I fly out in a week!

The clock is ticking....  Last week before I leave, lots to do, details to finalize...  I bought 2 big suitcases at thrift stores today, hopefully they're enough.  I found out I will be staying in London a couple days on my own at the end of my trip, so I'm surfing the 'net looking for what to do while I'm there.

I'm so ready to just be in Uganda already!  I have 2 more days of work and lots of little things to take care of.  Checking and double checking my finances is getting annoying.  Guessing at how much my paychecks will be for the last couple weeks of work.  I received about $900 this weekend between the yard sale and a couple generous friends / family.  :)  God is amazing in showing me how He can provide so far outside my realms of possibility.  I believe I am set now for all my traveling expenses.  :)

I am very much at peace as I head into my trip.  Some may find it scary to go to Africa, but I'm not scared.  Yes, there is danger, but I know God has called me, so what do I have to fear?  I sprained my ankle last friday, and I need my feet to do a sports based mission.  I am confident that it will heal up in time.  What God asks us to do, He provides for.  I believe it.  I may feel a little stress at working all these details out, but not much.  Mostly just because of my obsessive need to have all my ducks in a row.  Always learning to trust.

10 Days to go!

The time is getting nearer.  For those of you who want to know - I'll post my basic schedule on here.

June 7 - fly out of Seattle in the evening
June 8 - land in London around lunchtime - 9 hr layover to play - fly out at night
June 9 - Land in Entebbe, Uganda in the morning

First week in Uganda is unsure location now.  There have been bad rains that have destroyed the roads, so we won't be going to our original destination.  I believe we'll be spending about a week in each location from here on out.  Our actual mission work will begin on June 11.
June 18 will find us in Masaka - I went here last time too.
June 25 - Soriti - never been there
June 29 - to Sseguku, the home base - we'll be here for the remainder of our time
July 11 - Finals of the World Cup = final day of mission camps
July 12 - Safari -- this may or not be happening now.  I hope so, but finances have been tight for everyone.

July 16 - Fly out in the morning - arrive 4pm London

From there - I'm not solid yet.  I'm trying to change my return date to the 19th.  As it sits now, I am scheduled to fly in the 26th.  I need that extra week back at work, and I don't need to stay in London for a week.

Please be praying that all the details work out here, I'm a little up in the air right now, and if I get the change, I'll be flying home alone.  That's not too bad when coming into Seattle, it would be much worse if I was trying to do it to another country.

Finances are a bit tight right now.  I need to do well at my yard sale to be comfortable.  I have the trip money, and my bills are covered as far as I can tell, it's just the transition back, getting back to work and being able to  cover the next set of bills that will come in.   God is good, and He's always provided for me in the past, so I'm positive that He will continue to do so.  :)

Israel & New Breed - Not Forgotten

Today I wanted to post a piece of my vision for the future.  Anyone who knows me knows that I've always loved kids, especially in the 2-5 age range.  Last time I was in Uganda, the hardest thing to see was when mothers brought their babies to us and handed them over saying simply, "take home?"  It was heartbreaking.  So much love these mothers had for their babies.  They knew that they could not provide well enough for their kids, so they were willing to sacrifice to give the kid a better life.  Obviously we couldn't just take these precious infants home in our suitcases, but I know we all wanted to.  

That said, I know that I have to create some sort of home for kids when I live in Uganda.  In the US, we have systems in place to take care of kids who lose their parents.  Not so in too many other places.  At first I thought of doing a school, but now I am feeling more like a home is the best thing.  I don't want to use the word orphanage, I don't want that label stuck on anyone.  God has offered to adopt us all, and I want to share that wonderful news with any kids who come into my life who don't have parents.  I want to have a non-orphanage in Uganda.  A place where children can learn that God knows their name, they are not forgotten.  :)

Almost Here!!

With just over a month to go, I am getting both excited and nervous.  I am a major planner, which does not go well with African culture.  They are so much more relationship oriented, time and schedules often go out the window.  I remember how difficult that was for me last time.  I finally relaxed and settled in for the last couple days though.  :)  Hopefully I can get in the groove quicker this time.  I feel like I need a big checklist of things to pack and I have to get all my ducks in a row soon.  I just don't really know what those things are.  I have purchased a lot of supplies that I think I will need, hopefully I thought of everything.

I will be having a big yard sale in a few weeks to get a bit more funds for the trip.  I'm cutting it close, and not working for 2 months will be a chunk.  This is an expensive trip, but so worth it.  I've been saving and preparing for 3 years now for this one.  I am soooooo excited to be back in that beautiful country that I fell in love with!!  I know that my heart has been joined with a nation of people I haven't met yet.  I have stayed in touch with Ronald, a young man I met on my last trip.  He's helped me to learn about some parts of the culture that are not familiar to me.  He's been such a blessing to help maintain my connection to Uganda.  If you're wondering about my new blog title, Ronald helped me with the translation - it is "garment of praise" out of Isaiah 61, my prophetic passage, the call on my life.  Thanks friend!

In this last month, I will be trying to lay out all my financial obligations, how to get them all paid while I'm gone, making sure there is enough in the bank.  :)  I will pack my bags, hopefully collect some more donated medical supplies from my friends, and most important, press hard into Jesus to build my faith, strength, hope, joy and all the other stuff I can only get from Him.!!  I need to be filled up and overflowing in order to be able to serve people as best possible.  It's only through Jesus that I can have any impact on their lives.  I also hope to gain a clearer picture of what God has for me in Uganda in the future.  Right now my vision is pretty vague, 3 main ideas, but not any details really.  I pray for connections with people in Uganda that I can network with and create good relationships with.  I don't think I can just go it alone, I need to connect with God's other team members.  I would appreciate the prayers of my friends and family as I enter this final month of preparation.  I want to be prepared to serve as God leads me.  Thank you!!