Sunday Nights on the Tuininga Compound

A few months ago we began to open our compound up for Sunday Evening volleyball.  It has slowly morphed into a tradition of epic proportions.  

Our compound opens at 4pm and the adults and teens play numerous rounds of cut-throat volleyball.

The trees above the court offer a new dimension to the game.

The younger kids chill and play other games.

Most notably, Zombie Tag.

At about 6:00, I pull out the Caramel Popcorn and it's typically gone by 6:02.

Then, as the sun is setting, we pull out chairs and sing, praise God and pray together to close our day.

We praise God for all these young people...many of whom are seeking God apart from parents.  We are praying that God will raise a godly generation.  This past week, it seems as if Satan has taken notice of all the good work God is doing.  Several things came up with these young people this week that threaten to literally pull them away from the church.  Pray that God will continue his mighty work here!!  Pray for spiritual protection!

Herbert and Beatrice and Baby...a cute family of 3

We praise the Lord for the safe arrival of another covenant child in our community here.  Baby Eric (*smiles*) was born to Herbert and Beatrice.  Herbert is a student at KTC and maybe you remember when they exchanged marriage vows in a counter-cultural way last December in an effort to glorify God in their marriage.  Currently, they are living in Mbale where Herbert works as a night watchman.  Herbert is a devoted and godly husband who leads his wife in devotions and prayer every day.  He is also a hard worker. In addition to finishing his last year at school and his job as a night watchman, he is also pastoring the OPCU village church at Mazimasa.  He bicycles 17 kilometers every Sunday (each way) to bring the Word of God to the believers there.  Because transportation is too difficult for Beatrice, she attends church at Mbale OPCU.  

Beatrice's labor was very long.  Over 48 hours of hard active back labor.  It ended just after midnight on October 3rd with a c-section because her baby was in distress.  We have all continually praised the Lord that she was not in the village when she went into labor.  It would have almost certainly been a death sentence to her, the baby or both of them.  We were also thankful that she did not have to deliver at the free hospital here in town.  It is a dirty place with chickens roaming free, ladies laboring and recovering on the floor, the stench of urine and death hanging in the air.  To go under the knife there is dangerous at best, deadly at worst.  But because they were in town and because friends in North America have donated money to help with emergency medical needs like this, she was able to deliver at a cleaner hospital.  I was able to attend the last 12 hours or so and the more I reflect on how it went, the more I feel that death came close and the Lord was gracious.  The entire cost of 4 days in the hospital, major surgery and medicine came to $400 USD.  Pennies compared to a similar situation in America... but life to this precious, godly, covenant family.  And as an added awesome bonus...an OPC church in America hosted a baby shower for this couple, so they have nice cloth diapers, sweet hand made blankets and clothes...lots of clothes!  How fun!  :)

Friday Afternoon Bible Study

Here is a picture of one of the highlights of my week...Bible study with the ladies of Mbale OPCU.  We have four nations represented almost every week... Uganda, South Korea, Canada and the US.  What a blessing to be able to fellowship with these amazing ladies week after week.  Currently we are going through the book Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  I'm continually impressed and brought to my knees by the discussions that we have.  The examples my Ugandan sisters bring up are so wildly different than examples brought up in a developed nation.  In addition, many have never been shown what Biblical womanhood looks like...the beauty of being a wife and a mother.  But despite our wide variety of culture and upbringing, we all enjoy learning together and eating a chocolate something together and sharing a cup of tea.  Pray that God will continue to bless our little, but growing group to the praise of His glorious grace!

End of September Bullet Post Update...

:: William turned 6 last week.  He is always so excited about his birthdays...not because of the gifts, but because of all the special attention.  Super sweet!

:: We had a guest lecturer at KTC for the first class of the semester.  Now Eric is back to teaching.  He has 18 students this class and is teaching on Biblical Hermeneutics.  So thankful for the Lord's blessing in this.  Entering into the school year, we thought that there might only be 4 students.

::Just before the summer, KTC got power in the buildings.  Over the summer, the buildings at KTC were painted.  The campus is looking nice!

::Our little home school is coming along.  It's been a good few weeks.

    >The Banks of the Nile have been planted and flooded a little too much...

   >A grand attempt was made to string up a size-comparison model of the Solar System.

 
 >Katelyn made a chocolate Chinese-coin cake while she was studying the Taiping Rebellion.  (I like to pick projects for her that taste good and we all enjoy.  :)

::  Talitha was super sick again over the weekend.  It was never confirmed, but we suspected and treated for Malaria.  She seems to like to blow crazy high fevers (105.8) when she gets malaria.  It's no fun to have to cool her down with cold water, but we are thankful that the Lord is healing her.  She still isn't 100% today, but seems to be on the mend.  Thank you for continuing to pray for us!

Egyptian Day

Today was Egyptian Day for Miss Christi's students and I think you will agree that we had the two cutest little Egyptians running around...

Evangelism at the Borehole

Christi, our missionary associate, made this video about the work that went on at the borehole behind Knox Theological College this past summer.   We praise the Lord for the work that was done and pray that God will continue it with the planting of a new church.  Eric and 17 men spent 6 hours at KTC this past week in prayer and fasting for this opportunity.  Satan has already begun his work to destroy with great vigor.  God is greater still!  May God be glorified have his word proclaimed in this highly muslim area!  Please join us in prayer for it.

Happy Second Birthday, Talitha!

Yesterday was Talitha's second birthday.  She is a bundle of precious cuteness these days!  She loves crayons, dolls and Chic-Fil-A cows.  Her favorite book is the Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia.  And she is the only child I know that insists on having a pillow to lay her head on while I change her diaper.  (Probably a sure sign of readiness to potty train, but she is the youngest of 8. ;) 

We got this t-shirt as a hand-me down when William was two.  William and Benaiah both wore it and the kids found it first thing in the morning yesterday.  (I didn't even know we still had it!  ha, ha!)

And while she still insists that she is "one,"  she loved her birthday cake and unlike her brother, loved all the attention.

I made this video of her yesterday; a grand attempt to record her talking and capture a bit of her personality.  In typical 2 year old fashion, she has a bit of ADD and acts like she doesn't know the answers to my questions.  :)  I hope all the special people in her life who aren't able to watch her grow up in person, enjoy.  :)