Out of Africa

We have returned. After 6 amazing weeks in Uganda we have finally landed back in the states, and we have so much to tell. Tonight we will be spending the night in Dallas, where tomorrow we will have our final End Meeting with Let's Start Talking in the mornign. Then, all of us except the Texan Sam will be boarding our flight to Oklahoma City, landing at around 5:35. You are more than welcome to greet us with our family and friends as we return home from spreading God's Word in Africa.

We cannot thank you all enough for you support and prayers, and we cannot wait to tell you all about what we have been able to witness God do through us during these past 40 days.

We Don't Miss Our Families

Welp. Things have been going very well here! I'm not really sure how to describe our trip in a little post, but it's beautiful. I've gotten to see the sun rise and set everyday, except on the rainy days, but the sky just ends up reconciling itself with distant lightning. Not all of Africa is brown. It is very green here. The people are incredible. People laugh often and genuinely here. They just laugh when they're happy, not when someone cracks some wise remark. Everyone is very welcoming, very friendly, and eager to talk. Staying at the secondary school, we've gotten to have several reading sessions with the students. Many of these students have amazing stories and amazing faith in their Creator. I was told that over 50 of the students are orphans, but that does not hinder their love for Christ. After a reading session I had with one of the boys this morning, he told me "Wow, I love this. Can we start doing this all the time?" It is so wonderful to see that God truly is omnipresent, and that his love and his people are not just in America, Israel, or any one place. With two weeks left, we are cherishing our time here.

We love everyone who has been supporting us, especially our families (which includes many of our friends). We miss you dearly, but decided not to put it into the title so that you'd freak out and actually read our post.

The Point of No Return

We are halfway through our LST project in Uganda, and it has never been more amazing. Just this morning, David and I (Davis) took a walk around the villages and got to see the amazing sunrise over the mists and hills surrounding the compound. We are blessed to be able to see so much of God's beauty every single day we are here. Everything is green and lush, the dew and rains keeping everything vibrant, and we look out every day in awe of all that God has made.

The best view though is not from a hilltop, but from a bench, where I can see the love of God present in our conversations with each and every reader I have. I see the eager excitement of the villagers to read and learn more about the story of Jesus. The students are always ready to get to know us and give us millions of opportunities to show them how Christ is working in their lives. Even the teachers at the school are excited to read with us, and their English is impeccable; they come not to learn a language, but to learn about love.

Just this past week I was able to read with a teacher named Waiswa. He is so excited about the story of Jesus that we blow through the lessons. He not only is excited but understands what each lesson is about. After reading the second lesson, which is about Mary finding out she is pregnant, Waiswa said "What I learned from this is that God can do anything." That is his exact quote, and that is our exact Seed Thought we are supposed to help the reader understand. God was already working in Wiaswa's life and through the Bible so well that I wasn't even needed! He figured it out on his own. That shows the power of God's Word, and even the simplest story to us can have a powerful impact on those that may have never had the chance to read God's Word.

That is just one story out of the hundreds that all five of us have about how God has been working in the lives of our readers every day. We are so blessed to be out here spreading the Word of God and the story of Jesus. Thank you all so much for your prayers and your support as we do God's will. Without you, we would never have had this wonderful opportunity to spread Jesus. God is using us in so many ways, many of which I am sure we are unaware. Continue to keep us in your prayers, and while we are halfway through (the titular "Point of No Return"), the best half is yet to come.

Starting Week 3

This past week has been so full of good things! We started our reading sessions and we are all so excited about our readers! We spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the villages reading with people. On Saturday we read at the school with students and also had our first social event. Only a few people showed up, but that was in part because there was a wedding and a graduation going on in the villages. We played Pictionary and had so much fun! They really enjoyed trying to draw the pictures and learning some new English words. It was a great time to laugh and build up our relationships through sharing the love of God!

We received a few letters this past week from students that we have become close to. One girl, Phiona, wrote down her story for us. It was a sad story that involved a severe lack of love. She explained how much our love the past week had meant to her. This just showed us how God was using us and we didn't even know it. Phiona was in need of a good female role model. She had never really experienced the love of a mother or sister. Amber and I have been glad to show her how great a love of a sister can be! We also received a letter from a girl named Martha. Martha also expressed her love to us and how much she has been enjoying our friendship!

A young girl named Lydia came to me while I was having some quiet time. She handed me a letter telling me how excited she was about us teaching the gospel. She then asked me to read some verses she gave me. Later that day she asked if i could give her some verses to read! She was craving the Word and wanted some guidance. The next morning she came to me and she had written a letter telling me how much those simple verses had taught her and how much she love us all. Who would have thought that a few jotted down verses could have such an impact on a young girls life?

This hunger for God's Word is not only present in the students, but in the adults as well. The matron, Jackie, loves for us to guide her in her readings and then discuss it! Two of the directors, Sam and Robert, also want to study the Word with us! The need for the gospel is so apparent here! They want people who have knowledge of the Bible to come talk to them so bad! Even the villagers want to know more about the Bible!

On Sunday we went to Budoola Church of Christ with Dr. Cliff Ganus, his son (also Dr. Ganus) and Noel Whitlock. Dr. Ganus helps support this church and also the school that we are staying at. He is the Chancellor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Noel is a pastor at a church on Searcy. They were great to talk to and were very excited about us staying at the school and working with the people in Jinja.

God has truly brought us here for a purpose. He is guiding us with every step. We pray that He continues to lead us into relationships with people and works on the hearts of all the people we meet.

Your Sister in Christ,

Danae

Gonza

This is Amber!

The past few days have been filled with a lot of events! On Saturday we went into Jinja town and watched the girls and boys from Harding Christian Academy play net ball and volleyball! They did very well! We are staying at a boarding school about 45min out of town on a hill with the best view in the world! On Sunday we went drove to Kamuli and went to a Church of Christ service there! The church is fairly new, but thriving well! They were very into preaching God's word! They were very much a learning church as well! We got the opportunity to witness 10 people give their lives to Christ! It was a great day! We also got to teach the children of the town many of our Sunday school/VBS songs! They loved it just as much as we did!! We are looking forward to having our information meeting this week and start reading! We ask that you pray for our future readers and that God can continue to use us!

In Him-Phil 4:13

Update from Jinja

Two initial apologies:

1. This is Sam, not Danae

2. This will be short, due to time

Alright so we're here and getting in the swing of things in Uganda. So far, so good. We have enjoyed learning and adjusting to the culture here and are doing better at those each day. We are staying at a school so we get to spend time with the kids and interact with them. We are all extremely excited to start reading with people next week. It has been a great project so far and it is truthfully just getting started.

We appreciate all of your prayers and concerns and we are thankful for all of you. We ask that you continue to pray, not just for us but for the readers and the churches here.

God bless!

-Sam

Arrival

We made it to the month of June! Oh, and we're in Uganda. This is DaviS, not DaviD, if you couldn't tell.

But, we made it safe. Our plane flights were long and tiring, though we didn't really get much sleep on them. We arrived in Entebbe airport at 7 or so at night. Grace was there to pick us up and we went to a hotel and stayed the night there. We were in huts! It was awesome. I definitely felt like I was in Africa, as if actually being in Africa wasn't enough.

We woke up this morning and drove to Kampala, the capital, and got to see the missionaries in the Kampala church. We even saw another LST team that we met at GO Weekend there! It was great to see some familiar faces and talk to them about their experience so far.

We just ate lunch, and are now in an internet cafe updating our blog (obviously) and sending emails to our families. We'll be on our way soon to Jinja, where we will actually be for most of our time here. It's only been 2 days, and I have so much more to say! Don't worry, I won't bore you much longer. It's weird to think that we already have all these great stories and experiences, and we haven't even really arrived at our city where we'll be doing our LST work. God has already blessed us with a great missionary, Grace, who's very helpful and good to talk to. I know the next 6 weeks are going to be amazing, and can't wait to tell you guys all about it.

Please pray for our information meeting, where we will meet our readers for the first time on Thursday, and pray that our first meetings with readers in actual sessions goes well also.

So Close

We leave in 57 hours. That is unreal to me. I read Nick Mendez's note on facebook about his final thoughts on his LST project and it made me realize how close I am to leaving. He is leaving his readers just as I am leaving my family. Yes, those are two entirely different relationships, but nonetheless I see the parallels. We are both at opposite ends of our projects, and yet I share many of the same feelings he feels. I appreciated his thoughts.

Another thing that made leaving become more real for me was that Mom and I went shopping today for the final things I need. It ended up being quite a lot, more than I had thought. But now I am in possession of everything I need to go to Uganda. I haven't packed of course, but I have taken another step towards leaving, and each step closer makes it more and more real to me. Today was the first day I felt that mounting anticipation, like I am about to go on stage and perform. I am anxious, nervous, my stomach is starting to knot; even my normal breathing becomes deep when I think that in less than three days I will be on a plane to a foreign continent.

But above all of these feelings I am excited. I am ready. I know God has prepared our group for this journey more than I know. God has given me the confidence that in him this is going to be amazing. I am ready for my mind to be blown. There is no need for fear, as John says, because perfect love drives out fear. God is love epitomized. He will hold all five of us in his hands as we travel across the sea, and he will never let us fall from his care.

Nearer, still nearer, but not there yet.

We leave in two weeks! That is both exciting and nerve-wracking. There are so many ways that we are ready for this project that I want to leave right now. I am tired of waiting. All of our weekly training sessions this past spring semester, our Intensive Training and Getting Organized weekends, planning parties, and group bonding time at putt putt courses and the zoo have all made me feel completely prepared to go on this project. God has set out lives on a path that has not only made our team ready to go, but extremely excited to travel together. I'm not going to lie; we're probably one of the best groups to get along together as a team. You may argue with me, but, you'd be wrong.

Unfortunately, with all of our preparations, both as workers, teammates, and foreigners, there are still things I feel completely unprepared for. How bad will the humidity be? Will mosquitoes be a huge deal? Will the food be healthy? Will I like the food? Am I going to get sick? Will our parties we have planned for our readers fall flat? Will we have any readers at all? All of these are things I do not know the answer to, and will not know until I get there. If you know me, you know that I like to know things. I take as many opportunities to learn as I can. While this project will answer all of these questions and more in good time, I am impatient and want to exactly how my project will go NOW. Obviously, I do not, and this makes me nervous and worried.

However there is really no need for me to be uneasy. I know that in all of these things God will take care of us. While each day brings us closer and closer to leaving, we have not left yet for a purpose. God is still preparing our hearts and minds back here in America for this journey, just as he is preparing the hearts and minds of our readers across the ocean in Uganda. I know I can fully trust in God that all will go according to plan and that he will do nothing but love us. These next few weeks God will put the finishing touches in our lives and our hearts that if we were to leave know would not be there. I am very thankful for that. While there are still things I do not know and will probably worry about up until we actually arrive, I know that God is in control; I am going to spread the gospel, and that is more important than any of my worries.

God showed me another important thing while I was thinking about our LST project: yes, there are things about Uganda that I don't know, but more importantly there is the story of Jesus that some of our readers do not know. Who's ignorance is more significant? When I look at it in that light, all of my fears seem pointless and vain. Why should I worry about what I'll wear or what the weather will be like when there are those that do not know of God's love? They may not even be aware that there is something missing in their lives until we begin reading with them and they see the love of Jesus for the first time. God has given us a great burden and a great blessing, one that overshadows my trivial worries. The end of Matthew 6 teaches this lesson very well. The Word of God is more powerful than my worry, and that is such a comforting thing.

But don't you worry either; I am still way more excited to go than I am worried. This is going to be an amazing experience not only for me, but for all of my teammates and our readers as well. Please continue to keep praying for us, and we'll continue to keep you posted as the day of our departure gets closer and closer. I know I'll remember the overpowering significance of the message of Jesus over my own silly worrying, and I hope you do too.

Invisible Children and Papito

Today Invisble Children, a movement designed to help end the conflict in Uganda, came to OSU and let Papito, a 19 year old Ugandan orphan, speak at the Wes Watkins center. Danae, David, and I had the pleasure of attending this event and learning more about the country we will be visiting this summer. Papito has been through some terrible events in his life, and he is even younger than I am! That's sad and frightening to me to think of what happens in some countries, espcially to young children like Papito was. But, that only means that they need to message of Jesus all the more. Thankfully, much of the conflict has been reduced over the past two years in Northern Uganda where the violence is centered. There are still atrocious acts done, but God's hand is working there in that country and bringing it closer to peace. And, what better way to help end the horrors than giving the people their the best message we could give them: that of Jesus Christ. Don't worry Mom, the Lord has blessed our group to be going to Jinja, located in the southern part of Uganda, far away from the acts of Kony and the LRA.

On a more postitive note, we got to watch a video at that same event of some people who, with the help of the Invisible Children organization, were able to go to Uganda. We got to see videos of their reactions and interactions with Uganda and the Ugandas. To be honest, when I heard the Ugandans speaking, I was a little worried. They speak English quite a lot over there, but with a thick accent that's hard to understand. Understanding them was a bit of a problem. I know once I'm over there it will become easier, but hearing it firsthand made it real. All I could think was "This is what my readers will sound like. Get used to it." Also, knowing that many of them speak English already is disconcerting. Will we be of any use if everyone already knows English? Will any readers come at all? That makes me feel a little unnecessary. However, God showed me that he can still use me. I know that if our readers know English well, that means our conversations will not be hindered by our lack of comprehension; God will use us to delve into deep conversations about faith and our Christian walks with God. We can more fully express our love of God and Christ's love for them without the inadequacies of limited vocabulary or linguistic skill. I am so blessed to be able to share God and his words to those in a country that is in need of his love and care.

As always, thanks for reading! Please continue to keep us, our future readers, and Uganda in your prayers.

Getting Excited

As Davis informed me yesterday, our team will be leaving in exactly 6 weeks from today! In my mind, and I am sure everyone else's, that is crazy! We just finished GO weekend with Let's Start Talking and are supposed to be "prepared." I supposed we are in regards to many things, but the challenges we will face are so unknown that we have only God to rely on to prepare us. To think that I was chosen to talk to someone specific over in Uganda blows my mind! God lead all of our hearts to this point for His glory! God called Sam. God called David. God called Davis. God called Amber. God even called me. God not only lead this team, but He has lead each of our parents, friends, and supporters to encourage us and support us (that's you!). God's plan is so much bigger than we realize and so much bigger than each of us. I cannot even describe the excitement I feel when I think of our project and God's work! Our whole team is full of enthusiasm for the amazing way we will see God work! We have six weeks left until we leave. Our team has finals, weddings, and many many more plans that we need to figure out before we leave for Uganda. Please keep all those tasks in your prayers. Most importantly though, please keep the people of Uganda in your prayers. Pray that God works on their hearts to receive His word and that the local church is able to prepare for us as their guests! Thank you for your continued support!