Reuniting with Friends & Weekend Prayer Opportunities

Friends and Allies -

Good news: Jesus is still on the throne. Sometimes it just helps us to say it again outloud.

Further good news: A short survey trip into eastern Congo has opened up for Scott Rambo this weekend. There are several missionaries going to visit some Congolese pastors and they have graciously invited one of our WGM team to join them. Scott was only too glad to volunteer. We believe God is leading the Arua Team to make Congo a major matter of prayer and attention for this new season of ministry. We are stoked Scott is getting to go.

We are also realistic enough to know these trips can be lightening rods for spiritual attack, confusion, and frustration. We need you to be praying with us. For Scott as he goes - that God would give him eyes to see. But also for Meg and the boys and the rest of the team this weekend. For more info on how to pray - WGM Uganda's 24/7 prayer blog is inviting anyone with a heart for Uganda and its neighbors to join us in praying for God's guidance and protection in the next few days: http://247prayeruganda.blogspot.com/2012/01/entering-congo.html

One of our continual delights is working with multiple countries in view.

Joy Phillips is also coming in this weekend with our new South Sudan Mango Ministry colleague, Adhanom Hidug. We are excited to meet him and hear some of his story. He has already been getting settled in Dinka land (near Akot, South Sudan) and we believe he is a great addition to the MM team.

But even as we plan for this weekend, we have much joy in celebrating this last weekend of relationships.

I had the privilege to be in Nebbi for "prayer" on Sunday and got to sit in on choir practice after lunch. It was so much fun to worship again with Alur Christians.

Joanna and the girls visited our dear friend Jan's home this week. There was much joy in Elsie Jayne and Lucy Mae introducing Sophia and Chloe to Charis, Jonathan and Azita David.

On Sunday afternoon, a dear friend, Beatrice and her daughter Sharon, came to greet the "new visitors" in our home. What fun to share the double joy of Sophia and Chloe with friends here. Also pictured is Miriam who has been such an incredible blessing to our famiy these last weeks.

Once again, we are so grateful for you all holding the ropes in prayer for us.

Medical Mixups

This is Elsie Jayne and Lucy Mae, last Sunday evening painting with Uncle Dawama James.
He is an artist and was enjoying showing the girls some things.

Today, we didn't get to have quite the adventure of last week.
Billy is in Nebbi for church. He left around 8 and won't reach back until dark it looks like at this point. I had some stomach virus on Friday and Saturday so we opted to not go with him this Sunday.

After Elsie Jayne led us in the music and prayer part of our family service and we had enjoyed painting pictures again on the porch...she started to look really pale. Sure enough she soon had fever.

Most likely it's just a virus, since we came from that season in America, but we are here now and have been long enough, I had to take her to get tested for malaria.  We are no longer in the mecca of medical care that Lexington, KY has been to us...welcome back to Arua!!!

We called a guy who drives a motorcycle taxi and has taken me to town a few times since we have been back. He was in another part of town, "picking meat for someone" he tells me!

So, I call a friend to get another number. Her boda boda driver comes and Elsie Jayne gets to ride for her first time in her memory!!!  WHAT JOY AND DELIGHT to a four year old. True terror for her mom!  But the girl is clearly sick, so we need to sort out why.

Off we go to the clinic, only my idea of where we were going and the drivers were two different realities. Thankfully everywhere in town they do malaria testing and it's more common to get a false positive than a false negative (i think). So...we get to the clinic of our driver's choice!

We go in, tell the receptionist why we have come and he tells us to wait. We wait. We wait a bit more and then...we wait.  Elsie Jayne is getting more and more worked up because she knows what is coming. She remembers getting malaria tests. No fun.

They call us back.  Even though we waited, we still are moved in front of about four people sicker and definitely there first...but we look unique, so we get bumped up.  Still a hard reality every time, but even though we refuse, they all agree, we must go!  So, we go back and get the dreaded finger prick.

Then we wait some more...about 20 minutes that is really an hour...finally it's our turn again.

The result...no malaria.

The doctor comes in and says he recommends we treat her for malaria anyway.
So...we buy the medicine and get back on our boda to come home.  We'll wait and see how she's doing tomorrow before we treat something that was said to not be there...but we just wanted to ask you all to pray for healing and for grace for "medical" realities in Arua.

So thankful for Dr. Wilkes while we were in the States!

We are not in Wilmore anymore...

Jesus is really helping us as we re-adjust to our "normal" life here!  Thank you for your prayers! Sunday was a really great re-entry day.  There were just a few things though that Elsie Jayne and Lucy Mae realized were a bit different from the Wilmore Free Methodist Church we attended while living at Papa's house in America!!

 Auntie Miriam came with us and carried Sophia all day.  It's not really appropriate here to keep your baby in some silly chair rather than carry her in your arms. So, for Sunday, the carseat stayed home and Sophie road in Miriams arms...all day...

Elsie Jayne's first church memories are here and she remembers chasing chickens throughout the service, but she was SHOCKED Sunday to see a dog laying in the aisle!  Somehow that never happened in our five months in the Kentucky.

Church was just a bit longer than Pastor Daryll's normal sermon.  Two hours into the three plus hour service, the four girls, Auntie Miriam and I all headed outside to find some shade and change nappies and play.  The twins ate lunch while Miriam led our big girls and the twenty more kids who appeared in some games and songs and then we told the story of David and Goliath.  Happy Sunday School...but not quite the 2-4 year old class room at the Free M we have grown accustomed to.

After church we went home with our friend Mambo Charles for lunch. What fun it was to reconnect with Joyce, his wife and see the new place where they are staying! Joyce served us a delicious meal of local delicacies!  It was fabulous...but a bit of a change from Grammy's Sunday afternoon spread!

Jesus really did help our big girls and they had a really fun day! We were all so thankful for the time with our friends! Dawama James has been with us this past week and was with us throughout the day on Sunday too, so it was a really happy time all together!  Pictured here as well are friends of Mambo and Joyce's Dorcas and Maneno.

We're certainly not in Wilmore anymore, but Praise Jesus we are right where He's called us to be!  So grateful to be in this together with you all!!!

Today we have two different visitors for lunch and just got a call from Kampala that a friend of a friend needs a place to stay and dinner tonight! Praise Jesus for relationships and opportunities to share His love!

 I forgot to mention when we arrived home from church at about 4:30pm we had some sweet friends waiting to welcome us home at our gate!  Sonya and her daughter Sharon loved meeting the twins and holding them while we took tea together!

Banging Loudly

He will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on Thee,

Because he trusts in Thee.

Isaiah 26:3

Lots of culture shock hitting various family members at different points each day.
Sometimes it's as simple as the HEAT! (we have come back at the hottest time of the year)
Sometimes it's the heaviness of places where the enemy of our souls has literally been invited in.
Will you pray as Jesus leads you for each one of us at each point?!
We cannot fight the battle He has called us to without you all holding the ropes, without you carrying us.
THANK YOU FOR FAITHFULLY CARRYING US TO JESUS time and time again!

This morning as I type we have a rat banging around in a trap in the kitchen.
I feel like that banging is symbolic...

The enemy has been defeated!!! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!
Being back though we are reminded at how loudly he is still banging around in some corners of the vineyard!

Pray amidst the banging we stay in perfect peace...as we keep our eyes on Jesus!

Multiple friends have come already...even as the last bag is yet to be unpacked asking for prayer in spiritual battles...the enemy keeps banging...but we keep reminding him of his defeat and the victory of JESUS!

Pray the banging is silenced and amidst it all we keep our eyes on Jesus...and in perfect peace.

Transition

When we moved up to Arua from Kampala (the capital city where we did language study) in January 2007, things looked quite a bit different. That first trip the road up from the city was under construction and we traveled through the dust most of the way.  Thursday when we came, there was pavement under our tires the whole 8 hour drive! When we first began learning the streets of Arua, there were about half the number of cars and trucks that we will pass driving today. We came up and found two grocery stores; shopping yesterday I could stand on one corner and see four markets and there are at least two others in town.  There were two banks in town back then...again, that has multiplied to about six. 

Growth is happening all around us...and within our little home too...
We were just the two of us (with Jesus!) five years ago; we arrive back as a family of six! (THANKFULLY, still with Jesus!!!)  He has carried us through all the transition and change, but needless to say with four jet lagged little people life is different than when we settled in as just the two of us. 

Pray with us as we reconnect with friends and neighbors. When you wake up, pray for our sleep---all six going through jet lag at different paces is no fun! When you eat breakfast, pray for our big girls that are big enough now to notice food changes and sometimes are thrilled and sometimes are not so impressed!  When you go to work, will you ask Jesus with us what that days work needs to look like for us. Do we unpack and settle in first, or visit with neighbors? We are seeking Him and He is faithful and is meeting us...As you enter back in your home in the evening, praise Him for all of those who are coming in our door seeking welcome, a meal, time together to seek Jesus.  And as you lay your head down to rest, will you pray we rest in Him through all of the transition!?

Thank you for walking with us through these days. He is faithful!