It's ok, I didn’t know I still had a blog either!

It’s no secret that I am not a keen blogger! Well duh! It’s 4 years since I last wrote one! I’m not going to start and say that these will suddenly appear on a consistent basis… but I am going to try and write every now and again!  Why now? Well… when I first set this thing up I was only here for 6 months and just wanted to get on and live life here as fully as the short time would last. That time didn’t quite pan out as I thought it would and I stayed on! Then life got a bit silly for a while and I didn’t have the emotional or mental capacity to write. And while life goes on (and still has the odd silly moment) and I feel like many things are uneventful and ‘normal’ to me…. there are stories to tell, images that I would just love you to see and moments that I’d wish you to get a glimpse of…

This is the first time in a long time that my life feels like it’s finally getting into a rhythm that I can go with and that is why I think I can start to write a blog.

So… this is Tiff in Uganda! Back online!

So lets start with where I’m at in 2013. I still live in Mbale Uganda. My house is a house of girls… 1 permanent housemate (Nat) and then a steady transition of various (and all fabulous) girls coming through for varying amounts of time. I have many very special friends here, both Ugandan and ex-pats. I still work for JENGA. I still LOVE what I do. I do general admin, I write things, I make already written things look presentable, I talk to donors, I arrange teams and visitors.. basically my job is to help behind the scenes so that our incredible team of staff can get out there in the field and do their jobs effectively. Where I can I get out there in the African mud and get my hands dirty!

What has changed over 4 years? Well firstly I still make many mistakes (but I now try to learn from them a little quicker than I did when I first arrived!) I still don’t really have many more answers to the hard questions but I can now tell you about culture from experience more than just hearsay. I am a little less gullible and naïve; not as easily shocked but still moved by the hard things. I still firmly believe that there is good in the world, that it’s better to start working with one life than to walk away feeling helpless or overwhelmed. I still believe that Uganda is a beautiful country with some of the most alive, faith-filled and expectant people on earth. I still believe that God is the only answer to the seemingly endless number of challenges and that he has given us the wonderful privilege of working with him to actively demonstrate a love that conquers all.

Now I’ll leave it there… this was just the reinstatement of a blog that will go with the flow of my life in Uganda.

Next time I have a story to tell. The story of Mary, a 17 year old girl who was horrifically burned in a domestic violence brawl.  (cue Eastenders cliff-hanger music.. bam bam bammm)