Andrew & Melissa's Adventures: Andrew's Blogggggggg

I have been really enjoying my time here in Uganda and I am so glad I encouraged Melissa to apply to ACTS as one of their engineering interns. With her working, we agreed that while we are in Africa I would be the primary care giver for our son Theo. So for the last 5 months my main job has been to care for my little guy. Back home I was working and Melissa was the stay at home mom, so this whole role reversal thing took a little bit of getting used to. For all you men out there that are tired when you get home from work and just need a break, I am going to let you in on a little secret…your wife needs one too, probably even more than you!

As I said, getting used to my new role was not easy. Before we came to Africa often times I would only have to change one diaper a day. Sometimes if I was lucky I could even see a few days pass without having to change a single diaper. My wife was so good to me! Now I do the dirty…literally. On top of that when we first arrived here in camp we did not have our helper Winnie around to do our laundry. The first couple weeks I was not only changing stinky diapers, but also hand washing them. I was not thrilled about cloth diapers at that time; however I have to say I did feel a sense of accomplishment every time I finished a load. On a side note I just want to say thank you Jesus for Winnie!

Though I have just devoted a whole paragraph to diapers, among the many things I had to get used to, diapers was actually one of the easier ones. I learned very quickly that caring for a child full time requires an incredible amount of patience (I assure you I am still praying for more of it every day). Tasks that appear so small sometimes turn into Mission Impossible. I did not know changing Theo’s clothes could be such a battle at times. Probably one of the toughest things for me to get used to was waking up in the night with Theo. You see, back home I never had to. Theo was a nursing baby and Melissa always covered that (again, my wife is so awesome!). However, my lack of reciprocation in this department originally when we arrived in Uganda lead to an unhappy wife some nights…I was in the dog house a few times on that one.

I will admit with any change comes some challenge, but I feel like I am really getting the hang of being a full-time dad and husband. In fact at one point I felt that my job here was not quite as important as Melissa’s, but now I realize how entirely untrue that is. Raising a child is one of the most important jobs anyone could have. Like in any particular job you have your ups and downs, but on those good days, when you experience your child learn something new or do something amazing, it is such a life giving feeling and so rewarding. Theo and I are having a blast together and I am so proud of what Melissa is doing over here. It has been a dream come true for all of us.

As much fun as it has been hanging out with Theo, God has placed a few people in my path over here that I have been able to help, and develop friendships with. There are so many needs over here and I understand that I can’t help everybody, but it is encouraging when God works through you to touch one person’s life at a time.

Overall, I have really enjoyed just being a full time dad. I might not ever get an opportunity like this and I am thankful that God has given us the faith to pursue our dreams according to His will.