First Day of Orientation

Hello everyone! This is Ernie! Well, it's 4:01 a.m. here in Kampala and once again my body refuses to sleep for a full night. The jet lag has continued to whip our bodies around and I find myself wide awake around 2 a.m. every morning. Thank goodness that Abbey seems to be sleeping better tonight and so I snuck out and decided to write a little.
Yesterday was an unbelievably good day. It was the first day of new teacher orientation at the school and I was blown away at the quality of people that we were surrounded by all day. There were about 20 brand new staff members! I was shocked because I only expected around 20 TOTAL staff members at the school (I guess there are around 60)! The people that we met today were from Canada, The Netherlands, England, Uganda, Kenya, the Philippines, Finland and several of us from the good 'ol U.S.A.! The spirit of adventure and faith among the staff members was off the charts. Abbey and I both felt very blessed and inspired for the coming school year.
The morning started with worship and general school topics and was followed by a tour of the school campus grounds. Heritage International School has been guided by some amazing visionaries and it is a beautiful oasis. I, of course, was pretty pumped up that they seem to value athletics pretty highly here. There are soccer pitches (I refuse to call soccer "football" like everyone else here does), basketball courts (outdoor of course), volleyball courts and a brand new PE office and supply building that is scheduled to be completed by the first day of school.
Later in the morning we were taken by bus into downtown Kampala. I am amazed at how beautiful this city is. There are seven hills that surround the area and all are filled with green trees and red roofs! We were taken to a shopping mall area called Garden City where we were able to purchase our new little cell phones and internet sticks so that we can eventually have internet in our apartment. We had lunch in a "food court" in the mall and I wish that you all could experience the chaos that was involved in that! Instead of picking which restaurant you want and going up to the window to order, everyone just sits down and the people bring the menus to you. They are all very competitive and want your business so they open the options right in front of you and stare at you hoping you will order from them! The options were plentiful, including Lebanese food, Italian food, Chinese food and some good old fashioned fish and chips. Abbey and I both ordered some delicious Italian food as I stared out over a gorgeous 18 hole golf course that was right next to the mall. I'm hoping to get to play a round or two out here this year.
We ended the evening by all hanging out at a place called the "Heritage House" where some of the teachers live. It was a wonderful time of getting to know the other new staff members better and watching the Olympics together! It is amazing to hear each person's story of how God has called them to come and serve in Uganda. Everyone's story is unique and wonderful. We serve an amazing and powerful God who's methods and ways can sometimes be mysterious. Abbey and I aren't sure why He has called our hearts so strongly to Kampala but we are excited to obey and to live passionately for Him here.
We love and miss you all greatly. The really hard part about following God's call in your life is that sometimes it requires that you have to leave those that you love and cherish so much. I must keep reminding myself that this world is not our home. This is only a short and temporary place and someday Jesus will come back and take us home. I look forward to that day when we can all be together with our Savior and with each other and never have to say goodbye again. In the meantime, though, there are so many who don't know yet about the transforming and life-saving love of our Father. I challenge each of you to live your lives totally sold out for Him. This world is not our home...
Your brother in Jesus Christ,
Ernie