Slow thaw

Little ones love you no matter what. They haven't been as wounded by life as teenagers have. They haven't said as many goodbyes as teens have. And all they really need is for you to see them and play a few games with them. They will love you forever.

As we minister to third culture kids (TCKs) they have lived through some pretty tough stuff, have most likely lost a best friend, and maybe had to say goodbye to a favorite mentor or teacher... trust doesn't exactly come easy. They want to be seen and known as badly as the pre-schoolers... but they also fear it because they have let people in before and then that person may have left the continent. And they are not impressed by the Christian mask. They know the real deal when they see it. Authenticity is huge.

I say all that to say, after three years the students are starting to thaw towards us. And I must believe that time isn't the only factor. Jesus did a radical work in me this spring. I am more real and more myself than I have ever been. I've been transformed. And they can tell. Praise the living God! He is alive and well in me and He is drawing them to Himself.

A couple things that have made my heart smile recently (in no particular order):

• A girl popped into my office to borrow a pencil for exams. She knew she was welcome and not a bother.
• A new student said hi to me for the first time after I proctored his math exam.
• A student going through a very tough season asked if we could meet to talk after lunch- and through her tears she confessed, she didn't have much to say... she just needed a hug.
• That same student asked "So, when can I share in chapel again?"
• We had a line of students waiting to help us inflate our 9' beach ball. 
• A girl was sitting at the back of the chapel one day, and seemed so happy to see me. She said she had a question about a sermon I gave more than a month ago. She had listened, was still processing and is hungry for more of Jesus. 
• Another girl came in to my office and asked me to pray for her exams. 

As I type this list I am reminded that my prayers are making a difference, that being open and real is the only way to build community, and that transformed people really do transform their communities... they can't help it... they are just clear channels for God to flow through! Whether you are loaning a pencil, praying with another person, inflating a beach ball, or just giving a hug. He can use you! Hallelujah! 

Young hearts

We have been praying for a few years now for the hearts of our secondary students.  The range is wide regarding their faith journeys.  Students whose parents are full-time missionaries and they have embraced their faith as their own.  Some have grown up in a Christian home but seem indifferent about their faith.  Those who come from different religious backgrounds.  Others who profess to be atheist.  And still, others who ask lots of questions and never seem satisfied.  Our prayer was for these hearts to catch on fire for the things of God and become passionate in their faith.  We never expected how He would answer those prayers.

To be honest, at some points it seemed like our prayers were hitting a brick wall.  Don't get me wrong, we have seriously awesome students!  However, there did not seem to be new ground gained or momentum building.  That was until the last day of our high school retreat back in September.  My friend and fellow WGM colleague, Mike Banks, came to be the speaker at our retreat.  On the last day, with just a couple hours to go, one of our Korean students asked to talk one-on-one with Mike.  "L" was one of those students who professed to be an atheist.  A very polite young man who did not cause much trouble and sat through all the required Christian programs like Chapel and Bible Class.  To be honest, he was last on my mind as one who would be the answer to our prayers. 

I saw Mike and L walking over to me and L's face was different.  Mike told me that L had some news to share with me.  With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, L informed me that He had given His life to Christ.  I gave L a big hug and congratulated him.  I then asked if I could share the news with his classmates and I expected him to say no.  However, with an equally big grin on his face, L said yes.  What joy as I shared the news and the group erupted in cheers and hugs for L.  A holy moment for sure!
This was the beginning of serious momentum this school year.  We will share more in the days to come but we praise God for how He answers prayers.  L is seriously hungry and even a bit frustrated in his lack of Bible knowledge compared to his peers.  We plan to begin a "beginners class" for L and some others who desire to solidify the foundation of their faith knowledge.  Pray for us as we journey with them.

up to my neck...

dirt. pounding hammers. mess. the hum of a saw. a construction site is a hive of activity. the organized chaos overwhelms my senses.  especially when school starts in less than two weeks. this is the Early Years building that will house our youngest students this year!

this summer has been a slow simmer. we've had a few friends to play with. some activities planned, but no travel. lots of downtime. and the countless days of life on life- humanity scraping against humanity- have worn me down.

I am excited about the new school year- we've already fed some new teachers and we are going to be hosting one for the first month of school. I've got talks to plan, devotions to prepare, Sabbath stations to set up for retreat, dinners to cook, and very little margin left to work with- because I've spent so much time and energy meeting my kids' social needs this summer.

that sneaking feeling of overwhelm begins to rise in my chest. as I look at my to do list and compare it to the hours available in a given day... the columns don't balance. I'm up to my neck. and I take a deep breath.

O N E. This is my year of one. I can only love one person at a time. I can truly do only one thing at a time. Just the next right thing. It takes some pressure off. And then I realize He can show me which next thing- it is deeper relief still.

I haven't really been abiding well lately. I haven't strayed- I've just been depriving myself of all the power I have access to on the daily. "One thing is necessary, Mary has chosen that good part..." I've been walking in my own strength, missing that one thing. and it's catching up with me. so instead of writing a talk on Spiritual Health tonight- I'm gonna do my own diagnosis- take my own medicine and pray He uses me tomorrow.

How are you feeling at the start of a fresh school year?

When we bump up against our limits

Pouring out:
Serving communion at
Elementary School
Spiritual Emphasis Week

On Wednesday I preached at Middle and High School chapels about abiding... about how much power and freedom there is when we abide... about the beauty and the peace that come when we stop striving and rest in what He has already accomplished {which is everything}... and then there was Thursday.

I've come to realize I'm not a short fuse person- I have a very long fuse... however, once you reach the end: look out. I can be patient and obliging for a long time. I have heaps of grace and appreciation for this very different culture I live in. Until I don't. When I just want my babies to see the doctor {at the time they told me to come in} or get their cavity filled or have a date lunch with my husband and everything conspires against me. Or so it feels. I know this is a bit dramatic. But yesterday it felt dramatic.

Our weekly routine has shifted now that I'm working part-time at our kids' school. And I am around more people more often than I was our last term. And I feel the need to be much more intentional with my kids when I am home. These realities may be slowly draining my very friendly, introverted self.

And yet. He is keeping me... when I let Him. There are days when you know much will be demanded of you- when you are pouring and pouring- and you take the time you need for Him to fill you. But then there are days like Thursday when things don't seem like a big deal, and then the little one is up at 4:59am, and you just don't get that time. And all morning you find yourself bumping up against your humanity and your self and your limits. Empty.

It's not pretty. But the discovery of who I am when left to my own devices throws me on His grace. Seeing my self in all its selfish, impatient, angry blaze humbles me. And John 15 comes flooding back like conviction and hope mixed together: "apart from Me you can do nothing" {John 15:5} which then means "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."{Philippians 4:13}.

Studying the Enneagram, we can "learn how to recognize and dis-identify with the parts of our personalities that limit us so we can be reunited with our truest and best selves, that 'pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven,' as Thomas Merton said.

That's the blaze I want glowing within me. And I can only get there when I abide in Him, and allow Him to shine His light on those broken and fallen places within me.

linking up today at the Grove @Velvet Ashes:

Homework Station

Everything they need to do homework, right near the dining table.

It's back to school season!  And we are all ready for the homework challenge.  In Grades 1 and 2 they should only have 20 minutes of homework, and so it's not too tough to knock it out after school.

We are new to the homework scene, and so I had to decide when it was going to work best for our family.  I wanted the boys to be able to come home and unpack (physically and emotionally), but I also didn't want homework hanging over our head all day, or into breakfast the next morning. So the routine that works best for us is:

1. Eat a popsicle and chat about the day. {read more about that tradition}
2. Do homework
3. Free to play or watch one show.  

It works for us, because I can greet them at the end of a long, hot day with a sweet, icy popsicle and hear about their day "it was good".  And then we get the homework out of the way.  Once the homework is packed back into the backpack, they are free until bed time!  And that makes us all happy!

How do you handle homework?  What tricks work for your family?

First Day of School TBT

It's throwback thursday!

 

Heritage Graduation TODAY

Would you join me in praying for the 2013 graduating class from Heritage {and their families}?  We've grown to love these kids, and it is exciting and hard to send them out into the world, literally!

And check out Kendra's blog post about graduating today.  Kendra is a graduating senior, and a true Third Culture Kid {she is Canadian, grew up in Greece, returned to Canada, and then moved to Uganda all before her high school graduation!}.  Her poem titled: Airport says it all.  These young people need our prayers!

By the Numbers: Our First Term

in which we recount {literally} some fond memories and astounding facts about our first term in Uganda:

first day of school: August 2011

• ___?__: the number kilometers we've put on our little Rav4, Wompus, since May 2011
• 2: the number of accidents that tough Rav4 has been in this term.
• countless: the times Jesus has protected us on the road.
• 4, 600 feet: the altitude of our house above sea level

Sunset from our back door

• 7am-7pm: the time the sun rises and sets every.day.of.the.year. in Kampala
• 1,000,000: the number of times we've told Siddeley, our puppy, "no" or "down" or "out" since he arrived in May 2012
• 4: the largest number of ATMs in one day, in failed attempts to withdraw money.

University Ladies Sleepover: March 2012

• 45: the number of women at our house for a "sleepover"
• 75: the number of minutes it took for all my university small group ladies to show up last Tuesday

Sword Drill at Heritage International School

• 27: the number of nationalities represented at Heritage International School
• 5: the number of student testimonies in chapel at Heritage this year {related- 0: the number of student testimonies last year}!  God is on the move!

Our guest, Randy Goodgame, teaching the ukelele

• 291: the number of nights we've had house guests {yes, that's 40% of our first term}
• 37: the number of times Seth has called our guests "customers"...
• 945: the number of coffee pots we've brewed. {one a day, and occasionally two}

Our own baseball team!

• 10: the largest number of children living on this compound at one time {Coppedges, Rambos, and Hallahans}
• 65: the number of days until Kelly and the boys get on a plane for America.
• 26: the number of days Kelly and the boys have to survive without Josh.
• 26: the number of days Kelly welcomes visitors and babysitters {just kidding, you can come babysit after Josh gets back} 
• innumerable: our thanks and love to you who love us, pray for us, support us, encourage us and read our blog! {and that goes double for those who comment on our blog}

So grateful!

Perfect Sunny Day

Swing time with Grammy and Poppy!  We love the "Go Away Game"!  Good times giving them a tour of our school! by Seth and Caleb

Friday Five: Praises!

Jesus is moving. And we must rejoice.  Praise Him with us today!

1. God really used Josh to preach a powerful message in secondary chapel Wednesday- followed by the students nailing their struggles to the cross.  Seeing words like "past hurts" "sin" "pride" and "anger" nailed to the cross was really powerful.  Be praying for these kids!
2. A few students at Heritage have decided to start a DAILY (yeah, you read that correctly) Bible study.  They are doing it all on their own! 
3. Josh got sick on Thursday.  And so with a couple hours of preparation, I spoke at chapel.  The theme was grace- and it's a song I could sing all day.  I was nervous (not because I don't like speaking, but I don't like last minute).  And Jesus showed up.  He really helped me.  And I believe His grace was extended to some needy students.  
4. He has gathered a lovely group of women for my small group from the university.  Not one of them has ever been in a small group before.  One of them is from a mslim family.  One of them is from a polygamous family.  Two of them are mothers to a daughter.  One of them may not be saved yet.  What an opportunity!
5. It has been a blessing to start a Good Morning Girls group for international ladies- we're studying Colossians and it is so encouraging!  

First Day of School Thanks

I'm not alone in the shock and awe of the first day of school.  Wasn't I just rocking this baby, and now he is in Kindergarten staying until 3pm?  The difference between last year and this year blows me away.  But I love that some things stay the same... we still love Finn McMissile and wrestling with Daddy!  I love that their personalities shine through in these pictures.  I was tempted to say, stand still, put your hands down... but this is them.  And I think they're just right.

So many things to be thankful for on this first day of school:

#6707.  our team gathered around our kids
#6708.  surrounding them with love and prayers
#6709.  sending them out to be lights
#6710.  a Christian international school (click HERE and HERE for prayer guides for HIS)

#6711.  brother love
#6712.  the excitement and anxiety of the first day
#6713.  the peace in letting them go with Him

#6714.  freshly sharpened pencils

#6715.  brilliant colors.

#6716.  new school supplies

#6717.  full day Kindergarten
#6718.  his own desk
#6719.  his eagerness to learn

#6720.  Five day Junior Kindergarten
#6721.  new toys to explore
#6722.  how he easily he makes friends

#6723.  the broad expanse of a morning to myself
#6724.  finding my own rhythm of the work day
#6725.  stillness and a cup of coffee.

Tuesdays with the Stacks

The school year fast approaches and that means you pitch in.  wherever. you. are. needed. And this week that means the library!  Delight has had two short weeks to get an entire library ready for the school year!  We've been cataloging, labeling, sorting, dusting, painting, shelving... you get the picture.  But in case you need a visual:

Praying that we get it all done by Friday.  When you're a missionary some days you just ever know what you'll end up doing!  I think Caleb is right- He has said he wants to be a missionary when he grows up... but then the other day he drew this picture of what he wants to do when he grows up:

Missionaries do all the jobs!

Tuesdays With- "J"

There are those days when a conversation with someone makes all the work we are doing, the frustrations we go through, the sadness of being away from “home”, totally worth it! Last week I, Josh, had one of those days.

flowers by the bridge

As I was preparing for my final worship time with the elementary students at Heritage a teacher approached me and said that “J” wanted to talk with me. J is a 6^th grade student and had a lot of questions regarding salvation and what would happen to her at the “end”. I met briefly with J right before worship and answered her questions as best I could and explained what it really meant to believe in Jesus. Thankfully we were standing on a bridge crossing one of the many streams at Heritage and so the “bridge” illustration for salvation was a perfect one to use. I could see it was clicking. After worship time I grabbed Rachel Goss to come with me and finish my conversation with J. As I prayed I felt Jesus telling me to very bluntly ask J if she believed in what Jesus did for her on the cross some 2,000 years ago and if she ever told Him that she believed. J told me that she did indeed believe it but had never told Jesus that. J was a little nervous and embarrassed to pray out loud in front of us so after asking her 3 times if she wanted to do it she decided that she would do it at home that night but did not want to do it in front of us. I felt peace that her heart was in the right place and Jesus telling me it was ok to not pressure her.

It was a wonderful conversation and J, I believe, sincerely believes in Jesus as her Savior. I found out after that J’s mother is a Muslim and through our conversation I know that J does not really have anyone this summer to help her grow in her faith. Would you pray that Jesus would bring someone alongside J and that J can also return to Heritage next year? Thank you for partnering with us and having a part in J’s new relationship with Jesus Christ!

Friday Five: Testimonies from Baptism

 On Wednesday, we had the sweet privilege of watching 11 students from Heritage International School testify to God's work in their lives through baptism!  What an amazing gift!  It is a wonderful way to end the school year, by providing all of our students the opportunity to profess their faith publicly.

And we are so excited to share this day with you!  The seeds you've been planting through prayer are coming to fruition!




Josh asked each student: "Why do you want to be baptized?"

Josh praying over the students

1. "I want to be part of God's family."
2. "I want to take the next step in my Christian life."
3. "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I want everyone to know!"
4. "To show my public faith in God."
5. "To show my friends and family I am a new creation."

"Father, we dedicate each of these students to You.  Guard them from the evil one.  Give them boldness to continue standing firm in their faith.  And take them deeper in this next year." Amen

Tuesdays with Rack, Shack and Benny

Jr High Retreat- see that table of boys?? Yeah.

Since the summer, I've been praying for a Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to rise up at Heritage- three young men who will take a stand for Jesus and be leaders among their peers for the kingdom!  And they are coming from somewhere unexpected.  Seventh grade.  Two young men have approached Josh and asked him to disciple them.  They meet every Tuesday afternoon during the last period of the school day.  How cool is that? 

Will you join me in praying for one more (at least)?!  Pray that- as they grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and their peers-  God would use them mightily to bring their friends and their families to Jesus!

Tuesdays with Preschoolers

joy.  energy.  life.  gusto.  speed.  chaos.  laughter.  

one of my new jobs is Preschool Music Teacher!  this semester i am filling in once a week in Caleb's class.  i LOVE preschool!  and i really enjoying spending time with them each Friday- sparking a love for music and movement. experimenting with musical instruments, watching Little Einsteins- learning words like pianissimo and fortissimo and dancing like crazy!  so. fun.

this week we got to catch a glimpse into Seth's class- just what do they do in Play Group all day?  they have been exploring animal habitats!  they even turned their classroom into the arctic, desert, and jungle.  so much fun!

in chapel they told the story of Noah's Ark- can you spot Seth all the way in the back?  They did such a good job!  Cute little three year olds!  So proud of their enthusiasm and their following directions on stage!

 Who have you been spending time with lately?  What have they taught you?  Preschoolers constantly teach me that having fun isn't just allowed- it's essential!

Friday Five: Scripture Prayers for HIS

The senior high at Heritage International School has been on my heart this week.  And so today, will you join me in praying these Scripture prayers for these youth?

1. I pray that the Christian students at Heritage would feel surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, that they would lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares, and that they may run with perseverance the race that is set out for them, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith... may they consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest they become wear and discouraged in their souls. -Hebrews 12:1-3
2. Please strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for their feet... send them "Aaron and Hur" friends to hold up their hands-so that together we can secure the victory at Heritage! -Hebrews 12:12-13 and Exodus17:12
3. May they draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and their bodies washed with pure water.  May they hold fast the confession of their hope without wavering, for You who promised are faithful!  May they stir one another up to love and good works, and not cave to peer pressure.  -Hebrews 10:22-24
4. I pray that You would grant them, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith: that they being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-that they would really know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.  -Ephesians 3:15-19
5. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever Amen. -Ephesians 3:20-21

2011 Video Update

We wanted to share a video update, so you can picture the full impact of your prayers and support!  God has assembled a great team, and we're thankful you're a part of it!  Enjoy the show-

                       

Leave a comment- how have you been impacted by your involvement with us here Uganda?

Old rags...

Thrown in a dungeon.  Sinking in mire.  Without water or food.  Suddenly, old rags are lowered down to you in your misery.  Hallelujah for old rags!  I can just picture Jeremiah, how grateful he must have been for those old rags that became his salvation. 

These have been full days- full of ministry, glory, highlights.  But the in-between days have been a blur.  I've faltered in my gift-listing. Blazing through each day,  I've grabbed at highlights for my Monday posts.  And missed the small moments- the real eucharisteo- living attentive, being all here, giving thanks for each moment, good or bad, as gifts from His hand.

I can swipe broad thanks across my life- but that doesn't change me.  I can gather round the table this Thanksgiving and share what I am thankful for- but it isn't transformational.

"But in this counting gifts, to one thousand, more, I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life... I testify: life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time." -Ann Voskamp

You'd think that after all this time, two years of gift-listing, that I would just breathe gratitude, without having to list it.  But I can't.  It's in the naming, the writing, the nailing thanks to a page, that I am changed.  I'm picking up pen and camera again to start hammering gratitude back into my life.

Grateful for these old rags, that just might be my salvation:

#5108.  "We've never had lunch in a storm before" -Seth
#5109.  Some shelter from the rain.
#5110.  The only time it rained on retreat.

#5111.  Safety on our journey home.
#5112.  Not being the driver in this weather
#5113.  Boys getting good naps on the drive home.

#5114.  African men cooking, laughing, lounging, challenging, learning. true fellowship.
#5115.  ants in my kitchen, because we have food to eat.
#5116.  the aroma, and color of fresh food. even though flies like them too.

#5117.  toys spilled all over the floor- evidence of life
#5118.  boys bickering- we are blessed with boys.
#5119.  Tim and Ben- we have family in Uganda!
#5120.  babysitting the nephews for two nights- Scott and Meg will reciprocate in December :)

#5121.  heaps of dirty laundry. we have clothes to wear.
#5122.  a washer and dryer in Uganda.
#5123.  yellow sweatpants :)

#5124.  in the midst of the mire, there shines beauty, if I will pause and receive it.
#5125.  the sun rises every day.
#5126.  You "paint the morning skies with miracles in mind"
#5127.  I get to live this life in Africa.  Sunrise over Lake Victoria, really?  amazing.



"And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire.  So Jeremiah sank in the mire... Ebed-Melech took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah... So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes (and old rags) and lifted him out of the dungeon." -Jeremiah 38:6, 11, 13

beauty everywhere

drinking deep the beauty that is all around me.  we're swamped with ministry; our cup runneth over.  we're loving this crazy season!  but i must pause and capture the beauty of now, or else i'm just running blind.

"To not simply be lulled by beauty but to read God in the Beauty, the eyes need to wear His Word and to see a thousand gifts, a thousand features of His face, I first need to slow my life, wear a lens of words and turn the inner eye." -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

excerpts of gifts #4775-4814

"Come aside by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." -Mark 6:31

--the beauty of this quiet place. how it beckons.
--little boys pausing
--Caleb's new love for You- what a beautiful thing to witness

"and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." -Col. 3:17

--beautiful Rose teaching us how to make chapati
--little hands covered in flour. patting. rolling.  tasting.
--her graciously accepting their "help"

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" -I John 3:1

--beauty of tradition
--Sunday night breakfast for dinner
--beauty of adoption, sweet Zuri crying for her new mama
--our adoption into the family of God

"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." -Psalm 33:5

--such a beautiful place to call our school
--learning and worshiping and growing as a community
--Your handiwork everywhere, in minute details and in grand vistas

"Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:14

--beautiful, this posture of prayer
--little heads bowed, and hands folded
--the whole school carving out a week to seek You