oli otya.

my friend joseph from UCF thinks its the best idea to just speak luganda to me, and not tell me what he is saying, but just say it over and over again. he thinks i'll learn it best that way. that's why i titled this oli otya - it means hello. and this was the fourth round of things he just said over and over again - and I didn't know any of the proceeding phrases he said. but i knew the answer to this one, which is bulungi. joseph, you little stinker. 

tonight I gave my last talk with the choir. It was on "I AM the vine." I didn't know this, but Ivan (in charge of choir) said in staff meeting this morning that last week they spent quite significant time talking about what they were learning through my time of sharing with them. I had no idea. I wasn't even sure they were listening. But they were. And I pray that the Lord was glorified in those times and that it was His words that stuck with them and not my own. 

I am beginning to feel the weight of James 3:1-2 that says teachers will be judged more strictly. I am learning so much through my own study time, and every week and every topic there are like a million things that I need to improve upon. And I am going to be held accountable for that. I want to be a person of integrity who really walks what I speak, and that's where God's awesome grace comes into play because I have so far to go. 

Sarah and I found out today that we are actually going to Gulu THIS WEEKEND! just schedules getting changed again. That means that my last day at UCF is going to be this thursday now, instead of friday. But, we won't have to say goodbye to all our Ugandan friends because we will be back at our churches for service on 29th June. So even though I won't be working all next week, I'll still get to see everyone one last time. Then, our game drive got moved back to next wed-fri. all things go.

I am looking forward to so many things in these next 10 days, but then I can't even believe that after all those things are done I will be leaving Uganda. I don't think I am ready to do that! But, of course there are things I am excited to come home for too. 

I can't wait to write to you about my trip to Gulu.