2012! Thanks for being so great so far.

What a weekend. Goodbye 2011, and Hellooooo 2012.

I am feeling beyond blessed as I sit and reflect on all of the lessons learned and memories made last year, and as I dream about the unknown future of this year. So far, 2012 has been great.

This New Year’s Eve was one for the history books. I’m so thankful for a group of friends and teammates whose company I thoroughly enjoy. To bring in the New Year, Carolyn, Martha, and I invited our teammates over to our house to celebrate. Little did we know what all the night would have in store. After a round of snacks and games, we all decided to head down to Lakeview Hotel to watch the amazing fireworks show and enjoy the live entertainment that had been boasted about by locals and teammates for days leading up to the event.

We were not disappointed. The group of us all walked in and stood awkwardly at the back of the crowd looking for some chairs to sit in. Unfortunately, we didn't blend in very well. Within the first 5 minutes of standing there, the performer on stage came walking out into the crowd, grabbed Carolyn by the hand and attempted to drag her on stage with him as he continued to sing his song. She managed to dodge getting pulled up, but then the young man went for me. Knowing there was no way Carolyn was going up there, I grabbed her hand. She pulled me back to safety.

The excitement and attention didn’t stop there. Some of us happened to know the emcee of the event which made for the perfect opportunity to prank someone by having him called up onto the stage. After we found a place to sit and settled into our seats, we heard the emcee announce that he had a friend he wanted to bring up on stage to share a message with the crowd. I wish you all could’ve seen the look on Seb’s face as he heard his name being called to go up. Playing it cool, he walked up to the stage and immediately invited Connor (the instigator of the setup) to come up, too. With all eyes looking toward him, Connor didn’t have much of a choice. After singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and giving a short message, the guys escaped the limelight. But not without many laughs and some raw footage of the whole experience. At midnight, the fireworks show began. About a minute later they had finished so we all hugged each other, wished one another a happy new year, and waited for the dance floor to open up. It didn't take long for the party to resume, and as soon as the crowd was entirely consumed with dancing, we joined in. Our sweet moves were pathetic in comparison to our Ugandan brothers and sisters who have rhythm flowing in their bones. I'm still praying it will rub off.

The excitement of the new year didn’t end there. Today was a day of firsts and of many deeply treasured memories. Our dear friend and brother Justus generously brought us home a rooster for Christmas! The big bird has been making its home on our compound for the last week and serving as an early morning alarm clock. After today's events, I think we just might be sleeping in tomorrow.

This morning we all went to church and enjoyed lunch with friends. But, when we returned home we began preparing to turn our Christmas present into our New Year’s Day feast. Keep in mind that whether you buy it in a grocery store or prepare it yourself, it all comes from the same animal.

The murder scene

I wouldn't have had the courage to do any of this without Martha's encouragement and Justus' support.
Thank you Lord for the wonderful people you've shared with me!

 The accused, his accomplice, and the victim

 Part of the action... and truly only part of it. I've saved you from some of the more gruesome pictures.

 Fifteen minutes before, that rooster was clucking around.

 I hold his heart in my hand. 

 The finished product

So to celebrate the new year we took our Christmas present and turned into a feast. We invited our dear friends and neighbors, Dorcas and Willis and their family. Together we shared, laughed,enjoyed, and kicked off the new year. 

I am such a lucky girl and am beyond blessed by the people God has so graciously gifted to me as friends. My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude that I've been called to such a place as this that I not only get to grow in my relationship with my Lord and experience Him in ways that I never have before, but that I also get to rejoice with such loved friends and share in memories and laughter that will forever remain in my heart.   Praise God.

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name." Psalm 103:1

I pray that no matter where you are in the world, no matter what your circumstances are this day, that you would praise the Lord and rejoice anyway.

Happy New Year to you!