Pictures & Update from Obule

Grandpa & Grandma Beute with the grandkids our last weekend in MI

Feeding the birds with Beute cousins at the petting zoo

Malai loved her cousin's dog Maggie.  She led it around on a leash and called it's name.  What a NICE dog to let a one year old play with it.

Saying goodbye to some of the Beute cousins

Journey to Africa

This is what happens after all those hours of flying.  Luka crashed on the airport floor as we waited for our luggage.

Drive to Obule

Oh the joys or trials, checking for jiggers on our feet each night.

Luka!

Visiting our friend's 9th child - a baby girl.

Our home now with grass!

People busy plowing with all the rain.

The beauty says it all...

September 7, 2014

I wish I could share everything in my heart after the last six months let alone the last couple weeks.  The love/hate relationship I have with my life on the mission field is difficult to put into words.  We live in two opposite cultures – our home in Africa and our family in America, our calling and passion in one place and our traditions and enjoyment in another.  We live amongst suffering, poverty, dirt, and injustice and at the same time joy, simplicity, beauty and peace.  Missing things of this world and becoming sickened by them at the same time.  Torn from the ones we love yet loving the people we get to live and work with.  Frustrated by cultural norms and overwhelmed by so much what seems will never change yet privileged to see God at work when it is only He who could bring transformation.  Our children’s growth marked by a year on the mission field and a few months of home service.  A constant flow of people in and out of our lives filled with many hello and goodbyes.  Packing, moving, packing, traveling in unsafe times, yet getting to see the world.  Feeling you don’t belong anywhere which leads to a longing for my Heavenly home.  Living in a place without trustworthy medical care forced me to learn that we put too much trust in our medical care and learning to trust fully in our true Healer.  Worrying about your kids yet seeing they love it and do better than me.  Insects, reptiles, and other dangers and threats making me see that we only live in false security in our other home.  The list goes on and on…   

It is a life filled with unique blessings and hardships.  And my conclusion, like so many other times, is that God is what I need.  I guess it is like Paul who found contentment in all things – weather living in America or in Uganda – I can have strength to do all things because Christ is my contentment.  He is with me and that is all I need no matter where I am.    

Have you ever hurt inside?  Pain that you can actually feel?  Sometimes we think it gets easier saying goodbye until we have to do it again.  I guess the pain is shorter but when you love it still hurts to leave.  My pain really comes when I see my kids cry.  When they are hugging their grandparents and both are sobbing.  When I realize the love and support our parents have for us, as they let their grandkids go once again.  All we can do is hold one another and cry.  I don’t take people and time together for grated.  Every time we are together is special.  I never seem to be able to get all I want to say out.  I say goodbye not knowing when we will be together again or what may happen in between that time.  In the last week of filled with the stress of packing up, storing, or getting rid of everything and the emotions of transition and saying goodbye, I constantly remember and am thankful for every person who prays for us.  It is hard but we are called to go.  God is enough and I am strengthened by the prayers of His people.

And after 15 hours of flying, crossing 7 time zones, 24 hours of travel, two nights in the capital adjusting to sleep and gathering groceries, a extra long 8 hour drive in a full van with 7 people, 16 pieces of luggage plus carry-ons… and we made it home.  What a lot of answered prayers.  What a faithful God!

We are so happy to be home.  This was our first time returning to our home in the village so I wasn’t sure how I would feel or what we would find our house like after being gone 5 months.  I was surprised to feel so excited to be home, so welcomed back.  Before we would arrive to our home in Soroti and just be at a house behind walls but our ministry and relationships were in the village.  This time we came home to the village where we love people and are apart of the community, and we were welcomed back with great love.  We were also blessed to find everything clean and in working order.  That is so nice.  I didn’t know if I only remembered my house nice and it was really just a cement village home or if it really was nice.  I was glad to find out I still liked it even after living in American standards and comforts. 

Our kids love being back!  Their toys are all new again and they were back playing with all their friends.  I am amazed at their attitudes and ability to adjust so well.  Their positivity and thankfulness challenges me.  They are now back in school and it also seems to be going very well.  Hard to believe we have a Kindergartener, 4^th grader and 6^th grader!  After school they play with their friends.  I love watching them play their village games together and realize my kids are just one of them.  We let them play till almost 7pm when it starts to get dark because everyone is having so much fun.  Then we come in to for supper, baths and getting ready for bed.

Karlie, our new teacher, is doing well.  She was SO quiet the first few days but I think she was jetlagged and just taking the new world around her in.  I have appreciated how flexible, willing to try new things, learn and take advice, helpful, and positive she has been.  She seems to really like it here.  I love how she plays the games with all the kids in the afternoon.  She seems to be doing well with teaching too.  Everything is new for her but she is doing great with it all.  How thankful we are.

Josh is hanging in there.  His hip has limited him so much.  It can be very discouraging.  But he tries to stay positive and do all he can well not being physically active.  It will be a happy day when he can walk to church with us, walk to go greet neighbors, and play with the kids again!  For now we are driving most places.  He is keeping busy as Area Director which can be difficult because it drains him. He keeps relying on the Lord as the true leader and the One who equips.  He was able to teach the other day and has his next teaching on the calendar so that fills him up.

As for me, honestly my emotions can be so all over the board.  One day I am so thankful and love it here and the next I am struggling.  I need your prayers.  I realize building God’s kingdom comes with discouragement, hardships and even oppression.  I also know working with people is difficult.  So pray for us.  I keep going to my Rock to keep my stable.  Some days I have to hold tightly to His truth when I don’t feel it.  My human nature wants to hide, quite, just be normal, be alone or get upset…but I know that isn’t what God wants.  I feel bad because we all know mom’s emotions and attitude affect the whole family.  So I am thankful I can bring it to God and find peace again in Him.  (Thanks for praying for me!)

Other than those emotions, I am learning how to live here again.  Some ways it is simpler and routine and some ways it is more work.  Keeping up with feeding the family keeps me really busy.  Cooking here takes time.  Water here can take time when you have to filter it, reuse it, and such (although rainy season is easier).  I wish I could have a balance between the crazy busy I don’t like in America and the sometimes so routine there is boredom living in Obule.  Emalai isn’t sleeping great yet (although she has never been our best sleeper).  She wakes up one in the night and wants nothing to do with her bed and loves to sleep on the concrete floor.  Why?  We do not know but as long as she sleeps (and no one steps on her) we are happy.  It has been raining so it hasn’t been hot otherwise we would think that was her reasoning to sleep on the floor.  She has gotten some mosquito bites not being under her bed net too so hopefully she will sleep all night in peace very soon (another prayer request).     

I better end there.  Thanks for keeping up with us and praying with us.  I am excited to see what God is doing here because I know He is!  Love you all, bye for now.