Last Wednesday, the 17th was both bitter and sweet. On the sweet side of things, we celebrated exactly 6 months in Africa; we are thankful for God’s protection and provision…but on the same day, mom and dad left us to go back to the States. I’ve underestimated several things while being here, but missing my folks was one that hit me, and the girls rather hard. If I had to be completely honest, before Nana and Papa arrived, we were all doing rather well, adjusting to our new surroundings and all that the Ugandan culture throws at you. Their stay was so good for us, and encouraged us a great deal. We were able to share our daily lives with those that are closest to us. Seems like we did so much…2nd FNC (The Fire Place) worship service, the first Joy Club International (they were also here for the 2nd), Emma was baptized into Christ in the Nile River, 2 UCF church services, etc… Their visit went fast, and before we all knew it, they were jumping aboard the plane to head for home. We’re going to survive, with God’s help we will move forward once again. As time moves on, we will get used to seeing people we love come and go. I guess the first time for anything can be at times challenging. But I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to saying goodbye. Dad has always said he hates goodbyes, and that he’s not real good at them…I think I’m turning into my dad.
Friday Night Church held its second worship service this past month, the theme for the evening was “Becoming Real”. Some of you might have caught our invitation online as we sent it out via Facebook and Twitter. The highlight of the night was a girl named Angel. Angel has been involved at FNC from the beginning and UCF (University Community Fellowship) for several years now. Angel has quite a story, and after hearing it, I asked her if she would be comfortable sharing it with all of us at FNC. You see, Angel has a few scars, not just the internal scars that come from life, but also a large scar on the topside of her body. When Angel was just 6 years old, she was trying to blow out a large candle, when the candle accidently fell and burnt part of her face, neck and arms. Angel is now more than 25 years old, and has lived with her scars for over two decades. The trials she has faced because of her scars are too many to count. Now here’s the craziest part of the story…NO ONE, yes, no one (not even ME) had ever taken the time to ask Angel about what had happened to her. We all just assumed it was something she wasn’t comfortable talking about, so we just ignored what was in plain sight. You should see Angel today…not that she’s completely a different girl, after all, she had already come to know Jesus. But it seems her confidence has soared since she shared her story with all of us. If only we could all be so brave…
I’ve ask Wendy to share a bit regarding Joy Club International...enjoy!
Joy Club International has started in full force for ages 3 through grade 5. We started with around 65 kids and last week had over 90 kids; we are anticipating more every week as word of mouth spreads this awesome ministry. We have a fantastic group of 12 volunteers that have partnered with us every week at FNC to lead the kids in worship, crafts, snacks, games, and lesson times. Please look on Facebook for some videos and pictures posted (on Wendy’s). The kids have especially loved our music and worship time, really getting into the motions and dancing around. Words are not sufficient for the supplies that were sent for us to get started with this endeavor, but thank you to all who donated and took time to think of us. It has given us a great jump-start into what we think will be a huge impact on the community surrounding FNC. Please continue to pray for kids to keep coming and growing in their friendship with Jesus and for our volunteers to stay focused on the task at hand. Our hope is that FNC will be a place for families to come and learn and grow together in their relationship and knowledge of Jesus! Thank you for your continued financial, emotional, and prayerful support. ~Wendy
Earlier I shared how difficult it was to say goodbye, and though this is true, we would love to have to say goodbye to many more to come. So please, if you are considering coming to the Motherland and paying us a visit and seeing what God is doing here amongst us, can I ask you to do so. We have a guesthouse and plenty of exciting things for one to do. Your investment won’t be wasted.
