The Waiting is the Hardest Part

A little Tom Petty for your enjoyment! :)  Seriously though…why is the waiting the hardest part?  Shouldn't the challenge itself be the hardest part?

Joseph, Marco, Isreal, Faith, Inno, Alicia, Benja & Enyana

Throughout this process, our family has been acutely aware that God is continually teaching us and refining us for the trials and challenges that lay ahead.  Sometimes (read: all the time) we want to rush this process and just BE OVER THERE ALREADY!!  

Being reminded that, "God's timing is perfect" is so true but still frustrating sometimes.  I, especially, am such a control freak.  I just want to go through the steps it takes to get us there, get on the plane and be in Uganda now!  Obviously that isn't God's plan. Boo :(

As we wait it's easy to just let go of our dream of Uganda and get sucked back into life here.  It's easy to stress about the line at the grocery store or even the election…what's hard is keeping our eyes on our future, working towards that goal and not letting the things of today distract us.  So often people have told us "you're here in this room, but you can tell your hearts aren't really HERE".  

We miss Uganda.  We miss our friends.  We are anxious for answers that can only come from Him.  

We've bought our tickets, our flights are booked, some of our luggage is already there.  We're just waiting on Him to provide a way to make it all a reality.  

Sometimes I worry about what we are missing here by leaving our hearts there.  Sometimes I worry that I'm romanticizing what it will be like with three kids in Africa, so far away from my constant sources of support here in the US.  Sometimes I worry about the risk of the kids getting hurt, or sick so far from western medicine.

But then I think about what it will be like to watch Wyatt try to keep up with the kids at Ekitangaala playing soccer while trying to tell them about Jesus…or Ashley reading to a bunch of sweet babies rapt with attention under a giant jackfruit tree…or Katie Mae becoming best friends with a Ugandan teenager…or our whole family sitting on our porch under the most stars you've ever seen in your whole life…or watching Wes teaching a young Ugandan man lessons his daddy should have taught him…and I think, I guess I can wait just a little longer.  177 days longer, but who's counting? 

Isaiah 8:17-18a "The LORD has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.  Here I am with the children the LORD has given me."

Fun, Fellowship & Fundraising!

Upcoming Fundraiser! 

Thank you to all of our friends who are helping us by contributing to our fundraisers and also by organizing fundraisers on our behalf! 

It is amazing to watch God work through you!   

We absolutely could not do any of this on our own! 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up!" 

- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

God's Into Details

I love to be reminded about how much God is involved and concerned about the details of our lives.

 {The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives}  I love this New Living Translation of Psalm 37:23!  It not only speaks to God's sovereignty, but also to His intimate concern for our lives. 

Last week was a tough one for our family.  Nothing major.  It just began our month long pace of an over-scheduled, over-extended life.  (If you need me any Monday, Thursday or Friday this month, I'll be at a football game. I hope my family doesn't expect to be fed!) In addition to our schedule craziness, we were helping a mission team from Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham prepare to leave for Uganda, and all the logistics that entails, while watching with heavy hearts as they boarded a plane to somewhere we long to be. On top of all of  THAT we got a lot of disappointing news for our family and people that we love.  

But in the midst of all of this God kept wispering over and over again that He loves us, that He is moving mountains on our behalf and that like the disciples who were told to wait in the upper room for the Holy Spirit, we were being taught lessons in our waiting and would be overwhelmed by the power that would come upon us. 

Over and over again throughout the week, God sent people or experiences into our lives to remind us of His care.

One day it was a friend I went to kindergarten (KINDERGARTEN!!!) with and haven't seen since but have kept up with on Facebook, that emailed me out of the blue that he would be spending the next two hours praying for us at his church and wanted to know what specific things he could be praying for. {humbled}

Another day a high school friend we haven't seen or talked to in 16 years contacted us out of the blue wanting to donate to our trip. {overwhelmed}

Then two families from our Sunday School class contacted us just days apart to make final plans for two different fundraisers they were each planning on our behalf. {grateful}

On Saturday, while unloading luggage for the HSBC team at the curb of the airport, a stranger came up to us and asked where in Uganda we were going (my father-in-law was wearing his Muzungu shirt!).  Turns out he runs another organization that works in Uganda, reminding us that everywhere we go God is pointing us to Uganda. We had no reason to be sad that we weren't going on THIS trip because we ARE going! {such a God thing!}

To cap it all off, I was unexpectedly reminded of God's HUGE answer to a prayer.  Friday we celebrated our son, Wyatt, who has epilepsy, making it to ONE YEAR SEIZURE FREE!  I think our whole family had tried to purposefully forget what the date of a year seizure free would be, but God didn't want us to miss it!  Wyatt may have a seizure today, he may have one next week, but God still answered our specific request for one year without seizures. {awed by our Creator!}

I could go on for pages and pages telling you every way He reminded us of His promises just in those seven days. Thank you to each of you who allowed and continue to allow God use you to minister to us! There were several other bible verses, daily devotionals, sermons, emails, texts, facebook messages and conversations where God used His word and His children to encourage us, lift us up and renew our strength.

{But those that hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31}

Lord, help us to remember to place our hope in you.  None of this depends on us.  Thank you for loving us enough to not only be involved in our everyday lives, but also to give us a way back to you through the death of your son. We are so unworthy.   

P.S. Stay tuned for more details regarding upcoming fundraisers!  They will each involve something great for you while also  helping us reach our goal of Uganda! 

Something You Probably Won't Hear About in the US News

The number of issues plaguing Uganda are too numerous to count. One I've recently become aware of is the trafficking of young Ugandan girls to other countries with the promise of jobs. Recently five brave Ugandan girls that were rescued after being trafficked to Iraq gave their testimony before the Ugandan parliament committee on Gender, Labor and Social Development. You can read more about their story HERE.

Another informative article can be read HERE

As wonderful and amazing as these girls' dramatic rescue by American Marines is, I was shocked to read about it on a Ugandan news site…having never heard about it on the US news. Even more upsetting is the 145 girls (just those mentioned in this story, there are reportedly thousands more Ugandan girls who have been taken in this way) that have not been rescued. I wonder how many other stories like this we are missing.

It breaks my heart to imagine the precious girls, in this picture, that we visited in the village of Lwanjuki, or any other child, being exploited and abused in this way. But in a nation like Uganda with such generational poverty and little to no hope of improving their station in life, many girls like these hear the promise of a good job and a way to help their families escape from poverty and are eager to take that opportunity. Unlike my daughters, these girls haven't been taught about "stranger danger", "if it's too

good to be true it probably is", and a million other little life lessons we take for granted.

Thankfully, there are organizations on the ground in Uganda. Some, like African Children's Mission, start at the roots by helping to provide a firm foundation of hope through education, a strong support system, the love of Jesus Christ and a way toward financial improvement. Others, like Kwagala Project are actively working to rescue these girls and then counsel, educate and provide financial assistance once they have been found and have returned home.

You can help by supporting these organizations and you can help these girls by sharing their story. I just did.

"They are fat and well fed. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They do not give orphans their rights or show justice to the oppressed. 'But I, the LORD, will punish them for these things; I will take revenge on this nation.' " Jeremiah 5:28-29

"The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." 2 Timothy 4:18

Words...

This is where our minds and hearts are, pretty much all of the time…

*In case you don't recognize it, this shape is the country of Uganda* :)

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer"

Psalm 19:14

Stories from our trip - Episode 2: The One With The Chick & The Duck

There are tons of different animals you might see while at Ekitangala Ranch in Uganda….

chickens are everywhere…

as are cows, this is a working dairy ranch after

all...

there are many various types of reptiles…

and there are lots of goats….

The first day Wes and I were in Uganda in January, he took me on a tour of the ranch property on the "new" side. We spent a lot of time walking around and learning about the buildings, projects & people and just taking it all in. Wes wanted to show me the ponds and we saw lots of animals using them as a watering hole. There were wild dogs, goats and lots of birds. But as I'm sure you can guess and can probably tell by the pictures above, it was some nasty water! This was the height of the dry season & everyone was praying for rain!

A few days later, when I was walking through this area again with some ACM staff members, I saw people form the surrounding villages using their jerry cans (the big yellow cans people in Uganda use to carry water) to collect water from these same ponds. I was shocked to learn that some people are still using these ponds for their drinking water.

It is one thing to hear that (according to the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics) somewhere between 11 & 14 million Ugandans do not have access to clean water…but it is devastating to watch a mother and father collect water from the same source as wild animals. Water that likely carries millions of microscopic parasites and numerous water-borne illnesses that can kill.

The work that African Children's Mission is doing in this area is more than helping local villagers provide clean drinking water for their families, they are using actual water to teach Ugandans about the love of a father that provides LIVING WATER!

John 4:13-14 "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'."

Anyone who knows me or my sisters, knows that we LOVED the TV show Friends. I'm sure God was laughing at my over-reaction to this family's pets in Nituti Village…a chick & a duck!

(Photo credits: Heidi Angel & Alicia Wilbanks)

One Step Closer!

Just a quick post…

The kids' passports are in!!

One step closer! Only 37 weeks to go!

Wes has been teaching our new class through Acts and we've spent a lot of time discussing the miracle of God's sovereignty. How comforting is it to know that He has already seen all of our paths…that the Lord of the universe has worked everything out for our good & His glory?!

Job 31:4 "Does He not see my ways and count all of my steps?"