Birth Day “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you.” Jeremiah 1:5 Growing up in America with the amazing birthday parties and many presents, it hard for me to have birthdays in Uganda. This being my 9thbirthday here, I think I finally got it! Remove the selfishness and focus on God’s truth. I thought about how God knew me. All my sins and ugliness but yet He still wanted me. Not even that He alone but gave His only son for me! He had all these amazing plans for my life as he created me in Mommy’s womb! Seeing His love, grace and His knowledge of all things has overwhelmed me. This would have been plenty for me but it didn’t stop there. Many people brought gifts even though we didn’t plan a party. I cried happy tears and had to explain why my eyes watered. Again, feeling so unworthy and extremely blessed! I know how people struggle for money and what it means to work so hard just to try to get school fees. Yet they are bringing me nice thoughtful gifts. Who am I that God could bless me so much? It’s just the unmeasurable amounts of amazing God! ...

So Shine “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 It’s amazing how every action can change a life. Coming to Uganda 9 years ago, I had to learn that our lives are always being watched like a fish in a bowl. We can easily turn people to Christ or away from Christ by how we live in our every moment. “Let your light so shine!” Men in Uganda spend the day and even night hours with each other playing cards or just sitting around the center. Very few spend real time with their children or help their wives with the never-ending work in their home. Vincent loves taking the boys out running and training. One morning I went to take photos and stopped in my tracks to praised God! The children at the public school, the guys who play football/soccer, people walking to the market, all stopping to watch and wonder. “That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” The community knows how Vincent grew up and the type of dad he had. An abusive soldier who drank, would put a gun to Vincent’s head persecuting him then later abandoning him at one of the army barracks to grow up as an orphan. How did Vincent fight culture and his upbringing to be the man and father he is now? The only answer everyone can see and no one can deny is Christ! Christ is real! Vincent was just loving and training his boys like Christ told him to and the boys were listening and enjoying their daddy but to everyone else it was much more. I see God moving and I can picture the future. An area were people no longer fear their father/husband but come together as loving families. I’ve even started seeing more men out with their children and it’s extremely encouraging! Every moment, just simple examples through everyday life showing God’s love. How is your light shining and changing your community for Christ today? ...

Our Quiver is Definitely Full “Behold, Children are a heritage from the LORD. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” Ps 127:3,5 This last time in America I was stirred to go to the Children’s Ministry Conference. God provided and it was amazing! As soon as I returned back home to Uganda God opened doors for me to work alongside Teacher Ben to help the children’s ministry, introduce the Calvary Curriculum and every Saturday train the new teachers. I love that God is always moving even when we don’t realize. We now have 5 classes most of them over 100 children still! Our Quiver is definitely full! Most of these children come from the boarding school and from Muslim families which can bring some challenges. The conference gave so much to encourage the teachers. One of the biggest lessons is Love! There is not a person I know that doesn’t want love. What if we are the only chance they get to see God’s true love? Whenever there are children fighting (they really fight even in the overcrowded classroom) or a mischievous one, I remember we have no idea what this child’s life is like. Their dad most likely beats their mom and maybe them also, bringing home more wives and having more children, family members die in front of them, most likely they rarely have food at home, a bed, etc. Stealing and fighting might be all they know of life and have no clue there is anything different. But it’s so amazing there are no limitations to His amazing grace! We get the opportunity to share with all these hundreds of children! Helping people to see Sunday School not as babysitting but as a chance to make disciples! Every time I look out to all of them I see leaders and the future of our nation! They can become bold adults not ashamed of the gospel, changing the hostile hearts around us. I tell them this every Sunday and I hope they see it too. Another big lesson is to notice spiritual gifts in the children and encourage them even now! Acts 2:38-39 Kids do not receive a little Holy Spirit just because they are little. They have the same Holy Spirit as us adults. Imagine what God could do with their precious lives as they start using their spiritual gifts now! We get the opportunity to help them pray, sharing they can talk to God especially in their darkest times when no one else is there for them. God knows every single thought and sees each hidden tear! To hear their prayer requests for food, protection, school fees, healings, provisions, prayers to know that someone loves them (especially the orphans), humbles me and increases my love for them! Not only for children but everyone around! Am I loving them like Christ? Did I remember to stop and talk to the old Muslim lady on the road even though I have so much to do at home? When I meet someone who seems troubled or hard, do I judge and assume or do I remember I might be the only example of Christ’s love they have seen? What about you? What an amazing opportunity God has given to all of us! Share His love to the longing and lonely! As they said in the conference, “It is heart work!” ...

God is on the move! There are many exciting changes within our ministries. The Lord has opened up a door for our family to partner with Saving Grace World Missions (SGWM), a missionary-sending organization. SGWM helps missionaries to funnel finances, do taxes as well as provide Biblical counseling and ongoing encouragement while on the field. Part of this change means we will have this blog to keep in closer communication with all of you. For future we will no longer be receiving donations through Go Ministries. ...

****Through Love Serve One Another “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 It is such a huge blessing that Vincent is teaching and discipling and I’m excitingly serving in Children’s and Women’s ministry again wondering over and over how God uses such a person like me. I could write long stories time and time again. But as I reflect on this busy month what really blesses me to share is the learning of release. It’s amazing and beautiful the ways God wants to use all of us every minute of every day to show His love! When we got our first vehicle, a motorcycle, many years ago Vincent would give it to people and it would always come back broken. I would get so frustrated knowing how long it would take us to get money to repair it. I complained to him pleading to let us have just one nice thing. He shared with me that if we don’t share our blessings with others to minister to them, we better not have it at all. I am almost finally grasping the understanding. Yes, our car always needs work and sometimes it is scary to drive, but it is worth the blessing for the glory of God. In just this week our vehicle has been blessed to bring water, it was an ambulance, and a limo for a wedding party and a hearse to bless a family that could not afford to bring the body for the funeral and then brought the guests. God gives opportunities to make wedding invitations, decorate cakes, give birthday parties celebrating God’s amazing children - even as simple as making little treats for anyone who comes to the gate, or giving the last money to a poor child so she can go to the children’s conference to come and find money you know wasn’t in your book a few days ago. It’s having people feel at home no matter which country they are from because of God’s love! It’s a love that only Christ can give knowing there is nothing good in us and that none of it is ours to begin with! How are we all using our blessings to serve one another today? To God be all glory! Amen! ...

Back to Where We are back home! Back to where the daily visitors are almost as many in number as the bugs. Back to where the work is hard but God’s strength proves more. Where there are more children then you can remember names, all full of joy making toys out of anything they can find. Where people welcome you with singing and dancing. Where crying is meant for death alone because every day is blessing no matter what happens. Where you depend on God for every little provision! Where no house seems to ever be completed and everyday tasks can take a month. Where the dirt is red, grass is green and trees are beyond the eyes can see. Where the game of charades is part of normal conversation. Where smiling and generosity say more than a million words. Where God is our physician, healer, teacher, our all, every moment of everyday. ...

Heart Beat This month was full of opportunity to do what we love to do most in America. From Dale’s Thursday Morning Bible Study, CC Golden Springs Leadership, Missions Meetings to CC Saving Grace, CC West Grove and CC Pasadena we have been blessed with opportunities to share. Sharing God’s Word and encouraging the body of Christ. Sharing our testimony which is really “His story” of what He has done and continues to do in these open and willing hearts. From an infant in a refugee camp and persecuted solders son to a pastor, from a selfish girl who hated school to a homeschool and reading teacher mother of many! All we can say is God! ...

Heartbreak and Culture One of the hardest, funniest, most interesting and sometimes heartbreaking part of missions is learning cultures. Sometimes it can be funny like the never-ending stories many of you know between my husband and I. Even small things such as sharing not to point with his middle finger while teaching in America because in America the middle finger is bad, gassing is offensive in Uganda but humorous in America, etc. I could go on forever but I am keeping myself distracted from the heartbreaks to share. Vicky was one of our first girls we took in and became our own. She dealt and constantly forgave me as I learned the culture. It seemed like every day I did something new to offend the children since I only knew how to raise children in American ways. I nick named her “My Blessing.” Vincent and Juventine baptized her and she is one of the brightest (gets the best grades) in her class. She has been with us for 7 years but the father has come back to take them. Her and her sister’s (Aleru) father abandoned them when they were very little. He then became a soldier in Somalia. He came to collect the girls a couple years back but we fought hard knowing he is Muslim, with other wives and children and very little money to help any of them. He recently came back again and this time Vincent’s family agreed. Through culture and law Aleru has left with her dad already. Vicky, since we have put her in a very good boarding school already, will finish out this year. They will have a ceremony in December to finalize the agreement. We will continue to support them and pray for them. Especially because of their age and moving in with Muslim relatives. Our prayer is that the they will remember the Word that they heard with us all these years. The girls are sponsored through Promise Child so we know they will be ok and continue their education although not the same. ...