Holiday!

As this new year is beginning, I realize how amazing my life has been and how much I learned last year. It is hard to believe that 2008 ended a couple of days ago, but I know that 2009 will continue to be a year for me to learn and grow.

This holiday has been a relaxing time and a time of refreshing. I spent the first two or three days reading books. People here are surprised by how quickly I can read a book and that I would choose to read a book instead of watching a movie or going out with friends. I have watched a number of movies and spent some good time with friends also.

I was invited to Hezron’s, a friend of mine, parents house for Christmas in Namutamba. It is a village which grows tea so it is a nicer area than Kiwangala. His family was so welcoming when I arrived and they treated me as family the whole time I was there. It was nice to spend Christmas with a real family, instead of just a few people, although it was still hard to be away from my family for the first time.

Hezron and I traveled to his parents’ with a cousin so we did not have to pay the raised rate to take public transport. Hezron’s father is a head teacher for a primary school and a principal for a college so I was able to see both of these the first evening we were there. On Christmas day, we went to church and then had an amazing lunch with great food and fellowship. In the evening, Hezron and I walked around so I could see the village that he grew up in. I also got a call from my family and it was really good to be able to talk to them and wish them a Merry Christmas although it was morning for them and evening for me. On Boxing day (26^th), a few of the children were baptized first thing in the morning. We then had the pastors over for lunch since Hezron’s father is the head deacon of the church. Hezron and I traveled back to Kampala that evening.

On the evening of the 24^th, I struggled a lot missing my family and friends. This was due to Hezron’s family having family prayer at night before they go to bed. A few of them shared what God had done in their lives during the year and what they were thankful for. They also had me share and it was hard to get it out as I was trying hard not to cry. They have family prayer every night and it was good to see a family that was so focused on being together and having God at the center of their family.

I went to a BBQ on the 28^th. We arrived at 7 PM and left at 5 AM. It was put on by the young adult group at one of the churches here in Kampala. We had worship, watching movies, lots of food, and modeling. The modeling was entertaining because they got about 15 of us and the guys wear girls’ clothes and us girls had to wear guys’ clothes. I had my friend David’s shorts and shoes on and my friend Jonah’s shirt on. They called me Andrew and Jonah was my girlfriend and he went by Melissa. It was very entertaining. It was good to get out and have fun with some of my friends in a safe place.

My New Year’s Eve was spent in a quiet way as I went to dinner with a friend and was home by 9:00 PM. I was glad that I was not going to town because there was a lot of jam, which is unusual for their to be so much traffic so late. At midnight there was lots of yelling and fireworks. The city doesn’t put off fireworks but different places (like churches, hotels, restaurants) can put off fireworks like the ones cities in America set off on the 4^th of July. It was amazing to see fireworks coming from different parts of the city and they continued for about 15 minutes. Things were pretty calm until midnight and then the noise really began. I’m not sure what time the noise ended as I went to bed around 1 AM. I pray that that God will be with you and bless you in the year to come.