It's Finally Here!!

After waiting patiently :) for the past five months, it’s just about time for me to leave for my adventure in Uganda. I fly out of Portland on Thursday, but I won’t land in Uganda until Saturday afternoon (Uganda time, which is 11 hours ahead of Pacific Time). I have a 12-hour layover in Amsterdam, which gives me some time to leave the airport and tour the city for a bit. But any way you slice it, 38 hours is A LOT of traveling.

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have been praying for me over the past few months. As I have prepared for this trip, there have been definite times of anxiety, nervousness, and fear. But an overwhelming majority of my emotions have been positive – joy, excitement, trust, and awe – as I look forward to an incredible learning experience and one that will surely affect me in ways I cannot yet fathom. I look forward to updating you on my life in Uganda while I’m there.

Your continued prayers are always welcomed and appreciated:
• Safe and smooth traveling in the coming days
• My health as I enter a high-risk malaria zone
• My integration into the culture and community in Masaka

Thanks,
Scott

P.S. For those of you that aren’t exactly sure what I’m doing, here’s a brief summary:

This past summer, after graduating from SPU, I began looking for opportunities to travel and work overseas. During my search process, I was referred to the Foundation for Sustainable Development (www.fsdinternational.org). The FSD matches interns like me with community development organizations in the developing world. Thus, I applied and got accepted to the internship program. I’ll be doing economic development and microfinance work with a Uganda-based grassroots organization in Masaka, Uganda.

During my time in Masaka, I will be living with a host family, providing a way for me to immerse myself in the culture and community there. While I will be working directly with a Ugandan organization, I will also receive assistance and support from the FSD site team in Masaka. The first two weeks of my time will be occupied by an orientation with the FSD and my host organization, receiving a crash course on ‘sustainable development,’ as well as the language, culture, and community of Masaka. This will be followed by two weeks of performing a “needs assessment,” in which I assess the needs of my host organization, the community in which it works, and the clients it serves. Once this assessment has been completed, the core of the internship follows: writing and implementing a sustainable development plan. I don’t have many details yet on what this will be, since it will largely depend on the results of the needs assessment. Overall, I think this will be an incredible learning experience for me – culturally, personally, professionally, and spiritually.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me (scottfillingame@gmail.com).