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.