We have been here over a week now and although I am not well versed in the culture yet I have made a lot of observations.
1. Roosters here are not on Ugandan time. They crow in the middle of the night and early in the morning. 3:00 a.m. early.
2. Mice like having parties on your roof at 5:00 a.m.
3. Hand washing your clothes is really hard on your clothes, but good exercise for your arms.
4. If you are 5 and under your favorite thing to do is yell "Muzunga" (White person) and giggle, then follow you.
5. Cold showers are not so bad....ok maybe they are.
6. You may not have a flushing toilet or running water but you can have internet :). (Thank goodness for that, so I can keep in touch with friends and family)
7. Mosquitos nets at night keep out all sorts of critters other than mosquitos. Maybe they don't keep out mosquitos at all. I wake up with all kinds of bites....unless maybe we have bed bugs. Who knows....however the mosquitos here are very clever and smart.
Ok, ok, in all seriousness......we are doing pretty good. We have seemed to pass around a cold and our bodies are all adjusting to the food here, and the different bacteria and such.
We are not in our house yet which is a bummer, but we are optimistic it will be soon. Hopefully it really will be soon and not "Africa" time.
Our team is amazing and we are so thankful to have them. We have learned a lot about how God is speaking to them, and we feel Him saying a lot of the same things to us. We were able to visit the orphanage and see what work is going on there, which was nice to see in the flesh. We are excited to make a trip to the village soon to meet some people that our team mates have been helping.
I think that sums it up...in a nut shell at least. A small one. Sorry I don't have pictures. Maybe next week. Hope all of you are doing well and remember we would love to hear from you and see how you are doing. Drop us an email when you can.
Oh and Cody actually blogged (it has been since June). You can check it out at our website www.FollowingJesusToUganda.com. Then click on "FulkTales." He is going to try and blog more often, and he is a much better writer than me, so enjoy!
Love From Uganda,
Michaela
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The kids were really tired of sitting in the car, but found some time to sleep. This is Samuel and Ezra Williams.
Crossing a small river. It was low don't worry. One of the kids said, "Wow how exciting." They really enjoyed all the new things we experienced while driving.
And last...our house we staying in until our house is ready....
Thanks for reading, we would love to hear from you all when you can, and send your questions.
Michaela
We Made it to Kotido and we now have internet! Hooray
It has been almost a week since we landed in Uganda and it seems like we have done so much already. We left Kampala headed North to Kotido, with a night stop in the middle. Our stay with missionaries in Namule was a great blessing. They moved to Uganda 10 years ago, and their youngest was 1 at the time. It was great to see their family 10 years later and to pick their brains with all the questions I had. They also took us to a village, where they were going to be doing a bible lesson for the kids. It amazing and humbling all at the same time.
So here we are in Kotido, learning all the ins and outs. We are more than thankful for our team already here. They have done so much for us alreaday and have been there to help us with lots of questions and to give us guidance. We are not in our house yet because they are doing some work to it but we got to see it yesterday and we are excited that it should be done soon. I am anxious to get settled in and into a routinue. In the mean time we are staying on a compound. Again it is a huge blessing to be able to have somewhere to stay. It may not be the best accomadations in our eyes but it is all we need, and God has blessed us.
It has been very humbling to see how He provides and blesses us. The living circumstances here are not what we are use to, but we feel blessed because of His love, and the people He has placed in our life.
Ok everyone wants to know how the kids are doing. They continue to amaze me, and they are my inspiration. I would say that Joshua seems to be fitting in the best. He seems very relaxed here and his heart for God and his obedience is contagious. He wants to serve the people here, and wants to give everything away. He has also been a great leader, and protector for his siblings. The other kids are doing really good too. Samuel is really interested in learning the language and has learned several words and pronouces them well already (for a reminder the language is Karamajong and is only spoken in the Northeastern region of Karamoja). Janaya has tried to make friends with some of the girls where we are staying despite their shyness. Carter is being rather bold in a lot of situations and is not being as shy as we thought he would be. To Malachi things don't seem too different to him. They are all enjoying playing soccer, doing laundry by hand, trying to catch lizards, playing in the dirt, playing the with Williams kids, etc.
Now for some more pictures, and a couple fun adventures with them. On our way we crossed the Nile river....
The Williams got stuck (not while crossing the Nile....we crossed that on a bridge)because their four-wheel drive went out all of a sudden, and we tried to pass this truck that had just got "un stuck." Thankfully Mr. Bob Wright was near and came to the rescue. The natives thought it was entertaining to see how they were going to get out and two of the men even pulled out a camera and took a picture of them. Muzungas (think that is spelled right) is what they call us.
The next day when we were staying with the Wrights we went to the village and on the way came across a boar hole which is where people get the water. The kids really liked playing here. I didn't take any pictures of the village or of the Bible stories with the kids because it was not real appropriate. Their singing, and smiles were amazing.
Joshua found a little boy carrying water and tried to tell him he would carry it but he didn't speak english so Joshua just took it for him and carried it to his house.
So here we are in Kotido, learning all the ins and outs. We are more than thankful for our team already here. They have done so much for us alreaday and have been there to help us with lots of questions and to give us guidance. We are not in our house yet because they are doing some work to it but we got to see it yesterday and we are excited that it should be done soon. I am anxious to get settled in and into a routinue. In the mean time we are staying on a compound. Again it is a huge blessing to be able to have somewhere to stay. It may not be the best accomadations in our eyes but it is all we need, and God has blessed us.
It has been very humbling to see how He provides and blesses us. The living circumstances here are not what we are use to, but we feel blessed because of His love, and the people He has placed in our life.
Ok everyone wants to know how the kids are doing. They continue to amaze me, and they are my inspiration. I would say that Joshua seems to be fitting in the best. He seems very relaxed here and his heart for God and his obedience is contagious. He wants to serve the people here, and wants to give everything away. He has also been a great leader, and protector for his siblings. The other kids are doing really good too. Samuel is really interested in learning the language and has learned several words and pronouces them well already (for a reminder the language is Karamajong and is only spoken in the Northeastern region of Karamoja). Janaya has tried to make friends with some of the girls where we are staying despite their shyness. Carter is being rather bold in a lot of situations and is not being as shy as we thought he would be. To Malachi things don't seem too different to him. They are all enjoying playing soccer, doing laundry by hand, trying to catch lizards, playing in the dirt, playing the with Williams kids, etc.
Now for some more pictures, and a couple fun adventures with them. On our way we crossed the Nile river....
The Williams got stuck (not while crossing the Nile....we crossed that on a bridge)because their four-wheel drive went out all of a sudden, and we tried to pass this truck that had just got "un stuck." Thankfully Mr. Bob Wright was near and came to the rescue. The natives thought it was entertaining to see how they were going to get out and two of the men even pulled out a camera and took a picture of them. Muzungas (think that is spelled right) is what they call us.
The next day when we were staying with the Wrights we went to the village and on the way came across a boar hole which is where people get the water. The kids really liked playing here. I didn't take any pictures of the village or of the Bible stories with the kids because it was not real appropriate. Their singing, and smiles were amazing.
Joshua found a little boy carrying water and tried to tell him he would carry it but he didn't speak english so Joshua just took it for him and carried it to his house.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Our Time in Kampala
We have really enjoyed our time here in Kampala getting supplies and such but will be leaving tomorrow morning for our home in Kotido. It will take us 2 days to get there because we are not going to try the 12 hour drive in one day. I am excited to get there to get settled into our house although I am enjoying the many luxuries of Kampala (electricity, washing machine, etc). Enough about that here are some pictures of the kids. They are having a blast.
Joshua wanted to help the staff wash clothes by hand. He really enjoys this, and the staff loved having him :)
Samuel playing cards with James. All the kids love him.
Carter and Malachi enjoying some tangerines.
Janaya in front of our Land Cruiser. We have to have a really heafty vehicle for these horrible roads here. Hopefully it will hold up on the trip to Kotido.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, they took forever to load :)
Joshua wanted to help the staff wash clothes by hand. He really enjoys this, and the staff loved having him :)
Samuel playing cards with James. All the kids love him.
Carter and Malachi enjoying some tangerines.
Janaya in front of our Land Cruiser. We have to have a really heafty vehicle for these horrible roads here. Hopefully it will hold up on the trip to Kotido.
Hope you enjoy the pictures, they took forever to load :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A WEEK! YIKES!
Today is the one week mark before we go and things are going well. God has been doing some amazing things and really this WHOLE journey has been amazing. From little things to big things. One new thing that He has done is provided the perfect house for us in Kotido where we will be living. 2 weeks ago we got a call from our team telling us they couldn't find a house they thought would work well for us. They gave us two options and we choose one, but continued to pray that something better would come in store. One week later we get the call about that better house. WOW.....really? How exciting. Thank you God!
Another thing that has me smiling today is that I got to have an ultrasound of our baby today and to see my midwife. My lab results were all perfect which is nice because they were not that way with Carter. The baby is healthy and it was nice to see what is making me so sick :) (BTW....Thank you all for lifting me up in prayer about my pregnancy nausea and sickness. It has been getting better. I still have some bad days of vomiting but it is not everyday as before.)
The big question is how are we doing emotionally? For the most part wonderful (although for me I have been up and down). The kids are doing well and are excited to go. I am so grateful and proud of how well they have been doing. The hardest thing is saying goodbye to our family and friends. It is weird closing this part of our chapter, and saying goodbye to so much, but we know that God has new chapters for us in store.
Thanks for all your prayers and support!
Michaela Fulk
Here's our little 13 weeks old peanut. Too bad we can't tell if it is a boy or girl yet. Guess we will have to be surprised.
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Another thing that has me smiling today is that I got to have an ultrasound of our baby today and to see my midwife. My lab results were all perfect which is nice because they were not that way with Carter. The baby is healthy and it was nice to see what is making me so sick :) (BTW....Thank you all for lifting me up in prayer about my pregnancy nausea and sickness. It has been getting better. I still have some bad days of vomiting but it is not everyday as before.)
The big question is how are we doing emotionally? For the most part wonderful (although for me I have been up and down). The kids are doing well and are excited to go. I am so grateful and proud of how well they have been doing. The hardest thing is saying goodbye to our family and friends. It is weird closing this part of our chapter, and saying goodbye to so much, but we know that God has new chapters for us in store.
Thanks for all your prayers and support!
Michaela Fulk
Here's our little 13 weeks old peanut. Too bad we can't tell if it is a boy or girl yet. Guess we will have to be surprised.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Newletter
I haven't done this before, but I am going to post our newsletter on this blog, so you know what is going on. I will not always do this and if you would like to be added to our email list please let me know. michaela.fulk@gmail.com .
Greetings! We hope you all are having a wonderful fall. It is our favorite time of year and we are enjoying the many beauties of the season. Before I (Michaela) go any further I want to tell you about a couple announcements in case you don't read the whole newsletter. There will be 2 different commisioning services and we would love for you to come to either of them.
1. Potluck and prayer at the River center. Saturday Sept. 25 at 5:00 at the River Center in New Castle
2. New Hope Church (Coal Ridge High School) Oct. 3 during church at 10:00 am.
Since the last newsletter lots of things have happened, and a theme that we are seeing in the past 18 months of our lives is God turning the impossible to the possible. After all He is in the redemption and hope business, but we have seen it over and over again, and He continues to strengthen our faith. When we started out in this journey we had a long list of obstacles and God has provided. It wasn't always in the timing we had thought, or in ways we thought, but in the end it has been perfect. I'm just glad we have a Father that knows best!!!
HERE'S WHAT IS NEW (Praise God):
-God provided a renter last Monday, and we have moved out.
-God provided enough money for us to purchase a vehicle in Uganda and one that will be sufficient enough for the rough roads.
-God provided a place to stay during the interim. (Thanks Andy and Holly)
-We got a surprise and found out I am pregnant. We are very excited and the timing turned out to be perfect so that I could be in the states for my first trimester. (I have been really sick with this pregnancy).
-A great time sharing our hearts and ministry in Boise City Oklahoma
WHAT YOU COULD BE LIFTING US UP IN PRAYER FOR:
-To raise the rest of our monthly support
-That all the details of moving could get done and that we wouldn't forget to do anything.
-We just put our van on craigslist, so we are hoping to sell it asap.
-For all the adjustments we are going through. Some of us do better than others with change:)
-For the William's (our team there) youngest boy who is having some health issues that might take them to Kenya for surgery.
-For healthy growth and development of our baby and that my nausea would end soon. (I am almost 12 weeks which is when it gets better for most women)
-That God would continue to give vision to what He wants us to be doing there.
Thank you all so much and we hope to see you at one or both of the commissioning services. Only 15 more days before we leave!
Oh and as always let me know if you want off the newsletter list.
In Christ,
The Fulks (but written by Michaela)
Greetings! We hope you all are having a wonderful fall. It is our favorite time of year and we are enjoying the many beauties of the season. Before I (Michaela) go any further I want to tell you about a couple announcements in case you don't read the whole newsletter. There will be 2 different commisioning services and we would love for you to come to either of them.
1. Potluck and prayer at the River center. Saturday Sept. 25 at 5:00 at the River Center in New Castle
2. New Hope Church (Coal Ridge High School) Oct. 3 during church at 10:00 am.
Since the last newsletter lots of things have happened, and a theme that we are seeing in the past 18 months of our lives is God turning the impossible to the possible. After all He is in the redemption and hope business, but we have seen it over and over again, and He continues to strengthen our faith. When we started out in this journey we had a long list of obstacles and God has provided. It wasn't always in the timing we had thought, or in ways we thought, but in the end it has been perfect. I'm just glad we have a Father that knows best!!!
HERE'S WHAT IS NEW (Praise God):
-God provided a renter last Monday, and we have moved out.
-God provided enough money for us to purchase a vehicle in Uganda and one that will be sufficient enough for the rough roads.
-God provided a place to stay during the interim. (Thanks Andy and Holly)
-We got a surprise and found out I am pregnant. We are very excited and the timing turned out to be perfect so that I could be in the states for my first trimester. (I have been really sick with this pregnancy).
-A great time sharing our hearts and ministry in Boise City Oklahoma
WHAT YOU COULD BE LIFTING US UP IN PRAYER FOR:
-To raise the rest of our monthly support
-That all the details of moving could get done and that we wouldn't forget to do anything.
-We just put our van on craigslist, so we are hoping to sell it asap.
-For all the adjustments we are going through. Some of us do better than others with change:)
-For the William's (our team there) youngest boy who is having some health issues that might take them to Kenya for surgery.
-For healthy growth and development of our baby and that my nausea would end soon. (I am almost 12 weeks which is when it gets better for most women)
-That God would continue to give vision to what He wants us to be doing there.
Thank you all so much and we hope to see you at one or both of the commissioning services. Only 15 more days before we leave!
Oh and as always let me know if you want off the newsletter list.
In Christ,
The Fulks (but written by Michaela)
Friday, September 10, 2010
My Struggles
Sorry I haven't blogged in quite awhile. With starting school, and preparing to leave on October 6, I have not made it a priority to blog.
Those of you that know me really well know that I struggle with the sin of people pleasing. I have a tendency to worry and care a lot about what people think of me (learning that this stems from pride). For the most part I am obedient to God rather to man, but it can be painful at times. There are times when I would like to be able to please both man and God and get the best of both worlds. God is not in that business. I either follow Him or follow man. A scripture that I have held on to tightly in dealing with this comes from Galations 1:10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Apparently I need a lot more work in this area than I thought because there have been a lot of opportunities in the past year where I have had to remember that it is God I answer to and not man. The biggest event that has altered and shaken my people pleasing tendencies is with the decision to move to Uganda as missionaries. With this decision has come a lot of adversatiy which has forced me to dig deeper into my faith and into the reason I follow God in the first place and what following Him really is.
All in all God is still working this in my life and some times are more painful than others. It can be really difficult being in this world but not being of this world. However I have learned more and more about denying myself and doing what the Bible says rather than doing just what I feel comfortable with or what fits into my or other's scope of beliving in God and having Faith in Him.
I am thankful that God continues to be patient but yet He challenges me and ask me to step into the unknown and follow Him for His name sake. I pray that He alone gets the glory.
Thanks for Listening,
Michaela
Those of you that know me really well know that I struggle with the sin of people pleasing. I have a tendency to worry and care a lot about what people think of me (learning that this stems from pride). For the most part I am obedient to God rather to man, but it can be painful at times. There are times when I would like to be able to please both man and God and get the best of both worlds. God is not in that business. I either follow Him or follow man. A scripture that I have held on to tightly in dealing with this comes from Galations 1:10, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Apparently I need a lot more work in this area than I thought because there have been a lot of opportunities in the past year where I have had to remember that it is God I answer to and not man. The biggest event that has altered and shaken my people pleasing tendencies is with the decision to move to Uganda as missionaries. With this decision has come a lot of adversatiy which has forced me to dig deeper into my faith and into the reason I follow God in the first place and what following Him really is.
All in all God is still working this in my life and some times are more painful than others. It can be really difficult being in this world but not being of this world. However I have learned more and more about denying myself and doing what the Bible says rather than doing just what I feel comfortable with or what fits into my or other's scope of beliving in God and having Faith in Him.
I am thankful that God continues to be patient but yet He challenges me and ask me to step into the unknown and follow Him for His name sake. I pray that He alone gets the glory.
Thanks for Listening,
Michaela
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