CHOOSE JOY!

Three weeks ago I was on an airplane at this time, somewhere over Africa probably. In some ways these few weeks feel like they flew by, but I also feel like I've been here forever! A few days ago I walked into Watoto Church Central, where all of our classes are, and I felt something that surprised me: I felt at home. When I realized what it was making me feel, I wasn't sure what to think. Part of me was so happy that it was finally feeling like home, but the other part was sad because I still felt connected to my other home, and didn't want to acknowledge that I have to give that up for a while. Over the past week it has really sunk in that I'm going to be here a while. Most things feel normal now, which is weird to even say, but it's true. The car rides on the very different roads, seeing random people walking all over at all times of the day, the food, the schedule of classes, the days off, Skype calls, the constant construction going on at the hotel, the different culture, all of it is my new normal and it's actually starting to feel like it. 

In the midst of all the change, I'm so thankful for the one thing that always stays the same. God is never going to change, no matter what happens in life, and that brings me so much peace. This week He has been teaching me the discipline of choosing joy each day. Each day I can wake up in a different mood, but He is helping me realize that no matter what mood I'm in, I can still choose joy because it's HIS joy, not mine. And He is ready to give it away freely and fill me up with it! As joy has been an ongoing theme, I wasn't necessarily surprised when I decided to listen to a sermon online from home, and it was all about having joy, no matter the circumstances. With that being such a huge theme, it's no wonder that it is exactly what the enemy is trying to get at. I know he wants to steal my joy, But I want to be like the Elizabeth Jordan in War Room...

"I am so sick of you stealing my joy. But that's changing too! My joy doesn't come from my friends, it doesn't come from my job, it doesn't even come from my husband (or fiance ;) )! My joy is found in JESUS. and just in case you forgot, He's already defeated you."

This gives me chills every time I listen to it. And it is something that needs addressed each and every day. I know I need to prepare for battle EVERY DAY, and I'm ready to take Satan down! So join me in prayer for JOY. And remember how important it is to be battling in prayer every day.


1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I don't think it's any coincidence that all of these things are linked together. We need to be praying, so that we can be thankful, which produces JOY. It all starts with prayer. 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." -Ephesians 6:18

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." -Colossians 4:2

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." -Romans 12:12

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14

So as I continue this journey, my focus will be prayer and joy. I will be striving to choose joy each day and I will rely on HIS perfect joy to be my strength. 

Now for some pictures! 

This is the group of people in the worship internship program...Every Friday we will be doing an internship and I was able to join the worship! I will hopefully be helping lead worship in church soon!

The sunrises are amazing

This is my district group that I will be serving with every Sunday

Fresh mango/passion fruit juice-SO GOOD!

This was after a full ministry day on Saturday...We were all exhausted!

Dinner the other night was a chicken salad thing that came in a pineapple...

We like to play cards while we wait for dinner (it can take over an hour to come once we order)

A very fresh avocado salad from the hotel

This is lunch every day. There are some more options, but at this point this is all I can handle ;) I might branch out as time goes on

I found a taste of home at the supermarket and I was so excited!

The sunsets are amazing as well! :)

This is Suubi, where I will be living soon. It's amazingly beautiful

This is Jildo Tobias, one of the Watoto kids that my family sponsors! I had lunch with him and we talked for over an hour. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.

Well, that's all I have for now...May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Let God Dream!

This is one of those songs that brings tears to my eyes almost every time I listen to it...

"So come on, let me dream, let me dream for you

I am strong when you're weak and I'll carry you

So let go of your plan, be caught by my hand

I'll show you what I can do

When I dream for you"

These words are so encouraging, and at the same time so challenging. God has amazing things He wants to do through us, but it requires complete surrender, and a lot of times it is not at all what we expect. He stretches us beyond where we think we can go, and He helps us all along the way. When we truly surrender our entire lives to Him and His purpose for us, that is when He uses us in mighty ways. Surrender is not easy, but He is so worth it! He will call us to do things that are not easy, but He is so worth it! We will be uncomfortable, but life is not about comfort, and He is so worth it! Obedience is difficult when we have different expectations, but He is so worth it! When we are totally in tune with what His desires for our lives are, we come into a deeper relationship with Him that gives joy and peace and courage more than anything in this world could come close to giving. 

I have now been away from home for exactly two weeks, and I have experienced all of this first hand. I have been stretched, I have been uncomfortable, I have been sad, I have been inconvenienced, and it has not been easy, but I wouldn't change my experience because I feel closer to God than I ever have before. He really is filling me up with His joy, peace, and courage. Yes, it has been hard, but He didn't drop me in the middle of Africa and say "Good luck, see you in six months!" No, He has been right by my side every second of every day and He will continue to be there the whole time. He is my support and my strength. He is always there for me to talk to and He is my comfort. I feel His arms around me when I am sad, and I feel His support and excitement when I am happy. Through all the emotions, I have always felt rooted in His joy. 

Today in class, we were introduced to the team of pastors at Watoto Church. Pastor Gary Skinner is the founder and leader of the Watoto Ministries, and he came and spoke to us. He told us his story before he came to Uganda. He told of his experiences after high school/college and how everything he did leading up to moving to Uganda was preparing him for starting the Watoto Ministry. He was encouraging us to open up our hearts to whatever vision and mission God has for our lives. After he finished talking, he and all the other pastors prayed for us and it was so powerful. They prayed for God to begin awakening in us the purposes He has for our lives. It was extremely encouraging to me and it left me with a burning feeling inside of me to do God's will. The only thing I know about what life will look like after Uganda is that I am no longer seeking God's will for just me. ;) I'm so thankful that God has given me Jake to dream with. I know He has an awesome plan for our lives and I can't wait to see what it is! I know He is preparing us both in these months for whatever He has in store. 

So, to conclude, I want to leave you with His powerful word...

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20

If we truly live like this, He can do absolutely anything through us!

My First Week

We have finished the first week of classes! The topics we covered this week were Spiritual Disciplines and the Power of Teamwork. We will be doing so much ministry in teams, so that was a really beneficial topic! Through the 6 months, we have two sets of teams we are split into for different things. One is called our "cell group", consisting of approximately 7 people, and we will be doing small group discussions and some ministry with that group. The second one is called our "district group", consisting of 10-11 people, and each group will be serving at a different Watoto Church in Kampala. My group will be serving in Watoto Church Kansanga (pronounced exactly like it sounds), at least at first. We will rotate churches every so often with other groups. We have done some get-to-know-you activities in both groups, and that has been really good! Neither of my groups have other internationals, and also, people are rarely in the same cell group and district group together. This allows us to get to know a lot of different people! The Ugandan students are so great! At first it was really nerve-racking to walk in to the room with all of them there, because most of them have grown up together and know each other so well. But even after just one week, I feel like we are all starting to become one big family. It has been a lot of fun getting to know them all, and there are still quite a few I haven't talked to yet. Tomorrow the focus is all team building, and I'm really excited for that! We will actually be going to the Suubi Watoto Village, which is where all of us internationals will moving in about a week and a half. We haven't seen it yet, and I can't wait! It will be so nice once we move into a more permanent home. 

God has been so faithful, just like He always is. Yesterday I woke up feeling down and kind of just sad in general, but then it was like something inside of me wouldn't allow it! I felt a joy that was not my own overcoming the sadness, and it was the best day yet! I know it was because of all your prayers that I was being carried by God's strength and joy. I also know there is a huge battle constantly happening in my mind, but God is helping me to be victorious! Today I woke up feeling very attacked, and I felt a lot of things coming against me, but I still felt the deep joy inside fighting for me. So I thank you all so much for your prayers! I feel them every minute of every day, and I am doing nothing in my own strength. So please know, your prayers matter! God is teaching me so much about letting Him satisfy all my desires, and relying on Him for literally everything. The moment I try to do anything in my own strength, I fail. I feel so close to Him, and have had some really awesome prayer times with Him. I'm excited to see what other amazing things He is going to teach me through these next months.

So on a less serious note, I have to say, it is so weird writing the date every day as January. It's so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it is actually January, because of the weather. It is not nearly as hot as I thought it would be, but it's a lot warmer than Michigan right now! ;) It hovers right around 80 during the day, and this coming week might be a bit cooler than that even. Not to rub it in or anything, my Michigander peeps. ;) Enjoy the snow, because I really do miss it! I've seen lots of pictures and I will always appreciate it more after I come back. 

I'll leave you with a beautiful Ugandan sunset, and a verse that stuck out to me while reading my Bible this morning...

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." 

-Colossians 3:15

God is Good!!

Where do I begin? 

God is so good! I guess that's a good place to start. :) Over the last few days I have felt sad, happy, overwhelmed, intimidated, exhausted, excited, refreshed, homesick, at home, compassion, inadequate, weak, strong, and through all the ups and downs I have felt His joy and peace filling me. From the craziness of meeting so many new brothers and sisters, to the quiet alone times in my room, He is always right beside me, giving me His strength. The experiences I have had have been so crazy. I tried to imagine what it would be like once I got here, but nothing could have prepared me for all that has happened so far. Even just driving through the streets of Kampala is so different in person. I watched videos before I came, but videos and photos just can't capture what it is really like. The sights, the smells, the sounds...it is overwhelming! In the same way, I had watched videos of the Watoto Church, but that was so different in person as well! On Saturday night we attended the service, at Watoto Church Central (there are several different "celebration points" throughout Kampala). The whole service was so encouraging to me. I felt at home right away as we worshiped, prayed, learned, and had fellowship together. 

The biggest thing God is teaching me so far is the power of prayer. I feel so weak and inadequate, and I know it is only because of so many prayers that I have been filled with His joy as my strength. Sadness and homesickness are frequent feelings, but through them I still feel the roots of His joy inside me. So thank you all so much for your prayers and please know that they are working!

So now for some details about what I have actually been doing...

On Saturday we had orientation. We met with the leaders of the 360 program, Calvin and Shirley Oule, and talked about expectations, from them and us, and we also went through kind of an outline of the course. We will be doing classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday is a ministry day in the community, Friday we will all be assigned to a specific area in the church that we will be involved in every week, Saturday is another ministry day, followed by attending service in the evening, Sunday we serve at one of the celebration points, and Monday we have off. So yesterday was our first day of serving, and it was so awesome! We were at Watoto Church East, where they were celebrating the opening of the new children's church building. We did all sort of things, including: welcoming, parking, ushering, helping in children's church, and anything else they needed us to do. There were three services, at 8, 10, and 12, so it was a very full and tiring day, but it was so much fun! I was helping with welcoming for most of the time and really enjoyed it. Serving with all the students has been really amazing. I have gotten to know a few of them and I know these will be great friendships! After we finished serving, us internationals went shopping for the afternoon. We all had some things we needed to get, and we had a very successful day. One of the places we went to was a mall, and surprisingly, it was very similar to malls back home! Overall, the last few days have been a lot of fun, but also exhausting, and I am so thankful for the day off today. 

Thank you all again for your prayers! Please continue to pray for me to be filled with God's joy and strength. And also that my body will keep adjusting to this new life, with the schedule, the food, and just the whole different atmosphere.


Here are some pictures....

The streets of Kampala

The new children's church

Watoto Church East

Gotta love water! :)

There was a wedding at the hotel the other night

Our first time meeting as a class

Our transport the last few days

The sky was absolutely gorgeous last night!

Our crazy class!

Day One!

I can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm in Africa right now...God has been so faithful! The last two days have been super exhausting, but I could feel God with me the entire time. I want to share with you all some of the praises from my traveling...

Even though one of my bags was a little heavy, the guy weighing it didn't charge me any extra!

Jake was able to come through security and wait with me at my gate!

Both flights ended up being ahead of schedule! 

My layover in Amsterdam was perfect...I found my gate right away and had no troubles!

All my luggage arrived with me!

God is so good!

After a long day, I finally arrived in Uganda and found the people who were picking me up at the airport. We drove from Entebbe to a hotel in Kampala, which was about an hour drive. It was around 11 at night as we drove, and yet there were still people everywhere! It's hard to describe what I was feeling at that point. I was so overwhelmed by everything and kind of just in shock that I was actually in Africa, and that feeling hasn't fully gone away. When we got to the hotel, I got all settled in my room and got ready for bed. I have my own room for now, because we are waiting for a few things to be finished at the house we will be staying at in the Watoto Suubi Village. It could be a couple weeks before we are able to move there, but we will find out more soon. The 360 program starts on Saturday, so we have today and tomorrow to relax and get ready to dive in! 

This morning for breakfast I had pancakes and potatoes and AMAZING pineapple. I have met almost all the other international students doing the program, except for one who will be arriving today. We talked for a long while during breakfast and I'm so excited to share this journey with them! All together there are 62 students in the program, with just six of us being international students. So I have a lot more people to meet! 

Thank you everyone so much for all the prayers! You can know that God has been answering them. Even though I feel very overwhelmed, I also feel at peace. 

Here are a few pictures of the room I am staying in the next few days...

This is my bed...

And my bathroom...

And a picture of my room from the door...

"But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweet over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.'"

-Isaiah 43:1-2

This verse rings so true in my heart today. I know God is right there with me during this entire journey, and I know I have nothing to fear. Thank you all again for your prayers!

Until next time,

Ellie

Time to Go

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

I can't believe today is actually here. As I sit at home in the last few hours of "normal", I'm in awe of everything God has done to bring me to this place. He has always been faithful and I know that will never change. I have no idea what adventures are in store, even for today! But I know He will never leave my side and I have absolutely nothing to fear. 

The next time I update this I will no longer be in the US. It doesn't feel real! I look forward to sharing with you what God is doing.

Thank you for your prayers as I embark on this crazy journey!

3 More Weeks!

Wow, is it really that close already? Time has flown by so quickly the last few months. There have been so many waves of emotions leading up to this journey. As it gets closer, I continue to get more excited, but also more sad about leaving. It's difficult to describe, but I often feel both at the same time. I know God has plans up His sleeve for while I'm gone, but He has also been teaching me so much in these last few months as well. I have felt closer to Him than ever before and have felt a connection with Him that is just wonderful! One emotion that I have barely felt at all is fear and I am so thankful for that! God has been so good about helping me trust Him completely. 

One of the "theme songs" for my trip is Oceans, by Hillsong. That song is one of the reasons why I felt like I was supposed to do this trip in the first place. The whole song is so powerful, but the lyrics that influenced this decision the most are these: 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior"

As I was singing these words when the thought of doing this was first developing in my mind, I felt like it was a huge confirmation that I was supposed to go to Uganda. How could I sing something like this, have the thoughts I was having, and not follow through? I was singing something that I was desiring, but really it was more like a commitment that I was going to do what He was calling me to do. 

I thought the "where my trust is without borders" part would come true once I got to Uganda, but it has been applied even while I'm still here. I feel like I have an abnormal amount of trust in His plan, His provision, and His protection, and I know that it is only through His strength, and because of many prayers that I have been able to have it. I would definitely say at this point that my trust is without borders! I can't imagine what it will be like once I actually get over there. There is so much uncertainty, so much that is unknown. I don't know what to expect, I don't know so many things! But I can be confident in the fact that God does know, and He has been planning this adventure for me since the beginning of time. So I choose to trust Him and rely on Him to give me all the strength I am going to need while I'm there.