Sharing About Uganda at Church

Who:  We would like to invite YOU to our church!

When:  This Sunday, October 16th

Time:  10:30AM

Why:  We have the opportunity to share about God’s grace and love He poured out on and through us while our family was in Uganda.  We will be sharing about Juna Amagara’s ABIDE program, other minsistries God allowed, Ugandan culture/people, our new found heart for missionaries:), and God’s tenderness through it all!!  Also, the Cochran’s will be sharing about their minsitry in Thailand.

Where:  Calvary Chapel Placerville

6575 Commerce Way, Placerville, CA, 95667

 

Thanks again for ALL your love and support.  We are eternally grateful:)

Blessed Beyond Measure

Imagine travelling home from a third world country with four children age 5 and under.  Total travel time; 32 hours.  I know, sounds horrendous.  It wasn’t.  Thank you for praying.  It went very well!!  But by the time we pulled into our driveway we were EXHAUSTED.  I’ll claim complete sleep deprivation to my response to our AMAZING homecoming (something like a hysterical woman oohing and awwing with each pantry door that was opened and each new blessing to be seen).

We were overwhelmed with the LOVE of the body of Christ.  You really wouldn’t believe what we came home to… let me paint a picture for you.  We pull onto our long driveway and as I notice almost all 5 acres have been weedeated, my eye is distracted by a brand new fence where the old one was falling down.  There was a sweet flower bed lining our deck, plants, flowers and a wreath adorning our front deck.  As I walked into the kitchen garden fresh veggies were overflowing the fruit bowl, more plants, a custom welcome home banner, smelly goods all over and FOOD like you have never seen.  Every cabinet was overflowing with gluten free goodness!!!  Like the kind of healthy goodies and snacks that you have in your house once in a while!!  Paper goods were stacked high in the laundry room (also filled with laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc.).  I even found some homeschool supplies in the cupboard to get Kylie started with kindergarten!!

The house looked amazing!  CLEAN as clean can be:).  Windows and screens were washed, carpets shampooed, beds set up with clean sheets, toys and books unpacked, and pictures re-hung on the wall.  The garage was tiddied up and our vehicles were not only cleaned and detailed, but serviced as well!  And you all need a friend like this… she knows I “mop” on my hands and knees with a rag (not a regular mop), so she “mopped” my floors just how I like them:)  And of course, Nana had clothing for the kids to replace what we left in Uganda!  And to top it all off, we are now receiving meals!

It’s humbling to be served so lavishly, especially when I am completely capable… no surgery or birth or death.  The Lord reminds me of how beautiful He designed the body to be… united in Him.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all…The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ….Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”     (1 Corinthians 12)

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ and abundantly blessing us and caring for us.  God has provided through you in all the ways He knows best!!  Praise, honor and glory to the KING!!!!!!!!!!

A “From the Heart” closing post coming soon!

Hard But Glorious

Not many words… too exhausted to type!  This last week in Uganda is FULL.  But the Lord keeps putting this on my heart to share:

HARD BUT GLORIOUS

Hard because it was challenging, tedious, exhausting.  Hard because we were far from family and friends.  Hard because I felt alone in a far off land (at first when Shayne was with ABIDE).  Hard because kids were constantly coming up with new rashes and infections.  Hard because I didn’t understand my purpose in the Lord for a time.  Hard because of my poor attitude (first few weeks).  Hard because I didn’t understand how to surrender and live in a new land.  Hard because the Lord took my world and shook it upside down.

Such are the things in this life that the Lord uses to draw us near to Him… HARD!

Glorious because if we persevere through challenge and exhaustion God tells us it produces character, and character, hope that does not disappoint us because of His love lavished on us.  Glorious because being far from family and friends pushed me to make Jesus my true friend (and He provided amazing new friends later).  Glorious because being alone in a far off land drew me to the Lord with utter dependence.  Glorious because when there are no medical facilities that you feel comfortable with and your children are ill, the only thing to do is trust and pray… A LOT!  Glorious because I had to seek the Lord with all my heart to try to see this journey through His eyes.  Glorious because the Lord chastens those He loves… He dealt with my attitude.  Glorious because learning to surrender my life to the Lord, that I may gain life in Christ, is humbling.  Glorious because now my world is right side up… denying self and living for the glory of the King of Kings no matter the cost!

God uses suffering and sacrifice to conform us more into the image of His Son, Jesus, and draw us closer to Him that we may learn more about Him.  Look at the cross… ultimate pain and suffering that leads straight to the KING!

They are Crafty Like Ice is Cold

So here we sit, Matt, a student we will call George, and I, in the living room of the local witch doctor.  The small, dark room with dirt walls is packed full of his family who also follow in the practice of witchcraft.  Above our heads, trinkets and talisman hang from the ceiling.  George translates as Matt and I take turns sharing the truth of the gospel that Jesus Christ came to set us free from bondage to sin and death.

What brought us to this remote village in the outskirts of town?  Approximately one month ago while ABIDE was in session, the team had a home visit to George’s village.  He was blessed by the weekend as the outreach brought many people of his small village to salvation in Jesus Christ and seeds of Christ’s message were planted in many more.  His father and many others in his family were among those saved on that weekend.  The problem arose upon our departure.  All 4 homes that surround George’s home are the homes of witch doctors.  As soon as we left, his family began receiving threats from the witch doctors because the family allowed the Jesus Christ to be preached in the village.  Our response, simple, go back to George’s home and strengthen and encourage the new believers in their faith, and then go and pray and share the love of Christ with the neighboring witch doctors.

As Matt and I shared with the Muse (pronounced-moozay: meaning old wise person), the head witch doctor of the house, we came to learn that he was a retired reverand of the Bible.  Oh wow, a real life wolf in sheeps clothing.  He welcomed us into his home with the warmest of welcomes and had no problems with us sharing the truth of Jesus Christ.  He was even able to tell us a few scriptures of the Bible.  One man in the room seemed genuinely interested and asked questions.  He told us that he believed in Christ and received him, but strangely, as soon as he said that, he stood up and rushed out of the house as if he was scared of what the witch doctor would think.  We prayed for the household and then left them.  As we left, the muse said “I thank you very much for coming and sharing those words of truth with us.  I will ponder them and make my decision later.”

We went to three other houses and each one greeted us with the warmest welcome.  Each one was able to sweetly tell us what they knew about Jesus and few even quoted scripture.  We told them about the great love of the Father and shared as long as time would allow, but each house thanked us for the prayers and the words from God and most kindly sent us off to the next house.  As we left one of the last houses, a head witch doctor pulled George aside and spoke to him.  He told George, “George, you know what I do right?”  George assured him that we were not their to force him to repent but to share the love and grace that can set captives free.  The man thanked George again and said, “I wish to become saved eventually, but this currently is how I make my money to support my family.”  George told him more about Christ, but he was not ready to hear it.

“He who has ears let them hear.”  Their ears were blocked up by the craftiness of the enemy that they could not hear fully what was being said.  So many empty words were spoken back  to us in these homes.  Outwardly they drip honey from their mouths as they try to please us with their knowledge of the message we were proclaiming to them but inwardly their hearts are darkened by the sinful practices of witchcraft, unaware that Christ died to save even them.  What a clever disguise,  pretending to be like the rest of the Christians, so it will not be seen that inwardly every evil is being practiced.  Unfortunately, this disguise is not a practice only done in Uganda but all over the world.

Unfortunately there is such extreme bondage to sin, that even though they are interested in salvation through Jesus Christ, they can not break the bondage to accept that free gift.  We do not know for sure what will happen with the seeds of hope that were planted in these dark homes, but I believe that God did a mighty work in that village today.

Lost But Not Forgotten

Refugees.  Who are they?

Congo.  Somalia.  Ethiopia.  Sudan.  Rwanda.  Burundi.  Kenya.

70,000 in number.

Displaced by war and extreme famine.

So many orphans and widows that they have their own church service.

These are the people are Nakivale Refugee Camp.

Two months ago, my cousin and I found ourselves in a pastor’s home praying with he and his wife for a people God has given him a heart for.  He told us his people, the refugees are a forgotten population; even by the international community.  We prayed, exchanged contact info, and he said he would love for our family to take a visit out to the camp with him.  Three weeks ago the phone rang.  It was Pastor John.  I greeted him and told him I would give the phone to my husband.

Sunday, we picked up he and his family and started our two-hour journey to the camp.  It was a surreal experience.  The LONG road there was so bumpy and rough that conversation was not an option- we could not hear one another speak.  The boys were on either side of me crying, the girls in the back singing songs and giggling, Sylivia in the back singing Silver Bells (yes, she got that song from our play list and loves it:), and I was taking in the amazing scenery.  On the two-hour drive we passed two bodas and one van.  We were headed for nowhere.  I even had the crazy thought (and carried it into prayer) that we could be being led to our slaughter.  Things are just different here.  There was no website to check out, no phone to call, no references for the pastor.  Shayne just had a 10 minute phone conversation with the pastor and two weeks later we picked this stranger up and headed for desolation.

Everyone here has a story… during the war in Congo Pastor John was shot twice in the back.  He woke up two months later in the hospital.  He moved to Uganda 6 years ago, married and has two sons.  God has given him a heart to minister to the 70,000 refugees of Nakivale.  We had the AMAZING privilege of doing this with him.

Towards the end of their original 10 minute phone conversation Pastor John said, “Oh, and you will be giving the message at church- an encouraging one.”  Shayne asked a few questions and as they were hanging up, Pastor said, “The evening service is the orphans and widow’s service.  Goodbye.”  So we prayed.  Prayed and prayed about what God would have him share with these precious people.

Two hours into the church service, Shayne was invited up to share his message (nothing is short in Uganda).  I was so proud of my husband.  He took the hard road and was confident that this was the message God would have him share straight from His word.  The opening went something like this…

“I know those who have come before me have preached a health and wealth gospel to you all.  Teaching you that if you come to Jesus, you will have wealth and prosperity.  No more sickness, no more disease and abundant blessing.  I am here to tell you that is a lie.  Not only is that idolatry (placing things of this world above God), but it misses the best part of the gospel.  I am here to proclaim the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  To tell you about the freedom in Christ.  Freedom from being victims of your circumstance.  To tell you that I serve an Almighty God who knows each of you by name and has amazing love for each one of you.  To tell you He brutally killed His Son, because of the wretchedness of my sin and yours as well.   Many of you proclaim to be believers.  I want to talk to about a truly regenerate heart.  Regeneration that comes from the grace of Jesus Christ….”

And he went on.  Because we had been in church for two hours already, I was peaking in the door as much as I could while watching the boys play with a group of curious orphan kids outside.  Each time I peaked, I would pray that these words would be just the message these people NEEDED to hear.  It felt risky.  They were probably expecting to be comforted in their distress.  We prayed the truth of God’s word would be the unexpected comfort and hope they needed.

God is faithful.  As we sat in the pastor of the refugee camp’s house after church, he shared that his people (and Uganda in general) do know about reading God’s word and applying it to their lives.  They do not understand a regenerate heart.  They do not understand discipleship.  He said the words Shayne spoke were exactly what his church needed to hear.  Praise be to God!!

Shayne also had the opportunity to share and pray with a few of the widows and older of the orphans.   He shared compassion with them and told them he knew they had nothing.  Lost and alone is a foreign land, totally dependent on others for survival.  He told them if they are saved, the Bible promises that they are heirs with Christ to the Kingdom of God.  In Romans 8, not only does Paul say we are heirs, but sons of the inheritance.  In America, we might not have as much understanding to the significance of this, but here in Africa… this is HUGE!  When parents die, sons get all the inheritance… daughters get nothing.  But in God’s eyes, sons and daughters alike, receive this free gift of grace through faith.  He told these orphans and widows that there is an inheritance for EVERYONE in the kingdom of God!

Life is hard in this place.  Not allowed to work.  Not allowed to farm.  No way to get anywhere.  Few visitors.  Few resources.  Given their meals by the UN (praise God), but to be told when, what and how much you will eat must be hard.  There are many challenges for these people.  I had never seen such difficulty.  When we arrived home back to Mbarara, I felt as if we had reached the Promised Land!  This place that I have struggled with for six months was like an oasis in the desert.  Please partner with us in prayer as we seek God in how He would use our family to long-term partner with these people!

Amist the difficulty and challenge, there is blessing.  We had the privilege of being there on the Sunday that a husband and wife were reunited after three years of separation.  She remained in Congo after war had torn them apart.  Neither one sure of the other’s survival.  They were reunited!!  GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!  This little rock star was another smile on our face…

Africans never cease to amaze me… check out the car battery powered electric piano… genius!  You can imagine our surprise when we walked into a church in the middle of nowhere and heard the tunes:)

On the drive home Shayne told Pastor John, “They are not forgotten… not by God!”

Thank you for supporting us… this journey we are on is amazing… truly blessed to be apart of it!!