April 22, 2014

Lyle here,

Standing room only for Easter Service

Hello everybody. We pray and hope all is well with each of you and that each of you had a very blessed remembrance that we serve a risen Savior.

Another month has sped by (actually a little over a month). I am guessing you will hear this over and over again, but like all of you, we have been very busy. We are continuing to learn language and meet Karimojong people. Seven weeks into our time up here, we took a nice couple of days off in a town called Mbale. It is about five hours away from us, but it was worth the trip. Something that Ingrid recognized once we were there was how much we live in a fish bowl in Moroto. Not only are we easy to spot here, as two of about only 10 white people in Moroto, but our vehicle is very identifiable as well, with its twin metal jerry cans mounted on the roof rack. So, it is not uncommon to have people inform us of where we have been, or even show up where we are because they see our car. It was nice to be a little more anonymous for a few days.

View from our hotel room in Mbale

I don’t know if this has ever happened to any of you, but have your ever written something down that you felt the Lord was teaching you, only look back a month or so later and realize you have forgotten what was being taught? As I re-read our last blog, as a review before beginning this one, I realized I have not been purposefully abiding as the Lord was trying to teach me.  I had chosen to be caught up in the business of what we are doing, the trip we took to Mbale, as well as our time in Kampala, which I have not talked about yet; all seemingly good things, but if my heart is not abiding, then it is just activity. It is interesting how I can pray every morning, have quiet times, pray about specific things during the day, and yet miss abiding.

Nile river by Jinja on way back to Moroto

I mentioned our trip to Kampala. We spent a week there, from April 7^th-14^th, to attend some leadership training being put on by our AIM Central Region Office. We really appreciated and enjoyed the training. It was wonderful getting to meet other AIM missionaries for the first time from Chad, Rwanda and Uganda and also to reconnect with some we had not seen for a while. There is great encouragement in being with those living and struggling with the same things we are. The training was very good. Some of it was dry administrative stuff, but the instructors did a fantastic job keeping it lively and presenting the material in a creative way. The leadership component was good, with a strong emphasis on what real Biblical leadership looks like. We also had one session, by a Ugandan national, that looked at the real need for good apologetics (defending as well as correctly explaining the Christian faith) throughout the churches in Uganda. It was really affirming to hear this man speak, as it reflected much of what we have been learning about Karamoja.

There are many examples. As we have been interacting and getting to know people, we have been told, and we have also observed, that spiritualism is very much alive and active in the Ngakarimojong culture, even among those who call themselves Christians.  Wizards are thought to be born this way and so can act with occultish powers and go to church and say they are Christians. Witchdoctors are said to demonstrate great spiritual powers that cause much fear in all people. Many who call themselves Christians may attend church on Sunday and then visit the witchdoctor during the week. Stories have been told to us of night dancers—people who have great spiritual power to kill people or destroy property.  They are purported to be real people seen dancing with dead bodies or body parts and are greatly feared even by those calling themselves Christians.  Then there is the evil eye. It is described as someone who has the evil power to kill someone by staring at him or her.  Over and over again, fear is the operative word.  The fact that Christ is more powerful than all evil, and that peace is the foundation of everyone who is a Christ follower, doesn’t seem to be understood. When we tell Christians that they do not have to fear because Christ is living in them and these powers can have no effect over them, they seem not to receive this truth. The Bible has been translated into the Ngakarimajong language, but many are illiterate and those who do read seem not to be able to have bibles.  They are very expensive to buy. So much of what is believed is what they hear, truth or not.

Another example: we attended a five day “Healing Crusade” that was sponsored by the local Protestant churches together here in Moroto. We went to hear and understand what the Protestant Christian community was being taught.  We attended three of the five sessions. We heard one person speak twice and one person speak once. Frankly, we left disheartened and sad.  What was preached was not the gospel. We heard nothing of repentance or personal sin. One speaker never even mentioned the need for salvation, the other mentioned it, but never really explained what it was. If all I knew of Jesus was based on what I heard on those three nights then I would believe that if I went to church and called myself a Christian, and used the name of Jesus to get what I wanted, then I would live a long full life, my land would be fruitful, and my endeavors would succeed.  Anything bad that happens comes from the devil and demons, not from a corrupt heart or poor choices. There was no personal responsibly or accountably for personal sin, no repentance, and no holiness. We have no idea how pervasive this way of thinking is among the churches here, but it is what was presented at this crusade and even in conversations. Please pray for us; for wisdom, compassion and hearts beating with Christ’s love as we continue to have revealed to us what is believed and lived.  

Peter before he went to Pastor Noah

On another note, while at the crusade we met a group of street boys. One of them, Peter, really touched our hearts. It really began with Ingrid, as I was more standoffish. Peter had left his sandals by us and then wandered off, we are assuming he thought they would be safe by us. I had not seen him do this, I only knew they belonged to one of the street boys. When I saw one of the street boys come and take them, I thought nothing of it. When Peter came back and saw the sandals missing, he was devastated. He ended up following us to our home. Two days later we were able to give him another pair of sandals, along with some of the other street boys who had no sandals (these are tire treads with straps). The next time we saw these boys; we noticed their sandals were gone. We don’t know if they were stolen or sold, only that they were gone. After the Crusades, little Peter would come to outside the hotel every day, either alone or with a couple of other street boys and just sit and wait for us to emerge. If we were walking he would follow us, if we were driving he would wait for us to get back.  He never asked for a thing. He was only desiring a comforting hug from Ingrid. As Ingrid and I talked about the issue of the street boys the Lord really impressed on our hearts that Peter was different in his persistence. After Ingrid asked him about family, and he told her he had no parents or grandparents, we prayed and felt we were to try to find an immediate solution for him. We approached Pastor Noah (a friend you have heard us speak of before) and asked him if Peter could join his boys’ home. We introduced Peter to Pastor Noah and Pastor Noah was able to confirm what Peter had told Ingrid; that he was an orphan. His auntie was supposed to be the one taking care of him, but she wasn't doing so. Consequently he was living on the street. As best as can be found out, Peter is 7-8 years old and has been on the street for 5 years, since he was about 2 or 3. Pastor Noah was able to speak with the auntie and the local authorities and received permission to have Peter join the boys’ home. We were able to be part of the process of Peter’s transformation from a dirty street boy in tattered clothing to a clean young boy, now wearing new clothes. The transformation was amazing! As we checked back with Pastor Noah he was also amazed with Peter. Peter is fitting in very well with the other boys and consistently demonstrating a servant’s heart in the home. His servitude is not only an outward demonstration of his appreciation, but it seems to reflect his deep visceral gratitude for the change in his life and circumstances.

Peter later on at Pastor Noah's

Peter’s transformation is a tangible demonstration to me of what my life should be about. Peter was an orphan, dirty and living on the street with no one caring about his life, yet he was able, because of God’s grace, demonstrated through Pastor Noah and us, to literally take off the old and put on the new. Sound familiar? Colossians 3:9-10 says, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”  When we first met Peter, you could see the despair in his eyes, the lack of hope. Now you see hope, joy, and fruit. Yes fruit. A servant’s heart. I think of Isaiah’s response, in Isaiah chapter 6, to the forgiveness he received when in the presence of a Holy God. He expected utter ruin, but instead received grace and forgiveness. When God asked, “Who shall I send,” Isaiah’s response was, “Send me.” In the same way, I have taken off the old self and its ways and have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I deserve utter ruin, but instead I have received God’s grace and forgiveness. My service to Him should not be just something I do, but it should be a reflection, like Peter and Isaiah, of my deep and abiding understanding of what I have received versus what I deserve. May all of us be a people whose lives reflect this truth and we cry out, “Send me.” Each of us is to live this life of service because of the joy of our transformed lives through Christ’s gift of life to us through His death and resurrection. There are no exceptions, but as I write this blog, I realize how easy it is for me to forget this truth. It is so easy, as I said earlier, to transition from abiding, to doing. This cannot be a small thing in any of our lives. Just read through John 15. This is serious business, one of eternal consequences. I know I am safe in my Lord and the fact that He continues to bring this forward, is Him pruning me, but I really do desire to be a willing participant in this process! Ingrid asked the question, “How do you intend to abide?” For me, I am praying that the Lord continues to remind me, as He has been, but I am also making it a purposeful part of my prayers each morning and throughout the day as the Holy Spirit reminds me.

As we have been talking about the culture we are living in and the challenges that accompany it, the Lord is putting Ingrid in a unique position. She is being asked to be the teacher for a day long gathering of the women in the Church of Uganda, here in Moroto on Saturday, the 26th. Then on Sunday she will be driving the women to various manyattas and dropping them off and picking them up after ministry. Please pray that our Lord puts His words in Her mouth to teach on Saturday. Please pray for those who will be in attendance, that they will truly hear what the Lord has for each one of them. Please pray for safe driving on Sunday as well as for the work the ladies will be doing in the manyattas, including Ingrid, who will be ministering as well.

I know this has been a longer then normal blog. There is some pretty frank and transparent information, but it is a reflection of what our reality is, and hopefully it allows each of you to “labor” with us in prayer. We value your prayers and your interaction. We are all part of the body of Christ and we need each and every one of you.

Thank you for your love, faithfulness, and encouragement.

Love,

Lyle and Ingrid

March 10, 2014

Lyle here,

I can't believe February has passed us by already. We have been in Moroto just a little over three weeks and there has not been a dull moment. I think the biggest thing for me has been the emotional adjustment. Since December of 2012 we have been looking towards Moroto, feeling God's tug on our hearts. In early 2013 the Lord really led us to apply with African Inland Mission; the rest is history, and here we are.

I don't know how many of you have seen "Finding Nemo," but one of the very last scenes, as the credits were rolling, was the culmination of the successful escape of the all the fish in the fish tank, back to the "Big Blue," the ocean. Throughout the whole movie they had been scheming how to pull this off and they finally succeeded. Then the realization. They are floating in their plastic baggies in the bay and the question is asked, "Now what?" This really described what I was feeling. We are finally here, in Moroto, and there is no real set program. We are not going to a job where our days are laid out before us and we have a preset schedule to keep. We have some general guidelines of what we will be doing the next six month. We will be learning language, learning about the Karimojong culture, and we will meet the local people. From there we will begin to identify potential needs. For me, as someone who has worked in a very structured environment all his life, this is a real challenge. I felt a lot like the fish in the bags asking the question, "Now what?" Praise God, He is faithful to answer our questions. As the Lord had been speaking to Ingrid in her quiet times, He really impressed the word "abide" in her heart and as we shared, it was clear the Lord was speaking the same to me. What a wonderful thing it is to abide in the Lord, but what did that mean for me? When I went to John 15 and read through the parable of the vine, verses 4 and 5 really stuck out. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." I was feeling lost, directionless, and powerless. I was looking for things, a program, a schedule, a plan, whatever, to feel productive. What these verses were telling me though, was that if I am looking to those things to be productive, then I am missing it completely and there will be no real fruit. It is only in abiding in the Lord that fruit comes. So this time is a time of abiding and should always remain a time of abiding. The Lord also showed me that this is not a time of inactivity. Abiding is active and intentional. I still struggle with the, "Now what," but God continues to bring me back to abiding in Him. 

As Ingrid has been "abiding," the Lord has brought the following verses to her. 1 Peter 1:6, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." 1 Peter 4:1-2, "So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God." 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." These verses really put abiding into perspective. It is a practical thing; a time of rejoicing, even in trials; Christ suffered, as will we, and as a result our longings will change from human passions to passions for the will of God; and that regardless of our circumstances, we thank our Lord!! Our circumstances are the will of God. He uses them to mold us more and more into His character. 

Something else we have had to do is to put things into perspective. What is difficult for us, because of where we came from, would be a blessing for others; no water from a tap, no power, but a well within walking distance and a secure clean space to live in, would be a dream for the majority of people living in Moroto. These struggles seem strange, considering we are living better then we did when we were at New Hope Uganda, at their Institute for Child and Family Care. I think the difference is that now we are not with a group of others and there we had a set schedule and it ended after 5 months, this is now our lives. 

On the other side of things we will have a permanent place to live, hopefully by May! The owner of the hotel we are living at is the one building the home. He is renting it at a price well below the market rate. This is a miracle and we are rejoicing in the Lord! Please rejoice with us. The beginning price was much higher and he has continued to reduce the price until it fit within AIM's budget. Not only is he building the home, but he has involved us in the entire design process, to ensure it met our needs and more. He is as excited about our ministry potential as we are! We are so excited to see where God takes this relationship. Here are a couple of pictures:

On the  lighter side (this does fit into abiding as well) we went grocery shopping. You have to understand what that means. Locally in town, we can purchase tomatoes, carrots (sometimes) and a few things like that. If we want meat, it comes from a goat or a cow that has been butchered and has been hanging out in the open, flies included. If we want chicken, it means we buy a live chicken and well, you get the drift. We get to turn it into a meal. Grocery shopping means we go to a store that has frozen meats and a selection of other items. For us, the closest such place is almost a three hour drive. For those of you in Frenchtown you will be able to get a good visual of this if you think of Broncs as the ultimate destination. For the rest of you, imagine a mom and pop store, with the basics. Now imagine driving for three hours to get there. May I tell you, it was worth the trip!

Goats trying to find shade

Continuing on the lighter side, as Ingrid has been learning NgaKarimojong, one word has been disturbing her greatly. She remembers much, but the word for "goat" has been driving her crazy because there are goats everywhere! Now image hot nights, struggling to fall asleep. The electricity is "somehow" lost and has not managed to find its way to Moroto most of the time, just enough to tease us. Lying in a pool of sweat, I'm not asleep, but trying, and what do I hear? Ingrid's tape recorder playing back the NgaKarimojong word for goat, "akine" (ah-key-neh). We both had quite a laugh, since neither of us were sleeping.

On the more serious side of things. As we have been walking and talking there have been many things we have observed, heard, or read. FGM is still being practiced among the Tepeth people, who live in the mountains around us. People are not accepted at the hospital unless they are able to bathe first. Think of that. You are living in utter poverty. You don't have money to buy food, let alone soap. You are so sick that you finally go to the hospital and you are turned away because you are dirty, and everyone is because of the dirt here. Another belief is that you cannot mix traditional medicine and western medicine. If you do you will die. This means if you first went to the "witch doctor," then it automatically precludes you from going to the clinic. Where do you go first when you have no soap. To the traditional healer (witch doctor), of course. Traditional culture is strong here, which means traditional practices are followed. Goats and cows are prestige, not food. A family will starve before slaughtering a cow or goat happens (meat at market is from another tribe). Frankly, it is overwhelming and we truly need your prayers for wisdom as they feel God doesn't answer their prayers for food and they have cows and goats. We cannot do this alone. God has us here for His purpose, we know that. We know that He will be sending others, but the needs are so vast and so spiritual. It is really hard to describe. It can only be experienced. It is visceral. Please pray that we do not lose sight of God's Kingdom, abiding in Him and His passion for the human soul. He is teaching us this lesson early on. If we lose sight of His Kingdom and begin focusing on tasks rather then abiding, there will be no real fruit. Pray that we seek God's wisdom in all things. The dynamics here in Moroto are politically and relationally charged. We need to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. This can only be done in His wisdom.

Thanks for being part of God's Kingdom work in Karamoja.

Love,

Lyle and Ingrid

February 20, 2014

Hello, 

Ingrid here J

Manyatta in Moroto district

I am so full of joy to be writing this blog entry from Moroto.  We are here and so glad to be settling in to our hotel room at the Shalosa Hotel.  I will mention more about this later, but just want to thank everyone for the prayers and encouragement we have received these past months as we have looked longingly at where we knew our Lord desired for us to be. 

Our orientation to African Inland Mission in Machokos, Kenya was very worthwhile for Lyle and me. We had the opportunity to hear from strong Christian African men about the culture, and about religion and where the people of the living God fit into this in a culturally relevant way.  It was good to be reminded that God has created every culture and His nature and stamp are there if we will just have eyes to look for Him and to see where His nature is alive in each country of this earth.

It was also good for me to have time to ponder my December and even losing my good friend Imam in November.  Since I have been back to Uganda, loss has had a significant place in my heart.  Lyle poignantly said that this might be a normal part of our lives from here on out.  Death is a more normal part of everyday life for everyone here, much more so than in the United States.

ABO (African Based Orientation) was the longest I had been in one spot since the end of May 2013 and so I had time to process my losses.  During worship every morning, we would sing of God’s goodness and mercy and I found myself in tears as I could see His goodness and mercy in my brother’s life and death, but could not see it in baby Frank’s death or in Imam’s.  I had time to talk to Jesus about this dichotomy and slowly over days, He showed me that Frank’s life hasn’t ended, just his time on earth.  That Frank and Imam are both still very much alive for all of eternity, as well as my brother, and that I can trust that He was kind and merciful even when I cannot see the big picture.  I was directed to 2 Corinthians 5:4b: “so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” and Ecclesiastics  3:11 which says “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.  He has planted eternity in the human heart but even so people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end”. I was so full of peace and joy as my Lord opened my eyes to the truth of His plan and desire for mankind.  We were created to live forever, He graciously allows us to choose by what we have faith in, where that will be.

While we were in Kenya, we had the opportunity to visit Imam’s daughters in Eastleigh, the Ethiopian/Somali refugee camp in Nairobi.  We found out that these precious girls had gotten to see Imam in the hospital and did get to say good-bye to him and were able to attend his funeral. We had photos printed of our last time together, so they had recent pictures of their dad with them.  We could see this meant a lot to them. We also saw their relative, she is 9, who we had sponsored until we came to Africa.  My heart was so comforted to be with them and see them in school, a Christian school in a Muslim area, what a miracle.

Entering our room from the hall

So with my heart very settled, I was very ready to get on with life and become as Karimojong as I possibly can be.  The Kjong people find it hard to believe that I desire to be Kjong.  I didn’t really think about it but as a people that has been despised and rejected, they probably do not conceive of why this is a desire in my heart.  I only know that the Lord has placed it there.

As I said we are in a hotel, because the housing prices are at a boom in this small town in the middle of nowhere.  There are 300 nongovernmental organizations, mostly humanitarian, registered in Moroto, and they will pay whatever price is asked because they operate on donated money.

View looking back at hall from inside of room

AIM, however, will not do that and has a price ceiling so far below the housing prices that we are in a one room with attached bath, in order to be within budget.  We are praying about a house the owner of the hotel is building, which he will rent for well below market to us, but still for much more than our budget allows.  There is a possibility of getting an exception, since our area is considered a hardship area, so we will see.  I can say that I am content right now, and am content to leave it to the Lord as to where we live.  Please join us in asking Father to guide AIM and us to the right place.

Bed to the left of door

I started my language lessons today with a young woman, a teacher named Rose.  She has loaned me a primary one Karimojong primer to help me learn.  I think it is too advanced for me J; but I am enjoying what little I can say already.

We have had people genuinely welcome us with great kindness and love.  They have been very encouraged by our desire to learn their language and culture.  Please pray for this region, as there has been some incidents recently that are trying to unsettle the area. 

View of "kitchen" to left of bed

We have sensed the difference in the atmosphere from when we were here in January. Oh how I pray that this precious group realize to the depth of their souls, the love their Creator God has for each of them. I have had the opportunity to share that with some, that God deeply loves them, and mostly I have been given blank stares back. So we will see how things go.

Our combination toilet, shower, and sink (not all shown)

                                                                                             



Today as Lyle and I were walking, a little girl ran up to me and jumped in my arms!!! That was a first. Most are afraid of my white face to begin with, but this little one snuggled her head in my neck like she never would let go. You can guess how touched I was by this and really didn't want to let her go.

I recently read the “Insanity of God”, by Nik Ripken and Greg Lewis, it was such an encouragement to me that I was created to know The God of the Universe, and that He desires deep and ongoing relationship with me.  Having that, I can go through anything and rejoice.  The testimonies of real people, persecuted people who love Jesus with all of their lives, spurred me on to self-examination. I do live my theology.  What is it that my life/actions say I believe and who do I really love?

We have felt the spectrum of emotions these last weeks, and now that the rubber is meeting the road after a year of preparation, we will find out in an intimate way, what we really believe about the sovereignty of God and Who He is to us.  We cherish each one of you and do ask for feedback from you anytime.  Let us know your thoughts about us, prayers we can join you in, and what is going on in your lives.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask. You are here in Karamoja with us, serving our Lord Jesus with us, and are the living stones Jesus is building into His heavenly temple together.  We thank Him for each of you with great frequency.

A different looking praying mantis (disguised as a leaf) 

Our love and prayers,

Ingrid and Lyle

January 13, 2014

Greetings Everyone,

Lyle here. Happy New Year to all of you.

It has been a while since our last post and so many difficult things have taken place. The end of December our Ugandan grandson died and three days later Ingrid's brother, Gary, died. 

As many of you know, Ingrid traveled to the U.S. on December 15th to visit her brother who had suffered a series of strokes, which eventually left him alive, but non-responsive.

Gary at 37, died at 58

She had found out about his strokes from our daughter, Moe (Monika), just prior to Thanksgiving, but at that time he was still commincating with gestures and the hospital was looking to move him to a skilled nursing facility for rehab. Ingrid had been able to speak with Gary on the phone during this time and he was able to respond with a thumbs up, however his condition worsened and the overall plan changed from rehab to hospice. We had been actively seeking the Lord's guidance as to if or when Ingrid should travel, and at His leading, booked her for a trip leaving on December 15th, arriving back in Uganda on December 27th. Ingrid spent almost as much time traveling as she did with Gary and Moe. While she was there, there were only two times he was conscious. Once was when they moved him from the hospital to hospice (in and out of consciousness) and the second time was when Ingrid was sharing the Lord with Him. He stayed conscious the entire time. Gary's lifestyle was one that totally rejected Christ and he had not been open to the gospel. We thank the Lord that Ingrid was able to share with him. We do not know what transpired in Gary's heart during that time, but we know that our Lord is faithful to give an opportunity for repentance up to our last breath. Some of you may have known that Ingrid lost her sister to throat cancer and as she wrestled with how she had lived her life for herself instead of God,  Ingrid was able to share that it was never too late. As her sister, Monika, surrendered her life to Christ, years lifted off her face and she looked more youthful as she was dying of cancer then she had before. Her life was not longer the same and she spent her remaining days glorifying the Lord. Ingrid has taken great comfort in the privilege the Lord had given her to have the opportunity to share with both her sister and brother has their days on earth were ending and we also take comfort knowing that Moe had also taken time to share Christ and the Good News of forgiveness and redemption with her Uncle Gary.

Ingrid arrived back in Uganda on the 27th and on Saturday the 28th we left for a Central Region AIM conference and shortly after arriving learned that our 10 month old Ugandan grandson, Frank, had died. While Ingrid had been in the U.S. I had been talking with Ronald and his wife, Rebakah (pronounced Rebecca). Their son had been very sick since the 26th of December, most probably from cerebral malaria. I was also passing information on to others in the U.S., so that they would be praying as well. As a little history, we had met Ronald and Rebakah while we were at New Hope Uganda, the beginning of 2013. We spent five months with them and were there when Frank was born, a beautiful gift from the Lord. Please keep them in your prayers. 

Ronald, Rebakah, and Frank

We drove them to the hospital with Rebekah in labor, and drove them home with this precious gift, their first child. We were there with them as they struggled wondering if he had some physical defects in his legs and we were with them as they rejoiced that he did not. After returning to the States, to go full time with African Inland Missions, we stayed in contact with them. When we retuned to Uganda we went to New Hope to visit them. The joy they had in Frank was amazing. They were young parents and like I said, Frank was their first child. So when Ronald called me Saturday afternoon and said, "Uncle, my son has died," my heart dropped. I could hear the pain and disbelief in his voice. He had been so hopeful he would recover.

Ronald and Frank

As I told Ingrid we both were so full of grieve and sorrow. Our leaders at AIM gave us permission to leave the conference and attend the burial the next day, Sunday. Some of you may have experienced these feelings, and if you have, I am so sorry. There is really no way to describe how one feels welcoming a new life into the world and then ten short months later kneeling by a lifeless body. Rebakah was completely overcome with grief and Ronald was doing his best to keep things together, but you could see and feel his deep pain.

It was just two days after Frank's burial that Moe told us Gary had died. While expected, it was not anticipated it would be so quickly. As I mention this, please pray for Moe, as she has been the one who has been dealing with all of this, taking on the responsibly of being the court appointed guardian of Gary and is now the executor of his estate. She is doing this in addition to her being a wife, a mother, and working full time. If you know Moe, you will know that she is giving 100% to all of these things.

As for me, while Ingrid was gone I felt really alone. I know I should not have, but I did. I found myself counting the days waiting for her return and cooking Christmas dinner just seemed empty. I had invited some two Ugandan friends over for dinner and the compound manager where we were staying also came. Once dinner and conversation started I really did enjoy the time we had together and the emptiness was gone, but I wonder what I missed out on, what relationship could have happened at other times, if I had not been feeling sorry for myself, been self-absorbed and just filling my time waiting for Ingrid to return. While it is natural to miss her deeply, my sufficiency needs to be fully in the Lord. This is an area the Lord is continuing to grow me in. 

Shortly after the conference was over we traveled to Karamoja to look for housing. We knew housing that fit the budget would be difficult, but there was not anything even close, so finding long term housing did not happen, but the relationships we made or followed up on were incredible. The purpose of the trip, in our minds had been about housing, but God may have planned relationships as the primary purpose all along. We met so many people and received so much excellent advise. We followed up with Bishop Joseph, the Bishop of southern Karamoja for Church of Uganda. We enjoyed our time with with Pastor Noah and  met an 83 year old gentleman from Texas, Bill, who is heavily involved in working with orphans in Moroto.

Us and Pastor Noah

Us with Bill (in back) and the boys

We met with some CLIDE (veterinary medicine) missionaries, Dr. Valerie and her husband Waffle, as well as a new member of their team, Emily. We met Canon Isaiah, who is retired from the Church of Uganda.

Canon Isaiah with us and Linda Byler

We met many people in the local government who will be very important in future ministry as they are responsible for approving our activities to ensure they compliment, not duplicate, what others are doing. All in all we saw God's hand throughout the entire trip. We were able to find temporary housing, a self-contained unit, which is a rectangular room with a bathroom in one corner, a stove and a small fridge in the other, and of course a bed. I am guessing it would be about 15' x 20' overall. The gentleman, Israel, who owns the hotel we will be at is a Christian and a builder and would love to build us something to rent, but as of right now the amount AIM can pay and what he needs are not close together. Even if this were never to work out we are so looking forward to getting to know him better. He seems to have a wonderful gentle spirit about him. Where we will stay in the long run, the Lord knows, but in the short term we know this is exactly where God wants us and we are so excited to get there. 

As we have been missing spending time with our Indian friends and extended family who are working and living in the U.S., God has given us a young Indian man as a neighbor who is doing volunteer work in Moroto. He is as excited to get to know us as we are to know him.

Us and Israel

I am writing this blog entry from Nairobi, Kenya as we begin our three weeks of Africa Based Orientation with AIM, so you can see we have been busy with much traveling, especially Ingrid. Please pray for us regarding long term housing in Moroto, but more importantly, that when we move there in mid February, that we will continue to build relationships and that our lives glorify our Lord. 

So while this time has been filled with tragedy, it has also been filled with joy and expectations of where the Lord is taking us. We know that God is faithful and He will see us through all of this. As we follow Him we know hard times will come. The Bible tells us this, but we also know that as we walk in His will we will experience His peace and that He will continue to direct our paths. So it is with confidence, not in ourselves, but in our Lord that we move knowing that what the enemy would like to use discourage us, our Lord will use to build His kingdom.

Love,

Lyle and Ingrid

December 8, 2013

Our greetings to our friends all over the world! Ingrid here :-)

We are finally at a place in our schedule to have a couple of days to process and contemplate the last couple of weeks and to put some of those thoughts down to share with you where our hearts are right now.

Transition seems to be the continuing theme of our lives right now.  We have been given the gift of loving Christians opening their homes to us while we are stationed in Kampala.  We spent our first 3 weeks here with a wonderful couple who originate from Pennsylvania. Two weeks ago, we moved into a home that was vacated with the couple returning to the USA for the holidays. We spent one night there and then headed up to New Hope Uganda to reconnect with family and friends there before they scattered to their home villages for the two month holiday that is traditional here in Uganda. Then we headed up to Karamoja with a group of short term missionaries and one long term missionary, Julie, who has become a great friend to us.  We picked up a young man we had become friends with at NHU, who wanted to see Karamoja and has an interest in joining us someday in ministry there.  So as a group of 8 we slowly made our way north in two vehicles.

Thanksgiving was overlooking the Nile River

The trip I feel was characterized by the word hospitality.  We were given hospitality and accommodations the first night by a missionary couple with AIM in Jinja.  Lyle, Julie, and I were able to attend a Thanksgiving feast on the Nile, put on by another missionary organization.  It was so kind of them to include us and we three gave an impromptu performance to break up the awkwardness of the MC asking for skits.  After seeing our effort, the consensus was that anyone could sing or do a skit. So there were several others that entertained after us.

After the town of Jinja, we spent the next night, north of Mbale, in the home of a Bishop in the Church of Uganda.  The kindness and generosity shown to strangers was very touching and blessed us so much. They had met Julie before and she was going to do a training for Sunday School teachers about opening up Sunday School classes to special needs children. They accomodated all 8 of us very graciously. The following morning we were escorted to the church where we each had a part in the presentation of how and why special needs children should be included in Sunday School and how that could be possible in their churches.  It was a full day with the teachers wanting all the training before having any mid-day food because we had a huge rain storm and many of them were concerned about their long walks home in the bad weather.  So while the day was long, the receptivity to our message was very encouraging.

Sisiye Falls in the background

Great place for quiet time with our Lord

Late that afternoon we left the Bishop's home and headed to Sisiye Falls to sleep in tents at the foot of the falls.  It was a wonderful setting to process the day and the wonders of a God Who makes no mistakes; that all His people are how He desires them to enter the world. Whether we have disabilities that are noticeable or whether they are hidden in our spirits, we all have special needs.

We left the next day to head to another missionary's home in southern Karamoja.  We met them on the road as they had picked up their children from boarding school in Kenya and we were going to caravan up to their home together.  We met and greeted and Lyle and I smelled something hot in our car, and when Lyle shut the car off, it would not start again and the windows wouldn't work!  So Lyle and Bob, the missionary, got under the hood and started problem solving.  In Uganda, the norm is that anything one is doing outside is an invitation for a large audience to gather and watch and comment on the proceedings.  Needless to say we had a large audience as the "mechanics" tried to figure out what had happened.  The air conditioner melted and blew a fuse in the process, which is why the starter and the windows quit working.  This model comes with spare fuses!!! yeaaaaa   So a new one was put in and off we went, with natural air conditioning, windows down.  The breeze was great, but the dust was tough. To reach these people's home, we had to go through a game preserve, and I guess part to the preservation is no upkeep on the roads.  I thought we were on a roller coaster for hours, with driving through water to the top of the tires and trying to avoid deep pits and mud was our reality.  So this family who had just gotten their children, opened their home to us for the night and we had a great time of fellowship there.

Young Karamojong warrior herding some of his cows

When the taxi is full, use the roof

We set out the next day for Kangole (it is sort of pronounced like Canole) which is about 20 minutes from Moroto.  We crossed 3 large streams in the process; the road just stops at the water's edge and starts up on the other side.  On one of them, Julie got out and wadded through it to make sure there were no surprises before we drove through.  Our new normal. We reached our destination and met Mama Esther, the wife of the minster of this church, which is part of the Church of Uganda.  We were graciously received here and spend 3 nights on their compound.  We spent two of our days meeting with special needs families in Kangole, and one day in Moroto.  While in Moroto we were able to meet with the Bishop of southern Karamoja. The Mbale Bishop had passed on to us his phone information as they are very good friends, and Lyle and I really connected with the Mbale Bishop and his wife.

Shallow water crossing

We did not know what to expect when we met with the Bishop in Moroto.  The Church of Uganda is Anglican and apparently each District might have a bit of a different philosophy.  This Bishop, after conversing for a little while, apparently felt comfortable enough to share his heart for the Karamajong people and a bit of cultural history.  The first missionaries to Karamoja were Catholic and they engaged the Karamajong people by giving them things to lesson the ferocity of the tribe.  The Bishop says that from that time on, his people have taken an attitude of wanting a hand out and that the spirit of poverty has blinded them.  It has not helped that the world humanitarian agencies have been affirming that same mindset for at least 40 years in Karamoja.  So there are many generations of people who feel that begging is their source of interaction with those who seem to have resources.  The Bishop experiences this as well.  We felt so much a similar philosophy with him and he was very open to our desire for discipleship.  We have heard from him by email since our meeting and he will be extending an invitation to us to join all the ministers and their wives for a 5 day conference in Moroto in mid-February.  That should be our first full week up there full time, so we are encouraged and amazed at how God is already orchestrating us getting to know brothers and sisters in Christ in our new home.  We also were able to meet with a young Pastor we had met last year while visiting Moroto.  He is excited for us to come up and we were able to meet his fiancee.  He has a home for orphan boys and when we went there to try to find him, one of the boys remembered me and threw his arms around me in greeting.  I am excited to be able to get to know these precious boys better.  There are 10 of them ranging in age of 3 years old to high teens.

Hand crafted lorry made with scrap cardboard and sap as glue

We were able to use our Karamajong language lots while we were there and even added some words to our limited vocabulary.  Mama Esther told Julie that her "elder" friends were going to do well in Karamoja because we were willing to try the language.  I believe she is right.  The people were so willing to help us and correct us gently.  It was great.

It was hard to climb in the car and leave, we were both so excited to have a glimpse of what our future holds.  We were able to look at several places with self contained units, bedroom/bath. So hopefully we will find an opening when we finally make the move mid-February.  We continue to feel that we are to remain open-minded for how and what God wants us to do initially, so we are not forming any plans or agendas; that I think is the toughest thing. In my quiet time today, God reminded me that Jesus walked that same way while on earth in a human body.  In 1 Peter 2:21 He tells us: For God called you to do good even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.  He is your example and you must follow in His steps.  I felt the Holy Spirit open my eyes to the reality that Jesus had a home, he had routine and knew where he was going to sleep at night and where his food was coming from for 30 years.  And then, God told him to leave all that and live doing only what the Father told Him to do without routine or known agenda.  So my dearest Lord Jesus knows what we are living and while it might not fit the definition of suffering, it is definitely tough to do day after day, month after month, all the while watching our heavenly Father provide the best accommodations for us day after day, month after month.  And so we patiently wait, and live for Him alone each moment as best we can, until He makes clear His purpose for us in Moroto.

Listening to the Bible in Karamojong on the Proclaimer

For each of you who have prayed for us, we sincerely thank you!! Your love and support are rich in our souls and spirits.  We feel the body of Christ, both here in Uganda and around the world, loving us and supporting us as we endeavor to serve our Lord and spend ourselves where He has called us.

As we approach the time of year, that Christians around the world reflect on the timeless, priceless gift of Jesus Christ coming into the world to be our sacrifice Lamb Slain before the beginning of time, for our sins, to set us free from the power of sin, may He truly be our treasure - Him alone.

Our deepest love to you all.

Ingrid and Lyle