Africa on my mind

It seems that God doesn't want me to forget my time in Uganda last November anytime soon. So many little "coincidences" in the past month have kept it front and center in my mind (and I quote coincidences because in a world where God ordains the minute the sun rises, I highly doubt these happenings are random!).

It started with the CHEC conference last month, where I picked up this sweet little brown bracelet...handmade and straight from Uganda! (I bought the black and white one while there in November and have nearly worn that thing to pieces, I love it so much)

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Then a couple weeks ago, I ran out of facewash. Being on a 'money-saving spree,' I decided to pick up something a little cheaper than what I usually order, and I walked out of Target with the same facewash I had taken to Uganda with me. Now, if anyone tries to tell you that smell and memory are not connected, they have a broken sniffer. Even now, weeks later, I still can picture vivid memories of Uganda and London when I open that facewash with its very distinctive (and to me, Ugandan) smell.

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The third instance came last weekend, while at a conference in California. A gentleman from another booth wandered by and while we chatted, I discovered his daughter had been in Africa. I was only slightly shocked to find she'd been in Kansana with New Hope Uganda...but I was speechless to discover that she had actually spent a year over there with Syd Sparks, the very missionary that Jennifer and I had specifically gone to visit (well, and his wife and kid too!).

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Finally, just two days ago, on one of the blogs I follow, Sseko Sandals were featured. Lo and behold, these sandals are made in Uganda! Sseko Designs hires women entering the 9-month hiatus between secondary school and university, thereby allowing these women to earn the money necessary to continue with university education.

So it seems that Africa (and specifically Uganda!) is part of my present as well as my past. The question is, will it be part of my future? Only God knows...but I'm a little suspicious that He's plotting something.