Hi friends!
Today, I want to share a bit to you about my friend Emily. Emily is a 19 year old girl from Texas, and even though she is only 19, she is here for a year serving God in Uganda. She's at that age where she is old enough to take on bigger responsibilities but still young enough to be crazy adventurous. Our friendship was not something man-made but rather God's plan. She is always setting a beautiful example to everyone around her with everything she does. she's definitely her own girl, that's for sure! She loves God and she loves others. She is curious and funny. She's tough and sensitive and passionate. She doesn't conform to what anyone else thinks and never takes the road most traveled. She's been my inspiration from the start.
Why are you here in
Uganda?
I felt a very strong calling from God to spend
my first year out of high school doing some sort of ministry outside of the US.
I wasn’t sure exactly where or what this year would entail, but I knew very
firmly that I was supposed to go somewhere. I considered several countries and
different mission programs, but nothing seemed to be the right choice. A friend
of mine put me in contact with Becky Ball, the founder of I Choose You
Ministries in Uganda. The needs they had in their ministry seemed to be very
specific to something I could fill. I
Choose You is a child sponsorship program, serving the families of Namatala, a
slum outside of Mbale. I Choose You focuses on bringing education, financial
independence, and spiritual teaching to its families. I made a ten-month
commitment to work with I Choose You- working in the I Choose You office,
taking children to the doctor, teaching Bible studies, and tutoring children.
What have you been loving
lately?
I really enjoy spending one-on-one time with the kids in I
Choose You Ministries. Whether it be a trip to the doctor’s office or a lunch
date with one of the older girls, I love being given the opportunity to get to
know the children better with no one else around. I get to hear about their
lives and interests on a deeper level when I’m with only one child. It’s so
much fun!
What is something you
struggle with and what are you learning as a result?
I struggle with living outside of my own selfish
desires. I’m often thinking about what I’d rather be doing, what would be more
comfortable for me, rather than thinking about how I can be a blessing to
people and share the love of Jesus. God is teaching me a lot about looking
outside of myself to see the people around me who are hurting and in need of
love. He’s giving me new eyes to see people as He sees them, giving me more
compassion and love for each one of His children that He places in front of me.
Life here in Africa can
get pretty stressful. How do you relax?
I love to read, so a new novel is always a great
relief to me when things get stressful. I also love to sing, both worship music
and secular.
What is something that has
made you smile recently?
Something that made me smile recently was
playing with kids outside after a big rain. I loved splashing with them in the
puddles and giggling to our heart’s content. Some of the children seemed
particularly stressed out that I was getting my legs muddy. I assured them that
it was okay, but they insisted on helping me wash my feet afterwards. It
brought me so such joy to play with them, splashing around, as well as seeing
their sweet servant hearts in desiring to wash my feet. These kids teach me so
much about what is means to be like Jesus.
What scripture speaks to you most and why?
One of the scriptures that has been very impactful on my
life is Jeremiah1:4-10.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I
appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am
too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command
you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and
will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and
touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and
tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Emily will be going back to the states in November. Please be in prayer for her while she is serving God and others in the town of Mbale!
Katie Sandy
