It was really clear to me that I was gonna be doing ministry, but what wasn't
clear was what shape that was going to take. And so all I had was my little basket of
tools, and one of the biggest tools that was there happened to be creativity and the arts and theatre.
I was always drawn to Africa. I didn't know why and didn't
really make sense to me, but I knew that that's where I wanted to go and so as
soon as I graduated I came for six months for the first time, and when I got
on the plane to go home it felt really clear that I was coming back. And so in
2007 I was able to come back to Kampala and teach creative drama in 11
different local schools who don't have the funding to do the arts and don't
have teachers who have a lot of experience in theatre and so in my time
in Uganda I started to learn more about what was happening and that Uganda is
the second youngest nation in the world. 50% of the population of Uganda is 15 or younger.
There are children everywhere.
Unfortunately not all of them are in school. Because school costs money, there
are so many kids not going, and so for me that is a hard reality to look at, and I wanted to change it.
So we knew we wanted to start a school, and that's how
Terra Nova started. And we started with two classes in 2013, and we weren't sure
we were gonna even get one student to come into, to start our school.
We started with 32. And our goal that first year was if they know nothing else
let them know that God loves them. And today we have 125, and they go up to
grade three and next year we'll have grade four and every year we add a new class.
So our preschool program runs from 8 until 1. It's a half-day program.
They have breakfast, they do specials, so music, PE, and art and then for our primary program,
it runs from 8 until 3 and we're still
the arts and the specials and music. And then we're blending what is a part of the
Uganda national curriculum with a couple of programs that are from the US.
Terra Nova is a place in which you come to come to learn, you learn to love, and then you love to live.
We are a place that is all about creating a safe spot for kids to
learn and grow physically, academically, and emotionally and we're doing so in
order to help families who may be struggling in poverty. I think that one
of the biggest lessons that I've learned even just being here is that it's really
not about me but that it's about the family of God and that each of us offers
something and that all of us no matter where you are, no matter what corner of
the world you find yourself in, everybody can do something small and do it with
great love. You don't have to have all the money.
You don't have to have all the power. You just have to be open and obedient and willing to learn
and willing to listen and willing to trust that God has good plans for you.