God’s Global Family

Don’t you love how God surprises us with meeting new friends in faraway places?  It happened this last week and again today.  A former Philippine missionary couple now have an amazing ministry to International students at Penn State University.  One of the students they connected with is a Christian Ugandan who is working on his PHD. Friday I had the privilege of meeting him and his precious family.  They served me tea in their home and then asked me help them plant a tree!  How precious to fellowship and pray with these new friends.  Earlier today Ruth had a call and I was surprised to hear her speaking some Tagalog.  Anita who called is a Filipino born Canadian and working here in Uganda with the Mailbox Club (Christian literature ministry).  We look forward to meeting this couple face-to-face once our Curriculum deadlines are past. All of this combined with the joy of having two New Brunswick nurses here (laden with many goodies including Dark Harbour dulse for Laura) for several weeks! It gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like as we meet all of our siblings in Christ! Praise God for His global family.

New Year Children’s Party Joy

“I will praise you. Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.  I will be filled with joy because of you.  I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”  Psalm 9:1,2 NLT

Indeed, it was a moment to connect the children of Uganda and Ruth’s family members who were visiting Africa for the first time.  This was our prayer….Lord help us connect the children with Your love, Your message of salvation, help us to lift up the Lord Jesus….  God answered prayer and brought some 50 children – so many little ones.  Kim, Jenni, Katie, and Britney (Ruth’s nieces) to the rescue! The children almost instantly “fell in love” with these young people and kept their arms and laps busy! Our VOICE staff, Susan, did a superb job of making all the arrangements including cooking the mandazi (type of fried dough), teaching the Bible lesson and being the MC of the program.  The simple craft (brought out by our guests) was a blast – loved by the children.  We were just distributing our small gifts as the sun dipped behind the hills.  O Lord, use our feeble efforts to speak Your truth to these precious little ones, that they may experience your salvation and be filled with joy.

Group picture - sorry the 3 sisters are missing--they were the photographers. Can you see the children holding up their treasured crafts?

Our Worlds Connected

Indeed, for nine brief days Ruth’s brother’s four (of his five) children and a niece-in-law visited Africa for the first time. The plan began months ago when the Christmas break was chosen as the best time to visit us and the most likely time that we could join them in seeing some of the sights of Uganda.  Early afternoon Saturday, December 27, their Ethiopian Air jet touched down and five smiling faces emerged, despite the weariness of the long trip. Almost instantly their 3 “professional” cameras began clicking as they tried to absorb and record life here. Two days later, we began our ambitious trek to Murchison Falls for a safari, then to Jinja for a 2-hour boat ride around Lake Victoria (the 2^nd largest fresh-water lake in the world) which including seeing the source of the Nile River (the longer river in the world), followed by a Kampala tour by motorbike and then a visit to the equator, mixed in with shopping and lots of talking and laughing. How can I not mention their “heavenly” music as they played the piano (that usually is painfully quiet), and sang in harmony hymn after hymn. On a couple of evenings, our night guard brought his chair and sat near our patio, thoroughly delighting in the concert—he even requested that they record two songs on his phone so that he could continue to enjoy! They eagerly tasted matooke (staple food of green boiled green bananas), roasted cassava, jackfruit, papaya, the world’s sweetest pineapple, and more—most were even willing to try fried grasshoppers but unfortunately the season has passed. Mixed in with sightseeing was a New Year’s Day Compound picnic for which they cheerfully cooked and baked (including apple pies!) and helped us honor the Ugandans who work with us—guards, helpers, driver, etc. Then they helped us prepare and conduct a Sunday early evening belated Christmas Party for children fairly near to us. Part of their suitcases held crafts and other gifts which were used and/or distributed to about 50 children, mixed in with lots of hugs and smiles as they shared Christ’s love with them. As one of these dear young people put it “the VBS…and the New Year’s Party were two of my favorite events because I got to meet so many wonderful people.” All too quickly, it was time for them to return to winter and their regular routines/work/ministry. Our house is now too quiet, and the table seems so empty, but the memories are rich as we continue to “hear” the laughter and music in the walls…and relish their stated desire to return!