Resonate: 2008

7.04.2008

Uganda: A Safe Journey

Generally speaking, our journey to Kampala has been safe and uneventful. We had only one cancelled flight, but thankfully, it did not disrupt our remaining flight schedule. We are now in our hotel in Kampala, longing to crawl into bed and sleep, but keeping ourselves awake so that we can adjust to the time difference more quickly. We have a couple of things on the agenda this afternoon before we head to bed --- visiting something here in Kampala (can't remember the name) and then dinner with the team.

Tomorrow, we are planning to visit the Good Samaritan's School near Kampala and spend the day playing with the kids. Sunday we will be leaving to make the 5 hour drive to Gulu in Northern Uganda. Updates to the blog will be very difficult from there, but we'll try to touch base when we return to Kampala.

Thank you for continuing to remember us in your prayers...

Uganda: Greetings from Africa!

We've made it to Nairobi, Kenya and are awaiting our final flight to Entebbe (Kampala), Uganda. The trip has been very long and tiring, but we've had fun getting to know our NLC crew better and the rest of the World Help team. We were able to stretch our legs a bit in London when we headed into the city for a quick walking tour of Buckingham Palace, Picadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and the River Thames.

We're almost there! Please continue praying for strengh and endurance. We will have a day's drive to Gulu once we're in Uganda!

By the way, it's the 4th of July... so Happy Independance Day! More later if we have access!

7.01.2008

Uganda: Stepping Forward...

On the eve of our departure, a song keeps running through my head... and a prayer that the Lord would fill us up to send us out for the sake of His name and for the benefit of others.

So tomorrow morning, we will step forward...

*** If you have less than 5 minutes, watch the video above to hear the song and see the images.***

God of Justice
by Tim Hughes

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

6.30.2008

Uganda: Last minute requests...

You know how the most important word in foreign mission vocabulary might very well be the word "flexible"? Well... that is definitely where we found ourselves today... 2 days before our departure... trying to bend in whatever direction we need to!

It looks as if the New Life crew (plus our honorary member, Karen) may have a new job to do in Gulu... one that we are not entirely prepared for at this time! We used today and we plan to use some of tomorrow to get ready for this new task, but we could really use your prayers. Pray that God will give us the right words to speak and that the Gospel would be spoken clearly and accurately. Pray that all the things we have learned through our own experiences --- things like the 3 Habits and Pastor Steve's SOAP thing --- would be brought to our minds at the right time so that we might share what it means to grow spiritually.

But He said to me "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses...
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Uganda: Getting Ready to leave...

After months of planning and preparing, it's hard to believe that we have only two days before we leave for Uganda. So much heart and prayer and work have gone into getting ready that we can hardly sleep... the excitement is just nearly too much!

Last night, our team got together to pack the ministry bags and talk about last minute details. We are so grateful to the generous and caring members of New Life Church who have donated all kinds of humanitarian aid --- from toothbrushes to bubble gum to bags of children's clothing. With the money that some of you donated, we were able to purchase a huge bag of sports equipment and toys --- footballs (American, that is), soccer balls, baseballs and baseball bats (still in need of old gloves, if you have any to donate!), frisbees, cones, bases, air pumps, baby dolls, and matchbox cars! And a special thanks to Sports Authority who gave a us a wonderful discount on these purchases!

So... most of the ministry bags are packed, and only our personal bags remain. We can't help but wonder with such incredible anticipation what the Lord has in store for this trip. For most of us, this is our first trip to Africa , and for some of the team, it is their first trip outside of the United States. Oh, how we long for God to open our eyes wider than ever before so that we might deeply taste and see His goodness! And oh, how we long to share that with others!

As the Father brings us to mind, please continue to remember us in your prayers. Over the next couple of days, please pray that God would strengthen our bodies to endure the very lengthy travel schedule --- we will be traveling all day on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th! We will have a little breather on the 4th when we arrive in Kampala, but not much. Whew!

As mentioned before, we would love to be able to keep this blog updated throughout the trip, but we don't know what kind of access we will have. If you want to keep updated, you can subscribe to our feed by clicking here. Doing this will help you stay updated if we are able to post from the road.

Thanks for holding the rope...