For starters, I actually had my own decorations, I introduced some of my teammates to my own family traditions, and I even had Christmas presents for Christmas and not Valentine's day.
The weekend between Christmas and New Years, I went to a hotel here in Kampala for a bit of a retreat. I had been setting a little bit aside each month to do so, with hopes to go somewhere for some alone time with the LORD every few months, but that didn't happen. SOOO, I decided to just get "away" for a weekend here in town, room and board (except for drinks for some odd reason) were included at a hotel here that has a HUGE pool and is right on Lake Victoria. It was okay, but I am honestly not sure how often I will go back.
Anyway, my weekend away was just to take some time to reflect on the last year a bit more as I have been doing quite a bit of that lately, spend some intensive time in prayer and silence, journal, and DREAM!
Dreaming is not something I do very often...not something I think about a lot. I don't think I ever really let myself dream very often...it is almost too scary. Past hurts have kept me from looking forward to too much...setting expectations too high, after all, when you have expectations and they are not met, that is when you get hurt, right? I think that is part of the reason I have not let myself dream.
BUT, that is something that is changing. That is something the LORD is changing. As I look back over things lost, expectations not met, plans that have changed, relationships that have been lost, I realize, I have done a very poor job of grieving at times. I have not completed those "hurts" so to speak, and as a result, they can still cause pain, twinges if you will, at different times. So that is one thing I have been doing...walking through some of these things. Looking at them, asking the LORD to show me what HE sees in them, and asking HIM to heal them, to help me let them go.
In doing that, I am also asking HIM to help me look forward. I am asking HIM to show me how to dream...HIS way. I am asking HIM to help me look to the future and for HIM to show me what HE sees for me.
One of the goals I have set for myself is to actually journal more. To journal consistently. And a portion of that goal is to share here on my blog. I set this up several years ago when I was battling cancer. It was actually helpful to me to process at times, but then life got back to "normal", whatever that is...I guess I should say it go back to BUSY..and I didn't blog anymore.
Anyway, I have had some friends encourage me to get back to it. To give them an opportunity to see more of a "day to day" life so to speak for me here in Uganda. I am not promising daily blogs for sure, but my goal is to post SOMETHING at least once a week. Even if it is just a picture and a few thoughts.
So I am asking you....help me do this. If you want to follow along, please do, and if I am not writing / posting etc, at least some pictures, then call me on it. I am hoping just by putting this out there that I will be more consistent in my efforts.
So, now that I have at least "broken the ice", I will share just a few pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The above is my Christmas tree...all decked out in lights and ornaments, some more than 45 years old or so that my grandparents made. I am so grateful to have them with me, but the story of why that almost wasn't true, I can share a bit later. RIght above, this is the "fire place" made with the extremely creative friends of mine made from card board and a great paint job, complete with a "fire" that we sure did need with it 80+ degrees outsied, and stocking hung with care.
And now, me in my Starbuck's apron, but not making lattes, but making sausage balls (gluten free version for my hosts) as one of the "Laine" family traditions I shared. Appearently they were a hit!!! And that made me very happy.
That's Dan-o showing off the finished product.....he was my helper in rolling all those puppies up. So fun. We of course had to cook up a few to taste test on Christmas eve to make sure they would be Christmas breakfast worthy. I think I knew that they were okay when we ALMOST called a teammate that my hosts had invited at the last minute called them back to "un"invite them for breakfast. Of course we didn't, but it DID cross our minds. We of course had plenty, even had some to bring home with me after we were all done on Christmas day.And here is one of me making some cookies with dan-o and meg making cookies. Turns out they are the same cookies as the "christmas tree" ones my mom used to make, again gluten free, but still yummy.
One of the traditions of my friends who hosted me is to put on a Christmas "play". Whoever is in attendance plays a part. The picture below is "Mary and Joseph" getting settled in the stable. We had Mary, Jospeh (also the narator), the innkeeper (also the videographer) Gabriel, Shepherds (me and dan-o), and a wise -man. We also had a guest appearance of the non-newborn Jesus.....dan-o and his sisters baby sister (in the carrier on Joseph), but she was only introduced when the wise-man arrived, wanted to be true to Scripture as much as we could. It was great fun, and I may even post one of the videos on here next time if I get brave enough.
ANYWAY, I will not end my first post....hopefully the first of AT LEAST 52 this year. That is my goal.
I hope you have a blessed 2014....filled with HIS PEACE and JOY.
until next time
in HIM Anne
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