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. 

Before we go...

Before we go to Michigan for a visit I wanted to share an update:

Grace came home in August!  After her three months in Michigan we were glad to have her back!  Since no one could come visit us in Uganda, Grace flew all the way by herself.  Of course her flight was delayed in Chicago and so she ended up overnight there by herself.  Of all times!  Thankfully she handled it well and the airline got approval for a 17 year old to have a hotel room.  She made it after three days of traveling and waiting!  Makai counted down sleeps till she arrived.  He was SO excited and came running from behind the house shouting her name when she got home!  We made a cake for supper and he was convinced it was Grace's birthday cake and we had to have candles and sing to her.  That night at supper Emalai said our family feels complete again.  Makai also felt it and said excitedly, "I'm so happy we are together!"  Welcome home Grace!

It is hard for a third culture kid in the college years.  Grace loved her job at the coffee shop in Michigan and the independence of life there where she can drive, go out, and work.  But she was extremely lonely without her immediate family there.  Now back in Uganda it's been an adjustment to very little independence, a full house, a very simple village life, boredom...  It's a terrible feeling to not know where you want to be!  Grace would like us to have a home (our own home where she doesn't have to pack up her pictures and things) in Michigan so that we are there when she makes the big move to college.  Living in two very different worlds is hard.  Moving on is hard.  Being apart is hard.  Adjusting is hard.  I feel for my kids, I feel for myself.  Grace is slowly finding her place here again.  She even said she likes it again.  Just in time to visit Michigan again!  Actually that is how she wanted it so she didn't have to say goodbyes (avoiding the hurt).  

Oh God, You understand this unique life we live and the joy and sorrows it comes with, the challenges and privileges, and the closeness and separation we experience.  Help us to navigate it well.  You are our security and faithful one who never leaves us.   

One of the reasons Grace really wanted to come back for a month was to be a part of our church's youth conference.  Last week our three teens went their youth conference an hour away at a sister church in Pingere.  They spent two nights and three days there - about 150 youth, hours of sermons, in an unfinished church building, meals of posho and beans, pit latrines, hot...  I am simply proud of my kids!  They fit in here (as well as you can), they love their friends, they are an active part of the youth group, they endure all the cultural hardships, and they enjoy it!  So amazed watching them.  So thankful.  Josh taught on of the days and did a great job of having interaction and a group game that got them to interact with new people.  There was a BIG wind and rain storm the second night.  There was 50 mile per hour wind gusts!  We are thankful the tent survived and everyone was ok.  My family came home thankful to be a part of the youth conference.  Grace said it was worth coming back for.

Josh continues to teach FIC Discipleship Course in different places and various groups.

These are my friends Kristine (on the right side in red) and Imakulate (on the left). These ladies are neighbors, relatives by marriage and friends.

A couple weeks ago Imakulate's husband was hit by a car and died.  Tragic.  Imakulate had just spent a very rare day with her husband (Sam).  He bought her shoes and a dress.  Seems he was reconciling with his wife to show he was committed to the family.  Sam had also come to Christ in the last few months.  Although his faith was new and weak, we now find great hope in this.  After their day in town, Imakulate came home while Sam waited in town.  That is when he was hit.  He was rushed to the hospital.  Imakulate was there in time for Sam to tell her to take care of the kids and his last words were "this will glorify God".  Then he died peacefully.  The doctor said it was a miracle he could talk since his ribs were broken and had punched the lungs.  Others in the room said Sam must have been a believer because he died so peacefully.

Sam leaves behind 10 children from grown and married to one year old.  It is tragic.  The village came together to grieve and to help with an unexpected funeral.  I did appreciate seeing how everyone helped, people stay and just sit with the family as they mourn, and how money was given to help.  There was the traditional wailing, but there was also genuine tears even from men.  We hurt when our friends hurt.  It was hard.  I was impressed with Luka and his soccer friends who all gave money to help.  One of Sam's sons plays soccer with them.  They came to the burial and gave their support as a team.

A week after the burial Josh and I visited Imakulate and her family.  She was so thankful.  I am amazed how much it means to people when you visit them, remember them and share their pain.

Please pray for Imakulate and her family.

Imakulate and kids at the burial.

Luka and his soccer team giving support at the burial.

Makai wants to be like the big boys.  He "stole" Luka's soccer socks to be a real soccer player.

Planting season.  Emalai helped her friends plant sweet potatoes.  Her back was sore for days!

So next week we begin our travel to Michigan...how do I feel about that?  Mixed.  Excited for a break, all the comforts, beautiful Michigan, Fall weather and activities...but the logistics and transition for six weeks away it a lot.  Deciding was hard.  Do we go or not, should we or not, is it worth it or not, can we or not...what is God saying?  It is a big decision in everyway.  Once all the plans came together for the filming of the Grace Course in England - we made the decision to go.  

But then there was no house.  Where do we live?  At first it looked like we would have to move three times.  Not nice.  But then God provided an Air B&B house that will work for our family for the whole trip.  It is important to have a home you can be comfortable in as a family when you are away for awhile.  Rest instead of stress.  The plane tickets were something too.  The last few years we have been enjoying an overnight in route and leaving and arriving in Uganda in the middle of the day, but this time we are going at midnight straight to Chicago - 21 hours of traveling (not to mention a day of travel in Uganda and getting to Hudsonville).  No matter what, it is long and hard.  The good news is we got the tickets for almost half the price as other times.  

Then there is leaving here, home.  A total mix of emotions, including scared.  The Lord is working on that with me.  

Our kids all have different emotions too.  Poor Makai.  We told him we are visiting Michigan and he said, "And stay there forever and ever!"  He had a hard time moving here.  Pray he does well with all this!  Emalai would rather not do all the change and just stay here.  Luka is super excited for football, high school, good food and everything!  Lydia is handling it well.  She'd rather stay here but trusts our decision and is making the most of it.  Some deal with change better than others, but at least we get to do it all together!

Luka will be a freshman at Unity Christian and has the opportunity to be on the football team for a few weeks.  Emalai will continue with homeschooling seeing it is only a few weeks and I have Lydia and Grace to help. :)  I am very much looking forward to go back to my Bible studies again.  Josh will be in England from Oct. 14 to 21 filming the FIC Grace Course.  And we will be sharing in some of our supporting churches on Sundays.  The girls and I will even be dancing at some.

Six weeks (seven with travel) is a long time to be away when preparing and leaving our home here, but it is short when we plan our time in Michigan.  I don't think we have done a visit (week not months) since the teens were in diapers and preschoolers. 

Honestly, I am feeling that people may be too busy for us in Michigan.  I haven't really heard from many people.  Deep down I know people are excited to see us but the reality is they are busy in their lives, schedules and families.  Is there space for us?  Schedules are set and am not sure we fit in.  Hard reality.  

So I have been praying a lot about this unusual visit.  That God will prepare us, the way, the logistics, the transitions, and that He will go before, with and behind us.  I am praying that is is a meaning time and as always God is glorified.

Here we go...

Church Speaking Schedule:

Sept. 24 Oakwood CRC in Belding (AM service)

Oct. 1 East Martin CRC (AM service)  and  Faith Community (PM)

Oct. 8 Lake City CRC (AM)  and  Prosper CRC (PM)

Oct. 22 Georgetown CRC (AM) - this one is still pending...

Oct. 29 Highland CRC (AM)  and  Lucas CRC (PM)

Nov. 5  Jamestown CRC (AM)

FIC Marriage Course Pilot Project

Josh and his team of two other couples began writing (or rewriting) the Marriage Course for Freedom in Christ while we were Stateside three years ago.  Since we have been back in Uganda Josh has continued work on the course, making it ready for the next step in the process.  This Spring three couples volunteered and were chosen to be the presenters for the Marriage Course.  Josh was an obvious pick, but to be a presenter of the Marriage Course needs both spouses to present together.  I told Josh I would do this because I strongly believe he should do this.  FIC International leader also asked me if I would be willing.  I told him I am not a gifted teacher like my husband but I am willing to stand by him so he can be a part of this.  He assured me I can do this, I have a great smile, and it is the producer's job to make you look good and sound good.  Ok, here we go!

Honestly, it has been more work than I imagined and I was quite stressed at times about recording myself teaching and the responsibility.  I already feel full with being a wife, mother (especially of a 3 year old), homeschooling and mission life.  For the last three months we have been meeting with our team of presenters - a couple from Malaysia and a couple from Columbia living in Florida.  I have enjoyed getting to know these couples and working together.  We are all passionate about God's design for marriage and sharing this Truth with others.  Every week as a couple we had to record our session and share with each other for feedback.  Living in Africa seems to complicate everything.  The internet is the hardest thing because you never know if it will be strong enough, have a huge delay, or a rain story will cut it off.  Leading meeting is a challenge, not to mention uploading our videos.  Then there is finding a place to record that is quiet and uninterrupted.  It has been a lot of trial and error.  And to be frank, it's hard to look nice when you are sweating!  Just saying...

After two months of learning our lessons and how to present we moved to re-recording for the Marriage Course Pilot Project.  These videos would be used to teach a group who volunteered to go through a trial run of the course and give us feedback so the course can be further worked on if need be.  Lydia has become our recorder and we have learned to set our papers up all around her at the same level so we can read and look at the camera.  I struggle to get my parts totally right but I am doing the best I can without professional help.  I enjoy finding a new area each week to record our lessons making it nice to look at and keep the crowd guessing where we maybe next. :)

August 31 the pilot project began and will be continuing every Thursday for nine weeks.  I was nervous, mostly for Josh who was leading with the technical help of our international leader.  I have never been on meetings quite like this or in a course like this.  I really loved seeing people from all over the world come together to do this!  We have Europe, America, Canada, Africa, Caribbean, Asia, and Central America...that is pretty much around the world!  Josh and I went to town to try our best to have good internet, a quiet place, and be uninterrupted.  We were good for 90% of the time but then internet glitched and it began to rain (we were sitting outside).  All in all it went well and I really enjoyed the discussion groups.  I told Josh I didn't want to or have time to be apart of the pilot project, but maybe I will if my girls can mange the home and kids for me.   

Depending on how this pilot project goes, we hope the Marriage Course will be filmed in 2024 and then produced.  What a long process.  We will see what the Lord does and His timing, but we do know it will be for His glory!

This is a new adventure for Josh and I.  God seems to opening new opportunities for us/him with Freedom in Christ.  Josh is not only writing, recording and leading the Marriage Course but he is also preparing to be a presenter on the new Grace Course.  He has a lot of online meetings now days!  October 15-21 is the big filming in England.

Pray for us in this busy season being a part of new FIC courses.  Pray that the Marriage Course pilot project goes well, people faithfully attend and are open to God's work in their marriage, that internet works well, for helpful feedback, and strength and wisdom to lead.  Pray that the Marriage Course will be ready to film and be produced in 2024.  May God make His truth and His design for marriage known.  May He bring healing, build up, transform, and fill marriages around the world through this resource.

Here is a little taste of the Marriage Course recording we did.