sense that I am not finished here. God is not finished using me to do work here and God is not finished using my experience and relationship in Uganda to work in me.
I am excited about what the future holds. I am excited about the work at EMI and the direction the organization is headed. I am excited about developing deeper relationships with people in Uganda. But I will continue to miss life in Canada, a life and people I really love. God calls each of us to lay down our lives. We need to die to ourselves and our desires so that we can find true life in Him. The greatest thing that I have seen in the past two years as I have laid aside my plans and desires to follow God's lead has been the sense of peace, joy and fulfillment. By following our own plans and desires we rob ourselves of the life that God has prepared for us.
The good news for each of us is that no matter how long we have been living life our way, God is ready to lead us if we are willing to let him. May you be encouraged today to step out in faith to follow Jesus with all you have. Each of us can do start doing that today right where we are. You don't need to go to Uganda. You don't need to worry that if you commit to follow Jesus where ever he lead that he will send you to Uganda. We can trust that God is faithful and loves us. He has our best interests in mind. As he has sent me to Uganda, I have been blessed beyond what I could have imagined. I wish I had followed him sooner.
Thank you again for all your love and support. I look forward to seeing many of you when I am back in Canada.
With blessings and love,
Matt
