afrikrazy

She is positive.

2007-02-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is from an email I recieved from a friend of mine serving in northern Uganda (James Pearson). Read, and pray. Please pray.

"There was a little girl named Joyce who lived on the beautiful African savanna. The savanna is like a field, only it goes on forever in every direction, with a sky the size and depth of a hundred oceans above it. Most eyes can't take in a scene as big as the savanna and its sky, but Joyce's can. They are big, brown eyes that might be as deep as one hundred oceans and one.

Long ago I told one of Joyce's stories , a sad, sad story that will shape many of her stories to come. But today I heard another story, older than the first and just as tragic. It too will write pages in her life, and shorten its book.

The land of Uganda is situated just over the rim of your world and a little to the right. When you come to Africa, look for the biggest lake and stop just a hair to the north of it; that's Uganda. It's a small country full of busy people with the darkest skin and brightest smiles. Walking around the streets of southern Uganda reminds me of recess - everyone is out talking to each other, some playing games, some making fun, many laughing, one crying.

But mention the north to these southerners and their eyes grow distant, their smiles fade, and they look away. They are frightened and ashamed. In fact, although Uganda has been a country for over 40 years, many southerners don't consider the north part of their nation.

Joyce lives in the north.

Since long before Joyce was born war has darkened the lives of people living in northern Uganda. Roughshod rebels have roamed the land, carrying guns in their arms and a swirling confusion of darkened dreams in their hearts. The dreams come from a place that, if you close your eyes, looks like a crumbling cliff that tumbles down below the light and ends in a pool that is really a mirage, but swallows you just the same.

Many believe, as Joyce might someday come to think, that if southern Uganda had cared about the north these rebels would have been stopped before they could do much harm. But they weren't stopped, as Joyce's life shouts in its small, devastating, living testimony.

You see, it's not only rebels and their guns that kill people in northern Uganda, there is also a plague, and the frightened people of the north have been forced to live in such a way that the plague spreads like bateria on a doorhandle.

In the story of Joyce's that I last told, you heard that she was burned badly over much of her body, and that her mother was killed at the same time by the guns of rebels. But bullets or no, the war had already claimed Joyce's mother. She had the dread plague of HIV that hides hideously in the camps of the north.

Weeks ago Joyce began to cough in her hut on the wide savanna. It got worse and worse, and soon it was unavoidable that she must be taken to a hospital. She was tested and was found to have tuberculosis, a terrible lung infection that, untreated, would lead to death. But the doctors fears were not assuaged by the prescription of antibiotics. They know that tuberculosis is a friend of a plague, sneaking in the doors of bodies that the plague has left open, so she was tested for HIV as well.

She is positive.

She is positive.

She is the butt of every distasteful joke this land can muster, the depository for the misery of a 20-year war. And she sits, eyes so wide and deep, holding it all within her frail body in the hospital in Gulu, and she breathes.

By God's careful manipulation a movie star and a journalist were with Joyce when she was tested, and they have vowed to spend their money to extend the boundaries of her shrunken life. Someday, I hope, she will be strong enough to present herself to the world as evidence of its own misdeeds, and her deep eyes and easy breaths evidence that it need not be that way."

Happy New Year

2007-01-04T23:01:00.000-08:00

I rang in the new year at the beach... Long Beach... WA, not CA. Boy was it pretty, and boy was it cold. And in case you didn't know, I have smooth skills.
12/31/06 at 11:59 PM, I ran into the kitchen for a glass of sparkling cider to toas with.
1/1/07 at 12:00 AM, I was cleaning up blood. From my finger, which I somehow cut on the stem of the martini glass I broke while ringing in the new year.
Here's proof :)

Four quick things.

2006-12-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

1. My grandma, Ilo Larson, passed away on friday evening.
I am at home from now until the holidays. It was sudden, and if I didn't say goodbye to you, don't worry.
I didn't say goodbye to anyone else, either :(
2. I am sick. Thank you, Sandals Church.
3. I miss you. YES, you. And, I'll be back. Don't cry for me, Argentina.
4. I drove over a thousand miles in the last two days.
And I'm sick. So, I'm going to bed.

Baby Losiah

2006-11-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

He's HERE!!!! Losiah Whittaker is FINALLY home.
Carlos and Heather, I am so glad you're back from Korea, and I can't believe that your son is so stinkin tiny and cute.

For those of you that do NOT know Los and Heather, they chose to adopt a baby from Korea... and it has been my joy to watch them move through the process of brining their son home. Lots of deadlines. Lots of waiting. Lots of money. And sweat (literally). An tears. And Love. They loved this baby boy without even having met him. And now, he is finally at home with them.

I got to meet this precious little guy today, and holding his squirmy little self blessed me so much. He is a tangible presence of God's goodness, his faithfulness, and provision.

Go to ragamuffinsoul.com for videos, and to see the Whittaker's story. It will bless you. I promise.

Operation Christmas Child: 227 boxes of love...

2006-11-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

227 Christmas wishes.

227 smiles.

227 reasons for hope.

227 hearts that will feel a little more loved, a little more worth it.

Thank you Sandals Church, for pouring love out on kids around the world that you will most likely never meet. My heart was encouraged this week by you.
(Pics courtesy of Daniel Balboa!).

My buddy E.

2006-11-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite little friends is my buddy E. Ethan Brown is so stinkin cute, I just cant help but to smile whenever I see him. With dirty little feet and a droolish smile that would melt anyone's heart, there's no way to tell this kid "no". I don't know how Matt and Tammy do it.
And the thing is, he's only ONE of the MANY adorable kiddos floating around Sandals.

I'll do anything...

2006-11-12T23:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming. There's lots of kids around the world that do not know Jesus, do not have parents who can provide for them, and who do not ever recieve gifts, even for Christmas. So, we at Sandals Church are taking part in Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse). The highlight of this project for me was shopping with my small group, and compiling/wrapping boxes together. Another highlight was actually wearing a box. Today. At church.
But it totally worked. Lots of people took flyers, and hopefully they'll make boxes, too. Hey---if it helps make these kiddos feel loved on, it's worth it to me.

2006-10-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Coutesy of agent Balboa.

Uganda Lobby Day

2006-10-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

FOr all of you who are wondering why I have not yet blogged about Uganda lobby Day in Washington DC a couple of weeks ago, I do apologize. I am having technical difficulties in the picture downloading area of life, but as soon as I have some photos availible I will post them.
In the mean time, please keep making more noise. Write your senators, and representatives. Call them. Email them. Visit their local offices. Make friends with their staffers. Send them ridiculous amounts of relevant articles. Do whatever you can to make sure they know we want our government to step up our efforts in northern Uganda's peace process. PLEASE. You don't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed. You don't have to know every detail of the 20 year conflict. And remember, they work for US. But how can they do that effectively if we don't let them know what we are thinking!??

Ugandan Children. The cutest EVER.

2006-09-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

Come to Sandals Church on October 29th and hear about how YOU can begin to fight for justice on behalf of kiddos like this little one. We will be screening the film, "Invisible Children" at 7pm. Be there or be square. (Pic taken by Jared White in Uganda, Africa).

2006-09-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Whacha think about that?!

What is your JOY?

2006-09-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

I took this little blurb from my journal tonight. Now, if you are reading this, know that this is my feeble attempt at being real. It’s hard sometimes, isn’t it?! Maybe no one will read this post. If not, that’s ok. I didn’t write it for you (no offense). I wrote it for me. And for anyone who struggles with choosing JOY…

Tonight I led worship for a high school ministry in Hesperia. Usually I can hardly contain myself when I know I’m gonna get to sing to God with high school students. It is one of my most favorite things to do.
But tonight my mind was far from the set list I chose. It was far from the lyrics I knew I would be singing, and far from the One for whom we sing for. I have been so distracted lately, and tonight as we entered in to a time of worship through song, I could hardly keep focused. In fact, throughout the first song and most of the second I was thinking about the stupidest things… like how tired my voice sounded, how I needed more vocals in my monitor, how brassy my guitar sounded (for those of you who know nothing or could care less about the technicalities of music, count yourselves as blessed not to have these things going through your mind as you are trying to worship). It wasn’t until I was singing the chorus of the second song for the THIRD time that I FINALLY stopped to think about what I was singing.

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me.

I once heard someone say that worship isn’t to please us, it’s to please Jesus. Worship is to Jesus, it’s for Jesus, and it’s about Jesus.

Thank you, God, that your grace is more than enough for me. Because sometimes I need a whole lot of it just to get through the day. Instead of choosing joy, I choose to set my mind on things that are not of you. Things that discourage me, tell me I’ll never be good enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough. I buy into the lie that says I have to look a certain way, or have a certain body fat percentage to really be wanted. Then instead of fighting those things with the word of God, or processing with a friend who will speak truth to me, I try to push it out of my mind… (which is not something I recommend).

Learning to walk in truth is hard. Being real about it is even harder. Thanks, God, for taking us just as we are. Because “just as I am” sure isn’t pretty these days.

Sorry, long blog AND no pics. I'll do better next time.

$10, FREE laundry, and dinner. Here's how you win:

2006-09-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

Today we were doing a little filming... let's just say it involved a closed door, no lights, and smoke. So my roomate (and cubicle mate) KIM leans over and says... "I'll pay you..and laundry for....if you pretend to pass out right now." SO, being the mature responsible adult I am, I thought about it, and asked her to repeat herself.

"I'll pay you $10, buy you dinner, and do your laundry for a month if you pretend to pass out right now". In the blink of an eye, I dropped to the ground. It was tooo good of a deal to pass up. It was all good for about three seconds, until I heard Nathan and TJ thinking that I was really knocked out. Then, I lost it. I laughed. Blew my cover. Got a headache out of it, but no dinner. or laundry. or $10. Don't try this at home, kids.

2006-08-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

Seriously. This is the jam. Can anyone relate?
Actually my cube is far from boring, and I actually do my work...most of the time...

Balance the chi.

2006-08-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

What do you like to do when you get bored? I like to balance my chi. This particular day was one in which I was mocked publically in front of a couple hundred students I was speaking to. After a few minutes of the "lying down while balancing on chair" act... and I was a new woman. I suggest trying it.

2006-08-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

THIS is my cool boss. Not only is he an amazingly smart budgeter, communication coach, and jokester... he has one sweet sense of style (as seen in this pic that I stole off J Rocka's blog). Nathan didn't just wear this shirt on a saturday or something...nope, he sported it to CHURCH tonight.

Lil' Brown

2006-08-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

SO I've decided that Sandals Church has some of the best looking kids EVER. Take Ethan Brown, for instance (picture from his mother's blog). This little guy can come in to the office with slobber on his face, smelling like the food he has just spilled on his little shirt, and I still just want to squeeze him. He's so cute, how could you NOT want to kiss those little cheeks.
Even when he calls me a "cooky head"... his little voice is enough to brighten my day.
Thanks, God, for the joy you bring through the little kiddos.

Golden Spoon, anyone?

2006-08-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when two girls are thrown into an apartment, a church staff, AND a cubicle together. We take our Golden Spoon visits very, very seriously. And we figured it out last night... Kim and I are only apart for an average of FIVE hours out of the twenty-four in each day. It's crazy, folks. But I love her sooooo much, and would possibly be less sane without her.

my brain is mush.

2006-08-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

I have nothing good to say. I just needed to blog so that Los doesn't kick my off the Sandals Staff blog link.
Does anyone know how I can spruce up my blog? I have no sweet skills. And, since my blog is lame, I'm pretty sure no one reads it. But I think I am ready for a cool page. someone. help. pulease.

2006-07-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is one of the reasons why I can't stop thinking about the 20 year long war in northern Uganda and the 1.8 million people that are currently displaced because of it. For more information, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.

2006-07-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

So this is the kind of uplifting rif-raf that went on in the office today. Don't you wish you shared an office space with me? hmmm.

2006-07-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

So, tonight I thought I'd make some smoothies. I take great pride in my smoothie making ability... after all, I've been at it since I was like eight years old. Tonight's fiasco did not reflect my sweet skillz. It all started when I tried to add a "dash" of pineapple juice for flavor. I ended up dumping over half of the concetrate in my blender. Trying to keep my cool and remain professional about it, I went on in my quest for the perfect strawberry/banana sunrise... which ended up as a catastrophic mess in my new kitchen. Arggghh. Smoothies. Well worth the struggle for perfection.

Now I feel like I've officially joined my friends who blog about random things no one else really cares to read about. Isn't that what this whole blog thing is for? Well, I've officially joined the club. Carlos, watch out. There's a new blogger in town.

2006-07-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

You know those days when you wake up toooo early, and because of it nothing seems to go quite as planned for the rest of the day? Well, today was one of those days. I mean, seriouly. I wouldn't be suprised if I were FIRED tomorrow, simply because I was such a lame excuse of an employee today.
BUT a couple of dear friends saved the day when they showed up at my apartment with a BED for me to sleep in. I know this may not sound like a big deal, but it was like... Christmas in July. I have not had a bed of my own for MONTHS. since december. since before I gave up the comforts of suburban college life for an RV. (Which is what I have lived and toured in for the better part of this year). And now, I hang my nomadic hat at the door. At least, for now.