ode to the states

It's late and I have to be up in five hours to leave for the safari, but I just had to quickly write my appreciation for home.  As much as I love it here, it is very, very different from life in the states.  Transportation, communication, public bathrooms, lack of vegetables and milk, etc.  Not that I really expected anything different, but I am continually grateful for the comforts and luxuries that we have back at home.  I cannot even complain for differences here--and honestly, the only thing that is really hard for me is the whole vegetable thing--because I have seen so many who have less . . . but it definitely helps me to appreciate what we have at home.  

Seriously, it is kind of pathetic that it's only been two weeks and we are already struggling with the discontinuities.  On Friday we found a restaurant with normal food and could barely contain our excitement.  We were literally giddy as the waiter brought this out for us. . . .

I have to recognize the fact that we live very different lives.  Just like you would find in comparing any two different countries.  It's not to say that the life we live is any better from what they have here.  (For example, who is to determine the value of a moderately-large home vs. the absence of materialism.)  There are just as many happy Ugandans as there are happy Americans--our measure of happiness is just different.  What it really comes down to is how we choose to live.

Church today magnified these feelings.  Everyone there was so happy to be at church, so happy to be doing what they could to come closer to God.  In Relief Society they were talking about what they could do for activities, especially ones that would not cost any money.  The Relief Society president said, "We could even just do aerobics!"  (She then proceeded to just up and down and wave her arms around.  Really cute.)  "Just as long as we are doing something together as sisters to come to the Lord."  They truly have a sense here of what is most important.  Their love is beautiful.  

I think I am going to be learning a lot more from the people here than what I can bring to them.  A lot more.