Happy 4th of July!!!

 Our INDEPENDENCE  as a Nation runs with fresh emotion for us this year as Kevin and Acacia have been studying the beginnings of America and the Revolutionary War these past few weeks. Toby has just finished delving into the events of the Civil War and has begun the examination of the World Wars. Our upclose look into the passions and strength of purpose of those who gave their lives for our freedom and dignity as a Nation has moved us.  As we celebrate our American heritage, albeit from a foreign land, we think of our fellow Americans scattered throughout the world! "And God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'" (Acts 17:26-28) We, all being created and divinely planned for, are His. And, having said that, we're proud He planned for us to be American, !!!!! Thank you, God! 

On this 4th of July, our secondary school held their first science fair.  The kids were excited as they planned their experiments and today they demonstrated for the judges.  The experiments were varied and well thought-out. There was one on the constant sloughing off of the outer layer of skin and the regeneration of new cells.  I was struck by the kids' quote at the end of their explanation poster and thought it quite apropos to our lives:

Thank our Lord that He gives us everything we need for life (II Peter 1:3) and Who is reliable and present even when life and struggles rub against us or seemingly grind and scrape at our attempt to preserve our "outer layer."   "He never leaves us or turns His back on us. We may boldly say, The Lord is our helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"(Hebrews 13:5-6)

Geoff and I went together to view the science fair. He listens as  a student explains effects of varying degrees of salinity.

One of our David family boys and his friend took 2nd place with their demonstration on a "village" way to separate oil and water.

Our girls, Annet and Jesca pose in front of their poster on how our taste buds can be tricked when we do not use our sense of sight and smell along with our sense of taste.

And a few days ago we held our own little science experiments on atmospheric pressure. We made a homemade barometer and thermometer.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Last Sunday we were privileged to baptize a number of our church members in the mid-afternoon down at our pond.  It was quite muddy and there was a slight rain, but many gathered around to watch as young and old stated aloud their faith in the saving power of Jesus. There is a lot of fear surrounding water here as most do not know how to swim. To commit themselves to going down into the water for baptism was an extremely courageous act and speaks of sincere faith. 

Those who are getting baptized gather around for encouragement and instructions before the baptisms begin.

Florence, steady obedience brings a true smile!

Biru, one of our David Family girls, getting baptized!!!

Love this smile and the joy of NEW LIFE!!!

Looking at her family father as he lovingly guides her

PURE JOY!!!

A special baptism moment, baptized by his Dad, his Grandpa and his good friend Uncle George!

The crowd sloshed through mud to see the baptisms

 She confessed her need for Jesus and stated that her faith is firmly placed in Him.

The baptism of one of the older men in the congregation--AWESOME!

the third week of june

“In the quiet of the early morning, the sunlight streams through the overhead vent screens and I slowly become aware of the intrusion.  It is still and peaceful, inviting me to shake off sleepiness and ever so quietly enter the day. The house is silent, no one else is awake. I answer the invitation to start the day as I stealthily creep down the hallway in order to preserve my aloneness. With Bible and devotional book in hand I put the water in the kettle and light the stove in prep of downing that delicious brown liquid (well, solid, as I make it!).  I settle into a chair and soak in thoughts of RESTING in God, praying continually and asking Him to take control of the details of my journey with Him. I turn to Psalm 62 and thank God that He is my rock, salvation, defense, refuge. God has spoken: Power belongs to Him and also mercy--He is the strength of my life, I will not be moved from where He has me.

As I savor the coffee and ask God to fill me with His truth I begin to hear the rising hum of the day . . . the ax striking the wood, the chickens announcing the sunrise, the smoke drifting in from surrounding kitchen fires, bicycles rumbling by on their way to the local bore hole, quiet talk from the family across the path and the bird symphony rising and falling. 

Suddenly, the cats scramble up the banana stalk and onto the iron roof. The kids begin laughing in the back rooms and the day has officially begun. It is Sunday and we have the privilege of meeting with others to worship and pray, listen and respond, laugh and share. It is a blessing to be alive. Thank you God for this day.”

Those were my thoughts from a week ago Sunday. Geoff was still away from us in the U.S. with his family, having gone to help after the death of his brother-in-law. It was a very different Sunday to yesterday. Then, Toby and I were still sick, the strain of being without Geoff was beginning to show and the busy household into the late evening was together a joy and drain on our stamina.  Now, yesterday, we all went to the service TOGETHER (!), there is nothing like the strength of our family moving with all members present!!!!!  After the service, true to his historical precedent, our son Kambo showed up just before Sunday dinner was served. Once again Kambo had to “rought it” with the strange fare set before him. Yesterday was left over enchilada casserole, left over pizza and a pot of rice added in to expand the stomach--he survived the odd combination! It was 2:30, church having dismissed rather late, and a birthday party for Toby was looming large, planned to start at 3 p.m. There was no time to sit and contemplate the morning for the afternoon was filled with balloons, games, laughter, sweets and treats, including the roasting of marshmallows around a small fire. At 5 p.m. the party complete, we sauntered together down to the volleyball court where David Family was competing against Jonathan Family. We spent the last hours of the late afternoon and into the early evening playing volleyball, sitting and talking, laughing and soaking up the beauty of the relationships God has given us here. A few American gentlemen had arrived late last week for a short visit to New Hope and one is a dentist. While sitting and talking on the fringes of the volleyball match he held two impromptu dental sessions, one with Dodovico and one with Kevin. Both have needed to go to a dentist recently, but we haven’t been able to make the trip into town to date. God never ceases to amaze me how He brings people to our remote little village at just the right time! 

Our Father’s Day evening was spent playing Rummikub, a gift from Papa and Grandma Britton. Geoff called his Dad and Beth (our current visitor from the U.S.) called her Dad. We all turned in a bit early and slept well. Praise God for a beautiful day and for the friends with whom we worshiped, ate, played, walked and laughed with!!!!! 

Birthday crew: L to R Acacia, Kevin, Ssekago, J.T., Toby, Micah, Junju, Abraham

After burning the first ones, they carefully crafted golden brown beauties!!!

yum yum. Kevin's safety glasses. "for safety at the fire!' he exclaimed. What a character!

Playing "Left, Right, Center" a new game from Grammie

Basket -- Ball, a Britton birthday tradition and guaranteed for fun AND for bringing Kakande running for a chance to play!!! (Ssekago, Junju, Abraham, Toby, Kakande)

Geoff and Junju walk to the volleyball competition

Kakande gets a chance at "Basket -- Ball"

David Family team

Jennifer really puts her all into play!

Biru, budding photographer takes a shot at Margret and Beth

Volleyball drew a large crowd and they had a great time!

An impromptu dental check on the sidelines

Patient #2 being assessed as the volleyball match continues . . .

And most important . . . a word of encouragement 

Uncle Mulu and Geoff -- glad to be back!!

Each time someone served they said, "Wilkommen!"  and the use of German was puzzling until I realized they were saying, "Ball Coming!" The accent still gets me sometimes!!!!

Uncle Geoff at the net

Uncle Clive and Aunt Hannah help out the David Family team

Six years --- all in a moment

How could I have let this opportunity slip by? The opportunity to reflect on six years of living immersed in the ministry to God’s children here at New Hope Uganda? It was the moment that caused the slip . . . that moment when I was on my way to the school banda and the milk man came to give milk AND to get paid, that moment when the house workers arrived and direction for the day’s work was given, that moment when the son who drove the car yesterday returned the keys and gave the receipts, that gas can, and the beans, all that had been on the list, that moment when I was called away from teaching to find the keys to the motorbike and to exchange friendly greetings.  That moment when a friend stopped by to ask a medical question and we talked longer than we both expected to and found more answers in that moment than we thought we’d find in one day. That moment when a daughter rode by on her bicycle and the siting required a holler for her to come see me after school and then lunch at 2:30 (!!) because the day had been full up to that point. The moment when the wind picked up and the temperature dropped and the sky darkened requiring a race to the clothesline for rescue of almost dry clothes, then the promised visit of the daughter after school which enjoyably turned into an hour of talking and laughing, the moment on my way into the kitchen to begin supper prep and I catch a glimpse through my kitchen window of a son walking away from my front door--I hadn’t even known he was there--I called him back and found and answered a need for love and attention and malaria treatment. And in that moment even before he was gone another friend arrived --one who bas been busy, like me, and we haven’t seen much of each other, so we catch up on our doings and demands and the nature of our kids’ illnesses and talk briefly of our husbands’ absences, but ever so briefly because to dwell on the absence seems to magnify the void of presence. Then she makes a request I am not able to fulfill; we embrace at goodbye and I fly into the kitchen in another attempt at making food come alive for a meal. Praise God for eggs and bacon, the go-to meal of the too-busy household.  We sit down to our omelets and I glance at the clock, 7:30 p.m.!!! Where does the time go? Oh, right, a quick review and I know where the time went---in so many moments. Then the kids are off to their toys and games and I settle into some necessary emails. A quick jaunt into Facebook splashes instant messages onto my screen extending the intended glance.  Now, getting teeth brushed, pajamas donned and tired kids into bed.  It’s 9:45 p.m. and Geoff is landing at LAX. I call my mom to let her know I’ll stay up to hear his voice crackling through on a distant connection, no matter the time!  I watch Madea---confession, I LOVE Madea, and I laugh. Then I read and read and read. The phone tucked beside me buzzes. His call comes and he’s made it safely and slept well. Now it’s my turn to sleep. It’s 12:22 a.m. The next day.  The 6th anniversary of our arrival at New Hope Uganda has passed amidst the busyness of life lived well. I reflect on six years of ministry to the people God gives us and I reflect on the moment. Every individual moment--every opportunity to bless and be blessed and I am thankful for the moment--every moment of the past six years and the future ones to come.

Last week we had the awesome opportunity to travel distant roads with monstrous pot-holes, enduring wrong turns, queasiness complete with productivity, intensely stifling sunshine and thick, sticky, trapping mud in order to arrive enthusiastically at the shores of Lake Victoria--the site of Musana Camps, our 3rd visit as David Family.  We hiked to remote water falls, the end of peninsulas and swam everyday.  There was no shortage of fun and games, and we started each morning in the quiet beautiful sunshine on the hillside overlooking Lake Victoria and our neighboring fishing village below.  It is an indescribable treat to take the family to such a magnificent place. The smiles and laughter are the BEST!!!!! Enjoy this short photo tour . . .

The David Family plus some of the Musana Camps staff

Toby and Dodo return from morning quiet devotional time while Michael continues to enjoy the peace.

YELLING directions to their comrades as they had to lead them blindfolded across a "mine field"

Hugs to the ones who led them safely across!

The longest and most arduous hike!  Required a deep dip in the water in order to get around to the tip of the peninsula.

Well, a deep dip for most people, Kakande and I skirted back through the spider-infested bushes in order to avoid getting wet . . . not sure if it was the best trade-off

Team work required to navigate logs precariously placed across streams

Blasting the horn to call all to grub

the quiet beauty of time alone with the Word

Toby and his Indian headdress after the blindfold game

Our tough trek to the waterfalls was REWARDED!!!!!!!

Gorgeous, Beautiful, Wish you were here . . .

Pure Joy

The smiles, the smiles, the smiles---thank you GOD!

COFFEE!!!!!! Early morning, before the grub horn sounded, there were sleepy-eyed wanderers waiting hopefully for  the lovely addictive brown substance which made the day go OH SO MUCH BETTER!!

A sweet, "I'll miss you!" from Medie to Eva as we prepared to leave the campsite at the end of the week.

The caravan home -- 4 vehicles and 32 very tired but happy travelers.