A Toast to the Parents…

So today's blog post is dedicated to my parents, Reid and Aloha Johnson. Being here in Uganda has taught me so much about what it means to be thankful. It has also taught me how blessed I am to have two parents who love God and love their kids as well, and are still together and alive.

The kids I work with on a daily basis do not have that as their story. I have so much to be thankful for in my life, a lot more than I normally think about as being something that DESERVES to be thankful for.

So mom and dad, thank you. Thank you for loving me and giving me to freedom to explore who I am. Thank you for teaching me about God and Jesus' love for me and helping me understand my worth and value in Him. Thank you for supporting me in coming to this beautiful, broken country of Uganda to love and serve others. And thank you for praying for me and giving me as your daughter to the Lord. Not all women can say that that is their life story. But I have been raised to be a strong, independent, capable and loving woman of God because of God's love, and also because of how my parents have raised me. 

I don't often take the time to say thank you, and even though we have had our issues over the years, and I'm sure will have more issues in the years to come, I want to take this time to say thank you to the people who have raised me to be who I am today. Thanks :) I love you both and miss you much more than words can describe.

All I Know at the End of the Day is That I Don't Know Much.

"There's no limit to what You can do,

Because it all belongs to You, 

Yes it all belongs to You,

You're all mighty and all powerful,

And it all belongs to You,

Yes it all belongs to You"

- "When Jesus Say Yes", Michelle Williams

-------

"'For my thoughts are higher than your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,'

 declares the Lord.

'As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'"

-Isaiah 55:8-9

Have you ever had that moment in deep prayer and surrender to God when you say, "God, I want to trust You more, I want to know who You are. I know You are near, show me"? Well, I had that moment just before I left Canada for Uganda, and it has rocked my world. First of all, Uganda, as I've said before, is a place of extremes. Extreme weather, extreme people, extreme emotions, extreme chaos…anything you can think of. For me, I've never felt so fulfilled and yet so empty at the same time; so exhilarated and yet exhausted either.

Being hit by wave after emotional wave, and roadblock after roadblock of seemingly nonsensical (yes, that is a word, Tori!) bureaucracy gets very discouraging after a while. There was a point in this last week where I thought, "I think I need to change my plane ticket and just go back home. This whole thing is getting ridiculous and way too much for me. It was a nice experiment, but God, I think I've had enough," but there was this still small voice (hmmm, I wonder who that could have been?) that said, "Holly, you were brought here for a reason. You are not finished what you needed to finish yet. Stop running on human emotion and let Me give you the strength you need to keep going."

Some days, actually at least twice daily, I say to God, "What exactly do you have planned for me in the future that You need to stretch me so much spiritually??? Seriously. Is this not enough yet? Why do I need to get stronger?" Every time since I've been here when I think I've had enough, God takes me a little bit further - one step, one step, one step, one leap, one more step…and suddenly I'm looking back, now, and thinking, "How the heck did I come this far???" Some days I don't recognize myself anymore - the timid, terrified, shy, angry, self-hating, ashamed, quiet girl that I was not so many years ago…even thinking about how much I've changed in the last 12 months…God has taken me so much farther than I ever thought I would go; that I ever thought I would LET Him take me.

I think so often we put God in a box, while at the same time drawing a thick black line between us and Him and say, "Okay, You can take me THIS far, but no farther. I'm not (insert adjective here) enough to deal with whatever it is that You think I can take. I can't. I know myself, I know what I'm capable of; what I'm comfortable with, and THIS is where I draw my line. This is how much You can have." When I think of the times I've said this to God, and yet He has been so patient with me, knowing full well that I CAN take whatever He has for me, because HE is with me, my heart breaks…thinking about the blessing and opportunity to see His faithfulness that I have suffocated in my arrogance and stubbornness. Why does my fear always make me feel like I have the right to think I know the depth of God's faithfulness; of His provision and love for me? God, take that away from me.

I'm sitting here in my little bedroom in the maid's quarters of a very beautiful house in Bunga, Kampala, listening to Pentatonix's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" and crying as I write this blog post.

"'Come', they told me…

So to honour Him, when we come...

I have no gift to bring…

That's fit to give a King…

Shall I play for You?…

I played my drum for Him, 

I played my best for Him…

Then He smiled at me,

me and my drum…"

My God is a God who provides. My God is a God who is faithful. My God is a God who knows me and sees me and actually LIKES me, which is more than I can say about myself. And He loves us as we are, but He loves us so much that He doesn't just want us to stay where we are - He wants to take us to places we never dreamed we would ever reach, to see us be at our full potential. He has given us life for us to live it to the FULLEST, with Him; surrendered to Him; trusting Him. And He is patient when we draw a line, He nudges us and shows us little bits of His faithfulness until we take one more step in trusting Him more and more.

I never feel like I have enough to give God. Like that drummer boy, I think that all I have is my seemingly insignificant ability to do one thing, and yet, that's all He wants. The Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. I give God the little I have - the little faith I have (and seriously, I feel like I have such a tiny little bit of faith right now) - and in return I get an increase of faith, and so so much more than I can even write down.

Before I left Canada, I asked God for a few things. One of them was a family here in Uganda, and let me tell you…He could not have been MORE faithful. I have brothers and sisters and aunties and uncles, and a great church that reminds me of Redemption Church at home. I was kept safe during the elections. I live for free in a beautiful and safe house very close to where I work. I have people who love me in every area of my life right now, I am encouraged, fed physically and spiritually and emotionally, lifted up with laughter, blessed with worship and feel at home here. God has given me not just what I needed, and not just what I prayed for, but has shown me abundance. Yesterday I was anxious about money, and when i woke up this morning I found I had money coming to me I hadn't expected. God provides not only what we need, but also in ways unexpected. He knows me way better than I know myself because He created me, and I continue to see His faithfulness and grace in my life here. So why do I keep doubting His ability? It all belongs to Him - there's no limit to what He can do.

The days where I feel the most whiny, and they come here fairly often, are exactly the days where I need to tell my emotional side to shut up and remember all the ways God has been faithful in my life up to this point. Logically, if He HAS provided exactly what I needed thus far, He WILL continue to provide. He is a good Father, and He owns it all. And yet, every time He does provide, I find myself shocked that He did. He's so sneaky, that One. So yeah, I really don't know much. As scary as it is to say, God, I pray You keep stretching me, and giving me incredible testimony of YOUR goodness and love in my life. All I want to do is serve You, not myself, because You are good and You never change. Keep showing me who You are. I want to know You more.

A Humbling Reminder

Yesterday I woke up in a very bad mood. I don't know why, but I was. And it was HOT. And yes, I recognize I live in Uganda, and it is hot here, but normally there is a break from the heat at least in the morning. Yesterday there wasn't. It was heat the whole time, and because I woke up to the heat, I knew that the day was going to be sweltering with no break. So that's where my mood stayed as I went to the paint store to buy more paint for my mural in Kivulu. That was fine but my friend was late to meet me, and I felt so impatient as I waited.

We met up with one more friend before continuing to walk through town all the way to the slum, in the heat that I had already predicted there would be. It was unbearable, and because of my bad mood it was even MORE unbearable. I didn't want to be walking on the street with a thousand people touching me, I didn't want to deal with any of the people shouting at me as I walked, I did not have one ounce of compassion for a man with drug-induced babbling who was following us almost to the slum. Not my usual character traits.

When we arrived at the slum and I began painting the mural again, it wasn't turning into exactly what I wanted. And I realized that I didn't have the correct colours to do what I wanted, which made me even more grumpy. Needless to say, I was a horrible person to be around, and Nathan and Andrew, thanks for your grace for me yesterday. Things that never irritate me were driving me crazy and I didn't want to listen to anyone, or talk to anyone, or be around anyone, and yet I had to be. I didn't even want to go to the street program because of my mood and the heat. And all I thought was, "God, can You just send some rain???"

When I had done as much on the mural as I could, the three of us walked back to the mall to wait for my friend to drive me back somewhere for lunch, me in a cloak of gloom. When we were walking through the mall, Andrew suddenly stopped someone and shouted. They talked for a bit and then came over to me. The teenager he was talking to said, "Auntie, do you remember me???" I looked at him and said, "No, sorry I don't think so." He responded, "I'm the one you prayed for in the hospital!" and proceeded to take his hat off and show me where his skull had been broken. THIS was the boy who Andrew and I found at Mulago Hospital after the riots from the mechanics in Kivulu. It was the boy who had brain damage, could not speak or walk or feed himself when we saw him, and who we prayed for miraculous healing to happen. And GOD DID IT! I started laughing, I was so shocked. When they left, Andrew and Nathan and I sat down and Andrew and I were both speechless at his recovery. By worldly standards, this boy's life had been altered forever, and yet God planned something to happen for His glory out of something so despicable. That boy didn't even remember us praying for him in the hospital, and I will tell you, being in that room, praying over him, it felt like death was in his bed. It was horrible, and yet God worked miracles in his life. He is restored, with no complications whatsoever.

Then when I went to the cafe I love for lunch, the sky opened up and monsoon rain came pouring down. In that moment I felt God remind me, "See? I am good, and I am in charge of this world, and I am faithful IN SPITE of your selfishness." It was very humbling.

God is at work all the time, in ways we don't, can't, or even refuse to acknowledge because our eyes are so often focused on our own issues or daily grumbles. Not only is He at work, but He desperately loves the world that He created, and that He put us in to be a part of. And although it is nowhere near perfect anymore because of sin, it is still His, and we are still His, and He is still working things out for His goodness, and for our good. Sometimes it can be very easy to focus on the things that drive us crazy and the things we wish could be changed, instead of asking God where He is IN THE MIDST of those things. He never promises to give us a schedule of when exactly things will take place, but He does promise that He will work all things out for good for those who love Him.

God, help me keep my eyes focused on You, and help me to love You more.

Learning to Embrace the Sky

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 

I have come that you may have life and have it to the fullest." 

-John 10:10

I had a good-bye thank you party two days before I left for Uganda, and invited certain people from my church and close circle of friends who were the most important to me. One man from church who I look up to very much came up to me before he and his wife left for the evening and said, "Holly, I want you to know that you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself when you go to Uganda. There will be plenty of opportunity to stress about things and I'm sure you'll make mistakes, but I want to give you one piece of advice. Have FUN. Have fun."

I am a person who has a very hard time NOT stressing about things. I take on a lot of stress myself, and have tended to take on other peoples' stress as well. No, it's not healthy or beneficial. So these two words were a huge wake up call for me before I left. Have fun. HAVE FUN! It's okay for me to have fun and not be serious with everything all the time.

John 10:10 is a great example of this for me. Jesus came for us to have life to the FULLEST, not for me to play it safe or to worry all the time. Living life to the fullest means to soak in moment by moment and live my life to the very fullest as if every day was my last. Now, this is not a call to be selfish in my life decisions. It is to live sacrificially and realize that my actions effect others. Having been hurt by one person a month ago through their selfishness, it made me realize that some people don't understand how to live and love selflessly. The problem with living this way is that you don't even realize how suddenly you are left with nothing but regret. Living life to the fullest means to fully commit my life to God; to commit my life to living as Christ did and living every day in grace and love for those around me. And not forgetting to HAVE FUN while doing it. For me that's a bit like learning cantonese.

For some reason, through much of my life I have thought of "having fun" in life in general as living irresponsibly. I don't know where this thought came from. In my mind I keep thinking, "yeah but if I have fun then I'm not looking out for others". But I think this is a lie. Living my life to the fullest means that I give myself permission to have opportunities to enjoy the life that God created me for TO THE FULLEST instead of living timidly. I think so much of the time Christians in North America think we have to live humble, quiet lives with the bare minimum of tension and ripples, but we miss so much and touch no one as a result.

It took me a long time to come up with a name for my blog. I thought of how huge my first experience of an African sunrise was. It was as if I was being swallowed by the sky as the sun rose. I thought, "I wish I could stretch my arms from one side of the sky to the other and hug it to myself". Maybe it was the artist in me. Maybe it was the romantic in me. But it's amazing. There is something breathtaking about the sky here. Even the most ominous thunderclouds are somehow welcoming. It feels like a small piece of heaven pierces earth with every sunrise I have witnessed. Embracing the Sky is not about just having a happy-go-lucky attitude, but a deliberate posture of readiness, arms outstretched and head lifted, to see what God will do every new day I am here. It's about seeing the opportunities to share life with people who desperately need it, and LIVE LIFE to the fullest. I feel like I've come out of a layer of myself into a place where my heart is stronger, and more willing to know where God is in every situation I face here. I embrace the sun and the moon and stars and wind and monsoon rain and thunder. The sky is alive and constantly changing, just like life. But I will learn to have fun through the sun and to dance in the rain.

Appreciating the Gift of Patience

February 19, 2018

Every year has its seasons. And even with the two months I've been in Kampala so far I feel as though I have seen many seasons. But the last few weeks have really been about patience and joy through discouragement.

Patience has been one of the things that I never feel I ever have enough of, and just when I think "yeah I'm doing okay in this area", God humbles me and I realize just how far I still have to go to truly be a patient person.

Kampala is a place that constantly shows me how in need I am; how much I have to learn and how weak I actually am. I remember how out of sorts I felt the first time I was here back in May 2015, and how much my friend and wonderful auntie Terri said, "don't worry about not being able to do many things in a day. In Uganda, everything takes 5 times as long to get done, and at the end of the day, although you've done 5 times less, you are still 5 times as tired at the end of the day."

I feel as though I'm getting more used to that strange pace. In Vancouver, I could get 20 things done a day and be tired at the end of the day, but feel fine, and then go out at night. Here, I can do maybe 3 things a day, and anything after that makes me exhausted and ready to crash on my bed at 8pm. Part of it is the heat, part of it is the chaos and dust everywhere. And culturally everything is very intense, but I still love it.

And then there are some days where I just get so tired of everything, frustrated at how long everything takes to get done, angry at the taxi (bus) drivers and boda boda men and the girls who knock me when I try to walk and people people people everywhere all the time. I love this place, but there are times when everything gets so overwhelming and it's at those times when I am reminded just how much I really CAN'T do this on my own; I can't do life on my own. It requires God to lead me and give me strength and courage and patience for the things that drive me crazy.

Even though I'm now in a house with a family who is Ugandan American, and as at home as I feel in this place, there are times like today where I really miss everyone back in Vancouver. I miss my parents and my dogs and my aunts and uncles and sister and brothers and cousins and crazy art friends from UBC…some days the feeling of distance really gets to me. These are the days where I really wish I could just have someone just KNOW how I'm feeling, without me saying anything, and give me a big hug and let me cry. There is something about having someone who just gets you to know when you're down and squeeze you tight until you can't breathe.

When these days come where everything seems to be driving me crazy, and I get frustrated with myself for being frustrated with others, God reminds me that I need to be patient with MYSELF as well as others, and have grace for myself just as much as with others. The problem is not the frustration, it's the belief that I can do this on my own - which is a lie. And so then God gently reminds me, as only He can, that HE is the one who sustains me. I have to keep seeking Him and surrendering to Him. It's a daily thing - not when I find myself with my face in mud. He is where I find all my strength and patience and grace; He is the wellspring of life. So on a day like today when I am upset and weary and impatient, I praise my God in heaven who dwells within me through His Spirit that I am not in charge, and He is…'cause seriously, He can do it WAY better than I can.

February 15, 2016

Fear and Politics

So Uganda is not the safest country in the world, but it has started feeling like home. The thing I've learned very quickly, starting last summer when I was in Tanzania during the last part of the election, is that East African politics are many times as deeply rooted in people as their tribes. It becomes a major issue when elections are around the corner.

In Kampala for the last few weeks people have begun leaving the country - going to neighbouring countries and or visiting relatives up country to get away from Kampala (the centre for all things politics, as it is the capital city). Today finally something happened. Besigye, the people's favourite presidential candidate, was arrested after being denied access to an arena where he was preparing to have a rally. This rally would have for sure been a massive crowd of people. Basically, the president is afraid of his 30-year reign finally ending. He's doing everything he can to stifle those who are a threat to his power. It's causing problems. The police arrested Besigye when he tried to hold a rally in the street and sprayed tear gas over half of downtown Kampala.

Pray for peace in Uganda. There is so much fear. Fear from the president himself, fear from the military and fear in the hearts of the people. Pray for peaceful elections, pray for humility, pray for Thursday's election results to be done well and for no vote rigging to occur. And no retaliation from those who are angry at whoever takes this next presidential term.

Sometimes Life is Walking Uphill Through Mud, Holding Jesus' Hand.

Romans 12:3-21

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do no be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. One the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry,

feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

In most translations this chapter is split up into four separate passages, but I think the chapter itself is extremely connected read from beginning to end, even though it deals with different themes.

This past month as been one of the most challenging I have ever faced. There have been so many times where I have wanted to throw my hands up to the sky, pack my suitcases and go back to Canada. But then a voice comes to the very centre of my soul and says, "You're here for a reason. It's not time to leave yet."

Two weeks ago, the mechanics decided to make good on their threats to take justice in their own hands and deal with the kids who stole their phones and fought in their shop. Two weeks ago, Tuesday morning, the group of mechanics found every child they could in Kivulu and beat them mercilessly. It didn't matter if these kids were from the street or had homes of their own, they beat them. They even went as far as going to the house Hope Street meets at and beat the mom, daughter and twin grandchildren to make a point. After that they all but destroyed the local pastor's boys' dormitory at the church before the police finally showed up and stopped the mechanics from going any further. Except they didn't arrest the mechanics, they arrested all the street kids they found.

At the end of the riot, at least five boys were taken to the hospital, blood all over the slum. One boy was so badly injured that even the police thought he was dead because he was unconscious when they carried him to the ambulance.

Andrew and I went to the police station in Kivulu the next day and tried to talk to the OC in charge - he refused because he was too afraid of what everyone in the slum might do to him if they saw him talking to me. Both he and another officer tried to scare me from ever coming back and working in the slum again. "If they had seen you yesterday they would have killed you!" (This was an exaggeration. No, it would not have been safe for me to be in the slum during the riots, but at no point would my life have been in danger). The real reason the OC didn't want me there is because he was afraid. He is afraid of the mechanics, and he is afraid of the street kids. This is obvious by the fact he never arrested the men who beat these kids until they were almost dead.

When I left after that "non-interview" with the OC, I was angry. So angry and filled with an indignation at the injustice and fear that I see towards these children and the lack of ability for people to do the jobs that they are being paid to do - how is that keeping people safe???

Thursday Andrew and I went to visit some of the boys who were in the hospital. This hospital was not like any hospital I have been to before. Because of the elections coming up in two weeks, the government has stopped handing out any medication for any ailment. This means there is more money for campaigning and military transport. It also means that people have to pay outrageous amounts of money for all drugs that the public hospitals should be providing.

When we got into the area of the hospital these boys were in, it was a giant, open room with beds, and many sights and sounds that were hard to digest. The boy we went to see was the one who everyone thought was dead in Kivulu. He has a fractured skull and brain damage from the beating he took. And there was one boy who had been transferred to the ICU because his injuries were even more severe. This boy was barely conscious when we prayed for him, his eyes rolled back into his head and he kept scratching his face - obviously uncomfortable and in pain. It was heartbreaking to see.

Over the last week, the uncles with Hope Street have been trying to get meetings with the mechanics and police to figure out how to sort things out so that our program can start again, to no avail. Pushing, pushing, pushing, and seemingly no change.

Then yesterday for me was spent going from one government official's office to the next, walking all over Kampala, trying to get permission for interviews pertaining to the incident in Kivulu, and to flesh out in more detail the issues that these kids deal with, and how it also effects the community as a whole (as well as those in government). The first lady I spoke with in the morning was like ice. I've never had a discussion so cold before. Even my Fine Arts portfolio interview for the University of British Columbia was better than that. I felt like vomiting in the office I was so anxious as I spoke. And that's kind of how the day went.

I was so frustrated by the end of it. GOD, WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE SO HARD???? WHY ARE YOU TEACHING ME PERSEVERANCE SO INTENSELY RIGHT NOW??? WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE ONE WEEK THAT'S SMOOTH SAILING??? And do you want to know something? There was no answer. God was silent. I think sometimes God brings us through a season that is so challenging that our muscles are strengthened. I know that's the season I'm walking through right now. It's like I go from one s*show to the next, and yet I feel God is near, not far off. He may have been quiet yesterday, but He was still present.

Romans chapter 12 is exactly how I feel right now. In the first paragraph, we are reminded to use the gifts that God has given us, specifically in the way He has given them to us. Use what you have been given. Regardless of the way we feel emotionally, we should use our gifts to bless others, because in that we rebuke the devil and receive blessing ourselves.

In the second paragraph we are reminded to always love. ALWAYS. Not just when we feel like it, or when it's easy, but ALWAYS. I think that's why verse 12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." There are many times, even most days, when I do not FEEL like loving people. But Paul reminds us to be joyful, patient and faithful. This is stuff of courageous people who persevere through it all. I did not feel like loving that woman I had a discussion with yesterday morning. Not at all. I felt like telling her where to go. But I know God will fight my battles. And what He calls me to do is be obedient to where He has called me to walk.

This brings me to the last part of the chapter. 

"Bless those who persecute you…do not repay evil for evil…

"If your enemy is hungry,

feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

God is the one who fights my battles. He is the one who has control over my circumstances and sees the end and way out when I do not. And I do not see a way out of these predicaments. But He does. And I have to trust that He is already working in the hearts of the mechanics and the hearts of the police officers and in the hearts of the government officials. I believe in miracles and I believe in God's faithfulness and that He will never leave me.

My mom sent me a devotional yesterday that was exactly in line with what's been going on, and I'm going to share it now:

"Follow Me one step at a time. That is all I require of you. In fact, that is the only way to move through this space-time world. You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you're going to scale those heights. Meanwhile, because you're not looking where you're going you stumble on the path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell me how worried you are about the cliffs up ahead. But you don't know what will happen today, much less what tomorrow will bring. Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading us away from those mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb.

Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you."

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still. Exodus 13:13-14