OUR FIRST AFRICAN CHRISTMAS

The day has finally come...we shift our belongings to our much anticipated house.  It's been almost 5 months since all of us have slept in our own beds, and tonight, Lord willing, we will do just that!  For the past two months, the girls have shared a room, and for the most part have done rather well.  In fact, I over heard Annie mention she wasn't sure about sleeping in a room all by her lonesome, but I think she'll get over that idea rather quickly.  Wendy is ready to use her own kitchen utensils, and to unpack all of her home decor.  For me, I'm just ready to make new memories in a new home...seems like we've been waiting to do this for quite a long time.  I think we're all ready for a place we can hang our hats for years to come.

I want to take just a moment to thank a few people here that have been instrumental in our home endeavor...to Michael, our contractor...brother you hit the mark and got us in before Christmas, thank you for that...to Godwins, for finding this house in the first place, and so much more my friend, you and Nancy are truly family to us...to Micah,Grace and Reba for all their support, especially keeping us for the first few weeks AND allowing us to store our belongings at your home...to Ruth, for watching our girls while Wendy and I planned and worked on the house, you are now Auntie Ruth...and to all who have prayed here and back in the states, you have given us the encouragement to keep on, THANK YOU!

Christmas is here and will be gone in just 6 days.  It's the first Christmas I can remember that I haven't thought much about gifts, but in all fairness, finishing a house can be a pretty large distraction.  Wendy and I have purchased a few gifts here, but nothing like we would have back home.  Not that we are now somehow against buying gifts for our girls; we are not above spoiling them.  But it just seems things are different this year for us.  I'm not sure how to put it into words only to say, we have each other, and right now in this present moment that is truly sufficient.


     

PASSION/CHRISTMAS WORSHIP NIGHT PICS

Back in September, UCF (The church that we are partnering with) hosted PASSION 2012, with Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockles.  Over 35,000 people attended, the largest crowd ever recorded for a PASSION event!  This was the second time UCF had hosted a PASSION event, the last one being in 2008.  Since then, UCF has regularly hosted local PASSION WORSHIP nights, having one per semester of school.  I have had the opportunity to help lead these events in the years past.  But this one was a bit different, mixing Christmas songs with current worship songs.  We called it PASSION CHRISTMAS WORSHIP.  It was a hit, and God was truly glorified that evening. Below are some of the pics Wendy and I took during the event.  Enjoy!!!  

The Girls having their pre-Christmas/Passion dinner

Choir/Band prayer circle prior to the event

Todd, trying to get creative

Hope, leading O Holy Night

Passion/Christmas crowd

Patrick leading a super fun Africa Christmas song!

Grace and Ruth, loving it...

The BAND

Ivan leading WHITE FLAG

Todd leading HOW HE LOVES

Pastor Micah giving us the message for the evening

More worship...

CONTAINER UNLOADING PICS

It was August the 3rd when we last saw our container and all of it's contents roll away from our home in Mt Sterling, IL.  Honestly, my hopes weren't to high of it even making the journey successfully, let a lone arriving with almost everything completely intact!  You should have seen our faces when that ugly red container showed up...  Unfortunately, Wendy, Annie and Lucy couldn't be there for the unloading.  With lots of help from Micah's family and friends from the church, the unloading was a real success. As promised, here are several pics revealing the much anticipated arrival of the container.  Oh, and thank you Micah for allowing us to disturb THREE rooms in your home!  I'm still in shock...

SMALL TALK MAKES ME NERVOUS...

Why is it so hard for real people to talk about real things?  I’ve never been very good at small talk, at least I don’t think so.  Small talk makes me nervous.  What I mean is, I always feel pressure to contribute to a conversation that virtually is meaningless.  But in order to get to the “real stuff” I’ve found that small talk is very necessary for breaking the proverbial ice.  So I’m working on my small talk skills!  It seems though, people, especially many churched people, rarely get past the small talk.  Oh, they’ll converse about other peoples quote on quote problems or concerns, but getting them to turn the corner on themselves becomes more of a challenge. 

Was Jesus good at small talk?  I’m not sure if He was or wasn’t, not everything he said or did is completely recorded.  When I read the gospels, it seems like Jesus is always trying to make a point, constantly in a state of teaching even amongst His small talk, especially with his disciples.   And what about all the encounters with not yet believers, John 4 (woman at the well), Luke 19 (story of Zacchaeus), John 3 (Nicodemus, ok so Jesus was probably a bit tired for small talk in this one), and the list goes on and on…  Point being, Jesus went straight for the jugular, He wasted no time talking about the weather or the latest Soccer or NFL standings.  In every encounter He ever had with a not yet believer, Jesus’ one desire was to set them free from their burdens and chains. 

Now, we all are wired differently, some more bold or timid than others, and for that I am grateful.  But God never intended for His creation to just be a bunch of small talkers, never getting into the lives of those around us.  Small groups or community groups are fine and well, but why have we stopped there?  Whether it’s here in Uganda or back in the States, one thing seems to be scary for us to do, and that is to find that special individual and develop a one on one relationship, sharing in what God is doing in our lives and also the challenges that we are up against.   Proverbs 27 says it best when it says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  Jesus chose twelve, and from the twelve he intentionally spent one on one time with three.  The twelve were His small group. The three were His inner circle.  You and I are here today because Jesus decided come down from Heaven to live life with twelve guys, and pour intimately into three of them, and one of the three Jesus built His church upon.  Jesus kept it simple. 

Spiritual adoption seems to be the latest buzz-word for making disciples.  I’m not against the phrase, but I do think it leaves a lot of life out of the equation of making disciples.   Years ago, I ministered at a church that taught me the phrase, “Doing life together”.  Wendy and I long for that once again, to do life together with a group of believers, to share life, the good and bad and everything in between.  But even more, we desire intimacy with a few, to be able to share the deepest parts of our being with a friend that will listen and will love us for who we are, not for who we should be.  Yes, I believe deep down, every single person desires to be loved as they are.  Have you found that someone to do life together, and I mean really do life?  If so, you know how exhilarating it is.  If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?       

PICS!!!

OK, so we have gotten several requests for pictures.  Here are a few that we have taken through out the past several weeks...Enjoy & more to come!

Bon Voyage!

Girls, posing on the balcony of our very first apartment in Africa

Yes, home schooling is going well!

Our family van...w/ Emma and Lucy acting tough!

Baptism Sunday...23 total!

Our neighborhood...

IT'S ALL IN WHO YOU KNOW

Searching for a house in Kampala has been a bit more challenging than anticipated.  We are now beginning week 3.  Seems we have been looking at houses for 2 months, but it has only been 2 weeks.  Exhaustion has begun to set it, but somehow we manage to push onward.  Location is now at the top of our priority list.  Please be in prayer that God continues to give us wisdom.

We made our first major purchase, we bought a van!  Now buying a vehicle in Kampala isn't exactly the same as buying one in the States.  In fact, it is very different.  First, you need to know someone, actually it seems you need to know someone for just about anything you do here.  Second, buying a "new car" from Kampala, isn't really buying a new car.  Most cars that are in Kampala come from Japan or Europe, and all of them are used, at least the ones the average joe can afford.  Third, you go to "the bond" to find the car you desire, then negotiate on the price...this is a bit tricky, but again, if you know someone, the transaction is much smoother.  My "someone", his name is Godwins...and he lives up to his name.  After you've negotiated, you literally pull out your cash, and ONE piece of paper is signed, and you are driving.  Now there are a few other minor steps, but as long as you have cash and a passport, you can drive...that's it.  License and insurance are included in the deal.  And so we decided on a 99 Toyota van...I am the first time driver on it here in Uganda, which makes the van a lot more valuable. The next paragraph tells you why...  

The roads here are brutal, and most damaging to your vehicle.  Potholes are the size of  VW Beetles, and the homemade speed bumps created on the dirt roads seem to grow daily.  And the traffic!  My goodness for those in the states that think they have experienced crazy traffic, I would challenge you to drive in Kampala!  If you want a small taste of it, go to YouTube and type in Kampala traffic.  I've heard some say it's like driving in a real life video game.  I'm no gamer, but maybe that's true.

An update on our Visa status.  For a fee (of course), the internal affairs office extended our visas for 2 months, which gives us time to work on our permanent work visas.  We've met with an attorney regarding this issue and he seems to think he can take care of this for us.  But, nothing is done yet, and for that I would ask you all to continue praying that God would make at least this visa process smooth and seamless.

I met with the gentleman in charge of getting our container out of customs, and into our hands once again.  His name is Jimmy, a friend of Godwins.  Jimmy asked me all of the customary questions like, what was in the container and how long we were planning on staying in the country, pretty easy stuff.  We are meeting again tomorrow to discuss more details and so I can give him my passport and of course a fee.  Jimmy's hoping because we work underneath a missions organization that our tariffs will be waived. PLEASE, pray that God softens the hearts of those in charge of this decision.    

  

OUR FIRST WEEK...

Our first week in Africa has come and past.  The weather has been mild for the most part, with a couple days above normal.  Mornings and evenings are tranquil.  At the airport, we were greeted with “Welcome Home” signs by several of the choir members…this was truly a special moment for us all.  Micah and Grace (the pastor of UCF and his wife) have been wonderful hosts.  Their guesthouse has been just perfect while we wait on finding a home.  Reba (Micah and Grace’s daughter who is 16) is becoming an aunty of sorts to our girls, helping with school and watching Disney DVD’s, she’s been a godsend.  Micah’s compound is full of life, with mango, banana and avocado trees surrounding the premises, and a turkey that is getting fatter by the day.  I think it’s D-Day is Christmas!  Lucy finally got her wish.  The monkeys made an appearance, and what a show they put on for her and the girls. 

Monday, the 22^nd,  we ran into our first of many challenges we will face here in Uganda.  When we went through customs the Wednesday before at the airport, we were only given a two week Visa.  In times past, I’d been given a two to three month Visa, but when I was asked why we were coming by the customs official, I told her the truth and said we were going to be living here.  Wrong statement!  She almost didn’t let us in, and made it very clear that we had just two weeks to obtain a work permit or work Visa.  We spent all day Monday trying to just extend our temporary Visa, so we would have enough time to apply for our work Visa.  You should have seen this place…first of all we went on a Monday, bad idea!  The line just to get in took almost an hour, and when we finally got in to the facility, which was made up of 4 large concrete walls and a makeshift tent, we waited another hour just to see someone.  I’m not kidding, you should have seen this place, I felt like I was in a movie set, it was like I was having an out of body experience.  Oh, and did I mention it was extremely hot, and I was not feeling the best.  Fortunately, my good friend Godwins and his wife was accompanying me and had an insider that met with us in his office.  We sat down and pleaded our case…it seemed as if he understood what we needed, but then the roadblocks began to build.  The details will make you cry, so I will spare you of them.  All this to say, we left there with a list of requirements and documents, which stretched the entire page the official wrote on.  And of course, this privilege doesn’t come with out a price tag, or should I say several price tags.  But as I said in the beginning of this paragraph, this is just one of the many challenges we will for sure face. 

For the people reading this that pray, and I mean have a prayer life that God hears, would you please help us?  Would you pray that God intervenes with the officials and people that hold the key to our staying here?  One thing I want to make super clear, Wendy and I are ok, and we are staying strong in the Lord.  We know and we are confident, that God didn’t take us this far to have us go home now…this we are for sure.  Believe it or not, we both rested well after hearing the news.  God is in control, not the Ugandan government. 

For all of you that are waiting to see pics of the girls and our surroundings, we are working on it.  The tech learning curve here is high for the moment, but we are navigating through it.  We will send pics asap we promise…