What JOY to anticipate the birth of our Savior! What joy to not only anticipate the miraculous, wonderous birth, but also to realize this is well over His 2000th birthday! Look at all God has done! What hope the LIFE of Jesus gives us for these Lives we so desperately love and care about. Thank you for joining us this advent season as we pray for the ministries and lives that Jesus has allowed us to be a part of in some small way here in Africa.
28-Nov-Bishop Bismark Avokaya and his family. He is the bishop of the Mundri Archdeaconry in Southern Sudan. This is our dear friend who asked that you pray for the referrendumn vote on January 9th...not for peace but for perserverance of the saints and for souls to be saved! Join us and the Bishops family in this prayer as the date so quickly approaches.
29-Nov-Jennifer, Eva, Scovia, Hope, Florence, and Sonja-these young women make up a Bible study group that meets on Mondays in Arua. The group is comprised of moms, lawyers, bankers, crafts makers and sellers, accountants, and just beautiful women who Love Jesus and desire to Know and Love Him more!
30-Nov-Benard and Joel are two of Billy's friends in Arua. One works for a gas station and one works for the government. Both know about Jesus...pray they would grow in their knowledge and love of Him as the Christmas season nears.
1-Dec-Language Continuation-We sensed Jesus leading us to dig into our language learning as we came back for a second term of service in Africa. We had hoped to leave a month from today to go into Congo and spend three months learning more kiswahili. Yet...as we write this prayer report, the doors have closed for that visit. Still something may open up, but will you pray we know Jesus' plan for learning language...there are so many languages that we work amongst and so many complications...pray He leads.
2-Dec-Ochamringa, Kisa, Opio-Pray for these three men, pastoring in the Nebbi district and for their families and churches.
3-Dec-Andrew and Joyce-This couple both serves the church and they work to support their family too. Between the two of them they pastor three congregations now.
4-Dec-Joyce and James-These are two more pastors that joined the Nebbi training while we were away in the states. Pray for their continued learning and growing in the stories of Scripture and their committment to Jesus, the church, and even the AGC group in Nebbi.
5-Dec-Benson and Cosmas-Benson is now the representative of the Nebbi area to the General Council of AGC. He and Cosmas both still work at Nebbi town AGC. Jesus is using them to evangelize in new neighborhoods and villages! The church is planting new daughter churches...pray for these men's families as the enemy seems to be attacking with illness quite severly and regularly!
6-Dec-James Ouma and Emmy Mugisha-These men live in Kampala and are a part of the General Council and helped to train and oversee the ministry in Nebbi while we were in America. They will continue in that role. Pray for their growing families and for God's leading and discernment as so much weight is on their shoulders. Pray they might continue to lead well.
7-Dec-Uganda Campaigning and Elections-The elections are scheduled to begin the third week of February, but campaigns are in full swing. Will you pray for peaceful demonstrations and rallies and God's leading in the chosen leaders.
8-Dec-Sudan's Vote-The people of Sudan will vote January 9th to seperate the North from the South. There is much talk of the result of this vote and the natural outcome. Will you pray for supernaturel intervention and for God's hand upon these precious souls. Pray MANY might comes to know and love Jesus in the midst of uncertain times.
9-Dec-Jonathan and Lisa Mayo-Jordan and Ethan-Our Ugandan team field director is traveling to the states to begin HMA this day. Will you pray for a safe journey for the Mayos as well as great times of ministry and support raising while in America?
10-Dec-Joy Phillips-Our Sudan team field leader. Pray for wisdom and guidance and joy! Pray for Jesus' leading as Joy leads us and this ministry for such a time as this!!! This year promises to be exciting in Sudan ministries regardless of voting outcomes.
11-Dec-Terry and Karen Duncan-our regional directors. Pray for the Duncans as they lead all of East Africa ministries for WGM.
12-Dec-Bishop Isaac and the Diakwa Bible School-This is the Bishop overseeing the area where Billy did his orality training in 2009. This is the Bible School where the training took place. Pray for God's plans and purposes for this area as 2011 begins.
13-Dec-Simon, Joel and Innocent-These men work in our yard and around our home regularly. They know our family better than any other Ugandans! Pray we are a light and an example to them of Christ's love. Pray for health for their families, for provison for their needs, for the Lord's favor upon them. These are our nearest Uncles! Pray for safety and joy as the girls relate with them daily!
14-Dec- Jane and Susan-These women help around our home regularly. They also are some of our nearest and dearest friends. Pray for Jane's children, Charis, Jonathan and David. Pray for Susan's husband Jimmy. Pray we might be One in Jesus to be a light to all who come in our home.
15-Dec-Tom and Gertrude-These are our neighbors on the left! Pray for them and their five girls, Faith, Sandra, Cathy, Gloria and Emmanuella.
16-Dec-Simon and Gladys-Other dear neighbors. May we be a blessing and encouragment to them this Christmas season and their older children, Lorena, Eddie, Derek and Sharon.
17-Dec-Charles and Cathy Asiki-This precious family is nearby as well. Charles is the mayor of Arua currently. There is a lot of stress with the pressures of campaigning and elections. Pray for the peace of Jesus in their home. Their kids are Hannah, Louise, Nichola and Joshua.
18-Dec-Alwin, Lynda and Tao-Dear dear friends of Elsie Jayne especially, Tao is two! Lynda just accepted Christ a couple of months ago. Pray for her as she is a new believer and pray for her dear family as well.
19-Dec- Elijah Akom-This man is the overseer for the Dinka Congregations in the Arua District. He has welcomed Billy to preach and do ministry among the Sudanese who have come into our area of Uganda already. Pray for God's hand and blessing on this relationship and on this man's ministry.
20-Dec-Imam and Tina and Angela and NEW BABY-Many of you have prayed for this family for four years now. They are WALKING WITH JESUS and now He is also blessing them with a new Baby!!! Tina is pregnant again! Will you pray for protection and health throughout her nine months and a healthy delivery and child.
21-Dec-Mambo and Joyce-Other dear friends that are crying out for Jesus to provide a child. Would you join them in prayer as we get so close to the celebration of Jesus' birth? Also, our family will join them this day for Christmas Carols and worship at their church in Yumbe, Uganda. Pray for Jesus' leading and presence as we hope to encourage the believers in Yumbe.
22-Dec-Geoffry and Robina-The third family that was a part of Billy's original Bible study group in Arua. This couple asks for prayers for school fees and money to be wed. Join them in this prayer this season.
23-Dec-Elsie Jayne and Lucy Mae-Pray our dear girls would know Jesus and desire to make Him known. Pray for Jesus friends, and for wisdom for their schooling in a culture that begins formal school at age 3!
24-Dec-Expat Community in Arua-Pray for others who are celebrating this special season away from their families and home cultures. We will all join together this day, Christmas Eve for a service and celebration.
25-Dec- HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! May you draw all of Africa to yourself in 2011!
27 November 2010
25 November 2010
Thanksgiving in Perspective
This list is not in any order other than how it comes to my head tonight...today has felt NOTHING like I remember any Thanksgiving Holiday before...and yet as I head to bed tonight, I have such a keen awareness of how lavishly my Father has loved me. How much He has given and how abundantly THANKFUL I truly must be. It's the only valid response.
My list of Thankfulness...
1. My children are sleeping under a roof tonight and both have a mosquito net! It's INCREDIBLE the advantages my children have that SO MANY kids in the world would never dream of having. In so many perspectives I am the "poor missionary", but on a world-wide scale, we are so undescribably wealthy. When and where that benefits my daughters, I am so grateful. Did you know only 8% of people in the world eat 3 meals a day! I guess you are probably among the most wealthy on the planet.
2. Billy shared his presentation and paper at the University of Glasgow today! He lived!!! I haven't talked to him yet, but got a text that it was over and received well. Hallelujah! Praise God Forever!!!
3. I was born into a Christian family. So many of my friends out here that are not from out here are LOST. They didn't hear about Jesus as a child, they had no role model within Christianity. My heart breaks DAILY for the LOST and those from the west especially, because when I see someone who looks like me, I assume they are like me. What a love gift from Jesus that I was born to Blake and Nancy Neff and am a little si
ster to Jay and Jan. God is so good...so so good. Pray with me for our neighbors and friends who were born into families of other faiths. We imbibe so much from our parents...we believe so deeply what we were taught was true from birth. Pray for TRUTH and Salvation.
ster to Jay and Jan. God is so good...so so good. Pray with me for our neighbors and friends who were born into families of other faiths. We imbibe so much from our parents...we believe so deeply what we were taught was true from birth. Pray for TRUTH and Salvation.4. I can read. It's been brought to my attention this week that literacy is a relative term. Each culture decides what constitutes literacy and then tests it among their people. I feel so blessed that I can do more than put and X where it says sign here. I feel so thankful that I don't just have a copy of Scripture, but the Living Word on the page can open up before me and I can meet Him face to face. I thank the Lord that I can read.
5. Technology. What a love gift that we all too often have abused. When Billy travels a few hundred kilometers away into Sudan I NEVER hear from him. At times for days, weeks...This week he went to a different CONTINENT, not just the country an hour north of my home, but he has texted, called, and emailed. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY and praise Jesus for it!
6. The People Who Pray. Elsie Jayne often prays for the people that pray. Today as we were getting off of the airplane from Arua to Entebee and Lucy was half asleep and I was trying to tie her on my back and Elsie Jayne was trying to gather our bags three times her body weight. She looked up at me and said I hope the people that pray are praying. Literally two seconds later the pilot of our little flight came up and asked if he should carry Elsie Jayne or the bags! YOU WERE PRAYING and we are SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have no idea the mountains Jesus moves and the valleys He raises up before us as you are faithful in prayer. THANK YOU!
7. I am thankful that our YHWH, our God is a personal-relational God. I had a great conversation with a friend this morning as I was packing up and getting the girls and I off for a couple of days of meetings in Kampala. My friend asked me to share with her why I liked living in Arua. Why I felt peace with living in Africa. I had the opportunity to share with her the story of how the God Who had spoken to Abram, as recorded in Genesis 12, came and spoke to me and asked me to come (through that very text). Then I got to share with her in the INCREDIBLE MIRACLE that He is still talking and by His grace, I am still listening. It's not a stagnant, commanding dictatorship, but a love relationship and we are more in love today than ever before! I am thankful for Jesus!8. I am thankful for growing/developing perspective. It's interesting...the longer you live in a different culture than the one you were born into the more the "new" culture becomes normal. I think having children out here rather than in the states has been HUGE in this perspective change. Anyway, I am just thankful that I am still learning, still seeing new things. I am thankful the Spirit still whispers to keep looking. Perspective is what makes me laugh so often when life and death all around seems unbearable.
9. Packages in the mail. Russ and Connie...THANK YOU! What an incredible surprise love gift!
10. Strawberries from my friend who grows them in ARUA!!! She gave me plants to start them at my house too. Now Elsie Jayne has her own strawberry shamba (garden in kiswahili).
11. Making Play-doh African huts with my daughters, and the neighbor kids, and the neighbor kids cousins, and the neighbor kids cousins friends, etc.
12. CLEAN DRINKING WATER and medicine to treat giardia which Lucy has AGAIN! But we have clean water and we have medicine and I don't carry my water on my head from a bore hole a 1/2 mile away every morning. THANK YOU JESUS!
13. New discoveries! Today as we were driving in the big city of Kampala the girls both saw new things they don't remember ever seeing before (Surely they saw these both in America, but weren't aware of it then). Elsie Jayne asked what the boxes were on one particular building down town today. They were window air conditioning units!!! What a novelty! Then we passed a new garden and Lucy pointed out the window shouting WAWA, WAWA, (that would be WATER!, WATER!). It was a lovely fountain! I'm SO thankful for children to give me eyes to see the world around me afresh. At both points of discovery I was noting the traffic we were stuck in the and aweful smell of exhaust and the heat of the day. I am thankful for new discoveries today.
14. Pastor Cosmas! He called a couple of days ago asking if we could pray together as 15. Lilian. A sweet lady in a hospital a couple of hours from here. We are friends with her brother, but she asked Jesus into her heart a few days ago when Billy went to visit her!!!
16. Oral Methods of Evangelism and Discipleship. We don't feel like this is the silver bullet of missions, but we feel like Jesus has given us a key that He is using to unlock His church in our area and we are ellated!!!
17. LIFE! I have been made aware multiple times this week that life is a gift. I so often...even living in a population that the average age is 14 and the expectancy of life is 40 years...I still so often take my life and health for granted. I am thankful for Life and Abundant Life at that!!! This week I met two one year old twins that looked to be four months. Will you pray for Nemu, their mom? This week my dear dear friend Scovia made 29 years! Praise Jesus for her life! I learned of two suicides this week of men who learned they were HIV positive. Also a friend had a baby girl...life is precious. I am thankful.
14 November 2010
Sunday School, Scenarios and Scripture Union
It's been a great Sunday! This morning we went to worship with about twenty friends at the ORA base. This is a group begun in New Zealand, that in Arua, assists Orphans. Our dear friends Sam and Kim Trenwith assist to run the base. Our girls LOVE attending worship there. We sing for a lovely long time and then have a bible story complete with questions at the end, that Elsie Jayne loves to get to answer. Today we got to play a super fun game before the offering time and finally a few closing songs. It is Sunday School really! The base is full of kids and it is Kid-Church. We LOVE Kid-Church!
From ORA we met some dear friends in town for lunch. Geoffrey is a good friend of ours who was in Bible study with Billy regularly before we went to the states. While we were there, Geoffrey was re-posted. He works for the Uganda Post Office and was moved from Arua to Moyo...so now, he lives there, but often comes here on weekends as his family is still living here in Arua.
Our lunch conversation was complicated. We loved being together again with them and hearing from one another how Jesus has worked and blessed and carried us these last months. We also asked him about something we had read in the paper this week about the area of Uganda where he now stays. He confirmed the reports and talked about realities not printable for political reasons. Feel free to check out news throughout Uganda at www.newvision.co.ug
Please pray for Uganda. We have elections in February and campaigns are gearing up. Things are going well...but this time of campaigning historically can be quite intense. The president is in our area these past few days and there has been lots of excitment. Thanks for praying for peace...rest...God's leading and His hand of protection upon these days for our nation.
Also, Sudan is facing the referendum. Pray for perseverance of the saints, and many to seek Jesus' face in this intense time there. Pray for peace not just physically, but more so spiritually. Pray as Jesus leads you.
Finally this afternoon, Billy had the honor of speaking to a group of Scripture Union students and their sponsors. He was asked to preach about twenty minutes...which he prayerfully and diligently prepared for. Mid-way through the service it was realized that the guest of honor wasn't going to make it to the function and Billy received the added privilege of challenging the body gathered to give generously toward the financial goal of the meeting (read preach a second time on giving)! What an exciting afternoon and fun opportunity from Jesus!
In the midst of the intensity of these days, we praise Jesus for Sunday School, the possible scenarios of the days ahead...knowing He holds each day, and Scripture Union!
08 November 2010
Adventures of a Three Year Old
Elsie Jayne has "made" three years. This is how the birthday is stated where we live. Not she is three years old today...but even at the tender age of three the accomplishment of actually LIVING to this point is stated. What a love gift from Jesus that he has blessed us with this precious girl...this life of promise and hope and beauty. We are delighted to share with you a bit from Elsie Jayne's third birthday celebration.
The day began with her choice of breakfast. She chose mandazi and tea. These are locally made little donut-yummy-bread-cake-things! :)
She also got to choose what friends could come and she chose our beloved watchmen! Uncle Simon and Uncle Joel are dear dear family friends! Here, they are pictured entering the world of Skype, as we got to talk to Aunt Katy Beth during our birthday breakfast! This was an AMAZING cultural moment, as two Ugandan men talked with an American living in Hungary!!! Talking in real-time...it was more than most of us could get our minds around!!!
My dear friends Eva and Jennifer surprised us with a party at the office during their lunch break! We went to take them a birthday treat, and they had soda and presents for all of us! Eva is a lawyer and currently works for a non-profit group attempting to support women who are in abusive or un-supported situations. Some of the stories she shares with us are heart-wrenching. She is speaking up for the voiceless though, in this culture and making a difference for Jesus!
Elsie Jayne was THRILLED with the lollies (suckers) she got in a package from America as well as a new dress and the best birthday surprise...
Her Nyanya (Joanna's mom) reading her favorite book, Cinderella, to her on a CD...so now anytime, she can sit down and read with Nyanya...and we have heard this book, 100 times since Wednesday! :) THANK YOU NYANYA!!!
As if two candles weren't enough, we had to go for the third on the third birthday and we had a joint party again with our friend Keziah Wright. She made 5 years this week...praise Jesus!!! The party was a princess theme, so Kezi's mom and I got the girls princess dresses and the other party-goers all dressed up for fun too!
The daughters of the King of Kings that are pictured here are from Uganda, America, New Zealand, Zambia, Germany and England!
Thank you Jesus for Elsie Jayne.
Thank you all for your prayers and love for this little lady...what a blessed life she has, to have SO MANY carry her to Jesus each day! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Thank you all for your prayers and love for this little lady...what a blessed life she has, to have SO MANY carry her to Jesus each day! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
01 November 2010
More Sudan Snapshots
There was a lot that went on in Sudan that wasn't really covered in that first post!
The girls made some really fun friendships and we met some really great people that may not be "offical" ministry, but they are dear people and happy memories to us that we want to share with you!
This is the girls with Wilma. She is a lady working at the compound where we stayed in Lui and she loved our girls. She helped clean and cook and we LOVED her staple foods...BEANS AND RICE!!! She sweetly though would wait until all the others staying at the same compound were gone each day and then sneak the girls a handful of bananas! Thanks Wilma for a yummy stay in Lui!
Our backs are aching!!! We praise Jesus for the double jogging stroller He provided while we were in America. We use it every morning almost in Arua, but due to the weight and size limitations of traveling on small mission planes and the cultural oddity of the big thing, it didn't make the trip to Sudan. So...both girls found our arms and backs the best way to travel. About a half day into the five days, this got OLD!
Thankfully everywhere we went, there seemed to be eager helpers wanting to touch, carry, hug, greet and generally just be with the girls!
This precious lady took stock from her store to share with us! Both girls were given little cakes and biscuits from this sweet ladies' store on the main road in Lui.
The Lui market was a bit lacking compared to the variety and vastness of the Arua market.
We LOVED being with Auntie Joy Phillips!!!
She was great fun...here Elsie Jayne is telling her a fabulous story about our cousins Isaiah, Michael and Mattie although Auntie Joy doesn't know them and the story was totally made up. It seems Daddy might not be the only story teller in this family! We just need to keep working on learning bible stories! :)
Dr. Steve Manchester was in Lui when we arrived having come a few days early to offer his services at Lui Hospital. He is working at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya and is now on the WGM Sudan Board. We had lots of fun with Dr. Steve (here he is playing frisbee with Elsie Jayne) and he helped us keep the "American myth" alive that doctors give lollies or sweeties! It's been really hard on Elsie Jayne being back in Arua, that the doctors don't give you candy! Dr. Steve helped us out and shared suckers with the girls for the plane flight from Lui to Tonj to keep the belief alive! Thanks Dr. Steve!
This is the pediatric ward at Lui where Dr. Steve (more importantly than giving lollies) gave Lucy some tummy medicine. Seems that giardia medicine only is about 80% effective and she needed to be re-treated after lots of tummy sickness including vomitting the morning we left home for Sudan!
A week without any "extra" toys is really good for us every now and then. This is my wrap used to tie the girls on my back so often, but during hospital chapel, used as Elsie Jayne's baby doll. The imagination is not lacking!
The Coppedges in Sudan!
These next couple of pictures are to help you catch the vision of the airstrip in Mundri. We drove there from Lui to catch our flight out. And this is where we flew in from Arua. On the way in we were on an MAF flight and the pilot leaned back and asked the guy in the next seat to check the road for cars. It seems the airstrip is crossed by the road....so you have to be sure there are no cars, or bicycles, or people around as you come in to land!!!
Joy Phillips, our fearless leader...attempting to keep motor bikes and people off the airstrip as our pilot lands.
A cool car that a kid brought up to us at the airstrip while we were waiting! It's made from a juice bottle and the tires are rubber circles cut from old flip flops.
Elsie Jayne with her buddy that had a great 4-wheel drive sort of safari vehicle he had made!
Those are Dr. Steve's lollies and a missionary pilot in the making! Elsie Jayne really enjoyed listening in to Pilot Jerry's conversation during take off and landing.
Lucy was just happy to enjoy the candy!
This is Joy with her friend Nicola, who willingly was our Rumbek tour guide and is working with the church there in health services. She was such a blessing picking us up from the airfield and taking us to a lovely Ethiopian lunch!
Two of our families' heros! Dr. Steve and Pilot Jerry!
One of the sweetest love gifts from Jesus was going to Tonj and seeing the clinic and Bible school there with In Deed and Truth Ministries. We also had the great joy of enjoying the missionary family that is there and their kids' toys! We are thinking a sand box may need to be on our Christmas project list!!!
Hannah holding Lucy in Tonj, Southern Sudan.
Elsie Jayne REALLY enjoyed her time with Agum, in Tonj.
Can you tell we had fun!?
Jediah, Elsie Jayne, Agum and Hannah
Going back out to the plane in Tonj, the "security" officers who had been at the airfield, told us of a cobra they had killed in the night. Better to see it dead than alive I guess...
Our stop over for re-fueling in Akot was another gift from Jesus. This is where we had stayed last October as we had traveled to Sudan and Elsie Jayne really was eager to stay in her tent in Sudan. We didn't get to sleep here again, but at least she got to see the place which was quite satisfactory!
Moments before both of them just fell over, literally from sheer exhaustion, the girls enjoyed Mary Poppins in the Juba airport...not a place we recommend you detouring through on your next holiday... :)
We fly home to Arua in the morning!
Not sure all the new week holds (Elsie Jayne turns three on Wednesday), but so thankful to be heading back home!
Thank you for your prayers and love.
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