Onward and into my first home I go // From out of the heat and into the cold // Out from the bodas and pothole-filled streets // To frosted-framed windows and clattering teeth // From new friends, new mentors, and all my new peers // To family and old friends steadfast through the years // Great times have been had and good memories made // Yet I had to leave, so I hope that one day // That I can return to this place that I know // Where part of my heart was left: to my new home.
With wobbly legs and shaking knees, I approached the airport on April 29th, the night I left Canada.
With wobbly legs and shaking knees, I approached the airport on December 18th, the night I left Uganda.
Two different times. Two different places. One same response. Two different reasons.
As part of my re-entry assignment, I was asked to answer bunch of questions in my journal. As I answered these questions, I realized that there's no better way to help others understand where I am coming from, what I've experienced, and what I am thinking and feeling, than to share those responses.
Twelve real questions. Twelve raw responses. (Thank you, Brady Shearer, for recording and interviewing me.)
- Give a brief outline of your experience. What were you doing in Uganda, and did it end up being a positive experience overall?
- What would a typical day look like while you were there?
- Is there any impactful story in regards to the Stoplight Approach you would like to share?
- What significant things are you leaving behind?
- What answers to prayer did you see?
- What would you like to remember from you experience?
- What was it like to say goodbye?
- What changes have you noticed about yourself?
- How do you think those changes will affect you as you re-enter your own culture?
- Did you have any concerns about returning home?
- How do you plan on keeping the vision God has given you for missions alive?
- What are some of the lessons you learned that you would like to share with others?