What on Earth am I here for? This question has frequented my conversations lately. Between family and friends, and even within myself. I asked this question to myself during my mid semester crisis before I graduated college just a few months ago. During said crisis, something in me just wasn’t sure what I was made to do. “What’s my purpose?” I asked my mom one day on the phone. While in the midst of my 15 hour flight towards Uganda, I also found my mind wandering towards those questions.

Upon being in Uganda, I believe my purpose has more clarity. In the last two weeks of my fellowship with Field of Hope I have experienced and taken in so much good. My travels have gone very smoothly and my immersion into living in country is also going well. Most of my takeaways include absorbing all the scenery, making new friends, and serving my purpose.

First, I have truly not seen a landscape quite like Uganda. Lush green everywhere, mixed with colorful flowers, bright red dirt, and rows of crops. While driving the other day I tried to go through all of the ecosystems I learned in biology and I simply can’t choose just one between the mix of dry, swamp, and pine and palm trees. Either way, I’m loving the landscape.

Next, the people. I’ve had such amazing company with me the last couple of weeks. Kindness, heart, and generosity mean a lot; and unexpected friendship is something I often find anywhere I go. To my new dear friend Gloria, thank you for being my house mate for a week. What a short week! From playing cards, to traveling (or mostly sleeping during travel in our case), exploring the market, and teaching me how to properly hand wash my laundry, we have shared SO many laughs. I’ll miss you in the FOH house, but I can’t wait to see you again very soon!

Gloria also took me to my first Ugandan church service. We arrived at Victory Outreach Church (main) to find “What on Earth am I here for?” postered all over the church. Next to other signs reading, “We are here for mission, worship, fellowship, growth, and service.” These words meant so much to me as I truly am here in Uganda for each of those. After amazing songs from the choir, and a warm welcome to all the new attendees, we began the sermon. “No matter the language you speak or part of the world you come from, we are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and in the house of Christ.” I’ve never been a big spiritual person, but embracing my faith is something I want to strengthen while in Uganda. This sermon absolutely hit home, and started my journey in faith, and for my fellowship on the right foot.

Combine all those positive aspects of my trip with the passion for agriculture I get to share with others, and I really am living out my purpose. The other day, Nicholas, an FOH staff member and new friend, asked me what my dream job is. I said, “something that lets me travel, be in and out of the classroom, attend conferences, and do a variety of things all while sharing agriculture.” As I said that, I found that I was getting to do exactly that right now. Between gender and nutrition trainings for villages, working on various handbooks and programs, and observing in agricultural classrooms, I believe my purpose is to serve in this very moment each day.

I cannot wait to share with you my journey of faith, agriculture, and more. What on Earth are you here for?

By: Sarah McCord, Fellow ’22

Our visit to Midland High School started the same way most do–the guards meet the car at the front gate, ask who you have come to visit, then welcome you inside to park. A teacher or school staff member brings you to the school office where you either meet with administration or wait until the class you are visiting is settled and ready for instruction to begin.

When we drove through the front gate, I was intrigued by the view in front of me. Vegetables fill a garden bed in front of the main building. Tall trees stand in a wide-open field, creating a yard that feels natural yet organized. A path between buildings offers a quick glimpse into an area that is assumed to be filled with additional buildings where class can take place. The school was nice, but nothing so far from the ordinary that I would have assumed what was to come.

We followed the path into the school courtyard and were seated on a bench outside the main office building. Soon, we were met by a teacher named Julius who invited us to take a quick tour of the school. Julius is part of a four-teacher team working to provide agriculture education at Midland High School.

Our tour started back in the main yard, where he showed us the drip irrigation system used to water the trees. A plastic soda or water bottle with a small hole in the cap hangs on a stick at the base of each tree. After school, the students fill each bottle so the trees receive water during the night but do not loose excess moisture to evaporation during the day. We would later learn that they called this yard “paradise”, a name rather fitting for the lush, majestic yard.

Working our way back toward the school, we stopped to look at the garden beds in front of the first building. Some gardens are filled with plentiful rows of cabbage, squash, broccoli, and more, however, across the path, sits a garden bed of tomatoes and eggplant that do not appear as healthy. Julius explained that when the plants in the one garden bed started to wilt, the students became curious about what the difference between the garden beds may be. Driven by their curiosity, they tested the soil and determined that the wilt is due to improper soil pH.

Back inside the main school courtyard, Julius noted that most of the landscaping includes agricultural products—apple, banana, and passionfruit trees provide shade, gourds grow along the fences and sides of buildings, and leafy greens grow among the ornamental bushes. Toward the back of the school, large plots of cabbage allow each class to gain experience growing their own crops. A few goats and a cow provide students with hands on experience in dairy production and rows of banana trees allow students from all regions to learn about the staple foods in different parts of Uganda. Each agricultural plant is accompanied by a marker that identifies its local name, English name, and primary use or benefit. This allows students to observe different crops at all stages of growth and consider how the crops aid people both in their communities and around the world.

In the back corner of the school compound, one final plot reveals the depth of student curiosity supported by teacher commitment. Students had observed the rising prices of grain on a global scale and had taken special note of the cost some countries are paying to import wheat and sorghum. They asked why these crops were not grown in Uganda and what the financial benefits would be if they could produce their own wheat and sorghum. So, the teachers identified a small plot at the back of the school, gathered some wheat and sorghum seeds, and helped students plant some small crops to observe. They also planted maize right beside the exploratory crops, so students could observe the growth rate, yield, and resource use of their traditional crops right beside the new crops. Here, students are not simply waiting to receive knowledge at their teachers’ pace but are watching as the answers to their questions unfold right before their own eyes.

The beauty of Midland High can be found in so many places. Whether walking through paradise, viewing a garden plot, or observing a lesson, the entire agriculture program sings not only of student-centered learning, but of student-driven learning. Equally as enticing as the curiosity of students is the commitment of four teachers working to bring agriculture to life. A day in the program beckons a new anthem for Midland High agriculture—Driven by Curiosity, Supported by Commitment.

By: Bekah McCarty, Fellow ’22