Hey everyone! I know i promised a long update with more information about outreach and all that jazz, but that's because we thought our debrief week would be more just relaxing.. it's has actually been insanely busy... and we've had several power outages this week (surprise surprise). So... today is Graduation. Yep, we're done. 5 months of DTS finishes today! WOHOO! What a crazy adventure it has been!! There have been ups and downs.. and yes, I will post a more descriptive blog all about DTS as a whole at some point. It's just that graduation eats up pretty much all of today, and tomorrow I have to do tons of laundry, pack, & quite possibly move into a new room.. as well as go to town to pick up some stuff, because Monday morning we leave for Mombassa!! Yahoo! So, we'll be in Mombassa for a week, come back Tuesday morning... do lots of laundry & repack, because Wednesday we leave for Pader for two weeks (which, by the way, I will be incommunicado for those 2 weeks, no cell reception (I think) and definitely no power or internet (it is a refugee camp for goodness sake!) We should be back around the 23rd or 24th.
Yesterday was spent in a cleaning frenzy beautifying the base for all the visitors and setting up & decorating for graduation. Thursday we went rafting on the NIle! It was INCREDIBLE!! SO amazing (class 5 rapids! Our boat flipped in one, so we all "swam" through the rapid! We also took our 5m long boat down a waterfall that was 5m high (so we were vertical for a little while!!!). It was one of the scariest things I've ever done, but also so much fun. I'm a little sore, bruised & sunburnt... but throughly thrilled I did it. Also, they are building another dam on the NIle so in the next two years, most of the 11 rapids will be non existent.
This week we've also just gone to town, had a lecture, monday morning devotions, a massive homework assignment (a huge evaluation of DTS & Staff & ourselves... where we got to express all of our displeasure in many things, as well as answer very vague questions like "are you open?" with answers like: "Open to what?" or "Well, I'm not closed." etc. One student on our DTS wrote 13 pages about everything that had gone wrong, her husband wrote 8! Let's say that this DTS was a challenge, not what we expected at all... but still many good things have come of it. I am still very happy I came, and I still totally believe that it was God who directed my steps to come here, and intended for me to have this experience.
anywho... time to do some organizing and packing & cleaning, then eventually some getting ready. Grad starts at "10" which actually means it will start between 11 & 12. It should be interesting.. both DTS & SBS (School of BIblical Studies) are graduating today... that means with our 36 +7 there are 43 diplomas to hand out. And like a million guest speakers. We'll also have lots of LOUD music (some people have developed the technique of wearing earplugs to save their sanity & their hearing for things like parties & church services were the volume is pumped to the absolute loudest level possible.) Our dorm is also turning into madness comparable to a wedding or prom.. girls have been planning their grad outfits for months now. All of the african girls went out and got really fancy weaves done too. The sad thing is that i have to say goodbye to some of my awesome friends who are leaving today! The good news is that I will no longer have 16 roommates!
ok... well.. peace out for now!
love you all!!
-KatiRose
Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
week 3 in FP!
hey everyone! we're all safe and sound.. PTL Persis is all better! things are going awesome.. only one week left! so crazy.. time flies!! Jesus is amazing as usual!
well, gotta run!
love you!
well, gotta run!
love you!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
malaria strikes again..
hey everyone just a quick update... a girl on our team, Persis, has malaria. Apparently it's pretty bad, but she is refusing to stay at the hospital. Please keep her in your prayers! As well as just general health for our whole team, a bunch more jiggers made their appearance yesterday.
love you!
love you!
Monday, June 9, 2008
A week in FP...
Hello everyone!!
we've been here in Fort Portal for just over a week now.. and what a crazy week it has been. It turns out that as I was on the internet this time last week, they were taking Catherine to the hospital... she had +4 Malaria.. which is about as bad as it gets. I spent 2 nights with her in the hospital, but by the grace of God, she is totally better now! YAHOO! We've also been working with schools, basically doing a crusade for them. We went to a school for nurses and I got to "preach" to them.. we found out when we got there that they were actually all born again, so it was just fellowship. We spent all day at church yesterday, attending service and then putting on one of our own. As for what this week holds, I am not sure. Last night we went to this little place in a back alley way and watched the first 1/2 of Poland vs Germany in the Euro cup. Tonight the plan is to go back and see Italy vs the Netherlands. We'll see about that. We've also started doing a prayer chain at night instead of praying at 5 am. We pray in hour long shifts, usually one guy & one girl. and we each take 2 shifts a night. so we can pray from 6pm to 6am. We've also been on a sweet prayer walk. God sure has a lot to say! We're asking for boldness and for God to capture the hearts of this generation. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!
love you!
miss you!
we've been here in Fort Portal for just over a week now.. and what a crazy week it has been. It turns out that as I was on the internet this time last week, they were taking Catherine to the hospital... she had +4 Malaria.. which is about as bad as it gets. I spent 2 nights with her in the hospital, but by the grace of God, she is totally better now! YAHOO! We've also been working with schools, basically doing a crusade for them. We went to a school for nurses and I got to "preach" to them.. we found out when we got there that they were actually all born again, so it was just fellowship. We spent all day at church yesterday, attending service and then putting on one of our own. As for what this week holds, I am not sure. Last night we went to this little place in a back alley way and watched the first 1/2 of Poland vs Germany in the Euro cup. Tonight the plan is to go back and see Italy vs the Netherlands. We'll see about that. We've also started doing a prayer chain at night instead of praying at 5 am. We pray in hour long shifts, usually one guy & one girl. and we each take 2 shifts a night. so we can pray from 6pm to 6am. We've also been on a sweet prayer walk. God sure has a lot to say! We're asking for boldness and for God to capture the hearts of this generation. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!
love you!
miss you!
Monday, June 2, 2008
welcome to Fort Portal!
Hey Everyone!!
I am in Fort Portal now!!
We had 3 awesome weeks in Mityana district in a village called Kalyankoko(which translated from Luganda means "asks chicken" (it comes from a witch doctor woman who used to ask for a chicken in payment for her services). We had such an awesome time! The church there was incredible, the pastor so humble & the church members so devoted & hungry for more of Jesus! Our work was definitely Spirit led which was amazing. We were all crammed in a little tiny house (no doors or even curtains between rooms.. so we got to know eachother REALLY well!!) and the boys slept shoulder to shoulder.. it was on dirt floors and we had no running water (but the water was clean & clear & amazing people were always fetching water for us!)We all got sick too (barfing in the banana trees!Or sick in other ways.. it was all intestinal to be sure).. and there was a jigger epidemic (I had two in one toe!) We did some crusades & some door to door. then the last week we did seminars & tim & I did kids ministry (mark & ryan each helped one day too) while the parents were in seminars in the church. 10 kids gave their lives to Jesus! It was so cool! We played a lot of soccer with the kids & the adults in the town. They all laughed at me, a muzungu girl who is not too good a soccer.. but tried anyway! We also built a house out of mud in one day (and had a huge mud fight with each other!!) I can't say much more than it was amazing and a huge blessing! Now were here in FP in a huge house... that has some weird western features to it.. so we all had culture shock the first night we got here. Catherine is sick.. please pray for her.. she has been sick since Tuesday afternoon with a fever & chills... she plans to go to the clinic tomorrow. we don't exactly have a church to work with here yet. the first one backed out on us, but it sounds like we may have one now. Msaki & Millie met with a pastor today, and we'll find out tonight what's going on. Internet is expensive & i'm almost out of time.. I'll try to be back on next monday. Pray that GOd will guide us to the right ministries & the right people & just work mightily through us. FP is HUGE.. seems bigger than Jinja. Hard to say though, this is the first time I've left the house. OK.. blessings on all of you!
love you!
miss you!
Happy JUNE!!
I am in Fort Portal now!!
We had 3 awesome weeks in Mityana district in a village called Kalyankoko(which translated from Luganda means "asks chicken" (it comes from a witch doctor woman who used to ask for a chicken in payment for her services). We had such an awesome time! The church there was incredible, the pastor so humble & the church members so devoted & hungry for more of Jesus! Our work was definitely Spirit led which was amazing. We were all crammed in a little tiny house (no doors or even curtains between rooms.. so we got to know eachother REALLY well!!) and the boys slept shoulder to shoulder.. it was on dirt floors and we had no running water (but the water was clean & clear & amazing people were always fetching water for us!)We all got sick too (barfing in the banana trees!Or sick in other ways.. it was all intestinal to be sure).. and there was a jigger epidemic (I had two in one toe!) We did some crusades & some door to door. then the last week we did seminars & tim & I did kids ministry (mark & ryan each helped one day too) while the parents were in seminars in the church. 10 kids gave their lives to Jesus! It was so cool! We played a lot of soccer with the kids & the adults in the town. They all laughed at me, a muzungu girl who is not too good a soccer.. but tried anyway! We also built a house out of mud in one day (and had a huge mud fight with each other!!) I can't say much more than it was amazing and a huge blessing! Now were here in FP in a huge house... that has some weird western features to it.. so we all had culture shock the first night we got here. Catherine is sick.. please pray for her.. she has been sick since Tuesday afternoon with a fever & chills... she plans to go to the clinic tomorrow. we don't exactly have a church to work with here yet. the first one backed out on us, but it sounds like we may have one now. Msaki & Millie met with a pastor today, and we'll find out tonight what's going on. Internet is expensive & i'm almost out of time.. I'll try to be back on next monday. Pray that GOd will guide us to the right ministries & the right people & just work mightily through us. FP is HUGE.. seems bigger than Jinja. Hard to say though, this is the first time I've left the house. OK.. blessings on all of you!
love you!
miss you!
Happy JUNE!!
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