Some fun on the NILE

Wow, we had soooo much fun last weekend on the NILE. It is just amazing that we were actually on the river Nile, but even more amazing was the way we were on it.

A bunch of us volunteers went white water rafting.

Such a cool experience. Really team building as well if you would like to do it with work one day.
I guess the photos speak for themselves.

The water was so warm and wonderful which was great.

Watch out for next week's update as I might have the opportunity to get some pics of crocodiles in the Nile, I KNOW! Wouldn't that be amazing?

I am sure for all my South African friends you all know about those things. Your continent is so beautiful!

I can't believe that I am leaving already next Friday!

Dear Friends,

In the last three months I have been so amazed by why God has called me to go on the Logos Hope Ship and why He brought me to come to Uganda.

I am sure for some of you it sounds absolutely crazy to put his call first and loose my wonderful job, try to raise money and book flights, pay for programs and expenses and leave my security to work as a volunteer 6 days a week somewhere, especially in foreign countries. It might sound irrational but God has shown me so much more in those 3 months. I have been challenged in my relationship with Him, I have recognized that I am only at the beginning of my path with God and that He has so much more to do. Today I read in an email from a friend that “…We will almost always want to help the needy but the truth is that they end up helping us. The people around us teach us to live and enjoy the simple things in life. “
That is exactly what I am learning hear in Uganda. Yes, there is a shopping mall, not as fancy but still you can buy shoes, books, get your nails done if one wants to, a supermarket, a coffee shop.. We volunteers live in an apartment that we share. It has a fully equipped kitchen, a DVD player, (no TV though for the Rugby World Cup :o(   and we have running water, a washing machine, power…
And then there are slums. There are thousands of people who live in the slum; in huts that are not even huts. It is either a wooden or a tin roof material that is nailed together to keep the worst of the weather off. Most of them have either no windows or only a hole in the wall, maybe a door, maybe not. There is no flooring, just dirt. If it rains, I am sure everything is soaking wet inside… They prepare food in front of their “house” on the ground, make a little fire and then boil whatever they have in one pot. Anyone who loves cooking out there Richy, Egon, Karl, Lisa?? Can you imagine?
There is no electricity, no washing machine, no cloth line… the clothes gets washed in a bucket and then they lay it on the grass or hang it on the fence or sometimes there is a line between the huts. Just beside it their “neighbour” burns his rubbish, beats his wheat, repairs his motorbike, cooks his own food on a wood fire…
Aren’t we so lucky? I mean, I experienced in Thailand sleeping on a concrete bed with a wooden pillow! And how to wash your clothes in a bucket, not having a shower but using your sarong to cover yourself while you wash yourself with a small plastic bowl out of a concrete water container where frogs and all sorts of other things were living it. . . But not having any electricity ever, nothing?
We are so spoilt! At the same time though, I learn so much joy and respect for each other from them. I can see them sitting on the ground with their neighbours and friends talking after a long day of hard physical work… (there was no hot bath either)  I mean, when did we talk last to our neighbours? The children are playing soccer, climb trees, help the parents sort out seeds, beat the wheat, they don’t get consumed with facebook, internet and games… they still interact with human beings! Amazing!
My trips have certainly worked in my heart, however, slowly it’s time for me to start thinking about my reality in life. I have decided to leave Uganda early and return to NZ in two weeks. I love New Zealand. I love my church, my house and the people there, however each time I try to think about NZ, there is a grey wall.

I feel I need to free myself and be open to the doors that God is opening for me soon. I have put my house on the market and it will be sold beginning of December. When I imagine that, my heart bleeds a bit as I have never had really time to enjoy my house and not work on it in the last 5 years. But I know I am doing the right thing and I know that doors will open that show me the path I am supposed to walk on. I am open to anything and also to the idea of moving back to Germany for good.

I enjoy how I get challanged and I know and hope that God has got a part reserved for me to do in his greater plan. I also know that sometimes there are more important things than our all day usual living. Moments to take the time for a smile, for a brief conversation, time to listen to a customer… most importantly it is crucial to be aware that the most important person is the one who is in front of you in that moment.

And that is what I am trying to do.
I would love to get your comments on my normal private email.

Love Barbara

God is amazing! And He is REAL!

God is amazing and HE is with me - I am on a new path – I am on God’s path

During my time on the Logos Hope, I have been coming closer to God than I have ever been and this created a desire in me to get to know Him more. There has been one verse in the Bible that really caught my attention and it continues to speak to me every day:

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,                                                                            all your mind and all your strength.” Mark 12:29

Along with the verses Proverbs 3:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding.                                                                  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Jeremiah 29:11 

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”      

All of these verses speak to me so strongly, that I can’t even describe how much comfort they do give me. I am calm and I feel peaceful. Some of you know me well enough to know that I tend to worry much in life, decision making is not my strength, but  now I know that I am not making decisions on my own anymore. I feel such a peace inside me that all worries and anxiety that rise, can be conquered and overcome with the promise of God being with me and guiding me in my future.

Some of you my friends, who have not met Jesus for yourself yet, might feel that you are not able to grasp what I am talking about and what I am on about…. Well, I would love to show you how God is at work within me and I am certain that HE has great plans for my life in 2012 and beyond.

I have decided to return to New Zealand earlier and will be home on the 6^th of November this year. My house will be on the market for sale before Xmas and I trust in the Lord that He will show me my next move. I trust that God has got open doors prepared for me.

I can see some of your faces dropping but I pray that you understand and support me with your friendship for the future.  I used to say “who knows what the future will hold?”- now I know God knows. I am not certain just yet, where my path will lead me to but I want to be open to God’s guidance as He knows me better than I know myself - some of you smile: this is not hard :o) as some of you I felt know me better than I do myself sometimes. I trust though, that God knows my past, my presence and my future. My prayer request is that I WILL depend on him and not on my own strength and understanding and that my eyes will be opened and my heart softened to see his plans for my future.

I love you all and I thank you for keeping reading my travel blogs. I love receiving emails or messages and I hope you are very well and happy.

Love from Uganda

                    Barbara

Farewell Logos Hope & Arrival in Uganda!

Farewell Logos Hope – Arrival in Uganda

Dear Friends,

It was time to say farewell to the Logos Hope Ship and the amazing people that I met there. So many people had touched my heart, challenged me in a good way and pointed me more towards God, some of them widened my horizon about God and some of them I will see again as friends, which is awesome.

Gods encouragement from the time on the ship is:

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,                                                                            all your mind and all your strength.” Mark 12:29

I have now arrived in Uganda and I know that I am just at the first steps on the new path in my life and it feels great! I had a very God guided journey to Uganda. After a very wonderful but sad farewell to some of my STEP friends at the airport, I arrived in Mumbai without my next boarding pass and was held by security officers for a couple of hours. However, God did send a nice Indian man who helped me and after me giving him EVERYTHING – like passport, ticket, return ticket – he did come back at the time he said – 1 hour later and did lead me through all security, getting all stamps that were necessary, brought me to the gate and was very concerned about my wellbeing. How amazing is God? And the wonderful thing that I experienced as well is, that I was not nervous for one minute! I just felt such a peace in it all; after all, God did want me to go to Uganda, so HE is greater than any obstacle.

Have you ever seen an airport with big fat old lounge chairs randomly sitting in a corner as a waiting or “hang out” area? Yep, that was Ethiopia International Airport. So cool.

Uganda is amazing. It is actually very green, lots of trees, green grass and banana palms. My first impression was so positively, that I don’t think there is much that will shock me. Of course it is different to western countries, but beautiful. Some of the very cool stuff I saw on my trip to my accommodation:

If you want to sell anything, you drag it in front of your stall and put it along the road side, anything!                                                  Anything from dresses, bed frames, couches,…

How much can you transport on a bicycle? Anything! Such as 3 palettes of drinks, 4 meter long wooden planks, a humongous metal box (maybe 3 meters by 3 meters), three people,…..

How do you ride on a motorbike? Well, the girls always sit on it sideways. It reminded me of the very glamorous horse riding style the ladies used to do… and if you have to transport anything, you will get the woman to hold anything, no matter how big it might be and she will hold it in sideways. Well, I guess I would call that trust in the rider.

My accommodation is great. I met up with my friend Hannah and even stay in the same flat as her with her friend Julianne and another girl Krystal. We do our own cooking in the evening and breakfast, while lunch will be provided at the baby home.

   Oh, you want to know about the babies? SOOOOO CUTE! I was busy feeding, bathing, changing nappies of I don’t know how many babies. It is awesome. I even held a very malnourished baby boy today and gave him a tiny little bottle. He was so small that he had so much excess skin… I can’t wait to see him gaining some weight while I am here. There have been already 2500 babies coming through Watoto babies homes and a huge amount of them have already graduated into the children care of Watoto and some of them are going already to school. It is certainly God’s miracle when you see some of those tiny tiny tiny little ones and then you know, they are in very good care now and they will make it! My friend Hannah told me that she went to see some of her first critical babies from the time she arrived in Uganda and she saw them now playing with all the other toddlers and you couldn’t even tell that they were in risk a few months ago.  God is so loving!  It does make such a big difference to volunteer here, no matter if it is giving a hand while feeding, changing or bathing, encouraging one another, or just giving some comfort while they are crying or giving them attention during play time. It is certainly influencing their little precious lives.

It is quite a full on job, but very rewarding and I felt very comfortable already today. It is amazing to work alongside the local women who work at the babies home all the time. I am so looking forward to learning heaps from them.

I hope you are all having a great time where ever you are in the world right now. There is certainly no reason to worry about me. It would be wonderful and very well appreciated, if you would like to support me during this month here in Uganda.

Next week, I will have the opportunity to see all the other projects of Watoto, the church, the development departments for the more grown-ups to get skilled in a job such as fabrications, carpentry, restaurant manager/owner, guest house provider… and the children villages, the school and the village houses. That will be amazing I am sure. This way I will get a greater understanding of Watoto and can put the puzzles together to the whole picture of what Watoto is all about.

Loving regards from Kampala

Barbara

What an amazing surprise!

What an amazing surprise!!!

Yes, it was my 37^th Birthday. That number still gets stuck in my throat, however I had the most amazing birthday surprise.

Dominic decided to surprise me on the ship for my birthday. You might have seen our El Capitano – blue caption mascot, he planned to come to my work and play El Capitano, however as there was a drill planned to get the whole crew of the ship to practice any emergency, Dominic surprised me by getting me called out from morning devotion. .                            

-      Barbara Fundel please contact the gangway    -

I could not believe what my eyes saw! YOU here?! I was so happy and I don’t think there could have been a better birthday surprise ever! Dominic organized that I had the day off work. We had a very wonderful time spending the time at the national park and sitting at the beach – no swimming, as we saw a huge lizard (not sure the proper name of it – but it swims!!) and also the water is not really clear. Some birthday surprise party from my STEP group and then we spend as much time as possible together over Saturday and Sunday. It was the most amazing time, even though we parted to re-evaluate life and future, He is really romantic and I love that. Thank you Dominic!! X x

              

 Then we sailed to Kuala Lumpur. Have you ever been outside on a big ship during night sailing across the sea and the air is soooo warm that you still sit there comfortably despite the wind? Wow, come to Malaysia and sail with the Logos Hope. The sea was so smooth, that it felt like we are sailing on a lake – Praise to Lord for that! Not fun being sea sick. .

       beautiful - I love my bike, but that one with the flower would be my favourite! 

I am now in my final week on the Logos Hope Ship and trying to take as much in as possible and trying to prepare myself for Uganda as well. Uganda will be quite different….

Love Barbara

Community Work and Kuala Lumpur

Dear Friends,

One of my community days was to visit a local church community, but no pics from that, sorry. However, some action shot on colouring with the local kids and connecting with the Mums. I really loved that as it is an easy way to start a conversation about why we are volunteering and what the ship is really about – not only a book fair – a lot of people got interested in our stories, our backgrounds and why we are volunteering, raising funds for that and when they left they were amazed and thanked us that we visit their country. Awesome! Another time we renovated a school for children that are here as refugees. And another time we did a youth program.

              Some more pics von
Kuala Lumpur and the beautiful city park and of course the twin towers – Malaysian’s proud.          

 

My work and the last month

Dear Friends,

Wow, the time went so fast. It’s been 4 weeks since my last up-date. I am very sorry for that. Well, it’s time to let you know a few things that I was doing in the last 4 weeks.

Since I started on Logos Hope I have been drawing closer to God. Wow, what an amazing experience!

I changed departments from being an “Angel” (in the cleaning/laundry) department to working in the “Hopestar Shift” in the book fair. This is a great place to meet local people and interact with them. Malaysia is such a multicultural country. Indians, Muslims, Malaysians and Chinese live all next to each other in peace and tolerance. Enjoying each other’s food culture as food is soooo important here! So you can imagine that it is a colourful mix of people visiting the ship, from beautiful colourful saris to traditional muslim dresses and head scarves to very colourful dresses covered with lots of shiny accessories and funky asian pop style to amazingly dressed business people. The great thing is that every single one carries a story. That amazes me the most I think.

Some of my tasks include welcoming people, selling tickets (1RM – not even 0,20 Euro cents or about NZD 0.50), informing people about the ship by wearing a life jacket and showing a dvd, making announcement at the information desk in the book fair, pricing books and restocking, container unloading, cash desk, deal bag area cash desk or customer service which can be anything from putting back books that have been misplaced or talking to people or explaining the “Journey of Life”. Journey of Life” is a great area or a story or the lost son and making choices in life. You can imagine how I love the different positions and interacting with people. Sometimes I have been even able to sit for a couple of hours and do some colouring with children at the kids corner in the café.

How did I draw closer to God?

A wonderful person in the book fair challenged me during my first week working there and asked me “Barbara, do you know where you are going after this life?”

Wow, I could not give him an answer that convinced him nor ME! He lent me a book called “Experiencing God” and that has been the best part of my time on board. I have been able to be challenged and started reading, exploring how to get closer to God, how to hear his voice clearly and how to build a personal friendship with Jesus. It created such a hunger for more in me that I enjoy reading! And for all who know me more on a personal level, that is a miracle by itself – Me reading! Yes, I enjoy it and every day I wished I was not tired already to read more and more.

So I have been very busy doing my studies and reading another book beside that one as well. I also enjoy to be surrounded with like minded people and talk about God openly and often. We pray before and after work, have morning devotions 4x per week and it’s just can certainly blow your mind when you hear from what kind of background some people come, from drug addiction, crime, gang leaders, homeless person, street child, insecurity, shame, depression,… to very well protected Christian families. It is very encouraging for me, as I am sure you know yourself, sometimes we feel like our background or problems are hard to bear and carry.

Some pics of book fair.

Well, next up-date just below :o)

Barbara