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