Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Especially for Nancy!!!!!

Faces you LOVE!!!!!


































I have to comment on this one!!!!! Kakande gulped this soda--had it tipped in the air for quite a few seconds--and when it was complete he put the bottle down on the table and shouted, "AMINA!" and we all busted out laughing!!!



















We love you Aunt Nancy!!!!! Thank you for your letters!!!!!!!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!!



What are you thankful for today?? This month?? This year??? As a New Hope family we took time this month to reflect on our blessings and together said THANK YOU to our loving Father!!!! We held a special Thanksgiving celebration yesterday. Families, departments, family groups, community groups, neighborhoods and individuals built "booths" (based on the Tabernacle of Booths celebrated by the Israelites in the Old Testament) to show our thanks to God for what He has done for us this year. We filled our booths with various items including pictures, signs listing our specific thanks, garden harvests, plans for the future and victories from this past year. After marching into the church area and praising God for quite awhile, we heard powerful individual testimonies to God's goodness, as well as commissioning our Emmanuel Youth Outreach team for their outreach next week in Masaka. Uncle Jonnes also informed us of the continued ministry of the radio and we took an offering for special projects in the communities included in the area where the radio signal is transmitted. After an energizing time of praise and worship we moved out to the compound where all the booths were set up, and we visited each one to see what the Lord has done in and through us this past year as members of New Hope and the church community! We finished out the day with a meal of which most of the food was provided by our own gardens!!!!! We wish you all could have been here!!!!



Thanksgiving list of the primary 2 school students








Anthony praising as we enter the church


























There were little booths being built all over the place!!!! Everyone wanted to take part!!!





















Great friends in David family walk to the church area together


The Baby House booth highlighted their thanks by showing pictures of the babies for which they care. On the right Jay, Vicki and Julia Dangers.




















Mercy, one of our children in the baby house, was so pleased to show everyone who stopped by ALL the babies in the house. She pointed to the pictures and told the names of each child. SO CUTE!!!!
































This is a primary 4 student who was happy to tell us how she has been blessed.













Richard, one of our dear sons and a carpentry student sits proudly in the vocational school booth which displayed the marketable items made by the institute students. The students themselves made a beautiful booth which will become a permanent fixture for shade in our compound!!










Visitors to the David Family booth.




















We are very grateful for the peace we've experienced as a country and to show it we placed the Ugandan flag on our booth and put a sign saying PEACE on the flag.













The crowd gathering into the church structure after marching around together.












































Marching and praising!!!
















I love this photo. It is the father of one of our special needs children who is seen here praising the Lord!!!
















The DAvid family moves together with our sign

































These next photos are from when we were preparing to march in praise together. They were taken in the David FAmily compound before we moved to the church compound.

























































































Geoff moved around a lot on Saturday getting things ready for the celebration. Everyone was happy to join in . . . especially if it meant a motorbike ride. Five crammed on a small motorbike, woohoo!









Geoff and Kakande took off on the motorbike on Sunday morning to make a final check before the procession started.

















Reviewing the events for the day and making sure everyone knows what is to happen.












Our family group poses for a pic just before we begin to march.











One of our dear David FAmily associates, Jessica and two of her relatives that joined us for the day.























Uncles Okoth and Eric ready to march!













Toby and Kevin worked on their own booth on Saturday and I loved seeing them enjoying the process and each other!













Acacia and her friend Katelyn (whose family lives at Musana camps of New Hope) worked on their own booth as well.



















Geoff hauled the booth for the vocational school on the top of his van, down the road 4km from the school to the main site. He sure got a lot of STARES as he traveled road!!












We love that Ugandan is experiencing peace!!! We're thankful and we will pray for its continuance.




























Setting up the David Family booth with Kiweewa































We had so many visitors for Thanksgiving that we had to set up three extra tents!!!! Our board members were present, as well as local officials, and many longtime friends of the ministry. It was a fantastic day!!!!!!!!