Long Overdue: Catching Up With My Dad

I realized this week that my dad blogs more than I do. Now, I'm feeling pathetic. So, in an attempt to redeem myself, I thought now was as good a time as any to sit down and start blogging again. So very much has been happening as my last year of graduate school has come to an end. I've written 10 papers in two weeks. I went to my last class ever! I got dressed up for the senior banquet, and danced around onstage at Duke Divinity School's 3rd Annual Broadway Revue. Now, classes are over. Exams are turned in. I'm just sitting around in this cloud of weirdness. There are no deadlines. Graduation isn't until next week. I'm almost confused. What do I do now? WHATEVER I WANT! I slept in late this morning. I got sunburned by the pool yesterday. I'm loving this free time! Of course that won't last long. There's plenty of shopping, cleaning, packing and organizing to do before I leave for Uganda on May 27, 2009 at 2:20PM! It's all seeming really unreal. I feel as if I've been waiting for so long to get back there, and now that it is only 26 days away I can hardly stand it!

While I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster--graduating, leaving life in America, adjusting to new surroundings and a new rhythm of life, goodbyes and hellos--it has been such an affirming journey. People have given so graciously in order to make this work possible. Some have donated toiletries, money, time, craftiness, and all of it has helped to raise the support needed to get to Uganda and get going! I'm forever thankful to all the folks who have given and joined me in this work!

And just so you know, I'm totally going to blog more. Promise.
For now, I'm watching Regis & Kelly in my living room, Signing off.

Am I Done Yet?

The finish line is in sight, but the frustration is building. The papers keep piling up. The reading assignments never seem to get completed on time. That's right. It's my last semester of grad school, and the only thing that preserves my sanity is the knowledge that one day I will yearn for hours of time dedicated to reading. I will miss the days of learning and debating and taking lecture notes. I can barely conceive of such mad ideas right now, in the middle of my last semester at Duke, but I am certain that in time I will miss the discipline of studying. You would think that this understanding would settle me down, but no! I still feel restless for Uganda. Restless to return. Restless to dive into the work that waits for me there. Restless to pack and unpack, to get settled and see the people I love, to hug kids that I have been longing to hold for these past 9 months.

My time is coming, but my patience is waning. Still God's steadfast love and goodness never seems to fade. I began fundraising my salary for Uganda during the horrific economic crisis that continues to plague our country. I worried about it. I prayed and bargained with God. I made demands. I pouted. And then someone said to me, "Alisha, God has called you to this work. God will provide for you to do it. And in this journey you must learn what it looks like to need the church." Being the one in need has never been something I have done well, but God reminds me daily that this calling is one that demands I surrender my "I can do it all" mentality. It is the anonymous donations and committed friends and faithful folks that make this ministry possible. Every donation is a reminder of my need for the body of Christ. So, thank you for flooding my life with words of affirmation, money to make this happen and prayers to sustain my spirit throughout this wild ride!

For those of you who are still interested in partnering with us to do the work of equipping and teaching children as well as pastors in Uganda, there is still time to join us. What do I need? Well, I am still looking for 7 folks to join my TOP 40! ($25 a month for 2 years=$600). This is my most pressing need to make sure that my salary is covered for the two years. Still, I am very aware that a commitment like that is not possible for everyone. All one time donations are welcome. I am grouping them together in $600 intervals to fill TOP 40! slots. Already, two TOP 40! slots have been added because of one time donations. There is no contribution too small. Just click the DONATE to AOL link to the right and submit a donation online or contact me if you're interested in joining my Top 40!

I'm sure I have a paper to write or a book to read, but I think I'm going to bed early instead. Try and stop me!

This is Alisha on location in Durham, NC... almost asleep on the couch. Goodnight.

Aprons for AFRICA!

It is such a great gift to have good friends! One of those good friends in my life is Magen Quiroz. She is a daughter, a sister, a wife and now a mother! And beyond these roles, she is a seriously creative craftswoman. It's like craftiness seeps from her pores. Anyhow, she was gracious enough to donate her time and talents to make aprons, broaches and patches out of some African fabric that I purchased this summer in Uganda. With the making of these items, Magen is helping me to put the "FUN" back into Fundraising.

To launch the selling of the aprons, we hosted a Tea Party to give a sneak peek at Magen's masterful work. In one afternoon of sales, we raised over $200. We look forward to see people get excited about this fun new project!

The aprons are officially now on sale! I've posted a few pictures of the aprons. Let me know if you're interested in purchasing any of the items, and I'll be sure to hook you up!

Full Aprons, $40
Half Aprons, $30
Broaches, $10
Patches, $5

And feel free to check out Magen's blog and some of the other things she creates!

Evangeline Gifts

This is Alisha, Beginning Her Last Semester, On Location at Duke Divinity School.

O, We're Halfway There...

Since I wrote last so much has happened! I've narrowed it down to my TOP 10 things that have taken place!

1. completed my chaplaincy at Duke Hospital

2. went to the gym 4 days in a row

3. finished another semester of grad school

4. read a book NOT required for class

5. baked a turkey for Thanksgiving

6. painted my bathroom in the new house

7. lived in a 5th wheel trailer with 3 other people without any major catastrophes

8. turned 26

9. created a Bible Study curriculum in 3 days

10. found 21 of my TOP 40! which means I'm financially halfway to Uganda

It's been a BIG month...I'll be hibernating until classes begin in January.



But for now,
This is Alisha on Location and living on a prayer in my parent's 5th wheel trailer somewhere in Texas.

There's No Place Like Home

Well, she did it! Erin has purchased a house and for the next few months, before leaving for Uganda, I get to help her make it her own. Now, for those of you who don't know Erin, she is the person I have shared life with for the last 8 years. To me she is a soul sister, a constant source of encouragement and the person who will forever be called "best friend." She and I started off as college roommates and now we're family. And as I celebrate with Erin in this monumental accomplishment of becoming a homeowner, I am also acutely aware of something sad inside me. Grief. With the joy of this new home comes the end of our life together. We will soon separate to honor the calling God has on both of our lives. The next months will be a time of transition and letting go. It will be painfully sad and beautifully fun too! I'm sure this season of transition will be full of late night giggling sessions, deep conversations over pizza, Sunday afternoon naps, bursting into song with our morning coffee in hand, paint fights as we decorate the new house, negotiations about who will take out the trash and a thousand other things that fill up our everyday life. I cannot deny the rich joy I feel to be moving to Uganda in June, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that there is sadness there too.

A kindred spirit from Duke Divinity School (Hey Dominique!) has just started her own blog. She titled it "Remember Home." In her first post she reflected on the words of Jesus. "'Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to sleep.' No home, house-----white picket fence to point to." She goes on to reflect on the 34 million refugees in the world and the sacred responsibility of hospitality. And in the middle of reading this blog I was reminded so clearly and so simply that God is calling me away from the place that has been my home in order to participate in the radical hospitality of a community called Bunga, Uganda. I don't know what this will look like, but I hope it will involve deep conversations, bursting into song, giggling sessions and my arms open wide in order to be and receive a tangible reminder of God's love. Because strangely enough, no matter our geographical locations, it's in God's embrace where we are all welcome. It's home. And there's just no place like home.

Goodbye Sweet Moses

I've been avoiding this blog. I just hate what I have to say. But I feel like you should know. The baby we were so privileged to love and take care of for a week this summer died in October. It was Malaria, and it was completely curable. I wrestle between my anger and my sadness over the loss of his life. He was so new to the world, and even in our short time with him, we dreamed big about his future and talked about the ways in which we wanted to stay in his life. I remember the last time I saw him. Shelly, Sarah and I had driven to where he was staying with relatives in order to take him a fresh batch of formula. But really we were all just itching to see him. For the first few minutes it was as if he had not known us at all. It was as if he had forgotten about the package of coconut cookies he almost finished single-handedly or the Sunday afternoon of snuggling with me in the loft or the warm water basin baths or the three sets of arms that rarely let his body lay idle. But within a few minutes his giggle returned, and we were all able to wrap our arms around him once more before having to leave.

I cannot imagine that loving and letting go will get any easier once I am in Uganda for good, but what a precious gift it was to lavish love on Moses for those few days in the summer. Thank you Moses, for being so easy to love. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. May the loving arms of our Lord hold you til I get there.

I Can Explain...

Don't jump to conclusions. I promise I have not been ignoring you. This semester has simply swollowed me whole. "What have I been doing?" you ask. Class. Reading. Working out at the downtown YMCA. More reading. Working at Duke Hospital as a Chaplain for the Pediatric Unit. Evening walks around the neighborhood. Having my favorite college roommates in town to surprise Erin on her birthday. What else? Oh, I did yoga once. And did I mention that I'm working as a chaplain? It's taking lots of time. There is something so exhausting and energizing to be with families and kids during both painful and precious moments in the hospital. But these kids keep me so busy. Painting finger nails. Coloring. Video games (I'm so bad at video games). Karaoke. Yes, karaoke. Playing with dolls. Watching Little Bear and Bug Rangers (and occassionally Seventh Heaven). Singing. Praying. Listening. Crying. Hugging. I. Love. It.

Also, last weekend, Erin helped me host my first Uganda Fundraiser. Woo Hoo! We had a Yard Sale. Several Duke Divinity students donated some of their own items to the cause. While it wasn't the busiest day of business, we did raise $300. It was a great start! Plus, we got rid of some serious junk. It was so cleansing. Who knew?

Well, as I write this, I am on call at the hospital, spending the next 24 hours waiting and ready to respond to the needs of families and patients. So, for now, this is Chaplain Alisha Damron on location at Duke University Medical Center.