January 7th

It’s Sunday morning, January 7, 2007, and I am writing from the office in Rubingo Camp. I slept very well, it was cool and I didn’t wake up until like 7:30. I read a devotional in a book I found at Canada House entitled, “Word for Today” I think. It’s from 1987 or something, but that’s ok. It worked out that 2006, was the same days as the year it was made, that was good for last year, now it’s a day behind. I don’t mind because it is still proving to be very beneficial. Honestly I hadn’t picked it up in a while, but when I did a couple days ago, it was right on the money. I was in the mood of “I can’t hear from God, and I haven’t heard from him in so long, and did I ever really hear from him ever?” Well it was all on a verse that God gave to me before I went into Pacific Master’s Commission (PMC). (PMC is an intense leadership discipleship program/bible college in the Comox Valley. It was one of the best times of my life, check it out @ www.pacificmc.com) It was almost a chapter really, rather than a verse; the first part of Roman’s 12. So again, when I opened the book, I was reminded of one of the best times of my life, when a relationship with God was so clearly right in my palms. I know that a relationship with God is always that easy, but with all the fog and pollution of this world, I have a hard time always finding it that clear. Romans 12 is all about offering your whole body and life as a sacrifice to God. Not a “Gah, I have to give myself to God cause the bible says so” kind of offering, but a “My life has been so completely transformed because there is a God who cares, and knows me intimately (even if I don’t feel I know him), and would do anything for me, and so I want to give God my all cause I know it is the best thing I could ever do.” Before I really knew God, I saw this whole “religion” thing as a big crock. I thought people who were into it were just crazy, or brainwashed. I really didn’t know a thing about it, so this was just a big judgment on my part. But now I see that, God is real. God created me. God created you. He created this whole earth. And he doesn’t want us to live alone. Sure we have family and friends, but I know for a fact that there are so many people who could be surrounded by hundreds of people and feel completely and utterly lost, confused, rejected, misunderstood, and alone. It’s because there is a void in their spirit, deep in their soul, a hole within the creation of their being. I believe that God did not create us to send us into this whirlpool world with out teaching us to swim, or offering us a life raft. We are God’s children, and NO parent in their right mind would send off a baby to figure out life on its own. In the exact same way as a parent desires to guide, nurture, teach, hold, protect, comfort, discipline, and love a child, the God of the universe desires that for us. In a way that is much deeper and more fulfilling than any earthly relationship.
So that’s all I got for that. I took a break in writing, as Johnson finally showed up, the Ugandan worker that I was going out on business buying and selling land for widows. He was supposed to show up at 9:30, but strolled in at 12, classic for Africa. We walked to a neighboring “trading center” aka village or town, to meet with the LC1 Chairman (village leader), a widow Anette and a person selling land. Well the only person there was the vice LC1 chairman, definitely not the means for selling land. So we caught a boda boda to D.K.’s trading center for some soda and roasted embuzi(goat) for lunch. We proceeded onto another widow’s home, Alice, for another land deal. The people were there for this one. So it took about an hour and a half to fill out the forms and discuss small payments for the witnesses and LC1. We were on our way back to Rubingo camp, and the guy from the fist meeting showed up on the road and wanted to do the deal. Well after some deliberation, we agreed to go to the meeting providing they paid for the boda. So another hour and a half later the second land deal was done. It was a good day, beautiful out and enjoyable. Now I am sitting in bed, in my tent under mosquito net and I just finished watching the Jet Li movie “Romeo Must Die”. It was a good action paction but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it before. I find it really funny though when all the crickets and bugs drown out my movie. It’s Monday tomorrow, and we will be starting the morning with a work plan meeting, like every Monday. It’s where we discuss the obvious, everyone’s work for the week. My main thing is getting the forms for Memory Book Work training week translated so we can get them printed for Wednesday to give out at the HIV Client meeting, as all of the trainee’s will be together. So good night for me, my battery is low. And I hope you all have an awesome day/night, whatever it is by the time you read this!
Love Melon