Tuesday, April 30, 2013

WE MADE IT!


It's one minute after mid night, so 2pm Tuesday in the states, but here it's the 1st and we have traveled our way into the month of May ahead of you. In 1985, flipping the calendar from April to May meant we would soon welcome a tiny daughter into our family. I didn't have clear enough vision then to ever expect that this many years later we would share in a love for Uganda, children and be responsible for helping to bring yet another generation along in loving the nations. But that's exactly the truth and our excitement about 2013's month of May rivals any leading up to it.

The two of us are well taken care of this trip by two pretty wonderful men. They are a father and son pair that make me grateful to God for his amazing parenting. Left to ourselves we could be sure of one thing... Our efforts would never be enough to equip them, but God is in the business of picking up right where we lay things down or drop them. Seeing these three make me so very excited for our family and their future.

On a practical note, we are winding up the last four hours of travel to Africa, and have traded wings for tires. What a treat for us that the two longest legs of our trip were on board planes that were only half full. There is nothing better when faced with 8 hours in the air, twice in a row, than to be able to stretch out, lay our heads down and put our feet up. I may change my mind, but this set of travelers are feeling far less weary at this point in the trip and when asked how our youngest member is doing after 30 plus hours, his answer "perfect!" The child is anointed for global travel routines...
We should be checking into our rooms in a couple of hours, slip into a horizontal rest just short of a coma, then start the first day of our trip with some local coffee and tea.

Thank you for praying us here safely... Tomorrow we will surprise our small tribe by walking through the gates of Chayah. Their mama hasn't told them a thing about our visit. Joy and gratitude and a surrendering to God's plans for us for the next few weeks begin first thing tomorrow... for now though, if you could picture lightning flashing ahead of the windshield and Chris, our driver navigating the dark "roads" between drops on the windshield, the familiar smell of burning charcoal mixed with damp red dirt, well you'd have the next best thing to being here.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

These darlings are taking us back…



Four of us are headed back to Njeru, Uganda on Monday April 29th.  Its been three months; feels like forever and then just yesterday all at the same time.  Chayah’s children and house mom have had 3 months of adjusting to beds, bathrooms, 3 meals a day, schooling and learning more about Jesus.  

Regular Skype dates have kept us in touch with our family there, but its no substitute for looking straight into those faces and seeing God’s handy work.  


Our small team has big plans for our 2 weeks away.  Mommy Janet has asked us to bring some specific plans for teaching practical skills while the kids are out of school on break.  Sewing machines fit perfectly in our suitcases with fabric, pattern and notions tucked around them for our sewing lessons with the older girls.  Music lessons will fill some time each day and will include, keyboard, guitar and some drum rhythms.  The new oven will get some exercise as we take some simple baking recipes, roasting & cake pans, and cookie sheets.  Their charcoal cooking is tough to beat flavor-wise, but baking lessons were specifically requested and baking a cake in an oven, cuts about 5 ½ hours off their village technique of digging a hole, filling it with heated sand and placing the cake pan there for half a day.  


We will also take them swimming, most for the first time and the adults of us will do some hospital ministry, providing some physical needs and prayer.  Bible study with our Chayah darlings will have a special time and focus each day and beyond that we plan to enjoy every minute of our free time together.  


Looking into the future, we are praying that God would make his plans for us clear.  As it stands, there isn’t room for another bed in the current house and the space for sewing machines and the few instruments will reduce the room in the sitting area.  Are there more children in Chayah's future?  God knows.  If we stood by the gate of the property, those who come by each day with a list or description of  other needy little ones, would plead their way in if they thought it would work.  We’ll be checking our options for moving to a bigger home, more property and a place where there could be a garden and maybe animals.   The Lord has shown us each step to this point, so we know he’ll keep us in the loop about the when and where of moving.  


Another team is forming for a similar trip, leaving the end of July and we will begin accepting applications for our big trip in January, soon.  We’d love to have you pray about joining us.  Your hearts and sacrifice in supporting Chayah mean so much.  Follow us here beginning May1st to get a glimpse of our trip, we’d love to share it with you all and pray with us for a divine fruitfulness over the next few weeks of travel.  Jesus is worth every mile and these children bring our hearts back with great anticipation!