Thoughts from the season

Assembling our Christmas tree

"Safari Ants" invading our neighborhood

Here are some random experiences and thoughts from this wonderful Christmas season…

Through our regular family devotions we have been reading different scriptures surrounding the birth of Christ. Recently, as Toby was reading to us from Luke 2, we discovered that the angels were part of the “heavy host” and that the shepherds “wildly made known” what happened in the fields. When your 7 year old is reading there are always some mistakes, some more entertaining than others.

After the laughter died down from the “heavy host” reading it was rewarding to hear the children say “Mommy and Daddy this has been the best Christmas yet”. Comments like that might make it sound like the presents they received were many, but in reality a simple Christmas rooted in Christ’s love is really enough to satisfy the heart of a child. The few presents they received were only a bonus and what can be done with less than $20 a child is beautiful.

As the tradition goes here at Kasana we have a service on Christmas day. This year was very nice with children reading scriptures and Toby was one of those. He did a great job reading the first 7 verses of Luke chapter 2 and what a joy it was to see our boy standing before the congregation! sorry no picture :-(

Also, Geoff received a surprise as we were getting on in the service and Uncle Jonnes announced that it was time to hear from the word of God that Uncle Geoff would bring…This was a plan that somehow Geoff completely missed but seemed to handle well as he stepped up and preached a great message. God tells us to be ready in season and out, thank God Geoff was able.

After the service the tradition is that all of us who remain on site over the long holiday, approximately 80 people this year, have a great meal together. We were in the shade as the temp reached 100+ degrees. Volleyball and great fellowship finished out the day.

We pray you all had a wonderful holiday and that you are able to go deep in your relationship with God this next year!

Oh yeah, you cant forget the safari ants that have attacked our compound the last few days. They come with aggression and you better get out of their way, they really hurt when they get you. This picture shows them attacking a neighbors sauce pan, they literally ran them out of their house for a couple of days.

NO ORDINARY DAY

SANTA IS THAT YOU???

Today was not a typical day for most vacations. We started the day out here in Kampala sleeping in (normal enough) with plans to go to a children’s Christmas party at a local hotel. The paper advertised it beginning at 10am with a bounce house, games, food and a visit from Father Christmas. Being versed at things here in Uganda we didn’t leave the house until 10:30 (things NEVER start on time) and of course we got a little lost (no street signs in Uganda) finally arriving at 11:30. To our expectations the lady at the desk tells us well we aren’t quite set up yet, you are welcome to wait and the kids can play. Our better judgment told us that might not be a good idea, maybe we will come back. We decided to drive across town and get some Chinese food (very good, but a little pricey). Finally we make it through traffic and arrive back at the party around 2:00 and we were still numbers 9, 10 and 11. It was great fun, but let me tell you, my definition of a children’s Christmas party can never quite be the same. Sodas all around, loud rap music and a 13 year old Ugandan school boy dressed as Santa. The only thing missing was some snow and real Christmas carols. The kids had a great time, made some new friends and came home with some fun toys. But I must say the expectations of a couple of hours of fun and then come home were not met. It is now 8:10, that translates to nearly 6 hours of children’s Christmas party, some times here in Uganda time is irrelevant. The main goal is to finish the program.

ACACIA'S EXCITEMENT

Oh yeah the final leg of our adventures today was to get some ensenene, or in English grasshoppers. Acacia has loved them since 2006 when someone gave us some as a gift. It is now the season and the neighborhood we were in is famous for the being the place they are harvested. So I spent $3 for a bag of raw grasshoppers with the wings removed that we came home and roasted in a frying pan. Mmmmmmm :-)

YES GRASSHOPPERS!

Junior

We have three children ages 7, 6 and 4. God gives us His grace to train them, love them, care for them and help them to know God's love for them. A friend once told me that I don't need to worry about the challenges that will be presented to me five years from now or ten years from now in regards to raising these children--God's grace is perfect for this moment and this stage. Having said that, we have also been given a very deep love and specific grace by God for a teenager named Junior in David family (pictured). Over the course of this past year we have walked through many difficult times with him and God's love for him has become deeply embedded in our hearts. He is a special son to us.

Once again, the despair and emptiness of the "orphaned heart" has threatened to overtake him. He is wrestling with issues of mistrust, unforgiveness, abandonment, fear, a fierce fight to maintain his own control and independence. He admitted to us tonight that he has not been walking with God these past few months. This is no surprise to us as the circumstances of his life have been on a downward spiral and in the past week have unraveled at an accelerated pace in the midst of his poor judgment and misguided behavior. Yet, the fact that he is maintaining communication with us and admitting his struggles is hopeful. Geoff had already met with him this afternoon to talk some things over, yet Junior came again tonight and stayed long even though we were very "in your face" in our discussion with him about his choices, perspectives and behavior of late.

Please pray with us for him. We are considering prayerfully whether or not we will bring him into our home this next year. There are many children here needing discipleship, yet we can not intensely disciple all of them. Junior is one to whom God has knit our hearts and with whom we have a grace to "go deeper." So, pray for Junior's heart to be opened to God's love for him and pray for us to walk in God's wisdom in our relationship with Junior. Thank you to those of you who take this on and stand with us in prayer!

November flew by...

Acacia and some friends at her 6th birthday party!

L to R & F to B: Vicki, Barbara, Anya, Acacia

Millie, Stella, Kasana, Toby & Kevin

A little American football to round out a super Thanksgiving together

Never open a HOT soda (left in a car in blistering heat ALL day!)

Kids making a regular trek to the secondary site to visit our new family, Tal and Tiffany Anderson and their 5 kids! We are so thankful to have them here at New Hope!

Geoff killed this snake at a neighbor's house and the kids enjoyed examing it!

I can't believe we've rounded the corner to December!!! Living out in the bush far from the "big" city creates a cocoon which shields us from the onslaught of Christmas decorations, billboard ads and hoopla to buy, buy, buy! That part is nice, but the lack of visual stimuli in conjunction with 100+ sweltering heat stirs up a need to be proactive in Christmas activities and attitude!!!!! The kids are really enjoying our advent calendar which has a daily Bible verse in each box and when the Christmas songs popped up on the computer Saturday in the midst of Acacia's birthday party, I suddenly realized, "Oh yes! That IS appropriate! EVEN though it feels like July!!!”
Acacia turned 6 on Saturday and she was thrilled with her princess party (we played “Pin the tiara on the princess” and ate strawberry cake—yum yum.) Directly after the party we piled in the van and trekked down the road to the vocational school where a huge Ugandan lunch was waiting for us courtesy of the tailoring and weaving students! Then Geoff and the boys took a motorbike home while Acacia and I went to the local open market and bought some used dresses. Wasn't quite like the mall, but she loved it still! Today when we read our advent calendar verse (James 1:17--"every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights") she jubilantly announced, "Hey! I am wearing a gift from God!!" (she has on one of her "new" dresses today.)
Two days before, we had a Thanksgiving to remember as all the Americans (and a few British) played American football and then sat down to a huge potluck meal! The kids will always remember the turkey desserts made of ritz crackers, hersheys kisses, candy corn and chocolate icing thanks to Katie Herbst’s mom and the her friend Jen who brought the ingredients with her from the states! Geoff's memorable moment, however, is not a happy one! The sodas for the occasion had been left in a hot car all day long and when he tried to open his, the bottle cap shot off and hit him square in the nose! It made such a loud noise that all 40 people in the noisy room stopped and turned to see what had happened! God's mercy kept the cap from hitting him in the eye!!! Had that occurred we'd have spent our Thanksgiving in the hospital and Geoff would have most likely lost his eyesight!
We walked a few minutes down into the valley yesterday to visit with Joyce and her family. While the kids played soccer we visited with Joyce and her mom and introduced Joyce to the idea of interning for a year at our baby house. She didn't make it into secondary school and this opportunity will give her some basic skills in the caretaking of babies. Complete with a certificate at the end of the year, she may be able to work in any number of baby houses throughout Uganda. She seemed very receptive to the idea. It was the first BIG smile regarding her future that we've seen since she received the news that secondary school was not going to be an option.
The New Hope kids will be starting their holidays on the 15th. We will be getting away from the 10th - 17th.
We pray you are able to enjoy these days leading to Christmas and that God's power and blessing will shower you with joy this season.

tid bits

Mary and Jennifer with the construction of our house in the background!!!!

Kevin and the East African extreme sport of "palm boarding" with assists by Toby, Acacia and Margaret, our neighbor

Here are some fun and a bit odd questions we have pondered of recent days. . . ."When was the last time we dewormed?" and when attempting to remove tick, "Do ticks follow the universal law of lefty loosey and righty tighty?" (That would be referring to which way to "unscrew" the head of the tick).

We are currently in the middle of the rainy season so it has been cool and a bit wet. Rains are a blessing as in most agricultural based societies as people's income and food source is dependent upon the rain. The other nice part is it is not so hot in the rainy season.

In other news, the house is off to a good start (as you can see in the background of the picture of Jennifer and Mary. ) The students from the vocational school are doing the foundation and underground cistern. This is a great opportunity for them as it is real training and a chance for them to earn some extra money. The actual walls of the house will begin to go up in about 2 weeks. Geoff recently brought all the students from the different vocational school programs to see the work the builders have been doing. It was encouraging for the builders to have their fellow students cheer them on, and it was beneficial for the other students to see learning in action. Geoff also recently highlighted the tailoring students' work for the community and the other students, as well as showing off the carpenters' products (a bed and bench) that had been purchased by members of the New Hope community.

Just a few weeks ago New Hope hosted the Regional District Commissioner (highest level of district government falling somewhere between a mayor and a governor) who toured all of New Hope and was especially impressed by the quality of vocational opportunities offered by the vocational institute. Geoff had a chance to share the vision with him and he promised to bring other government officials to visit at a later date to witness what New Hope is accomplishing.

Jennifer, in the above picture, is one of Mary's mentorees from David family and one of the three girls involved in the Sunday afternoon Bible study. They are still studying "forgiveness" and they can't seem to get enough. Each week they ask to continue on the subject and Jennifer especially asks real questions, "How can I forgive someone who keeps hurting me time after time?" Mary doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but lets God speak through His word. (see Matthew 18:21-35) Jennifer is a great girl who desires to be a missionary and a nurse in her future. She loves to sing and really has a great heart. Having lost her parents when she was 10, she has been with New Hope for the past 6 years.

There are many people coming and going this next week. A team arrives today from Costa Mesa as well as a young man considering bringing his family here to work with the new campsite on the shores of Lake Victoria. The Andersons, Tal and Tiffany and their 5 kids arrive Friday, and the Browns return from a couple of months in England sometime next week. Our kids are especially looking forward to those last two groups mentioned!!!!

"See" ya next time . . .

Fun Pictures

"Tobster", or as his friend Julia Dangers affectionately calls him, "Toaster"

(L to R) Godfrey Opio, Uncle Mulu and "Peg Boy" Toby on the big wedding day! From 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.Toby sat up there or marched in and out when requred -- Weddings are long here!!

Mommy and Acacia, All dressed up with somewhere to go!!! . . . Mulu and Lucy's wedding

The Big Boys ready to "Officiate" at Uncle Mulu and Aunt Lucy's wedding

Princess girl ready for Uncle Mulu and Aunt Lucy's wedding

Toby, Acacia and Kevin enjoying a little cinnamon, sugar popcorn!!!!!

Ahhh . . . the beauty of home school! Reading under the mango tree . . . Toby and Kevin

Joyce received birthday presents from Grandma Britton!!! She was soooo excited!!

Acacia and friend Elisha McFarland leisurely reading together. I love that the kids love books!!!

Kevin--very proud of learning to write his numbers AND draw pictures of Acacia (pink) and himself (blue).

Kevin!

OUCH!!

OK, in some ways, being a parent to a teenager is not something I am going to look forward to. On Monday one of our sons from David family was involved in a serious bicycle accident. He was going down a big hill and hit some loose dirt that was put there to repair some rain damage, went face down on the gravel road and was knocked unconscious. Needless to say Geoff and Mulu (David Family father) spent many hours at the local hospital while he was being treated. He lost 2 teeth, broke his palate, needed 5 stitches in his lip, 3 in his hand and has a small head wound. It was not a pretty scene!!! Since then he has been staying with us while Mary nurses him back to health. Toby and Acacia were glad to share Acacia's bed to make room for Junior to rest in Toby's. Please pray for him as you can imagine the trauma was pretty severe and as a teenager who has lost 2 of his front teeth he faces some challenges emotionally. We will be taking him to a dentist in Kampala to see about dental surgury and teeth implants but we aren't sure about how much that is going to cost. He is a very bright and talented boy who hates to sit still so this week of rest is not easy for him. He has been here at New Hope for 8 years as he lost both his parents, and now only has a grandmother who is quite old.

Junior is the one on the back of my motorbike in this picture. (the boy on back not the goat!)

Amuria!!!!

This post will include the newsletter we sent out on Geoff's recent trip to Amuria! Great news already from there, too, as we have heard that the people there have already completed the house our team started and they have also already begun another one!!! We are sending two representatives tomorrow to check on their progress and, if all is in order, we will buy the community there a pair of oxen to help in plowing the gardens for the returnees of LRA capture! Please pray for our two representatives as they travel and meet with the returnees.
As always, we'll keep you posted, although not always in a timely manner . . . life if busy!!
So. . . the newsletter . . . . .

Here's the news about the recent trip to Amuria that I (Geoff) made along with 30 of our young people. Amuria is in the North Eastern part of Uganda and for the past 20 years has really struggled with different problems ranging from raids by a warrior tribe called the Karamajong to the latest problems with the LRA (a rebel group that has plagued Northern Uganda since the early 90’s.) Once a place that was rich with cattle and agriculture, it has been reduced to a hopeless group of refugees trapped in their own fears.
Our trip consisted of seven staff members, four college age children from New Hope and 30 teenagers from our three schools. We set out in the back of the ministry’s biggest truck on Saturday morning (August 23rd) at 4 am for 7 days of ministry. Imagine food for 40 people, plus outreach food, sauce pans, sound equipment, sports equipment, garden tools, and anything else that we could think of to provide for us for one week.
After five hours we ran into our first set back, though only a minor one--a flat tire. The real set back was not the flat, but the fact that the tools to change the tire had been removed from the tool kit. After a 1 ½ hour delay we were back on the road and praying for no more tire problems as the puncture was irreparable.
Another 8 hours passed before we finally arrived at our destination, a place so far off the main road that over the entire week we never saw another vehicle. We were warmly welcomed by around 150 people excited to see what this vehicle and mass of people were bringing to them. We immediately began clearing the spot for the tents, collected water and utilized the remaining sunshine to get set up.
The week was filled with much work and ministry. Our main goal was to come alongside the people, encourage them and inject hope into their lives before they totally give up. On the agenda was building a house for a widow and planting, weeding and harvesting crops for some of the hardest hit by the LRA conflict. There were three groups we targeted for ministry. First were children taken prisoner during the conflict: the boys were made to be soldiers and the young girls were forced to be wives to the leaders. In addition to the children, we found parents who lost their children, and finally women who lost their husbands. All have been deeply affected by the terror that the LRA brought to the area. The LRA uses terror and fear as their main weapons. They move through the bush to reach remote areas and basically slaughter entire villages. They kill the men, take the children and begin to brain wash them with terror tactics. Some stories reached us of having to kill their parents as part of the initiation.

Though we were very prepared, there are things for which you can never fully prepare. The situation the people are living in is very sad. Many lack food and all seemed to be hoping that we brought their miracle that would change everything. Most of these children’s contact with aid organizations has been mass feedings put on by the UN, so that’s what they expected, but they found our approach quite different. We brought not just the hope of a meal, but together with the gospel and the work we did we gave them hope for the future.
Many of these children have had no close contact with white people so at the beginning of the week the five of us whites were met by crying children running away. Not the warmest welcome, but by the end of the week we had made many friends. One of the other areas we really weren’t prepared for was the distances that the people of that area walk as part of their daily lives. On our first full day there we left camp to go to the site where we would be building the house. They described the distance as, “it is a bit far.” Well, as we came to know, “a bit far” might mean 16km (around 10 miles.) Somewhat near which is “just there” is 4km or 2 ½ miles, so needless to say we WALKED A LOT!

Our young people did great, with few complaints despite the walking, hard work, heavy rains and high temperatures in the afternoon. We would work in the gardens or building each day until 1:00, have lunch and then have open air meetings in the afternoon/evening, and as well, two nights we showed the Jesus film.
The youth of Amuria weren’t interested in talking to me or the other leaders, but wanted to relate to our teens, and many of our young people came back having experienced great success working with the local children. The majority of my time was spent with village elders and leaders ministering to them in the area of hope and the fact that God is able to bring them out of their desperation. We both encouraged and challenged them with things they should be doing as they go forward. At this point they had been suffering from a lack of rain. God really showed Himself powerful, when at the end of the meeting Monday night I boldly prayed for it to rain and within 10 minutes of saying amen, we had to run for shelter from the rain! It then proceeded to rain most all week.
It is our intention to continue to be involved in this village as it seems they have been forgotten by the world. We want to donate a pair of oxen for plowing to aid in their recovery as agriculture is their best resource. So we expect to make a visit in the near future to check on them (this is already happening tomorrow as we mentioned at the beginning of this blog!!) and again in December when we take our group back on another outreach.

The conditions these people are living in are some of the worst I have seen since moving to Uganda 2 ½ years ago. Most people live in mud houses that, in order to provide safety during the times of night raids, are crammed together in makeshift villages. It is normal to have only one meal a day and not uncommon for some to go without food. Children wear rags and 95% of the children I saw had no shoes. During the week I often thought, “Wow, I am in a hunger relief organization commercial.” Our hearts were captured by the plight of these people, and we hope to continue to reach out to them in prayer and stand with them as they recover from the years of suffering.
A humorous note . . . I saw a very small mud hut with a grass thatched roof with this message painted on its outside wall, “Availability of everything you need hotel.” That really speaks from a different perspective, doesn't it? A roof over your head and some hope.

There were many tears as we left, but the overwhelming feeling was that God is on the move and we will surely see His hand in the lives of those in Amuria. Please pray for those who have suffered at the hands of the LRA over the years. Peace has come to the North, but the wounds of the years of conflict run deep.


Blessings, The Brittons

Where have we been?

Wow! We have been busy!!! Sorry for the deficient info on the blog. Geoff returned from Amuria and hit the ground RUNNING! He got back at 9:30 p.m. Friday night the 29th of August after starting travel at 5:30 a.m. on the back of a bicycle in the deep bush. He arrived home exhausted after riding bicycles, motorcycles, overcrowded taxis, steaming hot buses and yet more taxis. We didn't sleep that Friday night as we heard word at about 9:45 p.m. that our New Hope bus had been in an accident that evening and wouldn't be available to transport the 25 of us scheduled to travel the next a.m. beginning at 3 (!) to the "introduction" pre-wedding ceremony of our David Family father, Uncle Mulu. We effectively avoided sleep most of the night trying to help arrange some other way for the 25 of us to travel all together the 5 hours to the event. Finally, at about 4:30 a.m. we decided to take the van of our manager and send only the amount of people who could fit in that one van. But . . . the van wouldn't start, so the hunt for another vehicle yet began again! At 6 a.m. 8 people (Geoff, Uncle Mulu, his father and key leaders from here) left in another staff vehicle. We packed a change of clothes for Geoff according to the way we'd dressed at other introductions. What we didn't know was that the tribe represented at this particular introduction didn't wear the same garb. Geoff was left with a suit coat and a long-sleeved blue t-shirt with a nice big design on the front. About the time he realized that the t-shirt (now turned inside out) would have to do for attire, he was asked to "share a word" being the representative pastor! There he stood, with no sleep, underdressed for the occasion, but sharing God's word for the occasion--be ready in season and out . . .
They returned home after 10 p.m. that evening and we launched a busy week the next week in preparation for the upcoming wedding ceremony the following Saturday, September 6th. I spent the week getting the kids ready as Toby was to be the peg boy (kind of like a ring bearer, but with more responsibility) and Acacia was to be the flower girl. At 10 p.m. the night before the wedding when we were rehearsing, Acacia broke down and uncontrollably cried. She wanted to do it so much, but the pressure to be "in front" and lead the procession was just too much for her little shy self to handle. We were sad for her because she truly wanted to do it, but was overcome by the fear of being in front of all the people. So, the next day as Toby led the procession of men and Geoff preached the wedding sermon, Acacia and Kevin and I sat and happily watched the beautiful ceremony--all 6 hours of it!!!! (weddings are LONG events here!)
Once through the wedding and helping with the "little" things that come along with hosting all the family that came in for the occasion, we turned our attention to preparation for the David Family vacation to begin the next Tuesday Sept 9th. We, along with Nancy Kirsch, one of our other David Family parents, planned the menu, activities, transport, packing of the kids, and did the shopping for the food and miscellaneous other things. We packed 43 people in our big lorrie and traveled 6 hours in the back of it to New Hope's new land near Mukono on Lake Victoria! It is a beautiful place! We hiked, played football, fished, swam, played games and had a bonfire every night! The food for the occasion was largely funded by the family themselves!!! Their bread business has been so successful over that past 1 1/2 years that it paid for most of the food with some money left over to keep the business going!!!

While we were enjoying the beauty of Lake Victoria and each other, Uncle Mulu and his new bride, Aunt Lucy were honeymooning. We all came back together at the end of the week, refreshed and ready for a new school term which started the 15th (last monday).

Geoff, of course, put all effort into making sure a new school term at the vocational institute started well. He has two new interns that he has so far trained in the maize mill and will continue training them in other areas of the daily operations there at the vocational site.

So, here we are at September 21st and Geoff is preaching this a.m. In the course of conversation the past few days, other staff members have commented about how excited they are that Geoff is preaching today--one said she and her son are still reminding themselves almost daily of the message he spoke last time he preached about 2 months ago!!!! Praise God for speaking His word through Geoff and I'm thankful that God's message impacts the lives of those we are working alongside!!!

Better close. We sent out a newsletter detailing the work that went on in Amuria. I will hopefully attempt later today or this week to post some of that here. Feel free to request it if you don't see it here soon!!
Mary

Can't forget the kids

Here are a few of our kids

Toby was also "peg boy" or ring bearer as we call it recently in Uncle Mulu's wedding

More pictures

Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from Amuria

Under Construction . . .

The picture is of our little "Kevin the builder" and his friend "Britton the builder" taken while Britton was visiting earlier this year with his mom and sister.

Speaking of under construction . . . (!) Geoff and Gabe (our new construction manager here at New Hope) walked together this a.m. and marked off the area for our house. Gabe will be placing the stakes today and ground breaking will begin this week!!!! Please keep this project and those working on it in your prayers!

And soon in this blog space will be all the wonderful details of Geoff's recent trip to the North and how our crazy weekend ended up last Saturday regarding the "introduction" for Uncle Mulu and Anutie Lucy--the ones who are getting married this coming saturday!!

Geoff decided to work today even after an exhausting week and weekend . . . he'll take Tuesday and Wednesday mornings off, so stay tuned . . . as soon as all the dust settles, there will be much to read here . . .

Team in North coming home tomorrow

Hi all! The EYO (Emmanuel Youth Outreach) team will be returning to New Hope tomorrow. Their time has been enjoyable and profitable for God's Kingdom! The response of the rescued kids has been encouraging. The New Hope kids have maintained good attitudes despite very hard physical labor, drenching rain and long hours! They said they wish they could stay longer! Some of these rescued children the team has been working with may be some of our first children for New Hope's site in the North in Kumi/Kobwin!



Today is Friday and Geoff left at 5 a.m. to start the LONG journey home on public transportation. He needed to leave today so that he can join me and 25 others to travel starting tomorrow a.m. at 3 to the "introduction" ceremony for Mulu Jospeph and Lucy who are marrying next Saturday. He has motorbikes, buses and taxis to travel on and I pray he is home safely in time to spend some moments with the children before we have to sleep in prep for our long day on Saturday. One of the students here for the childcare and family institute program this term will be with the children while we are gone Saturday. Please pray for the kids to "hang on" one more day before they get to be with Daddy again! They have been troopers this week and they have a little more to go before the rewards of "rough housing with Daddy" out in the yard.



Talk to you again soon . . .

Mary

Persecution in India's state of Orissa

Please pray diligently for Christians in the state of Orissa, India. An extremely significant Hindu leader, Swami Lakshmanananda was killed in recent days and Christians are now being severely persecuted in backlash. Churches are being burned, some pastors have been killed, nuns are being raped and Christians have fled their homes to avoid beatings and killings. This is a very serious situation and the Christians there need prayers for strength (both spiritual and physical), wisdom, courage, and FAITH and TRUST in God. I doubt this has been much in the western news, but even if it has been, I came across a blog that details some of the things that have been happening -- "christianpersecutionindia.blogspot.com" As you lift up our team in the North of Uganda, please pray for the Christians in Orissa!

A quick update on the north--they are busy building houses. they are tired, but doing well. the rescued children are beginning to respond to the ministry of our team. One of ours who speaks the rescued children's local language is meeting with three young girls. Please pray for her to speak God's wisdom to them. Continue to pray for health as some are physically ill and at least one other has reported to being fearful.

Thanks for your prayer support!!!!
Mary

random pics of recent days . . .

Hey!!! What color is YOUR tongue!!???




Joyce and Toby jumping into the "pool" (nothing more than an oversized hot tub) at the Red Chilli where we took Joyce for a couple of days to celebrate her birthday this month.

1)Anya Brown and Acacia after their "end of term" program that the kids put on for all the parents.

God is GOOD!

Hello again all! Here's an update from Geoff and the team in the North. . .
Thank you all for praying for the New Hope team and for those they are ministering to this week. Reports are that they are all enjoying the time there. Geoff says the people are very poor, but friendly. The rescued children are hard hit with spiritual drought and burdened with fear, so he asks that we pray for them to be delivered from the paralyzing fear they have come to know as "normal." The land itself is also experiencing drought, so the team prayed for rain and it began raining almost immediately!!!!! It has rained so hard that most of the tents are soaked, but the New Hope kids are still filled with energy and joy as they serve. Geoff happily shares that his tent is still dry! Toby, Acacia and Kevin were excited to hear that as they have prayed everyday for "Daddy to not get sick!" and they feel Daddy's dry tent is God's direct answer to that prayer!

The team walked 16 km to build a house yesterday! They are tired, but fulfilled. They have 5 more days there so keep praying! One of the leaders was sick with malaria, but is now doing better and two of our kids are now ill. Pray for the health of the group, please.

Geoff asks that we continue praying for him to have God's wisdom on what to say/share and when to speak. Jonnes, our longtime leader who has served with the Dangers here for 20 years, arrived there safely yesterday. We have one more of the youth leaders who will be traveling on Wednesday to meet the team so pray for his safe travel.

On the home front, all is well. Thanks to all of you who have emailed me to let me know of your support in prayer! I am feeling it! Things are moving along smoothly and I am finally catching up a little on my sleep. It was so busy before the team left that I hadn't slept much. It's busy here, as usual, but things are flowing nicely and God's sends many encouragers my way through emails, notes and personal visits here to the house. I have been able to walk each morning with Vicki Dangers and that has been a deep source of blessing.

I want to get this posted since last night I wrote and when I went to post, the internet wouldn't stay on long enough for it to complete. Once I get the text posted, Ill try to get some pictures downloaded for you. No pics from the north yet, just random pics from around here!
Thanks again for your prayers!
Mary

Forgiveness

Hey, the internet has been going haywire . . . right in the middle of typing a blog it will cut out, so let me try to finish here quickly with some of the info I had wanted to include in the other post. . . I had a GREAT Bible study on Sunday with the girls I have been meeting with since Oct.2006!!! They have asked to study forgiveness and we are really going deep. It is exciting to be discipling/mentoring these young girls in an area that many who have been Christians for years have not even dared to study indepth. I see them grasping the extreme importance of the truth of forgiveness and it is so energizing to imagine the freedom they will have in their walk with God if they can remain free of unforgiveness and bitterness--not the mention the physical health!!! If any of you are interested in studying this area for yourself, I recommend two books, "The Bait of Satan," and "Total Forgiveness." Both are still in print and both are invaluable to a Christian who wants to go deeper in true relationship with others and God.
The team ministering with Geoff has also asked that we pray for the rescued children that they will be able to forgive their attackers/abductors. Without forgiveness, these children will continue to be tormented by fear and unable to be truly free even though Kony and his rebels are no longer active in their area. Our leaders at New Hope have been working in recent years to be instruments and catalysts for forgiveness among the different areas in Uganda where activity of tribal conflict and war have ravaged the lives of many. Please continue to lift up those of our number who are actively working towards reconciliation and forgiveness--they are ambassadors of Christ's life-giving message and for healing in this nation. Pray especially this week as the team is in the North, but please also continue your prayers as ongoing reconciliation activities are taking place throughout Uganda.
Until next time . . . Mary

Geoff is in the North

The bottom pic is of Kevin carrying packages from the administration office! The kids love it when we receive things from people back home. And I love seeing the pure joy on their faces!!!! Just thought I'd share a big smile with you . . . The top pic shows another frequent source of joy for me!! Now that Toby reads (about anything he can get his hands on!) the other two just love to hear him read to them. And we love that all of them enjoy learning together!!!

It's late, but I just thought I would try my hand at this blog business again . . . it's been a long time since I've shared anything in this space. The kids have just gotten into bed--well, they oughtta be, it's 10:20 p.m. Time just seemed to race away from us tonight. It was a busy day for me with laundry. I tend to wait too long until I have a huge pile of stuff and it takes me hours. The kids' business of the day was to play, play, play. They rode bikes, fetched water, helped wash the van, played at David family, played at the Dangers' house, played with their leap pads and took almost every book out of the bookshelf to read. (Thankfully they put them all away before bed time.) Kevin decided he would eat a termite today. The neighbor was catching and eating them and his rational was that he had never tried them, so WHY NOT? He announced to me that "they have no guts." Which I think loosely translated means, "they have no taste." He was eating it while it was still alive--when I tried my first (and ONLY) termite it was cooked, but still, it had no taste. OK, enough on that bit of disgusting fare.

Earlier in the day we had devotions on Kings David and Solomon, and then later in the day on the dangers of lying. (Kevin is sometimes too keen to conceal the truth and this is a topic we've returned to more than once.)

I guess all in all as I look back at the day I see that we did a good job of keeping ourselves busy while Daddy was away. He left this a.m. (at 4!) with approx 40 others piled in a lorrie covered with a tarp. They traveled to the North for a week of ministry to the "invisible children." The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony terrorized the people in the north for years. At night they would raid the villages, killing, kidnapping and forcefully "recruiting" for their forces. Often children were made to kill others on the spot--sometimes their own parents. Those who were not captured would flee their villages each night (as this is when the raids were carried out) and would sleep in locked IDP (internally displaced peoples) camps. Hence, the name "invisible children" was taken up as they disappeared in the night to the camps.

Geoff and a few other leaders with the young people from New Hope are sleeping in an IDP camp this week. They arrived just before 7 p.m. and began immediately to set up camp. They will do some building, along with spiritually ministering to the people in the area. Please pray for them as they are there among those who have been so spiritually battered. "Internally Displaced" is an appropriate term in two ways: physically, of course, they have been uprooted from their villages and the way of life they once knew; and spiritually they are tormented by the things they've seen and done. Please pray for the deliverance of those beautiful creations of God who have been forced to participate in such atrocities against other creations of God. They don't fit into society anymore: their relatives don't know how to handle them and the schools often don't want them because they are too "violent". Our young people from New Hope have been through much heartache, but their experiences are so different than those to whom they will be ministering this week. Pray for the spirit of God to minister to them and to give them wisdom as they are in the North.

It will be a busy week for all of us. I plan on keeping up our regular schedule of school, devotions, bread baking, staff fellowship and Sunday afternoon Bible study with the girls while Geoff is away. So far, so good. Pray that the children maintain a peace and a joy despite Daddy being gone. Toby and Acacia cried for awhile tonight over missing Daddy and then Toby began to remember other people he misses. It's difficult for missionary kids to assimilate all the emotions that come with the constant stream of people in and out of their lives. "Hello" and "Good-Bye" are frequently used words around here. Especially now that it is summertime in the West. We have one team after another of people flooding through and the kids get attached to people who are only here a few weeks and then are gone--sometimes never to return.

As I hear news from Geoff and the team, I will attempt to update here. Thanks for listening!

Mary

Bit of this and bit of that

No current theme here but a few things from today and one from a couple of weeks ago. First the photo with all the people was from the huge celebration we hosted two weeks ago in honor of 20 years in the ministry of bringing the fatherhood of God to the fatherless. It was Feb of 1988 that New Hope received it's first 10 children and on the 11th thru 13th of July we opened up for all those who have been involved with New Hope to come home for the weekend. They began coming on Thursday and by Sunday there were more than 1500 people here for the Sunday service. It is incredible to think of all those that have been touched over the years. Those who had no one on their side found that God truly was on their side and brought them to Kasana to be cared for.

In other news "You know you are a missionary when..." . . .One of your children asks "What's for supper?" and in response to your answer of "roasted grasshoppers", one of your other children sports a big smile and says, "REALLY??!!!" in mouth-watering anticipation. What a let down to have to say, "No. Sorry, just roast, potatoes, carrots and gravy."

Not a good day!!!

Well just a quick note. Today was really not a good day. I (Geoff) went with 4 other guys to Jinja for the big agriculture show they put on one week every year. It is a 3 hour drive, thanks to a new short cut we found (It used to be 5 1/2 hours). Leaving at 6am we really made great time only to have a small accident when we arrived in Jinja. A boda boda (motor cycle taxi) with two people on the back crashed into the side of our van. Praise God that no one was really hurt, the driver had a helmet on and it was a good thing because his head hit the rear side window, shattering the glass. Well as things go we went with him and the passengers to a clinic, (directly across from where we collided), got them treated (we paid) and then began the VERY painful process of negotiating for what should be paid to whom. Since I am the white guy and "all white people are rich like Bill Gates," it was assumed that I should pay and boy did they try to get a bunch. Thanks to our good friend Mulu ("David Family" father) it turned out to be not too bad, but still not enjoyable. All in all I had to pay the medical bill and another 110,000 shillings. That's a total of around $100, which really is alot here, but again, at least the driver was not seriously injured. It took around 2 1/2 hours and made the show not so enjoyable. Enough of my complaining...

A day in the life!

It has been a long time, but yes we are still here...There are many things that transpire in the life of a missionary and some of them are not what you might think. Today is Saturday which most weeks means a day around the house, doing a little garden work, visiting with friends, etc. Well, today was in someways no different. Mary got up early as she promised to make us donuts for breakfast! Yes, that's right donuts!(Actually an oven-baked type, but just as good. So as she was working on that I took the kids to the garden to do a little work (pictured above). After weeding I thought we would harvest some carrots and send them to one of our friends. Look at those carrots!!!! I am sure that huge one would win the blue ribbon! Not long after that I heard the kids yelling, "Look at the pig!" --a baby pig is running through our compound. As Toby takes off after it I decide this is a good time to help someone learn how to better take care of their animals so I too go running after it. SUCCESS!!!! I got it. Now what? Let's call the one who is keeping the pigs for the ministry and see if I can keep it there. Now, how do you transport a baby pig? I know in a mail bag! Good idea! So we loaded it into the van and headed over to the piggery. After we put it in one of the empty stalls . . . oops, the door breaks. So, I blocked the door with a wheelbarrow and then went to get a hammer. After finding the hammer and repairing the door we now have a new pig. If the owner comes we will use this opportunity to teach on faithfulness and responsibility. After all that excitement, Geoff and the kids headed to Kiwoko for some shopping and were back home by 11. Wow! What a morning! Not what you think of as an ordinary day, but you never know what you might face in a day :-)

Introduction day

This weekend we had the pleasure of attending a Ugandan "Introduction" ceremony. Historically when a man intends to marry a woman here in Uganda he is to go to her family bringing gifts included in the bride price. They go through a series of discussions and "negotiating", if you will before they celebrate with a meal and he takes his bride home with him. It often takes hours of discussion before they agree and the presents are brought in. This one was a Christian introduction so things were a bit different but it was still big on the ceremony and took nearly 4 1/2 hours by the time we all ate. Traditionally the couple would be considered married after a ceremony like this but since they are Chrsitians the church wedding is next weekend when they will sanctify their union. It was very fun and I have to say our kids did great. We actually went the day before to help set up and do any work. Typical of things here in Africa not much happened as planned in preparing so we spent alot of time doing nothing. So basically for 1 1/2 days the kids had to be quiet, sit still and don't get too wound up. They did awesome!!!! The pictures show the bride and her maids being presented to the grooms family, typically ladies kneel to men in greeting and when being addressed. Also pictures of the "bride price" being brought in. The price may include cows, money, fruit and vegetables. Here you will also see soe soda, this tradition is new to Uganda. The last picture shows Toby in his true form, everywhere he goes he comands attention and makes friends. These children would follow him around and always wanted to play with him.