Hallelujah!!

Im back!! I have to thank my parents a thousand times over for helping me with me computer problem! you guys truly are amazing :) i love you.  But in other news, i have honestly missed not writing here, i wrote what i would write about in my notebook cuz i wanted to.  lets see... like my mom said my outreach locations have been decided and we are going to Kusumu, Kenya for two weeks and then Arusha, Tanzania for six weeks! Im really excited for this except for the fact that everyone who knows Tanzania has come up to me saying "oh, you're going to get big!" awesome. can't wait for that aspect of it ....?? So, on the 22nd of October I went to me my first ( and last) Ugandan Introduction( engagement party).  It was the best culture experience ever, learning all of the customs and traditions that they have, one being the the groom gives the soon to be brides family a TON of gifts, such as fruit,butter,oil,couches,chairs,suitcases, etc. my favorite gift was the cow. Now you know what to get me when i get married :) but the major downside to this introduction was the fact that we were sitting in a tent in the heat for 6 hours!! yes, 6 hours of not understanding a word...well technically i knew 3 words. I know i have a very vast knowledge in Luganda, but even with that knowledge i was doomed! But I also came to terms with the fact that i am not going to marry a Ugandan and if i do then no introduction for me!

       I celebrated my first birthday way from home on the 12th.  It has a lot of mixed emotions and it was a rough time for me but I was surrounded by the best group of people ever.  They woke me up singing Happy Birthday to me. I was honored that they did that but I started crying ... anyways during the day i received cards and hugs from all sorts of people it was amazing! and during base intercession ( essentially a church service with everyone) they had me come up front and sit in a chair while they ALL stood up and sang to me! oh man and then they announced " if anyone considers themselves a friend of Tess please come up and pray for her" so people started swarming. i was so flattered! so they did that which was comforting beyond belief! then later that day since i was the "baby" i wasn't allowed to do my work duty (oh darn) but a tradition here is that you have to have a bucket of water dumped on you for every year that you are born ... and people just randomly came up to me dumping water on me. hmmm interesting. i was dry for only the morning haha. Also, in celebration of my birthday they threw me a "surprise" birthday party the following night. which was awesome having everyone there in a circle and then me sitting in the middle and then people would stand up saying what they liked about me and then they danced.  it was awesome i got my own cake as well :) yay!! best birthday i could have asked for for being away form home :)

       So about 2 weeks or so ago me and my two girls ( Becca and Tee) went to kampala which is 2 hours away just a girls day! and to celebrate me and Becca's birthdays!  Right when we got there we found this cafe called Cafe Javas. ohmigoodness it was a starbucks ( kinda) but i got a frappucino and a chocolate croissant and we shared some pancakes! ( you don't even realize how fabulous finding a cafe was it made our morning the best ever!! ) And that was just the morning, after that we went wandering and we found a spa... we all got pedicures which was so well deserved ( i think). soo amazing! 2 downsides to getting one done... 1. the tan lines that you were so proud of turn out to be dirt lines... i will get tan all i need is patience. and 2.  Jinja is known for red dirt and without you even knowing it your feet get stained so when they scrubbed our feet it was essentially red skin... how embarrassing! We tried finding a pizza place for lunch and we stumbled upon a "Pizza Hot" not pizza hut "pizza Hot" but we didn't end up going in. We found a restaurant that serves New York Style pizza!!! sooo amazing we were in heaven!! After our very enjoyable day we went to the taxi park to find a taxi home... we first had to find a taxi that was actually going to jinja not just saying they were and second, get the price to a good one not just a mzungu price took us a while. 

        This past monday we were told that our whole DTS was taking a trip to "the island", we had no idea what that meant.  So we left on Wednesday and returned yesterday.  So, the boat ride over was the first adventure. ( when i say boat i mean giant canoe) so it was an adventure in it of itself and then we got caught in a storm. and that is putting it lightly.  The black clouds came, then the winds then the rain that hurt when it hit you! i enjoyed it to the fullest no joke.  I was sitting next to my friend Tee and while most people were scrambling trying to find something to hide under we were discussing how awesome this is and what i great story it would be "this one time when we were traveling across Lake victoria..." and the rain kept coming down harder and harder. Then we started singing whatever song popped into our head.  And before long the whole boat was singing worship songs right along with us, it was so amazing :) and after about 20 minutes of non-stop rain it started to clear up. i was drenched but didn't mind at all.  and then we arrived at the YWAM base at around 8 at night ( dark) and the guys who work there came out to carry the girls to the ground... so i went with one of our leaders instead so i didn't have to pay.. well, it was fine until he tripped on a rock and down we go!! Mind you i was carrying EVERYTHING my camera, iPod,phone, pillow, clothes EVERYTHING but everything was good. I was already wet anyways so it was not the bad. the first thing the staff did was run to me and grab my bag to make sure my camera was ok ( Im fine guys thanks for asking).  But other than that everyone was cracking up! and it is still a joke to this day. "oh ,tess remember that time you fell...bad in the water??" awesome.  Then we got separated into different rooms, me and tee were the ONLY ones who got to share with one other person. PTL. I got to experience my first Open Air Crusade.  I had no idea what that was.  But what it is is essentially a church service in the middle of a street,town or field. wherever you want. I got to dance with little kids and pray over people who came to me with problems. it was so awesome never experience anything quite like it.  Seeing how many people got saved was so awesome to see!  My DTS had to learn this Zulu dance, which is a lot of fun to dance is so fun to do but we looked really dumb doing it haha. so that was day 1 of the crusade and then days 2 started out awesome but then we got rained out, but that was ok because i got to watch the football game that was going on in the "mud pit" the field was full of mud and puddles it was entertaining to watch.  one of the main meals there is fish and i HATE fish... i had rice. yum yum. that time went by pretty fast and then the boat ride home was rough considering i fried like none other.. my neck is soooo red. thank goodness for aloe! I did not realize how much i took for granted running water until i got back so base :)  

       I got invited to this guy Henry's wedding for this coming Saturday. I am quite excited for this not going to lie.  Hopefully it isn't 6 hours of me pretending i know what is going on :) but he is marrying a Woman from Europe so it should be more like what I'm used to. i have a dress and everything! it'll be nice! 

Well, it is nearing the time for when i leave for outreach ( two weeks) which is so crazy to think i have been here for almost 3 months! wow! and my parents come in march things just seem to be going to slow but they are really going by so fast. i need to cherish every second i have here. 

I love all of you so much!! ( Nquagalano)

Tess

p.s.the picture is tee, becca and me at the amazing cafe in Kampala!

New post from Tess' mom- personal request from Tess, I promise

Sunday, October 2, 2011

A major taDA that I figured out how to do write on Tess' blog, after losing the directions Tess spelled out to me a mere 4 hours ago. I was dropping stuff off at Goodwill while asking for a donation slip while talking with Tess while looking for something to write with.....you get the picture. Tess has been out of internet service and asked if I would write on her behalf. And, to be funny.

Hate that part of the request.

Russ, Elizabeth, Luke, Sarah and I each had the pleasure of talking with Tess after church this morning. She'd planned it that way.

Tess had white water rafted the Nile this past Saturday and was still on a high. The rapids were also apparently high and " far more scary than the class 5's in Colorado, Mom. You gotta try it when you and Dad come here." I hate being discovered yet again that I am a wuss. Tess mentioned 'only capsizing 3 times'. If anyone reading this blog thinks I'm going rafting in the Nile they're nuts. Maybe Russ...though I'd hate to be a widow at my young age.

Tess also had a holy roller type experience with her group that sent her to bed to recuperate one afternoon. I can't blame her and remember well feeling the same when people were speaking in tongues, discovering demons, doing crazy appearing stuff. Impressive to hear Tess went to her leader and talked it thru, with her leader emphasizing it is okay not to believe the same things while still believing in the same God. Cool distinction to make as an 18 (almost 19...Oct 12th) young woman in Africa.

Tess and her group will hear tomorrow where they will go for their 2 month outreach program. The choice is made for them, and possibilities are Rwanda, Kenya, a country starting with an M, and one other. Gotta get caught up on my African geography. Tess has Rwanda on her radar due to having watched the movie, Hotel Rwanda. Sarah thinks that will put their dad into cardiac arrest.

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Tess was also excited today about her decision as to what she would like to do for the 6 months when she returns to Uganda in February, 2012. She's been thinking all along that teaching preschoolers is where she will be. "Mom, there is no such thing as an ugly African. They are all beautiful, and I love being with the kids."

Well, Tess told us today she wants to help create an abstinence program in the various schools with Africans ages 14-23. Quite different from what Tess had originally planned.

I waited to hear exactly focus of abstinence. Sure enough, Tess wants to speak on staying sexually pure for marriage. Unbelievable. Tess approached her leader, who was all excited at Tess stepping out and not waiting to see what others are doing.

Tess is eating more new foods than she ever thought possible, she sleeps in a room with 14 other girls on a top bunk under a mosquito net, and she loves playing soccer with the Africans and thinks they came out of the womb playing the sport.

So much for being funny. Our admiration for our daughter far surpasses funny, and it stays huge in our family as to what Tess is doing. Tess was pretty pleased that she's actually been gone 2 months. She is plowing thru missing home and feeling 'wayyyyy out of her comfort zone. On a daily basis.

Thanks for following along and woohooing Tess as she discovers God had mighty plans in mind when Tess murmured, " I think I want to go to Uganda" at the foot of our bed one night last May, 2011.

Love,

Tess' Mom