Sunday, July 25 in Gulu, Uganda

Emily's message from the weekend: The team had a great morning at church yesterday praising God with the Ugandan people. We had the honor of going to a church that was just beginning a new campus here in Gulu. We had been able to help them with outreach earlier in the trip, so it was amazing to come and partner with them in the church as well. We led 1 worship song and performed the Ragman skit that presents the Gospel. The church cheered every time Jesus healed someone in the skit, and even louder when he rose from the grave.

In the afternoon, we took some time to learn about the history of the area of Africa we are in, and to explore and hike a mountain. We went to an area called Bakers Fort. This had been a place where Arab slave trading happened. It was very sobering to see the caves where slaves slept, and the areas where they would be bought, sold, and some of them killed. We also got to hike and incredible mountain nearby with spectacular views all the way to the Sudan and Congo. The kids stretched themselves hiking and made a memory of a lifetime.


In this photo I think Mary Beth is the "body" in the blue t-shirt at the top of the page. My best guess anyway! God bless!

Photos from Emily

Here are a few photos Emily uploaded to Facebook:

Praying together, with the book of hope.

Sharing hope in Gulu.

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Luke 10:2

Keep those prayers coming for those at work in Uganda and all over the world! God bless!

No PBJ for Lunch Wednesday!

As I posted before, Mary Beth had a free day on Wednesday. The team was able to head out and shop and eat lunch in town. According to them, "smoothies, wi-fi, pizza -- all is right with the world." Emily reports that everyone is doing great, and they're all healthy and loving Uganda.
 
And a personal report from Emily on Thursday: Yesterday was an amazing day of personal evangelism. The team was in two different communities and worked with a church doing service projects and personal evangelism in homes. The teams did everything from sweeping out dirt huts, washing clothes and dishes, getting water from the well to praying for the sick. The team loves spending time just loving on people and helping them in practical ways. We ended the night with a session on our authority in Christ and using the word of God to stand against the attacks of the enemy.


The week ended with a little down time. The team spent some time in nature at a historical fort and resting, laughing and relaxing together at a small lake. Glad to hear it. I hope they'll enjoy this, their next-to-last weekend, in Uganda. God bless!

Messages from Mary

So we haven't been able to message back and forth with Mary Beth since the move to Gulu, but this week she was able to get on the Internet twice and I gleaned some information from her messages back to me. Let me see if I can provide a synopsis ... I told her that David and I had 9 kids in the nursery Sunday, and she said, "Well, try that times ten every day!"  She said that she'd been able to get online (Wednesday) because it was their shopping day. Sleeping in tents for the last part of this trip (originally 2 weeks in tents now equals 4 1/2 weeks in tents) has been challenging, as they have had nights of torrential rain when everything was soaked. And, while she's anxious for home Mary Beth reports that "right now I need to be here because it's where I'm supposed to be. This is a much needed change in my life, and I'm so glad and wouldn't change this experience for anything." She sent David a message indicating that he would be pleased with the outcome of this trip!

She misses lots of things too. Like: Kampala, her cousins, us (YEAH!), friends, church, ice cubes ("you don't understand how much I miss ice cubes!), chocolate chip cookies and hot water.

And what's she excited for (besides coming home and going to get her ears pierced with Grayson?)? "I'm so excited for just movies on the plane and foooooooooddddddd!" Sweet. And, in her words, "I love you all soooooo much! MWAH!" (By the way, that's a kiss!)

Here's a photo of the group from Emily. Mary Beth's in the back -- in that pink WAC sweatshirt. Oh my! Can you imagine being outside today in a sweatshirt?  God bless and love to you all!

Sounds Like an Eventful Weekend in Gulu!

So, how do you end a week that began with multiple bombings 20 minutes away? With a wedding! Life is good! And, it goes on, doesn't it? The missionaries were able to attend a traditional Acholi wedding this weekend. Ugandan culture dictates that marriage is about the union of families and dowries still play an important role in marriage. Can't wait to hear another goat story!

Students also ministered at a secondary school this weekend, and on Sunday the students went to church, which Mary Beth has reported is quite long by our standards.

Emily reports that today the team was at a technical school in the morning presenting the abstinence curriculum and visiting homes for personal evangelism and service projects in the afternoon. She writes, "We love your kids and how faithful they are being with what God has given them to be a part of."

Me too. God bless.

Friday Afternoon in Gulu, Uganda ...

Emily reports a good week back in Gulu! She says the team has settled in quite well, and after their first day of ministry on Wednesday, held a "Christmas in July" together including the "funniest gift exchange and Christmas sing along ever"!  On Thursday the team was able to re-visit a school and community about an hour and a half outside of Gulu (I think this is the community they crossed the Nile to visit, if you saw that video.). This village is full of people who have been living in the internally displaced people (IDP) camps since the Lords Resistance Army was in place. They are now building a school and church to live an established life again. The missionaries are the first in the area since the LRA left. Emily says, "It was exciting to be able to bring smiles and hope to their faces, and to help serve in a couple homes."

She reports that they woke up singing many songs about rain today, as they had torrential rains overnight. Nonetheless, she said that everyone was in good spirits as they left for a church nursery school this morning. This afternoon they'll be in a secondary school, presenting the abstinence curriculum.

I am so thankful for the reports, since we're not able to hear directly from Mary Beth in Gulu. Perhaps we'll get a little phone call next week!  God bless and thank you for the prayers. Keep them coming!

Wednesday Update from Emily's Droid!

You know, you really have to appreciate technology! Even if you really don't like it or like to use it, isn't it amazing that we knew about the events in Uganda less than 4 hours after they happened? News of the American Revolution took some colonies right here months to learn! My niece, Michelle, texted me because she had received a tweet from CNN Sunday evening. I knew before Mary Beth did because she was snug in bed asleep, 20 minutes from the bombing and fortunately oblivious. Amazing when you think about it!  So, anyway, although there's no Internet Cafe readily available, it looks like Emily can get some connection via her global phone!  I am grateful for the information!

Here's what she writes: Wow! Crazy how things can change in Africa in 48 hours! We moved out of Kampala after the bombings and are now up north in Gulu. It's so different, but good.We all made it safely to Gulu last night. The team is in super good spirits and excited about ministry here. The team is out doing various service projects and playing with kids at a community development village all day. We appreciate all the prayers and want you to know we are doing very well and are safe. All the students say, "Hi." We love you all.

We love them all too!