On the first day we arrived in Uganda we were blessed to meet up with a past world race participant named Bethany. She went on the world race and then decided it was her calling to move back to Mukono, Uganda with a friend to build a library and extra classrooms at Champions Primary School. She has been working to raise money and is only $8000 away from being able to be fully funded. Praise God!
When I first meet her I was unsure how to react because she was the first mzungu (white person) I had seen a while. Being able to have a normal conversation without a language barrier or heavy accent was something I hadn't experienced in many weeks. With little awareness at the beginning she was as much as a blessing to us as we would be to her.
She works at the school we helped at and over sees the construction that started on the library and classrooms while we were there. I soon started looking forward to seeing her as much as I looked forward seeing the children and teachers. She blessed our team taking us to the doctors when we all thought we had malaria and were falsely diagnosed, she helped us understand the culture and customs of the city, she gave us advice for being effective missionaries and she was a friend.
It amazes me that God is such an amazing author of a best selling book also known as my life. He places people in our lives for specific reasons and at the perfect time. He changes the plot and adds new characters and then before you know it, it is time for a new chapter of the book of life.
Bethany showed me what it meant to listen to God. She showed me what it meant to walk with God, trusting Him in every move you do. She showed me the importance of fellowship with others and how to appreciate the little things in life. When I meet Bethany I attacked her with questions about her life and the world race just because it was nice to have someone to talk to. I found out later that she needed another mzungu to talk to just as badly as I did. She has been in Uganda for about 9 months living with the people, in their culture and she expressed the gratitude she had to be able to talk about American culture and just express some of the feelings that the people of Uganda just don't understand, like time management.
We had the opportunity to give a lesson at church one Sunday about how to best manage your time and how to be on time. Something that most Americans know about but for some reason "African Time" is a real thing here in Africa. Lunch at 12 pm usually means 2:30. Bethany has had to learn to tolerate this and when I was struggling because I am such a scheduled person she helped me to understand that I have no control of the situation but I could help explain to them the need for respecting others time.
We enjoyed a fun day in the heart of Kampala being tourist yet having Bethany with us ensure the taxi drivers didn't try to over charge us. Her lively spirit and dedication to God was a blessing in my life. From sitting on the bus talking about trying to be in control of my own life plan yet knowing I have to surrender it to God, to talking about relationships and how we are learning how we deserve to be treated to washing dishes that smell like fish and talking about the funny things the Africa has to offer. She was a blessing during my short stay in Uganda and I pray that her dedication to the Lord can help others on their walk of faith.
Check out for yourself her life and dedication to the Lord. http://bethanyeason.wordpress.com/
Continue the prayers as we take on Rwanda.
