Spiritwick

June 22, 2013        8:22pm This morning we packed our bags, loaded the van, and headed into Jinja.  The drive had some beautiful scenery.  It also had some new glimpses into living conditions here.  I saw people living on the 2nd floor of a building whose top (3rd) floor was completely collapsed on one side.  I saw round huts as well as adults and children working fields, market stands, ditch clean-up, and all manner of other business.  The trees were surprisingly tall.  You know that classic silhouette of an African tree?  I saw trees like that, and they were at least as tall as 3 story buildings, some closer to 5 stories I think.  We saw fields of tea and fields of sugar cane stretched across the hillsides.  As we crossed the bridge over the Nile, I even saw a crocodile swimming! We finally arrived at Hesed after 3.5 hours of driving.  The returning team members were clearly thrilled and relaxed upon arrivi...

This journal entry references some highs and lows with teammates.  I've excluded the names and a few details as my intent is not to gossip.  However, I thought it was important to share the reality of my struggles in this area too.  Before we left on this trip, we were told often that there would be challenges to our team unity on this trip and that we needed to be sensitive in how we handled these challenges and attacks.  I had to lean hard on God in trusting that He designed this team specifically, that He knew where each of us were on our journeys with Him, that His grace would be sufficient as His power is made perfect in weakness, and that we were meant to build each other up in Him.  One of my biggest takeaways on this trip was that God is bigger and His love is deeper than anything or anyone that I can encounter or imagine. I can truly cast my cares upon Him. June 21, 2013      10:52pm      Today started well enough wi...

I'm going to post this day's a little differently.  I'm posting my journal entry and my morning prayer out of order.  As I was re-reading that morning's prayer to type it out today, I was struck by how much of the prayer God answered.  I want you to be able to see that too, so please read my nightly journal entry first and then my morning prayer as ordered here. June 20, 2013       9:25pm      Today was Kampiringisa day.  I didn't know what to expect.  I read in my quiet time this morning Proverbs 17:15 which reminded me that the Lord detests this placement of these children in a prison-like environment for no actual crime.  I also read in Philippians, which I remembered Paul wrote while in prison, and it's largely about joy!  Philippians 2 also told me to value others above myself.  I prayed that God would help me to do this today and that He would love others through me.      We left the Inn at 8...

June 19, 2013     8:23pm    Today was a good day.  I only got about 3.5-4 hours of sleep last night before waking up near 3:40am.  I was still tired but unable to fall back asleep.  Around 5:30am, I found my flashlight and Bible for some quiet time.  That was a great start for my day.    After a breakfast of beans, potatoes, banana, and toast, I climbed aboard the van to head into Kampala.  Uganda is indeed beautiful, but I was surprised at how familiar and comfortable it all seemed to me.  In some ways, it reminded me of Belize or the Mexican Riviera towns.  I'm pretty sure God was in that calm space for me as I was expecting Africa to feel completely foreign.  Instead, I have to remind myself often that I am actually in Africa.    We exchanged our currency and ate lunch in Kampala.  Cafe Java could have easily been any little strip mall restaurant in DFW.  In fact, it would be a relatively tre...

My time in Uganda reinforced so powerfully how big and good God is.  God is bigger than our weaknesses, than our faults, than our governments, than our pasts, than our circumstances, than any evil. God loves to give good, sweet gifts...even when He doesn't have to...He delights in being faithful and loving to us.  He delights in our faithful obedience to Him. While I was in Uganda, I tried to journal every night and write out a prayer every morning.  I'd like to share some of these entries with you all to give you a glimpse of God's workings on our trip and in me. I'll be editing the entries here and there to add a detail, to protect a child, to clarify, or to cover over a situation that would only be gossipy to share.  However, I won't edit out the reality of what I experienced on the trip. I know many of you were praying for me, for my teammates, for the people in Uganda, and for the trip in general.  Thank you.  God was answering prayers big time. I ...

I've gotten this question a lot over the last few months as I've prepared to go to Uganda.  The real answer, and the only reason I'm capable of leaving the girls for as long as I am is this:  God.  I'm trusting God to take care of the girls while I'm gone.  I'll be praying for them and for my husband every day that I'm gone, and I hope you will too!  However, I don't write "God" down on the emergency contacts lists for them, and there are obviously real preparations that have to be made for them while I'm gone. One of the reasons that I'm going on this summer trip rather than on my church's winter trip is that my older nieces are out of school for the summer now.  Between them, my sister, my mother, a friend, and my husband's flex-time allowances at work, they should be well-cared-for even if something unexpected happens to whoever was scheduled to watch them on any specific day.  I am soooo thankful to have my loving family l...

The last couple of days have found me particularly focused on the logistics of this trip.  Do I have all the clothes I need?  What supplies do I still need to procure? How can I best get myself ready for the trip and my family prepared for my absence? When a thunderstorm woke me up early this morning, my mind quickly jumped back into the fray with these thoughts and kept me awake.  Apparently, I'd become anxious about everything because my sleepy mind then started to lead me into other anxiety-producing thoughts too.  After about an hour, I managed to get back to a fitful sort of a sleep. When I woke up for good this morning, I disregarded what my Bible reading plan said to read next and went to Psalms.  Psalm 94:18-19,22 spoke to me this morning with these words: When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. But the Lord has become my fortress, and m...