More moments, more similarities

The more we look at the world...the more we see the Creator's hand print all over it!!!

SUNSHINE!!!! Uganda and Scotland both have it. It just hides here a lot more...as our meteorologist Sophie says, the weather is often "soggy" here in St. Andrews. We praise Jesus for lots of SUNSHINE this week though.

Churches. Both beautiful lands have the body of Christ!!! We are realizing that her size and shape varies in various lands, but her chosen-ness, and beauty are still radiantly reflective of the face of her Beloved!!! At home we would often worship under a mango tree or in the shade of a brick building with a tin roof...here the church buildings are older than the United States is...that is such an incredible thought for a six year old (and her mom). So much history, so many stories...so much LIFE when He is the center of it. Do pray for his bride, the body of Christ in your hometown, St. Andrews, Arua, Nebbi, Kampala, Yei...those precious places where we love His Church so much!!!

Pedestrians. Both Arua and St. Andrews have a lot of bicycles and walkers! We have been blessed with a vehicle and that is a big help as we live about three miles from the center of town and some of our short legs can't quite make it there and back yet! Pray with us though as we navigate road rules and pedestrians in a new land. We were used to dodging people and bikes as drivers in Arua. It is taking us time to get used to stopping at crosswalks and giving people space to move around our moving vehicle. The ordered-ness of here is still a newness to us!

FAMILY!!! Jesus loves to give good gifts and one of His sweetest gifts to our family is our extended family! We LOVE one another's families and we love getting to be with them! So, we are thankful for the gift of hosting Billy's sister Katy Beth and her daughter Susannah this week!!! Their family was our last "family" to visit in Arua, and now our first family to visit here in Scotland! We are so excited too to have Billy's first cousin here in school as well! We can't wait to get to know our cousins the Kinlaws better during our time here. We miss our Arua family so much too! Whenever the girls stay up late or get over tired, their first cries are for our Arua cousins and Aunties. As we thank Jesus for Denny and Lauren and Katy Beth and Susannah...will you pray with us for Jane and Micah, and David, and Charis and Jonathan and the Waflers, and Wrights and Sherry and Sharlands, and Craigs, and Simon and Asikis, and our neighbors and Joel and Denis and all of our pastor Uncles and His precious extended family He provided at home home!!!!

Another Similarity

So, I was telling you how there are unique similarities (and plenty of differences) between here and Arua. Yesterday Billy graciously gave this homeschool mama a moment alone with Jesus and a cup of coffee. His classes start next week and this seemed like the right moment to take before this new work really begins. I was grateful.

Walking thru the town centre and asking the Lord where He wanted to go on our date I found myself devouring my first George MacDonald novel (Scotland seemed like the right time). Jesus met me in the Tutor's First Love and gave me a renewed excitement and vision as we raise these precious girls to be LIGHTS for Jesus, Truth in a Dark world. As I moved between coffee shops (yes, I just typed that, WOW! Billy is so kind to me!), I noticed "fresher" week in St. Andrews. There were a lot of new students and just more undergrads returning and I noticed some public actions that weren't exactly PC let alone Lugbara Culturally appropriate. Details won't be helpful, the comparison is really this.

We are still called to "the nations" as Jesus puts it in Matthew 28:19. The nation we are settling into now looks different, so different than the last nation He allowed us the honor of living in, but both "nations" are still desperately in need of a Savior.

Settling in to coffee spot two, I sat alone reading at a table for two.

Mr. S. moves the chair across from me and sits down with his coffee beside me. This might be shocking to some of you. You don't need to tell me if you are shocked that someone might be forward toward me, but I think in a lot of your host cultures, personal space is a big deal. Good news, it isn't for me and it isn't for Mr. S. He's from Pakistan. I was comfortable with his arrival as personal space has been relative for me for some time, but as I slowly looked up from my book, it dawned on me we are not in East Africa, nor central Asia...He maybe should have stayed a half an arms-length away.

Anyway, the conversation that followed was one of the hardest I've had and one of the most thrilling too. I got to share Jesus with Mr. S. He never knelt to pray "the sinner's prayer" but we both moved closer to God in our hilariously bizarre meeting yesterday afternoon.

As I left him with a copy of the psalms (he writes music) and a refusal of my phone number(!) Jesus whispered to my heart. These are the nations. If you feel I am not letting you go out, watch me bring the seeking to you here!

Don't you just love Him!?!?! He is so creative, kind, incredible, amazing...words are so incomplete. He is good. And His Love endures forever.

Will you pray with us that Mr. S. and his extended family meet the Living Lord Jesus?! He works locally at an Indian Restaurant.

As I made my way home, the Holy Spirit kindly reminded me of one of our family's dearest friends in East Africa. Imam, who we met in an Indian restaurant where he was working. We had the thrill of becoming friends with him and seeing he and his family come to Jesus and grow faithfully in their walk with Him.  Imam now leads his church's children's work and is impacting HUNDREDS for the Kingdom!!!

Only Jesus knows what the future holds for Mr. S, but thank you that we do not carry him to Jesus alone. Where is Jesus asking you to go and make disciples today?! We are praying for you!!!

We are Not in Arua anymore...

I mentioned in my last post that the grieving process of being out of Africa for this season is real and seems to be really just beginning for some of us...

The day we got the girls' beds set up was HARD. Throughout the day we couldn't figure out what the triggers all were but loads of tears were shed and finally in the evening after piecing together beds all day, some of the pieces of our girls adjustment came together in our own hearts. Elsie Jayne wept to not have her mango tree (that we planted together when she turned two) right outside her window at this house and she confessed feeling vulnerable without her mosquito net tucked in around her.

I've only lived here a month but I'm fairly confident no one has ever tried to plant a mango tree on this particular street (although evergreens are rampant). So I did what I could---I prayed! I asked Jesus how to respond and listened.

The end result is a really fun girly room with those princess-canopy-never-saved-anyone-from-a-real-life-malaria-carrying-mosquito net over the top of the beds. It's cute. It's not "me," I would have said a month ago, but I'm learning who I am in Christ Jesus here and now and I'm praying and trying to lead the girls in a life of blooming where you are planted.

We are trying to not just walk about pointing out differences and passing judgments on western life or Scotland specifically. We are finding things daily to be THANKFUL for and that is truly not hard at all! Our cups are overflowing!

Comparisons do happen just as our girls' eyes are opened and they see what they thought was simply "normal" is actually Ugandan or African.

Allow me to share some similarities we see between Arua and St. Andrews or Uganda and Scotland...

ROADS - both places have them!
A winding goat path beyond Arua could be our LandRover's road and here we've found the roads quite small as well! Coming from a few months in the states where big curbs and spacious side walks are the norm...we have been surprised to have just barely two cars wide asphalt and a rock wall on either side. Small space like Ugandan roads could be. The big difference - there are lots of other cars here and double decker buses and big farm machinery coming at you at 60 mph. We are not in the bush beyond Arua anymore. (At moments it feels like driving to Kampala with loads of traffic any time you get in the car...THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!!! for protection and peace!)

The MARKET
We arrived to find a three day festival happening in the town and the booths and open air shops brought comfort to the girls. "They have a nice market, mommy!"
Now that that is over...we have some who are fearful EVERY TIME we enter the grocery store because of the metal detectors that look like TSA check points in airports. The girls have had water bottles taken and thrown away (super tearful moment) and they keep asking if I have water in my purse or chapstick in my pocket that I should remove before we pass through!

Lots of ANIMALS
One of our greatest grieves leaving Arua was saying farewell to our pet pig and our puppy dogs. During our 7 plus years we had played host to chickens, turkeys, goats and had monkeys roaming in our yard on more than one occasion. The girls have been very hopeful for animals here too...it's just not normal yet to see families care for dogs so passionately and treat them better than some of our friends are even cared for!
The animal differences make me think of a family visit for a training in South Sudan when we were walking through the town center and a goat passed with a beaded necklace on! I knew in Kampala that kind of thing would be sold in tourist shops for PEOPLE and I was surprised to see it on an animal roaming freely so far up north.
I inquired of the pastor who was leading our trek. He said it identifies whose animal it is and besides "your people" always put necklaces on dogs and cats-it's the same thing!
The girls saw their first animal in a sweater this week! I must say it was shocking for us all...we're new here...
Out our bedroom window in the early morning and late evening we can see rabbits play in the yard. These furry friends are three times bigger than any chicken we saw roaming anywhere in East Africa! (including Rocky, Meg!!!)
Lucy made the observation, "These people must get three meals EVERY day because otherwise someone could catch those bunnies for breakfast!"
"Great observation Lucy...these people do get three meals every day. We have so much to be thankful for."

The list could go on and on, but for now let me say...He is caring for us so very sweetly. We feel overwhelmed by your prayers and generosity enabling us to be here and study and live and love those He brings into our lives. Thank you with ALL our hearts!