You know your in the bush when....

There is a green mamba snake under the container behind your hut & everyone runs out to see it... (except Rhonda)

Rats, Bats & Roosters - Rats & Bats live in the ceiling above your bed and peer at you from a hole & the rooster crows outside your window from 2am until....(We are thinking we should put rooster stew on the menu)

Someone has to get out of the car and walk in front of it to find the small path you were driving on that has disappeared in the tall grass with the ditch and tree stumps....

You visit a friend and receive a chicken as a gift...

When you walk in your crocs without socks you get rocks....

AND you get to wake up to this sunrise!

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May 31,2013

Everyone is having a blast! We are all doing well and enjoying our wonderful hosts Keith & Lisa Coggin & the Riegers (a family with 7 children, 5 of which are here now & are so much help to us in VBS). We have completed our first full day of VBS with 7 classes and an average of 35+ kids per class - more details to follow. Tomorrow is the Youth Conference on Sexual Purity. Please be in prayer for these children as we work to be the hands and feet of Christ here in Gulu. May His love abound and touch each of their hearts in a special way!

May 31 - Our first day of ministry work at Sanctuary of Grace

Good morning from Gulu! We have been up for several hours already as we prepare for the day, have breakfast & have devotions...and its only 8am :) VBS starts in 30 minutes with the over 200 kids here at SOG grades K-Primary 6. We will be sharing stories, songs, games, & crafts as we talk about God: our creator, Savior, healer, provider, & Lord of all. We are also including lessons on health, sanitation, nutrition, & hygiene. VBS will be today, Monday & Tuesday with Saturday being a Youth Conference for the P4-P6 children on Sexual purity &God's plan for their lives.

This morning devotion was on II Corinthians 12:9-10, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hard ships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Our prayer this morning is that the next several days for God to be glorified as we submit ourselves to the tasks that God has called us to & that the children will not see us but the One who is the Alpha & Omega, the Beginning & the End.

Uganda Summer 2013

Newsletter #2 / May 30, 2013

First day’s thoughts….by Danielle

Today was our first full day at Sanctuary of Grace, and my first time on the compound. We attended the morning assembly with the children. They were lined up by class. The boys were dressed in their uniform shirts and shorts. The girls had on dresses. I was surprised to see that the boys and the girls had shaved heads. I later learned that this was due to a sanitary concern. They all had beautiful, bright smiles and were happy to see us. We were introduced to the children as a group, and we taught them the chicken dance to break the ice. Most of the children learned very quickly, and followed along with us. As it was time for them to break up into their individual classes, they marched into their rooms. I couldn’t help but notice their feet as they walked by. Some children had on shoes that were too small, some had on shoes that were too big, some had on shoes that were taped together, and some children had no shoes at all. It broke my heart to see their worn, tired feet at such a young age.

We each went into our separate classrooms. As I introduced myself to the children, they looked at me very confused. Their teacher stepped in to interpret and explained to me that they didn’t understand my accent. She meant that I was speaking too fast. They understand English, but are not proficient. Tomorrow will be my first day of teaching. I am both nervous and excited. My challenge will be to talk slowly and use simple terms that they can understand. I am anxiously looking forward to what tomorrow may bring and pray that the Lord will lead me in the right direction.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”                 Matthew 28:19-20

Rhonda here - Though this is my 9^th trip to Uganda, I am still in awe of the opportunity to share Jesus. On our bus ride up here I noted this in my journal:

Love binds people together which draws people from afar. Looking out the bus window at the vast land, I think what an opportunity this is that not only changes you, but others. If you open yourself up to God’s plan & purpose for you, you never know where it may lead you or where you may end up. You never want to be on the end of a missed opportunity.

Every trip I’ve made has impacted and changed me. I truly believe God’s word from Matthew 28:19-20 (seen above), for if no one ever goes to the mission field and shares the Love of God, those souls are lost. Missionaries help God’s children find their way to the cross, so if you can’t be a missionary, please support one.

Thank you to all who support us financially, and with love and prayer. With Love & prayers, Rhonda