Thursday, August 31, 2017

Leave & Go


The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and Go to the land that I will show you.”  Genesis 12:1

Where did the summer go?  Labor Day is already here!!  How can it be??  Labor Day celebrates the social and economic achievements of American workers.  It recognizes the efforts and strengths that have made this country Great.  It is traditionally celebrated with barbecues and time spent with family; marking the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.  We will be doing just that this weekend; camping, celebrating and enjoying our time here with family, and remembering all God has blessed us with.

With that being said, we are ready to get back to Work!  September 24th we fly to the Dominican Republic.  We will begin our new life living and working in a new country.  It is time for a new home, a new people group and a new ministry.  We are excited to see what God will do in this next year!

We have loved our summer here with our kids, grandkids, family and friends!  We have been able to catch up on what everyone has been doing in our absence.  We have gotten our fill of all the wonderful foods available here in America  (and our waistlines are proof).  We have done much physical labor helping our kids with remodeling projects on their homes and some on ours as well.  As we write this today, we are without a commode due to a leak in the bathroom.  Water is off for two days for repairs.  God’s humor….just giving us a little reminder of what life was like in Uganda.

 We have studied hard with learning a new language and some educational things we needed to do to prepare for this shift.  We have visited many of our supporting churches sharing what’s next for us.  And, we have diligently worked on fund raising.  But, amongst all the business and work, we did get some much need physical and emotional rest!  Now, we are ready to GO!

To GO we must say our Goodbyes, and The Goodbyes stink!  It never gets easier!  We are always saying “goodbye” or “see you later” to someone here at home, or with people we have come to know and love. It breaks our hearts every time!!  But, we know this is what we are supposed to do.  Knowing God has gone before us and He is leading us each step of the way, gives our hearts some comfort.  And even though we love America and our time here, we do not feel at home here anymore.  Life here seems somehow foreign and different.  We feel like we are caught in two different worlds a bit unsettled and out of place.  Neither here nor abroad feels like home.  We are visitors passing through.  Lives go on with or without us whether we are here or there.  As a missionary, I guess, this is a part of life.  And, it’s OK! We love being Missionaries!  God placed this unsettled feeling in us so we would GO to a foreign land and to the unknowns.  And it is time to GO!

We can’t say “THANK YOU” enough to Everyone that has transferred their financial support to us thru Helps Ministries!  Thank you for being our prayer support and for sharing your time with us!  We are so blessed because of you!  We are Excited and Ready for whatever God has in store for us! 

We pray you enjoy the beautiful fall weather (that has seemed to come early ;) and that you rest in the wonderful provisions God has blessed you with here in America! 

Hasta luego Amigos y Familia, see you later Friends & Family!

Prayer Requests

* Pray we make up the shortage in personal support and raise enough funds to purchase a reliable, safe vehicle

*Safe travel to the D.R. September 24th

*Pray for comfort for our family as our leaving affects their lives too

*Acclimation to this new culture, that all the details will fall into place, we find a new home and needed items

*Continued Prayers for our Ugandan Ministries and families.