307; number of days spent in East Africa the past two years. As we come to the end of our time here in Uganda a rush of emotions and thoughts come crawling back into my mind. I’m thinking about the very first time I stepped off the plane on September 13, 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya confused as to what I just signed myself up for. I’m thinking about how after one day of being in country my leaders told me that we were headed to the bush for two weeks. Without showers, living in tents. Strange the things that at first seemed so scary are the best memories I have. I’m thinking of...

"Black Friday…Because only in America people trample others for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they have already"-Unknown In no way, shape, or form am I against people who shop on black friday. I love sales on black friday.  Sooo. It's friday. Thanksgiving has come and go, and now you are back on with your normal life routine. The question I challenge you with is this, "Are you still thankful?" Because you should be. Don't let Thanksgiving be the only day that you are aware of how blessed you truly are. This trip has opened my eyes...

Contact with everyone back home is something that I am very, very thankful for. I receive so much comfort when I read an e-mail or a facebook message from people as they send me their love from all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Many of the e-mails I receive are encouraging and positive as my family and friends genuinely wish happiness for me. And sometimes, it has been difficult to reply to those messages with the harsh reality that I'm not always having the time of my life. But that's okay. Because I don't think God is in the business of making us happy; God is in the...

LRA–The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is a militant group/cult operating in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. It has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, child-sex slavery and forcing children to participate in hostilities. I’m mostly venting here, but I promise you it’s a really powerful redemption story. Warning, it’s ugly…but it’s been made into something totally beautiful. One of our favorite ministries here in Lira is...

When I was fifteen my life was wrecked by a simple youtube video. It was a trailer for the Invisible Children documentary about child soldiers in Uganda. After that my life was forever changed. There was a war going on in Uganda and now a war going on in my own heart. My young eyes had been opened to a world of hurt that most of the world was completely unaware of. Seven years later many things have changed but my heart has continued to feel the burden of the injustice going on here. This past year there was an uproar over Invisible Children's newest video, Kony 2012. (If you want...

There are things I have seen here that unfortunately will be stuck in my mind for the rest of my life. Things that I honestly didn’t know existed. Sure I had heard stories about the LRA, third-world hygiene, or the medical treatment received here, but really had never paid much attention to them. As sad as the stories that you hear are, it’s just easier to forget about them and move on. But being here, and having these images crammed into my mind over and over again, how could I possibly forget? Whether it is the homeless old women with nubs for fingers begging for money, or...