Thankful

So many people ask me this question "How are you going to be able to handle having Steve around all the time?" To be honest, I didn't know how it would be. I know that I love to be with him and it never has bothered me to have him around before. Now that Steve is home most of the time, I have to say I still love having him around. He has been so busy organizing and studying and running errands and keeping track of the kids. He is such a great husband and father. God has truly blessed me with a man that loves the Lord and his family. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband and I know that this is truly a blessing from the Lord.
I am also so thankful for my wonderful kids. God has created them all so different and unique. It is so fun to watch them mature and grow. They have been such troopers through all our busyness. They are able to go with the flow and are so forgiving when we get a little too busy. I have loved having them around more during this break.
We had a wonderful Christmas time with our families. I will add some pictures to share a little of our time with you!

Update

I am just loving training! We are reading several books. They are: Discover your God Given Gifts by Don and Katie Fortune, Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, Now, Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. D. We have to write a report on each of these books and other assignments too. It has been a great learning experience. I recommend the first three books, because I have read them already and I think they are great. I will let you know about the Now, Discover Your Strengths after I read it, but I have a feeling it will be helpful too. Sometimes, life seems very overwhelming with all the training, but God has given us the strength to get done what needs to be done.

Next week, Steve will begin his leave of absence from work. He is very excited to be able to focus on training and organizing our support-raising efforts. He is also taking a class at church and is thankful to have more time to dedicate to all these things. God continues to speak to Steve and confirm our calling to Uganda. I stand amazed at our Father in Heaven and His guiding hand.

Please pray for us as we transition to Steve at home. We know that God's plan is perfect, but it is still a little scary to think how we will adjust to the change in income and the change of being together more. It is all preparing us for when we go to Uganda. It is so exciting to me.

We are so thankful for our church family. Last night we had a congregational meeting and we are so pleased that our church is going to partner with us as we minister to the people of Uganda. Our church has been a huge blessing to us with their financial gifts, but also through their prayers and encouraging words. Last night was another great confirmation of God's calling on our family.

I just wanted to do a quick update, but now I must get back to work on my training.
Thank-you all for your continued support!!! Please keep praying for us as we continue to prepare!

Selling our House

Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, Our God is higher than any other.
We have been so blessed. Our house has sold and the details are all falling into place. It is amazing that in this economic market that our house sold. We put it on the market on a Wednesday, people called on Thursday and they went through it on Saturday. The next Thursday, they gave us an offer. We have been praying very specifically for the Lord to be preparing the hearts of the people who are to buy our house. We feel he is answering these prayers in a very clear way.
Yesterday, the new people moved into our house. It was a very weird feeling seeing someone move into the house that you thought you were going to grow old in. I am so thankful that it has sold, and I pray these people will love it as much as we loved it.
We have started our on-line training. I love the books we are reading, although I find it very challenging to write a paper on what I am supposed to. Please pray that I can have a clear mind when I a writing these papers. It is very challenging for me to put into words what I have read in one page. I would much rather talk face to face.

We are going through numerous medical appointments. My doctor is retiring so I am looking for a new physician. I think I know who I am going to go to, but I want to keep praying a little longer so I know for sure that it is the Dr. I am supposed to go to. I am having a little high blood pressure and need to get it figured out before I leave. Although, I know what I need to do! (Run Again). How to make time is the question. I know I could if I would just get motivated to do so.
The kids have had some of there vaccinations. We need to make an appointment with the health department to get yellow fever and some of the other ones. It just seems too overwhelming before Christmas, and with the moving process.

We anticipate being with family at Christmas. We are so excited to spend time with our families. I sure it will feel a little different this year, but we are excited to celebrate Christ's Birth. He is the only Reason for the Season.

Training is starting!

We are just starting our November to January training. I have looked over the assignments and I will admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I think we will be staying home a lot and will have to remain focused on getting our assignments done. Although very overwhelmed, I am also very excited.

We are so thankful to be living in town. The kids love it here and for some reason I feel less stress here. Our kids are getting more time with us as I don't always feel I am rushing them to the bus or waiting for the bus to bring them home. What a huge blessing!!

We have accepted and offer on our house and now we wait for inspections and for everything to go through. The new couple (family?) will be moving in on Dec. 4 if all goes according to plan. Pray for a smooth transition for them and for us as we get our remaining things out of our house we love. We also ask for prayers for things to go quickly. We really would like to close on December 17 and if everything goes well we will, so please pray for quick resolutions to all the details!

We remain in awe of how Awesome our God is! He has guided us every step and we trust him to continue to do so. Please pray that our focus will remain on HIM and HIS plan for our lives!

Homeschooling

I went to the Homeschool building today and was so excited! It is very overwhelming, but I am so thankful that God prompted me to go today! I realize I am going to need time to get this all figured out. I loved all the material and am excited about starting this new adventure. The thing with homeschooling is you can get so much advice from so many people, but everyone does it so different. It is still great to get all the help from people, but I do need to know how my kids work. Our school has been a huge help and I am so thankful for the education my kids have had and are having. I am also thankful that they are willing to help me get ready for this task ahead of me.
Please pray for us as we decide the best way to teach our kids. Pray that we choose the right curriculum and that it is what works best for our kids and the environment we will be in.

I am having a hard time knowing what to write. Words can't express very well how I am feeling! I know that we are supposed to go to Uganda and I know that we will in God's timing! It is amazing how much work it is to get ready though. Sometimes we feel like we are overloaded with paperwork. Our house is for sale and that is so exciting, but it also makes it very real. We will be without a home here and we will be moving.
God has provided so many wonderful friendship to help us through and we know that he will keep providing through this whole journey. He alone can be our source of strength, but we are thankful that he gives friends to come along side of us.
Our kids continue to be so excited to go too. They are excited to visit with people and tell them the stories that they have heard us tell over and over. I can't wait for them to have their own stories to share. I know they are going to love it in Africa. I am sure we will all have our moments just as we do now, but God is faithful and he continues to show us they way and he will continue when we are there.
Please continue to pray for us as we get paperwork done and go to many Dr. appointments and do all sorts of other necessary things.
Pray that we continue to God for our strength and we don't try to do it alone (it never works).
Pray also that the right person will come along to buy our house.

House for Sale

We finally have our house on the market! We have been working for the last several weeks to get it ready to put on the market. We had so many wonderful friends help us and we are so thankful. We painted, washed walls and cleaned! Whoever buys it is going to love it!
We have also been able to share with so many people about Uganda and the needs there. We are still very anxious to go and yet we see how God's timing is always perfect! He is using this time to mold and shape us and grow us in HIM! We need to be in constant communion with HIM. God's word is so powerful and it encourages, lifts up and helps us stay focused on who God has made us to be.
Our next step is to finish the paperwork with Christian Reformed World Missions. In November we start on-line training with International Teams and in January we will do three weeks of training at International Teams in Elgin, IL.
We are also trying to put a profile together and we also need to start our fundraising. When I look beyond tomorrow I get very overwhelmed with what we have to do, but God has continued to keep us in today so we can get through this all and enjoy it in the process.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare. Pray that we can stay in constant connection with our Lord!

Ride for Refuge

We are officially accepted by International Teams! We are thankful and ready to start on the whole process. We have moved into the Reformed Church Parsonage and working on our house to get it ready to sell. It seems like such a huge process, but we are taking it one day at a time.
In January we will be doing five weeks of training in Elgin, IL. Our children will be there two weeks with us and the other weeks we will have to just see what happens. We also have other trainings we have to do, but not exactly sure on all those dates yet. Our goal is to be going to Soroti in September of 2011. This year is going really fast and really slow. We are anxious to be there, but also don't want to start all the "see you laters".
This weekend is the Ride for Refuge! I have been looking at all our pictures and missing Soroti and the team that awaits us there. We would love to have people still sign up to ride. You just go to www.rideforrefuge.org and sign up under team "Uganda". Steve is the team captain. When we were in Uganda, we saw how the money raised at last years ride helped the people put some closure to the atrocities they have been through.object style="background-image:url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/SxeAadkSzxc/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295">
We are so thankful to have been able to experience this, but it is sad that these Ugandans had to go through this horrible time.
You may ride 5, 15, 30 or 60 miles. The ride starts at Byron Christian Middle School and you may start your ride anytime between 9 and 11:15.
Stay afterward for a lunch catered by Byron Family Restaurant. It isn't too late to sign up!
Join us on Saturday, October 2nd for a fun day and help us raise awareness and money for these precious Ugandan friends!

Training

Training at International Teams was great! We learned so much and were so motivated! It was great to see the headquarters as well and meet some of the staff.
Please also keep praying for our team leader, Tim. He is still fighting some major infection. Also pray for his family! You can read more about the details on the shaarda's blog at www.shaarda.blogspot.com

Training and Praying

On Thursday this week we head to Elgin, IL for our first training! We have been preparing for weeks for this training and are ready to go and learn a lot! We also are still not through the application process, so hopefully we will meet people at International Teams and we will know soon that we are official! Please pray for us as we travel and as we patiently wait!
Also, please pray for our Team leader! He has an infection that has gone into his blood stream and he is heading to Kampala tomorrow morning for medical attention. Pray for safe travel for them and that the infection will clear up soon! We know the Great Healer and we call upon HIm to heal Tim!! For continued updates and more of the story you can go to www.shaarda.blogspot.com . These are other teammates in Soroti!

More Open Doors

I am always so amazed at how God is so detailed. He is a God of order and detail. I am so glad he is because if left to my own person the details would never get done. He has once again showed us that he is leading others and us in this path to Uganda.
A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I were talking about what to do with our house. We talked about where we could live if we sold sooner rather than later. If we sell that will be a huge burden lifted. We tossed around some ideas, but just weren't sure what we were supposed to do, but we waited. Prayed. And remained patient to God's leading. We really felt like selling would be our best option, but didn't know how it would all work.
Steve went to Timothy Leadership Training in June and he loved it. He left with all kinds of ideas and things he can't wait to get to Uganda to figure out how he can use all the training. But one of his ideas here was to start a community garden and he thought an open field in our church parking lot would be a perfect place to do this. (If anyone is interested in heading this project up, contact Steve) Anyway we were talking about the logistics of this with our pastors wife and Steve asked if she thought that the house next to it would be open to letting us use water from their house if we paid for the water. Anyway, she said the house is empty so we would have to see and we kind of left it at that. The house was the Reformed churches empty parsonage. Steve started thinking and God was working.
We were camping and we were talking to some people about our idea and they told us the people to contact.
Steve contacted this person as soon as he got a chance too. He then started having phone conversions with a deacon at First Reformed. We met with them on Sunday afternoon and we had a great meeting! God had been preparing them without us even knowing. They were praying about what to do with the empty parsonage at their last meeting and then we called them! I love how God works. We had went through the house and then we sat outside and visited. They listened to our vision and stories about Soroti! I know God placed these specific men in our place for a purpose. They have such a passion for expanding Gods kingdom and for youth. Two of Steve and my biggest passions. It is so hard to describe how the meeting was, God was present. They really want to share their empty parsonage with us and they really want to share in our ministry!! We are going to get to share with more people from Byron Center our calling!
Please pray that our house will sell quickly and that God will bring the right people to our home!
God is a God of detail and he knows all things from beginning to end! We are so thankful that we can rest in that and we are so thankful that he is showing us slowly how he has this all planned out!!

Remembering

So I have been thinking a lot about Soroti lately. I am missing it and yet loving here. I think, it seems crazy living in two different worlds. I wonder if Jesus felt this way. Longing for heaven, but yet loving where he was at. Although he was missing perfection and he was in all our sin. So different, but yet I know he loved us so much that he had to enjoy this world somewhat.
I wanted to remember about my time in Soroti so I thought I would look back in my journal and write another post. It has been a long time since I've done this and so much happened I want to keep sharing.
May 17, 2010
Today we went to drop off the van (happens a lot, roads are terrible here) and then we walked through town to the hospital to see Richard's father. It was such a blessing to there family to have us come. We prayed with them and Tim gave Richard a new Bible. Someone had stolen the last Bible Tim had given him. In the hospital a family member has to stay with the patient. The patient had a bed(more like a cot) and the caretaker has to sleep under the bed on a concrete floor. The hospital is supposed to supply medicine, but half the time they don't have any so the family has to find the money to get the meds at pharmacy. WE were told the hospital is really a place people come to die. It was so different than hospitals here. As we walked outside, I was amazed at all the sights I saw. People sitting around everywhere. There is no concept of sterilization. The theater room ( where they do surgery) is a small little room with a metal table and we could look right in. There was also a huge hole knocked out of the window in the door. I wonder how they keep flies out of there? I also saw a mom sitting with her little child and the baby had something like and IV (it may have been an IV) and it was not elevated and the liquid looked like dirty water. I wondered if they were helping her or just adding to the problem. It is just so hard to understand and explain. They need to know about Jesus from a young age. They may not have a long life. We need it here too, but there it just seems so urgent!!

After we left the hospital we took a boda boda back to Tim and Angie's. A boda boda is a form of transportation here. We rode on the back of a bike that has a seat cushion and you have a young boy who drives the bike where you need to go. It is a very cheap form of transportation. It was fun to see the town in this way. When we are in the vehicle it is so hard to take in all the small details. It is faster and you are always packed in tight it seems. From the boda boda we were able to see all the little shops along the main road. We had so many people waving to us and greeting us (gawking at us). I'm sure we looked silly, all our white skin and i'm not sure I was sitting on it right. They also were going slow with us, because it was our first time.

We had lunch and then we headed out to another ministry. We went to visit the blind people that they work with. This was a wonderful experience, like every place we went to. We were so blessed by these wonderful people. They told us their testimonies and they read out of one of the books of the Bible that was all braille. It was so fabulous to watch them soak in God's Word. As we were sitting and having more conversation, one of the ladies was just sitting on the floor reading her Bible with her hands. All that mattered to her was reading God's Word. She was thrilled we were there, but God's word was more important. It takes them forever to read through all these books. They are thick and it takes some of them longer than others to read. They were so appreciative of Tim and Josh. Josh and Tim have helped them in many different ways. They helped them figure out how to raise orange trees and they also brought people to them that taught them how to knit potholders and more. It is so amazing what God has done in their lives. When we were here, they taught me some Iteso. I learned how to say beautiful child. I am not sure if I was saying it right, because anytime I tried to use it all the kids would just laugh at me! I didn't care, I just wanted them to know they are beautiful.
One of my favorite things was holding this little baby. I asked Magdoline(?) if I could hold her. She was so sweet. In Uganda, the babies really don't wear diapers and this baby was not wearing one. I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my lap. I knew what it was and it is amazing, but it didn't really bother me. She was so sweet and she was loving being held. After she relieved herself she proceeded to fall asleep on my shoulder. It was so wonderful to give this baby love.
As we were sitting around visiting, lots of children sat around just outside the door or right inside the door. It amazes me how they just sit and listen and they are well behaved. They are quiet!
We then went for a walk around the village. Francis showed us his saplings. He is trying to grow more trees since his were destroyed. I am not sure how they were destroyed, but I think it was too much rain. They are just so thankful for what they have. It was so humbling.
In the evening we went to Bobby and Rachels for dinner. It was so good to get to know more team members and fun to learn what they do for ministry. Bobby works with the street kids along with more things. Rachel did a kids club during the school break and she also tutors a couple of girls. She loves the tutoring. It was another great exhausting day!





It is so good to remember our time in Uganda. I hope that it is good for you to hear too. We are so anxious to serve with TEAM BEYOND and we are so thankful for this year that we have here. Please continue to pray for us, that we will continue to listen to God's will and not our own. We know this is all for His glory and not ours so we pray we can keep Him as our focus.

A friend told me to just enjoy the journey. Enjoy all the things of this year. This is HIS thing, not ours. He knows how it is all going to work out and we need to enjoy trusting in him and not let stress get to us. Anyway, so we are trying to just enjoy all that this year brings.

Tests completed!

We just finished our Language Aptitude test and we finished our Psychological evaluation this morning! It feels so good to have these things done! We are now in the waiting process. We have mailed them out to International Teams and they will review them and decide if we will be accepted by them to be missionaries in Uganda! We may have some phone interviews yet, but we are on our way and we are so excited! Please pray for a restful weekend for us as we will finally be home for a weekend! And now with these tests done it feels like we can maybe relax. (and mow the lawn).

CRCG

Last week, we went with our church group to the Christian Reformed Conference Grounds. We do this about every year and we always have a great time. This year was no different we had a great time relaxing on the beach, in the trailer and just around all our sights visiting and enjoying christian fellowship.
We had an extremely busy week the week before so I knew I was going to the CRCG for Physical refreshment, Spiritual renewal and time with my kids.
One night I was laying in my too small bed and I prayed to the Lord to give me some encouragement. Sometimes, I think to myself "How can we move to Uganda?" "what do we have to offer?" I was opening my Bible and I saw in my front cover notes to a sermon Pastor Tom gave in February of 2008. The title was Brave Enough to Follow. It was about Peter being called as Christ's disciple and how he followed even though he was a average man. The two phrases that I wrote down in the introduction section we these, Instruments in the Redeemeer's hands and Ordinary Christians minister to each other.
In my notes it talks about Peter being plain and simple, he was a fisherman. Some of the other notes I have are as follows
-He is Simon, but he will be Peter
-Call comes from Jesus
-Costly Call- They had to leave things behind
-Call to Change- transformation-name change, Jesus has control of all, Peter means "Rock" occupation change- from Fisherman to fisher of men.
After this I wrote, How will God use me? Wow, I didn't know that he would call us to Uganda. When I heard this sermon it was right after Jim had died. I had no idea at this point how life would change.
I was so excited after I read this scripture again and read these sermon notes. I needed to here that we need to be brave enough to follow. At the end of the sermon notes is says, Not what I come to God with, but what he wants to do with me! God gets the glory! Boast in the Lord!"
This is still my prayer, that God gets the glory. We will continue to follow and will use us as he chooses. We don't have to figure it all out. God knows what he wants to do with us and He will get the glory if we are just Brave enough to follow!
I am so thankful that God gave me and my kids that week of spiritual and physical renewal. I was especially thankful for this little message that God reminded me of. He is in control and I am so thankful and I pray he gets all the glory and we can only boast in Him!! We are just a vessel that God uses to reach His people. I look forward to seeing how God continues to work!

It is amazing to me how fast summer is going! Life has just gotten a little busier for us! I started working three days a week. I think this is going to take some time to get used to. I am very tired and I feel my house is a disaster with the kids home all day with a sitter and missing their mom. Troy has been acting out alot which makes things difficult for all of us. He loves to have one on one time and with Ashley and Drew home for the summer and me working I think he feels he is getting lost. I guess it is time for him to get used to sharing. When we are in Uganda he will not have me to himself so he better get used to it now.
We have been going to the beach at South Haven alot so that also makes it very busy, but they do so well when they are outside and at the beach. We all have so much fun and we don't have to look at the mess our house is in. One of these days I'm just going to have to really clean. I just keep telling myself that summer doesn't last very long. It will be clean again someday.

A couple Saturdays this summer we did hot dog sales at Sandy Pines to earn money to get us to Uganda and help us live this next year when we are fundraising and going to training. This was so fun and it was so fun to share with people about what we will be doing and where we will be going. We are so thankful for the support that we are getting and know that God is providing exactly what we need. At one of our sales, we were sharing our pictures with a couple that came up to our sale. We shared a common interest in missions and both were brought to this point with the death of a family member. It was so great to share with them and they were very generous with us. We are soo thankful for this couple who doesn't even really know us. So amazing who God brings into our lives.

As foe prayer requests for us. Please pray for extra strength and patience. We are tired and we have lots to do. Our next step in our application process is to do a language aptitude test. We just need to find time to do it and that is just not happening right now. Pray that we will find time and that we will be able to do our psych evaluations too.

Thank-you to everyone who is praying for us! We are feeling your prayers.

Rambling!!

So I am laying in bed tonight and I can't sleep! I have so much going through my mind. I am now working three days a week at the dentist office and I love my job. We sold hot dogs today at Sandy Pines and did really well. All the work we are doing are getting us closer and closer to our goal of going to Soroti. I get brief snippits of what is going on in Uganda and I am so anxious to hear more and be there. I am so wondering how God can send us to Africa? I can't do this and yet I know it is where we are supposed to be.
As you can see, I have so many random thoughts floating through my mind. I am so incredibly tired and overwhelmed with life, but I love everything that is happening. God is our Strenth and our Salvation. I know I need to depend on Him alone. I pray I can keep Him as my focus and let him work out all the details. He has been so good to us already. He answered our prayers of making our vision very clear on our vision trip. He has supplied so many of our needs as they have come up. He has been with us every step of the way! I am so grateful and I continue to lean on Him for my strenth for every day, hour and minute. Right now I just pray that he will help me get some rest. I need to sleep so I can get focused and ready for the next days.
Please continue to pray for us as we are still in our application process. We have interviews we have to do for pysch evaluations, language apptitude tests and we are waiting for all our references to go through! I can't wait to be official. Tim and Angie wrote that they got our applications so that means they are being reviewed, so that is good.
Excuse my ramblings, but just needed to write down how I am feeling so maybe I can sleep!

Obalanga- Mass Graves- May 16, 2010

After we left the IDP camp we were on our way to Obalanga where Team Beyond has brought some healing to the people who were affected by the Lord's Resistance Army. The people would try to leave the IDP camps and go back out into their villages, but as they would start to plant their gardens they would find bodies of family members and others. There were masses of people killed for years. It is so sad to think all this was going on. They LRA was finally forced out in 2007. Team Beyond has made this place for mass graves. Some have been identified and they are named, but most have around 15 to 20 bodies in them. This has helped them people to have a place to come and mourn and also it has cleaned up the area so they can go back to their villages and start rebuilding their lives. It was a very moving place to be. To know how many people were killed in this spot! So sad, why do these sufferings have to happen?
We then moved on to home. On the way we picked up a mom and her child in a small town. Steve didn't realize that she had asked if she could have a ride to Soroti, and he said yes with his eyes. He thought she had asked if we were going to Soroti. She wanted to take her little boy to the hospital. It was a lesson in being careful what you say or the expressions that you make. But it was great to be able to help this woman who would have had to walk until someone picked her up or carry her son in a large vehicle with many people to get him to Soroti. With us she had a ride, but she was crammed in the back of our already full van. We had two flat tires and it was late when we arrived at the hospital. She never complained once. These people endure soo much and they never complain! I feel so guilty that I complain so much about small irritations. I pray the Lord will give me more patience and endurance.
This day was a very long day, but so amazing! We were exhausted, but God speaks even when we are exhausted.

Visiting Apeitolim, Karamoja

On Sunday, May 15 we visited the Internally displaced People camp in Apeitolim. These people were part of the Karamajong tribe. Pastor John Wilberforce leads the church here. God has given him a heart for these people and he has endured many hardships in his life. I will continue to pray for God's unfailing love to consume him.
This day was a very long day. We were so thankful for Tim and I found myself in constant prayer for him. The driving on the way to Apeitolim is not easy at all. There are many potholes that we would consider dangerous here and we would immediately call the city to get them fixed. On this road you barrell through them and pray that you make it without destroying your vehicle in the process. As you can see by our pictures, we came across two trucks stuck in the road and people coming from I don't know where to help push the one out so we could try to pass. After they got the one truck out they laid down sticks for us to see if we could make it through. Once again I was praying for Tim( and all of us) to make it through. We made it through and as we were going through I was praying that we wouldn't tip on our side.
We made it to Apeitolim in about 2 hrs. When we arrived at the church, the people greeted us with singing. It was so wonderful to be with these people that were so thankful that you arrived. They had been in the church praying for our safety and that we would make it to worship with them. (they wouldn't have started without us) After we were greeted and then brought to our seats, we began by just singing and dancing and clapping. By the way, visitors get seats, men get benches and women and children get to sit on the floor which is made of cow dung. Amazingly, it does not smell! The service consisted of alot of prayer, Pastor John speaking, Tim speaking, Pastor James speaking, Steve giving a message, Moses(tim and angies neighbor) translating it all. Pastor John's wife Betty did all the worship leading and she also did some of the translating when she wasn't busy nursing her baby, Grace. At one point Pastor James shared with the people that Steve and I were married and that we had 3 children at home and we were thinking of returning. They all seemed so excited and very happy that we would consider returning. Another moment where we felt God very clearly confirming that he has a place for us in Uganda. We also had a choir sing, which to me was so beautiful. Very different music, but you could tell they were singing from their hearts and they had such joy on their faces. The service lasted about 2 hours and their were young kids that just sat on the ground and loved every minute of worshipping.
One of the things that really hit me in the service was when they took offering. This is one of the things that, I think, Josh Shaarda has been teaching in the Timothy training. They had two baskets up front, one for men and one for women, in which to put your offering. I can't remember if they prayed while people brought forth their offering or if they were singing, but I was so humbled. They hardly have clothes that aren't rags and they have empty stomachs and yet they were giving their coins. It reminded me of a sermon that Pastor Tom had before we left about the women who gave her one coin and how God loved her giving. I was so humbled. Words really can't describe what it was like being here with them.
After church we went to John and Betty's hut and chairs were once again set out for the visitors. We were sitting around a little table and I didn't really know what we were doing. I was then informed that they wanted to serve their visitors a meal. This made me a little nervous, knowing I had about 20 starving children sitting behind me waiting for me to eat food that they hardly ever get. And knowing it was rude to refuse. As I looked at the table they had set for us, I saw bowls that were full of dust and wondered if it was just dust. Their were glasses of water which we were not allowed to drink so they brought us each a bottle of pop. They served us rice and goat. The rice was very good and the goat broth had good flavor, but the goat was so tough and had a lot of fat on it. Steve did so good, but I just asked for broth. I did eat one piece of Steve's and that was plenty for me. We didn't finish our pops and Betty( our 11 year old Ugandan friend from Soroti) asked if she could pass them out. She then passed them out to the kids sitting behind us which was such a treat for them.
After our meal(and before) they walk around and bring you soap so you can wash your hands. For any of you who camp with Steve, this really reminded me of soap on a rope. He did really good, I think God is so working on him that it is hard to believe. He shared water bottles and did just fine with it. I know, this is hard to believe. God is amazing and is in all the details.
We then went for a walk through the camp. We walked to the school which during the school day will have 80 or so kids to a classroom with one teacher. On Sunday though they were dancing. To our understanding, the male that could jump the highest was the most attractive. Let me tell you, they really can jump and they jump straight up. It was very fun to watch and they really wanted us to join them, but I don't think that would have been a very pretty sight. When we were here some little boys came up to Steve and asked if he would play football. Of course he joined them and then I didn't know where Steve was. The little boys had taken him to a field behind the school and asked him to bring people to make them a football field. Steve responded in the way you are always supposed to respond. "I cannot promise"
As we walked through the village we kept a steady stream of followers. They all wanted a photo taken and then they would look at it and just laugh. In many of the pictures if you look closely you can see that they are all pushing eachother out of the way so they can be in the picture. They were all so beautiful and wished I could have communicated to them that they were beautiful and that Jesus loved them.
As we were leaving the IDP camp the kids were running after our vehicle. We had many asking us for money and begging. I can't wait to be there again and maybe not give money, but give them the hope of Jesus.
One girl really stuck out to me. Her name was Agnes and she was most likely a teenager. She could not speak much English, but we communicated somehow. Her face is one that will stick with me for a long time. I pray I can see her again when we return. She sang in the choir and then followed us on and off through the village. She was beautiful and I kept thinking about what her life is like and what will happen to her. I pray that she keeps Jesus in her heart no matter what her circumstances. It was sad to leave here, but we knew we had one more stop and we also knew we had a long ride home.
My hands are getting sore so I will have to stop for now and write about the rest of our day later.

Worship Time in Soroti

Everyother Saturday night the team gets together to worship and they invite their Ugandan friends. This was an amazing night for me. We worshipped there in a way that I crave to worship here. All nations joined to worship the One and Only God. We prayed to our glorious Father in Heaven. We thanked Him and we petitioned Him. We sang praises to Him. It made me feel so close to the team in Uganda, the Ugandans, and above all, I felt closer to my heavenly Father. At the worship service, Richard (a Ugandan friend) spoke about the battles that Jehosaphat was facing and how he inquired of God. He didn't inquire of his friends, but of God. I was thinking that night of all the battles that we may face as we go home. We face the battles preparing to return, battles to help family and friends understand our call, battles for our time. I pray that I can go to God alone. As we sat in this worship time, I sobbed through most of it. I just kept thinking about how this is one of the most wonderful times I have ever had and how it is one of the hardest times I had ever had. I kept picturing my children in that room and I was overwhelmed. I know that this is where they are supposed to be, but I also knew how hard it would be to leave the people I love back home. We ended in prayer after several people had shared what God had revealed to them through His Word. As we prayed, I just prayed that God would be preparing the hearts of my children and preparing the hearts of the people I love so much.
There are many trials in Soroti, but we know that God works in all things for the good of those who love Him. Even as missionaries there are alot of daily struggles, but we trust God to provide the way, to prepare our hearts. We serve a great and mighty God.

This is my journal post on May 15, 2010

I am sitting at the dining room table listening to the rain pour down on our house. It sounds so beautiful, but I wonder if the Ugandans love the rain or if it makes their houses wet. They live in much houses with brick. They have dirt floors and I wonder if it just causes mud. But it also gives relief from the heat. The heat is very oppressive. I feel sticky and dirty all the time. I just wonder?
Today we have done many things again. We helped Jennifer bring her car to get fixed, we also saw here house. We then went to a Hindu temple. The team have friends that are Indian and they have formed relationships with them. It was very odd to be in their temple and very sad to hear such a sad religion. They don't even know what they believe. Many prayers are needed for them.
At Jennifer's house I forgot to write about the neighbors. There was a little girl there who was maybe ten or eleven. She had one baby on her hip and one on a blanket and at least one more young girl to care for. She was the neighbors slave girl. She worked for food and shelter and the hope that someday her owners would send her to school. So young to be caring for all those children all day.
We had Betty and Abayla with us most of the day. They went to the market with us and out to eat with us. They love to be hugged. When they are in the vehicle with us they would lean against us and put their heads in our laps. They just need to be loved. At the restarant we didn't let them see the menu because Angie feared that if they would refuse to eat if they knew the cost. When they recieved their food first they refused to eat until we all had our food, even though they were weak with hunger. They ar so kind and grateful. It amazes me. I am so thankful to have met them.
Steve and I are both thinking that this is where God wants us to be. We really pray that He will give us the strenth to get through the next year or however long it takes to raise support and do training.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

We need to give this over to HIM, if he wants us here he will provide the way. I pray for patience as we wait on Him and His timing!

First Day in Soroti

The first morning we woke and had a leisurely morning drinking coffee and visiting. Life in Uganda is not a big rush. I expected with all the people life would be much more rushed.

After breakfast we had orientation. We talked about lots of things, mostly about giving up our rights and letting God use us as he pleases.

We then went for a short walk around their neighborhood. We met Martha and she asked us to sit. We sat on benches in a little school room that wasn't yet complete. As we sat on benches she laid out her mat and sat on that. He son Joshua was very scared of our white faces. It was sad to see his scared little face. Martha also has at least two more children, Lydia and Winnie. I am not sure if she has more or not. She lives in a little mud hut right outside Tim and Angie's gate.

We also visited a girls hostel. Sarah and her husband run it and they house about 85 girls during the school time. The rooms these girls stay in is very tiny and each room houses alot of girls. One of the girls was there and her job was to sort beans. They dry the beans on the sides of the roads here and that of course means there are rocks in the beans so they have to sort through the beans and take the rocks out. Sarah's life is feeding these many girls and sharing the love of Jesus with them! It is so wonderful when Ugandans help eachother.

We then walked and saw a building that I thought was abandoned. only to find out it was a school. We met a teacher who was coming in to teach kids to read during their break. We greeted each one and they told us their names. They are so soft spoken and it is hard to understand them. You want to understand them so you can love them more.

We then walked back to the compound where we were staying. We had about ten kids that were following us and holding our hands. They were just waiting for the opportunity to play inside the gate. They did all come in and they played and played. No fighting! They have no toys so to play with Avalien and Moses toys was a huge treat! At lunch, we have to close the gate and the kids leave. We told them they could return later. They sit at the gate all day long just waiting for a chance to play. After lunch, Avalien opened the gate and all her friends came back in to play. They played dress-up and they were so cute. They all had Avalien's frills on and they went for a walk around the yard and maybe even outside the gate.

We then went for a drive to Josh and Mandy's and Bobby and Rachel's(teammates). Rachel was doing kid's club and teaching them the story of the wise builder. There were so many kids!

As we go through the town of Soroti, I am still in a bit of amazement at all the people. There really are kids everywhere, just roaming the streets or dirt roads. I wonder where all there parents are and if they still have parents!

We then went to Amecet for the first time. Amecet is a place where babies or children come to heal. Most who come don't have a mother anymore. They are usually malnourished or they have aids. They are brought here to get them well fed and then they are placed back into their family. This could be a dad, grandma or uncle. Anyone that will take them in. Alot of these kids or babies die. On the wall in Amecet there are pictures of all the kids that have been there and there is a star on the pictures of the ones who have died. So many have stars! We just spent our time rocking, cuddling and loving these little ones. They need love and they need our prayers. They are the least of these! My arms still ache to hold these little precious children.

We then went to the market, which I already told you I loved. So many different sights, sounds and smells!

There is so much to do in Soroti and not enough time. Everything takes so much time too.

I was more overwhelmed today than I thought I would be. There is so much need. They live with so little and yet they live. They love to hold your hands and they love to be hugged. They really just love to be loved. What greater love can we give them than Christ's love!!

Finally Some Pictures!!

So these pictures are kind of out of order, but I didn't know if they would come up so I will just explain them and then later add pictures to the days as I go. These children are from the Karamoja tribe where we worshipped on the first Sunday. This tribe is a very poor tribe as you can see by there clothes. These children sat thru a 2 hour service and probably had been sitting there a while before we came.

This little boy was also at Karamoja, he came in because he heard the music. He came and sat down next to Steve and he was just so cute. Alot of these kids have hardly ever seen a white person.

This is David at Amecet, he is very tiny and has a broken collar bone and he also has a burn on the side of his head from being improperly treated for Malaria.

This is our friend Moses. On the way to Karamoja we had problems with our vehicle because we kept bottoming out. Moses was always so willing to help and he fixed it along with Tim. He also changed two flat tires on the way home. He also our translator at the church service. Great guy!

This is the beautiful market. I wish I could put all the sights and sounds on here too. The Avocados here are huge and they are soooo good. Pinapple is very sweet and not near as acidic as here! We loved being in the market!

This is how they carry everything in Soroti and really all over Uganda. I will show more pictures of all the things they put on thier bikes. It was quite amazing. I was just worried about riding a bike in a dress. I did it and it was fine.

I will try to post more, but for now this is all I have time for.

Getting to Soroti, Uganda

So since I can't get pictures up here or on Facebook I will try and write what we experience without pictures.
We dropped our kids off at Steve and Linda Snyders on Monday night. The kids were so excited and the Snyders made it so easy for us. Troy was very sick, he had a fever of 104 for two days before we left and he kept it until Friday morning. It was so sad to have him sick, but these are some of the things I wrote in my journal.

The last two days I've had opportunity to sit and hold him and love him. On Sunday he was sitting on my lap and we were looking at eachother and smiling. (He was very sick) He said, "You know what my favorite part about being sick is?" I said, "What honey?" He said, "I get to spend time with you." It was so precious! He hugged me and I love that kid.
As I thought about this and why this was happening, I was thinking. This is how we need to be with Jesus. We are sick and sinful people, but the best part of that is sitting in Jesus arms and letting him care for us and love us.


We kind of dropped the kids stuff off through out the day and then we went for dinner with the Snyders at the fundraiser for the Youth Group. I could tell already then that the kids were going to be fine. Ashley sat between her two new big brothers, Aaron and Jordan. They were just so excited. Troy stayed home with Steve and when we returned, we said our goodbyes and it went well. Ashley came and gave me a big hug and after she did Troy started to realize that we were leaving and he came from the floor and gave me a tight hug. He nestled his head in my neck and he let me know he would be OK. I gave Drew some tickle torture, which he loves. It was just great.
I know people were praying for us, because I had a peace that I don't understand. God had made me completely calm. I had no anxiety and I was so thankful. Our God is so huge and he had given me a peace that passes all understanding.

The next day we headed to Chicago to my cousins so she could drop us at the airport. We arrived at the O'Hare Airport at 12:30 and quickly relized that our flight had been delayed and we were going to miss our flight in Detroit so we got on standby for a flight that left at 2:00. We got on that flight and we made our flight from Detroit to Amsterdam. When we got on this flight we were told that the flight was delayed and that we would be having a longer flight due to the ash. We were two hours late for our flight to Entebbe. They then put us on a flight to Londan to Niarobi and then to Entebbe. We flew two nights straight and the time change was in there too. We arrived in Entebbe at 9am on Thursday morning. Through all of this God still gave me a peace that I didn't understand.
When we arrived in Entebbe, we arrived without 4 pieces of luggage. Thankfully, the piece that we needed did arrive. When we arrived in Entebbe, the Sliedrechts were waiting for us. We were extremely tired. We started driving in Kampala and it was really overwhelming. So many people and traffic is the craziest thing. Roads are full of cars, bikes, cows, motorcycles and people.
As we drove out of Kampala you could see things slowly change over the next 6 hours. There were less cars, but still people everywhere and animals everywhere. Little kids were just walking around on the sides of these busy roads. People were sitting around all over. I realize now that they are just sitting where it is cool. They don't sit in their houses, they sit under shade trees.
The land changed too. It was beautiful. We passed through a rain forest. We stopped in the town of Jin Jah. Here we ate at a little restarant named Ozzie's. I had a chicken and avocado Chapati. and a fresh fruit smoothie. It was all very good.
We then finished our drive to Soroti and the land changed again to less lush and more flat, but still beautiful in its own way. Again, here there were even less cars, but still lots of people.
When we arrived at Tim and Angies, the team mates had supper waiting for us. We recieved a warm welcome.
This is how our week began and through it all I had a peace that I could not explain! I just knew that people were praying for me and I was going to accept it.

Sorry this took so long!!

We are home from Uganda and are anxious to return! We felt that God confirmed our call to Uganda almost right away. Thank-you for praying for us, God answered your prayers and gave us clear direction! Now we just have to take one step at a time and pray that God works out all the details!

I will be blogging about our days, but we have been nonstop since we have been home and it is continuing thru this week so I am hoping to post more words next week, but I at least wanted to put a few pictures up! OK so I have tried 4 times to get pictures to come up and it is not working so you will have to wait longer!! Sorry!

Almost time to come home

We have had a great week! Time has flown by and we leave Soroti tommorrow already! We will head to Sipi falls and Sissyi Falls. This will be a time with just the team. We will be hiking in the area and seeing God's beauty here in Uganda.
I am anxious to write all that we have experienced. I am planning on writing about all our days here when we return. I have been writing in my journal everyday, but I just don't want to take the time here to write. We have been so busy here, Tim keeps us going all the time. We are preparing for supper tonight and right now Tim is outside with people that have stopped by to visit. They constantly have people visiting them and time goes so fast here or so slow depending on the way you look at it.
We are getting excited to see all our friends and to share with you all that we have seen and smelled and heard. We want to tell you about all the fabulous people we have met and how God is working in Soroti!
We will be home on Tuesday the 25th and are anticipating seeing you.

We are here

We are in Soroti! I will not write much, but we wanted everyone to know that we are here and settling in! So many stories to share when we return. I really wanted to update you though on some specific prayer requests.

On Sunday we will be heading to an displaced people camp. We have been warned that this will be a hard day. So much poverty and we will not have food here. This also is the day 3 years ago that Steve's brother Jim was diagnosed with cancer. So many memories and we remember Deb especially on this day, as it is also their anniversary. Please pray that we can deal with all the emotions as they come and that we can give it over to God.

We also ask for prayers that we can be a blessing on these people. There are so many needs and help us to love them and share with them the love of Jesus. It is hard to know exactly what to say sometimes. We pray that God will give us the words to speak!

We are looking forward to telliing you many stories, but know that we feel your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray fervantly! God bless you all!!

Last post before we leave!

Tommorrow we leave for Uganda. We will be driving to Chicago and flying out of O'Hare airport at 4:30. We have an hour in Detroit and then we fly to Amsterdam where we have an hour and 15 minutes. From there we fly to Entebbe, Uganda. We should arrive in Entebbe by 7:30 Ugandan time, which is 12:30 Eastern time. Please pray for safe and timely travel.

I am so thankful for your prayers. I am feeling very relaxed and I have no anxiety pains. Please keep praying for this specifically! I am in awe of how God is hearing and answering your prayers.

We just dropped our kids off at the Snyder's. It was actually an all day pr0ject. The kids wanted to ride their bikes from there this morning so I took them early this morning. Then we brought all there things they wanted and needed along. Linda also took Troy in the afternoon so we could get some things done that needed to yet be done. Please pray for Troy. He is very sick and is having the hardest time with all of it. We took him to the Dr. today and he has Hand, foot and Mouth disease. He has been running a high fever and is in a lot of pain. Please pray for quick healing in his little body so he can enjoy his stay at the Snyder's.

Although it is sad that Troy is sick, I really think God has used this to mold me and Steve. We were able to sit and hold him and cuddle with him. Yesterday, when he was sitting in my lap he was looking deeply into my eyes and smiling. He said to me though his huge tonsils. "Mommy, you know what my favorite part of being sick is? I said, What? He said Just being able to sit and spend some time with you!" It was so precious. God has used this to remind me that this is what God wants from us. To sit and spend some time with him! He wants us to gaze lovingly at him and enjoy him! Please pray that as we are on this journey that we can stop and just sit and gaze at our Father. We are in awe of how he has planned all the details and now we are ready to walk the path he has placed before us!

I know I keep writing this, but I am so thankful for all of you who have supported us through prayer, words of encouragement and financially! God has truly blessed us with wonderful friends, family and church family!! We love you all and are truly excited to share this journey with you.

I do not know how much I will be able to write when we are in Uganda, but I will try to write some. We really want to spend our time praying and seeking God's will for our lives. Please keep praying though and we will be excited to share when we return!

Do not be anxious about anything but with Prayer and petition presents your requests to God!!

Less than 2 weeks!!

We leave in less than 2 weeks! We are getting prepared. We have started packing. We have met with the Snyder's a few times and the kids are getting excited to know what life will be like in their home. They already love them so pray for this transition for them.
We also covet your prayers for air travel. Steve and I have not flown very much and we aren't worried, but we do pray that our flights are timely and that our luggage gets all the way with us. We have only about an hour layover in both places that we stop.

We are very excited that our first night we will be staying with my brother's bosses son who lives in Kampala, Uganda. Tim and Angie have connected with him and they actually will be staying with him before their trip to Turkey for and Iteams convention. It is so great to see how God works in all the details.

We are praying for this war torn people. We pray that we will be able to learn from them and also learn what God has for us to do!

This isn't till the end of our trip, but I also want people to be in prayer for my mom. She will be picking us up from the airport and this is a little out of her comfort zone. Pray that God will ease some of her anxiety about it. I am so thankful that she is willing to pick us up, and I want it to be fun for her and not too stressful.

God has been so good to us. We pray that we are fit vessels for his service! Please join us in these prayers.

Getting Ready!!

We leave three weeks from today! I am trying to say no to everything, which is so hard for me. I need to prepare physically, mentally and spiritually. We have been doing alot of our reading and we are almost done.
On Sunday, we had Josh and Mandy Shaarda over for dinner. Josh and Mandy are on the same team as Tim and Angie in Soroti. It was great to get to know them and we are sad they won't be in Uganda at the same time as us. Their one year old son was very ill and they had to return to the states for further dr. appointments Check out their blog at www.shaarda.blogspot.com . Luka, their son, has had miraculous healing and he is doing so well. So fun to see this little boy and his family that we had been praying for.
They were telling us some of the things they do on the mission field and it made us so excited. Steve is anxious to get there and see if some of the ideas that have been brought to him are possiblilities of work that he can do. Please continue to pray for clear direction.
Our kids are getting more and more excited to stay with the Snyder's. We have been trying to get them together a few more times. They keep asking, if they can just stay over night one night now. I keep saying, You will be there soon enough!! I am so thankful for God's blessing in this area. I just hope my kids want to come home after being with them.
We still are thinking that this could really happen. We are anxious to go and say that we are for sure moving there. It is so scary though and you go through all these emotions of : Is this my will or God's will? We just have to keep reminding ourselves of how he has lead us and guided us along this journey. It is just so great that so far our will is in tune with God's will. Will it stay this way? It is hard to express what we are feeling, but their are just so many emotions. I read my Bible and passages jump out at me that I feel I could share with the people we will be in contact with. I just pray that I am not so nervous that I freeze up and can't remember them.
The Bible is just so full of everything we need for life. If we just take the time to read it. I love to read God's word and see what he has to say about the things of life. Pray that we take the time to enjoy and reflect on God's word.
Thank-you for being in prayer for us! Thank-you to all of you that have supported us financially! We couldn't do this without either.

Excitement

We are getting so excited! Please pray that we have more time to prepare. We have been so busy the last two weeks. We need time to continue our reading and devotions and just spiritual renewal.

Today we actually have a day home. We have things to do, but at least there are no definate things that are pressing on our time! It feels good to be home with our kids.

On Tuesday, Ashley and I brought our friends Kori and Rebecca Vander Kooi to the airport in Chicago. They left for their trip to Uganda. It makes me so excited. It was good to drop them off at the airport so we know exactly what we need to do and how the whole thing works. Reading her blog also just makes me want to be there. It also gives me an urgency to get some stuff done to prepare. You may read her blog if you desire. www.vanderkooivida.blogspot.com

Talking about preparing, my niece, Anna, came over on Thursday and she brought two skirts that she made for me!! I love them sooooo much. I think I am going to wear them to church here. I have already been wearing them any chance I get. I think I could get used to wearing dresses all the time. By the way, my niece is so fabulous that she won't let me pay her for her work! And my sister-in-law paid for the material. God has blessed us in so many ways.

Please keep praying for us as we prepare. Pray that we will have time and energy. Please pray as we prepare our hearts, that we will be in tune with the Holy Spirit and we will be able to see clear direction! Pray for the Ugandans, that they will accept us and they will be fast friends. Please continue praying for Tim and Angie as they are still adjusting to life back in Uganda with no Josh and Mandy. Also please pray for our friends, Kori and Rebecca, and their friend Karin, that they will have a safe and positive trip.

We love you all and continue to be in awe of the wonderful church, friends, and family we have. God has truly blessed us with wonderful people in our lives!

Sunday Blessings!

So today was a wonderfully busy day! We went to church this morning at Pathway Ministries where we had a time of prayer for our friends Kori(Mom) and Rebecca(daughter) Vander Kooi. They leave for Uganda on Tuesday. It was powerful to see all of the people who are committed to praying for them on their trip. We had a great service and great worship. Also, please pray for us as Ashley and I drive them to Chicago to the airport on Tuesday.
After church, Steve and Linda and Aaron Snyder came for dinner. This is who our kids will be staying with when we go to Uganda. We had a great time and we could tell our kids were comfortable with them and it made them very excited. When they left, Ashley turned around and gave a little squeal of excitement. It is so fun to see how God just keeps blessing us with the excitement from our kids and from the Snyder's. We are so thankful that God had made this provision and that the Snyders listened to God's prompting. I am so not afraid of leaving my kids behind. I will miss them, but I will have a smile on my face when I think of them knowing that they are being so loved.
Went to a wonderful service at our church at night. It is so good to be with our church family. We are so thankful for their encouragement. We were then invited to go to dear friends house. We didn't know what we were going to eat, but we didn't care it was all about the fellowship. But we ate like kings, we put our resources together and it multiplied. We were able to share our excitement about our trip. It is so fun and encouraging to be with people who love the Lord and want to serve him. We are so thankful for our friends here in Byron Center. If we move that is one of the things that will be really hard to give up. We don't care about the stuff, but our friends are so precious to us. We are so thankful for modern communication for this reason. We may be far in distance, but God holds are hearts together in prayer. And the internet is great for long distance friendships.
Anyway, we just felt so blessed today. I love Sunday, it is a great day to rest and be with God's people.

Update

Today I am finally home and getting all my errands done.
I have healthy kids and I am so thankful. Although Troy now is showing signs of an early allergy season. I pray this year isn't as bad as it has been some years. Please pray that he can have a healthy allergy season. He gets very miserable and mean when his allergies are so bad. I pray as he gets older he can handle it better.
Our next step in our preparation for our trip is putting together a will. This is not so much fun to think about. We need to make sure all is in order before we leave.
We also are doing alot of reading. We have books, websites and devotions to prepare us for this mission trip. We have watched movies, Invisible Children and War Dance. All these things make us so excited to go.
We pray for the Ugandan people that they will accept us and that we will fit into their culture in the way God wants us to. Please pray for the people that we will encounter on this trip. Pray that their hearts will be open to us. Please pray for Tim and Angie as they prepare for not only us, but for the many short term mission teams that will be coming. They will be doing this more on their own, because Josh and Mandy will be coming back to the States to care for little Luka. By the way, check out Josh and Mandy's blog to see how God is working in Luka's life. www.shaarda.blogspot.com

We are so thankful for the prayer support and financial support we are recieving. God has truly blessed this trip so far and depend on him to carry it to completion. We are so thankful we serve a wonderful God.

Sickness

Troy has been sick with a fever for 6 days now. He has a sore throat and headache and is very weak! Please pray that it will go away. He is on an antibiotic for an ear infection, so I'm pretty sure the sore throat is viral. He is also still complaining that his ear hurts. Drew also woke with a fever yesterday, but it does not seem to be as bad as Troy's yet so I am praying that his does not become worse.
All this said, I am in prayer for a little boy named Luka, he is the son of a family that is on the same mission team as Tim and Angie. Also a nephew to them. He has been sick with diarhea and vomiting for a couple of days now and is in the hospital in Kampala. He needs our prayers. Last I heard he is unable to keep anything down and is getting dehydrated. It makes me realize that the medical care in Uganda is different than here and we may encounter some of these issues. It doesn't make me not want to go, but it makes me realize how much our missionaries need our prayers and how I need to be in constant prayer for their protection and health. Please join me in praying for Luka and also for Troy as they battle sickness in two totally different worlds.
"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." Psalm 34: 17 I am clinging to this verse today! I know we serve a God who hears our crys and our prayers. We just need to cry out!

Britt Nicole

So I was listening to WCSG this morning and Britt Nicole was talking on the radio. She just got back from Uganda and was sharing about a song that reflected her trip to Uganda. Ashley and I went to a Britt Nicole concert here in GR and Ashley listens to her music all the time. I was so excited. Ashley is excited about going to Uganda (if we go). This was a great way for her to even be more excited about it. Britt really challenges you to read God's word and to walk out in faith. You can watch the video by clicking on this site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj7CcYQ88lI


It is so great when a young artist shares her heart and challenges our young girls. Watch the video and I pray she is encouraging to you.
I love when God puts these things right at our fingertips!

Immunizations

So we had our immunizations on Tuesday and we ended up with 8 shots and two types of pills we have to take!! It is crazy how much you have to do before you go to Africa. Although the shots were not fun, it was great to get them done. One more thing checked off our list of things to do. We have continued to feel God's providing hand with every step.
Yesteday I (Tanya) helped my friend Kori put on a Spaghetti Dinner for her trip to Uganda. It was a great success and it was alot of fun for me. It made me excited about our trip too. It was more time to talk to Tim and Angie. Also one of my dear friends may be traveling to Uganda this summer and I am so excited for her. She found out last night at the dinner. It was a success in more ways than one. God was glorified in that place.
Through all this, Troy got sick. He had said in the morning that his ear was bothering him, but he had on and off been complaining for a while. He also said he had a sore throat, but again I didn't think anything of it. I thought he was just tired and didn't want to go to school, but I sent him. When I picked him up from school to take him to church where we were doing the dinner, he started to cry. He said "Mom my ear really hurts." I felt so bad, but I had my job to do. The dinner was starting soon and it was crunch time. I then took him in to church and soon realized he had a fever. I called the dr and took him in. I felt bad missing the busy part of the preparations. I realize that my baby needed to come first though. He has an ear infection and he tested neg. for strep but the dr wasn't so sure he didn't have it. He put him on a strong antibiotic. Please pray for him to feel better soon! I am so thankful we have a very uneventful weekend. WE need time to breath.
Yesterday another exciting thing happened too!! We recieved our Passports in the mail. Now it seems sooooooo real. We are going to Uganda. Everytime I start to doubt, I just read God's word or pray and it is still being confirmed!
After yesterday, I just want to get stuff done at home and take a nap. I guess I better get going and get something done!

Overwelmed

I just wanted to let you all know that we are so thankful for all the prayer support, words of encouragement, and finacial support. God has been so faithful in providing people to come alongside us on this journey. We covet your continual prayers and feel them as we walk each day trusting that the Lord is walking before us preparing the way. I wish I could tell you my every thought and every little way the Lord has provided, but I could write all the time I feel right now.

Please pray that we keep having great days and that the devil stays far from us. We feel so a peace right now and we pray we can continue in that peace.

Another immediate prayer request is this. Tommorrow we go to get our immunizations, pray that it all goes well and that we don't have adverse reactions. I don't know anyone who likes shots and I certainly don't. I pray all goes well with it.

Passports

So this past weekend we applied for our passports. Please pray that those come through quickly. It feels good to get that off of our to do list.

My parents came this weekend also. It gave us good opportunity to talk face to face and answer some of the questions they had. It was soo good to talk to them about this step in our lives. It made it very real for all of us. I don't know if it made them feel better, but hopefully made them understand what we feel like. We are scared of this call, but non the less feel very called. God continues to open doors and we will keep stepping through them one at a time. Pray that we can keep open communication with our families and that God will bless these relationships even if distance may separate us.

We met with our pastor and his wife the other night and it was great to be able to talk to someone who has been in the position of leaving people they love through a call in ministry. We talked alot and prayed together. Through this we identified two specific prayer requests.

1. Pray that we can live in the now and focus on the jobs we have here. We love where God has us here. We love our Youth Group kids and our church family. Pray that we don't get overwhelmed with all the trip stuff that we don't take the time to do what God has for us here.

2. Pray for our parents. That they would be accepting and that they will be encouraging and that we can encourage them.



After our pastor left we were putting the boys to bed and Drew said to Steve, " I need to talk to mom, it is just between her and I" So I went in there and he was crying. He doesn't want us to to Uganda without him. They all want to come along and they are curious how they are going to know if they are supposed to go if they don't go with us. Lots of other questions came up. We talked about our memory verse at church. When I am afraid I will trust in you, in God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid, What can mortal man do to me? We focused on the first couple of words. We talked about trusting God and who he is. My prayer is that they can trust in this verse and that God's word can become very real to them. Please join in praying for our children as they are starting to think about what this all really means. Pray that God will give Steve and I the right words to say when these fears arise.

We are so thankful for our friends who support us in prayer. God is showing us how incredibly important prayer is in our lives.

What we will be doing in Uganda

This is the email we recieved from Tim and Angie about what we will be doing in Soroti, Uganda.

Your time in Uganda will consist of:

Learning, learning, learning! - it's important to have a learner's attitude, not an attitude that you've got something that they don't and you're going to give it to them. With a learners attitude throughout your entire time you show a genuine interest in the people and their culture and, as a result, are more effective the ministry as they will be more willing to learn from you. Consider your time as a vision trip seeking to learn about missions and about the Ugandan people, culture and land.

Orientation - getting to know the area, culture, people, teammates

Debriefing - daily reflecting and discussing what you are observing and learning, what is encouraging and frustrating, who God has made you to be, what you are going to do next with what you have learned/experienced.

"Ministry Touring" - seeing the different areas of ministry of Team Beyond and its partners; seeing the areas of need and ministry opportunities; meeting, interacting with, praying with, and encouraging, people in each area

Individual ministry - according to who God made you to be; according to your

• Passions & Interests

• Gifts & Abilities

• Experiences & Education

• Personality & Preferences

• Vision

Excursions - seeing the beauty of the land

Essentially, you are coming to learn what missionary life is all about. Of course, we would like you to get involved in ministry according to who God made you to be as well.

We are excited to go and see where God can use us. He is a God of detail and I know he will have us where we need to be.

Rough Roads

Along life's road we will have lots of road blocks, holes in the road and many distractions! Today I am falling in a hole! I am ready to sell everything and do what the Lord commands! I want to sell all my earthly possessions and follow Him! All these earthly possessions are an idol to me and I want God to be first in my life and in my kids life! When you have lots of things, then lots of things can go wrong with those things, which causes stress and anxiety! I long for peace and only a peace the Lord can provide!
This hole in the road is not making me want to stop our journey to Uganda. It is making me long to go! To live simply for the Lord! For no other purpose than to please Him and glorify Him! He says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I feel weak and I need his grace and his power! Please pray with me today for His Grace and Power to fall afresh on us all!

Plane tickets are purchased

We are so excited!! Our plane tickets are purchased! We will be flying out of Chicago on May 11 at 4:15 and arriving in Entebbe, Uganda on May 12. We will be in Uganda until May 23 and we will arrive back in Chicago on May 24. Please pray for quick and easy transitions at the layovers! We don't have long layovers and Steve and I are not seasoned travelers!

We know God is in control and he will help us through whatever we get into!

Continuing to Provide

God has once again provided! My friend Mary and I (and other friends) were praying specifically for the right people to watch my kids for 2 1/2 weeks! It is a long time to leave them!!
God answered those prayers very quickly and he answered them in a way I would never have dreamed!
I was thinking of some couples from church that could maybe come to my house and maybe have our parents on the weekends, but didn't know what would be best for my kids.
God had better plans! They will be staying at Steve and Linda Snyder's for the whole 2 1/2 weeks. This is a great setup for my kids! They are wonderful people that will have the energy to care for my three kids. They live right by school, so my kids can bring bikes and ride to school(which they will love). They have friends that live very near the Snyders. On a selfish note, I won't have to prepare meals in advance. They also have been to Kenya so I feel they will be great prayer supporters with my children.
There are lots of reasons this is wonderful, but the most important one is that God planned it all in advance and all I had to do was pray and wait! He is a God of detail!!

Starting a Journey

So I haven't written on our blog in a long time, but things are different now than they were a year ago(or more). I want to write here so I can show family, friends, strangers and myself how amazing our God is! He is leading Steve and I in the direction of missions, which I never would have expected. I have maybe always had this desire, but never considered it seriously. People will tell you lots of things to be, but missionary is not usually one of them. In our world we need to go to college so we can get the best education so we can make the most money! Now that is generalizing, so don't take offensively if that is not you! I want my children growing up saying, "Lord, how can I serve you and what do you want me to do?" I read some of this in an Elizabeth Elliott book Keeping a Quiet Heart. It has stuck with me. We, from the time our kids can talk, ask our children "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I think we need to rephrase that question and ask the other I stated above.
Anyway, sorry, I got off my subject.
Two years ago on January 12, Steve's brother Jim went home to be with Jesus! He was a wonderful Christian man, who served the Lord in ways we didn't even know! We alway saw him as the strong man, godly father, loving husband, but we didn't always see his compassion. We knew it was there, just we didn't always see it when we were all together as a large family. When he was sick(before his body was so weak) he was so strong mentally to me and Steve. When he was getting all kinds of testing, he would say to me, "I am fine with whatever happens, God is in control and he will be enough for me." Those are not maybe his exact words, but close. He said he knew where he was going and if that is what was to be then he was ok with that. This is where our journey began, I think. At Jim's funeral, the men that spoke, spoke about the mission trips that Jim had been on and how strong he had been and compassionate to the people he was serving. He and Deb(his wife) had gone on several mission trips to Africa and other places (I'm not sure of all the places). They showed pictures of Jim holding tiny babies and other pictures of him serving. This made Steve want to make a difference, he wanted to continue the journey his brother had started. He wanted to make his brother's memory last. He loves his brother and misses him dearly. I often find him very quiet and then I know he is thinking of Jim. All these things were going on in my husbands mind about missions and I didn't even know it! (The Tiesenga men can hold alot inside themselves, it takes awhile for it to surface sometimes!)
In September of 2008, Tim and Angie Sliedrechts came and spoke at our church about their mission field in Uganda. We were so in awe of how the Lord was working thru them in Uganda, and we were overwhelmed by all the horrible things that were happening to the people in Uganda and how much they need the Lord. After church we went and talked to them about their life (I don't think I had ever done that before) . We said casually that we should form a trip from our church. Then we started keeping up with them through their blog or their newsletter and I did more thru my friend Kori (her and her husband support them). God placed them on our hearts, but we prayed, never thinking we could ever make the journey to Uganda. We have all kinds of excuses, we are too busy, we have little kids, we have no money!! All good reasons, right? Well sometimes it takes time, but if the Lord wants you to do something he will keep prodding.
In October of 2009 we helped our friends with a Ride for Refugees. This is a ride that raises money and awareness for refugees in Uganda, here in the US and anywhere really. This was another opportunity to be involved with Tim and Angie and learn about what they are doing. It was wonderful to serve at the ride! It was a great success and it was fabulous to see all these wonderful people giving of their time and money to ride in the rain. It was just a great experience. Our excitement grew for Uganda and our desire was heightened more.
Tim and Angie told our friends Glen and Kori that they should consider joining their team in Uganda and so we started talking to them about this and they said, we should considerate this too. It would be so much easier if we had friends to go with. So we started thinking about this. Lets go on a trip to Uganda and see what it is all about really. We decided that God was prompting us to explore this.
In December at a surprise birthday party for Glenn we all started talking about meeting and see when we could go to visit. I was so excited about this opportunity, I couldn't wait to meet and ask more questions.
On Friday, January 22nd we met with Tim and Angie. A new chapter in our journey. We are going to Uganda in May for a vision trip. Is this where the Lord wants us? We are anxious to find out! We have felt His guiding hand moving us in that direction. After meeting with the Sliedrechts, we both left feeling alot of emotions, excitement, nervousness, and so much more. I didn't sleep at all on Friday night, I was just too excited. On Saturday night I didn't sleep at all because I was gripped with fear. I was having a spiritually battle. The devil was saying how can you leave your kids for 2 weeks and more importantly how can you consider leaving your beloved family here if God is really calling you to long-term missions. How can I live without my mother and father and how can my kids survive without their wonderful cousins that they love so much! I can't do it Lord!!! I wanted to scream, I wanted to wake Steve up! I wanted to do anything but lay there with my thoughts. I prayed. God brought to my mind the fact that my family is His family. People who love Him and do His will. I will go where he wants us!!
I was very tired and mentally drained on Sunday, So many emotions!! Tears were right at the surface all morning, then Pastor Tom started to preach! Another confirmation!! Matthew 12:46-50 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."
He replied to him,"Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing at his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
God confirmed my sleepless night! I can live in Uganda away from my earthly family. It may not be easy, but if that is where His will is then we will be fine. He is closer than a blood relative! Wow!! That is hard! Do I love My Savior as much as I love my family? I want to and I think I do, but Lord this is a hard test!!
So this is where we are at! We are planning a trip in May and we are getting very excited to see what the Lord has for us. Please pray that through this trip the Lord will make very clear to us if we need to be in Uganda! We trust that he will open or shut doors. We are trusting Him and His Word, not our feelings, to lead us in the direction we should go!
I think I need to quit writing and go spend some time with Steve! He is probably wondering what I am doing!
So Goodnight for now!