I 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
Reflection
Same Power
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)
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)
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
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
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
I 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…
This 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…
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.
We 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
Love just one…
A few months ago, we had lunch with some friends who are doing amazing ministry with the homeless community in Boulder. They are missionaries, serving in their community, so I feel blessed to learn from them. Our conversation still comes back to me and is a daily reminder.
We were talking about how easy it is to get overwhelmed with the need and desire to serve everyone, to minister to everyone, to love everyone. Continue reading
Sawyers In Uganda 