Uganda Bound!

Hello family and friends! I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying your summer. Since our last update in our Christmas letter, we have not experienced much change, but we have experienced quite a bit of busyness! Craig has just completed year one of his two year MBA program, and I am working at Baylor University as an Academic Advisor. Participating in our Life Group Bible study and serving in the high school youth keep us actively involved in our church.

In December of 2005, I was shown a two hour documentary entitled Invisible Children; it is a film exposing the horrors and atrocities that have taken place in war-torn Uganda. According to Invisible Children,

“Tens of thousands have been injured or killed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda. Since 1986, the LRA has abducted and brainwashed more than 20,000 boys and girls to fight as child soldiers in his militia.”

This documentary began a work in me that God has been fostering for quite some time. Last spring, when I was teaching high school English, I was able to show the film to my students as part of a writing project. They too gained an interest in Uganda, and several participated in an Invisible Children/ Uganda awareness event with me! I began to pray for more opportunities to become involved in what the Lord is doing in Northern Uganda.

After carrying this country in my heart for a year and a half, God has opened a door for me to minister to the people and children of Uganda!

Craig is not able take time away from work and school, and unfortunately, he will not be able to join me on this mission trip. We committed my desire to join the short term team unto the Lord, and we both feel he has given His approval. Though, without Craig, it will be a challenging journey for me, I believe the Lord wants me to experience a time of complete dependency upon Him for strength, wisdom, and discernment.

On August 3, 2007 I will be leaving with 15 others from our church for 10 days to share Jesus in Uganda.

Peace is slowly returning to the region after over 20 years of unrest. Praise God!

Strategically located in Northern Uganda, Restoration Gateway, our Uganda church plant, will make a 500 acre plot on the Nile River--home. The community will be established with the following key elements:
• Loving homes, education and health care for 300-350 orphaned children
• Biblical training for missionaries and local pastors
• A health care institution to provide ministry to the sick, as well as teaching for physicians, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare workers
• A camp for children and a retreat center for Ugandan pastors
• Agricultural and fishery projects to help sustain the community
• An on-site sanctuary for worship and teaching scripture
• A school for job training and professional skill development
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
James 1:27

We will be working with our newly-formed long-term team to build homes for orphans, hospital, and training center for pastors. This is an incredible undertaking that has gained the approval and blessing of the president of Uganda.
We’ll be living on the land for eight or nine days (either in tents or mud huts) as we build Restoration Gateway and share the love of Jesus in the surrounding villages. Last summer the team saw over 100 people commit their lives to following Jesus. Many are now involved in a newly formed church.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew. 24:14

Today is my birthday!

I’m not sure what Craig has planned, but I think he has something up his sleeve! I’ll have to post a post birthday blog!

Normally, I don’t do those silly surveys that one gets through email, but in honor of this day being all about me, I think I will!

How much have you changed in 6 years?

Six years ago.....

1.) How old were you?: just turned 22

2.) Where did you go to school? Texas A&M University

3) Where did you work? I was a tutor for A&M’s English dept., nanny in the summer

4.) Where did you live?: College Station

5.) Where did you hang out?: On campus; at Craig’s; with my Young Life Team; Sweet Eugene’s (where I met Craig); Breakaway, Hospitality room, here and there!

6.) Did you wear glasses? Only in the big lecture halls when I sat in the back!

7.)Who were your good friends? Stephanie, Kate, Tim S., Tim L., Craig, really all of his AMC friends, I guess; Amber and Cristi were sweet roommates.

8.) How many tattoos did you have?: 1

9.) How many piercing did you have?: 2

10.) What car did you drive?: 2000 Toyota Corolla

11.) Had you been to a real party? Yes, but as a YL leader, I stayed away from them!

12.) Had You had your heart broken?: YES! I think I might have broken one too.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced: Taken

-------------3 years ago----------

1.) How old were you?: 25

2.) Where did you go to school?: Cambridge College for a Master’s

3.) Where did you work?: Lexington Christian Academy in the Boston, MA area.

4.) Where did you live?: Boston

5.) Where did you hang out?: The gym, church, with our church friends, all around Boston—it was an amazingly fun city!

6.) Did you wear glasses?: nope.

7.) Who were your good friend(s)?: Allison, Lauren, Tracy, Sarah—love them!

9.) How many tattoos did you have?:1

10.) How many piercing did you have?: 2

11) What car did you drive?: 2000 4 Runner 4x4

12) Had your heart broken?: Not by any person, but Boston was a spiritually breaking and healing process in general—thank you, Jesus!

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced: Married

--------------------Today--------------------

1.) How old are you?: 28 Today!

2.) Where do you work?: Baylor University

3.) Where do you live?: Waco, Texas

4.) Do you wear glasses?: nope, but should!

5.) Who are your close friends?: Craig is my best friend! Same friends listed 3 yrs ago, and my new ACC friends.

6.) Do you talk to your old friends?: yes, but not the college friends as often as the others.

7.) How many piercing do you have?: 2

8.) How many tattoos?:1

9.) What kind of car do you have?: same ole 4 Runner, but it’s all paid off!

10.) Has your heart been broken? Nope.

13.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced: Married

I'd love to hear the responses of others!

My First Blog

It’s slightly ironic and a bit of an oxymoron, I’ll admit. I'm a self professed writer, and I hate writing! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good analytical discussion—oral or written—that examines a literary work or exposes and/or proposes a need for social justice. I even enjoy religious and political discussions, though I am highly inadequate at a dissertation over either! However, writing nonfiction for the sake of writing really strikes a nerve in me. I can neatly place all other writings into a little box: Narrative- for all my fictional short stories that I hope to someday publish; Persuasive- for aiding Invisible Children in Uganda; Expository- for all those long work related emails and proposals. But I humbly inquire, what is blogging? Word Publisher just underlined it in red; Bill Gates does not even consider blogging a word!

Sigh, deep breath… I am about to embark slowly, hesitantly upon this new(er) underground community that writes nonfiction blogs for the sake of writing nonfiction blogs. It’s a phenomenon I do not yet understand, but I am willing to learn!

Is there a welcoming committee?!