Thinking about Light…

And darkness. And trying to hope.

Kobusingye- The Real Story.

“All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.” – Julian of Norwich

In June I wrote a prayer letter about Twitter. Then I thought, “Maybe I should actually start tweeting more.” So I’ve been trying to tweet regularly. A couple friends asked me about my twitter name; kobusingyeliz. “It’s too hard!” they said. I was thinking that if you don’t know the story it kind of seems like back in middle school (or college for some of you ) when AIM was big and people picked names like “2cool4skul” or “iheartpeterwege” to be their chat name. Remember old school AIM or chat rooms? haha.

Actually, my Twitter name is Kobusingye (Koh-bu- sin -jay) Liz. It’s a two part name and just plain “Kobusingye” was taken.  My sweet friend Gloria’s family is Banyankole from the Western part of Uganda. When I was visiting they called me Kobusingye. It was kind of a joke, like at church they’d introduce me that way to people and then at home, and even now over e-mail and Facebook they call me that. In their culture people have two names- a Christian name and a traditional name. It’s like having a first and a middle name instead of a first and a last name. So Gloria’s second name (Katusiime) is different than each of her brothers’ second names and her parents’ names. I’m still confused about how they can keep families straight without the help of a family name, but they do. Maybe in the future women and men will be able to figure out something like this in the States instead of hyphenation or women always taking the husband’s name, but then Gloria’s mom took her husband’s traditional name (Ndyagambaki- wow.mom.hard!) so I guess I don’t totally understand how the whole system works.

Kobusingye means peacemaker/peaceful one in Runyankore. Serenity/peace is my Enneagram ‘virtue’ which means I will probably spend my life learning to live into it. For me peace means accepting that things will be ok and that the manner in which they happen is also ok. Mistakes, sadness, embarrassing moments, emotions, anger, all those things are the daily manner of life happening and being peace means accepting that these things happen and life will still be ok. I think peace means that even while fighting injustice and reforming systems you have to accept the flaws of others and love them instead of trying to change them. It means that sometimes you have to compromise on perfection, and recognize that there aren’t perfect people and there are never perfect solutions. It means not giving up when something isn’t quite right because good and bad can be mixed together. To me, finally and most difficult, peace means that it’s ok that I’m not perfect and that God still loves me as a flawed person, and other people know my flaws and still love me too. One of my biggest sins is not believing that anyone, especially God, could love me though I’m not perfect.

So to live into this name in the day to day is part of why I use it for different things, even small and silly things like Twitter. I like Kobusingye because I chose it, I was called to it, and I’m challenged by it.

Mary & Martha.

Hi/Bye February, can’t believe you left already!

A Belated Christmas Post…

Coffee and Christmas.

Hey November…

It’s super cold in Omaha this week, and I’m spending the weekend at a Board Meeting. I actually really like it, a lot. Sweet. 

In the meantime, this is my letter for November! I hope you enjoy, it was difficult to write, but in a good sharing-of-my-heart kind of way.

Much love.

"You Are Crazy!" December Support Letter.

December 1, 2007

“All you need is love.” – The Beatles
“I am love.” – God

My Dear Supporters,

“You are all crazy! Crazy for leaving security, upward mobility, opportunity and comfort to follow Jesus and live and work among those who are poor… but you are in good company…” (Father Katongole, Board Member of WMF, to the WMF Staff at our November Board Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.)

Yes, it is crazy, this journey with Word Made Flesh to Nepal! By joining Word Made Flesh each member in our community has been guaranteed years of hot summers, cold winters, lice, homesickness, smelly clothes, uncomfortable mattresses, bad French fries, cockroaches, and a variety of diseases.

But we are in the best of company! We are in the company of the greats- Gandhi, Mother Teresa, St. Francis of Assisi, and so many others who have given their lives to serve the poor. We are in the company of each other, and of our communities- you, who support us and so join in our crazy calling!

Most of all, on this journey we are in the company of Jesus! The poor stand in the place of Jesus because whatever we do to the least of these, we do to Him. (Mt 25:40) They are so deep in His heart that to serve among the poor means to find Jesus. And where Jesus is, there is joy, there is peace, and there is love. In the most dark and painful places He is found, suffering with those who have lost hope.

There are many who are suffering in Nepal. Approximately the size of Arkansas and located between India and China, Nepal has Mount Everest, the largest mountain in the world, located in its borders. It is one of the poorest nations in the world; one third of the population lives below the poverty line. There is a life expectancy of only 60 years and less than 50% of the population is literate. One of the major issues facing this nation is pollution from development, especially highly polluted water. Giardia, dysentery, and other water-born illnesses are common for people living in Nepal.

If you were to ask me “Liz, why are you going to Nepal?” I would tell you I am going because of Love. I am going because I want to be where love is, where Jesus is, and I believe that He is with the suffering. In 1 Corinthians 13:3 Paul says that if we give all we have for the poor but do not have love, we gain nothing. I am going to Nepal to give and receive love, and I am able to go only because of your support!

My support account is healthy and growing… thank you, thank you for your generous gifts and encouraging e-mails! I continue to covet your prayers and thoughts, and if you feel led to support me financially, I still need about $5000 by June 2008. We have an automatic monthly deduction option, as well as using the enclosed envelope. There are more details at this address: http://www.wordmadeflesh.com/support/give-cashgifts.html.

I want you to know that you are crazy too! We are all crazy if we choose to love, to serve, to be vulnerable, and to find the image of God in each other. We are each called to serve the poor with love, in as many different ways as there are people. Mother Theresa said to begin by finding the poor in your own family… It’s always a good place to start.

On your journey you are in good company, and I am grateful for your company on mine.

Much hope,

Liz

Family Portrait.

Ahhh… the sound of the weekend approaching.

Just when you thought I was long-winded enough, check out this puppy! (It’s actually pretty short, no worries.)
http://www.wordmadeflesh.com/admin/prayer_letters_view.php?detail=899

I have so many inside jokes with my brother, like “oh man, what are the odds?!!” the secret hand signals we made up to represent each member of the family, anything about his best friend “The FatMan” or any of the colorful cast of characters that have walked in and out of our family. Classic Elementary School Keith moment; (which occurred about a week after he tried to “fake” moon the girls of the fam by wearing shorts under his pants. Unfortunately, we mostly got a nice glimpse of his tighty-whities). One day he was convinced he pulled his groin and built a wheelchair out of scrap wood so he wouldn’t have to walk. The base sat on one wheel, the kind that are underneath rolling office chairs. Needless to say, it left a little to be desired in structural integrity, as evidenced by the speed with which it promptly dropped Keith on his backside.

You’ll be relieved to know that he is now working in building construction management.

The Long Awaited Support Letter…

Oct. 1, 2007

“For You are a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in distress; Shelter from the rain, shade from the heat.” Isaiah 25: 4 (NASB)

My Dear Friends and Family, Oct 1, 2007

How are you? I hope that you are enjoying the gifts of serenity and friendship this fall! I know I have received those gifts in our times talking and sharing life together, whether it has happened lately or not in several years.

I have big news to share with you… I am moving to Kathmandu, Nepal for three years, starting in summer of 2008! Surprise! I am so excited and honored to be able to serve with Word Made Flesh, an intentional community serving Christ with and among the poor. What does that mean? It means that each member of our community has been called by Jesus Christ to love Him, love each other, and live that love among the poorest of the poor around the world. Our method of service is ecumenical and incarnational- living simply, and seeking solidarity with those who become our friends across economic, cultural, and social boundaries.

In Spring of 2005 I spent a life-changing semester with Word Made Flesh in Kathmandu, Nepal. Many of you walked with me in that journey through prayers, financial support, or fun times overseas. I returned in July 2005 from my time with Word Made Flesh with a broken heart for the poor and burden to serve the elderly. After spending several years in discernment, the Holy Spirit opened my heart to several things. First, I have been led to confirmation in the Catholic Church, a process that has brought many challenges but also much beauty, and second to know my vocation as a full-time member of the Word Made Flesh community. (If you’d like the deeper story for either of those discernment processes please inquire within. :) I graduated in May 2007 with a degree in Sustainable Business and International Studies from Aquinas College, and am working full time here in Grand Rapids until leaving next summer.

During my time in Kathmandu I will be serving with Jyoti and Shiva Bhattarai at Prem Ghar, WMF’s Home for Elderly Women. There are currently three Ammas (Nepali term for Grandmother) living at Prem Ghar, and I will be entering into relationships with them and the Bhattarai family, discovering what my role in the home will grow into. I will also spend many hours in language study and serve the WMF community as Field Administrator. I guess I will never leave the skills from my Excel 101 class behind!

I spent five days this summer at a retreat for the staff of Word Made Flesh. As a community we gathered together to reaffirm our commitment to follow Jesus Christ to a life spent for each other and for our suffering friends in the majority world. It was a beautiful time of connection and silence; challenging for me in many ways. The North American staff of Kathmandu prayed, talked, laughed, and ate lots of cheesecake, as we imagined the future together. Kim & Silas, Kara, Jesse, Brook, and Calvin, already dear friends of several years, will not only be my coworkers but family for me when I live in Kathmandu. I know that just as Jesus sent out His disciples in pairs, so we also go in community, and not alone!

You, my family and friends, are also members of my community, and I’d like to invite you further into my journey. Will you come with me to Kathmandu? Will you keep myself and the people of Nepal in your thoughts and prayers? My heart is that first and foremost you would partner with me in prayer. I am responsible for raising all the financial support I will need overseas, and if you feel called to support me in this journey financially, I hope that brings you and I closer together and you closer to God.

Henri Nouwen says, in his book The Spirituality of Fundraising, about partnership in ministry: “When compared with a new freedom and new friendship in a new communion, money is the least exciting thing.” I feel that is so true, and though it is least exciting for me to share my financial needs with you, it is also an opportunity for me to seek solidarity with those who have no choice but to ask others for food and money.

My total monthly needs, including health insurance, airplane tickets, and salary will be about $1100 a month. Any amount you send in my name to Word Made Flesh, a non-profit, will be put in my support account and my needs are paid out of that. Before I head to Nepal, I will need to have about $6000 in my support account. If you use the card enclosed in this letter please do not write your name on the memo line of a check, for tax purposes.

Thank you for allowing our stories to come together and being a part of my life! I’ll be writing you again soon with some snapshots of life in Nepal and in Grand Rapids as I prepare to leave.

With Much Hope,

Liz