I can’t believe I haven’t written about this… but at the time it happened, we were traumatized, and in the middle of getting ready to leave the country for a month, and life is just beginning to settle down from all of that… I’m so sorry for being delinquent in sharing my life with you!
Kelli and I thought we lived in a relatively safe neighborhood. There had been a few security concerns in the area, but between the 10-foot wall around our compound and the watchmen who work for us during the weekdays and every night, we thought we were okay. We were wrong. On a Sunday morning in April, we got up early and got ready to go to the 7:30 service at a local church. Now, normally, we took our shoes or sandals off at the front door to keep from tracking sand and dirt into the house, and sometimes a stack of shoes would pile up. We got ready to leave and went out to put our shoes on, and they were gone. Like, 10 pairs! It was still early in the morning, and our brains weren’t quite functioning yet, so we checked inside and on the back porch to see if we had put them somewhere else, but they were nowhere to be found. About this time, Godfrey, our watchman, approached us and said there had been a disturbance in the night. Some thieves had entered the compound over a low point in the wall, had distracted him at the back wall, and had made off with his bicycle, our volleyball net, and all our shoes!
Now, I would like to say that I’m not materialistic. I would like to say that things are just things, and in the back of my head, I know they are. But I like nice things. I can make do if I have to, but I like nice things if they’re available. And seriously, messing with a girl’s shoes? That’s just WRONG!
If you, like my mother, grandmother, and sister, are worried about my safety (or sanity), let me fill you in on the rest of the story…
We spent most of Sunday making police reports, meeting with the captain of the army outpost in the area, and talking to leadership from our organization about what had happened. On Tuesday, we left Arua for our 40/40 training in Zambia for a month. When we returned at the end of May, razor wire was being added to the top of our wall for additional security, we had inherited 2 German Shepherds, Annie and Hoosier, from another missionary family who was leaving Uganda, and Godfrey’s bicycle had been replaced by a Good Samaritan from the States. And we had a couple of care packages of flip flops waiting for us when we returned as well! Thanks, Mom!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Coffee Shop
Living out as far as I do, you don’t get many opportunities for spontaneity. I mean, things come up that you never expected, but it’s usually something that somehow adds more stress to your life, rarely the, “Ooh, why don’t we go bowling tonight” kind of things that are just fun. We have a grand total of 5 restaurants in our town, and 3 are in “hotels”, or the closest thing to that we have. It’s not really safe to be out after dark, so your choices for evening entertainment are whatever DVDs you brought with you (or the pirated copies you buy from the “supermarket”), playing a game with friends who may live in the neighborhood, or reading a book. Needless to say, my bedtime has gotten a LOT earlier!
But yesterday we got a real chance to be spontaneous. Kelli and I had gone to a friend’s home to meet some visitors and eat homemade pizza and ice cream (a treat in itself!) and were riding home with Billy and Joanna and their two little girls, Elsie and Lucy. Someone mentioned the new coffee shop that opened in town recently, Africa by Boat. (I’m still not sure how you reach our land-locked corner of Africa by boat, but I’m going to ask around…) Billy suggested that we try it out, so we made a detour through town. As we got out of the car, we realized that all three of us ladies were wearing trousers in town… and felt really uncomfortable. (We had been with all Westerners all afternoon, so trousers were completely fine… until we decided to be spontaneous. Oops!) We walked up to the coffee shop on the second floor of a storefront and were greeted by Zora, the owner of Africa by Boat. She brought us chairs to sit on the balcony overlooking the street. The menus haven’t been printed yet, but she told us our choices were black coffee, white coffee, tea, or bottled water. Okay, so no caramel macchiato or chocolate chip frappuccino for us… but we really enjoyed our baby-thermoses full of white coffee (coffee with LOTS of milk and a spice blend). Maybe Zora’s got some work to do before she can compete with Starbucks or Liquid Highway, but hey, I’m glad just to have somewhere to go and drink coffee. Oh, happy day! :D
But yesterday we got a real chance to be spontaneous. Kelli and I had gone to a friend’s home to meet some visitors and eat homemade pizza and ice cream (a treat in itself!) and were riding home with Billy and Joanna and their two little girls, Elsie and Lucy. Someone mentioned the new coffee shop that opened in town recently, Africa by Boat. (I’m still not sure how you reach our land-locked corner of Africa by boat, but I’m going to ask around…) Billy suggested that we try it out, so we made a detour through town. As we got out of the car, we realized that all three of us ladies were wearing trousers in town… and felt really uncomfortable. (We had been with all Westerners all afternoon, so trousers were completely fine… until we decided to be spontaneous. Oops!) We walked up to the coffee shop on the second floor of a storefront and were greeted by Zora, the owner of Africa by Boat. She brought us chairs to sit on the balcony overlooking the street. The menus haven’t been printed yet, but she told us our choices were black coffee, white coffee, tea, or bottled water. Okay, so no caramel macchiato or chocolate chip frappuccino for us… but we really enjoyed our baby-thermoses full of white coffee (coffee with LOTS of milk and a spice blend). Maybe Zora’s got some work to do before she can compete with Starbucks or Liquid Highway, but hey, I’m glad just to have somewhere to go and drink coffee. Oh, happy day! :D
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Change of field
Living in Africa is difficult. It is exhausting. Sometimes a two-year term seems like an eternity. Staying here for 15 or 20 years is no small accomplishment. But Dan and Peg R. have served the Lord in Tanzania for 32 years. They have shared the Gospel, discipled new believers, supported personnel in the field, and taught new missionaries how to survive in the African wild. Dan set up all the tents and created the bucket showers for 40/40 bush camp, and Peg showed me how to kill a chicken. (I hope not to need that knowledge any time soon!)
Dan and Peg are retiring after working in Tanzania for as long as I’ve been alive. After walking untold miles, hosting countless guests, and mentoring so many of us, they’re going home to be grandparents and to rest. But they’re not stopping. Last week, Dan was sharing his plan for retirement. Being a big-game hunter, he wants to go to rifle-shooting competitions and tell people about Jesus. He wants to be a WalMart greeter and tell people about Jesus. He wants to hang out in breakfast restaurants, drink coffee with people, and tell people about Jesus. This man has a passion for the lost, whether they’re in Africa or America. The primary purpose of Dan and Peg’s life has been to share Jesus, wherever they are. Even though Dan and Peg are retiring, they are still missionaries. They’re just getting a change of field.
Dan and Peg are retiring after working in Tanzania for as long as I’ve been alive. After walking untold miles, hosting countless guests, and mentoring so many of us, they’re going home to be grandparents and to rest. But they’re not stopping. Last week, Dan was sharing his plan for retirement. Being a big-game hunter, he wants to go to rifle-shooting competitions and tell people about Jesus. He wants to be a WalMart greeter and tell people about Jesus. He wants to hang out in breakfast restaurants, drink coffee with people, and tell people about Jesus. This man has a passion for the lost, whether they’re in Africa or America. The primary purpose of Dan and Peg’s life has been to share Jesus, wherever they are. Even though Dan and Peg are retiring, they are still missionaries. They’re just getting a change of field.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Spring Pictures
Sorry these aren't getting out until the U.S. summer is about to begin! Better late than never I suppose!
We had a Easter sunrise service at our friends Joanna and Billy's house. The service was open to Africans and Westerners and we had about 40 people there in all.
My roomate and ministry partner, Kelly, in our African-made dresses
After the service we had a potluck breakfast. That's Trevor eating breakfast with their watchmen David and Joel.
The Arua team
Kelly, Joanna, and myself
This is Joshua, 4. He's the mayor of Arua's son. He reminds me of my nephew Zeke!
Yes, its a turkey! Evan and Trevor have built some really strong relationships with Lamech, who owns one of the grocery stores in town, and also with some of the other guys who work for him. The week before Easter, Lamech told Evan to come by the store Easter day because he wanted to give him a turkey...so that's Mr. Gobbles. He's pretty scrawny now, but they're planning on fattening him up a bit before they feast. I told them it's not a good idea to name food, but they didn't listen. (By the way, in Lugbara "turkey" is "kulukulu"-the sound it makes!) 
story group from Latibo Secondary 
Latibo Secondary
Girls' dorm at Latibo
We had a Easter sunrise service at our friends Joanna and Billy's house. The service was open to Africans and Westerners and we had about 40 people there in all.
My roomate and ministry partner, Kelly, in our African-made dresses
After the service we had a potluck breakfast. That's Trevor eating breakfast with their watchmen David and Joel.
The Arua team
Kelly, Joanna, and myself
This is Joshua, 4. He's the mayor of Arua's son. He reminds me of my nephew Zeke!
Yes, its a turkey! Evan and Trevor have built some really strong relationships with Lamech, who owns one of the grocery stores in town, and also with some of the other guys who work for him. The week before Easter, Lamech told Evan to come by the store Easter day because he wanted to give him a turkey...so that's Mr. Gobbles. He's pretty scrawny now, but they're planning on fattening him up a bit before they feast. I told them it's not a good idea to name food, but they didn't listen. (By the way, in Lugbara "turkey" is "kulukulu"-the sound it makes!) 
story group from Latibo Secondary
Latibo Secondary
Girls' dorm at LatiboWednesday, June 10, 2009
Give to Lottie!!!
I wish believers in the States could have sat in the meeting I was in this morning. The economic crisis in America is having an impact on the International Mission Board in a major way. IMB personnel are very blessed to be supported by churches and American believers, and I am very grateful to be provided for in the way that I am. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can stay on the field because my supporters haven’t sent money this month, or might not send it next month. I am very well taken care of.
The IMB is funded primarily by gifts. The vast majority of the money that pays my bills, and those of 5600 others worldwide, comes from you. Gifts to the IMB, most importantly through the Lottie Moon Offering, are significantly down. Gifts to Lottie in 2008 were $13 million less than expected, and things haven’t gotten better in 2009. The IMB is committed to operating within what God provides through the gifts of believers. There are currently just over 5600 IMB missionaries in the field; our budget is expected to cover expenses for 5000 personnel, at best. For now, the board of trustees plans not to cut personnel already in the field, but to severely limit new missionary appointments.
For now, each affinity group (there are 9 in the world) has a total of 15 career, or long-term personnel, jobs available to be filled and 15 Journeyman jobs. The Masters and ISC programs, of which I am a part, are suspended for new personnel. As short-term missionaries like me end their terms of service, we will not be replaced. The number of personnel in the field will be reduced, and the impact on lostness worldwide will be affected.
Those of us in the field are very concerned about the future of the IMB and its work. There are still many people groups throughout the world, many in Sub-Saharan Africa, who are completely unreached and unengaged by the Gospel. If the presence of believers sharing the Word is reduced, how will they hear? This financial state is critical. I know that the economic state of affairs in the US is not good, but people still eat out. People still go to movies. What is more important: your entertainment and comfort, or someone’s eternal salvation? I urge you, I beg you, please give to Lottie. Please designate gifts to the IMB. You can give designated funds to any Southern Baptist church, or by going online to Give Now. Your action, or inaction, will have eternal consequences.
The IMB is funded primarily by gifts. The vast majority of the money that pays my bills, and those of 5600 others worldwide, comes from you. Gifts to the IMB, most importantly through the Lottie Moon Offering, are significantly down. Gifts to Lottie in 2008 were $13 million less than expected, and things haven’t gotten better in 2009. The IMB is committed to operating within what God provides through the gifts of believers. There are currently just over 5600 IMB missionaries in the field; our budget is expected to cover expenses for 5000 personnel, at best. For now, the board of trustees plans not to cut personnel already in the field, but to severely limit new missionary appointments.
For now, each affinity group (there are 9 in the world) has a total of 15 career, or long-term personnel, jobs available to be filled and 15 Journeyman jobs. The Masters and ISC programs, of which I am a part, are suspended for new personnel. As short-term missionaries like me end their terms of service, we will not be replaced. The number of personnel in the field will be reduced, and the impact on lostness worldwide will be affected.
Those of us in the field are very concerned about the future of the IMB and its work. There are still many people groups throughout the world, many in Sub-Saharan Africa, who are completely unreached and unengaged by the Gospel. If the presence of believers sharing the Word is reduced, how will they hear? This financial state is critical. I know that the economic state of affairs in the US is not good, but people still eat out. People still go to movies. What is more important: your entertainment and comfort, or someone’s eternal salvation? I urge you, I beg you, please give to Lottie. Please designate gifts to the IMB. You can give designated funds to any Southern Baptist church, or by going online to Give Now. Your action, or inaction, will have eternal consequences.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
AGM
You may know that a key part of my call to the mission field was working as a volunteer for the South Asia Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. AGM is a week-long conference for all the field personnel in a given area. It is a chance for missionaries to come together for business meetings, for health checks, to fellowship with members of the mission family, and to worship and be fed in our heart language, for a change.
For three summers, I worked with the youth camp for the South Asia MKs during AGM. During my time with the South Asian missionaries, I was able to get to know field personnel at a new level. They became my friends and mentors. They taught me that missionaries really are just real people. In the middle of my second trip to AGM, I began to hear God saying that overseas missions wouldn’t be a vacation, volunteer thing for me anymore, but that this was going to be life for me for a while.
My first AGM as a missionary started yesterday. I’ve been to AGM before, but I’ve always been working, volunteering, supporting the missionaries who come to this week for much-needed rest and refreshment. This time, though, it’s for me. I’m one of the many who are tired. Who need to rest. Who need to hear English spoken without an accent. Who need to just be for a week.
It is sweet to be on this side of AGM. It is sweet to see how God brought me from volunteering in VBS, in schools, and in medical clinics ministering to nationals to serving field personnel, to being one of those personnel. And I can’t explain it; I can’t really even put words to it. But it’s amazing to be in this place, to hear God say, “I told you… I brought you here. I am on this journey with you. And I’m glad you’ve joined Me in this place.”
For three summers, I worked with the youth camp for the South Asia MKs during AGM. During my time with the South Asian missionaries, I was able to get to know field personnel at a new level. They became my friends and mentors. They taught me that missionaries really are just real people. In the middle of my second trip to AGM, I began to hear God saying that overseas missions wouldn’t be a vacation, volunteer thing for me anymore, but that this was going to be life for me for a while.
My first AGM as a missionary started yesterday. I’ve been to AGM before, but I’ve always been working, volunteering, supporting the missionaries who come to this week for much-needed rest and refreshment. This time, though, it’s for me. I’m one of the many who are tired. Who need to rest. Who need to hear English spoken without an accent. Who need to just be for a week.
It is sweet to be on this side of AGM. It is sweet to see how God brought me from volunteering in VBS, in schools, and in medical clinics ministering to nationals to serving field personnel, to being one of those personnel. And I can’t explain it; I can’t really even put words to it. But it’s amazing to be in this place, to hear God say, “I told you… I brought you here. I am on this journey with you. And I’m glad you’ve joined Me in this place.”
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