July 31, 2012

Lyle speaking,

Well yesterday was a day of relaxation, in that no duties were scheduled. Today and tomorrow we have orientation. We went grocery shopping yesterday with one of the staff, Godfrey, who is the head grounds keeper. He along with other staff have also shared the duties of Inn Keeper until our arrival. We have much to learn! Godfrey is from Uganda and has a wide and bright smile and an engaging personality, as does his assistant John. I look forward to getting to know both of these men more and learning what God has done in each of their lives.

As I was reminded yesterday to trust the Lord and follow His direction in my life a real life example came to light. A young lady, who is heading to the Sudan, on an "exploratory" mission to seek God's will in her life, was having a very difficult time booking a flight to the Sudan with Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF). So much so she broke down crying and was fearful she would not even be able to make the journey. Ingrid was able to pray with her, encourage her, and direct this to another staff member who in turn directed to yet another staff member who had extensive working experience with MAF. Seeing this along with what the Lord was showing me yesterday really pressed the reminder that all of us, whether long in faith or new believers have times where we can struggle with what God has called us to. It may only be in the details or even on a broader spectrum, but struggles none the less. We all have need of support from other believers. We are part of the same body. It is so interesting how we (me in particular) can go along trusting the Lord and then have a crises of trust and have to be reminded of how faithful our Lord is; and yet He uses our circumstances to teach and mold us more and more into His Image, if we only let Him. Beth Moore said, "We all go through the fire. the question is, will we allow it to refine us?" Dr. Charles Ryrie adds to this thought when he said, "The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means, for the most possible people , for the longest possible time." In other words, God will never allow or decree anything in my life, or anyone else's, if it is not for their ultimate good - that good being my holiness. Not only does He do it for my good, but He will use it in others lives as well. Pastor Scott Davis from Frenchtown Montana said, "God is more interested in the strength of our faith then the ease of our lives. We want easy, God desires holy".

Another thing we have seen is how many young missionaries there are. One couple, no older than mid-twenties served for two years in South Sudan and is now returning with their new baby. Another young couple with a 10 month old is feeling pressure from family, questioning how they took take their grandchild so far away.

For all of these young people seeking God's will in their lives and their willingness to be obedient to Him and make Him their greatest priority, please pray they choose to serve the Lord, that they hear our Lord's voice, and they choose to following no one else but Him, regardless of the cost. Also, that the Lord give them wisdom beyond their years! This is actually true of any one of us. It matters not where the Lord has called you, the questions are these, are you listening, are you obedient to what you hear, and are you willing to stay the course no matter how rough the sea because our Lord Jesus is worth all He asks of our lives? I am learning more and more to do this in my life.

I am not sure if we will continue making daily entries as the time is near we will no longer be training, but assuming our new position. Pray for us that this transition is smooth and that we beat with God's heart for all we get to serve (Ingrid's input).

Ingrid here:  Thursday is a day I would appreciate your prayers, I am excited and anxious all at the same time.  First thing in the morning I get to accompany Baifa, the chief cook, to the market where she will teach me how to pick out fresh produce and deal with the venders.   I am so grateful for this opportunity as I feel like I am on a different planet when it comes to understanding the ways here.  Then Lyle and I accompany a young Ugandan woman named Rhona, who will introduce us to riding on Boda Boda's the crazy motorcycle taxi that makes up a majority of transportation here. I have not desired to ride on one of these ever, but realize that I need to take this step.  Also we will learn more about how to get around on the public transportation, so this will be very stretching for me.  I am grateful for this venture as well as I lack the courage to learn this on my own. I have such a love already for the staff here and Lyle and I look forward to growing in relationship with them as we get more adept in our positions.

Here is our new address:

African Inland Mission
P.O. Box 4008
Kampala, Uganda

Blessings,

Lyle and Ingrid