About Time

Top row (left to right): Terry and Sarah
Bottom row (left to right): Victoria and Tim and a kind stranger

I know that I haven't written in a while. Things have crazy busy over the last week or so. Tomorrow the first proper week of the DTS starts. The last week or so has been introduction week. We've been going through the eighteen values that Youth With A Mission is founded on. Thursday night was great fun. I'll explain why it was so much fun.

The other DTS staff arranged a scavenger hunt for the DTS and split them into two groups. I wasn't told anything because I was one of the group shadows (my group's on the left, but I'll get to that in a moment). We were given a series of clues with riddles as to the location of the next clue. We had to complete the task and crack the riddle. I wasn't allowed to help or answer any questions, because I know parts of the city really well and the game was an attempt to help the students get a grip on the geography of the city a little and to help them get over their fear of approaching strangers to ask for help. I also had to film or photograph my team's attempts at completing their tasks. The first task was outside the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The team had to find some willing volunteers to help them build a human pyramid (as pictured). It took them ages to find someone who was willing to do it... There were other things they had to do, like serenade a stranger and do a cover from a boy band (which were videoed). They're a great group of young people and I'm really enjoying getting to know them better.

Marble Arch

Other than still adjusting to being one of the DTS staff, I'm doing really well. Thankfully there hasn't been any snow (I've decided I don't like snow). Things have been interesting with my braces, yes, my teeth are moving into the right positions, but last week one of the wires came out of the bracket right at the back of the lower left hand side of my mouth so I had an appointment today to go and put it back into place. It took a while getting to the practice but its sorted out now. On my way home, I took the bus past Marble Arch (pictured on the right). There's an interesting history.

"The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is today the three bayed, central projection of the palace containing the well known balcony. In 1851 it was relocated and following the widening of Park Lane in the early 1960s is now sited, isolated and incongruously, on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road. Historically, only members of the Royal Family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are permitted to pass through the arch; this happens only in ceremonial processions. The arch gives its name to the vicinity of its site, particularly, the southern portion of Edgware Road and also to the nearby underground station." (Taken from Wikipedia).

Another thing I forgot to mention, is that every week, for the first four weeks of the DTS, we're going to a different church, so that the DTS students can get a taste of some of the local churches, then choose one they'd like to attend for the rest of the lecture phase. Yesterday, we went to an anglican church, St. Mark's, which is about twenty minutes away from Dartmouth Road. It was a lovely church service, and to be honest I was pleasantly surprised. After the service I took two different buses into London, because I wanted to attend ChristChurch, London. Its a church I've been attending for a few months now and has two services. One at 11.00 and one at 16.00 (4pm). I've been going to the evening service but usually the public transport in London makes it a a bit tricky getting to Blackfriars (its a few moments away from the station). Its common for a number of Underground Lines to have planned engineering works over the weekend, which entails in more people having to use the buses. So I was walking along side the Thames, towards Blackfriars Bridge, when I came across these seagulls. I wanted to take a photograph and edged closer to the one sitting on the railing. Just as I snapped the photo with my phone another seagull dive bombed the one on the rail and I managed to get it on camera. I had to post it to my photo journal. Its not every day I'm so fortunate to get such a good photograph.

Tomorrow's the beginning of another week here on base and I'm not sure when I'll next post. Hopefully in the next week or so.

Sudden Changes

Sunset over the Thames

There's been some large changes since I last wrote. I've gone from from being house staff to being part of the DTS (Discipleship Training School) staff. Its exciting! It was also very last minute and to be honest sometimes I'm a little overwhelmed with the whole idea of doing this. When I finished my DTS I'd wanted to staff a DTS, but God shut the door. I think many of you have read my blogs from the previous year or so, and all the drama of trying to get an Australian visa. I then came to London to London to do my LMD (School of Leadership and Ministry Development). God told me to stay and help the base, which has involved working with the October LMD and now the January Sports & Media DTS. There are seven students. Three guys (Hector, Jonathan and Tim) and four girls (Victoria, Terry, Alisa and Sarah).

If I haven't mentioned before I'm also in a new room, one of the girls I've roomed with before and the other girl was on my LMD. I moved about a week ago and have spent some time settling and getting used to being on the top floor of the house and not on the middle one.

More photos to follow!

The Funny One

I honestly don't know where to start. There have been so many changes in the last week and the Sports & Media DTS hasn't even started yet.

I arrived back in England a week ago. It was long journey from Uganda as you might have gathered from my last post a week ago. Things aren't really busy yet, though people are running about finishing the final preparations for the DTS's start on Friday. The students are arriving over the next few days, so the staff are being moved to new rooms... which includes me.

The house on Dartmouth Road has three floors (including the ground floor). Since I arrived in April I've been sleeping in one of the rooms on the middle floor, which is known as the female students room. I've moved beds a few times but that's been my room. Now, I'm moving upstairs to one of the staff rooms on the third floor. Its saying that I've really become one of the house staff here at Dartmouth Road, which is great. I've gone from having the possibility of having five room mates to have the possibility of having three roommates. I'm still on upper bunk, which isn't a problem. As a child, growing up in Jinja, my sister and I shared a room and a bunk bed. I had the upper bunk back then. This post isn't all about beds, but where we sleep is very important.

There's so many things that I'm grateful for. The Lord has given me so much! One thing is the people I live with. They're amazing! I've been dubbed, by one of the guys, as the Funny One (the name of this post), so I must have a sense of humour somewhere inside me! Hehe.

A Taste Of Home

Tropical rainstorm, the smell of wet, red earth, power cut. These are three things that stand out to me from my childhood. Tropical rainstorms here in Uganda don't last long, but they're violent. When I was very small, I'd hid in my parents' bed, because that felt like the safest place in the house. Now, I love falling asleep to the sound of rain on a tile roof. I love the smell of rain soak ground. Its so distinct. Many countries in Africa have the red earth, from the rust in the ground, but there are legends that say that the colour comes from all the blood that's been shed over the land. Uganda's seen its fair share of bloodshed over the last fifty odd years. Despite now having three hydroelectric dams running we still get our fair share of power cuts. Back in my childhood, we only had one dam, Owen Falls, which was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (back in the 1950s, I think). During the course of my life, the second and, just recently, a third have been opened.

It hit me this morning, that you can take me out of Africa, but you can't take Africa out of me, you can't take Uganda out of my heart. Its buried under my skin now. I was born a Ugandan, and even though I don't carry Ugandan citizenship, I'm a white Ugandan and I'm proud of that. As I write this, as I sit in another international airport, I realised again, just how much I love Uganda. Yes, London is my home now, but a part of my heart will stay in Uganda, always.