Adjusting to the slower pace of life in Uganda is…well…challenging for me. All that might be accomplished in a day in the comfort of my basement office in Michigan takes a week or more in Uganda. Part of the reason for this seeming lack of progress is that the pace in Uganda is much slower. People don’t feel a sense of urgency or anxiousness about getting things done or checked off a list, but they know things will come together eventually and that this “eventually” is perfect timing. I adore this mindset and know that I can adjust again, it just takes time.
Another reason for this sense of slow going is that I depend on so many people to share their wisdom and help to ensure the best plan emerges. Not everyone is available according to my schedule, which is as it should be, and so making meeting arrangements takes time as well. This dependence is really a good thing. I love that I have this sense of hesitation to move until my advisors are in agreement. Collaboration has an all together different nuance in a collectivist culture like East Africa than in the individualist culture of the United States.
So…I feel anxious to give you a report on very specific ministry plans and arrangements, but I also understand that the planning process is moving at exactly the proper pace for all that will be accomplished here in God’s good timing.