Mixed Feelings

I can hardly believe that tomorrow I will have been in Uganda for two weeeks. In some ways it feels like it's been much longer but in other ways, it feels much shorter. It's been a time of excitement, frustration, feeling homesick, gratefulness of being here, etc. It's amazing that God can allow us to feel all these contrasting feelings all at the same time. But, I know that since He is the Creator of feelings that He will help me to sort them all out and to know what to do with them.
It's been an exciting time of catching up with old friends. It's been great how even though we've been miles apart our friendships have remained as if we had talked every day. This has been true even with the older widows and young ladies that I work with in one of the slums here. Although there is a language barrier and I have not emailed or spoken on the telephone with any of these women, the Holy Spirit has kept our hearts somehow bound together. They have been such an encouragement to me over the last couple of weeks. A hug really can go a long way.
The frustrations have mostly come from the decline in the dollar which has meant that I don't get as many Ugandan shillings per dollar. At the same time, the cost of things here has risen, much like in the rest of the world. This has been especially true of housing. I don't know how many hours I've spent walking I don't know how many miles and knocking on strangers doors looking for a place to rent. Sometimes it's been absolutely ridiculous the places we have looked at and then given outrageous prices for. I'm anxious to find my own place to call home.
And yes, there has been some homesickness. This has been the first time I've ever experienced this and I have know idea why. Perhaps it's that I let my heart open to more people while I was at home this time or perhaps it's because I was home for so long. But, I know I am in the place God wants me and that He will help me to feel more and more at home here. While I've had moments of homesickness, I've also had moments at the other extreme when I've been very grateful to be here. It's such an amazing country. It's physically beautiful and the people are amazingly friendly. Plus the pace of life is so much slower. It's possible to spend time developing real, lasting relationships. I'm also very grateful at the opportunity God has given me to serve Him here. I'm sure it's going to be a time of growth for me and that I am going to learn much through my experiences here, as I always have in the past.