Why oh why did God make cobras???

 

I know I know. I hate snakes and I hate photos and stories about snakes but please just let me get this out! Today we had a cobra in our yard. I didn't take the photo above. It was all so intense I didn't have time to take a picture. But I believe it was a brown spitting cobra. Let me tell you the whole story!

This afternoon I'd just made a sandwich for Carson's lunch when one of our puppies started barking. He's a good watch dog so I went to see if maybe someone was here. The fur on his back was all raised. I looked back where he was looking, in a corner of our yard and y'all I just about fainted! First I saw the tall grass move and then I saw a cobra's crazy head rise out of the grass and the snake started trying to climb the wall!!!! I was frozen for a few seconds and then hurried in and closed the doors and stuffed towels under the cracks. Then I ran next door to get our neighbor Sebit who is only 5 ft.4 and probably just a little over 100 pounds but soooo brave. He came with two other guys and together they killed that snake. It wasn't easy and our dogs kept wanting to play with it and that was super scary because it's a cobra that spits and I was so afraid it would get them! But the guys managed to kill it and then poured petrol on it and burned it. I guess that's how you do it here. 

So yeah I'll be walking around the yard later making sure all yard debris is burned or picked up and that we do away with any good snake hiding spots. The neighbors think it came looking for a cool place since it's been getting hot this week, up to 100 today! We have some drain pipes that take water from the yard out of the compound and we're going to be blocking those up for the dry season!

What is a Ugandan wedding introduction like?

Last weekend Eli and I got to attend a special wedding introduction for the daughter of Eli's colleague, Anthony. I want to share a few details of what these celebrations entail.

Yes, the "Women of Good News" (women's group from our church) all dressed in our matching dresses.

I love it when married couples actually sit together!

A wedding introduction is actually a several day affair. It begins with the groom's family/relatives coming to the bride's family with the dowry (cows, goats, gifts, money etc) and there are meetings for hours even days until the families agree on the marriage. Once the dowry (bride price) has been accepted by the bride's uncles, the next day is a big party to celebrate their official engagement. It's almost like a wedding. First the groom to be parades in with all his friends and brothers/uncles and then the bride and her entourage parade in - dancing to music and making a grand entrance. There are speeches by at least 10 people, coupled with celebratory songs and dancing. At this one, our pastor gave a short message and then they exchanged engagement rings (this was my first time to see rings exchanged) Afterwards there was a special prayer for the couple as they prepare for their marriage and then guests and family members could present their gifts to the happy couple. To do that, we came down the aisle, dancing while carrying the gift and giving it to them. At the end, a grand meal is served. This one was supposed to start at noon but didn't finally begin until almost 5 pm and ended right before 10 pm!

Cutting the ribbon to allow the party to begin!

 

Answered Prayers: Above and Beyond

God continues to work in some huge and very personal ways since my last post. First of all, an update on Susan after eye surgery. The doctor originally told us before surgery that she'd probably need surgery on her other eye as well after she recovered. However, when they've checked her eyes multiple times since surgery, her eyesight is perfect. The doctor said he's never seen this happen before. It healed on its own (rather, we know The Great Healer went above and beyond to fully correct and perfect Susan's eyes. At age 19 she can finally see properly!!! Praise God. As I type this Susan and her sister Florence are on the bus heading back to Adjumani. Florence hasn't been home since January of this year!! It will be a very very special homecoming.

Another way that God has gone above and beyond in answering prayers was with my friend D (for her privacy.) On Friday I got a phone call from my dear neighbor friend that another friend of ours was in a dire situation. She asked if I could come and talk with her and pray for her. So on Saturday I went over and heard D's whole story. She used to live in our neighborhood at the beginning of this year and got involved in our church and some of our weekly classes. Her four children were always coming over to play at our house. She's from a different tribe in Eastern Uganda, near Kenya, but married a Madi from here.  I knew  her husband was a difficult man, using all their money for alcohol, running off for long periods of time and life had been a struggle for D. About 2 weeks ago her husband took off without leaving any food or money in the house. The landlord ended up coming to collect rent because they were two months behind and since D didn't have even a single coin, the landlord locked them OUT of their own house with all their belongings inside! All they had were the clothes on their back. By the time D came to our neighbor for help, they'd been wearing the same clothes for a full week and moving from one friend to another's to spend the night. She looked very thin and her lips were all cracked. She reminded me of the story of Hagar in the Bible - when Hagar was out in the wilderness with her son and they ran out of water and food and she had given up hope and was ready to die.

But my sweet friend Justine took her in even though she can barely feed her own family. That day with D, the Lord gave me encouraging words to share: that God loved her and even though her husband abandoned her, God would never abandon her. I prayed with her and encouraged her that we would find a way to help her. She was hoping to somehow raise enough money to take the bus back to her village, to her relatives. I took over clothes for her and the kids and gave her some money so she could go to the landlord to pay some of the rent so they could get their stuff out of their house.

On Sunday, D, Justine, and the four kids came to church. D seemed to have a glimmer of hope on her face. And guess what God did? D's husband showed up back home, discovered it was locked up, went to a neighbor and found out where D was staying. When he arrived, he was  changed. He sat down with his wife and explained everything: he can gone out to the woods to burn charcoal. He took a young man with him to show him how to do it. That young man turned out to be a follower of Jesus and shared the Truth of the Gospel with this man and he came to Christ. He repented of his alcohol problems and other bad habits that held him in bondage and he gave his life to Jesus! He couldn't wait to tell his wife everything. Later when D recounted all of this for me, I'll admit, I felt skeptical. But D shared that she's never seen her husband like this! He is a new man! And he is begging her to stay so he can prove to her that he's changed.

So in a matter of a few days, D and her husband have reconciled, D has decided to stay in Adjumani and try to work things out, God provided a hut and kitchen hut in our very neighborhood and he's going to continue charcoal-making and she will sell it from home at the roadside! Many of us have encouraged him to join a church so he can grow and learn more about God and the Bible. He and his family are going to start trying out different churches to see what will be a good match for them. We are praying fervently for him to stand strong because the temptations will come again (for alcohol and his old life). And we're praying for this precious family to rebuild with Christ as their solid rock.

I admit that this wasn't the "ending" of the story I was expecting. I expected we'd be putting D and her kids on a bus, never to see them again. But instead God went above and beyond and grabbed a hold of her husband's heart and made a new creation. What an awesome God He is!

Their new home

 

A Million Little Miracles

God has shown up in some HUGE ways this week and I can't help but share it with the world to give God all the glory! His provision is always above and beyond what we even ask for.

Let me start by introducing the two lovely ladies in the picture above - Florence on the left and Susan  in the middle. They are sisters and members of our church here in Adjumani but originally from South Sudan. We're sponsoring them to go to a good school in Kampala, the big city. Florence wants to be a women's rights lawyer and Susan wants to be a vet. These young ladies are world changers let me tell you!

This last week we were in Kampala to pick up our older boys who were all coming home for Christmas (the month of December). I went to a doctor appt for Susan because she's had squint since she was young but didn't realize corrective surgery was a possibility. She's been seeing this eye doctor all year. Finally they said they were ready to operate so I went with her on Tuesday. We waited FIVE hours to see the doctor. Miracle #1: there was one slot left for surgery the very next day which was ideal because I wanted to be there with her and we were planning to travel back north soon.

That evening I told Eli how much the eye surgery was going to cost. We didn't know until Tuesday but the beautiful thing was that we didn't even have to discuss it. We planned to pay for it out of our own pockets. Wednesday morning I met Susan and her sister Florence at the hospital for surgery.       Miracle #2: While we were sitting in the waiting room, before I'd even paid, I got a notification on my phone from a dear friend that she'd sent a very generous amount of money (even more than the surgery cost!) for whatever needs we might have at the end of the year. I couldn't believe it. I called Eli right away! Then I turned to Susan and said, "Someone just paid for your surgery. God just sent the money!" We both sat there with surprised and stunned grins from ear to ear.

Miracle #3: While we were waiting for Susan's name to be called I overheard some ladies speaking in Arabic and smiled to myself thinking, "Oh, they must be South Sudanese." Fast forward an hour or so and Susan was called back at the same time as one of the Sudanese women with her young son. We sat in the same little cubicle to get IV's put in for the anesthesia. The doctor started asking the young mother questions about her son and quickly realized she didn't speak English. I asked the lady in Arabic if she spoke Arabic and she said yes so Susan and I were able to translate for her. Such a God thing right? The cool thing is that the nurse called Susan back a few more times to help with the other Sudanese patients because they too didn't speak English. I love how God coordinated for us to be there on the same day so we could help translate!

That was Wednesday.

Today's Miracle:

Yesterday (Thursday) evening Eli came home from the office to tell me he'd received an email from good friends in the States who had read our last newsletter and wanted to send money to help some young people with their educational needs. It was easy for Eli to think of who we wanted to give that money to - 2 different young students in our church. One is a young man on fire for the Lord who tirelessly works with the kids ministry, teaching Sunday school and leading the children's choir. His father died earlier this year and he had to drop out of school. Another gal just started her first year of university which is an incredible feat for young ladies in our Northern Uganda. Her tuition is covered by scholarship but living cost in the city has been expensive so we thought we could offer to pay her rent each month for the next 6 months. I emailed the couple today to explain who and how we hoped to help with the money they gave. Today they wrote back saying they are going to DOUBLE the amount they sent! I can't tell you how our hearts are bursting with praise and thanks to our God. He is encouraging the hearts of so many dear people who love Him and follow Him and it is such an honor to be the middle man and see the joy and blessing that it is for them. 

Harvesting rice

Fresh and ready for the garden

Today we learned a new skill: how to harvest rice. Our church has a farm and the rice crop was ripe so as many of us church members that could go, went to "bring in the sheaves." You guys, I'm so exhausted I can't even tell you!

As I learned how to grab handfuls of rice and slash it with the sickle, I kept thinking of the story of Ruth in the Bible, when she would glean behind the harvesters and collect anything that was left behind. (There actually is a lot that falls to the side.)

Growing crops like rice is how people can pay their kids' school fees and feed their families. Just like Ruth and Naomi, the harvest is their livelihood.

It really is a beautiful thing how hard work and God's provision of rain and sunshine, can yield this delicious outcome!

I loved that  Carson wanted to join in and learn how to use a sickle. He is such a hard worker.

 Eli's job was the threshing. He took handfuls of rice still on the grass, and beat it on this contraption made of bamboo and as he beat it, all the kernels of rice fell off and were gathered below. I can't begin to express what hard work this is and to to mention, in the blazing heat. I am always amazed at our friends here and how many days they spend in their gardens digging, planting, weeding and harvesting. They work sooooo hard. They are so strong. And we love it when they let us join hands and learn from them.

Prayer Mountain

Last weekend I got to go on a  retreat for women in ministry. It was clear across the country but Eli was gracious to release me and take care of the boys and everything at home. An extra blessing was that I arrived a whole day earlier than the rest of the ladies so I had some quiet and alone time. My main prayer was that I would be able to hear whatever the Lord wanted to tell me.

The place was beautiful as you can see. I spent the first afternoon walking around, sitting and soaking in the view and praying. 

 One night we enjoyed a bonfire and worshipping the Lord who shines light in the darkness.

I couldn't help but take pictures of all the beautiful flowers!

So, did I hear from the Lord? I sure did and His message to me was convicting and comforting at the same time. 

        #1: I need to sing a new song

                I realize that since this year began I'd been dreading it knowing that Isaac would graduate and move back to the States for college. Instead of celebrating how far he's come and that he's a capable adult thriving in his new life in America, I dug myself a pit of self pity and have been feeling sorry for myself. Especially with Evan, our 2nd born, also applying for college this year, the "song" on repeat in my mind has been, "Life is hard, I'm sad, I don't want things to change." The Holy Spirit showed me that it's OK to grieve and feel sad but that shouldn't be the narrative constantly setting the mood for each day. I can rejoice and grieve at the same time. And God has been soooo good and I have sooo much to be thankful for. So my first big lesson is that I'm working on shifting my heart "song" to more thankfulness so I can recognize all the beauty in my life and family.

        #2: I am enough. God loves me no matter what.

                Over the years that I've been in ministry I have consistently battled lies that I'm not enough. I'm not doing enough. I should be doing more. I'm failing. I can't do it all but I want to do it all. Instead of finding contentment in the beautiful things I've done each day: raising my toddler, homeschooling my  kindergartener, mentoring my house helper, and all the other things that God gives me to do each day, I focus on what I didn't do. I didn't call so and so. I should have gone to visit so and so. Another repeated message in my head of what I didn't do and how I fell short that day instead of being content with what I  did do (which is usually quite a lot!)

                I still have some work to do on this one. I need to dig into God's Word to see what He says about this and write them on posters or notecards as reminders to preach truth to myself every day. I know I can't do it all and I'm not meant to. My calling is to do what God wants me to do each day. 

So that was my incredible retreat. I am so grateful for that special time away and I came back so refreshed and recharged. My circumstances and life hasn't changed but I have deeper joy and renewed passion for my season of life.

Ministering out of my God-given identity

Mother.

Besides being a daughter of the King, being a Mother is the identity I'm most passionate about. I LOVE being a mom. In fact, when we began filling out paperwork to hopefully adopt a child, we were asked WHY we wanted to adopt. The answer I kept coming back to was: I'm passionate about being a mom and for me, it is the most impactful way to serve the Lord: raising up children in the Love of God.

I've heard so many women, especially missionary moms, say, "I'm just a mom." Or, "I'm just at home with my kids." How can we belittle that? I'm not trying to be all feministic but truly, when you think of all that a mother, a really good mother does, it truly is a work that only the Holy Spirit can do through us.

Waking in the night for feedings, handling stinky and disgusting messes, sacrificing alone time, always thinking of the best ways to feed, discipline and teach our children...the list goes on and on.

Some of my "daughters"

I have been reading a book called Serving Well by Jonathan and Elizabeth Trotter and came to the realization that being a "MOM", not only to my own children but to so many others I pour into, truly is my calling. Elizabeth Trotter mentions 1 Thessalonians 2:7 where Paul talks about his ministry and said, "We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children." Paul saw the value of mothering, nurturing, and gentle love and care.

"This motherly care is not weak. It's not unnecessary or irrelevant or dispensable. It is strength. Resiliency. ESSENTIAL." - Elizabeth Trotter

For so many years I thought that real ministry is when you have an official program like a Bible study or a class or discipleship group. But in the last 5 years or so I've realized over and over again that the way Jesus ministered on earth was through relationships. Showing love, caring for needs, teaching and correcting, and serving everyone he met. And it's so exciting because that is what God has gifted me with! I LOVE people and "mothering" comes so naturally to me. In our years here in Uganda we seem to take so many youth under our wings. Whether through sponsoring them through school, one on one time in which we counsel and pray with them, or playing with them in our yard along with our other children.

Carson and his best friend Jonathan

Just yesterday we had about 15 kids playing in our yard, some on the trampoline, some cooking pretend food in the playhouse. I heard angry crying and came out to discover 2 four year olds whose fighting over guavas led them to punch each other in the nose! I sat down to talk it out, holding each of their hands in mine. By the end I had them say sorry to each other and hug. All the other children had gathered around at that point and watched the whole thing. When I returned to hanging laundry, I had to smile to myself at that cool teaching moment God had given me.

This is Florence. We are sponsoring her through school so she can follow her dreams of being a women's rights lawyer.

I hope that you hear my heart and know that I'm not trying to pat myself on the back for all we've done. I wish I could express how life changing this has been to realize that yes, this is my identity. This is who God made me. A woman who loves to mother and care for others. So it's OK, in fact, it's WONDERFUL that I'm using that gift in other peoples' lives. I don't need to belittle it and tell myself I'm not doing enough. Stepping up to care for someone and nurture them through this hard life when they're feeling alone and hopeless can surely change a life around. I've seen it time and time again.

Godfrey is another "son" we have sponsored through school. In this photo we took sodas and birthday cake to his boarding school to celebrate his birthday.

Those of us who have children know that from the time we find out we're pregnant, we have to eat and care for our bodies for the sake of those little babies growing inside of us. And then when they're born we have to continue to eat well, drink enough, and get enough sleep in order to keep up our milk supply to nourish our babies. The final point the author of Serving Well made is that in order for us to serve and love others, we need to make sure getting our spiritual nourishment. Time spent alone with God, in prayer and in His Word is so critical to serve and give of ourselves.

 Just today I was holding our neighbor's baby boy, who was diaperless of course and when he peed on me his mother was horrified and embarrassed. I quickly waved at her and said, "Don't worry my dear. I'm a mother. I'm used to this."

Summer Catch up

With September right around the corner, I am finally carving out some time to sit and update all you wonderful readers about our summer. It's always so helpful and healing to sit and process what beautiful ups and downs these last months have held.

In June, amidst ministry and the beginning of rainy season, we got to travel to Kenya to see the big boys for their midterm break. The week was full of rugby games, lots of EATING and getting to know the boys' friends and life at school.

With more rain in June, digging/gardening/weeding season begins in our part of the country. We count it such a privilege and joy to come alongside our friends and help them in their gardens. They think we're a hoot, trying to work like they can, but it's meant such bonding times.

We've also spent time in our church garden plot with other church members digging and planting. This year we are growing maize and rice.

Eli and I celebrated our 21st anniversary digging for most of the day.

The Battermann family (SIM missionaries also sent from our home church in SC) have been long time friends and their son Landon came to spend 2 months in ministry with us in Adjumani. He was such a joy and jumped into anything we asked him to. Our community loved him.

Picnic breakfast at the garden

 

Carson and Judah continue to love life in Adjumani with their little friends

Another ongoing ministry of ours is mentoring and loving on the young people we sponsor through school. Above I'm pictured with Godfrey who about to complete secondary 4. We also have several young ladies working hard to get through upper secondary school and hoping to go on to University.

The month of July was jampacked with more fun and excitement than I can remember in a LONG time! I think I'm still recovering from it all! We traveled by night bus to Kenya (broke down at 2 am in the middle of nowhere in Kenya and our trip stretched to a 20 hour drive.) The days leading up to Isaac and our niece Anna's graduation were full of sports events and other activities where RVA alumni and students competed against each other. One of our favorites was the rugby game when Eli and Jason (Eli's brother) played against our three: Isaac, Evan and Joshua. 

Isaac and Leah after a dusty bike ride

We were also thankful for time to get to know some of the boys' friends including their girlfriends.

I got to participate in an alumni choir and we sang a special song the Sunday before grad. I even sang a solo!

Graduation was absolutely just what it should be. Lots of photos, hugs, smiles, even some tears. What made this day extra special was that my parents plus ALL of Eli's siblings and parents came to celebrate with us. 2 Fader kids were graduating so it was an excuse for a "Reunion to Remember."

The cousins

So proud we could burst!

The day after graduation the whole Fader Clan traveled to the Kenyan coast to enjoy a week together at the beach. The weather was perfect for swimming, snorkeling, eating, playing cards, etc.

Carson and his cousin buddies

The whole gang

The Fader ladies

Boat trip to go snorkeling

 

After a blissful week at the beach together, Eli and the other four boys headed home to Uganda while Isaac and I flew to the States, landing in Washington state, to get him ready to start university. As I've mentioned many times, Isaac has begun the Moody Aviation missionary pilot training program in Spokane, WA. It's a new area for him but we are so thankful to have good family friends who have "adopted" him into their home and are keeping an eye on him.

We had quite the list of things to do to get him set up for life in America. One of them was buying a bicycle for him to get around town. We also opened up a personal bank account, shopped for new clothes, set him up with a US phone number, etc. These 10 days with my boy were some of the most precious I will treasure forever.

Of course we treated ourselves to the yummy things we'd missed!

Before I flew out to return to Uganda I got to help Isaac move into his house that he shares with 6 other Moody students and attended new student orientation with a full tour of the campus/hangars/airfield.

Moving Day

Isaac's home for this year

Spokane is a really beautiful place with plenty of trails to explore and hike, rivers to swim, and mountains to climb. This place has proven to be an ideal fit for Isaac and hearing how he's thriving and already enjoying his first month of school so far, makes the distance not feel so bad.

The day I got home after being away for 2.5 weeks!

Eli prouding wearing his Moody Aviation shirt - a gift I brought back for him.

I got home with only 2 and a half weeks left of Evan and Josh's summer break at home so our days were packed. I cooked up a storm and we worked hard in the day (projects around the house and at the church compound next door) and played hard at night (games or movies.)

One of Evan's best friends from school, Aidan, who lives in Kenya, came to spend those last weeks with us in Adjumani and he loved it. We gave him lots of first experiences - a great intro to village life.

First day: Butcher 3 chickens, clean and put in deep freezer. Check.

As always, motorbike rides every day: to Mt. Otce, to the river, to hot springs, and to the caves (all local places our boys have found by exploring.)

Card games with neighbor kids

Evan always fixing or building something!

Hiking through Zoka Forest

Monitor Lizard chase

So the boys were just chilling one afternoon and Evan heard a rustling in the garden. He looked and spotted a monitor lizard (kind of like a small iguana) slinking through the green pepper plants. I was inside visiting with a friend and we suddenly heard the boys screaming, hollering and laughing! What I saw right out my kitchen door was quite the surprise! Evan had caught the monitor lizard by the tail and it was hissing at him! They begged me to let them kill and eat it. Of course I didn't love the idea but thought it would be a great experience for Aidan so I gave the go ahead.

They were serious! Not only did they nicely grill the meat and all of us tried it - quite tasty and tastes like chicken - but they dried the skin to use for a phone case for Evan. Meanwhile Josh preserved one of its claws and made it into a key chain which he took back to school with him to hang on his backpack. Oh brother! Y'all this is the very definition of being a Boy Mom.

Well all good things must come to an end sadly. After some great weeks with these awesome teenagers, we brought them back to the city and put them on the bus back to Kenya for a new term and a new school year. Evan is a senior this year and Joshua is a sophomore. It's weird that we only have 2 at RVA now and our family is spread across 3 countries! Thankfully when Evan and Josh come home for Christmas break, we hope to fly Isaac home to Uganda too.

First day of school pics taken by dorm moms :)