Happy New Year!
It is so hard to believe that it is 2009 already. Looking back over 2008 I am just struck by how faithful our God is and how BIG! This time last year I never would have guessed that I’d be sitting in an internet cafe in Kenya right now getting ready to leave for Uganda. That is just crazy. But here I am.
The whole squad was together for new years at our debrief location in Kaptagat, Kenya. We had a full day of New Years Eve activities which included Christmas activities since we were all apart for Christmas. We had homemade cinnamon rolls and fruit for breakfast with an egg/potato casserole (thanks to Cindy Flores, head chef) and then a full dinner of beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, cabbage, sweet potatoes and stuffing (Sarah Diedrich headed up dinner and did an amazing job as well). Just so you know, carbohydrates are pretty much the sustaining force of Kenya and also what fits our budget hence the bottom of the food pyramid being so heavy on the menu. The desserts were abundant as well. Anything that was lacking in our Christmas Day celebration was more than made up for on New Years Eve. We performed team skits and songs and laughed together which did my heart so much good.
Now as a squad we are preparing to leave for Uganda tomorrow. We will be spread out in 5 different locations all over Uganda but my team will be in Gulu. Gulu is a growing city that was made famous by the Invisible Children campaign where children were being kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers. The spiritual climate there is heavy because of the area being ravaged by war but it has been peaceful for 2 years now. While we are there my team will be ministering in IDP camps (Internally Displaced People) and in surrounding villages. IDP camps are basically refugee camps for people in thier own country. The government has given a stipend to people who were forced to flee their homes because of war and the goal is that all the people will be back in their homes by April. The problem is that a lot of these people have nothing to go back to. There is a feeling of hopelessness and despair as well as continued fear and uncertainty. Please pray for our team (team Hephzibah) as well as Transformers who will be ministering with us this month. As usual, we have no idea what to really expect but we know that the Lord goes ahead of us and comes behind us. We are confident that we will be challenged and stretched this month and we can’t wait to get there.
Please also keep our entire squad in your prayers as we are fighting some sort of sickness that is making its way through our ranks. A lot of people have had stomach issues and we are facing a long travel day tomorrow. Please pray for healing and recovery as we begin a new month of ministry.
