The "honeymoon" period is over!!!

I'm writing this blog very early in the week, so it doesn't encapsulate the whole week, but this experience VERY much affected me!!!

Let me take you back...
Well, I've officially been here 2 months. The "honeymoon" period IS officially over! The time where everything is fresh and new...exciting to encounter...easy to let things roll off your shoulder....yep, it's over!! This is the real deal! I've now made my home in Uganda. I'm in full-time ministry and doing it day-in and day-out! WOW!

So, this past Monday, I officially realized the honeymoon is over and this is my life! I'll share the text that I sent to a friend of mine that day, "haven't talked to anyone back home in 2 months and anticipated skyping my mom today...technical issues and didn't happen...I think I'm going to cry! If there is one more tech issues, I'm going to dig a powerline myself...if I have to pee in one more nasty home with flies coming out of it, I'm trading my parts in for guy parts...if I have to take one more ice cold shower, I'm chopping off my long hair (which has gotten wicked long over here)...if one more gigantic, unidentifiable bug crawls up some part of my body, I'm going to wrap a mosquito net around me permanently and call it a toga!! I still have such a heartbeat for missions...I'm just haven't a moment...the honeymoon is over!!!"

No matter where you are in life, you've had this realization moment that "the honeymoon period is over" (whether or not you are or have ever been married)! You get a wonderful new job...you move to a new city...you buy a new house...you do get married...you start a new ministry...you have a baby....everything is new and exciting and fresh at first and then this moment hits!!! The best thing to do is keep on keepin' on!! Push through the frustration...and keep your eyes fixed on the Lord and not your circumstances.

Well, that was Monday and on Tuesday we were doing Living Hope ministry again (where we visit our HIV affected families), that impacted me so much last time (see my previous blog). Here are several truths the Lord taught me on our visit today (I narrowed it down to one truth per family because I have way too much that I learned!!):

1. Our prayers/thoughts are sometimes sooooo self-centered, it's ridiculous!! The first lady we went to visit again is a Muslim. After visiting her last time, she actually attended our church a couple times! This time we did praise and worship, prayed, fellowshipped, and shared a bit of the Word with her. Somehow I got elected to share the Word?! Wasn't quite prepared for that, but God is faithful! I had actually purchased 2 bibles in Luganda (one to give to her) and the Lord had given me a verse to share with her (in Luganda, hehe)...so I fumbled through it, while my other teammates giggled, but were thrilled and encouraged my broken Luganda, hehe. I then used that verse to deliver a brief message with the help of the Holy Spirit :) She still isn't ready to give her life Christ yet, BUT we are helping her get plugged into a church that's close and Luganda speaking! However, while talking to her, she informed us that when it rains, her house usually floods. It's basically a one bedroom concrete house in the slums...no running water...no electricity. The water comes up inches and feet...most of the time rising her bed on top of all the water!! Just the day before, some people on our team were praying that it didn't rain so our laundry would actually get dry, so we wouldn't be stuck inside all day, and so we could go out to the pool that's up the road. This woman prays it doesn't rain because her house floods everytime it rains!! How selfish our prayers can be!!!

2. There's really nothing sweeter than a child singing "only Jesus...only Jesus...only Jesus..."!! I'm sorry, but your heart has got to melt! The second home we visited was the 3 & 1/2 year old little girl with HIV that was abandoned at a caregiver's home. The caregiver also watches several other children...there were 3 children when we visited today. So we all crammed in this little room and sang songs, talked, colored, and prayed. When that precious 3 year old started singing...I think everyone in the room stopped and all our hearts melted! Just beyond precious. I tried to sneak one of the kids out and into our van with me...but my teammates busted me ;)

3. Step foot in a public hospital in Africa and see a precious 17 year old boy with HIV laying there fighting for his life....yep, you are quickly recentered, refocused, and regretting that text that you sent your friend the day before! This was the guy last time that left such an impression on me, but this time we couldn't visit him at home, because he's been in the hospital for the past 2 weeks. We decided as a team that we wanted to make a hospital visit to see him...so off we went. There he lay...too weak to smile...tubes in his nose to feed him...even thinner than before (if that was even possible)...he really didn't look good at all. We talked with the ladies that were there helping to care for him and then prayed for him. I couldn't help but still look at him and smile; he has such a precious spirit and it really touches my heart, I just can't explain it! (We left him a bible in Luganda as well, hopefully someone can read it to him, I really, really want that kid saved....I wrote a notecard with John 3:16 written out in Luganda and left it sticking out of the top of the Bible...I'm trying every little way I can to reach out to this kid!)

It's amazing how the Lord can humble you in less than 24 hours. I had a little breakdown or tantrum over here, and that's just not tolerated in the position that I'm walking! I get it :)

So whereever you are at today, whatever you are going through...God cares (whether you can "feel" Him close or not)...press on...Keep on keepin' on...you're gonna make it!!!!

Until next Monday...

Living to Glorify Him,
Michelle