Friday Five: Ways to Pray for Retreat

We leave for Fort Portal, Uganda on Sunday morning for 5 days of retreat.  Many of our missionaries are ready for break, but more importantly we are all ready for a fresh touch from Jesus!  Rev. Alan and Beth Coppedge are our speakers, and we look forward to how the Spirit will use them to speak directly to our hearts.  Will you pray for us as we take time away from our ministries, and reconnect with God and our teammates?

1. Pray for safety, health, and protection for each person and each vehicle!  God wants to do big things, and Satan is trying his best to hinder the work of God.  As of yesterday: Matt and Judah Burke, Caleb and Seth Hallahan, and Emilee Hopson were sick.  Maybe more I haven't heard of. 
2. Pray that each participant comes with a soft and open heart to receive all that Jesus has for them.  Pray that we would receive His hard word, as well as His tender word.
3. Pray for a spirit of unity, trust, and love among us.  That team dynamics, and any inter-personal issues we might have would be resolved in a way that brings honor and glory to Jesus.  That any conversations that need to occur, would happen.
4. Pray that we would act on the lessons we receive, that we would be obedient to the heavenly vision and that we would walk out in the valley what we hear on the mountain.   
5. Pray that Jesus has freedom to do all that He wants to, and that the world would be transformed because of what He does in us on retreat.  May all that we receive not just be for our own betterment, but for the expansion of His kingdom here in Uganda!

Feast or Famine

Living in international community has it's joys and challenges.  Some weeks we settle into our routine, go about our ministries, tend to our families, and life goes on as usual with little excitement.  Then come weeks like this one with numerous airport runs, new people to see, dear friends to reunite with, and lots of fun extra events to look forward to!  My personality much prefers a "normal" routine; I live steady.  But it's fun to shake things up every now and then! 

Our colleagues, Billy and Joanna Coppege arrived last week.  Our Retreat Speakers, Regional Directors, Field Pastors and a Member Care rep from headquarters arrive this week.  A new family with WGM, Matt and Joy Burke arrived Monday.  They will be serving Jesus in Jinja with their two small children.  Such a flurry of guests arriving before Field Retreat next week!  Whew!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it- but I'm sure there will be some fabulous stories to be told and photos to be seen in the weeks to come!  Stay tuned!!

Tuesdays with Friends

I've known Joanna Coppedge since our freshman year of college.  We were never super close, but she has been a constant source of encouragement to me throughout the years.  It was exciting e-mailing her before we arrived in Uganda to find out how to do life with little ones here.  But then shortly after we arrived, they returned to the states to have their twins.  They returned in January, but went straight home to Arua.  I'm really glad they are back on this side of the ocean, with their four beautiful girls.  And I'm especially glad today that they are here in Kampala for a week, and then with us on retreat as well!

I'm soaking up as much time as I can with this sweet woman before we must part ways again!  Friday we spent the afternoon together with all our six kiddos, Saturday we went for pedicures without kids, and Sunday they joined us for church and prayer meeting!  It was a great weekend!  Looking forward to more lovely moments together as we serve Jesus and raise our families here in Uganda!  It's good to have someone on our journey with us who understands our stage of life!

paying attention

Dividing each entry into three parts: devotion, gratitude, and prayer

I have been experimenting with keeping my gratitude list in my devotional journal, along with my prayer journal.  It was working out ok, but I found I was only writing in my gratitude journal when I did my devotions, and not throughout the day.  I couldn't just leave my journal laying on the counter open for the world to see- and so, out of sight, out of mind it went.  I've repurposed a Disney Cars notebook as my new gratitude journal and already I've been more attentive to life because it's small enough to keep with me!  I'm grateful! 

6036.  a new gratitude journal- with inspiration from Ann and my own paint.
6039.  a lovely scarf on a cool morning
6040.  rain!  the pitter patter on the roof.  curtains billowing.
6041.  chocolate chip cookies- with our last chocolate chips.  luxury!

6043.  my crafty little boy!
6044.  color.  glue.  mess.  creative glory.

6050.  this renewed habit, pen in hand, camera nearby.

6055.  sweet silly 3 year olds who just NEED to tell you something:
6056.  "my teeth are growing just like a lions" -Ethan
6057.  happy dancing kids
6058.  experiencing culture through music and dance

6065.  Coppedges. here.
6066.  happy house ringing with children's laughter
6067.  lots of bouncy fun
6068.  holding Chloe all afternoon
6069.  sweet-smelling, soft baby hair.
6070.  dinner prepped, so I can enjoy our company!

The weeks ahead will be full of fun people!  And I am so excited to see all the love-gifts Jesus sends my way!  Are you blessed to be surrounded with amazing people?  Who are you grateful for today? 

oh grate

our guard called us this morning to let us know that the guard from our neighbor's place was taking the grate that spans this big ditch, because it was causing too much noise for him.  oh my.  how exactly are we supposed to drive our car over this?  i'm sure when he comes home from work we will reach a resolution that pleases both parties.  because this isn't it!

praying that we would bring glory to Jesus in how we deal with issues like this. 

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!

midnight joy

Friday night 45 women made the trek up our hill for a Ladies Sleepover (which ought to have been named an "all-nighter", as no sleep was had).  It was a glorious night of fellowship, food, dancing, laughter, testimony, games, prayer, worship, and time in the Word .  I love spending time with these sweet ladies!

--loud and lovely ladies
--pure and wholesome fun

 --prize for bringing the most friends this semester
--Your Word, a true gift

--moments of prayer
--quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus
--Your presence here among us

--midnight snacking
--beautiful smiles
--common ground

--breakfast set before us
--african chai after a long night
--sweet ladies offering to stay and sweep, mop, do dishes!  they didn't leave a mess!
--three hours rest before my guys got home!

--how you carried us in the night- happily spent for you
--this big house we keep filling
--Your name lifted high
--Your joy evident on every face

Friday Five- Sleepover

So here are five things I'm sure will happen tonight at the sleepover:

1. something will get spilled.
2. there will be lots of laughter.
3. someone will fall asleep (it will probably be me).
4. we will eat delicious food
5. Jesus will be lifted high!

Stay tuned for an update and pictures this weekend!

going buggy!

life is hectic and crazy.  friends sleeping over tonight because their house is being fumigated.  60+ university ladies sleeping over tomorrow for fun and fellowship.  i'm going a little buggy!  so here are a few shots i took just this morning- a little glimpse of our crazy wonderful life here in Uganda.

such diversity and creativity.  God does all things well.  and we're also grateful for Doom! 

You are the Front-line!

We cannot be here without you!  We need faithful men and women who will stand in the gap for us!

"I am not asking you just to give 'help' in prayer as a sort of sideline, but I am trying to roll the main responsibility of this prayer warfare on you.  I want you to take the burden of these people upon your shoulders.  I want you to wrestle with God for them.  I do not want so much to be a regimental commander in this matter, but an intelligence officer.  I shall feel more and more that a big responsibility rests upon me to keep you informed." -J.O. Fraser, The Prayer of Faith

• Pray for health and safety for each missionary and each missionary kid.
• Pray for protection and security of our properties. 
• Pray for spiritual protection from the enemy, that we would not let him get a foothold in our lives individually or corporately. 
• Pray for clear and effective communication on our teams and among our teams: Arua Team and Kampala Team (and soon to be Jinja Team, yay Burkes!)
• Pray for solid times in the Word and in prayer individually.
• Pray for our marriages and families.
• Pray for our ministries, that our work would simply be the overflow of our relationship with the Lord.  
• Pray for our upcoming field retreat-that we would meet Jesus in real ways that bring healing, freedom, joy and unity!