here am i

I'm sitting on my bed. My bed is in my room. My room is in my house, which is on a road, which is in a town, which is in Pennsylvania, which is in the United States. And that is very strange. One week ago, I would not have believed you if you told me I would be here today. I thought it would be good to come home. I thought i would be relieved. And I am. But I'm not. I keep thinking that I shouldn't be here. somehow it's not right. But I also know that God is good, and His plans are perfect. For some reason, God knew that I should not be in Adjumani, as was the plan. His is much better. I have no idea what that plan is, but I am learning to wait.
However, my time in Adjumani was good. It is an incredible place. I've decided to include some picures in this post so that you can see a bit more of it. And I think that I need people to know that this time was not all completely horrible. I fell in love with the place. I had to go, but I didn't want to. Hope that makes some sense.

Moyo

today i have arrived in Moyo, which is across the nile from adjumani.
there is a story behind this, and i need to tell it, but to be honest,
i just really dont feel like it right now.
lets just say that it has become incredibly clear that i am not in control
of my life. But i am thankful for that, and trusting.
pray. God is good and working out many things in me.
working usually means that pain comes too.
thank you to all of you who have been sending such encouragements to me.
i really appreciate it and hope i can get back to you in a not-so-mass-mail sort of way.
liz: ... ... ...
dad: daddy
gram: thank goodness you are afraid of computers
com devers: do your thing (chuckle chuckle, shaking of head...)
mom: Psalm 34:7. thank you.

The Family

only 6 minutes left on the internet time card, so...
arrived last night in kampala to the chirping of crickets.
i forgot how much i loved the smell of night here.
Rev. Christine picked me up about an hour after the rest of
the Muzungu (white people) were gone: which ended up being the
perfect opportunity to listen in on several conversations about
me, in Swahili, which i am pretty sure i wasn't supposed to understand.
also, i am thankful for chopped hair and bucket showers, which
when combined are incredible.
Rev. christine's family is fabulous, and basically consists of five
adolescents, one of which is a niece, all of whom are amazing.
king of wish i was staying in kampala just to be with them... but really,
i'm excited to be leaving five am tomorrow for adjumani.
sorry short but sweet. love you all.

Adjumani

this tuesday I will be flying to Uganda, where I will be an research intern for the next three months. I've been preparing for this for years, but it would be a lie to say i am even slightly prepared. but i'm excited and expectant.
i'll be working with the Anglican Church of Uganda, under OHDYP, the Organization for the Holistic Health and Development of Young People. I will be researching their Peer Development program, and attempting to determine whether or not it is effective. I am hoping that this experience will be beneficial for the program, but also that it will open my eyes and allow me to be a better developer.
I will be conducting the research out of Adjumani, which is in the north west, with Gulu to the south, and Sudan to the north. I think it is rather rural, so I'm not sure how often i will have access to the internet, but I plan to post updates as often as possible. Feel free to leave comments, advice, or whatever you wish.