Sunshine

Temperatures were in the 60's today.

We thawed and busked directly under the sun's rays.

Play grounds bustled with laughter and giggles of children previously deprived of their favorite activity.

Thank you Lord for the sunshine.

 

 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Malachi 4:2

Man's wisdom and God's foolishness

This morning I finally understood 1 Corinthians 1:25 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength".

As I sat in the auditorium I pondered how God placed a simple person like me among the brightest, most intelligent people in the world.  They moved swiftly. Suits and ties flying as they paced with purpose, making haste for an all important session.

Having just returned from the dentist's office (a story for another day) and hungry as could be, I joined the pre-meeting lunch. Obviously not for matooke, rice and chicken but muzungu style nuggets: leaves, bread, cookies, water, soda ... you get the drift (and people wonder why we lose weight in "outside countries") kiri bubi bambi! But you get with the program and eat with more passion than the owners, even looking for more salad dressing.
So I was picking my leaves when this guy, his orientation clearly spelt out by his hairstyle raised his huge gadget of a camera. It was the kind that threatens, not only in it's size but I imagined it would capture every pore and every hair strand. I would have a difficult time convincing any one that it wasn't me. Since I was making an effort to stay below the radar, I darted away as fast as my dainty feet could carry me.
Why was I at this session anyway? One - curiosity, two -  I knew Uganda would be topic for discussion since Museveni recently signed a most controversial bill.
I took an inconspicuous seat.
Among the 400 attendants about 50 were African, clearly not their favorite topic huh?!

The first speaker's opening remark was "Discrimination is bad for people and societies... it carries a cost for development". She said Uganda could lose $6 Billion, for each project which could be implemented what with the AIDS epidemic and sexual minorities. She said wrecking the lives of sexual minorities in place of cultural views is not good for society. She presented links between homophobia and economic development and I couldn't help thinking how she would enthusiastically sell sand to an Arab in the desert without blinking.

I was still rolling that over in my mind when I looked out the door and saw a man leisurely stroll out of the women's restroom. My heart bounced. So with all these arguments for human rights, we also have to make room to bump into men in the privacy of the restroom because well, you see, they are not exactly "men".
Life just gets harder ainit?!

Back to the presenter. She explained how this discrimination affected individual outcomes; the victims lived shorter lives and were less educated. Really? This was a real case of T.G.E because I didn't see the link especially in Uganda's case. No body is banned from school. Didn't we have stories of lesbians in our high schools? How many were expelled because of such rumors? Were students sent home and denied study? I thought that was a little far fetched.
Apparently gay men earn less than their heterosexual counter parts - another story if you asked me. The correlation between your "lifestyle" and how you perform in office is a bit strange, not that bosses are really interested in what you do behind closed doors. Alright, I know some are but you get what I mean.

The second presenter from google shared a presentation analyzing the "sites" that people visit. Apparently there are huge audiences.

After some time, I thought the pending work at my desk required immediate attention so I left.

1 Corinthians 1:25 really did hit home today.

Pictures of The Day

Sun rise on the train tracks

Evening moon

A dash of moon in the evening blue sky

Night sky

Another Snow Day

Looked like a painting

Reminded me of tie and dye :-)

Loved the bright spot of moon in a dark blue sky

Between A Rock and A Very Hard Place

Ah! Life can be complicated and other times it can be knotty. Last week life was knotty and complicated. Conversations were minefields, I had to put up my sensors to navigate away from explosions.

So, President Museveni signed the anti-gay bill criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda.Then President Obama wrote him a letter saying the legislation complicates a valued relationship. The statement went on to say, "Now that this law has been enacted, we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programmes, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles, and reflect our values".
A day later, Jim Kim, the President of the organisation I work for wrote a statement addressed to all staff condemning countries and people who discriminate against homosexuals.The barrel of the gun was pointed straight at me; my country of birth had taken a stand, my country of residence had taken the opposite stand, my boss has taken the same stand.

I thought I would muse quietly, cheer for my kin but keep a straight face when suddenly in the team meeting all the eyes turned in my direction "Mary, what do you think?" The only black girl on the team, the only African on the team, the only Christian on the team - the Ugandan. I held my breath. I wanted to hide. I wanted to wish the situation away but no, all 6 eyes were channeled in my direction. I was tempted to use my faith microphone but it is not encouraged in this organization. People come from all cultures of the world and passion about "your thing" can be construed as damning to others, so don't play the faith card. The struggle begun, how do I keep my cool, shut up about my faith and ride the "culture and this-is-an-absolutely-abominable-act-among-my-people" card. So I played the kisanja card and they quickly nod. A big sigh on my part.
But there is that one person who seeks you out, who will not stop at anything to know your thoughts. The one with whom you tell it like it is and that is the guy who sits across from me.He is so passionate about this topic. He gets all animated you would think he was defending his thesis. His current project is to make me a convert.

So here I am in a foreign country, caught between being graceful to my host and declaring support for my people. I don't doubt my stand on the issue but sometimes the big words about discrimination and human rights cause me to leave the crowd. I look into the mirror and ask myself; Where do you stand? What do you believe? I come out of seclusion with one conclusion;- I live by a different set of rules, a different moral compass and it is found in the Living Word of God.
God loves me, warts and all but He will not leave me that way. He doesn't condemn me but tells me to go and sin no more and as far as I know it's a daily process, a process of daily surrender. Perhaps with that view in mind we would all regard ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior.

Now let me go and celebrate "12 Years a Slave" the most heart wrenching Slave account I have ever read. If only Solomon Northup knew how big his story would get. I'm sure glad he told it.