Prayerful, Patient and Prepared...

The church signed this very sweet poster/card for us and gave it to us yesterday.

It's hard to believe that it's time to say, "see you later" to our dear ones here in Uganda.  We have two more days and then we fly back to our dear ones there in America.  We are so excited to see Timothy and the rest of our families!  It's been so long!  But our hearts are still a quite sad that we have to be away from here for a time.  Six months is the goal.  On the one hand, we know that it will pass very quickly.  On the other hand...it's half a year!  That's a significant chunk of time to be away!

We have 20 pieces of luggage that we are putting together, and, what feels like, more than a million little details in order to be able to leave our house and ministry in a good place.  It's no small task.  Our bodies are exhausted and yet, as if our brains won't get that message, we have been waking up at crazy hours with minds full of details swirling..."I need make sure I remember those CDs for homeschooling on the road. I still haven't gotten our malaria meds to take with us just in case. I hope we have power and water for the next few days so that laundry can be done.  Can't forget to pay workers before we leave.  Instructions for animals.  Instructions for compound. What do I still need to order off Amazon so I don't have to face Walmart right away?" The list is endless.

And crazy won't stop when we get on that plane.  Within just a few days of arrival in America, we have our first homestudy scheduled in order to complete Denise's adoption.  We also have an appointment for Benaiah with a pulmonologist set up.  Within a week, Eric and I will travel to Pennsylvania for meetings.  Within two weeks we will begin a cross country trek to Oregon with several stops along the way.

I've had three words on my mind to ask of you for our furlough.  In some ways I'm thankful for a few quiet hours between 4 am and 7 am, before the kids wake up and the noise of the day begins, so that I can take a few moments to copy them down. Three words... prayerful, patient and prepared.  Here they are:

Please be in prayer for us.  Pray for the ministry here.  Pray that the people that we work with will stand firm in their faith.  Pray for our fellow missionaries who will take on a heavier load than normal so that we are free to leave.  Pray for our hearts and the hearts of our children as we miss our dear friends here.  Pray for us as we leave "normal schedules" and slip into six months of "chaotic/not normal schedules" Pray that we can get at least a little homeschooling done.  (I know it's flexible, but our kids do need to graduate one day! haha!)  Pray that we stay healthy.  We've had a lot of sickness lately.  Pray for Denise as she enters a new culture that she's never experienced before.  Pray for the rest of us as we enter a culture we are expected to know, but might not really.

Please be patient with us.  Know that our lives are a bit topsy turvy right now.  A nomadic life has it's bonuses.  It also has it's burdens.  Please be patient when we show up tired.  Be patient, knowing that we...who are a bit on the introverted side...will be seeing and interacting with a lot of people in the coming months.  Know that we won't have very much time with just our little family.  Be patient with my kiddos who are actually leaving "home" to go "visit" America.  Be patient with them as they are re-learning and learning for the first time, things that are "as American as apple pie."  American teenagers probably should know what a Sausage McMuffin is, but we realized a few days ago that sometimes they don't. ;-)  My children who lived their early years in a culture that was a beautiful shade of blue and moved to a culture that is a beautiful shade of red have now become a beautiful shade of purple...more lovely than I could have ever imagined.  They will never be the blue that they were, but they are wonderful mixture that God is stirring up and I'm thankful for that.

Please be prepared for us.  So many people are working so hard to find housing, winter clothes, things we will need, etc...  Thank you for preparing for us in this way!!  We are so grateful!  If you live in North Carolina or Georgia, we are still in need of more winter clothes and sleeping bags for when we go across country.  Email me if you want details in how you can help out in this way.  Please also be prepared to hear what amazing things the Lord is doing in Uganda.  Christ's kingdom is growing and advancing and we are eager to tell you about it.  We look forward to being in many different churches in the coming months and telling you about what God has done.  We are also looking forward to hearing what God is doing in your neck of the woods!  Get ready to tell us!  We serve a great King, who is advancing his kingdom around the world.  Let's be ready to encourage each other and rejoice together in the mighty ways God is working.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."  Philippians 1:3-11