African Sunday

This morning we got up early and walked with Catherine, one of our volunteer friends, to the nearby Kampala International University. Arriving on the campus, which was spotted with litter from some concert last night, we mounted numerous concrete stairs, and found ourselves in a large open room. The pews were student desks, the kind that the small table folds down on your lab to write.

At about 7:55am, the room probably held 45 students and they were already beginning to sing. There were a number of songs in English which was a tremendous blessing for us and then they had two specials...one a dance group and the second a vocal choir. Albeit we chuckled to ourselves about the dance group, the attitude of the entire service was worshipful and Pastor Kenneth spoke with conviction and intensity. By the end of the service at about 10:30, approximately 700 young people had filled the room.

There are many questions in our hearts about how to love Jesus in Africa and how to train and teach people to love Jesus. But after a morning like this, you wonder if maybe we are the ones who stand in need of the teaching. We get to practice soon as tomorrow morning we wake up to start Swahili classes...pray that we will have "teachable" hearts.

Thank you for your prayers and love. His beauty is a source of great joy.

Happy Sabbath,

Billy & Joanna Coppedge

We Made It!!!

Dear Family and Friends - We did make it Uganda!!! Hooray for Jesus! The airline graciously allowed us six bags and all of them arrived which was a miracle. Our field director, Jon Mayo was at the airport to pick us up and it was great to see him. We got settled Friday morning into a large apartment which fortunately was already furnished by other missionaries who are home on HMA. We thank Jesus for His provision and are learning to call it "home."

Saturday was low-key with some Q/A time with the Mayos and then some grocery shopping which was very exciting. The grocery store was nicer than we remembered and we thank Jesus for that. We have had several meals with the five VIA (volunteers) who are here as well, the two women sharing the other side of the duplex with us and the three boys not far away. We all went to church together this morning and some of the church members remembered us from two years ago. That was an encouragement to our hearts.

We go to an international church service tonight and then jump into the week. It is a little tricky getting internet access (thus no pictures this time - sorry) so we are working on that as well as getting a feel for what else we will need to set up a home here. Language school does not officially start for us for another week but beginning tomorrow (monday), we have cultural classes every afternoon for two hours. It is a week long deal and then the following Monday we dive into Swahili. We'll try to begin some Swahili learning on our own just with the computer program we have to prep us for the real thing! Thanks for praying!

Our spirits are good and while things are different, Jesus has been very present. We are learning new "night noises" and "sounds" which honestly kept us up some last night...you just don't feel the same sense of security as "Wilmore," but Jesus has been so fiathful and very real. We praise Him for His kindness and patience.

We could not be here without your prayers. Please continue to pray. We believe He is here and at work; it is a privilege to work alongside our Jesus.

Deeply Grateful for Your Support and Love,
Billy & Joanna
Acts 26:22-23

This Is It...Uganda Bound

Friends and Family -

The time in Hungary has been a time of refreshment and restoration. We are so thankful for this half-way stop to recover from jet-lag and be in the secure home of our family.

We are leaving Hungary on Thursday afternoon at 12:20...we fly to London and then leave that night at 7:45 and arrive in Entebbe, Uganda at 5:40 on Friday morning.

You may laugh but the word that describes our hearts in so many ways at this junction is that of "mystery." There are real hopes and well to be honest, real fears of what is to come. But amidst that tension, there is a continued sense this is where Jesus is calling us and that fuels a genuine sense that this is "right" and to be anywhere else but Uganda-bound would be not only disobedient but "less than real."

We would not be going if it was not for you. Thank you so much for being a part of God's team with us. May He find us faithful.

(the picture is of us with the Searls family and our dear friends Jolayne and Tibi with their baby Emma)

Adventures Traveling to Hungary

WE MADE IT TO HUNGARY!!! HOORAY! Thank you so much for your prayers! We literally felt them and inspite of a wild trip, there was a very real sense of the Presence of Jesus the whole way. We almost missed the flight in Chicago to London...then security in London did not like our carry-ons so we had to go out immigration, check our "extra" bag and then go back through security before we finally made our flight to Budapest. It was delayed so our family as very anxious for us to arrive...but arrive we did and promptly slept eleven hours last night!

The most horrific but hysterical part of the journey was concerning one of our action packer trunks. It was "slightly" over weight and while packing it, we had been cautious to use only the handles on either end. While checking it in Cincinnati, the kind sky cap grabbed the middle handle and promptly broke off a huge chunk of the front of our trunk. Not just the handle, an entire chunk of the plastic trunk ripped open!!!

Overwhelmed...we debated what to do in between tears and laughs and after finding a role of duck tape and several bungie cords, we prayed over it and sent it on its way. Well, it arrived...minus two of the cords and in a huge plastic bag which miracleously held it together. When we opened the plastic bag, we realized the trunk had literally broken into pieces and the above picture is our witness. Fortunately we think everything made it, although Joanna's tennis shoes were scrapped from where the trunk had been drug across the concrete. Hilarious and Terrible all at the same time.

We are so thankful to Jesus to be here and for His merciful grace. We are short one bag which did not make it but hopefully it will turn up. We love you all dearly and are excited to be in the journey! Hallalejuh! Praise God Forever!

Passport, Please...

HOORAY! We are leaving. We fly out Monday, September 4th at 7:45pm. We go from Cincinnati to Chicago to London to Budapest where we visit a week with Billy's sister Katy Beth and her family; then we fly back to London on the 14th and arrive in Uganda on the 15th at 5:30am. We are so sad to leave our families and friends but we continue to sense "this is the way, walk yea in it." This last week has been filled with cups of coffee with family, packing, sorting and lots of good byes. We go knowing we will miss so many of you but we go knowing and sensing the love of so many people. Thank you.

Someone mentioned this week - "You need to go with a sense of adventure and hope." In so many ways, that sums up how our hearts are as we leave... anticipating a hopeful adventure with Jesus. He is so kind and gracious to give us the privilege to go; there is no other option.

So that you will know: our first week in Uganda will be orientation to the field and country...things like where to buy milk and bread. Then, beginning week two, a language teacher will come to the apartment we will stay in and begin tutoring us in Swahili. It will be an 8:00-1:00 daily schedule with the afternoons free for homework assignments and practicing conversation.

PLEASE pray we will be faithful: in our walk with Jesus, in our marriage, in our language learning, and in our bearing the burden to raise up pastoral leadership for the Ugandan Church.

We are so thankful to Jesus for you and your support and encouragement. Thank you for being part of our team.

Billy & Joanna Coppedge

(the above picture is our final goodbye with our close friends Bryce and Stephanie Hogan)