Easter is quite well celebrated here on the equator
with the only white stuff being a lily blooming in our front yard—it surprised
us with a beautiful bloom on Good Friday and then another splendid display
Easter morning! After a wonderful celebrative Resurrection Sunday service at our
church focused on 1 Corinthians 15:58, Ruth and I plus a friend accepted an
invitation from fellow church mates to join their family for the Easter meal. How
precious to be welcomed into a Christian Ugandan home, chat freely (in English)
with each family member/guest as they arrived, and eventually (around 3 PM) to feast
on matooke (mashed green banana), rice, grilled chicken and beef ribs, and a
green bitter spinach type vegetable, plus the green and cabbage salads we
brought to add to the meal. Darkness had fallen by the time we got home and soon, our friend/colleague, Beth, and her crew of 3 others arrived for a brief visit and Easter greetings. It as a wonderful celebration of our Lord’s resurrection.
Easter Monday (a public holiday here), Beth arrived with her 14-year old daughter Lisa, a daughter of
another relative 12-year old Mercy, and her sister’s 1½ year old daughter Sinza
(which means Worship in Luganda). All three girls are adopted abandoned babies
who are so full of personality and life. While Ruth baked 6 dozen banana
muffins with Mercy…and Lisa when Sinza wasn’t demanding her attention, Beth, a former Secondary teacher, gave helpful
insights regarding the Honesty Module which we hope to begin publishing next
month. We both realized how tired we were after having two teenage girls and a toddler
in our home...but it was fun!
Tuesday found us leaving home before 7 AM and headed to
Scripture Union with 60 banana muffins and 2 crates of soft drinks…my chosen
way to celebrate my birthday. It was my turn to lead devotions from 8 – 9 AM
centered around Psalm 40, followed by our brought in snack. And with
that, the most rousing rendition of Happy Birthday from more than two dozen
voices, a guitar, and 3 African drums, plus a precious time of being prayed for
by our co-workers. Once everything was cleaned up, the weekly meeting of the
ten VOICE volunteers began with Martha, the VOICE Operations Assistant,
leading. We stayed for the prayer and testimony time, and then left to head to
the next celebration--Chinese food birthday lunch with World Venture
colleagues. I was crowned queen of the lunch…with a pink tiara! Once the
table was somewhat cleared, out came a birthday cake that our neighbor had
baked…with candles but the lovely breeze didn’t allow them to be lit. So thankful to
God for His kindness and mercy in bringing me to this new year. Thanks to all
the dozens of friends who have sent greetings from around the globe. After celebrating
Easter Sunday and Monday followed by a birthday, can it get any better?
What joy you've had celebrating for the past few days. It's fun to imagine being there - especially to listen to the singing at devotions.
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