IN A DAZE...

I feel like I’m in a daze, a dream-like state.  Annie and Lucy are playing with their new dolls from Nana.  Emma is talking to her best friend Madi Henry…she was hoping to skype, but Terminal 5 here in O’hare hasn’t gotten with the times.  Wendy is re-packing items and getting all of us more ready for our flight.  We board in 30 minutes and our flight is scheduled for 8:35pm cst.  God bless Kent Prather…Kent volunteered to be our chauffer to and from the airport.  Boy did he make the trip a lot more bearable.  On the way I mentioned to Kent that my nerves were beginning to set in.  His comment was vintage Kent, “Well, I guess you made your bed!”  Yeah, I guess we’ve been “making our bed” for quite some time now.   Seems like we’ve been turning the page of life for a while.  But now we are writing again, we are writing stories and creating memories once more. 

It’s difficult to say goodbye…especially to those you love so dearly.  I didn’t keep track of the amount of tears that were shed in the last 48 hours, but I think it’s safe to say they would be measured in the gallons.  And so the moment finally came when we had to say our final goodbyes to my mom and dad, aka, nana and papa.  It was as hard as I imagined.  The girls did exceptionally well, but can’t say the same for mom and dad.  I asked several people to pray for this specific moment, and I think they actually did.  Though the facets came flowing, God was truly there, I even believe He joined in…

EYE OF THE STORM

Today is the last day our family will ever call 21 E Lake Estates, Mt. Sterling IL, home.  I feel like we are in the eye of the storm.  One very stress filled moment has passed, while the other waits to pounce.  We will enjoy this moment.  The last night in our home was bitter-sweet.  The girls did well.  Emma tried to stay up as late as she could, but retired around 11pm.  Annie and Lucy spent there last night seeing who could do the best cartwheels.  With the house becoming emptier and emptier over the last few months, the only things left were a couple of air mattresses and our toothbrushes.  Seems like we said goodbye to normal a while ago.  Wendy did well too...until we prayed our last prayer we will ever pray in the room we prayed so many prayers in.  I won't go into detail, but you can just imagine.  Truth be told, I had to pry her out of our prayer room, or maybe it was just the smell of fresh coffee that made her finally get moving!  For me, God is truly keeping me together for the moment.  I just hope it lasts through the first month in Kampala.  I'm sure my moment will come, and when it does, I know He will be crying along side me.

There are so many of you that are praying for us.  Some of you have told us with a text or email.  I just want to acknowledge we can feel your prayers.  For all of you that are doing so, can I ask you to pray specifically about a few items.

1. Pray that God makes it clear the exact house in Kampala we are to purchase...I really believe this item is crucial for our families health and well-being and ministry longevity.

2.  Pray that God keeps "ME" patient and balanced, not getting ahead of His plan; providing me with the leadership and wisdom for my family and Friday Night Church.

3.  Pray that God protects Wendy and the girls from sickness and/or disease.

18 days until blast off...

          

FINANCIAL UPDATE

There's a question Wendy and I seem to be getting a lot as of late.  "So how is your fundraising going?"  For the record, fundraising isn't something that I hate or even dislike, but it's no picnic either.  Raising support takes diligence and faithfulness. God continues to stretch both Wendy and I in these areas.  It's good to be stretched, but Lord if you really do own the cattle on a thousand hills, could you sell a few for us?

So how is the fundraising going?  Honestly, slow...it's coming in at a pace that's beginning to make us nervous.  Wendy and I have the funds to get there, but we need your help to stay there (I can just here some of you saying, "Sign me up!").  Sorry, I just couldn't resist.  So what about getting a job in Kampala?  This is the question I rarely hear, but know it's out there amongst conversations.  The answer is, if I could I would, but with nearly 90 percent unemployment in Kampala...yes, I did say 90 percent, an American taking a job away from a Ugandan isn't a very popular move.  Another question or idea we have gotten is, "What about starting a business in Kampala, after all it is a city of millions?"  Wendy and I have discussed this in detail and are seriously open to this idea.  But for now, in year one, getting our family settled into a new land and culture, developing relationships, and getting Friday Night Church off the ground seem to be more than enough to be focused on.

So let me lay it all out plainly...Our goal was $6000 per/mo.  This would pay for Friday Night Church and our personal monthly needs.  The charts located on our blog page entitled "Monthly Needs" are broken down for complete transparency of our expenses.  With the challenge participants and other donors, we are now at approximately 18 percent, of our over all goal, which comes out to around $1000 per/mo.  Now we understand that faith is a major component in mission work, and we have acted accordingly.  Our airline tickets and container alone added up to a whopping $14,300.  There have been so many unforeseen expenses that have added up to nearly another $6000.  But again, God has been faithful and we have been able to pay for these thus far.

So once again we ask you to consider helping our mission.  Yes, we need your prayers, and yes we need your monthly support.  We're going.  Would you please help us stay?  For those that need a better understanding or visual of FNC, please click on the link below to grab a sneak preview of what I envision FNC becoming...

VISION OF FRIDAY NIGHT CHURCH...

Challenge Update...     

So the 100@25x12=FNC challenge results have come in a bit slower than expected, but we remain hopeful.  So far we have heard from and or collected 9 participants.  We are looking for 91 more to join this effort.  Again, for those who missed or forgot the challenge presented, Wendy and I believe we know 100 people that can afford to sacrifice $25 per month for 1 year to help launch Friday Night Church.  This church will be planted and located in the city of Kampala, Uganda, Africa, with dreams of going further into other East African cities and nations.

100@25x12=FNC

Now I realize many can do more, and if you can please do so.  But the fact is, many of us are struggling to make ends meet, and we hate it, it is depressing and makes getting up in the morning even more difficult.  Yet deep down in our hearts, we all want to make a difference, make a ripple in our communities and in the world that surrounds us.  Can I make a suggestion? Instead of talking or dreaming about it, will you take action on it?  If you could have a part in changing lives every month for a small sacrifice, would you do it?  If you could help change the lives of the Ugandan people for the monthly price of a family sized pizza and sodas, would you at least consider it?

So here's the challenge: 100 people @ $25 per month x 12 months= Friday Night Church.  For $2500 per month, we can hit the ground running, changing the lives of the Ugandan culture.  Your sacrifices will allow us to lease a compound or base camp (offices and mid size gathering room) for FNC and it's daily ministries, provide ministry staff salaries (which is huge in a culture with a 90% unemployment rate), and the funds to rent out public spaces around Kampala for our crusade gatherings.  I know this sounds too easy, and maybe we can get 200 people to commit, but I wanted to begin with a very realistic goal.  I believe we can do this, and I believe Wendy and I know 100 people that can make this happen.  Would you pray about being one of the 100?

THE KISSING WELL has made it super easy to do so by visiting our DONATE page.  After you've taken action, let us know by emailing, texting, facebooking, tweeting,  snail mailing, or even calling us...(this one we would love to get!)

Every few days we will post on Facebook and Twitter the status of this challenge.  Friends, we leave October 15th, your continued prayers are priceless.

*One Last Note*  If this isn't enough of a challenge, by all means be a rock star...take two or three or four of these slots per month!"  And please, if you think this is a worthy cause, pass it on to two more friends.  Blessings...  

                

We're ready...

55 days and counting till we depart on what has seemed like quite a journey already.  For the past two years Wendy and I have anticipated a shift; we've prayed for God's hand and will to become evident.  And so we are on the home stretch, almost there, almost...but we've just begun.

We're ready. Not ready in the sense that we've forgotten what it will be like to not have a home here in the states, not ready in a sense that we've raised all our support, not ready in the sense to "get to work", not ready in the sense we have crossed every "t" and dotted every "i", not ready in the sense that we have everything mapped out, and not ready even in the sense that we've become restless...(OK, maybe a little).  But we're ready.  Ready to live in Africa, ready to miss our friends and family, ready to sleep under mosquito nets, ready to learn the hard way, ready to rely on God more, ready to use Skype, ready not to consume fast food, ready to drive on the wrong side of the road, ready to see what God has in store, ready to...

After a certain family member chastised me about not being on Facebook or Twitter, I decided to wave the white flag.  I am quickly being reminded why 2 years ago I deleted my facebook account...it's out of control!  People have way to much "down time".  But for the sake of low cost communication when you are half way around the world, it just makes sense.  So for all of you that wish to check out The Kissing Well facebook and twitter page here they are.

FACEBOOK

Twitter address:  @toddjgilliland

For the record, I'm glad he had the tech talk with me.

Homeschooling began in the Gilliland household this week.  And for the most part, it is going rather well.  Wendy has been in review mode with Emma and Annie, and Lucy read her very first sentence!  The sentence read, "The pig sat in the mud."  Her teacher had a moment.

One last note...we received our container's (the large box with all we possess) tracking number via email last week!  It is on the ship and headed out to sea.  It's first stop is a small island called Malta.  Kinda wish I had a camera of it's voyage.    

Wrecked

"There is freedom in new beginnings..." As the brother-in-laws and I congregated in James' (the best brother-in-law a man could ask for) garage, the goodbye cries were in full effect directly in the kitchen next to us.  No one wanted to interrupt the sisters from there final moments together, but after a while, Hank (lead Boston church planter of Reunion Church) went in to lay down the heavy.  "It's time to go." For the record, Hank really didn't have to say a word, the sisters eventually came out.

It's difficult to say goodbye.

This week was extra difficult. This was the first week Wendy and I and the girls have lived in an almost empty house, and boy did it feel strange.  Mom commented the other day that even our phone conversations sounded echoey!  So the moment finally came...some of you have experienced it before.  I happened to be upstairs in our oldest daughters room when the moment occurred.  Every emotion hit me all at once...I wept like a child.  Wendy heard me and came into the room.  She didn't even have to ask, she knew.  Wendy had experienced her moment just the day before.

Starting over is hard, the easy button just doesn't exist.  I know it's just a house...but it's my house.  This is the house that Lucy took her first step in.  This is the house that Annie sang her first song in.  This is the house that Emma found Jesus in.  This is the house that Wendy and I started over again in.  This house, 21 East Lake Estates has real meaning to us, it is and will ever be a part of our story.

But that's just it, it's just a part.  This house will one day fall apart, or be torn down for the next generation to build afresh.  It will not stand the test of time, and will certainly not last forever.  But for now, new memories will be made here, happy ones and sad.  Children will celebrate birthdays, and people will grow older. Yes, we will miss this sanctuary we've called our home for nearly 6 years.

If I could give you one word to describe "my moment" it would be WRECKED.  My life feels wrecked.  When you give God complete control, your life will be wrecked.  A part of me so desperately desires normality, to return back to the way things used to be.  But then something inside reminds me of how far we have come to get to where we are today.  If you've ever went on a run before, you know that looking behind isn't something our bodies or minds were designed to do.  Looking behind while running causes dizziness after a while, and if your not careful can lead to a good spill or as a buddy of mine likes to call it, "a lip skid".  Lip skids are painful, they hurt and usually happen when your not paying attention or have a lack of focus.  When God wrecks your life, it's easy to look back and wish He hadn't.  Looking back causes doubt, the kind of doubt that makes you question your God and His plan...and that's OK, God understands.  Jesus understands.  He questioned his father on what surely must have been the longest night of his life.  Jesus wrecked the world when he came down and followed His fathers plan.  Jesus' wreckage became our salvation.

Kudos to Jeff Goins, the author of the new book "Wrecked".  If you are looking for inspiration and encouragement while stepping out in faith, I would highly recommend it.
  

Stuff

As the semi truck pulled away with most of everything we held so tightly to for the past several years, one of my neighbors looked straight at me and asked me if I was nervous.  Which I replied, "You know, actually I haven't felt more glad to be with less."  Which she graciously said back, "Yeah, I guess it's just stuff."  For the record, I really hope the container makes it to Kampala, Uganda in a decent time frame.  The company (Nile Cargo) claims it will take 10-12 weeks from the time it leaves New York to the time it arrives in Kampala, but we're not holding our breath.

So what to do until October 15th...the day we leave, the day we depart the USA and head to Africa?  A few churches have asked us to come and present our mission, and this month we go and speak at 3 of them.  Our girls start a brand new experience called "home schooling" very soon.  For the most part they are all looking forward to it.  Wendy is making sure all of our health and wellness concerns are being taken care of.  Plus she keeps me grounded, which is a full time job.  Continuing to build awareness and support seems to be my number one focus for the moment, though I am chomping at the bit to be there.

So for those that care to know, I have updated our needs list.  It has changed due to the container being gone now.  So please, if you would, take a moment and look at it and see if there is anything you can do to help.

A special thanks to everyone that helped us pack up our "stuff" into that 20x8x8 container.  And how can I forget to say thank you to Kathy Grady, Linda Luthy and Sandy Prather for the amazing meal they provided for all of us packers!  Below are a few pics of the day...