We've got a bleeder!

As many of you may know, my nose has a tendency to bleed rather easily. When I was younger, I used to get nose bleeds multiple times per week. I have mostly grown out of it, but which I get in high altitude (Kampala is around 4000 ft above sea level) and get dehydrated, my nose can get worse. This past week, it has definitely been an issue. It has bled most days this week. One day, it bled for around an hour before I got it to stop. I am trying to drink as much water as possible, which has helped a lot already. This is something I would really appreciate your prayers.

The transition into the new culture is going well. The longer I have been here, the easier it is to navigate the city and accurately interact with locals. One of the things we learned in culture training is that other cultures are not wrong, they are just different. Trying to remember that has been very helpful. For example, when men are holding hands with other men as they walk down the street (a normal sign of regular friendship), I need to remember that it's not wrong, it's just different. I think that will be something to remember even as I come back to the states. There are so many different subcultures there and its becomes easy to judge others for how they live differently when it isn't necessarily wrong.

I went to a local church yesterday. That was definitly a new experience as most of it was in Luganda (the native tongue). As a result, I didn't know what was going on most of the time. At least the preacher gave the message in English (translated in Luganda). The worship style is much different than I am used to. Everyone is singing and dancing and jumping. It was really cool, I just wished I could have understood the music so I could follow along.

There is also a lot of poverty here. Even living on a missionary's stipend, missionary's are some of the richest people here. There are many huts and small shacks all around with less than ideal living situations (according to western standards). It definitely has been an eye-opener, and we are in an area that is actually relatively well off.

I will post more project information soon. I know several of the projects that I will be working on. I just don't have too many details yet.

Pictures from London!

Here are a few shots from our breif stay in London...



Transportation via the Underground was pretty cool.


I didn’t even notice Big Ben until I was standing right next to it. I guess I was kind of out of it.


Westminster Abbey!


Sweet phone booth… didn’t smell very good inside though.


Fellow intern Jonathan and me in front of Buckingham Palace.

Finally Here!

After many hours of travel, the other two interns and I finally arrived in Uganda. We took two flights, both of which were red eyes. So after two nights of sleeping on planes (well, trying to at least…), I was very tired and very jet-lagged. Luckily, we had a longer layover in London than I originally though so we were able to get out and see the city a little bit before the connecting flight. In the 9 hours we had, we got to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace.

We flew into Entebbe which is about an hour drive from Kampala. We arrived at our apartment Wednesday morning and got settled in. We spent the rest of the day Wednesday, as well as Thursday and Friday doing more orientation (basically more cultural discussions, a language lesson, and other intern program logistics). We also took a walk around Kansanga and did a scavenger hunt in Kampala to get to know the area a little better. Kansaga is the neighborhood where our apartment and the office are located, about 5 miles outside downtown Kampala.

My ankle has held up decently well. I was able to travel around London without very much trouble, but it has started to bother me since I reached Kampala. I actually cut our tour of Kampala short because it was started to bother me. I took a boda back to the office. A boda is a crazy little motorcycle for hire that weaves in and out of traffic rather erratically. There is very little regard for traffic laws here! It feels like I am playing Frogger whenever I am crossing busy city streets.

Right now, everything is a little overwhelming. Trying to get the lay of the land after a lot of travel with little sleep has been very difficult. Things have started to get better we have settled in and become a little more familiar with the area. I have some pictures of the brief adventure in London as well as a few Uganda pics coming soon. (Internet is slow so it will take a while to load them.)

One More Day...

So I have just one more day here in Colorado Springs. We have finished up all of the orientation and are just getting all of the details in order before we leave. It has been a blast getting to know all of the other interns and hear all of the stories about how they came to eMi. I feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing group of people and wonderful organization.

In other news, I was playing ultimate frisbee on Saturday and sprained my ankle. Some of the staff members took me to the nearby urgent care center and got x-rays. Everything was negative, which is good, but it is still painful to walk on and I am moving slowly. Even in the past 24 hours, it has gotten a lot better, but I am still nervous traveling. Two eight hour plane flights, a nine hour layover, and walking around international airports could be very difficult with a bum ankle. Please pray for safe and easy travel in the next couple of days.

I also got a support update yesterday morning and I finally reached my support goal! I am so amazed and so blessed in the ways that the Lord provided financially for me to go on this trip. I am thankful for everyone who has donated and been a part of my support team. Thank you all so much!

The theme of the week has been based on Ephesians 2:10:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It has been wonderful to investigate what kind of work the Lord has prepared for my life. So often, I think we read Ephesians 2:8-9 and then stop.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It truly is amazing that we are saved by faith and that we don’t have to do anything to gain back favor in God’s sight. All of that has already been accomplished through Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. At the same time, we should not be complacent in our faith because we are saved by faith.

God has created us all uniquely and prepared a path before us. We should not be passive in our faith, letting life pass by us. Rather, we should all be active knowing that the Lord is always with us. I hope this has been an encouragement to you. It certainly has encouraged me this past week. I will write again once we have settled into Kampala and I get internet.

Peace,

Dan



-Me during a hike one morning



-Me at the top after my first rock climbing experience



-A view from one of the rocks we climbed during the hike.



-A group shot during our hike.



-A picture of my ankle all wrapped up.

Orientation in Colorado

Hi all! I just wanted to give you a quick update on what’s going on here in Colorado Springs. I am in the midst of intern/new staff training. There are around 30 people here going to different offices all over the world. Some will go to the “sending” offices which are here in Colorado Springs as well as in Canada and the UK. These will work on engineering projects in the office and then take a project trip at some point during the semester. These projects trips are to Zambia, Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, among others. The rest of us are going to the “field” offices which include India, Costa Rica, and Uganda. We will be working on projects in our respective regions.

Orientation has been a great time of getting acquainted with the way EMI does business as well as getting to know the other interns. Training times this week include going over finances and housing, learning about God’s heart for missions, going through cultural training. We also are doing team activities like hiking, rock climbing, and a high ropes course (yeah, Colorado is pretty nice for that!)

The picture is a view of Pikes Peak from the high ropes course we did this morning. I took the picture after getting off the zip line… pretty awesome. Being out here has definitely reminded my how wonderful God’s creation truly is. The stars out here are super bright and the landscape is amazing. What an amazing artist!

This afternoon we talked about Psalm 139:13-16 as a part of our personality training. Seeing this mountain today was a great reminder that God has not only beautifully created the heavens and the earth, but He has also intricately put together each and every one of us and He has a perfect plan for each of us.

13 For you formed my inward parts
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Schedule

I'm leaving soon... less than a week! I can't believe that the summer is almost over and its time to go. I am just wrapping up the last couple of things at my summer internship this week and then I will be packing like crazy. I leave Palatine this coming Saturday for my friends' wedding in St. Louis. I am excited for this weekend. It will be a great way to see a bunch of friend before I leave for several months.

Then I fly out to Colorado Springs on Monday the 16th for a week of orientation. I will be there with all the interns going to multiple countries (Uganda, Costa Rica, India, etc). That will be a time of training, team building, and preparations to leave. I am definitely looking forward to meeting and getting to know my fellow interns.

Finally, I fly to Uganda from Colorado on Monday the 23rd. We have a short layover in London. (I wish it were longer so we could go out and explore London a little... I've never been!) I'm sure we will all be really anxious to get our destination though.

Well, I guess I should stop typing and get back to figure out everything I need to pack. Right now it seems like an overwhelming task!

Peace,
Dan