THE NEWS! What I am doing this fall...

Hello Partners in this Journey!
  I hope that this email finds all of you well.  I am currently sitting in down town Nairobi.  I am on my way back to my accommodation after getting pages added to my passport at the American Embassy.

Nairobi has not been what I had hoped it would be.  It has been very expensive and very boring.  I've watched a lot of movies and read some books, and done some looking around the place.  But there isn't much to do in Nairobi.  I had planned to work with a school and human rights organization.  However, things have not really panned out.  I spent last week in the slum of Kibera, waiting to be put to work.

However, the human rights office did say they will have work for me this week.  So tomorrow I will hopefully be more active!  I like working in Kibera and really want to be of use.  If they don't have work for me tomorrow, I will leave Nairobi Wednesday or Thursday and move on with my trip.  I don't like Nairobi. 

But I am not writing you about my time here in Nairobi. 

I am writing you to let you know the official news that I am staying in Africa!

I have been offered a position with Yesu Ahuriire Community, where I spent 3.5 weeks in Uganda.  They are located in Mbarara, Uganda which is fairly far west.  I have been offered room and board to come and staff their leadership training school (called DTS: discipleship training school).  This is a 4 month program for Christian young people to get trained in leadership and receive good character formation.  I will be on staff, so I will be mentoring and teaching during the school.

After the DTS has finished I will be starting an "internship" with Ahuriire Development Organization.  The Yesu Ahuriire Community has a branch which does development work!  This work is for anyone who needs assistance, and often works with the poorest and most vulnerable people in the area. I will be working with them on many projects and am excited for this chance to start doing real international development work on the ground!  One of the projects I am most excited about is developing Character Development programs for their schools and non formal education programs.  These programs will help their students become well rounded individuals who are successful and motivated and know how to be productive members of society. 

After my 4 month internship with Ahuriire Development, I hope to travel to Europe for 2 months.  There is an Organizational Leadership Course (called L5, meaning Leadership 5), which I hope to attend. It is a 5 week intensive training program for people who are working at different levels of international organization.  It will be held in Ireland this year and begins in May.  I think that the information and training I will receive from this course will be very helpful as I work in Africa.  After the training program I will take a few weeks of rest with friends and family in Europe.

I am then planning on returning to Uganda in July 2011, and possibly starting development work among the poorest of the poor in the far western region of Uganda.

It looks like I may not return to the United States until 2012, depending on how things work out.

I hope that all of you will stay involved in my work.  I will continue to do my blog posts and email updates.  Also, we will continue to accept donations through the Word of God Community throughout this next year.  More support and communication information will follow in the coming weeks. 

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement during this summer of travel, exploration, and discernment.  I am excited for this new opportunity.  We will see where it all goes!

I move to Mbarara, Uganda on September 5th. 




Asanti Sanna!  (Thank you very much!)
Noelle Gornik