Learning to Love

Donald Miller says in his book Blue Like Jazz, "Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way."

This has stirred me to think of how others have taught me to love.

So here's just a few jotted thoughts of what this has looked like in my life. 

My Gramma Gloria gave me a love for writing letters. We were the best of pen-pals! 

Hearing Chip Dickey preach gave me such a love for the Torah. He can make the Old T come to life like no other. 

I'll accredit my love for strawberry slushes with extra strawberries to Devin, back in our ole HS days. 

My dad showed me a love for the great outdoors, camping and fishing. I'm so thankful our vacations were to lakes and rivers, rather than concrete jungles. 

My mom showed me a love for baking and gardening. She also taught me, by example, how to see people that others just pass by and how much a hug can mean. 

Teresa Sauce showed me how to love and serve God in such a beautiful way. 

Watching Stephanie Dugard showed me a simple love for people, regardless of their past or their skin color. She looks everyone in the eye and judges no one. We also share a love for peanut butter and Junie B. Jones. 

Cheryl Read shared her love for Ghana with me. That was a life changer. 

Living with Mike Peppers definitely gave me a love for coffee and 'Gunsmoke'. His wife Karen showed me how to love the homeless with discernment and passion. 

Kenneth and Kristi Williams, who I live with now in Uganda, have showed me to love life in a way I never have before. That following hard after God is the most important thing you can do in life. 

Nikki shared her love for hammocking and Josh Garrels with me in Ghana 2 summers ago. 

Uncle Ed-Jimmy Buffet and the beach 

Caleb Read-Donald Miller, climbing buildings and living without a door. 

Jake Dugard-Jon Mark McMillan and rope swings 

Katy James-creek baths, summer camp, heard life, PD

Liz Hunt-graveyards and Third Eye Blind

Carly Hill- Sweet Home Alabama at 3am 

The list could go on and on. Somewhere along the way I also discovered a love for the mountains, hiking, audio books, country music, Nutella and chacos. 

I think some things we love naturally and some we have to learn and grow to love. 

The most important things I have learned from others are how to love God, how to love others, and how to love myself. 

And I hope people are learning those things from my life as well. 

"That's the only thing that matters in life, the only thing. Fall in love with as many things as possible."

-Kelly Canter in Country Strong 

One More

Kenneth says the curse of living in Uganda is that you get used to things that people back home don't see as normal. 

I've been back in Karamoja for about 2 weeks now. It's been so good to be back to the place I feel like I left such a huge piece of my heart. But at the same time, I once again feel overwhelmed by the needs and the hardships faced by the people. 

If you've read my blog before, or receive my email updates, you've heard of sweet Nacuk. She is the granddaughter of TaTaa, who has passed since I was here last time. Her mother is know for drinking and fighting. When I first saw Nacuk since returning, she was filthy, stomach was swollen from malnutrition...that night I cried myself to sleep thinking of her, asking God what I could do to help. She started showing up at our house everyday, so I've been playing with her and feeding her. We also put her in school! 

Then there is TaTaa's sister and her granddaughter, Lokwi. They live together. The sister is a blind old lady and Lokwi is handicapped. When I went to visit them, the blind old lady was building a fire to cook green weeds she had gathered. A blind lady building a fire, yes. And Lokwi was laying on the ground wearing the exact same clothes I gave her a year ago. A YEAR AGO. Except now they were more like rags. 

Yesterday 2 people died by lightning. One was a mother of a three month old baby girl. This morning her husband came to our gate. We sponsor babies that mothers have died in childbirth, giving them formula, a bottle, soap and clothes. The Moses Project. So we registered that baby into our program. 

We just dropped a baby and his grandmother off at the hospital for severe malnutrition and pneumonia. His mother had left him for prostitution. 

Even now, my friend Adoc is laying on the floor, sick with malaria. 

These are the kind of everyday happenings that begin to seem "normal". 

So what can I do? All I know is to live each and every day, each and every moment, as intentionally as I can. To look people in the eye, to take opportunities to pray with people, to treat one more wound...one more. If just one more person is shown the love of Christ, that's what it's all about! That's all I can do. 

And despite it all, I love this hard, beautiful life.