A Glimpse of the Holiday Season in Obule!

My birthday Dec.15!

We had Indian for lunch on my birthday - Yum!

Christmas cookies with friends.

We enjoyed many Christmas movies (or football!) together.
Josh and I had a date on our porch on night and when we came in we found our kids all on our bed watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.

So we decorated our tree twice this year.
The first time we used lights from the US and they were taking too much power.  I found warm white LED lights in town so we undid the whole tree and redecorated it all.  We actually liked the redecorated tree much more and no solar worries!

This is how Luka felt about redoing the tree!

Our family Christmas card photo.

This is what we are really like!

"Christmas shopping"
Grace and I went to the local market to find a deal.

Soroti supermarket

The streets in Soroti became crowded as city folks came home to their villages for the holidays.

Meat is one of the big sellers at Christmas.

I even found Santa shopping in Soroti!

Our friends, the Dwires, came to visit us from Kampala the week before Christmas!
Their daughter Abbie was back for a visit from college so we were all together again.

Lots of games are played when we are together.

And photos taken - could be sisters!

They even included us moms!

Thanks for coming!!!

These lovely ladies went with Charles, Josh and I to the women's prison in Soroti for a Christmas crusade.  It was one of 3 prison crusades we went to.  I am thankful for a team to do it with and for the many prisoners who gave their lives to Jesus! (More to come in another update.)

Christmas Eve - Our Family Christmas Party

We had such a fun evening together!
It was special and we make good memories.

Emalai wanted a jerry can to carry water with her friends and Ugandan slippers (sandals).
So easy to buy for!  Simple joys in life!

Luka gave Grace the Santa

Makai was so cute!  He was excited about each and every present!  He would carefully open it then say he loved it and would thank us for it.  There is nothing better than a child at Christmas!

Makai no longer walks around the house - he rides!

Christmas kabobs!

Video calls with the grandparents and family!

Emalai got a new doctor kit (from town including an little iv) so she used Santa as her patient.  :)

Christmas Day!
New clothes for Christmas is a big deal here.

Our family prepared a choir for Christmas day service.

The girls and I danced to Noel.

After church we joined our neighbors (relatives) for lunch. 
We all chipped in, they cooked and we hosted.

The food servers...

and soda servers.

Christmas dinner - pilau (spiced rice with meat - celebration rice), plain rice, beef, turkey, and cabbage.

Over 70 people came.  What I love is that our friends invited those who had no one else to celebrate with or people without money to celebrate.  That is what Christmas is about.

Grace make birthday cakes for all the December birthdays and Jesus' birthday.

Then Emalai and her friends worshiped.

The girls took pictures with their friends.

I make the boys take a picture.

Christmas evening our friends invited us to their compound.  We had a wonderful meal and fellowship under the stars.  What a blessed Christmas!  It wasn't done yet though.  Our teens had their friends come and watch a Christmas movie.  Oh fun stuff!

The 26th we had some missionaries over for a party. 
It was great just relaxing, playing games, eating and talking!

It was like a party all week!

Dec. 27 was Emalai's 10th birthday!!!
She wanted breakfast in bed.

She brings so much joy to our lives! 
She is fun, positive, loving, creative, loves living in the village and being with her friends here.

We had a wonderful birthday lunch at our friend's house.

Musa and Emalai have the same birthday.

Birthday pizza for supper!

Emalai wanted to sleep in the tent for her birthday so her sweet dad and Makai spent 2 nights in the tent together!

We were so thankful to be back in Obule this New Years Eve for the annual youth party!!!

Makai and his buddy Nathan!

One of the things I love about New Years Eve with the youth is that they love to worship!
We spend most of the night and bring in the New Year giving testimonies, praying and worshipping the Lord!  It is  powerful, beautiful and meaningful.

We also did a talent show...what fun!

Luka's card tricks.

We all had glow in the dark bracelets and the boys played glow in the dark basketball.

Happy New Year Everyone!  May the Lord fill, lead and use us for His glory in 2023