FYI

Just wanted to post for you all that we arrive safe and sound after
a fun flight. The boys each got a turn to "fly" on the pilot's lap.
Kent got to check out the handy barf bags. Kim had horrible sinus
pain. Anna slept. But we were all happy to get to our last temporary
home and unpack for a while!

There are gorgeous pink frangipani trees outside (pink for Anna!),
and all 3 kids have new friends they really enjoy. God even arranged
that James' new buddy would be familiar with his struggles. More
than that they have extra supplies from the US we can use!!! I never
dreamed!

My favorite soda in the world is Fanta Passion. I was told in 2004
that Coca-Cola no longer makes it. But it was plentiful in Kampala
last week!!! I had a great time sitting by the kiddie pool and
drinking Fanta Passion! I never dreamed!

So God has blessed us in tiny ways every day in clear reminders that
just as he promised, "My presence will go with you, and I will give
you rest."

Pictures will have to come after I get my own computer online.
Sorry. I'll just assure you that we are getting tans. =)

Fun in Uganda

Last time you tuned in to your favorite family of five they were traversing the equator to reunite with the Northern Hemisphere. Tomorrow we will cross international boundaries once again and settle one time zone closer to home! Though I still haven't posted pictures... there will be a backlog once my computer is online again... we have had a wonderful visit here in Uganda. On the shores of Lake Victoria, getting to know the good places to shop or swim. Tonight we took them to a steak house with a trampoline play area! They have had so much fun playing with our host's animals: 2 Jack Russell terriers and a 10-month-old monkey. Just this morning Anna had the little monkey sitting next to her in the family room, scratching his tummy, petting his back and swinging him around by his long red tail! It really IS like living with Curious George!

Anna and I caught the cold going around, and she has had a really happy disposition even at 2 am awake with a fever and ear infection pain. We both started antibiotics today in hopes that the congestion will subside a bit by the time we board our 12-seater MAF plane tomorrow with all our stuff - batteries and solar panels included. As it turns out our host will also get to be our pilot! That really IS fun times! It's the first time we've had to add in our own body weights to figure out what can go on the plane! Despite sickness and fatigue, we are super excited to finally be going to our future (earthly) home!

I was home sick with Anna this morning, so I missed out on worship at a nearby Ugandan church that is connected with our sending church in Oregon. Kent posted a few pics if you want to check it out. What a privilege to carry greetings and encouragement across the world! Ta ta from this side of the border!

Anna talk

Anna has really been communicating lots and has developed some of her own language-use. She's become a fan of reduplication, which is common linguistically in African languages, but I don't think that's where she started. When she's really excited to see Dad, he's "Daddy-Dad" or ecstatic "Daddy-Daddy!"

The phrase that elicited the most laughs of our Kenyan friends was coming to the kitchen and addressing our househelp, Josephine mid-morning: "Jovevine, [would you] make chai sooooooooooonnn!!!" Anna loves Kenyan chai (mostly milk and sugar) and we had to limit her and the boys to 2 cups per Sunday at church.


Some other Anna talk:
dee-bee-dee-bee (my personal favorite) = DVD
piggy-back-pack = piggy back ride
dramma = grandma
wee dame = Wii game
mote untole = remote control

Next!

Thank you to all who have been praying. We are on to the next country! Kent had a long, arduous 12-hr bus trip while we flew one hour (leaving the house at 4:30am!!) and reunited in Uganda with all our luggage and no hassles!
Some of the ways God provided for us:

We found out with a couple hours notice that Kent needed to take an earlier bus and spent many frantic hours packing up the last boxes. When it looked like we would not make it in time, 4 wonderful friends from every walk of life showed up. So one was packing, I was typing packing lists, another was cooking our dinner, another was taping up boxes, while another loaded them into the taxi waiting outside. Kent had 15 minutes home before getting in the taxi with which to pack his suitcase, grab dinner and say goodbye. We would never have made it without them! =)

I arrived at the airport, not having weighed our suitcases. Here the number of bags doesn't matter, they give you a total weight limit. We have a special agreement of 30 kilos per person, but still had 40 extra kilos. After a lot of discussion he decided not to charge me anything!

Kent arrived at the bus depot with our pile of boxes and 3 pieces of furniture and they did not worry about weight. We expected to pay well over $400 in cargo shipping fees, but they lumped it together and asked for just under $100! This was a gift. And we see it as God's care for us along the way.

We've been hosted here by a wonderful family who totally understands James' issues more than maybe we do, which is a miracle in itself! But they also have a kid-friendly house that has been really fun for the kids. It's hot and humid, but we will venture out to the pool today. Once I figure out how to get my own computer online, I will get you some pictures! For the next week we are exploring, stocking up and preparing to fly to our final destination sometime 22nd-24th. Thanks for praying! He is faithful!

Simba wa Yuda

Yesterday at church we sang a familiar chorus for here:
The Lion of Judah
Has broken every chain
Has given me power/victory
Hallelujah
Day by day/week by week

As we prepare to move ‘in country’, there is a spiritual battle. The days before we moved in years ago, we all got very sick, our flight was cancelled, etc. As one of our superiors put it, “It’s always this way before someone goes in country.”
It’s always this way.
So it was not shocking to us when we encountered every possible obstacle last week trying to get our passports ironed out. Out of gas. No diesel at this station. Parking violation. Machine broken. Pulled over by police. And that is only the half of it. All this to say we feel keenly the unseen battle.

I love that He has ‘given me power’ to overcome discouragement, fear and malice. I also love that He has made himself know-able to all peoples in all generations. Here the title ‘Lion of Judah’ is familiar enough to be highly meaningful. People know about lions. You don’t mess with them!


As a side note, we also had some trouble understanding the preacher, which is nothing new. Minority peoples everywhere have the same problem every Sunday. There are several language groups here who do not have the ‘l’ vs. ‘r’ distinction, or short vowels or adverbs. So we were trying to sort through phrases like, “Our righteousness is like firthy lags.” Or “To be blessed we must leave God’s way.” Or “We should build each other and not tear one another.” Let’s just say our temptation to start linguistic analysis in lieu of worship is great.

So today, I'm singing this song to myself as we pack up boxes yet again to remember who has the power - it's certainly not me!