Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Fewer Walls to Separate


Christmas gift from my mom
I hear that tiny houses are quite the trend in the US these days. Although I have yet to watch any of the shows (and believe me, I fully intend to watch one whenever I can get my hands on one), I am truly surprised that these tiny houses have gone from a few pins on Pinterest to entire television series. It's interesting to me because the tiny living that totally captivates America was widespread in Uganda long before it took HGTV. But it's not entertainment here; it's totally normal. And it's nowhere on Ugandan television. Maybe it's not considered entertainment because most Ugandans haven't chosen to leave a 2,000 sq. ft home for a much smaller, economical 200 sq. ft living space. Or maybe it's that the houses here tend to lack the glam that those American customized micro spaces exude. 

Whatever the case, Daniel and I moved into a small(er than we were ever used to) house when we moved to Nyenga in January 2014. And by the grace of God, Daniel and I have made this little >100 sq. ft. room our home. For me, it has been  beautiful experience. Limiting living space forced me to evaluate what stuff I value, "need", and want in my life. That process in itself has opened my eyes in a very real way to the irrelevance of stuff. It is easy for me to believe that things directly influence my happiness and quality of life, but living with less has guarded me from falling into that futile pursuit. And although I still have a weak spot in my soul for shopping, it's not even tempting to store up treasures where moth and dust destroy (Matt. 6:19) when you don't have anywhere to put the "treasures"! 

Truly, I thank God for this experience. I thank God for the opportunity to be so immersed in the Ugandan culture, growing to know the people who I serve and serve alongside in a richer way. I pray that I will always appreciate the simplicity of less as well as the convenience of having more (indoor plumbing really is a great idea). And a special shout out to my husband who makes living in tight quarters enjoyable and easy =) 



Daniel made me those shelves a few weeks ago!
That blue thing is a TivaWater filter, and it's awesome! 
Panoramic photo compliments of the iPhone
Standing outside of our house looking towards the latrines and bathing areas (bathing stalls are where those clothes are draped, and the latrines are those wooden doors back there).
Neighbor boys making some popcorn!
Outside of our door (kitchen area). Orange bucket is what we use to hold the charcoal.
Kitchen sink ;)
Thank you so much for praying for me and Daniel. As you know, we have been working on Daniel's paperwork for his US immigrant visa. Last week, we were able to schedule Daniel's visa interview for April 27th. This is a HUGE step forward for us! The interview will be held in Nairobi which is about a 12 hour bus ride from Jinja. Daniel is currently in Nairobi to get a required physical done before the interview. I will be joining Daniel over the weekend and attending the interview with him. If Daniel's visa is accepted, he will be considered a permanent resident of America and we will be able to travel back to the United States a few weeks after the interview. This is exactly what we intend to do. We have actually booked tickets for the beginning of May. Please pray that Daniel's interview goes well! Although we see no reason for the visa to be denied, there really is no guarantee. So we are putting it all in God's hands and we ask that you would lift this request up in prayer this week. 

See you soon, we hope!