Something New (or it feels like everything is new)

I have been back in Uganda for just over three weeks. It feels much longer. I find that time is that way when changes are happening and I haven't yet settled into a routine. So after three weeks it feels like three months.

Change is a funny thing. There are parts that are exciting and at the same time there are parts that are scary. One side of me welcomes the changes seeing the good that is going to come out of it, then a minute later I think that I am okay the way things are and I don't really want to change. I am comfortable with the familiar.

Last year after I decided that I was going to stay in Uganda longer. I felt God telling me that life was going to be different when I returned. I was okay with that, a little change is good. When I was back in Canada someone told me that life would be different when I returned to Uganda. I thought to myself I already know that. Little did I know how much change would happen. It feels like nothing is the same for me here in Uganda. I am still working at EMI, but my role/job description has expanded. I am living in a different neighbourhood. I am no longer living on my own, but living in a house with four Ugandan teenage boys, this has been a big change. As part of stepping into an uncle role at the house I have stepped back from many of the things that I was doing before, so my weekly routine has changed. I am attending a different church. I have even changed offices at work. There are several other dramatic changes that are just happening that I am not going to share about now.

Despite all these changes that have happened in the past few weeks, when I think about what my life is going to look like a year from now I have a strong feeling that it is going to be very different from what it is now. And I am okay with it. My feelings and emotion fluctuate as I am processing some of these changes and potential changes. But I am okay with it. Even with all of the uncertainty of life ahead, I know who God is. I know that he loves me and has good plans for me. I know that he will be walking with me in this and all I need to do is follow.

Yesterday at church the sermon was on knowing God's will for my life. This is a much broader thing than we tend to think. If we believe that the bible is God's word then anything it says regarding how we should live is God's will. I don't need to pray about whether or not to do something if God has clearly talked about it in his word. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he replied that we need to love God with everything we have, with our entire being, all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And we are to love our neighbour as our self. I can use this criteria to determine how I should act. If I am going to do something that is not loving my neighbour then it is against God's will for my life. If I want to do something that does not love God then it is against his will. God will not ask or desire for me to do something that is against his word.

But what about the choices we have between two things that are in agreement with God's word. How do we decide what to do? Does it matter which choice we make? With all the changes ahead of me how do I know if it is part of God's will for my life? After Jesus rose from the dead he said that he was going away so that the helper, the Holy Spirit, would come to us. God's Spirit is active in me, he guides me. In the midst of all the changes that are happening in my life, I have a deep feeling of peace. At times on the surface I am full of questions, my emotions and feelings tell me that these changes are crazy, I am not sure this is what I signed up for, I shake my head in disbelief at what is happening. But deep down I am feeling great. I have joy and peace and I am excited where God is leading me. The changes that have or will occur have been confirmed/affirmed by other people. It is not only me who is thinking these things, other people are telling me too. And God has been opening and closing different doors. Many of these new things would not have been my first choice, some of them would not have even been a consideration. But it has been clear that God has been preparing the way for me, both internally and in my external circumstances.

So I am excited about the adventure that God has before me. He is a good Father and desires good things for me. I am grateful for all the new things ahead of me.

Praise God for his faithfulness,
Matt

Prayer Requests:

Praises
-God is at work
-We had a new group of interns arrive at EMI this week. We are excited to have them
-I feel very settled amidst all of the changes in life
-There have been a lot of changes at Doors in the past month. God has been doing some cool things. Four new boys have joined the other house.
-I am happy that school starts this week for the boys that I am living with. The haven't always known what to do with the free time.
-New project are starting at work.

Requests:
-One of the main role as an uncle in the Joshua home is to continue discipleship with the young men I am living with. I have been wrestling with how to do this. The plan is to start meeting individually with each of the boys on a weekly basis to share how life is going. This was well received by three of the boys, not so well by the fourth. I plan to start this week. Pray that God would use that time to grow each of us closer to him.
-Pray for deeper relationships with the boys I am living with.
-Pray for deepening relationships as I settle into life longer term here is Uganda. There have been some encouraging things happening already. I am missing close relationships with male friends as I have fewer of those here.
-With all of the new things happening in my life it is easy for me to lose focus on God and instead focus on what he is doing. I don't ever want to desire the things that God does more than him.

My First Couple of Weeks Back

I have been back in Uganda for a little more than a week. After a day of travel I arrived back in Kampala. I was warmly welcomed at the airport by some good friends. After temporarily moving back into my apartment I went to hang out at Doors for the evening. I was warmly welcomed there. It has been great to see all the boys and the leaders. I missed them a lot while I was away.

The first Sunday our team at EMI had a potluck dinner to catch up and meet a new family that will be joining us later this year. They were visiting for a few days to check out the office and Uganda. I have received a warm welcome in many different places.

I have been able to slowly get back into the swing of things. But last week has felt like I was in limbo. At work I don’t have any design projects on my plate right now so I have been catching up and waiting for things to start up again. I moved back into my apartment for a week but I was waiting to shift over to Doors.

On Wednesday I had a meeting at Doors, first with some of the leadership and then with the boys that I am living with. We talked about how the house is going to run, the rules and responsibilities for the boys. It was a long meeting, about five hours. But it was good for me to start into my new role there; although there are occasional thoughts of ‘what am I getting myself into.’ On Saturday I moved in to my new place and got settled. So after a couple of days things are going fine. We will see what the next year holds. There are lots of new things this year that would concern me more but I know that God is with me through all of it. 

Here are some pictures of my new accommodations.

My room that I will be sharing with the other uncle.

Our living room, the boys room is through the door.

The front of our house.

The front of our house.

The courtyard between the two houses on the compound. The other house in the compound will be used as the school for all the boys at Doors. Our house is on the left.

The back of our house.

The entrance to our compound.

The front of the school house. Our house is behind.

This is staff week at EMI. We have meetings each day to look back over the past year and to talk about the year ahead. Today we discussed the vision for EMI as well as the vision for our office in Uganda. I am excited about the year ahead. There is a lot of transition happening in my life, at EMI and at Doors. I am excited to see where God is going to lead it all.

Prayer Points

Praises:

-I returned to Uganda fully supported. It has been great to see God provide abundantly.

-I have felt very welcomed back to Uganda. A reminder of the great community I have here

-My time back in Canada the past four months was very fruitful, more than I anticipated. Originally it felt like an interruption to the work that I am doing here in Uganda. But as I look back over this time, I can see that I am in a healthier position to continue serving here. God has again shown me that his plans are better than mine.

Requests:

-I have been a little sick the past few days, nothing serious, but it has been annoying

-I have a lot of new responsibilities on my plate at EMI and at Doors. I don’t feel equipped to do some of them, but I believe that God is leading me there and will provide the strength that I need each day.

-I am trying to establish a new routine with all the changes that have happened since I returned. So I am trying to discern what I should continue doing and what should change. One of those things is where I go to church, whether to go where I was before or to go where the remainder of Doors goes.

-While talking with different people about my role at Doors they have raised concerns about my wellbeing and getting enough time to look after my needs. I am not sure what that is going to look like. I ask for wisdom to find that balance.

-Doors is still looking for a second uncle to live in the house with me and share the responsibilities, we will also be sharing a room. In the interim one of the uncles at the other house with be helping me out.

May you be aware of God’s nearness today,

Matt