A few more details

So in this blog post I am going to try to describe my week so far. Man has life started picking up! On Thursday, I went with a man named Alfred to the district of Nakasongola (a two hour drive from Kampala) where Cornerstone’s main school area is. They call it the “Ranch”: it’s basically this large plot of land they own in rural Uganda where they have their boys’ leadership school and a few other facilities. These include a primary school, a secondary school, and a community center. When I got there, I helped teach a Promise Keepers lesson with Alfred, a surprise lesson plan I learned about the day before. After lunch we then toured the area, particularly the room for computers. It is basically confirmed now that I will be teaching computers use and math there. I am not sure the details of the former, but I believe it’s involves basic computer usage and literacy. We then left so that we could get back to the main offices by around five.

On Friday after seeing some more Youth Corp homes (a ministry for street children), I went to a party for Stephen, who just graduated from the university here in Kampala. I have a wedding to attend in an hour. It’s oddly right outside my room – I am watching the people set up right now. Then on Tuesday, I am going to a conference in Nairobi about youth leadership. I will soon be able to add Kenya to my belt of countries visited. After that, I plan to move to the Ranch and start working there.

That being said, there have definitely been times when I feel disoriented and confused culturally. I feel my knowledge is improving. It seems like I have been here for much longer than a week. I hope as I am here longer that time will start to move quicker.

I noticed when I looked at the other HNGR blogs that most of them officially explained what HNGR is. HNGR is a program offered by Wheaton College in which students do a 6-month internship somewhere in the Global South (if you’ve never heard “Global South” before, a simplified definition would be “Third World” – I prefer the term “Global South” but won’t explain why here.) They are individuated internships (I am the only other Wheaton student where I am and working with this organization). There are 21 of us, and we are literally all over the world: Uganda, Peru, Jordan, Philippines, you get the point.

Below is this year’s HNGR covenant, sort of cowritten by all of us HNGR interns:

Heavenly Father,
You are our refuge,
Our very present help in all things.
By Your grace we receive:
pardon for guilt,
freedom from shame,
hope for despair,
joy within sorrow,
courage for fear,
and peace for our anger.

Christ Jesus,
You are freedom for the oppressed
and dignity for the marginalized.
By Your grace, we ask
to join in Your redemptive work and
to carry Your death in our bodies
so that Your life is revealed in us.

Holy Spirit,
You are our strength,
the Sustainer of our Faith.
By Your grace, we affirm that you empower us:
to humbly receive transformation,
to stand alongside those who mourn,
to exalt you throughout the nations.

Holy Trinity,
in unity we confess our brokenness,
Knowing that we find wholeness in You.
Help us to be still and know that You are good.

Be with us now, Lord Jesus.

Amen

I may have some pictures soon. I haven’t really taken any, though at the wedding I am likely to.