Thursday, January 28, 2016

"I have no other option"

 "I have no other option..."



I John 3:16  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Thursday…Jeff, Dann & Steve have been pacing the property and meeting with builders, architects, surveyors and utility people.  Today, I think things might be coming together…PRAISE THE LORD forever more!  

I’m thinking maybe the enemy has realized they are not easy targets and has turned his focus in another direction.  I’d like to think he is beaten down and nursing wounds.  We know we win the war, but winning a battle every once in while deserves some cheering.  God has not just plain paved the way for everything, but we have waited, watched, listened and moved as we thought he was leading without a lot of affirmation, until late yesterday.
The two houses for the guard and cowboy are beginning to get some walls.  More meetings today and tomorrow will provide answers for some next steps.

 4 of us, along with Olivia and Melisa rode with Janet back to Kakira today.  There were a few we wanted to visit and follow up with.  

We had some time to sit with Rachel’s mom today and share the gospel with her.  We encouraged her that a handicapped child is no less valuable and that God is able to help her continue to raise the tiny 10 year old.  The neighbors and villagers marginalize a child like Rachel, and look down on the mother that gave birth to her.  

It would be so much better if the ones around her could encourage and support this mother and daughter, but this world responds in an upside down kind of way and doesn’t see through the same loving lens as her creator.

We prayed for Mama Betty and headed to visit an old woman, a grandmother who just buried her daughter last week.  We had visited in August and knew the girl whose mind was wracked with confusion and whose body gave way to AIDS.  There is no country where burying your own child feels right, no matter the age.

A forty five minute drive lead us to our young blind mama, Jennifer and her daughter Florence, the infant who we have been trying to sustain with powdered formula.  September’s visit gave such hope and by mid fall, her little arms, legs and cheeks had plumped up with the supplement.  

Today, the child was thin again.  It seems the young grandmother who has been managing the family has been absent for two weeks for a family burial.  No one in the house has eaten since early yesterday and it wasn’t the first or only day that things had been difficult.  

We immediately sent a family member off for flour, oil and beans.  While she was gone, the masses gathered.  When the van drives up, 4 little ones, become 10, become 50 very quickly. 


As they sat in the dirt, Micah shared the gospel and a few stories from Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  Every eager hand shot up when he asked if they wanted to pray for salvation.  A fair skinned, blonde child is probably never seen this far out, so their intrigue may have been a mixture of gospel and fascination.  Either way, they sat or listened to someone their own size encourage them to pray with friends and remember that people don’t save others, only God does.

We passed out 3 suitcases full of clothing, hoping everyone got something and headed towards town to visit another grandmother whose son had died and daughter in law left her 13 children.  We saw them all in September, but it was too much for this woman so she has given away all but 4.  Other families take them in to be house slaves…over working them, not sending them to school.   When we pressed, she heard the same answer we have heard so many times before.  "I have no other option"

At least one was taken to the capitol city of Kampala, just another child without a protector, being used in one way or another.   We tried to offer her help, rent for a couple of months and some money to start up a small business selling vegetables.  She is going to work on that and we are going to pray she doesn’t give up any more of the children.  

It was a good day in many ways, again, it’s difficult to see up close, the struggles.  We know God is big enough and allows it for his own purposes, but still…some days are uniquely sweet in a very heart breaking sort of way.  God help us all to live and love the way he directs.


The "See-er"



Wednesday…I just kind of want to sing “second verse, same as the first…a little bit louder and a little bit worse!”  

It feels like we have rocks in our backpacks or a millstone around our necks.  Everything is heavy with perspiration and waiting and repeating and the guys are troopers, but only the heavenlies know the battle that exists and who’s gonna win this round called Mission Trip Jan 2016.  

I can say that if it is defined by sticking in till the end, never giving up, patiently dealing with people and trusting God to move mountains…well, then our side gets the victory.  But if its about who owns what red dirt or getting 15 men to all work at the same time…for more than 30 minutes…perhaps things don’t look so good.

I’m not gonna bore you with the survey saga…except to say there seemed to be a very positive meeting today with the new Robert, our guys and Ben our attorney.  We’ll see…

The kids at Chayah began their craft project today.  Tissue paper over canvas with brushes in Mod Podge and oh my goodness we had some beauty and we had some sticky gummy tissue paper drenched in the glue like substance.  Each creator put their masterpiece in the sun to dry.

Mid-morning, the girls among us headed to Kakira to check in on a young woman we’d met the day before.  With her Dad’s permission we scooped them both up and headed to town, received some medical care and they were safely returned home.

It’s those trips, the ones where God has shown us someone or something that make me see again the suffering that is.  Chayah’s children are safe and healthy, going to school, learning about God and his love for them.  It’s easy to forget…and in a way there is this self-preservation that can creep in without notice.  

As Janet and I talked about it today, she expressed the heaviness and the heart ache of being a “see-er”.

She asks why God allows her to see so much suffering, so many different people that have so much trouble.  It’s one thing for us to notice the wide spread poverty…it’s quite another to see individuals you know by name who are struggling.  Beyond that, she has been called “the one who cares” or “the woman who helps”.   She has a huge heart and a gift of compassion and mercy which makes it all the more painful to see so much.

On the other hand, directing a ministry also means that she has the time and some financial means to help…still it feels like a drop in an ocean to her.

Today, we saw again, our own vision refreshed and we hear again a call to help as God leads. 
The internet again “disturbs” so though I am writing this at the end of the day…it looks like it'll make it to the history books long before the internet.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Swappin out the Roberts...Tuesday Jan 26th



Tuesday morning the guys headed for town to look at lumber and steel and other guy-kinda stuff, then met a NEW surveyor and we contracted to start the whole darn process over again.   Out with one Robert #1 and in with Robert #2. 

It’s weird and complicated and frustrating and finally I think we are on the road to being surveyed FOR REAL.  Or possibly not.  It could be faster to take the courses and get a degree in surveying ourselves and do it.

This guy, and his chief advisor are working so hard, climbing the hills, forging through maize fields, checking in on construction, meeting with all kinds of people.  Jeff finds a cell signal and works on the next step.  The open air “office” doesn’t slow him down a bit!  We are so grateful for both him and Steve.

We left the site and went to the house for some fun.  Olivia and Melisa had been put in charge of cooking lunch, but the rest of us started bending and gluing wire to canvas rectangles.  

Kristen and the kids did some origami kind of things, others attempted balloon animals, there might have been a mini water balloon toss out front and we ended the day with a walk to the Nile for swimming.   

Dann hung back to do some maintenance on the van and work on a broken shelf in the kitchen.  Jennifer our cook was so happy to see him this week and has been feeding us very well.  Today the cat was out of the bag…she needed her shelf fixed.  She is delightful any day of the week.  She is exuberant, loves to dance and will cheer on our kids at the slightest opportunity.  She is wildly entertaining to all of us.

As we hiked down the half mile trail to the river, Janet purchased fresh tilapia from a fisherman just coming up and we stood as “life guards” through the squeals, laughter and splashing session.  

We packed up and headed to town to pick up the newly welded rack for the van, bought some screws and landed back at the hotel.
 
Hot and tired once again…but thankful for the things that are falling into place and grateful just the same as we wait on the Lord for others.  

(Again...no pictures will upload!