is that your real hair?

June 30, 2011

After months of raising money, praying over this trip, and two days of training camp in Atlanta, the day had finally come to board the plane and leave for Africa...but not before going through security. After making sure all my things were in the bin to go through the x-ray machine, I step through the metal detector and meet my new friend...the security lady. Her job requires her to make sure there is nothing suspicious on a person like a bomb; this includes checking pockets, beards, shoes, etc. In my case it includes checking my hair. I could see it in her eyes that she was jealous of the fro and I couldn't blame her of wanting to check something so beautiful. I thought it was great way to start off a long trip!

Once we made it through security and reached our gate, I received another surprise. Lacy Fairchild, a dear friend of mine from school, comes and gives me a huge hug. I knew we were going to Africa around the same time but I didn't think that we would be on the same flight. Such a sweet moment to see her! I know the Lord used her in big ways and shaped her heart to be the woman he has called her to be and I'm so excited to hear all about her trip! That's your hint Lacy...big hint!

I'm fascinated by the small things in life; ie: the tv on the plane with the huge list of movies, shows, and music to watch and listen to! Maybe the best part of the whole trip...ok, maybe not, but it was awesome. After the excitment died down, I decided to play nice and try to make converstaion with the man who would be new neighbor for the next nine hours. You could tell he was pumped to be sitting by me...who wouldn't be?! Anyways, we started talking and he eventually asked what why I was going to Africa. I proceeded to tell him what all we would be doing and the purpose behind our trip. After kindly listening, he asked me if us going to Africa was safe. You know, I don't have all the answers in life but I am pretty certain about one thing. I know that the Lord calls us to be obedient in going and doing and making his name known...no matter how dangerous or uncomfortable it is. I'm pretty sure my new friend didn't understand where I was coming from but it was a great reminder for me to hear myself tell him that I am called to be obedient despite the circumstances. Funny thing is, I'm still learning to apply this truth on a daily basis.

Last fall, Allyson introduced me to a popular blog called "Kisses for Katie". In a nutshell, it's about a girl who fell in love with Africa and the people there and decided to move there for good. She wanted to make a difference in the lives of the people there and that is exactly what she did and is still doing. Her life is a beautiful display of obedience and compassion and the coolest part is she gets to teach her 13 daughters she adopted that they are loved so much by the creator of the universe. She has a heart for people and heart to serve others and that is exactly what she does; I encourage you to go read her blog and visit her website. I have never met Katie but according to her dad, she seems like a person I would love to be friends with. That's right. I met her dad...on the plane to Uganda. Let me just give a recap of how I met Scott (that's her dad). We're on a first name basis these days.

So I go to get my malaria medicine and I can't reach it in the overhead compartment. When Mr. Scott saw that this kid was struggling, he decided to help. God bless his soul. He noticed that I was doping up and asked if that was my malaria medicine and that eventually led to why I was going to Uganda. I proceeded to tell him about always wanting to go to Africa and how the trip came about and ISF and everything else that goes with it. After I unloaded that on him, I asked him what he was going for and he proceeded to tell me that his daughter, Katie, lives in Jinja with her 13 daughters she adopted. As soon as he said her name and how many daughters she had, I immediately asked him if she had a blog called "Kisses for Katie" and when he said yes, I about flipped out. To make a long story short, we got to talking and I asked him a million questions about how she got started and how they handled it and what he thought about it and everything else I could think of. Such a cool moment talking to him; sad thing I didn't realize I was sitting right across from him the whole nine hours, but the time we did talk was so good! He even called me by name and let me borrow his pen. I know what you're thinking...AMAZING! I thought so too.

We finally arrived in Uganda and as I looked out the window expecting to see something I have never seen before, I did see something I had never seen before...because it was pitch black! Literally, no lights whatsoever; but it was one of the coolest moments for me. The girl sitting beside me was from Uganda and when she noticed me looking out the window, she so sweetly told me that there weren't any lights in her hometown this time of night. To be in a place where I couldn't see anything, not even a light, was an eerie but satisfying feeling. Eerie because I had no clue what to expect but satisfying because I was about to step off the plane with my team and be salt and light to a land covered in darkness.