Merry Christmas 2012

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS
from Arua, Uganda...

 

 

We began the week's festivities with a Christmas breakfast with the Waflers and the Wrights.

The Daddy's of our three families pray together weekly when they are in Arua and the Mama's too.

We are thankful for our supporters in the states, but there is a certain comfort knowing there are people right here with us who "get" us and are carrying us to Jesus weekly and daily as well.

 

These four little friends represent 5 different nations...we are THANKFUL for our dear friends and how Jesus is making our world so much bigger by just living here in Arua!
We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Eve party with these sweet girls from Kenya, Scotland, Britian, Netherlands, and Uganda!

 

 

Happy Christmas Eve breakfast with our neighbors and dear friends, the Asikis!

We enjoyed learning better a new game Aunt Katy Beth had sent for Christmas too!!!

 

 

At Sherry's Christmas Eve service (an Arua tradition), Lucy was especially excited to welcome baby Jesus!!! We had a fabulous evening with friends from all over the world, worshipping the Holy One and enjoying yummy ice cream (another lovely tradition of Sherry's).

 

Our current VIA, Christian Thompson, has been such a blessing to us and we know to countless others here in Arua. We learned a few of his family traditions and let him open some gifts on Christmas Eve, as per his family's norm, but he's also been SUPER FLEXIBLE with a warm-weather, many kiddos, multiple visitors Coppedge Christmas!  Really grateful to Jesus this guy is part of the team!

 

Chloe Catherine and Sophia Anne taking it all in on Christmas morning!

 

We are thankful to have Elnai James, Dawama James, and Christian Thompson with us this Christmas!!! For some this was their first stocking...we are loving celebrating Jesus birthday with these boys!!!

 

Our Christmas morning coffee cake...Jesus' birthday cake!!!

Lucy's response..."He's so sweet to share His gifts even if He doesn't choose chocolate cake!"

That's one way to look at it! :)

 

 

More festivities and more pictures to follow!

For now...Merry African Christmas...May the LIVING Christ be REAL to you and your loved ones this season.

Tenwek Storytelling Training

 “And the local people showed us unusually kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us feel welcome…” Acts 28:2

Last week we facilitated a Simply the Story Bible storytelling training at Tenwek Hospital. “We” included a great team: Pastor Zackery (a Kenyan facilitator), Scott Rambo (WGM Uganda), CT (WGM Uganda), Matt Burke (WGM Uganda), Whitney Smith (WGM South Sudan), Tim Conaway (WGM South Sudan) and myself (Billy). The participants were key women Bible study leaders working with Linda Spriegel and Tabitha Ministry as well as Ben Roberts and the Tenwek eye team.

Overall the training went well and we praise Jesus for the opportunity to discover alongside others the joy of using storytelling to communicate the Good News of Scripture.

Thursday night, the WGM missionaries gathered together for a dessert hosted by Linda Spriegel and Jenny Roberts. Missionaries from Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan were all together and it was both humbling and exciting to be a part of such a gathering of men and women.

During the training on Friday morning, I ended up with the story from Acts 28:1-6 which is just a sliver of the shipwreck adventure that nearly claims Paul's life at the end of Acts. As myself and one other American, plus four Kipsigis women were working through the story, I found God talking to my heart on several issues. One is the brutality of life - Paul endures a two week storm, only to be shipwrecked. He mangages to survive the sea only to have a snake bite his hand. All that he has to hang onto beside wreckage is the promise of God that he would stand trail before Caesar. Somehow that simple combination of storms, shipwrecks and snake bites really validated a lot what I feel like our hearts have been through over the last few months.

Yet in between the shipwreck and the snake bite, there appear these "local people," offering hospitality to the survivors. What popped into my head was the Tenwek missionaries we had been with the night before. We, the facilitator team, wash up on the Tenwek hospital shore and they graciously welcomed us; inviting us around their "fire," extending unusually kindness. We were thankful to be a part of such company.

This week as we celebrate the generosity of a heavenly Father, I am particularly grateful for the "local people" in our family's lives over the last year. We have seen them "around fires" at Tenwek, on "beach shores" here in Arua, Kampala and Jinja. We have also experienced unusually kindness from so many churches and champions back in the States. We are grateful to Jesus, amidst the storms, shipwrecks and snake bites of raising a young missionary family, so many have been "local people" to us. We want you to know we are grateful.

May His Word be trustworthy these days amidst your own storms and shipwrecks,

Happy Thanksgiving
Billy Coppedge for the Coppedge Clan

An Update from the South Sudan Training

Our newest teammate Christian Thompson (CT) shares about his adventure in South Sudan as a part of the latest pastoral training team...check out his update here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5qux_h54mQ&feature=results_video

Elsie Jayne Makes FIVE!!!

 

What a love gift from Jesus!!! Our little Elsie Jayne has made FIVE!!!
She is such a blessing to us every day!

Elsie enjoys being outside and loves animals and playing in our sand pit and on the swings.

She LOVES riding her bicycle with her daddy.

 

She's made some really cool accomplishments just in the last few weeks...

She read her first book on her own!! and now we hear it OVER and OVER and OVER!

JOY! JOY! JOY!!!

 

She did her first addition this past week too and thinks that is super cool!

 

She loves her sisters so much and one of her most favorite things to do is take pictures...

I'm thankful for this great shot of Chloe she captured!

 

But today when we asked her what she thought had been her coolest adventure in her life so far, she said, "Sharing Jesus with my friend...and him saying YES to following Jesus!"  Quite an adventure! Quite a little life...quite a gift! THANK YOU JESUS FOR ELSIE JAYNE!!!

Mail Call

We have four little girls four and under only 8 more days! Elsie Jayne reminds us multiple times daily she will make 5 soon!!!

The reality of these wee ones is that I am asking Jesus daily how to walk with Him and share His love from our home...He often answers in unique ways.

 

When some of our friends went for Home Assignment in the UK 6 months ago, they asked us to help with a ministry they had been a part of for friends in South Sudan. We gladly agreed. We collect mail for a mission compound a two hour flight north of Arua. They have a post box here in town. We hold it until a flight is coming and then we go and meet the plane and send their mail up every few weeks.

 

The mail was stacking up and we heard they were looking for some things, so we organized this week to meet the plane... only the day we were to meet the pilot, our visitors were also scheduled to be in Nebbi for a pastors training. That meant, four little girls, one mama, a stack of parcels and no transport to the plane.

The girls DELIGHTED in finding the solution to our problem!
"Let's all ride on bodas to the airfield mom!!!"

 

There are a lot of things I do allow my kids to do that many might think crazy depending on your context, but riding on a motorcycle thru town is not one of them! I have taken both big girls to clinics this way when no vehicle was around, but it's not the way I thought we should spend our morning this past Tuesday. Rather, Uncle Simon was roped into the mission to ride with the parcels to the airfield and Lucy was THRILLED to be chosen to go with him to hire the two bikes and bring them to the house!

We watched the men load the parcels and Uncle Simon went with them. He met the pilot to hand over the goods and our friends have reported to us that they are delighted with their mail!  The girls and I are thankful to be a link between our friends in South Sudan and their post box here in Arua!

Birthday Blessings

One Year...WOW!

What a year it has been!!!

The girls have five teeth between them now!

Chloe loves to CLIMB and Sophia loves to SHOUT!
They make a great pair!

We are so thankful to Jesus for His DOUBLE BLESSING!!!



Chloe Catherine with her birthday cake--she stuffed.

Sophie ate bit by bit and licked up every sweet taste.

                                                                                                   

OUR BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS!!!

Do NOT tremble; do NOT be afraid. Have I not proclaimed from ages past what my purposes are for you? You are my witnesses--is there any other God? No! There is no Rock--not one!

Isaiah 44: 8

 

While Billy was traveling the last 8 days in South Sudan, the girls and I had lots of conversations, about WHY daddy had to go.  This verse, that I have found now after his return sums it up...Daddy went to be a witness (we talked about this lots!!!) to the One True God and our job was to NOT be afraid, but pray for him as he shared Jesus' love.

 

 

Jesus sweetly shared friends with us to encourage and bless us as we prayed for our witness who was far away (some we got photos with, many we missed)...Katie made Lucy's supper one night into a happy face!

 

For this journey...this was her happy face

(she had a hard week missing daddy).

 

Amelie (a new friend from GB) was a great joy

when she came to visit and play with us!!!

 

Beatrice came to check on us!!!  The twins were happy

 to pose with her while they chewed on their mandazi!

 

Jacob Wafler was a big help multiple times,

but the girlies especially appreciated his good night hugs

after his family came for dinner one night! :)

 

We got to be witnesses too (the girls were overjoyed!!!). They were delighted to let Billy know on his return that they had been like missionaries while he was away being a missionary! :)  Wish they could stay four and three forever...SUPER FUN ages! We got to share Jesus love with some friends in town and some neighbors near by as well!!!

 

Where has Jesus called you today? Are you afraid to obey? He has told us for ages His purposes...to be witnesses for Him...right where He has you!  There is no other Rock---not one!!!

The Visitors are Visiting

No matter how many years we live here, in certain contexts we will always be quite obviously the VISITORS!!! This happened a week ago when we went on Sunday afternoon to visit our neighbor at boarding school.

 

 

Secondary school in Uganda is almost exclusively boarding, so it's SAD for my girls when their friends leave again for the new term. This week we heard it was visitation day at Ushindi, so we went to see our friend Sharon. (in blue)

 

As we walked up to the clustered groups of students showing their parents their work, discussing the term, receiving gifts from home, the group of probably well over 100 grew completely SILENT and all eyes were on us. Me, and my four girls!!!  We stuck out in the crowd and I wanted the ground to just quietly swallow us. Some moments like that are ok, sometimes I am ready for them...this one for some reason caught me off guard. It was odd to me to realize too that all four girls were completely oblivious to their differences (which most days I love!!!).

 

Eventually we found Sharon and sat down in our little circle to hear how she was. She laughed at herself as she showed us the shoes she had made to make it to visitation day...her sandels broke!

 

Her mom brought her new flip flops, but the girls and I were seriously impressed with her ingenuity!

 

Elsie Jayne and Chloe with a little Sharon snuggle!!!

We love this sweet girl!

See you at Christmas break, Sharon!!!

Zacchaeus

The girls had "school" with a friend of mine the other day and

 she helped them do a dramatic retelling of Zacchaeus! 

Here it is for your amusement and amazement! :) 

 Love these little ladies!

 

Thanks Katie for a great break one morning and a really happy lesson!!!

The Fellas

Dawama holding Sophia Anne.

When we were down south a couple of weeks ago to have team meetings and get Elsie Jayne's big 5 year old passport, we got to see our two friends James Dawama and James Elnai!  We had a really fun breakfast together one morning!

Elnai showing his certificates...
he's a super gifted musician and won some awards...
including some scholarship for university!!!
Hallelujah! Praise God Forever!!!

Just to show their skills!!!
 The twins can now move around a room quite easily
while holding on and let go more and more each day!!!
Watch out world...here they come!!!

Growing!

 

 Elsie Jayne was very pleased to contribute MUCH to the breakfast table in our home recently! Her chicken has laid two eggs! And her strawberry patch is actually beginning to produce (after over a year of labor!).

 

The pleased farmer!

 

 

The girls were delighted on a recent trip from Kampala back home that there are sunflowers all over these days!!! We praise Jesus for rain and growth and life! And we thank Him for our new friend Katie who is at the YWAM base for a few months, who shared with us this lovely prize!

 

Yesterday marked two years of life and growth for our dear friend David Azite! The girls were convinced we must make "gingerbread men" and take him soda too! We ended up with sugar cookies in the shape of gingerbread men and soda! The girls do NOT know the difference and were DELIGHTED!

Jonathan, in red is David's big brother!

David with his mama and Chloe with hers!

Billy praying a prayer of blessing over Azite and his friends.

 

 

Mango Ministries and Prayer

Our Mango Ministries Team in South Sudan is growing!!! We praise Jesus for bringing Tim (second from left) and Whitney (to Elsie's left) from America this past month!  We were blessed to enjoy some days in Arua together before Joy and Adhonim went with them into South Sudan!

The Arua team of WGM is also happy to welcome CT (to Lucy's right, holding Chloe) who will be supporting the MM team through a pastors training next month!

 

 

Some missionaries joined together in prayer a couple of weeks ago and had a sweet afternoon with Jesus! These ladies are mom's and nurses and computer teachers, language teachers, seamstresses, farmers and friends! Pray with us that each one might get to share Christ's love in a tangible way even today!!!

Bible Club Days 4 & 5

Today we ended our week...with 70 kids!!! It was incredible!
Jesus has really helped us. All six of us are WEARY, but encouraged too!!!
The big girls really took a lot of ownership in this and have been delighted in how Jesus has worked!
19 children began following Jesus yesterday!!!
Many of them came back today to tell us who they had shared Jesus with since yesterday morning.
HALLELUJAH! PRAISE GOD FOREVER!!!!!

Some of the "mamas" who were with us all week!

Sophie in the midst of the crowd yesterday.

CRAFTS! CRAFTS! CRAFTS!!!

Chloe Catherine a bit anxious from the crowd!

Sophia Anne waiting for lunch after the crew went home.

Jane today, delighted in Jesus blessing the little children.

Kirtan, our grocers son...the girls have been THRILLED that he came.



Snack time!!! Today was a Jesus-Happy-Birthday cake for all the children
who had welcomed Him into their lives yesterday!

Lining up to say good-bye and go out to let our LIGHTS SHINE!!!

Bye-bye...part of the crew Billy picked up and carried home each day.

A celebratory lunch with the crew who helped host all week long.
THANKS SO MUCH FRIENDS!!!!!!!