5 days and counting

Last week Kathy Smith told me that she only felt clean for 5 minutes each day… when she was standing in the shower. I laughed so loud at that because that is SO true! Here in Africa, even though you take a shower, dirt seems to permeate all the crevices of the bathroom, the bedroom, the kitchen, the car, and even your body. I can’t blow dry my hair or use a straightening iron because there is not enough power for it. My clothes are cleaned and hung up to dry so they often have a lot of wrinkles. Even the water I wash with can’t be swallowed because it may carry parasites. I can’t feel clean…

Kathy wrote me an email from the London airport and said she swallowed tap water and opened her mouth in the shower. She even brushed her teeth with it! I can guarantee you there was electricity! These are the things that are so easy to take for granted in the states. Even now our house is without power. I am typing on the computer with what battery I have left.

Working overseas has increased my patience ten fold. It has also kept me grounded in unexpected ways. I don’t seem to “need” as much as I used to. I don’t seem to mind if I am not perfectly coifed. I can usually even settle with cold showers. One thing I don’t seem to do well without is the internet. When the power goes out… so does the internet. I get frustrated not being able to connect to my friends. It keeps our family going to have emails and love notes of encouragement. I can’t imagine what being a missionary even 20 years ago was like without connecting to your loved ones regularly!

I am leaving in 5 days. We have so much to finish up. The kids are getting excited to see their friends. I am excited to see my friends too… as long as they are at Chipotle!

The team left two days ago and I know that they are probably taking in their first sense of home. I remember the smell of my home when I returned last year and how I cried as I walked in. It is great to come home to the familiar. But I know I will miss Africa and will be excited to come again. I know we have accomplished so much this trip and I am curious to see how Uganda will appear different after one year of GFR sponsorships!