13 Sleeps.....

With only 13 sleeps to go the countdown is on. It's hard to contemplate, sometimes, packing your life into 4 suitcases. (I visited the rest of my life packed in the basement of a friend's today...I miss it already!) I keep thinking I have everything, then I find something else I need. I know I will probably be able to find it in Kampala, but there is some security in knowing you have everything you need right off the bat. There is still alot of uncertainty, like getting through customs, hoping that someone is there to pick me up, not knowing where I will be staying for the first few weeks. It's comforting to know that I have everything I need to "live" my life the way I know it, at least until my supplies run out.

With only a short time left at home, I have finished work and am "working" at trying to spend as much time as possible with family and friends. As much as I am excited about my new life in Uganda, I am already starting to miss home. I guess that's normal. I try not to think ahead to my birthday and to Christmas as I get too sad. It will be interesting to live between two worlds: making a new life in Kampala yet still keeping my foot in the door at home. I was never one for psychology, and now I feel like I will be living in a life sized psychology experiment.

I am truly looking forward to making Kampala my home. I am most looking forward to the everyday presence of God in my life. It is so eay to leave Him in the background here at home where everything is familiar and comfortable. But to rely on Him each day, to talk to Him each day, to have Him be present in my work life, this is something that I have been dreaming about since I came home from Bufukhula last May. I give thanks to God and my supporters each day for this amazing opportunity.

Almost Famous

Sharing Number Sense in Uganda

Caroline Skelton, North Shore News

Published: Sunday, August 12, 2007

Kristee Watson, 32, says she would have helped out in Uganda by taking out the garbage.

But with her accounting background, it will be her way with numbers that she brings to a three-year stint as a volunteer in the country.

Watson will be taking a break from her Canadian life to help out in the finance department of Food for the Hungry in Uganda, reporting all major donors, handling all the funding that comes in to make sure it's recorded then allocated out to different regions.

"It's not as glamorous as nursing or doctoring or being an engineer, but those projects don't get done if there's nobody there," she says.

Considering Uganda's record of troubles with fiscal responsibility, she says, she looks forward to bringing with her both good accounting practices and a sense of financial ethics and accountability to her new job.

Watson learned accounting while working with the Earls restaurant group during the last decade. Starting out serving, then moving into the head office, and finally being hired on as assistant controller for the Joey Tomato's restaurant chain, Watson says it's not just a knowledge of accounting that she'll take from these experiences.

"I think that what I gained with Earls was an ability to go into a situation and not be afraid of it and learn as you go," she says.

Watson is still in the process of collecting funds before her departure, as Food For the Hungry requires volunteers to secure all their funding before they leave.

These funds, explains Watson, include living expenses, transportation, training and an emergency evacuation fee, as well as savings for home, so that volunteers will have funds to return to.

But Watson says she has already received no shortage of support from the community, especially members of her church, Capilano Christian Community, which already sponsors 300 Ugandan children.

Watson was first inspired to volunteer in the country after she helped out in a short-term volunteering excursion last May with a work team from the church that helped in a building project in a Ugandan village.

While there, she was impressed by both the Food for the Hungry staff and the Ugandan people.

"I think there's the perception that Africans are poor, that they have nothing, that they must be miserable and sad all the time, and that is just not the case," says Watson. "I've never been in a place where there's so much joy."

So while her life here is rich with "(a) great job, great friends, great church," says Watson, "there's just something about Africa and the opportunity to go and serve the rest of the world that I think is important for a person to do."

To donate to Watson's volunteering effort, visit http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/UgandaBound.

cskelton@nsnews.com

God Said No!

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

So Much to Tell

I apologize for the lengthy delays between postings. This is due to the fact that I don't have a computer at home, so have to sneak posts in during work or at my parents on the weekends. That will change soon as my laptop for Uganda has been ordered by CFHI.

So...the big news is...I am leaving for Uganda in 12 weeks! Can you believe it?!?! What started out as a small seed God planted last May in Bufukhula is now bearing fruit.

Only 10 More Sleeps!

How excited am I to be heading of to Peru in 10 days? I will be spending 3 weeks training with staff from Food for the Hungry International and missionary candidates from the US and Great Britain. While I am not looking forward to the studying, I am looking forward to meeting the other candidates and hearing how God has been working in their lives to get them to this point. Not to mention the three weeks of hot summer weather!

Why the Voice of Truth?

I was looking for a great title for the newsletter I knew I would have to send every three months for the next 3 - 4 years. I spent hours pouring over bible verses and quotes from inspiring people, just hoping to find the words that would convey what I have been feeling since I came home from Uganda in May 2005.

I was sitting at the computer, tired and fed up, when the song Voice of Truth from Casting Crowns came on. That was it. That’s the name of my newsletter. That’s what I want to convey to my family ,friends and supporters.

My promise to you is that for the next four years I will echo the voice of truth to you in the pages of this blog and in my newsletters. As I keep hearing God’s word on my heart while I pray during the months of preparation and while I am fielded in Uganda, I will attempt to share these words with you. I want you to feel that this journey is yours; I want you to own my dream with me.

Oh What I would do to have

The kind of faith it takes

To climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is

And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name

And they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me

Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"

"You'll never win!"

Chorus:

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant

With just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors

Shaking in their armor

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name

And he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me

Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"

"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size

To put the giant on the ground

And the waves they don't seem so high

From on top of them lookin' down

I will soar with the wings of eagles

When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth