Help a fellow Mountain Homie get to Uganda

Denise and I in Atlanta in 2009. I met up with her on my way to Fort Benning, Georgia. I had the unfortunate timing of trying to drive through Atlanta during a home Braves game. *Bonus story at the end of this blog.*

One of my friends, Denise Wade, is heading to Uganda two weeks from today for a mission trip and is still a little shot on funding. I met Denise, a fellow Mountain Homie, in high school but got to know her better in college, at the University of Idaho. I asked her if she would be interesting in writing a little bit about her trip. Below are her words.

Out of all the places in Idaho I could have grown up, I am grateful for my upbringing in Mountain Home. Growing up in Mountain Home, Idaho, I was exposed to so many different kinds of cultures and people. Not only does Mountain Home have a rich Basque history, it also has the Air Force base, which every year would bring schoolmates from all different states, countries and backgrounds. I always had a diverse array of friends and enjoyed learning new things about the world through my friends' experiences living in different parts of the world.

My parents were civilians and sometimes I was envious of my friends for the opportunities that they were afforded through their parents' profession. From a young age, I began to dream of the big world that was out there waiting for me to see. In ninth grade, I started taking a Spanish class and that is where I met your very own Robert Taylor. That Spanish class opened my mind to a new way of thinking and seeing the world. I studied Spanish for six more years after that through high school and at the University of Idaho.

When I attended the University of Idaho, the school's slogan was "From Here You Can Go Anywhere." I see that statement to be true in my life and the lives of my friends. Now this isn't a blog to promote the University of Idaho, but the experiences inside and outside the classroom I obtained there were priceless and helped mold me into an open-minded, cultured and world-conscious servant leader.

I learned the value of serving my community at the University of Idaho. I was able to go on an Alternative Service Break to Waveland, Miss., where the eye of Hurricane Katrina hit, six months after the storm. Robert also went on that trip, and I am sure that he can vouch that that week of gutting homes and cleaning up debris in that ravaged town was one of the most priceless experiences of his life. It was service like this down south and in my community in Idaho that showed me the importance of getting involved and helping change the world around me.

Everyone has at least one event that happens in their life that carries them on to define who they become. Mine was September 2005, shortly after turning 21, when I met Kanay Mubita in my intoxication at the club in Moscow. At this moment, little did I know that my destiny was being shaped for the rest of my life and eternity.

A little over six months later, shortly after returning from the Alternative Service Break in Waveland, Kanay was sent to prison for purposely trying to infect myself and 10 other women with the HIV virus. I had seen Kanay for only a short period of time, but that was enough for my life to be changed forever. I did not contract the virus but I did contract something else: my life's calling.

As a result of the situation with Kanay and my experience in Waveland, I was propelled into the life of an activist. I started to research HIV and AIDS. That led me to research on Africa, which led me to research on hunger issues and poverty. I had heard about this organization called the "War On Hunger" that a group of faculty and students was trying to start up on campus, and I soon got involved and became one of the driving forces that helped start on campus.

I then graduated with a degree in sociology in 2007. After finishing my studies at the University of Idaho, I moved to Atlanta to be an activist doing revolutionary politics.

Shortly after moving to Atlanta I learned an important lesson: I couldn't change the world until I was changed. Through all my experiences in college I saw the hand of something bigger than myself moving. I saw God and his power and I couldn't resist it anymore. Shortly after I moved to Atlanta, I started studying the Bible and going to church. I made the decision to be a Christian and was baptized on February 20, 2008.

My desire to change the world got even stronger after I became a Christian and thus I have never strayed from my quest. Now I work for a non-government organization called MAP International, which is a global health organization that does work all around the world to serve the poorest of the poor. Without a doubt in my mind, I have a calling to go to Africa and serve and give to people that which has so freely been given to me: love.

Next month I am embarking on a journey of unparalleled heights in my life. I will make the 24-hour trek to Kampala, Uganda. There I will be meeting up with other Christians from Boise, Oregon, Las Angeles and Chicago to serve on a mission team. We will be working on the Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria helping to build a school for orphans whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS. I will also have a chance after the mission trip to travel through Uganda to see some of the projects that the organization that I work for has developed in Uganda and I provide support to.

My dream has come true, I am changing the world. I expected to change the world through a revolution, but God is changing the world through how He has revolutionized me.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

As I write this blog, I am still about $700 short of reaching my goal for my mission trip to Uganda. Robert so kindly reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be a guest on his blog to tell people my story and possibly raise more funds. Anything will help. I am grateful for how far I have already come. Thank you for taking time to read this. If you would like to donate, please see my secure website on GOFUNDME at http://www.gofundme.com/215u44 Or if you prefer to send a check, you may e-mail me at denicewade@gmail.com for mailing information.

Thank you!

Bonus story: When I was a few miles out, I called Denise and had this conversation with her: "Where are you?" "I'm not sure, my phone says I'm getting close. Holy smokes! I just drove under five bridges at once! And now I'm on a highway where there are eight lanes going in both directions! Eight lanes! All one way! Where am I? This is insane!" Google "Spaghetti Junction Atlanta" and you'll see why this small town Idaho kid didn't know what to make of so much highway in one place.