The Twins, Lucia, and pictures of family time

Achen showing all her teeth. She has almost 6 now.




I thought the best post would be to update you on some things. First of all while Cody's family was here we went to visit the twins, Loma and Achen, in the village. It was so good to see them. They are doing really well. Loma is still having some troubles with his lungs but it is nothing severe and he is on an antibiotic. They look really healthy and their mom has done a great job taking care of them. It was such a joy to see them doing so well.



Lucia has been going back to her village to visit and after talking with her we all thought it was best for her to go back to her village permanently. This was a mutual decision, and we think she will be happier around her people. We also think she will have more purpose and things to keep her busy. It is getting close to harvest time which will be a great time of celebration for her and her village. Her leaving is a bittersweet thing for me. I have really enjoyed having her company, and there were many times she made me laugh. Especially the way she would come into the house and just babble off in Karamajong like I understand every word. She will be coming to visit us once a month when she gets her medication, so we are happy that we will continue to see her often. Please pray for two things for Lucia. One, that she would have a yearning for God. She was a part of our Bible time on the compound and such, and I would describe her as the seed that fell on rocky soil from the parable that Jesus tells. She didn't seem to really have a yearning to know God and to follow Him. Two, pray that she will gain weight and have an appetite for food, she is still super skinny.

We had a great time visiting Cody's family. I wish I could share lots of pictures with you, but they just don't load fast enough, but I picked out a few:
Of course we took them to sliding rock. This picture of John and Janaya is great!


Just another day at our house.





Cindy holding Akiar.



Our journey to Kotido. It was loooonnnngggg, but we made it! It was like a bumpy safari without the animals, and without comfortable seats :) John, Samuel and Cody were in the front.

Keli and Eliana

Our 4 wheel drive went out on the way to Kotido so the way back we got stuck, but it wasn't bad at all. Right after we started pushing the car, to get it out, another vehicle came by and pulled us out. None the less you can't come to Uganda and not experience getting stuck at least once :)

Reflections on the "Hiding Place"

I wrote this a couple weeks ago. Some of my thoughts in my journal:

I read 1 Thessalonians before going to bed. Chapter 5 seems so practical.

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

The next day I continue reading the book “The Hiding Place” which is a story of Corrie Ten Boom. I am toward the end where her sister and her are moved to a new concentration camp. Their conditions got worse from the last concentrations camp. They had smuggled a Bible into their barracks and would read it to the other prisoners. As they got to their new cell it was filled with noxious soiled straw where they were to sleep. Fleas were jumping all over them and biting them. Betsie, Corrie’s sister, asks the Lord right there to show them how they can live in such a way. Before she finished with the prayer, the answer came in the scripture they had read aloud earlier that day which happened to be 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Here is the dialogue:

“That’s it Corrie! That’s His answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’ That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”
I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul aired room.
“Such as? I said.
“Such as being assigned here together.”
I bit my lip. “Oh yes, Lord Jesus!”
“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”
I looked down at the the Bible. “Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.”
“Yes,” said Betsie. “Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!” She looked at me expectantly. “Corrie!” she prodded.
“Oh , all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.”
“Thank You,” Betsie went on serenely, “for the fleas and for---”
The fleas! This was too much. “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”
“Give thanks in all circumstances,’ “ she quoted.
“It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances,’” Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”
And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas.


-------
God is continually teaching me to give thanks in all circumstances, not just the ones that seem easy to give thanks. I have read 1 Thess. 5 before but with different struggles in my life I realized how I can loose my joy and begin to focus on the bad when there is so much good around me. A common theme for me while living here (if you haven’t noticed). Just like Corrie I find it hard to give thanks in all circumstances but when I stop and ask God how I can go on dealing with different circumstances......

I can give thanks.

Something else I learned from reading about the life of the Ten Boom’s is being thankful for the opportunity to share the word of God and the gospel. It is really humbling to hear about their situations in the concentration camps and yet it was so important to them to share the word of God to others. They were not worried about themselves and their circumstances, but rather the situation of others around them. This is not always my attitude. Many times I am worried about myself and my comforts, forgetting about the spiritual condition of those around me. My heart yearns, "Empty me Jesus. Empty me of my selfishness, empty me of the comforts I hold on to, empty me of my foolish emotions, empty me of myself. Fill me with your love, your meekness, your compassion, fill me with you!"

Pictures

We are down south getting supplies, getting dental work done, renewing visas, and waiting for Cody's family to come in, so I thought I would share some pictures while I can. Enjoy.



Joshua cutting onions. He tried to use goggles to prevent his eyes from watering. Didn't work so here was the second attempt........


It also failed. The next time he tried both together.




Samuel holding a sunflower from our garden. One of the only things we were able to harvest, due to the soil condition in our yard, and not enough shade :( There is always next year!


And you thought roads in America were bad. Now you see why we need a good vehicle. And to think this is not that bad! We did make it around those 2 trucks that were stuck.


Malachi and Eliana


Janaya and Rikot Williams


Carter and Slash. We finally were able to find him a tortoise for his birthday and he was so excited. The sad news is that he is now MIA after Carter played with him outside and accidentally left him there. Those tortoises are faster than they look, just ask the rabbit.


Joshua and Janaya teaching Lokong and Lopiye (Lucia's sons) how to write.

Eliana is almost 5 months if you can believe it!!

To See a Rose Among so Many Thorns

Tomorrow Akiar celebrates his 2 month birthday!



I make and nonchalantly distribute 9 bottles a day between the 2 babies staying with us, but for some reason this time I stop to "smell the roses". Something I don't always find myself doing because I feel at times I am surrounded by thorns. I have seen the thorns of babies dying in my arms; with that I stop to look at baby Akiar, and realize he is a rose.

Akiar is the baby that came from a large village about 7 miles from Kotido. His mother died giving birth to him and his family didn't give much hope for him, in fact they didn't even name him, expecting he would die. Another local NGO had given some supplies to help care for him, but his family had a lack of knowledge in caring for him. Here in Karamoja newborn babies don't survive without their mothers. He was a robust 10.5 pounds when he was born but after 2 weeks was down to a dwindling 6 pounds. They didn't know you should feed him more than twice a day.

His older sister and him came to stay with us when he was 2 weeks, and we are teaching and helping her to take care of him. It has been a rough road for little Akiar. After getting food and doing better, he had a severe case of pneumonia and then malaria. For a while it seems he was sick all the time, even suffering from different rashes. Not to mention his body was having a hard time on the formula.

His grandmother happened to come visit when he was very sick with pneumonia and again she gave up on him surviving. She ended up having to stay with us as she fell very ill while visiting for the day. We took her to get malaria tested and not only did she have malaria but also brucellosis. We were able to get her an IV and treatment from our house making it easier to care for her. Her staying for 2 weeks gave us the chance to share the gospel, and more of our love. Now when she comes to visit she smiles and has a hope for his survival. His uncles, and other family come to visit, now knowing he will survive.

As I stop to look at this beautiful rose God has planted, I am overcome with joy at the opportunity to get to see him thriving. Another rose pops in my mind-The opportunity to share the word of God with his sister and his family. For her to see Jesus's love in action.

Misty did a good job of naming him "Life" in Karamajong. Thank you Jesus for giving him life!
God has brought him through so much and he is now thriving instead of barely surviving.

The roses are there, you just have to stop long enough to look for them. You may even sometimes have to pick through the thorn bushes to find one.


Akiar's father coming to visit.

Hear from the Kids

I thought it might be fun to involve the kids in my blog so I had them answer the question, "What is your favorite thing about living in Uganda?"




Malachi-
"Church"







Carter-
"Swimming in Jinja first and then sliding rock second. Well maybe Red Chili first and swimming in Jinja second, then sliding rock 3rd."







Samuel-
"The thing I like about Uganda the most has always been my friends. My friend's names are Ezra, Zion, Izzy, Rikot, Veah, Selah, and Donian and there are more. They are really nice to me, they play with me. Most of the time, Ezra and Donian play football with me.







Janaya-
"The thing I like most about living in Uganda is a rock called slide rock. We sometimes go there to play with our friends."







Joshua-
"The thing I like most about Uganda is when I make friends and play football (soccer) with them. The other thing is when we go to football and play and then after that my dad tells them about Jesus. The other important thing I like about living here is helping people who are in need.

Lucia had her Baby!

Monday afternoon Lucia started to go into labor. She walked to the local clinic where they sent her back home to collect some things. We were on our way home from Jinja so were not able to help. She ended up delivering the baby on the road near the police bariks. A gentlemen assisted her and cut the umbilical cord for her. The baby was almost 7 lbs, so praise the Lord for that! She named the baby Michaela.
We have had some difficulties with Lucia since then. She didn't want to nurse the baby and was drunk for 24 hours (before we made it home). I was having to monitor her quite closely once we arrived home and made her nurse the baby since she had not done so yet. She is being rebellious about several things and it is beginning to show that she is having desires to go back to her old lifestyle. Please pray for her. Pray that her faith would take root, and that she could resist the temptation to follow her desires, but rather follow the desires of God. Pray that she would continue to want to be a good mother and would give love to her new daughter and her other children.

The Village Amoung Us

Cody and I have been working on updating our website. It is not yet complete, but there is a page that we made titled "The Village Among Us" This page has more information about who is staying with us. Lucia the elder lady living with us has been very welcoming to the newest babies and said she would be happy to help with making them feel welcome. She also stated that she has felt things in her heart that she has never felt before. It is really exciting to begin to see the change in her life and heart.

Our website is www.FollowJesusToUganda.com. On the left you will see all the links. Click on "Our Village."