Rest

Psalm 62:5  “Find REST, oh my soul, IN GOD alone; MY HOPE comes from Him”

Hard to believe we have already spent four weeks in the States.  The culture shock we experienced on our return has quickly changed and we are back to the American ways.  We can’t say time has gone by slow or fast, but we feel the time has gone by just right.  We have been able to spend time with both friends and family alike.  What a joy it has also been to sit and share one-on-one with individuals in a more intimate setting how God has been working in us and in Uganda this past year. We have a tight schedule for the rest of the time we are here, but we are excited to visit more family, friends and churches.  Who doesn’t love to talk about the work they love?

So far we have visited two churches and were able to share what God has been doing in the village where we minister.  These churches have been very gracious in allowing us to present on the work being done and loving on us while we are here.  The families of the churches have also been supportive to us and of the ministries we are working in.  The money raised at the churches by purchasing products the women have made will go right back into the women’s ministry to purchase more sewing machines and supplies.

Maddie caught "The Big One"

On the Fourth of July weekend we were able to get away for a day and spend some time at the family cabin up north.  Thank you to Uncle Gary, my brother-in-law, for allowing us to use a fishing pole for one of my granddaughters (Maddie).  We truly have missed clean water and the ability to swim without worry of being eaten by Crocodiles and Hippo’s. LoL  And who can honestly say they wouldn’t miss an open campfire. 

We left the cabin up north early on the fourth to attend the Coker family reunion in southern Michigan.  What a blessing it was to see family members again.  We were able to speak with some for the first time and others for the first time in many years. You can only imagine how exciting things can get when you bring a bunch of Coker’s together in one place.  The family had an Auction to raise some support for us and for the work in the village.  We had a great time!!   In some respects it will be hard to return to Uganda for fear of not being able to communicate in person again with some.  God is in control and we must trust he will bring us all together again.  We are so blessed to be here for this short time spending quality time with loved ones!  One thing we have learned this past year is to appreciate the times we have, and to live more in the moments He has given us!  Make  most of it!

We are so happy to back in America!

*Praises-we are home with family and friends!  Ready to spend time with our loved ones here stateside for a little rest and a little work.   We are visiting many, raising more needed support to sustain us and the work we are doing for the next two years.   We would love to see you all!  Please don’t hesitate to give us a call.  Please contact us via email or phone to get you on the calendar. 

Because He Lives!

Bruce & Janine

email: Bcoker3400@gmail.com

Teaming Together

 4:9-12  Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help……….Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Well, when we told you the month of June was going to be busy the word busy is an understatement.  

You all know Murphy’s Law, if anything can go wrong it will go wrong.  When we received the news that the container was going to arrive around the end of May we thought its arrival might interfere with our hosting the team of teachers from America in the middle of June.  Oh, how right we were!  The container did arrive in June, but it was held up in Customs for several weeks for various reasons.  I think the biggest reason was there was a conspiracy to try and steal all the Doves chocolate Janine and I had packed in our personal tubs.  Well, it worked we never received the chocolate. LOL  It was still a blessing to receive everything else.

Simon and I (Bruce) went to Kampala on a Thursday to pick up the Afayo belongings and were told after the second day that the container would not be released until Monday or Tuesday of the following week.  We both laughed because it only made sense that the container would be released in time for Mark Luckey to arrive from the States and he could be there to help unload the very container he helped pack and ship while he was home at the ECM  office in Indiana.

Just for your entertainment I will share the events of the unpacking of the forty-foot container from the time of its release.  The container was released at 5:00 Pm and then had an hour plus trip to make it to the field where we could transfer its belongings to our smaller trucks.  It gets dark  here at 7:00 Pm!  I repeat, it gets dark at 7:00 Pm, and there are no lights in the field where we had to unpack.  Thank God for the use of torches (flash lights) and car lights while trying to unload Thousands of boxes.

If the light issue wasn’t a big enough problem, the two trucks I hired to ship our belongings didn’t show up until 9:00 and 10:00 pm.  The second truck was late because the driver got mouthy with a police officer and ended up spending the night in jail.  I followed the first truck at 5:00 am the next morning to the village, and Simon rode with the other truck once the driver was released from jail at 9:30 am.  After spending three days in Kampala the trucks were unloaded on Friday June 12th in the village. 

David, Theresa, Lyla, Natalie, Sarah

On June 13^th Janine, Simon and I went back to Kampala to pick up Mark and then traveled to Entebbe to pick up the team of teachers from the States.  The team of five had been coordinating their efforts and making plans months before arriving in Uganda.  Keep in mind this is not a team from one church or from any one given area.  They all volunteered their services through the ECM website which was assembling a team to work at St. Paul Primary Learning Centre.  They had never met before this trip.  The team came from Michigan, Texas and Colorado.

After spending a few hours with them it was obvious to Janine and me that they were assembled by God to do some much-needed training at the school.  The team, directed by Lyla Martin, spent each night preparing for the following days events.  We truly enjoyed listening in each night to hear how enthusiastic they were and how well they teamed together.   Each person brought something different to the table in regards to subject and in techniques of teaching.  They came with a humble heart to share the gifts God had given them.  In no way did they think their way was the only way to teach, but a different way to teach.

Dave Davis who will tell you he is not a teacher in the vocational sense was a joy to work with and along side of.  Before he arrived he asked for some small projects to do, but he finished the small projects on the first day.  Dave is an individual who is very self-motivated and very creative.  He interacted so well with the students and even taught them how to wrestle.  Dave planted a variety of vegetables and fruit trees around the school compound for future harvest. 

Janine and I had such a good time with the team we had a hard time saying goodbye.  Even though we were returning home to America two days later, we would have enjoyed a couple of more weeks with them.  We all had a great time and look forward to seeing them all again, if they decide to make a return trip.

You all may have been wondering about our new teammates the Actis’s.  They arrived a week or so prior to the above-mentioned events.  It is obvious they are seasoned missionaries and that they will need little, if any, help from us.  They were missionaries in Colombia, South America for 4 years.  Their vision, hearts, and skills will be such a blessing to us and The Mission.  The Actis family has four girls and they have a heart for missions just like their parents.  The twins, Sophie and Chloe, are a natural with babies and their sisters, Lindsay and Kennedy (KC), have a passion for communicating and reaching the people of the village and helping.

This is what our team looks like now.  Simon Mugulusi (a local Ugandan).  Bruce and Janine Coker (one year on the field).  Matt and Shelley Actis and their four daughters from oldest to youngest: Lindsay, Kennedy, Sophie, and Chloe.  Together we have some new and exciting things planned for the coming year 2016.  We are excited to be working with them all!

Kennedy, Lindsay, Shelley, Sophie, Matt, Chloe, Simon, Janine & Bruce
Your AFAYO TEAM