Ugandan foods

Green matooke

Matooke after being peeled

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:26-28

I have lived here ten days and have learned so much about their customs and culture in Uganda.  Even though I know I am different in my looks and the color of my skin I am daily trying to understand this culture and trying to blend in.

I spent yesterday helping prepare food and asking many questions.  The Ugandan way of preparing food is much different than what I am accustomed.  One big difference is they do the cooking outside on a charcoal stove.  I feel we are so spoiled with our stoves and microwaves in the US and how quickly and efficiently we are able to cook our foods.  The meals generally are cooked with a starch and a vegetable sauce.  Matooke is like a green banana but when cooked it tastes more like a starchy potato.  To cook the starches (matooke, sweet potatoes, potatoes) they cut banana leave stems and put them at the bottom of the pot with a small amount of water.  Then they take the banana leaves and envelope the matooke or other starch, with them.  They do not want the matooke to soak up the water they put at the bottom of the pot.  They boil it for about an hour or until it is soft.  They also make white rice here but do not boil it in the water.  The rice is steamed over the charcoal fire.  My favorite so far is boiled pumpkin.

Their sauces consist of mainly tomatoes, onions, garlic and water with special spices sautéed in a saucepan. The sauces are very tasty.  Another type of sauce is a g-nut sauce which is prepared with crushed ground nuts, tomatoes and onions prepared the same way.  I like this type of sauce very much.

I'm looking forward to cooking more while I am here.  Maybe I will be able to cook a meal for my Ugandan friends when I feel ready.

We get the vegetables from vegetable stands in the village.  There are many vegetable stands to choose from but my friends know just the ones to buy from.  I am learning much and will be buying vegetables very soon.

I believe the best that I can offer as God's child in Uganda is myself.  Only when I put myself in a direct personal relationship with the people of God here in their hard places, will I be able to begin to understand their needs and accompany them in their journey of faith.  I am no longer a rich individual from another land stepping down to help the poor, but I am a sister in Christ stepping across to journey together with others in Uganda.  My new friends in Christ!

Mzungus!

God told Abram:  "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you... You'll be a blessing."  Genesis 12:1-2

Trying to sleep in a strange land, mosquito net, strange sounds, dogs barking, faint voices, waking up suddenly not knowing where I am.  Although I am happy to be in Uganda it is taking me some time to adjust.  The food is delicious although I don't know the name of most of the foods I'm eating.  Many cooked vegetables that are new to me.  The land is beautiful, serene and peaceful.  Not the hustle and bustle I am used to.  I like it!

We go on walks and runs in our village.  All the people stop and stare at us.  The children yell "mzungus!" and wave. Mzungu means "white wonderer".   I was told they do not see white people in their village.  They are excited to see us here.

As we walked along the road one day we came upon children carrying heavy water jugs.  They were struggling to walk up the hill to their home.  I took two of the heavy water jugs to help.  The children's eyes lit up and they gave me the biggest, most beautiful smiles you could imagine.  The youngest boy, which was probably at the most 3 years old, starting counting in English.  We counted together as we walked up the hill, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10.  He laughed and we all started all over.  They could only count to ten.  Next time I will teach them how to count to 20.

I am enjoying my new life.  I look forward to every new day knowing there will be a new experience waiting for me.  This life is teaching me so much about what we take for granted; clean water, transportation, air conditioning, internet, cell phones, washer and dryers, stoves, ovens, microwaves.  The list goes on and on.  This is such a simple life but a pure life.

I have come to this new land as a learner, a teachable newcomer.  My cross-cultural mission means I'm working blind and needing someone to interpret the context for me.  Only as I embrace and appreciate the culture can I share in a culturally relevant way.  Jesus identified with us, and we must do the same wherever we serve.

I have learned that reaching the world can be as simple as a smile or a friendly wave.  It is very simple to share God's love when it is overflowing from your heart!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life!

When I look back...I am stirred by the thought of the number of people whom I have to thank for what they gave me or for what they were to me.  So as I sit here in the airport anticipating my upcoming journey to Uganda I say thank you with much appreciation and gratitude to all that have touched my life and will continue to touch my life in such away that words cannot express.  This Heaven Called journey could not be a reality without God's guidance and blessing and the outpouring of support that I have received.

I believe God never intended for us to be mere recipients of His love, but He calls us to share it with others.  We are not to be reservoirs, but channels by which His love can reach the world.  When He pours out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, He wants us to leak like a sieve... The whole point of being blessed is to pass the blessing on to others.  Whether we are traveling across the world or in our own backyard.  I would ask all of you to remember this for your own lives.  God is writing His story and He invites us to write it with Him.  We become God's missionary people by joining Christ in the story line of other's lives.  And this is the grand narrative that makes sense of life:  God is reconciling the world to Himself, and we are invited to join Him.  Let's all join Him.  Press in deep and ask "What is God's mission for me?  How can I share His love with others?"

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us.  So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters... Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth.  1 John 3:16, 18-19