An Update from Elsie Jayne

Elsie Jayne has had a pretty happy week. She has really enjoyed the puppies. They will be with us about four more weeks and then they have all found homes...one will make her home here with her mama, Marori!





She also went to a birthday party this past Saturday of one of her friends, Joshua...He is the boy in the middle of the top step. He just turned four! Elsie Jayne wasn't too interested in the party games, so she made lemonade under the lemon tree with her friend Aidan. She was thrilled to sit at the big kid table though for snacks! She had a really happy time.


with her Aunt Pam Wafler...a good friend of her mama's...



Osobi, Joshua, and Keziah are on the top step
Aidan, Fatu and Elsie Jayne down below!


Elsie Jayne enjoying a fun new toy from a friend (thanks Brenda!!).

A Good Day

This morning the Servant Team - comprised of three of our key Nebbi pastors came up to Arua for a leadership meeting. Andrew, Benson, and Cosmos are working together with me to "serve our pastors, their families, our churches, and communities." The servant leadership model is new for all of us and we are learning together but this morning was the kind that keeps Joanna and I on the field.
Sadly, it came out of some recent difficult news. We received the resignation of one of our pastors last week and are trying to deal with both the fall out of losing a brother and yet protecting our remaining "flocks." Interestingly, we found ourselves reading I Timothy and other passages, asking, "What did Paul do with false teaching and those who promote false doctrine?" I have honestly never bothered to pay much attention to such details but have been amazed at how often the NT writers rebuke, caution and warn against false teachers and their doctrines. Due to our situation, these were the passages we were looking for as we try to love our brother and yet guard the "flock" He has entrusted to us.
The discussion plunged us deep into theological discussion and a 1700 year timeline of Church history. Jesus had helped me come with some prepared materials and they were exactly what we all needed to hear and see both afresh and for the first time. It is amazing how ideas have consequences and even in the village, theological ideas have theological consequences. Jesus was with us and not only did I find myself thrilled to be a part of working and learning with these guys, I believe all of us were seeing things in new ways.
Thank you for your prayers for us. We are so grateful to Jesus for allowing us to be a part of raising up African leadership. It is awesome and I wanted you all to know of the "good days," when there is a genuine sense God is both with us and working for us. Thank you for making that possible through your prayers and intercession. Thank you for praying for us, the Servant Team, that we might break old models of leadership and be more like Jesus.
Billy for the A-team

He Gives Good Gifts!

Jesus has been giving us so many good gifts recently, so we just wanted to say thank you to Him publicly and testify to His Good Fatherly Gift Giving Kindness!

Upon hearing of our transportation issues so regularly and seeking how to help, through a church in New York, Jesus provided a motorcycle so Billy can go to meetings and trainings in Nebbi and around town without leaving his girls stranded! How good is Jesus in His perfect timing even...as the birth of our new baby nears, this added security of having transportation available is SUCH A BLESSING!

Traveling so much has left Billy out of the loop with his Aruan friends. In the past week two of his Bible study friends have just come by for meals and to talk at perfect times when Billy has actually been able to talk and share with them. Both of these interactions were such love gifts from Jesus! We are so thankful to Jesus for REAL Ugandan friends and ask that you pray with us for more such friendships!

We are thankful for the good gift of health...Elsie Jayne was fighting a couple of funny African illnesses earlier in the week and seems to now just have a cough and runny nose! That counts as good health at the moment, and we are SO GRATEFUL for the Good Physicians ever present hand on our little girl.

A Bible Study Joanna participates in weekly has started a new study on the Holy Spirit and Living IN HIM! This study although only in the second week or so has already proven to be a good gift from Jesus to Joanna and to our community!

While the training in Nebbi was difficult this week(we had to accept the resignation of one of our pastors...who is following a "prophet" who has moved to town), we saw Jesus working too. Those pastors are a good gift to us from Jesus! They keep us seeking Him and keep us learning more and more of His character as we relate and love through our different cultures.

The pastors Jesus has trusted us with from Southern Sudan are such a blessing too! We want to praise Jesus for the gift of His protection and provision for all of them in these difficult days. Billy was scheduled to go for training in Juba all next week and for various reasons Jesus has closed that door. We praise Him for the good gift of His sovereign leading. He is guiding us step by step and we thank Him.

The list could go on and on...Jesus is so kind to give good gifts...more than we need certainly and so often more than we can ask or imagine! Ephesians 3:20-21 We praise Him and thank you all for your faithfulness to Him and love for us. We are humbled each morning when we consider how many people are carrying us to Jesus as you enjoy your coffee and quiet times! THANK YOU with all our hearts!

Sudan and Back Again

Once again we have seen Jesus’ faithful hand lovingly reaching to take hold of our own insecure trembling fist and drawing us into Himself! He carried us these past days and continues to!

We were sure that we were supposed to make this particular journey to Sudan as a family and kept fighting for that even when hurdles were thrown in the way before us.

The car had a new rattle - Nick was sick with malaria - Christina wasn’t sure if she could come for various reasons. We kept pressing on. It was Monday morning and we decided to go forward in a taxi from town. Nick was much stronger and Christina had made it safely to Arua, so we began the journey…the five of us, in taxi park, Arua.

My obvious pregnant state caused the men standing near where we were waiting to board our taxi to offer Elsie Jayne and I chairs. We readily welcomed them. Not long and a familiar beggar from town approached. I was excited that today I actually had some food with me, as we were expecting the journey to be anywhere from 5 hours to 5 days! J The man who had offered me the seat though asked the one begging to leave me alone. He turned away when two more men came and started beating him. This is not all together a rare occurrence in town, but leaves me feeling angry at this culture and people every time. Oh, that these precious souls might find Jesus and His love and peace!

Soon after the man had gotten lost in the crowd, we boarded our “Land Cruiser.” It was a sporty red truck and Nick and Billy were quite pleased they had found a way for us to travel in “comfort.” Only three other passengers plus the driver! We were all a bit surprised as the driver hopped in and men from all sides started pushing us to get us started! So much for reliable transportation to Yei, Sudan!

There are many such moments in the next four days, but let me suffice it to say we arrived safely and before dark and our journey home was only a bit MORE eventful than the journey going! (A car coming toward us without room on the road to move around, had no breaks and ran into the car door on my side!)

The reason we went though, was to be training our pastors from Sudan. We were disappointed that only two of the four men were able to get to Yei for the week. Still, we had a peace throughout the whole time that we were where Jesus asked us to be and He was with us! I taught six lessons in the two days we had together with the pastors on Marriage, and Family and Women in Ministry among other things and Nick was strong enough to teach the New Testament lesson. Billy lovingly cared for Elsie Jayne, so that I could teach as well as adding in the teaching on Stewardship and handling all of the details of the week with the guesthouse and pastors’ transportation and all of that.

Christina had a “real African experience” staying with our friend who runs an orphanage ministry just outside of Yei. She and Nick both enjoyed time with the youth and children there and got to see what Sudanese life is really like.

We are so grateful to Jesus for “safe” and happy week in Sudan together as a family! What a love gift!

We arrived home with only about 12 hours to spare before we had to have the furniture and other household goods out of John and Erica’s old home and into our new big container…that process finished just one hour before Joanna was to be leading a women’s retreat for the expatriate women’s bible study she attends in Arua. It was her first overnight away from Elsie Jayne, so a crazy time for all three of us!

Jesus really came to the retreat! The ladies really met with God and sensed His presence and pleasure with them! It was a really great way to start the new Beth Moore studying they will be sharing on the Fruit of the Spirit.

Thank you for carrying us these days! Jesus has been so faithful to care for us as you have prayed!