Home!

We are living in our new home in Obulle!

Thank you for all your prayers!  I know you have been waiting to hear (and see) what is going on, but we do not have internet and barely have cell phone coverage at our house in the village so be patient as we get that figured out soon.  We are in Mbale now enjoying our last weekend with Larry and Suzanne before they leave (and a birthday get away - I turn 35 today!) so I thought I would put out a quick update.

Monday we moved.  It was a long, crazy kinda day but we did it with the help of our wonderful teammates and friends - THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I was humbled by every ones help and love for us.  I was so thankful.  By evening we went to bed at our new house.  Wow, what a milestone.  The next day I unpacked things and put up our Christmas decorations, while the kids played with their friends, and Josh and Larry plugged along at all the little jobs to be done.  I told Josh I know we will have bad days out here but today is not one of them, I love it here!

It was a VERY busy week making home, finishing the work on our home, and our churches annual conference, BUT it was a great week too.  I am amazed at the peace and joy we all have living in our new home and in the village.  In the mist of what can look like chaos sometime, I am so happy.  It is so good to be home!

I was thankful for many visits from teammates and friends this week too.  (Thank you so much for the meals - what a gift!!!)  It is so fun to show them our home. By the end of the week we had our first hot dog roast in the fireplace on the porch and Larry and Suzanne were our first guests in the guesthouse.

We walked to church each day to visit the conference going on.  How nice to come and go as we need to and not have to plan and drive a half an hour.  I love being with our church family and friends.  And this week God was at work once again.  Josh taught the youth one day and the Spirit was on the move.  The conference was on missions this year and Josh, his translator and the youth were all in tears committing themselves to go where God wanted to send them.  Awesome!  Josh has been praying for years for God to rise up the church here to do missions and it seems God is showing us the beginnings to the answer of that prayer.  I said it before and I see it again, that Charles from our church is going to be sent by God.  Josh told me Tuesday he told Charles maybe we would go somewhere together.  Those two are some of the most humble, god fearing men I know so it will be a might force for the Lord.  Thursday we joined the church for baptisms.  I love baptism day.  It is so beautiful and joyous here.  To see God's family grow touches me every time and causes me to rejoice.  I love being apart of it all.  Praise the Lord He is doing great things!

So thank you again for praying for us.  Many times this week I looked outside at our peaceful village, sat on our porch and took in the sunset, enjoyed looking at our Christmas tree and listening to Christmas music, watched the gift of a gentle rain fall, listened to the kids sing with their friends...and thanked God we were home.  What a journey.  I was happy to get up in the morning and enjoy being at our new home, excited to take a shower under my beautiful rock waterfall, and happy to go to bed at night at our new home.  :)  Keep us in your prayers as we figure out issues we still have at the house.  Most importantly would be our solar fridge which isn't working how it should.  It is an expensive and important part of life.  Josh feels ill equipped and so if we can't figure it out it becomes quite stressful.  We hope to be in touch soon (pray for internet and phone service) and will put pictures on the blog too.

Moving

Well the big day has finally arrived.  Tomorrow we plan to move to our home in Obulle.  

Pray for us as we transition.  I feel like we have been in transition for three months already and I know we have a couple months to go before we are really settled in.  I am SO thankful we know God wants us to live in Obulle otherwise we might back out with all the stress.  Today while packing I told Josh I don't know if I'm suppose to be excited or sad.  The next thing I knew I was crying.  I love our home.  We feel comfortable here, safe, and it is nice.  We have great memories here.  Luka seems to be feeling the mixed emotions too.  He is kinda weepy over small things right now.  Overall though, my kids are doing better than I am.  They are so excited we are moving tomorrow.

I wish I could say our home in Obulle is all ready for us, but it's not exactly.  The screens are in the windows but the glass isn't, the sinks are in but no running water yet (there hasn't been rain so no water, so we paid a man to fill our tank), I have shelves in the closets but only one of the cupboards in the kitchen, I have floors but they are still so dusty dirty...  So why are we moving in tomorrow?  Because this family can not stand to live in limbo any longer.  I would rather make home there around some things that still need to be done than continue to live in the stress of having two homes 30min. apart.  And this mommy needs to enjoy Christmas!  I know not everyone understands but I really want to put up all my decorations and enjoy this beautiful season.  It is so special - and so short.  Josh too wants to move so he can use Larry to finish up what needs to get done and find out the things that need adjustments before he goes.

So ready or not here we go.

Please pray for us.  We have all been sick lately and now Josh and I have both had stomach issues today.  May God give us strength.  Pray for us as we move to the village and adjust to less conveniences and learn how to live differently.  We look forward to being with our friends there and more involved in their lives and ministry.  May God be glorified in all this.

Thanks everyone

Almost there...

What a week...actually what a few weeks it has been.  Many of you prayed for our sick kids and we are so thankful they are all doing better.  Thank you for praying.  We think Malai had Roseola and/or Malaria.  It was pretty scary to see your baby with a 104 plus fever.  She tested positive for Malaria but also broke out into a rash once the fever broke.  She was pretty cranky and didn't eat all week (thankfully she kept nursing) but she is finally back to her self today.  Even walking again!  Grace and Luka got the flu on Monday but thankfully it only lasted 24 hours.  Now pray no one else gets sick and we can remain healthy!

On top of all that, the house continues.  I think we are moving in Monday.  Sometimes I go there and am so excited and think it is ready and other times I look around and see little things everywhere to be done.  I just want it clean and the workers to be out!  The real delay is the windows but I can't get started with how I feel about that guy right now because it makes me all upset!  I would just like things done right, but this is Africa.

We had a thank you meal for all the workers who worked on our house today.  It was an unexpected blessing.  I think everyone was touched.  Josh and I shared how God called us to live in Obulle and why we wanted to live with them.  I was moved to tears talking about our love for the people there, how God has built our house, and how thankful we are for each of them.  I also cried thanking Larry and Suzanne forcoming.  Although the people don't always know what to do with my kind of tears, I really sensed they knew how much we love them.  Larry also shared with tears thanking everyone and telling them how important they all are.  Josh talked about how our house was built in three months but how God has been preparing a home for us for 2 thousand years and proceeded to share the gospel message.  We wanted to make sure any unsaved worker heard the good news.  We had a beautiful time of singing and then a time of prayer for our home and our relationships with one other.  The whole thing was very special.  People walked through the house to see it and we all eat together (bought a pig!).  I know God was glorified today.

The head worker on our house, Martin, was bit by a cobra this week.  We picked him up to come today because he can't walk.  It is a miracle he is alive!  His foot looks like it is going to burst open from the swelling.  They did some weird stuff to stop the venom - like drinking kerosene! 

We ended our day today with Christmas carols with our team and friends.  I love singing Christmas songs.

So, I will let you know if we make the move Monday.  Pray for our transition. 

Everyone who help build our home - Thanks!

My sick baby - so thankful she is well again

I just had to take a picture of my sick little ones

Jar lights for above the island in the kitchen

Josh and Larry working on water tanks and plumbing

Josh and Tim putting up lighting rods

Nap time

My rock shower

screening the porch

Posho and Pork

Prayer

Praise

Speaking at our thank you party for the workers and their wives

Lucy and Suzanne (Lucy make matching dresses for her and her American friend)

Cleaning up the place

Creative touches beginning

One of many loads to Obulle

Giving Thanks...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We were blessed with a fun, relaxing day with our team and other friends.  Feel like Thanksgiving kinda sunck up on us.  We have been so busy with the house. (Bought our kitchen sink Thanksgiving morning - that is a first.) Our whole family really enjoyed our holiday.  We had a wonderful traditional feast, the kids played, adults sipped coffee and talked, we all played games, ate some more, played more, ate some more...and all of the sudden it was over.  Oh, I am always sad when good times, special days go too fast.  

Our house continues!  It was buzzing this week at the house; fence, solar, well, painting, plumbing...  Josh and I were there everyday.  Well actually we tag teamed.  He would go in the morning, then I would in the afternoon so someone was with the kids at home.  Sometimes our whole family went.  Usually things are going well and we feel strengthened and under control even excited.  But then there are times we are so overwhelmed and tired that we want to cry.  Can we do this?  Here?  

The day after Thanksgiving, instead of shopping :), our team helped paint our house!  It was so fun to have everyone there working together.  And we got almost the whole house painted!  Thanks team!!!

I am thrilled with my rock shower, fire place, and colors which make it feel like home.  I have been at the house so much this week that I feel like I don't have time at home to pack.  People were encouraging me to start packing so I began to stress out about all I needed to do.  But they were also encouraging me not to worry about all the details, when we move, and take it one thing at a time.  I'm confused.  How do I get ready and not stress?  So I continued on - organizing, packing, finishing the house.  Now my house in Soroti is bare and looks sad.  I want to be putting up Christmas decorations instead I am packing things up and have to live here for a week or so yet.  I am not very good at this.  I just want to move!  I want the house to be clean so I can make home and enjoy this Christmas season.

In the mist of all of this, our little Emalai got sick.  She has had a fever since Wednesday.  Friday morning she threw-up so I put her on my back for painting day.  Last night her temp went up to 104 degrees.  I hate high fevers!  It makes me scared.  We gave her medicine, put a cool cloth on her, and prayed over her.  It was a long night.  Today the fever wont go under 101 even on medicine.  We had our friend look at her and test her for Malaria since we don't have other symptoms.  We got a faint positive line for Malaria so we started her on the treatment.  Malai hasn't eaten but nurses.  Sometimes she is miserable and doesn't look so good.  Other times she perks up and plays a little.  Mostly she just wants to be held.  Pray for healing for Malai!

I just want to add how thankful we continue to be for Sarah our teacher - and SO much more!  She is exactly what we needed in this season in our life.  She is an awesome teacher, so willing to help in any way, loves our children, and enjoys being apart of our family.  I cannot tell you how often she has blessed us.  Yesterday she held Malai as we finished up painting, today she came over to help me pack or do anything helpful (she always knows when I need her the most), and many days last week she watched the kids while we did house stuff.  Sarah, we love you!  And we appropriate you!  

    

Happy Thanksgiving!  We thank God for all of you!

Special Thanksgiving with Larry and Suzanne here

We did manage to put up our tree - just lights and tinsel until we move.  (Yup, we will stuff the tree as is into the back of the van to the new house.)

THANK YOU Steve & Ben for coming to do our solar power!!!

Jennifer helped all week - wow, thanks so much!

We now have a fence!

Larry working on plumbing -  He is awesome!

Beckie and I finished the guestroom

Josh & Steve on our team painting day

Karen in Luka's room

Tanya, Amy, and Rachel in the girls room

Malai and I in the classroom

Emalai helping paint :)

The kids came after school to help

The classroom

Girl's room

And Luka's room - doesn't he looked thrilled

Malai had had enough - and was sick.  Thanks for loving her Sarah!