Reflection

Nkya iga Oluganda

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

Nkya iga Oluganda (sounds like Encha yeega Oluganda) means “I am still learning Luganda.” Luckily, we are not learning how to read or write Luganda at this point, so we only write how it sounds to us, which is different for Leland and me.

99c519ad-3420-44e5-814d-b37fd053225a Immaculate, our language helper, is a primary school teacher who is not currently working, so she is able to help teach us every Wednesday and Friday afternoon for 1 hour. An hour doesn’t seem like much time but by the end of each lesson, our brain is fried and we are drained from trying to process and learn.  She is patient with us, she challenges us, she speaks slowly and repeats herself so we can understand. Continue reading →

Cultural or Christian?

/ Leland Sawyer / Leave a comment

img_6818I recently came out of a meeting and saw a large group of men parading down the street. They had completely taken over the road and were blowing whistles, horns and singing all kinds of songs. It was a traditional Bagisu circumcision parade. For the past two months it has been the season of these celebrations, and they mark when a young boy becomes a man in the cultural society. Continue reading →

Same Power

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

This song has been a powerful reminder for me during our journey in Uganda. I can’t help but stop and sing when it comes on my worship playlist. We have been incredibly blessed by so much prayer, encouragement and support along the way, and we have felt God with us throughout everything. Continue reading →

Days in Africa (Part 2)

/ Gina Sawyer / 2 Comments

The previous list got too long for one post, so I thought it would be fun to continue the differences we’ve discovered so far. And the interesting thing is that most of these realizations are day-to-day living and not even cultural differences. Those would need many more posts and would still be hard to find the words to express… We hope you enjoy getting a glimpse into our new world. It’s been a fun adventure! Continue reading →

Days in Africa (Part 1)

/ Gina Sawyer / 4 Comments

Now that we have been in Uganda for 6 months, many of the things that came as a shock or caught us guard have now become the norm. I kept a list of the many different things we deal with on a daily basis. Here are many unique things we’ve encountered, all for your reading pleasure… Continue reading →

From A Visitor’s Perspective

/ Leland Sawyer / 1 Comment

Recently, my (Leland) mom and step-dad came to visit our new life in Uganda. We wanted to get their fresh perspective on how they saw and experienced this new place. Here are some musings of my mom, Kim Broadway. I hope you enjoy them…

When Leland and Gina told me they were moving to Africa – and taking Adalyn with them, by the way! Continue reading →

Always trying so hard

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

A while back, there was a popular song by Colbie Caillat called “Try”, and while the chorus is lacking depth, the lyrics are pretty true about the struggle of living in a busy, always look your best, put your game face on, comparing, overachieving culture. Continue reading →

Living in Weaknesses

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

IMG_6352I went walking a while ago with a new friend here in Mbale and we talked about the transition of moving to Africa. She’s been here about 6 months before me, so we are at a similar stage of life adjustment. The thing we realized is that everyone who comes as missionaries all come from different places in life, have different roles and expectations here, deal with things differently, have different family dynamics, settle into life differently, have different needs and have different relationships with God.

With that being said, there’s an element of living in a place completely foreign to your “norm” that people can’t fully understand until they experience it for themselves. It’s challenging to try to explain how different every day life is. Continue reading →

Come all who are weary…

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

IMG_6209This past week, I had the pleasure of attending a women’s retreat with other missionaries from around East Africa. What an experience! Being the newest person in Africa, I didn’t feel worthy to be in the same room as these women who have spent 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, etc. serving in Africa. Continue reading →

The feeling of being overwhelmed…

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

We were told about it and we were trained for it, but nothing could prepare us for the feeling of total helpless in a place so new and so different.

IMG_5684We have had to rely on our team for housing, for food, to go anywhere, to help clear our container, to schedule picking up our dog, to know who to contact to help get our new home ready, to go to the market or to the bank or to the supermarket… Continue reading →