July 30, 2012

Hello all, Lyle speaking, 

Well we have finally made it! It is our 1^st morning in Uganda. After 14 hours in the air traveling from Seattle to Dubai, a 13.5 hour layover in Dubai and then 5.5 hours from Dubai to Entebbe we have arrived. This is our first official blog post this trip. It has been quite the journey, not just the travel to this country, but the spiritual journey behind it. There was a time when I did not think I would ever be visiting Uganda, let alone moving there, but God really got a hold of my heart. Before we left someone said to me, “What a sacrifice.”  I replied, “I can’t see myself doing anything else.” My response almost surprised me. It was not thought out, just visceral. Yet, I was grateful the Lord had changed my heart where doing what He has directed me and going where He has sent me, is not a sacrifice, but rather what should be. Even with that my flesh is weak. I woke up this morning and said to myself, “What have I done!” The battle with my flesh will continue, yet by the power of the Holy Spirit, it and the enemy are defeated. As I reflect on this I am reminded that our Lord did not promise an easy life as we obey Him, but He did promise an abundant life. He did not promise that I would be happy all the time, as the world defines happiness, but He did promise a peace that passes understanding. My part is obedience, surrender, and trust. Will I ever do this 100% of the time? No. Yet it is my goal. Not from a place of works, but because of relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ. My heart’s desire is to please Him. A righteous man may stumble and fall, but he will get up again. Ps 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I can’t delight in the Lord and have desires that are contrary to His will. If my desires are contrary to His will then I am delighting in myself, not Him. I must guard my heart and always move closer to Him. Ps 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk up rightly.” Again, my part is obedience, to “walk uprightly,” He does the rest. A.W. Tozer said, “The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open frank and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes Holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.”

The prior posts you will see in this blog were from our 1st trip to Uganda last year. We had been sending emails on a regular basis, so I took them and posted them into the blog. It was that trip where God really solidified His calling for me to Uganda. That was in November of 2011and here we are a little over 8 months later. The Lord has filled our time over the course of the next 10 months. We will managers of the Matoke Inn, the guest house for African Inland Missions (AIM) for the next 4 months. After that we will be Nairobi, Kenya for month working with Imam in the Eastleigh refugee camp, then returning to Uganda to spend 5 months with New Hope Uganda at their Institute for Childcare and Family. There we will be learning about the African world view and the heart of an orphan and a Biblical view of the orphan. We are looking forward to what the Lord will be teaching us throughout this time.  

Please pray for us that we never lose sight of what the Lord has called us to, that we continue to seek and trust Him above all else, and that our joy is found only in doing His will. This is not something that our flesh will do on its own, but by the power of our risen Lord and the Holy Spirit who lives within us, it is something that is not only doable, but something that God has called everyone of us to live out. Also, please pray that we are sensitive to the Lord's leading of where we are to serve longterm in Uganda. Pray that the right doors will open and that we have the wisdom to discern which ones those are.

Ingrid: The compound has two dogs that apparently sleep every night on our veranda, about 3 this morning, they started barking and didn't stop til dawn.  As I laid there hearing the sounds they were responding to but being unable to identify whether they were human or animal, I really had to pray to not just curl up in fear.  Our place has metal bars over every opening with padlocks on the inside, so we are about as safe as safe could be, and yet I struggled with a fear that was new to me.  I realized the courage God gives people who go to a people group all alone without any support of others, Wow, glad that we are breaking into this slowly.

I realized how much I need to learn, where do I put banana peels, etc so the bugs do not make their home with us. So many things to learn, and very kind people to help us.  We are grateful for the gentle training God is allowing us.  Please keep praying for us.

Thank you for your prayers and support,

Blessings,

Lyle and Ingrid