No more counting the cost...

Let me go ahead and apologize for the lack of pictures today! No fun pictures of cute Ugandan kids today. Sorry!

If I’m going to be honest throughout this blog then I need to confess that yesterday was a rough day. Yesterday marked one week since leaving the states. Usually this does not bother me at all when I hit the road, but with all the unknown of this trip it was hard. I started out the morning skyping my family. While it was so wonderful to see the faces of my Daddy, Momma, and Mark, it was a strong reminder that life seems to be bringing us down two distinctly different paths. Paths that force us to go long periods of time without seeing each other. After we finished skyping I had a good pity party and then attempted to put on my big girl pants and begin the day. I was listening to my iPod on shuffle, when what do you know, the Lord used it to speak to me. A few lines into a song by NeedToBreathe, the singer says “I need to stop trying to count the cost.” I stopped what I was doing and started weeping to the Lord and apologized for being so selfish about what I think my calling costs me. Because when I consider everything God has done for me since the beginning of the year I am overwhelmed with gratitude. At the end of December I had an interview in New Orleans, I had finally come face to face with the thought that maybe my dreams of moving to Africa were not going to happen at this time in my life. Then I met Damali on December 30, bought a plane ticket to Uganda on January 16, and stepped foot on Ugandan soil on February 3. So when I think back about what the Lord has done in less than 6 weeks, I do need to stop trying to count the cost. He has been good to me and has fulfilled my dream/calling.

I told my mom yesterday morning that I needed to talk to someone from my culture so I could be reassured that this whole thing is possible and that I wasn’t being a pansy having such a hard time with missing home. After my day yesterday, I decided that I would try and make that happen as soon as possible! I called Diana Ferrell , who was suggested to me by Shannon Rainey Hood (Diana worked for Bro. Terry years ago) and is a missionary here in Jinja. Diana graciously invited me to her house today where she filled me up with coffee and made me spaghetti for lunch. She is an advocate for community development so we connected quickly and had much to talk about! She introduced me to several other missionaries with like hearts for development who were all such an encouragement. As I got home tonight, I was reminded of the sweetness of our God. I know it was no coincidence that Diana would be brought into my life today after such a rough day yesterday. It amazes me that the God that I serve knew how badly I needed fellowship today with someone I could relate to as a fellow American missionary. And He made it happen in a big way.

For those of you who took the time to write a note in a card and give it to my Momma to stick in my suitcase, I am more grateful than ever. I allow myself to open a card on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday so I can make them last until May! I jumped out of the bed this morning to open a card!