Our Visit to Michigan

 As many of you know we were able to visit Michigan in October.  It was a short visit and somewhat of a last minute decision for us.  Josh was chosen as one of the presenters for the filming of the new FIC Grace Course.  This meant he would be in England and be away from Uganda for ten days.  Not feeling great about being in Uganda without Josh that long and feeling like we all needed a break, we decided to visit Michigan.  Although it was a lot of work logistically, we loved our time away!  We were so blessed and it felt so good.  I see the visit as a redeeming trip.  We were now healthy, healed and giving glory to God for all He's done in our family.  It was so much fun to live "normal" for a few weeks, experience fall and it's beauty, not sweat, wear sweatshirts and jeans, be a part of things again, and reconnect with people we love.  Aww...it was so good. 

I have about 600 pictures from our special 6 weeks...don't worry I only picked a few - that's hard to do!  I won't say too much but let the pictures share our experiences.  Enjoy a taste of Michigan!

Flying from Uganda is a journey of it's own.  It takes a day to drive from our home, overnight, then about 24 hours to arrive in the States.  Our flight was canceled the morning we were to fly!  That is a whole long, stressful story.  By God's grace we made it to Michigan on schedule.

Flying is a exciting and awful.  Where are we and are we suppose to be sleeping?

First Sunday in Michigan. (Third day in Michigan.)
We spoke at my parents church and enjoyed the afternoon at their house on the lake.

Always a bit of a whirlwind the first few days, but feels so good to be in such a nice, familiar place!

The kids were thrilled to see their cousins again!

Since it was so beautiful and warm we went a couple times to enjoy Lake Michigan.

Luka was the most excited that we chose to visit Michigan.  He went to Unity Chr. High School and loved it!  He was welcomed back by friends and played the last four games on the freshmen football team!  It was a great experience.  Luka loved being on the team and can't wait to play again next year.  Luka did not want to come back to Uganda.  He wanted to stay in high school there, be with friends and be involved in sports.  The six weeks were a blessing but the loss afterwards is hard.  We are super proud of Luka and how well he did in MI, on the football team, and his attitude leaving.

At the end of the football season all the players and their mothers have supper and each player reads a thank you letter to their mother.  What a great thing to teach the boys.  They were very brave and it was  meaningful.

Grace worked at 317 Coffee all summer and again these 6 weeks.
It was fun to see her work and love it!

And we all enjoyed fall!
The clothing, temperatures, colors, festivities...

Grace and Grandpa's birthdays!

Grace turned 18

Lydia and I visited Moody Bible in Chicago one day.  We had a fun day together.  Lydia has applied to go there fall of 2024.
(Josh and Grace took a two day road trip to Dordt University in Iowa.  Grace felt God's calling to go there and has been accepted for fall of 2024!)

After weeks of virtual practice, Josh flew to England to film the Grace Course with FIC.
In the middle is our international director and the writer of the Grace Course.  The other four are other presenters and FIC family.  It was a whole new experience for Josh.  It was a very busy time but he enjoyed it and was once again confirmed in his gifting to teach.

The girls joined their grandparents to the Right to Life banquet.

More fall beauty...

Took a little color tour up the lakeshore one sunny day with my parents.

Fall weekend at the CRCG.  Makai went trick or treating, went on a hayride, played shuffle board and enjoyed a sunset on Lake Michigan.  Gotta love it!

This is what "Africans" look like on a fall day in Michigan (:

I was so blessed to reconnect with the two Bible studies I use to go to!
This time Lydia came with me to the one called Impact.  I wept watching her worship to the very songs I use to sing with tears praying for her.  Now here she was worshiping to the very songs that got me through and gave me hope.  What a testimony of God's greatness, healing and work!

My Impact ladies who believed with me through my hardest times.

My Heart to Heart Moms Bible study.
I love these ladies!  They are so real, authentic and encouraging.  I was blessed to see how much they grew in the Lord over the year.  I grew closer to many of them this trip and met new ladies too.

All glory to God, Lydia shared her testimony for the first time!
I was amazed she said she was ready and so proud of her.  She did a great job sharing very hard things bringing God the glory for His love and faithfulness through it all.  My Bible study, who had been praying for her, were touched and encouraged by her testimony.  Amazing!

Josh and I carved out a night away together.  Hard to do but SO worth it!
We were blessed with the use of a Corvette for our get away.  How fun!

Luka defiantly liked it the most!  He sat in it to take pictures and got a ride in it to school.  He was a happy boy!
 (And we wonder why he didn't want to leave this life!  What polar opposite worlds we live in.)

Yup, more fall fun!

Dad and Mom Shaarda celebrated 50 years of marriage!

Grace put on mom's wedding dress, Luka wore dad's coat from the wedding and Lydia wore a bridesmaid dress from the wedding.

The Shaarda grandkids

So good to see our neighbor and friend Mary again!

We stared our six weeks swimming and ended with snow!
I told Makai we wouldn't get snow this trip but I was wrong.  It was so exciting and beautiful!  Makai loved it!  He told all of us it snowed because he asked God for it and God gave it to him.  Faith!

Trick or treating in the snow.  Snow fun!

And hot tubbing in the snow - the best!
And Makai is sad to leave Michigan - it's so much fun!  We have none of this there.

Josh was thrilled with a few days hunting in his woods.  He even got an eight point bow hunting!

Some of the Beute grandkids celebrating dad's 72nd birthday!

We spoke every Sunday in Michigan at a supporting church.  Josh preached, we shared on Uganda and the girls and I danced.  We were very encouraged by our visits.

(The dance is on youtube - I Speak Jesus)

Our last Sunday in Michigan.
Leaving went about as well as it can, but it is hard.

My traveling family...

Adjusting back to Uganda.

Thankful we are always welcomed back, missed and loved!

Transitions are not easy.  Makai fell asleep like this one night.  It is how I feel sometimes readjusting. In some ways it is so good to be home, but it's also hard.  I was thinking about why is living here feel so hard again and I decided I am feeling all the losses again.  Loss of the modern world, it's comforts, convivences, entertainment, friends, loved ones, school, seasons...  Aww...  It is what it is.  Nothing easy about living in paradoxes.  I am praying everyday for God's help, grace and peace.