Homeland Ministry Assignment (HMA) is coming FAST!!

Okay so apparently I'm a slow processor of all sorts of things such as feelings, decisions, and reality checks...

I say this because I've just sent Jean, a WGM VIA, on her way back to the USA after her 6 week ministry and time as my roommate. She did some pretty amazing stuff while back in Uganda, and I'm so thankful she was able to return here after her previous 3 years in ministry. Now she is headed into grad school and next steps for her life. You can read about her ministries in Uganda by clicking here.

But as I'm thinking about her departure, I also am realizing that -EEK- I too will departing Uganda this year (in December), and it is nearly the end of August! Time is FLYING!!

I was encouraged to already order my airplane tickets, so today I began the emailing process with our trusty travel agent (who gets us missionary discounts, PTL!). I made a comment to some of the missionaries that it felt so early to be ordering the tickets, but they were a little surprised I'd not already done so. So, apparently, I'm slow on that HMA plan.

And yet how can I plan for Christmas and those months in the USA when I'm still in the first week of the new school year?! My mind is divided- focusing on the classes I teach and the youth I'm ministering to, and trying to think & plan ahead.

Divided minds happen for a lot of missionaries, who have to transition their lives between ministry in their field to ministry in their home nation. It can be confusing and -well- who likes goodbyes?

As I mentally & emotionally process these next months and how to manage them, as well as managing and planning my travel and speaking schedule in the USA from Jan. till June, I definitely ask for your prayers.
But I also wonder, how will I get around? Last time I was in the USA, I had an amazing car available to me, Praise Jesus! But this time... well, I need a plan.

So, if you're praying with me/for me about my HMA time from Dec. (just before Christmas I'll fly out and spend the holidays with my Mom and part of my family) till the summer, will you also pray for the Lord to provide a good vehicle at a low cost? I don't know about you, but I suspect that since last winter the US had such mild weather and even an extra dry/hot summer, it could well be that the 2013 winter- while I need to be out on the roadways- will be a bit rough. It may not happen, but I'm praying I can have a car which would manage it all well.

If  you know anyone with a car they might even lend me during my months home, please contact me. And thank you for your prayers as I take this reality check and get "clued in" to how quickly time is passing!

Nakigalala Visit 2012

Okay so the last time I visited our Africa Gospel Church at Nakigalala (pronounced Nah-chee-ga-lah-lah), it was so muddy and the roads were so rough that my car couldn't get out of the small parking area, and in fact we slowly slid (in the car) into the side of the thatch/reed church wall. Sigh. Well, that exact building collapsed a few years ago soon after we'd been there (hopefully not due to my car) after some heavy rains.

So on Sunday (Aug. 12) we decided to have a day of adventure and try one more time to get to this village area about 45 minutes from my home. Those participating in the day were Jean, Becca, Nicole and me. The day before going, I had made arrangements with Pastor Wilson, who is in charge of our AGC Katale church. He told us that Sunday would be "Women's Day" at Nakigalala, but we would be welcome. He also set up for us to meet the Nakigalala pastor, Dennis, at a fuel station along the way. Wilson was afraid we'd be lost without Dennis' direction, because the roads had apparently been improved and changed since our last visit nearly 3 (!) years ago.

After picking up Pastor Dennis, we proceeded to the church. The roads hadn't changed much, and the drive itself is really beautiful as you pass through a tea estate, past the greenhouses where thousands of roses are blooming (for export to Tesco's or some such store in UK). We still passed through a small market area, also seeing village homes, goats, and families along the way. 

Once we arrived, we found a timber & mabate (ma-bah-tee) church (this is corrugated metal), decorated with bed sheets and many flower arrangements, in honor of the women's day activities the church was celebrating. 

I was delighted to see Maria at church (pictured above). She is disabled and in this culture, life can be much more difficult for people with "broken bodies". But Maria's soul is nowhere near broken. In fact, despite the difficult life she has had, she is deeply committed to Jesus and to her church. Every Saturday night, she has a kind neighbor carry her to the church building where she sits under a mosquito net all night, praying for the services on Sunday. Before the net was there, she would knowingly subject herself to many, many mosquito bites and malaria, but she wanted to seek the Lord and intercede for the church. What a blessing she is! the church, which is in an impoverished area, took 3 months to save up the $11 to buy a mosquito net so Maria could at least sit more comfortably as she prayed through the nights. 

Look at the fabulous colors and outfits of these church folk as they worship and fellowship together! (above)
Below: this little girl was "cheeky" and so adorable!

Above: AGC Katale, Wilson's church, sent a gift to Nakigalala; this megaphone. Pastor Dennis was giving his thanks to the sister-church folks, as many people from Katale came to celebrate with the Nakigalala people. Since there was no previous sound system in the church, this megaphone will help during rainstorms (rain on a tin roof is LOUD) or other church ministries. We were also able to give some dried goods and a soccer ball to the church for ministry use.

Kids are just so adorable and fun! 

 Above: Jean (left) & Nicole (right) greeting the Sunday school children.

Below: Becca hanging out with more kids. 

Worship time nearly always includes a variety of African drums. 

Below; as the women's choral group did a special number, I also was admiring their local dress style, called the Gomezi. 

A house FULL!!

In recent weeks I've had guests in my home.

In my guest room: Jean is a WGM Volunteer who has been visiting and helping at Heritage for 6 weeks. She was previously here (last year) for a 3 year Volunteer term as a teacher at HIS, so she came back to continue certain teaching, tutoring and other ministries. It has been a blessed time to have her with me in my house. Pictured below: Jean as she worships on my front porch- called a veranda here. 

In the "Prophet's Chamber": Outside my home there is a suite which we use for "overflow" guests and it has proven to be a useful tool recently! The term Prophet's Chamber comes from the Bible and the rooms provided for Elijah and others as you read scripture. Our most recent guest in the Prophet's Chamber was Nicole, who  arrived for a year, 11 days before her husband and children. She came earlier than the rest of the family so that she could begin her Heritage teaching ministries with everyone else as we've been getting back into the school "groove" with teachers meetings, setting up classes, etc. Since their home wasn't quite ready (our plumber and electrician were helping set things up in their new house rental), Nicole stayed in the suite for those 11 days. FYI, Nicole's family (Ray and 2 teen kids) did arrive safely and they're all settling into their home close to the school campus. You will see a photo of Nicole in my Nakigalala post (above)...

In the apartment: Becca arrived a few weeks ago to begin a semester (or longer) volunteer ministry. She is a teacher's aid (TA) in grade 2. Pray with me/us that more funds will come in for Becca so she can stay the whole school year. At this point her airplane tickets are for Christmas, but she is willing to stay if the Lord will provide further money in her ministry account. You'll see Becca's photo in the previous post (Nakigalala Visit).

Full Recovery!

Oh man, was I ever sick! 2 weeks after returning from the North and Murchison Falls, where I picked up quite a few tsetse fly and mosquito bites, I came down with malaria and man, it is one bad disease! Praise the Lord that the medicines worked pretty quickly! However, did you know that anti-malaria medicines can give you bacterial infections? Well, I found out about 2 weeks after the malaria, and it was a mess.

I was given 2 antibiotics plus a pill for pain after 4-5 hours in the hospital and some IV drips, etc. But the pain medicine was NOT good for me, with my body reacting strongly with a number of side effects including my lungs filled with fluid and I had very short breathing. So, recovering from the infection might have taken a week, but recovering from the medicine side effects (not allergic reactions) took much longer! So over all, I was sick for about 6 weeks, with 4 of them completely a "wash" of work and much ministry. I was so thankful to have several missionaries/friends kindly helping me during this time. And I am so very thankful for full recovery. If you knew about my illness and were praying, thank you so much. I am definitely challenged to pray more faithfully for those who suffer illnesses.

New Oven

Okay so probably only women will enjoy this post, but I was happy to see my new stove/oven today. I was surprised to learn that it has a rotisserie attachment inside! I need to get the King Kong chicken recipe now from Bolivia, and man, I'm set up! :)

Puppies!!

The Mayo's lab had 6 puppies and they've reached the stage of "Completely Adorable". Like they're ever not in that stage. I wanted to share them with you.  It is pretty difficult to find purebred pups (and healthy) here, so these are a treat. :)