Gifts

The moon rose, huge and red. The fireflies appeared before us in twinkling, scattered bursts beneath the brightening stars. Soft music began to play as the lemon grass tea set about coming to a boil. We run about catching fireflies in the dusky light. 

What joy is this...

Nate took all the interns for a camping trip out at his land in the village, on the bank of the Nile. What a gift!

Watching the sunset over the Nile.

My life of late has been filled with many gifts of varied forms. Special moments hand crafted by Someone whose thoughts are far above mine (really, this is always, but sometime His hand is especially apparent). A package from my family, filled with some of my favorite things. A gift.

Watching the Ekisa Christmas program. A gift.

Ekisa is a group home for disabled kids where I've been volunteering. It has been so great to get to know the kids. Today one of the little girls asked me if I knew Jesus. I said yes, and she said she did, too. Then we talked about how we are sisters in Christ. It was a special moment. 

        Time spent skyping with loved ones, hearing their voices, seeing their smiles. Homemade eggnog. Giving presents. Baking cookies. All gifts!

This girl is such a sweetheart. 

        Paper Christmas trees and snowflakes, reminders of memories of Christmas at home, ultimately reminding us of God's Great Gift.

"And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animal's feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus. "Emmanuel" - which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had."

- The Jesus Storybook Bible

There’s a snake in my… BATHROOM?!?!?!?!

Not quite the same as Woody’s, the cowboy from Toy Story, famous line, but This IS Africa!

As I entered the bathroom a 2.5 foot long, bright green snake was awaiting me slithered up against the pane of our bathroom window. After much screaming, and panic (Did I mention that snakes are the ONE animal that I am scared clear out of my socks of!?) I decided the time had come to be practical. So, after deciding this snake must never get in our house again, paranoid that I would one day open my suitcase and find a snake inside-EWW, the logical conclusion was for it to be killed.  I retrieved our only weapon, the 3 inch blade knife Lyd is borrowing from her dad, along with an empty bottle to hold him down and set my face for the worst.

The snake moved to the
 garbage can in our bathroom

 

The snake had transitioned to its original location, the gardener’s bathroom, which is connected to ours through a vent. I walked outside to the gardener’s door and timidly pushed it open, once locating the snake, which was curled up near the vent, I returned back to our bathroom and mustered up the courage to poke it completely through to the other side with the knife so that I could get at him

This job completed I returned back to the gardener’s bathroom, but could not see the snake until I realized he was wrapped along a pipe staring straight at me- ekk! Ok God, give me strength and courage. With my heart pumping I inched closer, then retreated at its hissing, inched again, and retreated. Deciding I was finished with this game I continued to close in, but he saw my plan and began to retreat for safety, up to the tank where the water was stored for the toilet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, here goes nothing – and with a final lunge, slice! Snake blood squirts onto my hand, drips down the wall, and half of the body, the part with the head, falls to the bathroom floor.  He continues to squirm around and I realize, this isn’t finished- ughhh! With empty bottle in hand and knife in the other I attempt to hold the snake down and cut again, but I back out before the work is done- scared of the wriggling critter.

God fill me with your calm!  This time I hold the creature down with purpose and quickly detach the head from the body. Whew, ok, I feel all shaky like I just drank a large caribou mocha on an empty stomach and the espresso just kicked in,

Thanks God for answered prayer. What do I do with it now? Time to call Nate.

 

 

We apologize for not updating our blog in awhile. This is a small piece of excitement from the month of December. Thanks so much for all of your prayers as God continues to work in Uganda!

Katonda akuwe omukisa (God bless you),

Lydia and Ruth

        Mukama baluungi! God is good! Time seems to be going by so fast and things here feel more normal every day. We have been getting involved over the past few weeks at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Jinja, where they are starting a new children's ministry program. They handed out the first booklet in a set of twelve Bible studies at several schools in the area and the kids read them, fill out a quiz at the back, memorize a verse, and bring the completed booklet back to the Center on their own initiative. Then we look over the booklet with them, asking them some questions one on one about what they have learned and listening their verse. The Bible studies cover topics such as who God is, who we are, and who Jesus, each lesson building off the one before it and laying out the simple gospel message. There are now over 90 kids involved and that number is steadily growing. It has been such a blessing to spend time with the kids and see the excitement some of them have to learn about God and know Him personally.

        Today one of the boys in the program, Julias, completed the last booklet in the set and turned it in, along with a letter. He wrote about how he had at first had many questions about Jesus but they are now answered and he has died and rose again with Christ, born again as a new person through the power of God. Julias has a huge smile that spreads across his whole face. The joy of the Lord is so evident and I am excited to see how he continues to grow!

"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."

-Henry David Thoreau

We covet your prayers! Please pray for the children involved in this program, that there would be seeds planted and brought to fruition in God's perfect timing.

Today we journeyed to the Islands Togolo and Cheganga (I am not sure of the spelling). We saw how the lack of knowledge about nutrition is being addressed. Groups have been formed there that take part together in growing a communal garden. They have classes during the week to learn what foods have good nutrition in them so that they can provide for their families and keep them healthy. As a group they bring their produce to the market as well and earn a profit to be distributed between the members. Through this program families are being taught about healthy alternatives and how simple it is to prevent sickness.

This is the Boar Hole where children play and are often sent to fetch the water for their family.

Whenever I go to the village my heart is always altered. A part of it is left with those children who yell "Muzungu (which means white person), How are you?" or run up to me to hold my hand or are sick from a lack of the proper diet. Yet, it is God who is in control, God who knows each and every one of those children, and God who loves them with His steadfast love that reassures me each time.

When we were in the different villages today I learned many new Lusoga words, but my favorite phrase was "Mukama baloonji (I'm not sure of the spelling. Pronunciation=Moo-kah-ma Ba-loon-gee)" God is good!! How simple, yet powerful. Amidst the struggles of life, the uncertainties, and joyful moments God is good!!

 Thank you for your prayers and support!

 

Mukama Baloonji!!

Ruth and Lydia

Fear, it is something I have struggled with my whole life and is something I fought through during the beginning of my time here in Uganda. Questions rolled around in my mind. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Which ministry is right for me at this period in my life? My mind was filled with doubts rather than the promises God has given us in His Word.

“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

The opposite of fear is faith. However, to have faith you must be willing to be placed in a vulnerable spot, where you are not in control, but are resting in the care of your Heavenly Father. Often we fear this unknown place, but in reality when we surrender this position over to the Lord we find ourselves consumed in His peace knowing that God is in control. What a joy to know that my faith rests in Jesus and that He does and will provide the exact amount I need for each situation.

            How amazing it is that the Lord turns our fears into blessings. What once were questioning doubts are now peaceful statements- I am filled with joy and God’s peace to be here in Uganda, to see God’s beautiful creation all around me and I know that the Lord is in control and will direct me to the exact ministry He has for me in His perfect timing.

“…God is love… There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

1 John 4: 8, 18

May the Lord be praised!

Ruth & Lydia

 

Some of the beauty of God's creation discovered as one afternoon we walked down to the Nile!

 

 

Yes, the "big rain" is heavy and cold,

but it is peaceful too because it is a picture that even amidst the fear of the storm God is in control!

Come along with us and see the first two weeks of our journey to Uganda.We begin in...

Chicago- a great time of visiting friends



Bethany and Rachael came with us to the airport to say good-bye :)







Exploring the sights of downtown Chicago with Starbucks in hand

 

 London- We were able to head out into the city and see firsthand some of England's culture. 

  

 

 

The Beautiful Kensington Gardens

  

"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

 

 

After miles of round-about walking, inquiring for directions, and a few stops along the way we finally made it to

 

BIG BEN!!

 

"You can fly, you can fly, you can fly!" The Peter Pan Statue

The Island-This Saturday we went with Kate and Micah to

meet the people there and learn more about their everyday lives.

We spent the day with Medina and her family she made us lunch-fried fish, cassava, and hot milk with sugar. Her family was very friendly and hospitable.

We spent the day playing games with these kids: ring around the rosy, hide sand seek, and some African games too! They were full of smiles and laughter!

Last Saturday we went to the village to partake in a Ugandan wedding.

 The happy couple!

The day was filled with smiles, dancing, lively children, plenty of food, and lots of laughter!

 

        Rain. Big rain. It is an amazing thing. Starting as a trickle and growing into great, drenching, tumultuous waves falling from the sky. It is a hard rain, but sometimes hardness is what it takes to cleanse and cause growth. When the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.
It's a beatuiful experience, the sound of the pounding rain drops, seeing sheets pouring off the roof, the smell of fresh earth. I step unknowingly into a puddle on our porch and it makes my heart smile. I'm thankful to be here in this moment. It makes me think of Noah. How he must have felt when God shut the door of the ark and the rain began. The process of making things new again. But, the newness brought by the rain is temporary, fleeting. It's good to know that ultimate newness has come already. We have been cleased and made new! Not through the rain, but through a Person. Our Savior has made us new.

Katonda Yeba Zibwe!
-Lydia and Ruth


Also, here's a picture of a bird, just for fun.
There are so many different kinds of birds here! It's great!

We made it!

       We made it! We have now been here for just over a week, a week filled with new experiences! Visiting Masesse, going to a Ugandan wedding in the village, learning our way around Jinja, exploring the banks Nile, navigating the market, meeting new friends... What a blessing! It seems we have learned so much, but at the same time there is still so much that is unknown. When we recognize the unknown, it gives us an opportunity to trust.
I don't know why I'm here, but God does. It is safe to trust. Sometimes I feel lost and I don't know where I am, but God does and He will give me strength. It is safe to trust. I miss my family, but I know God is enough. It is safe to trust.
Trust, trust, trust... What does it mean to trust someone completely? This concept has been running circles through my mind lately. Today I read Genesis 22, about Abraham. Talk about trust. Imagine being 99 years old, having no children, but being told that your offspring would be more numerous than the stars and a blessing to the whole, entire world. Abraham trusted that God's Word was true, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Then, when his son, Isaac, was born (a miracle!) God told him to sacrifice him, to take his son, his only son, the heir to God's  promise, to take him to the top of Mount Moriah and slaughter him as a burnt offering. How incomprehensibly terrible! Abraham didn't understand, but He trusted in his Father's chesed, His steadfast, always and forever love. Abraham trusted God. How I long to trust like Abraham, to trust to Him the unknown. It's a growing process.
We have been busy since getting here to Uganda, a good kind of busy, full of blessing. It's hard to process all the feelings I have experienced since arriving her, but most of all I have had a sometimes overwhelming sense of hope...all encompassing hope of eager expectation. We are so excited to see how God continues to work here! We don't know exactly what kind of ministry we will be involved with during our time here yet, but we don't have to know or understand. God knows. He has a plan and He will be faithful to fulfill it in us.

        Please continue to pray as we find where we fit in God's plan for ministry here, that He would be guiding us to exactly where He wants us to use our time and energy. Please pray also that we would continue to trust the unknown to our all knowing Heavenly Father.

Katonda Yeba Zibwe!

- Lydia and Ruth

Today, I am Jacob.

        Today, I am Jacob. I am Jacob in the moment where I realize that I stand in the presence of God, having been unaware of it before (Genesis 28:16). Each day is filled with seemingly small ways that God pours out His love to us, cathedral moments that we are all too often unaware of, moments where you can't help but overflow with thankfulness. The honest joy in a friend's smile, the warm splash of sunshine on your face, laughter bubbling over, the rush of the wind through the grass, the welcoming smell of coffee in the morning, the spark of understanding that comes into a child's eyes when they realize what Jesus has done for them. You can't help but overflow with thankfulness! These moments of sanctuary, reminders of God's love and promises fulfilled, are what enable to to be all here, wherever we are. To live to the  fullest with our eyes set on the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
        Tick tock, tick tock...the clock sounds the beat of time. Constantly flowing, always moving forward, each second a gift and an opportunity for thanksgiving, even in moments of pain that lack understanding. It's not always easy to be thankful, to see through the mud and muck of worry that sometimes seems to surround us, instead focusing on the ever present hope we have in Christ. The never stopping, never giving up, always and forever, saving love He freely gives us. We are alive and God is at work! What a blessing life is.
  One week from today, we will be in Uganda. It's hard to believe, surreal. I'm so excited to see how God will continue to work in us and through us in this new place, how He will continue to reveal Himself to us in the cathedral moments of thanksgiving in our every day lives.
One of the things I have been most thankful for during this time of preparation is prayer.
Would you pray for us?

Some of the ways you can lift us up include:
Final preparations - We are in the final processes of wrapping things up in the states and finishing packing. Please pray that this would go smoothly and that we would continue to rest secure on our Heavenly Father, finding our peace and joy in Him.
Open hearts - Pray that God would open hearts to the Gospel and continue to prepare us for whatever He would have us do.
Language learning - Please pray also that we might quickly understand and learn the language in Uganda, that we might communicate clearly.
Thank you so much for joining together with us in this way! It is such a blessing to see the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ, the body of Christ in action.

Katonda Yeba Zibwe! Lord be praised!
- Lydia and Ruth

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter every day epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach

"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
- Jacob, Genesis 28:17b