MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-29-2013

Howdy, y’all! Furlough continues apace. April has zipped past, with much to accomplish. There were multiple tasks queued up that all had to be done at once nearly as soon as we reached the States. When we weren’t in meetings, we worked on those. 

We got all our shopping done, finally. I personally hate shopping for clothes, but I tolerate it as an occasional, necessary activity. In this instance, there was no choice – everyone had to have new clothes. It’s nice to have new things that fit and aren’t worn out, but what a tiresome process. 

The kids’ passports are renewed. <Groan> Passports for 5 kids are expensive! It was a pleasure to be able to just go to our local post office and get those done, efficiently, and as quickly as all that paperwork can be done. It sure beats having to take a trip to Kampala, get them processed there, stay overnight, drive back the next day, and then have to return to Kampala AGAIN when the new passports finally arrive weeks later.

We’ve been able to spend a lot of time with family, which is awesome. Family is the biggest reason we come home on furlough, and it’s been wonderful to see them all again.

We received a shipment of books from Texas and got those down into our mission house basement. There’s currently enough books down there to fill a 20 foot shipping container, or close to it. I am very grateful to all the people who got on board with this project before we ever arrived in America and started gathering books for us. So far, we have been getting books at most churches we visit. We don’t need truckloads (unless, of course, you have truckloads, in which case, we will take ’em), so we can take anything you have, as long as it’s in boxes. Then we haul them back to St. Louis in our van, which has ample space in back for cargo. If every church does this, we should easily get enough books to fill a 40′ shipping container. Pray about the money we will need for the container, the shipping, and the lesser cost of constructing a library building when we get back to Uganda.

We are in the beginning of some of the first of our long travels East. Pray for our safety and health. Pray the meetings will go well, and we’ll be able to secure additional support along the way. Keep praying for our churches, workers, and property back in Uganda.

God bless you!