Christmas is here

It is officially Christmas. My husband and I successfully went all of this season without purchasing Christmas decor, items, and gifts. As a disclaimer though he did wish to get a Thank You gift for our pastor's family which we spent money on. 

This has been the most wonderful pre-Christmas season. I have had more time to spend in the Word and God has brought so many topics up to me through my Bible study (self & group). 

I have still not purchased any yarn or clothing for myself. I did purchase 2 new casual scarves to use as slings during my recovery from my shoulder surgery. It hasn't been hard at all to not purchase clothing but the yarn...that's difficult. I have to avoid my favorite craft stores. So hard!

This season has been so wonderful. I have been so blessed with so many people (old and new) in my life and only God can be credited for that. 

My prayer life an Spiritual walk have become so much stronger since my daily Bible reading. 

On my prayers lately have been the Robertson family (aka duck dynasty). They are really good Christian spokes-people and they need our prayers and support right now. They let the light of Christ shine in the mainstream spotlight in a way I have never seen before. I am so thankful they are our family in Christ and how great of examples they are!! Could you try to remember this family next time you talk to The Lord?

More prayers include children and women who cannot bear children (due to internal issues or husband's internal issues, etc.) I'm not sure if I am technically "unable" to bear children because I have been pregnant but I have never successfully given birth, or made it past the first trimester. But now, we simply can't get a positive test. So women who share these problems and trials are dear to my heart. I feel so sympathetic to our desire to raise a child. But I also believe that God is allowing us to go through this to give other women hope and to give them a kind of love and support that they can only find from women in similar situations. Could you take a minute to pray for a woman in your life who is having trouble with conception? I am reminded of a favorite passage of mine:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NIV)

We REJOICE in our sufferings!! Paul wasn't saying to simply be thankful or optimistic about our sufferings but he said to REJOICE! Rejoice is defined as "to feel or show great joy or delight."

Am I showing delight or joy in my sufferings? I believe I am starting to. I am really thankful that God has given me a platform. An open window into women's lives though this. I am thankful that I have a mother and cousin who volunteered to be a surrogate should I ever need one. That is a very very sweet thing of them to offer. I am thankful for the Biblical women who were barren and had amazing testimonies to be written about. I am thankful my husband doesn't resent me. I am thankful for the extra time I get to spend with other people's children since I don't have my own. I'm thankful I get to teach homeschool PE! 

So much to be thankful for. I am thankful for a young woman who carried my Lord for 9 months to give birth to him so he could sacrifice his life and save us. I am most thankful for that. 

Starting January 1, I will be reading the 1-Year Bible reading plan and would like to invite any readers to join me in an accountability group of readers. Let me know if you are interested! Click below to print out the plan.

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearbiblereadingplan.pdf

May God bless your Christmas- but mostly, may you bless GOD with your actions and form of worship on Christmas. To God be the glory!!

Rifle Season

Deer season has arrived! In Nebraska, we have a rifle season that lasts 10 days. It is a huge part of hunter's lives and really exciting too! I have gone deer hunting since I was too young to remember. My mama has always hunted since she was a young girl so she instilled a love for hunting and fishing in me (her only daughter) too! I am so thankful to not only have a dad that hunts but also a mama who hunts too!!

On Saturday, my husband took us to some great land to sit and look for deer. If you haven't ever had the opportunity to do this, let me paint a picture for you. 

You wake up at 4am. 4am. Don't worry, I didn't even know 4am was on a clock either. Then you get coffee (or chai tea in my case) lots of layers of clothes, hunting boots (a gift from my mama at my wedding shower...I kid you not- coolest mama ever) and hats, gloves, etc. Most clothes being camo or hunter orange. 

When I woke up at 4am at the sound of my husband saying "Come on, let's go," I can't say I was too thrilled. Who knows how many times he has to say that before I am conscious of it. He is a really nice "waker-upper." Then I got all my clothes ready, lunch, and a skein of yarn and some knitting needles. I can't be in a car for 40min and not use my time wisely :) 

We arrived at our destination and out we go. We walked a half mile or so through the pasture to sit by some trees with the wind in our faces and a great vantage point of the possible places a deer might appear. 

Rifle hunting is typically during the rut (which in "Bambi Language" is when they get twitterpated- meaning mating season). This means the bucks are letting their intuitions and guard down because their male reproductive instinct slightly over powers their survival instincts. You could say....they get a little unwise. :) Big bucks are hard to find. When someone kills one with a bow, that is a HUGE accomplishment! But we are just speaking of rifle.

On morning one, we did not see any bucks but a couple does. Then we had a coyote come up to us about 80 yards away and my husband shot him. He told me, "That was my first coyote of the year. It kicked off my coyote season." And I got to be there when he shot it! I was really excited when he told me that. I have only been coyote hunting with him on one trip. 

We got up from our spots and went on our way, checking with all of our friends and family on any deer they had killed. Come to find my mama shot a nice buck! As did my nephews! Great first morning! 

We went back out that evening but saw nothing. The next morning we went out, we sat in my favorite spot and I counted 18 deer that we watched. At least 6 were bucks but none were the size he was hoping for. A few of them came 20 yards from us and my rump got so sore from having to sit still (not my strong suit) and not being able to shift my weight without spooking the deer and compromising our hunt and position. We got to watch the "pursue of the doe" first hand while a smaller 4x4 chased after this doe in hopes of sowing his oats. Les told me about the deer mating tendencies while I made up captions to myself like I do when my dog looks at me a funny way. Or when we see 2 pigeons trying to mate- how can you not watch that and make up words for their actions?But back to the doe, If you ask me, she was definitely playing hard-to-get and she seemed to play it pretty well. Each time he would move toward her, she would take 3 steps away. I kind of felt bad for the guy but maybe she didn't like the scent he put on that morning.

It was fascinating to watch and learn but so hard to hold still for that long.

Eventually they left our eyesight and then I even got to read Hebrews on my Bible phone app.

It was an AWESOME morning! So much fun spending quality time with my husband doing when he loves to do. I truly enjoy hunting but I think I could love it more if the sunrise was a few hours later. 

I still haven't filled my tag but I am confident we will get some meat for our freezer! 

Happy hunting!!!

Go and Sin No more

I have had a whirlwind of a month. I have missed Bible study several times due to illness and I have felt distant from God for some reason. I don't like it. So I decided to read His Word. And spend some time worshiping Him with no distractions. My favorite way to do that is to lay down on the floor in my house and look up. It may sound funny but it gives me the sense of laying down in His presence. 

I haven't given God enough time the past couple weeks and I can always tell when I'm struggling with sin or with feeling distant from Him, it's because I am distancing myself subconsciously because I haven't repented yet. 

Sin separates us from God. That's the bottom line. When we are continually sinning, especially the same sins, we cannot be as close to God as He wants us to be. 

Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."

And David wrote in Psalm 40:11-13, "Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; let Your loving kindness and Your truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!"

Continuing in Psalm 40:14-17, "May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!” But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay."

I really LOVE v16. "But may all who seek You rejoice an be glad in You; may those who long for your salvation continually say, Great is the LORD!" (ESV)

These verses tell me that not only does send separate us from God but even David continually suffered from multiple sins that we don't even know about. But as believers we are held up to a higher standard. We are called to live holy lives. One definition of holy is, "to be dedicated or consecrated to God..." (Quick google search)

This is not optional- it is a command. But there is hope! 

1 John 5:1-5 says, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:1-5 NIV, italics and underlining added)"

Then the real hope comes in verses 11 and 12. "And this is the testimony, that God have us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever had the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life." (1 John 5:11-12) John is talking about eternal life. 

Do you have the Son? Do you, like me, have unrepentant sin? Let's get it taken care of and get back to our purpose on this earth- to GLORIFY God!

I'll leave you with this: 

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:7, italics and underline added.)

Go and sin no more!!!

(The back yard at Tender Hearts :)

GIVE IT UP!!!

I have been home for about 12 days now. I have had the opportunity to share with a lot of people the impact Africa had on us as a team. So many things have changed in my heart since leaving Africa. Even my appearance has changed! 

I had 2 African ladies braid my hair the last day I left. Cathy arranged it and I absolutely love it! My husband, that's another story :)

God has been working on my heart so much. As I mentioned previously, He had already begun working on my heart long before this trip took place. It has been hard trying to nail down the things God is asking me to do or change in my life. I have been talking to several ladies about what to do with all of this knowledge an experiences we have gained. I need to thank Jenny, Amy, Sara, and Grandma Jeanne for helping me sort out these struggles! And Mama, Elizabeth and Connie for the future talks we are going to have- I know I will be inspired by you soon! God has used all of you ladies in my life in so many ways! THANK YOU!

So far we (God, Amy, and I) have come up with 3 things I believe will help impact my life in the next 12 months. 3 things I feel God calling me to do and give up to better understand how excessive this American way of life is and how much sin it causes.

1. I will go 12 months without purchasing any clothing for myself. I feel that unnecessary purchasing of clothing may not necessarily be a sin I struggle with, but it is definitely something I don't NEED. I have a closet and a half FULL of clothing and I believe the money could be better used elsewhere to further God's kingdom or to help us become completely debt-free. Last night I even had a dream that I was in a new store and there were some really good deals and I was reminded that I cannot purchase clothes so I had to walk away. My subconscious is even thinking about this!! If I really feel the need for a special outfit, I will ask to borrow from a friend. Lookout ladies who are my size ;) also know that my clothes are up for borrowing too! Sara and I already do this actually!

2. This year, I will not spend even $1 on Christmas gifts this year. This will be HARD for me. I typically have an envelope in which I put $25-50 each month away to spend on Christmas for my friends and family. I usually spend $500 or so on this holiday. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! That is so ridiculous. I will still, however, make my Christmas food plates with my friends Rebekah and Bethany. It's a neat tradition and so fun to give them away and see the smiles on people's faces! This year my husband and I will not be purchasing any gifts for each other (I will still make him something homemade of course). But we will finally see Christmas as the holiday God intended it to be. TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST!!!! Stop and ponder that. The Birth of our SAVIOR! The reason we have eternal life. The greatest gift we will ever receive! How do we manage to neglect praising our Father for this??

I haven't gone so far to swear off gifts completely, but any gift I GIVE, will be homemade or something we have in our possession already and do not need. (This goes against everything American culture has taught us!) I am really struggling on accepting gifts too. I have a wonderful mama whose love language is gift giving so it would be almost impossible for her to not give Les or I a gift so I have asked her for a simple machine-sewed quilt :) I would love if the gifts given were monetary or item donations to the Tender Hearts Baby's home!

3. Finally, I will not be purchasing any craft supplies for the next 12 months either. No Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's visits. I am considering having an option for fabric purchasing should I make a quilt or something. But I desire to use the yarn I already HAVE for my projects this year and to cease purchasing unnecessary sale or clearance items that "maybe I will need someday!"  (DISCLAIMER AS OF 2-5-14: I forgot that I said no "craft supplies" and thought I wrote "no yarn" and I have purchased craft supplies such as fabric and ribbon trim in 2014. I feel guilty now for not remembering my promise!)

If you know me well, these 3 challenges are not going to be easy for me. God challenged me on 3 areas I struggle SO MUCH in. Especially Christmas! But I foresee this Christmas being my most memorable yet with simply celebrating the birth of my Savior instead of celebrating the giving of gifts. I am so excited for it!!

So now I am going to challenge you! What if you and your family trimmed down on Christmas gifts this year? Maybe spent just HALF of your usual Christmas budget and donated the rest of that to the Tender Hearts Baby's Home or another Christian organization God lays on your heart? What if? How much are you willing to give UP (up to heaven)? Give it up to God! Let's work a revival in this country! Let's stop the unnecessary spending (that sounds like the National Budget talk) and give that money to further the KINGDOM OF GOD!!! What are YOU doing to further God's kingdom!? If you aren't doing anything physically, then I challenge you to do it financially!!! My mentor Connie and her husband mentioned this to my husband and I and it has resonated in my heart ever since.

How far are you willing to go to radically change your life? Let's start giving UP!!!

Go in God's grace!!

This is a picture of the best time I had with the sweet children- coloring and drawing. I have some of their work. So precious!

Leaving Africa

Disclaimer: I journaled on my ipad most nights so these posts are not chronological. I apologize for the confusion!

24 hours remaining in this country- on this on continent. I am confused as to how I should feel. 

I do stress out having to go home to all of the stress that I have awaiting me due to being gone for so many days. The office was not tidy when I left it so I have things like that awaiting me. But I don't want to simply get back into the hustle and bustle off things as if I never even went on this journey. How do I live with so much  but also understand that I was born into it and nothing in life is fair. I try to think about how the people of Uganda seem to deal with the situation they have been born into. Most of them do not know any different. Many of the middle class haven't even left the country in their whole lives. Do they believe they are in poverty? In america we focus so much on how much money, investments, power, position, and possessions we have. That is basically how we define ourselves and others. In June I deactivated my facebook account because i fell into the trap of comparing myself with others so God challenged me to get rid of it. It was so freeing!!!! I am still not on it and I'm telling you- my quality of life has been so wonderful because of it. I challenge you to fast from facebook...or better yet, deactivate it! I challenge you.

This trip has made me ask myself so many questions about my character. How do I define people? Do I love them for who they are? What they do? How much they have? How good they smell? (That may sound funny but I have experienced a lot of new smells in the last few weeks.) 

I can securely say one thing that I have found extremely true in America and sadly true of myself. "Americans like to be comfortable." We like to be comfortable to a fault. We eat when we have hunger pains or if we are hungry. We plug in a fan or turn down the A/C when we are hot. We wrap in a blanket when we are cold. We avoid people we don't prefer to spend time with. We charge our cell phones every night to avoid draining the battery the next day (we all know how annoying that can be.) We fill up our gas tank when it gets low to avoid running out of gas and heaven forbid having to walk further than a few blocks. We find a toilet to relieve ourselves when we need to go and if the public toilet doesn't look clean enough, we use a different one or hold it. We use bug spray to avoid getting bit by bugs. We go shopping when we feel our closet isn't full enough or lacks an outfit or two. We clean our house when company comes over so they don't think less of us. We use ATMs to avoid running out of cash. We go through the Drive Thru at McDonalds to save standing in line for an extra 90 seconds or because it is raining. We use umbrellas to not get wet. We shop at walmart because we want the convenience of only having to stop at one store or we think it is cheaper (and lets be honest, shopping the sales at our local grocers is usually less expensive than going to walmart. How many things do we get that weren't on our initial list...extra spending that adds up ;) We refrigerate everything (my home alone has 2 fridges and 2 deep freezers.) We put ice in our drinks. We heat up our food to make it taste better. We add salt; we add pepper. We want our food to be pleasing to our tastebuds even though the main point of food is to fuel up our bodies (energy). WE LOVE COMFORT!! I have loved comfort all my life! The food thing, since having gone gluten-free, however, has not been much of a struggle...we GF people learn to eat what we can, when we can whether it tastes good or not. But I am guilty of comfort being an idol. I am guilty of all of those statements. i am more guilty than the next person- especially about having a fan nearby.

WE LOVE TO BE COMFORTABLE!! Heaven forbid we spend an entire day 10 degrees above or below our comfortable temperature level. 

Before going on this journey, I could feel the Lord working on my heart. It began around February of this year. He challenged me to do many things- give up facebook, give up pop, look at my husband in a different light, support my husband in the selling of our house, allow God to provide for us a shelter, trust Him on the topic of having children (and whose womb they come from.) Allow Him to show me different people in a different light. Start new relationships with people I would not have typically found myself in a relationship with. (You can pick up your jaw now- yes believe it or not, I do have times where I am nervous to speak to people.) He challenged me to read my Bible DAILY. Spend less time on activities I used to idolize. Spend more time in silence. Drive along the road in silence allowing God to speak to me. Spend more time with my brother and have more respect for him (that challenge has been such a blessing!!) Honor my parents. Educate myself on our country, the world, and economics (this one is only possible with the help of my awesome husband.) Wear less makeup- all summer I wore makeup about 2-3 days a week or less. Wear my hair the way God grew it. (I have very naturally wavy/curly hair.) Simply wearing less makeup and spending less time doing my hair, and being in front of a mirror, has changed my attitude so much on what I look like, how much it matters, and how to look at other people differently. I think I could write a whole book about that topic.

Before now, I was already aware that God was working hard to change me. A LOT of life-altering things and events  have occurred over the last 9 months of my life (not all of the things happened to me but to people in my life). I feel like this trip to Uganda was a grand finale, tying everything together. I have learned to take seriously the opportunities that show up. Meet with people and mentors for coffee. Pray with someone on the spot. Ask people questions. Get to know them and ask them what their story is. Give things away.  Make new friends.

I have made a new friend named Shamila. she is my new African sister. I asked her what her dreams are...her biggest dream is to go to america to work and serve the Lord. She wants to help the needy. She has an amazing testimony and was took in by ken and cathy. God bless them for taking her under their roof. She has inspired me more than I could ever have imagined possible by one person. I asked her what her hobbies are and she said, when I have free time I worship my Lord. I read my Bible and sing praises to Him. Jesus is her hobby.

I am quite envious of Ugandans for many reasons. The people in this country aren't so worried about their investments or what the stock market is doing. They aren't worried about having life insurance or how Obamacare is going to ruin their health insurance. They seem to understand better that we are all on this earth for such a little time. We will go to heaven or hell after this. Earth is our temporary home. They spend a LOT more time preparing for their future inheritance from God.

On the contrary though, many of them do worry about where their next meal is going to come from or how much water they can carry back to their house. Some of them do wonder how they will take care of their children. Many of the believers i met, however, do try their hardest to simply serve The Lord. They love Jesus so much that He is their hobby.

Is Jesus your hobby? Is worshiping your hobby? When is the last time you spent a whole hour with Him and nobody or nothing else? I dont know when i did either. I am going to make Jesus my hobby.

So many great things came out of this trip, but I believe the thing that impacted me in the strongest way was Shamila telling me that her hobby was worshiping the Lord and serving Him. I desire that.Myy heart longs for Shamila's faith and love for her Lord, Jesus Christ. 

I feel a great love for Shamila and I am going to try to play a part in bringing her to America to fulfill her dream. I don't know what she will have to do to get here, but i am going to begin praying for her to come if God will permit it.

the culture here is so different but once you start to learn it, things make a lot more sense. america makes more sense. i understand better why people behave the way they do or why they work as hard as they do. Even the English language makes more sense here.

So how do I continue on in my life now knowing what I know now? What can I do to live on the bare essentials? How can I serve my husband better? How can I serve The Lord better? How do I  properly process everything that has happened on this journey? Does anyone have any ideas? These are not rhetorical questions. I think there needs to be a support group for this! I want to begin reading the Jen Hatmaker "7" book study. I think it will be appropriate and helpful.

 With all of this said, I know one thing for sure that came out of this trip. God can show me things in a different light than before. He can tell me things that will make more sense. Asking me to give up my large home to possibly live in a camper definitely doesn't seem so difficult now. Asking me to spend less time on my appearance and more time in His word seems more exciting now. And asking me to blindly trust in my husband and in God seems much more exciting now knowing that when I submit myself completely to Him, more glory to God could come than I could ever imagine- miracles can happen; God's will can finally be done. He has been tugging at me to change my heart and change my ways. To change my thinking and to be a better ambassador for Him.

What is God asking you to do? What is He asking you to give up? Try it, just giving up one luxury for the next month. What can you live without, that you never thought possible? Instead of doing that thing, spend that time with God. He will begin show you things you never saw before.  

The time has come to leave Africa for now. I truly believe I will be back. But until then, God has a lot more work to do on my heart and attitude. Thank you, people of Uganda, for being a part of this revival in my heart and in my life!,

Leaving Uganda

We are getting on the plane! I will update as soon as I have some good wifi. Thank you for bearing with me and my lack of posts! 

I am so thankful to God for this opportunity to see Him in a new way. I have so many things running through my mind. 

God is so evident in these people. Ken and Cathy have such huge hearts to not only start a home for abandoned babies, but to also open up their home to their 3 adopted children, and 3 more with poor home lives...and their 3 biological children. May God continue to bless this couple for their amazing love they have for those who have no voice. 

I am so encouraged, and excited to begin new ministries. May God pave the way!! 

Church & Culture

Sunday we were blessed to go to church. we had to wake up early and get on the road by 7am. Church began at 8 and we arrived a few minutes after 8. Breakfast at the retreat didn't start until 8 so I was a bit hungry with only having a few protein bars.

The congregation had probably 1000 people in it. It was a HUGE building that looked like a cattle barn at the State Fair. There were chairs lined up and a large stage with a lot of vocalists on it. An electric guitar, piano, and trap set were instruments. What an experience!! The sermon was wonderful too. Very convicting!

After church, I needed to use the restroom. The bathrooms were around back in the school yard. First you took your toilet paper bz where the co-ed sink was. Then you walked around the brick wall to find 2 stalls. It smelled like an outhouse; it looked like an outhouse. But it wasn't quite as nice as an outhouse. It was a stall with a hole in the ground and some tile around the hole.As a farm girl, I am pretty comfortable about relieving myself in the woods so I thought I could use just about any type of facilities. I guess I found my loophole in "about." I did use the facility though...so I guess I conquered.



After church we had a light pastry for snack and went to the Baby's Home. We were there for feeding and nap time. It was so great to be with the children. I have already started to bond with a couple of them. There are a couple boys who just have my heart in the palm of their hands.



Then came the indoor mall for lunch around 2pm. This was a new experience dining in a Ugandan food court. The waiters come and flock you before you sit down and all try to get you to order off their menu. It is quite different!!

Following dinner we were on our way to an African culture dance show. Very fun! But while we were there we didn't eat supper and we left around 9:30 at night. I was quite hungry by then. When we got home we talked about skipping the two meals of the day and I complained my share. Then Dan said, "Boy aren't we spoiled. We skip one or two meals and we go hungry for a couple hours. Imagine what these Africans go through." That was really convicting. I went to my hut and decided to talk to God and journal about that. I felt pretty pathetic after letting that soak in.

This country has raised so many questions in my head. How do we, as Americans, accept that we were born into one of the most developed countries in the world but still remember those who were born into less developed countries and try to help them? Especially the widow and the orphan (James 1:27). Many of these people have to walk hundreds of yards or even several miles just to get to their daily jug of water to use for their daily activities like washing clothes and dishes. How do I move forward knowing that there are people out here who have to do such things? I have been around poverty. I grew up around families in poverty. But I am not sure how to define poverty anymore. Is it income based? Is it based on what you have or don't have? My own grandma still uses a 1950s laundry washing machine and walks everywhere she goes because she doesn't have a working vehicle right now. But when you offer her money she does not accept it. She believes she must work for what she has.



On the alternative, if you offer an adult beggar something here, you are giving them a reason to keep begging. It is a state of mind.

I would like to continue on these thoughts but the internet cafe is closing....more tomorrow!!!


Sunday's photo will have to come in the next blog!!

GOD BLESS!!!!

First thoughts

Disclaimer The kezboard here is quite different than that of an American kezboard. The Y and Z are in the opposite places and the punctuation isnät in the same spot as ours. The Shift kez is weird too. So <i am sorrz for the inconvenience!!! <I didnät have time to edit or proof read this.



We are alive!!! Those were the best flights I have been on ALL YEAR!!! This is the first time I have been on the internet since we got here. I spoke to Les today and he is getting ready to bow hunt for some bucks on some of his land. I MISS HIM SO MUCH!!!

My sweet parents have been taking care of  my sweet dog Kona...THANK you mama and dad!!!
Now about our TRIP!!!!!!!!!

This picture is of the grass hut-concrete building that we are staying in. It is so nice. We are staying at African Village Hotel and management school. SO NICE!

This picture is Ken Nganda, the starter of the baby home receiving his brand new iPad from a donor!!! He loves it very much and is so thankful!

This picture below is of a boy living on the land from the new site of the baby home. I want to put pictures of the current home but they are on my phone so I will have to try that later.

 

 This picture above, of the little girl was so touching to me. We stopped along the road in Mokonu to buy some sugar cane and I saw her all alone on a store front. She is cutting Jack Fruit. She is so young and has a huge corn knife in her hand. I walked up to her and gave her some fruit snacks. By her smile, it made her day :)

This picture below is a family living on the baby home site. There are three widows and their families living on the land so Ken, by law, is obligated to allow them to continue living on the land. But if you met these women, you would not want to kick them off of your land...laws or no laws. They are so special and we got to meet them and give them groceries. It was so beautiful.

This trip has been a life-changing experience. I am going to start with my journal entry of the first morning upon waking up in Uganda.

Day 1 7AM Uganda time, Audra's body's time: That is still undetermined.
Upon waking up I count 4 or more species of birds singing to us. It is almost too many sounds! SOOO neat! 

Then the sounds of man-made machines interrupts the beautiful nature sounds. Now I hear what sounds like a lawn mower. But I don't remember seeing grass so that cannot be right. I can hear them fading as if they are moving to a different hut. M< curiosity of knowing what they are doing and my increasing ache in my head are in battle. The ache wins for a few more minutes. I get up to peer out the window with my God-given, non-corrected vision to make out a riding lawn mower. Didn't see that coming. I haven't seen the landscaping quite yet though, because we arrived at night. 

I did not expect to be cold and shivering though. I am actually cold; on the equator.  Didn't see that coming either. I can't help but think about my husband. I tried to call him last night but his voice mail was full. Typical :)

The decorating in the room is light but Christian and feels very homey. The lawn mower just killed his blade. He is only idling now. I may get to return to the beautiful sounds of Africa. I can hear it fading away. The ache was leaving but comes back when the mower does. And the blade is back on- the lawn mower and ache win again as I continue to lie in my bed.

I can tell that 5 hours of sleep wasn't quite enough. Jet lag is beginning to take its course. My head pounds, the room is spinning, and my eves fight to stay open. My body lay weekly on the bed. I can feel my blood course through my veins. I found out later that I had vertigo. That explains a lot.

The mower faded away again and now I can hear the locals. Their language is so beautiful. They sound so happy. Happy happy happy.

That was my first morning in Africa!!


 We have only been here for 2 days and already, we have seen so many different things that I never thought I would see. The weather feels a lot like Hawaii. The mountains and hills look a lot like Hawaii too. I never thought I would come to Uganda and compare it to Hawaii.

The streets have no road signs. There are no lines. There are no street lights. There are people walking along the road ALL OVER and there are cows, goats, and chickens running loose. It is almost unbelievable. 

There are dozens of market places along the roads. They get used items from the Salvation Army stores in the city and sell the items on the sides of the roads. 

I have met so many sweet, kind-hearted people. It takes my breath away. They seem to be so happy. 

Most Americans would call this severe poverty but I don't believe the people here would see it that way. They seem to focus on the positive and what they have and not on what they do not have. They have faith....a LOT of faith.

I am off to eat supper at Ken and Cathy's home! Hope to update you tomorrow!!!!

GO WITH GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS The kezboard here is quite different than that of an American kezboard. The Y and Z are in the opposite places and the punctuation isnät in the same spot as ours. The Shift kez is weird too. So <i am sorrz for the inconvenience!!! <I didnät have time to edit or proof read this.

 

On our way!!!!

Here we go! We are waiting at the Omaha airport. Went through the security and such pretty smoothly! I think it was the first time all year that I wasn't stopped and searched individually. Woo hoo! We depart for Jersey at 9am. Not far from Ground Zero on 9-11. Ironic.

My 6-yr old nephew Jager called me to wish me safe travels on the trip. Every time he calls to do that it almost makes me tear up. How precious it is to hear a child tell you that they love you! 

Les dropped me off here at the airport. I'm going to miss him for these next 2 weeks! 

Yesterday, Les and I were able to meet with a friend who shared with us, her adoption story. She has been to Uganda 8x in 4 years and has 3 adopted children. They are PRECIOUS! She had so much wisdom, advice, and tips to give me. She also loaned us a few travel adapters and a phone to use. What a huge blessing! Thank you B!

Here we go!!

It is well with my soul

Today marks just 5 more days until we leave. People often ask how the packing and planning is going. To be honest, it is quite well. This whole process has been such an eye opener. Our team has been so blessed by God through fund raising, donations, and prayer support. It is amazing! 

A friend from Montana has rallied her church ladies and youth to make bibs, blankies, and burp cloths!!! 

It is SOOOO awesome to see how God uses His people to come together for His higher purpose!!! We are so thankful for our Montana friends for sacrificing their time and money to give the Tender Hearts Baby's Home some homemade blessings! Thank you SOOO MUCH!!!

I have (& had)  a couple coffee dates/dinners with some mentors of mine in this last week of preparations. It has been such a great, low-stress week! God has faithfully kept my plate just full enough that I can handle it! 

This weekend I am speaking briefly at Stockham Community Church to share about the trip (before and probably after as well). I look forward to rallying prayer support from the people of Stockham!

I am looking forward to this journey. A friend wrote me a sweet letter, that had some powerful words. I'll close with her quote about the trip.

"It won't be what you dream it to be and it won't be what you want it to be, but it will be God's and it will be good." -Jen Stutzman

16 days

We leave for Uganda in just 16 days. I can hardly believe it. Before this month, my thought process was more focused on what we needed to pack, purchase, and take along with us. And also how to dress and care for the people when we get there. 

But now my thoughts are really leaning toward how we can be of use by Christ while we are in the continent, country, city, and Tender Hearts Baby's home. My prayers are redirecting. 

Lord, please use us. Mold us and show us what Your will is for this trip. Guide us along this path and put the people we are to meet, in our path.- Or put us in theirs. Present us with opportunities to show Your children Your gospel. Help us be impacted in ways we didn't know possible. Bless Ken and his family and staff for the work they are doing in helping to rescue these orphans and find Christian homes for them to be adopted into. And Lord, as I have requested before, please show me if your plan is for Les and I to adopt. Please either strengthen his desire for adoption, or weaken mine. But mostly, please continue to help me trust you and Your Perfect Plan.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Have a little faith- or a lot.

Today I was blessed to have God speak to me and also answer a prayer within just 3 hours of praying. 

This morning during church I had to excuse myself to go to the restroom and have a chat with God. I asked him to bring someone into my life to help me through what I'm going through. I told him I cannot handle it on my own but I will not lose faith in Him. The character of God is described by some to be complex but to me his character can be described quite simply- God is faithful, God is loving, God is just, God is merciful, but God is sovereign. God is the only thing that has remained constant throughout my whole life. God does not change.

About 12 weeks ago I asked God to present me with a trial because my life had become too cushioned and my faith didn't feel like it was being challenged. Not 2 weeks later my brother's wife left him. That has been extremely hard to watch my brother go through.

Then shortly after that I was presented with the opportunity to go to Uganda. I was elated! Then four weeks ago my husband informed me (with my knowledge & consent) that we are indeed going to sell our house and that it needs to be on the market by this weekend. I am working hard trying to pack up my home but also make it show-ready (we've only lived in it for 16 months so it is not much work) while also trying to help my brother pack up his wife's belongings and also preparing for a fundraiser garage sale, & the Africa trip in general. Then not to mention it is time to start putting up my vegetables and fruit.

It didn't occur to me until last week that I cannot possibly do all of the things that need to be done before it is time to move. But I know God is faithful.

 The missionary today at lunch mentioned that we are not to get anxious...about ANYTHING. The verses that came to my mind when I heard that were Philippians 4:6-7.  "Do 

not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

This missionary was the someone I asked God to bring into my life just 3 hours prior to my hearing his testimony. God is faithful. My oh my is He faithful!

I have struggled with feeling like I live too lavishly and too comfortably and my faith isn't tested or being strengthened enough. Then this past week it occurred to me that if/when our house sells, we will not have a house to move into. But we do own an office building that we will be able to live in. There is no shower or kitchen but we can manage. God is faithful. 

Selling our house is a leap of faith that we want to honor God with our finances and get out of debt. By doing this we feel we will be obeying His command of not having outstanding debt. 

I have faith in my husband. I believe in him and I believe he is getting wisdom from The Lord. But if we are wrong in trying to sell our house, and The Lord doesn't want it to sell (or want us to move) then it won't. God is sovereign.

My flesh wants to get angry or scared that we may not have a secure place to live but I trust in God and I trust in my husband. Where they lead me, I will follow. 

I thank God for allowing me to hear the testimonies of the missionaries. They were exactly what I asked for and said exactly what I needed to hear. I pray that someday I can have the faith that they have and continually serve The Lord by faith and perseverance. 

A new journey...

This is a beginning. I think I should have started this a while ago but here goes my maiden voyage in blogging!

A little overview about me- I LOVE Jesus! Also I have a hubby and a sweet yellow lab named Kona. She is our only child so far. We desire to have children, but it hasn't worked out so far. I truly desire to adopt (and have had that desire for 10+ years now) but my husband isn't quite ready for it (and maybe never will be). We are only on our 3rd year of marriage though...we have time, God willing.

I was raised on a farm in the amazing state of Nebraska, paid mostly for college by Pole Vaulting and picked up a little Spanish and Pottery and a lot of Sign Language along the way. After college I became a Strength Coach and Personal Trainer...then a Substitute Teacher & Pole Vault coach. Now THAT was a good time! I learned a lot about patience in those years. In 2011 I married my awesome husband Les and I became a housewife, online retailer, customer service representative, photographer, and bookkeeper. I still coach Pole Vault and I have added Homeschool PE Teaching to that resume since getting married. I love to wear my many hats but my favorite is housewife and COOK!

Since January 2013, I have been out of the state or country at least every month. Not bad for this housewife! It has been a whirlwind of a year! God has been doing a revival in my marriage and my life and I am so excited to be a part of it. Just when I thought my travels were about to be over, in June I was presented with an opportunity to go on a trip with my fellow church family, to Kampala, Uganda!! We will be visiting the Tender Hearts Baby's Home to help them with the building of a new baby's home. Tender Hearts With the approval of my husband, but the denial of his attendance, it became clear that I would get to go on this journey with 8 others from my church. I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are!!!

With that being said, I have asked God through this trip, to increase my desire for adoption, or to subdue it. In addition, I have been praying for Him to strengthen my husband's desire, or to have his direction be my answer. God is faithful. But God may not have adoption in our future. I trust Him...trust is the only choice I have. God has been the only...the ONLY constant in my life since I can remember. Every choice I have made, and throughout everything that has ever happened to me (good or bad), God has been with me through it ALL.

So I intend to journal about this Uganda experience but I decided I wanted to begin writing about it before we leave. We leave on September 11th...28 days to go. Follow us on this journey and join us in praising God as we see Him reveal Himself to us and the people of Uganda!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  -Romans 12:12