Perspective

This week I have been staying with the MCC interim country representatives for Uganda, Ron and Sally Jo Milne. I was able to join them in attending my first Anglican Church service, a local dinner theatre featuring traditional music and food, and to the MCC office a number of days for orientation there.

One orientation session took place at the office with two of the local workers, Rose Mary and Margret. Both of these women have spent their entire lives in Uganda and their task was to divulge all their cultural secrets to me so that I would be completely “socially fluent.” Obviously they were not able to think of everything; but, I did learn some facts (these few clashed with my U.S. notions the most):

1.       I should never cross my legs, especially not in church.

2.       I should avoid direct eye contact if I want to show respect to the person I am speaking with.

3.       I should cross my arms to show that I am paying close attention to what is being said.  

I left the session feeling overwhelmed and less certain about this coming year than I ever have before.

Through all of Rose Mary and Margret’s tips I heard one key recommendation; be prepared to receive and give hospitality, sounds a bit like lessons I’ve been taught in church. If I remember, and practice all the advice I was given it will be good. But if I remember to put people before myself, or be humble enough to accept hospitality perhaps I will understand something even greater than “social fluency” in Uganda.

Orientation

My preconceived notions of SALT (Serving and Learning Together) orientation were completely blown after arriving in Akron, PA last Thursday. Following registration and supper we all gathered for giant Dutch Blitz and other mixer activities. I had assumed that the orientation would be serious and extremely formal. However, the excitement of the SALTers, IVEPers (International Volunteer Exchange Program) participants was contagious.

Every morning we gathered for worship, different groups took turns sharing music from their home country. On Tuesday the IVEPers from Africa led us along with some of the SALTers going to Africa. One song they sang translated:

There’s no one, there’s no one like Jesus

There’s no one, there’s no one like him X2

I walked all over, nothing, nothing

I searched all over, nothing, nothing

I turned all over, nothing, nothing

There’s no one, there’s no one like him.

The song reinforced to me much of what our lectures had been discussing with us in the seminars; this next year we will be at the mercy of our host families, new culture,  and new language. We will certainly have feelings of loneliness and frustration sometimes and no matter how far we walk, where we turn to and how hard we search we will be confronted with our human fallibility. However, Jesus will always be journeying with us guiding our lives no matter how abnormal it may feel. Attached is a short clip of this song from our morning worship and the daily prayer group I was a part of.

Preliminaries

Recently the MCC country representatives for Uganda, Ron and Sally Jo Milne, took a trip to Kotido and made some arrangements for my arrival. They posted a number of pictures on their blog and gave me some information about my host family as well as the bishop I will be serving with.

I will be living with Romano and Maria and their children. Several of their kids will be in boarding school in the capital city, Kampala, but there will also be some younger ones still at home. Needless to say, I'm rather excited to meet them all.

Ron and Sally also met with the bishop for the North Karamoja Diocese of the Church of Uganda, a denomination related to Anglican/Episcopal church. In the MCC service outline I received my assignment is Social Work, Chaplaincy and Church Education related. I'm looking forward to seeing what this may look like and learning more about church work.