Apwoyo - Thank You

Since I am now back in Oklahoma, this will be my final post on the Lessons in Love learned in Gulu, Uganda. Mishana and I have each wrote out a short reflection.

Mishana's Overall Reflection:

      When Kendall asked me to write out my most memorable moment, it kind of stumped me … this has been an amazing journey with so many wonderful memories! But after giving it a lot of thought, my most memorable moment was taking that first step off the plane. The Ugandan airport was NOT what I had expected. I honestly don’t think that I had thought through what it would look like, feel like, or smell like … It was a completely new experience to step off of the plane into an airport with no air conditioning and the smell was not that of an industrial cleaned, extra sanitary facility. It was the smell of people … not a bad smell … just not the smell of the American airports that I was used to. It look much different that any American airport. There were no escaladers, not much technology, and orderly single-file lines were nonexistent! After we got our visas, it was time for Kendall and I to go out and find our driver. The fact that it was dark outside made the process of finding our driver very interesting because they all have to stand outside, holding signs. So the combination of this and the many guards with very large guns sent me over the edge! I suddenly realized that my Mom and Dad were a really long way away … many tears were shed that night! After being so sick and so ready to get off that plane, I was pretty ready to get right back on that plane and fly back to Oklahoma.

      I’m so glad that I didn’t get back on that plane … God had so much planned for me this past month. He used that initial moment of fear to teach me so much. It is so easy for us to let fear of the unknown rob us of our joy. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 became my hope and source of comfort. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” God is so good and I have learned so much! I am so beyond thankful to have spent this month with the Sisters and their wonderful students.  

Kendall's Overall Reflection:

      I have already shared many of my memorable moments on the blog, so I will quickly just mention one more wonderful memory! The final night that we were in Gulu, the Sisters baked us a cake and gave us matching presents. It was so very sweet to be surprised with a goodbye gift as we were leaving that night. Those women are absolutely amazing and I am so thankful for getting to spend a month of my life with them. I will never forget them! The following picture is of that night.

      I have also shared many, many of the lessons that I have learned over the last month.  So instead of sharing another lesson, I am going to share one final thought. Last Friday, Mishana and I got to participate in the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebration. Basically it was an all day celebration of the calling God has given each of them. During the special mid-day mass, the Priest said something that has not left my thoughts since: “God’s love is contagious; it affects us all!” This one phrase has brought about lots of reflection in my own heart! But instead of telling you what this short phrase means to me and letting that influence you … I am going to stop and let you reflect. Maybe it will mean as much to you as it has meant to me?!

Now that you have read our short reflections, we want to now wrap up our month in Uganda with taking some time to thank some special people!

Thank YOU for reading and participating in our journey. A blog would be pointless if it had zero readers.

Thank you to those who financially supported us. This trip would not have been possible without you, literally! Your donations have changed our lives forever.

Thank you to our church families. The prayers and encouragement have meant so much! Our trip was so smooth and easy; I know this is only because we constantly were covered in prayers.

Thank you to our friends. Your support, encouragement, and love have been such a blessing.

Thank you to Pros for Africa, without your heart for Uganda and love for Sister Rosemary, we would never have had this chance.

Thank you to our families! Thank you for giving us over to God and trusting Him to take care of us half-way across the world. This month has given us a new appreciation for family. Spending time at an orphanage is very eye-opening! We love you!

Thank you to Mishana. I could not have spent (or would have wanted to spend) this last month by myself. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! It has been neat to watch God work and move in your life. You have become a dear, dear friend and I am excited to see what the future holds for our friendship!

And most importantly, we want to give all the gratitude, glory, and praise to our Heavenly Father. He has been preparing us for a long time in advance for this trip and for the many lessons and blessing over the past month. We feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity! Thank you Jesus for loving us and for choosing to use us to share that same love to the women and children in Northern Uganda.