HELLO 2018!

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TRAVELING HOME

Three flights, a six hour drive and plenty of jet lag later we’re back in Gulu! I wish I could say its getting easier to adjust to the time change the more times we do it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The first five days in Uganda we didn’t have a normal night of sleep. However, the past two nights we’ve been able to fall asleep before 2am and sleep until the sun was up, so we’ll count that for our first good nights of sleep in a week.

Our house is close to being unpacked after removing plenty of dust that had found its way in while we were gone, and its good to be back in our home. It’s a little bit of a change from the temperature being -40º in Canada to 35º Celsius (95º Fahrenheit) here in Uganda. It is amazing how God makes our bodies to adjust to whatever climate we’re in. I can say even with all the heat here, it really only feels uncomfortably hot when we’re active during the heat of the day, or when power is out at night and our fans won’t work.

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A WEEK OF PRAYER & FASTING

As we begin 2018, we want to take time to pray for God’s plan for our lives and the ministry he has called us to. It wasn’t very plausible with all the travel we’ve done the past few weeks to commit a chunk of time for prayer, but next week we’ve personally committed to prayer and fasting and would love to have you join in prayer with us. Attached is an outline of prayer points that we’re focusing on each day of the week and some relevant verses.

Prayer is a powerful weapon against the enemy and a useful to guide us. We’re praying God will reveal more of his plan to us going forward, and guide us as we follow him. Below you’ll find a guide with some different topics and ideas to pray over each day next week.

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PRAYER & FASTING SCHEDULE

Sunday, January 28: Passionate Personal Relationship with God

- That we will remain disciplined in spending time daily seeking God

- That God gives us continued passion to serve his kingdom

Monday, January 29: Ministry Partners & Good Connections

- That we would have wisdom in who to help us

- That God would bring the right people to disciple

Tuesday, January 30: God’s Provision

- Praise God that with year end gifts, we are close to having the funds necessary to buy land

- That God will provide the finances to begin building when we purchase land

- That God will provide us the right direction and plan for the year ahead

Wednesday, January 31: Language Learning

- Perseverance through frustrations as we go deeper into the language

- Commitment to the time necessary to read and speak Acholi well

- Understanding when we are confused

Thursday, February 1: Finding & Purchasing Land

- That God would lead us to the right place for the discipleship center

- That the process of buying land would be free of conflicts, confusion and deception

(Land in Uganda is owned by family groups, which can cause some difficulties)

Friday, February 2: Curriculum Development

- Wisdom on what topics are the most important to learn in this setting

- Perseverance to develop lessons that will communicate well within Acholi culture

- Guidance on what passages to use in the lessons

Saturday, February 3: Readjusting, Rest and Health

- Renewed energy after a couple of awesome and busy months in North America

- Health after we had a stomach flu last week that zapped our energy for a few days

- Help in adjusting back to a different culture, different food, and different way of living

Thank you for your prayers and support!

October Update

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VILLAGE TRAINING

As we prepare to head back to North America next week, we’ve been wrapping up our two training courses in the villages of Cwero and Omel. Between the two locations we’ve been able to study God’s Word with 29 church leaders from 13 churches. I think the most interesting part of the training has been the questions we discuss after the lessons. They’ve covered a little bit of everything from birth-control, marriage, disciplining your children to training up young leaders. Thanks for your prayers that have helped make this training a great impact on these churches. Continue to pray for the pastors and leaders that they will put what God has taught them into practice with their congregations.

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THE RECREATION PROJECT

Yesterday, we were excited to have a little fun with the group of guys I’ve been doing training with in town for the past year. We took a field trip to The Recreation Project, a high ropes and challenge course just outside of Gulu. I’ve taken part in courses similar to this one on a number of occasions but for the rest of the group, everything was brand new. They had a lot of fun trying new challenges, scurrying up the climbing wall and flying down the zip-line. However, best of all was the team building and lessons that were learned.

During a few of the obstacles I was familiar with, I had to bite my tongue to let the team work together to find a way to succeed. It was tough, but it allowed us to grow as a group and learn how to work together as a team instead of individuals. By the end of the day, I think we had many lessons to take away from the experience and I’m looking forward to taking more pastors back in the future as a part of our discipleship program.

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"HOME" FOR THE HOLIDAYS

We are down to our last week in Gulu and life has been busy! We've been wrapping up language lessons (41 lessons have been completed), finishing up with ministry for this year and organizing the house for when we are away.  It seems like time has flown by since the summer, but we look forward to spending some time with family and friends during the holiday season. Our time in North America will be spent in Butler, Pennsylvania from November 15th until our drive up to Winnipeg, Manitoba the week of Christmas for a few weeks. We hope to return to Uganda mid January and resume ministry and language lessons. We are looking forward to seeing each of you and hope you know how much we appreciate your love and support!

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PRAYER & PRAISE POINTS

• Please pray for a safe journey to North America (specifically, our extremely long 14.5-hour flight from Qatar to the United States) and quick adjustments to a new time zone. 
• We've completed the 41 lessons in our language program and have recorded our language teacher reading through them. Pray for us as we make time during the holidays to study and practice with each other. 

Wedding: Pastor Thomas & Betty

Two weekends ago, we had the privilege of standing alongside Pastor Thomas and Betty as they made a marriage covenant before God and the church. As with any wedding, the preparations and rehearsals, last minute errands and decorating all came to an end. The wedding began about 3 hours late, and continued well after dark. 

As Best Man and Matron of Honour, we were responsible to provide pre-marital counseling, demonstrate how to place the ring on each others finger, help cut the cake, wipe the sweat off the bride and grooms face, and basically never leave their side. Tim also assumed responsibility of driving the bridal party/ family to and from the church/reception as the other car cancelled the morning of due to a burial in the village. Tim, in a full long-sleeved suit and dripping with sweat didn't mind that part! I, on the other hand, prepared tea and snacks for 17 ladies in our house the morning of as they had weaves put in, make up put on and helped the bride prepare for her big day.

There were more responsibilities as the day went on, and most were learned on the spot: 
1. The wedding march included a long, slow "walk" across the compound and down the aisle with coordinated footwork. All said, it was about a 30 minute "walk" to get to the front of the church.
2. Cake cutting involved more than the bride and groom. 
3. After cake is cut, the bride and groom hand out pieces of cake to every person attending.
4. Smaller cakes are given out to the head of each family as gifts. I followed holding Betty's dress. 
5. Part of the reception includes the bride and groom changing into their changing
 clothes: matching traditional style clothing.
6. After changing, the bride searches the crowd for her husband who has hidden himself. 
7. As Matron of Honour, I held up the back of the brides dress following behind the bride
wherever she went. My responsibility was to never leave her side.

When Tim had encouraged Pastor Thomas to marry his "wife" a few months back, we didn't know we'd be as involved in the process. However, as a part of pre-marital counseling, we explained the 5 Love Languages and had each of them discover which ones they were. It was also interesting to learn the Acholi views on marriage. The next morning at church after Pastor Thomas had thanked family, church and us for our support, he looked over at Betty and said, "Now, I'd like for my sweetheart to share something." Betty blushed. A simple, yet very endearing remark made my heart smile. The overseeing pastor addressed Pastor Thomas and his new bride Betty as "official" pastors now that they had made that covenant before God. Betty was now encouraged to step into ministry as Pastor Thomas's wife and helpmate. It was such a blessing to join in the celebration as these two made a commitment before God to love each each other for the rest of their lives. 

We look forward to sharing life together as our responsibility to them didn't end on the wedding day. We are marriage support to them going forward. In fact, the night of the wedding they ended up staying at our home due to the number of out of town guests staying at their home. Through out the past few months, we've become one big happy family!

The Marketplace: Suffering & Sovereignty

"I will no more suffer,

I will not beg for bread.

You're the miracle,

You have the superpower."

- Ugandan Worship Song

Suffering.
To endure pain or hardship; to sustain loss or damage. 
It's circumstances that overwhelm, attempts to drag you down and leave you helpless in a deep pit. I could go on.... 

To suffer. It's a word that is all too common on this side of the world. After seemingly endless years of war, poverty and devastation... the people of Uganda have suffered, just as the rest of us have in one way or another. It's not something we enjoy. It's not something we like to endure or walk patiently through. 

And it's definitely not something we typically welcome into our lives with open arms. 

In our marketplace discipleship, we have been working through the book of Job through a study called Suffering & Sovereignty. We've been wrestling with this question, "if we know we will suffer, then how do we learn to suffer well?"

This week we are focusing on chapters 26-30. Through Job's suffering so far we've seen a lot of partial "wisdom" and false theology provided by Job's friends. We also seen a whole lot of complaining and arguing in attempts to discover the reason as to why Job is suffering. In our study, we've been challenged to change our perspective from "woe is me" to "God is with me".  To know without a doubt, that God is sovereign and God is good. And in our suffering we have the choice to either pull away from God or push into God. 

 "From the Book of Job readers can learn how to challenge the false concepts related to suffering and how to maintain a loving and meaningful relationship, in the midst of suffering, with the sovereign God." - Larry J. Waters

I am no expert in suffering, but through our study we've come up with a few things to help us as we learn to suffer well. 

1. Acknowledge you are suffering
2. Acknowledge your feelings & surrender your them to God
3. Allow God & others to speak into your life
4. Trust in the sovereignty of God & know HE IS GOOD all the time

I can't imagine ever wanting to suffer, yet James 1:2-5 makes it very clear that we should learn to suffer well by considering our trials as pure joy.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Pure joy? Really? 

Wow. That's definitely not the thought I typically have when trials appear as towering mountains. We can get caught in the thought that if we serve and live a life pleasing to Christ, we will only receive his blessings. While he does bless us in more ways than we often recognize, in reality suffering just part of life. We suffer because of our own sin, struggle and because we have simply chosen to follow the Lord. And yet, the response we should aim for when deep in the pit of suffering, is joy. Pure joy. But how do we get there? 

It's a process. Challenging ourselves to a new way of thinking about suffering is hard. It's a cultivating of faith and trust in the One who sees all, knows all and walks with you through it all. Lean hard into God. His arms are open, waiting and ready for you. 

"He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me.
The more intense the pain, the close His embrace."
- Joni Eareckson Tada

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Larry J. Water, Reflections on Suffering From the Book of Job

Joni Eareckson Tada, A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain,  

and God's Sovereignty

September Update

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VILLAGE TRAINING

Training up pastors and church leaders in rural Uganda has always been our main calling, and now that we have a vehicle we're beginning to see it take place. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, Pastor Thomas and I (Tim) head to either the village of Cwero or Omel.  It's a makes for a long day beginning at 8 am with packing up food for those attending and returning home between 6 or 7 pm. It has been exciting to see God developing these leaders as the weeks progress. Our first two units of study have been Discipleship and Studying the Bible.  In the next month we'll do a overview of the redemption story told throughout the whole Bible and Spiritual Disciplines.  

Each class has a little over a dozen students coming from a total of 9 churches.  Its been really interesting to hear the questions they have ranging from sermon preparation to birth control.  The questions that are asked are incredibly useful to us as we try to teach discipleship in a way that is relevant to their lives and ministries. Keep these training times in your prayers as we seek to equip church leaders with tools that will bless their churches.

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MARKETPLACE DISCIPLESHIP

To suffer. It's a word all too common on this side of the world. After seemingly endless years of war, poverty and devastation... the people of Uganda have suffered, just as the rest of us have in one way or another. It's not something we enjoy. It's not something we like to endure or walk patiently through. And it's definitely not something we typically welcome into our lives with open arms. In our marketplace discipleship, we have been working through the book of Job through a study called Suffering & Sovereignty. We've been wrestling with this question, "if we know we will suffer, then how do we learn to suffer well?"

This week we are focusing on chapters 26-30. Through Job's suffering, we've seen a lot of partial "wisdom" and false theology provided by Job's friends. We also see a whole lot of complaining and arguing in attempts to discover the reason as to why Job is suffering. In our study, we've been challenged to change our perspective from "woe is me" to "God is with me".  To know without a doubt, that God is sovereign and God is good. And in our suffering we have the choice to either pull away from God or push into God. I'm always encouraged by the ladies and their willingness to share and openness to grow as we walk this journey of learning the truth of the Word together.

Read more thoughts on Suffering & Sovereignty. 

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ADVENTURES ON THE HOME FRONT

I was trying to come up with a catchy title for this area of ministry and thought it might be a nice opportunity to share with all of you part of my work here in Uganda. While, I am thankful for the opportunity to help Tim prepare lessons, learn Acholi and disciple a few ladies… home is where I find myself most days. Our overall goal is to disciple pastors with little or no Biblical training, however, my role isn’t as focused on that at the moment. Adapting to life in a new culture has had its challenges and learning to raise a little one in that culture, definitely makes for some interesting times.Trust me when I say there is plenty to keep me busy! Two words… potty training.

That said, I’ve been encouraged to make our home an embassy for both my family and others. A place of peace and hospitality for those who enter it. It’s a big task! The biggest area I’ve been challenged in, is simply the art of cooking. Living here has forced me to be creative and I’ve actually begun to enjoy cooking for the first time in my life. Life is just a little harder, dirtier and hotter than what I’ve been accustomed to. Yet, it’s also caused me to lean a little harder into the Lord, relying on him for strength and energy. One person the Lord has brought into our lives to teach me a thing or two, is Christine (Auntie Christine to Silas). It’s been a blessing to have her watch Silas for a few hours each week so I can disciple a few ladies in the market. She cares for Silas in a loving way and they are often found singing when I return home. She has become a part of our family here. Looking back over the past year, I’ve finally begun to feel at home in the world and keep my focus on the little life the Lord has called me to minister to, Silas James.
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PRAYER & PRAISE POINTS

• Pastor Thomas & Betty were married on October 7th. Everything came together and the day was a beautiful expression of two lives devoted to the Lord and His purposes. We were blessed to share in their special day. 
• Please pray for the ongoing Pastoral Training in the villages of  Omel and Cwero. 

The Marketplace: Concy & Stella

I'm so encouraged that through our updates you have the opportunity to "meet" those the Lord has connected us with here in Uganda. Along with Tim's weekly discipleship group,

I have also had the blessing of leading a small discipleship group with two incredible women. I've grown to know these two beautiful souls and a deep friendship has grown. We began our discipleship study last year and I can't begin to tell you how encouraged I am by their dedication, openness and the love they have for others. 

Concy is such a sweet-spirited woman, who loves praising the Lord. I was encouraged the other day when I decided to pass by her shop. As I approached it, I found her sitting with her Bible opened on her lap. She only has a grade 3 education and went to tailoring school for 3 weeks. Yet, she is able to understand, read and speak English extremely well.  She is also a wonderful tailor!

What can I say about Stella? Her name literally means "star" and she exemplifies just that. I've never met a person whose smile lights up a room quite like hers. Stella opened her own tailoring shop in 2014, instead of joining a family business she was not proud of. She has chosen to live for the Lord and what a beautiful testimony of God's grace she has. Stella is soft-spoken and one of the most tenderhearted women I know. 

Uganda is a place the Lord etched into my heart years ago. And although the landscapes are breathtaking and the wildlife incredible... it's people that have been placed deep within. Uganda is a country that has suffered deeply and known the devastation only war could bring.  Families torn apart by an army built on child soldiering and spiritual confusion. Brokenness and despair left as a consolation prize, flooding the lands of the north. 

 And yet, there is a deep beauty that has been unearthed. 

Out of brokenness and suffering, great beauty can be found. 

The Lord spoke to my heart upon returning from Uganda in 2008. It wasn't anything large-scale, in fact, it was quite small. I left Uganda with the image of a pearl seared into my mind. A few weeks after reaching home, I left again on a trip - this time to Great Britain & Europe. During one of our "adventure" walks, my best friend and I came across a statue of Winston Churchill. Even at that point, I had yet to discover a connection would be made.  For whatever reason, in my search to understand what the Lord was trying to speak to me, I came across an interesting discovery... Uganda was actually known as the Pearl of Africa." And more specifically, Winston Churchill is often referred to as the one who made that claim in his 1908 book called My African Journey,

"The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa... For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life - bird, insect, reptile, beast - for vast scale - Uganda is truly the Pearl f Africa."

A pearl is a precious gem created from the place of pain. An irritant (parasite, sand, etc) enters the oysters shell and the oyster begins coating it with a milky substance as means to protect itself. It doesn't push the irritant out, or avoid it. 

But a pearl is literally created as a result of the pain caused.

 "Some jewels may be made from rocks and crystals, other jewels might be mined out of the   earth, but not so pearls. Unlike other gems, pearls are drawn from something that's alive.      Pearls are produced by a life that has overcome affliction, that has overcome suffering.                                Little wonder they are so valuable!" - Joni Eareckson Tada

And more so... Jesus' life is the perfect example of this suffering to beauty promise. 

"Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price. He is unlike any other. Our Savior is a precious gem set      apart from the rest. He lived in such a way that he overcame suffering and affliction.... Jesus overcame the working of death. He is superior because his love poured forth from a life wounded by pain. He has become our example. And he has bound us together with                        other believers who value his precious friendship." - Joni Eareckson Tada

      There is a great treasure here in Uganda and I've been blessed to find two such pearls.

I encourage you to look at the brokenness of those around you and perhaps even in your own life. You'll be amazed at the treasure you'll discover if you allow the Lord to take the pain and shape it into a precious pearl. Wear it for others to see the beauty and grace of the Lord upon your life. Dig deep and find it someone else's life. 

And know that without a doubt, 

You. Are. Loved. 

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Source:
1. Winston Churchill. https://kabiza.com/kabiza-wilderness-safaris/why-is-uganda-called-the-pearl-of-africa/
2.  Joni Eareckson Tada. Pearls of Great Price: 366 Daily Devotional Readings

August Update

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PASTORAL DISCIPLESHIP

I think one of my favorite things about being a missionary is that we can be on the other side of the world and still have so many great people a part of our lives supporting and encouraging us. We’d like to take that one step further and give you the chance to help us in a hands-on way. I’m sure you’re thinking one of two things right now: I’d love to go to Uganda someday, or no way I’m sitting on a plane that long! But I have a different way for you to get involved. We’re working to create lessons and Bible studies that will be used to train rural pastor and would love for your help to review what we have prepared and offer your input.

This wouldn’t take a huge commitment, it would be up to you how much you feel like contributing. We would email you weekly with our lesson guides and you would email us back with any errors, thoughts, verse to add, or any points that aren’t clear to understand. If your interested in having us send the lessons to you weekly, shoot us an email and we’ll start sending the lessons to you. Even if you would just like to see what some of the lessons are like feel free to sign up.

 As Ecclesiastes says “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” Please prayerfully consider being a part of discipleship here in Uganda in this exciting way!

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OFF WE GO!

Almost five months after ordering our vehicle, we finally have it! It was imported from Japan, like almost every vehicle in Uganda and is a Toyota Surf (equivalent of a Toyota Four Runner). It took three days of running around and finishing up paperwork in Kampala but it's now at our home in Gulu and working wonderfully.

Having a vehicle is really exciting for two reasons: first, we can actually get around town as a family without having to hitch a ride or borrow a car from friends. And second, we’re now able to drive outside of town to do more ministry in the villages where we want to focus our ministry. This vehicle is a huge blessing and we thank the Lord for his provision. 

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OUR JOURNEY

As many of you know, Tim and I met in the very place we are serving today. Our story would look very different if both of us hadn't followed the Lord's calling to Gulu, Uganda back in 2010. We are reminded of this everyday as we serve Him here in Northern Uganda.  Looking back over the past 5 years of marriage, it's incredible to see the Lords provision, guidance and preparation woven into every step we've taken. Serving the youth and families of Bethel Community Church for 3 years was never in our initial "plans" and yet its incredible how the Lord works.

Before I met Tim, I felt the Lord speak to me that I'd serve alongside my husband in full-time ministry. And more specifically, I sensed he'd be a youth pastor. Now, upon meeting Tim (who never planned to be a pastor), I resolved that being a missionary was close enough. Once married and plans made for missions, I laid that little thought aside. Little did I know, that God was preparing us to serve as youth pastors church BEFORE moving to the mission field.  Our journey reminds me that the Lord goes before us, even when that journey looks different than you thought. He is making a way for us, just as He is making a way for you!

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PRAYER POINTS

• Our Acholi review has been going well - it's essential for us to learn the language so we can disciple those in the village without need for a translator.
• Tomorrow, Tim & Pastor Thomas will be going to the villages of Paicho & Omel to make plans for Pastoral Discipleship.