One Month!

June 7, 2011

Wow, June already. We are now down to our last month in Soroti before we go on home service to MI for three months. I realize how far I have come when I have mixed emotions about leaving our home, work and friends for three months. Yes, I am excited to be in MI and be with family and friends there, but our lives are here and that is a major step for me. I am so thankful that I love my life in Soroti! Of course it comes with lots of ups and downs but I have great peace serving and living here. Our month will be full! We have new team members to orientate, Calvin Christian High School group coming, home school to finish, friends to help and be with, teaching in the village, and preparing everything here and in MI. Pray for us as we put it all in the Lord’s hands.

We went to Kampala last week. Thankfully everything was peaceful and we were able to have a successful and enjoyable time. Our friend Rebecca went with us. I am so thankful for our growing friendship. She has a desire to grow in the Lord and has been learning so much. She has an amazing testimony that proves to me again that God is the answer, He is true, His ways are the best, and life without Him is a painful and messy and life with Him is true life. I love it! She has thanked us over and over for showing her how to live as Christians as individuals, parents, in our marriage, and family. She has really encouraged us.

We also picked up our new teammates from the airport. Jim and Margaret Guzzaldo and their one year old son Elliot have joined our team. We had a nice couple days in Kamapala before driving to Soroti. We have been spending a lot of time together helping orientate them and getting to know one another. I love their openness and willingness to learn. I have already enjoyed my talks with Margaret about her life and all God has and is doing in her. God changes lives! Pray for their adjustment and for a great month together before we go.

Josh went to the village yesterday to help the TLT students there put into practice what they have been learning. He went with the pastor’s wife to visit a church member who hasn’t been coming anymore. The couple stopped coming because he took a second wife and was under church discipline and she stopped because people were talking about her. Josh and the pastor’s wife talked to the wife about forgiving and coming back to God and the church. The husband brought out his Bible and shared with them verses that made him worried that he had lost his salvation because of his sin. He felt very guilty and worried. Josh shared verses with him about repentance and encouraged him to come back to fellowship with Jesus and the church. What a great visit. These people were just waiting for someone to come and help them back to God and His church. How often do we fail to take an hour out of our day to visit someone in need or stuck in sin? This one visit may change the lives of a whole family.

Jennifer, our teammate, is doing better. She is still exhausted but finally feeling better. What a reminder how serious Malaria really is. (Don’t worry our family takes anti-malarias so we don’t get it.) I really wish we had gone with our instants and been with Jennifer while she was being treated in Kampala and Jinja. I didn’t realize how bad it was because she now realizes she couldn’t even communicate it with anyone. How thankful we are that people pray for us and that God is our healer – once again.

Wish I had more time to write. God is always doing something in my life. The kids are doing well. They are ready to go to MI and go between excited and tearful because they miss everyone so much. The count down begins!