Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa La, La, La, La…oh wait—PAUSE! Before we move full force into our celebrations for Christmas Paul and I wanted to share some things we’ve been particularly thankful for this past month!
September through November were busy. I (Mary) was less busy setting up our apartment in November, so I was able to shift energies toward investing more in people. A sweet result of my many hours spent setting up the house was that it allowed me to forge and strengthen friendships begun there. I was able to help support Sarah as she prepared to host a bridal introduction event for one of her adopted daughters. The time spent building furnishings and having items sewn opened doors with Sheila, a local seamstress, and Boaz, a tailor in the next village.
Paul for his part, had begun, quite literally, “growing” new relationships in the garden. Since the house was getting spruced-up, he had to move to the outside garden for his preparation times, putting him squarely in the midst of the workers (who are both making AND laying brick). As they took their breaks throughout the day, the stage was set for Paul having some great conversations!
Paul’s weekly meetings with the men from the church continued as well. Men gathering purposely like this isn’t common, even in the States. It’s been encouraging and beneficial for all of them to share life and care for each other in a way that Ecclesiastes 4:9 talks about. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.”.
I hope to begin similar meetings with the women in the new year, but, through the months of October and November, I continued meeting with the secondary school girls. We whittled down our gatherings to those genuinely interested in doing bible study. Most recently, after reading about Rahab (asking context questions about her story) my Ugandan co-teacher suggested the girls do a drama to share at church. And…the girls eagerly jumped at the chance to share what they learned!
With just a bit of direction, these ladies presented their drama twice; once in English and once in the local, Runyankore language. On their own initiative, they added a song which encapsulated one of their big “take-aways”—God’s faithfulness. Rahab was a woman who would have been dismissed because of what people saw on the outside, but not God. He saw her heart and lovingly reached out to her. He’s still doing that kind of work here in Uganda!
Another primary role for us is to work alongside Pastor Moses and Pastor Ubaldo to mentor believers and strengthen church leaders’. The ultimate benefit is to equip their personal understanding of the Bible and to be discerning, wise and able to refute lies, like the prosperity gospel and animism. As they see more of the true character and nature of God we were both excited to get these trainings underway!
The first two planned meetings got “mixed up” due to miscommunications and lots of cultural hurdles. On the third try the gathering came together. We thought we’d gotten past the “rough spots” as the meeting went well and everyone was eager to learn this new inductive study method. We planned to host the group again the following Sunday when we were informed that morning the meeting would regrettably be rescheduled, due to an unexpected funeral in the village. We were disappointed but understood.
However, after it was postponed twice more in as many days and canceled on the third try, Paul and I were struggling to think the best and began to question what in the world was going on. One successful meeting out of seven tries is not a great percentage!
Frustrated by repeated obstacles, we became discouraged. We got stuck in a veritable ‘stew’ of feeling undervalued and dismissed. Some of this boiled over to conflict with each other and regrettably being curt with our partners. God had allowed our path to become more difficult. Instead of listening to Him, the One who designed all these events, we isolated ourselves from our partners. Siloed in self-sufficiency we knew we weren’t moving in a good direction for resolution.
Paul was scheduled to preach the upcoming Sunday and during his preparations, he was struck by some scriptural principles in Edward Welch’s book “Side By Side” where the author states that “when we are in conflict, instead of pulling away from one another, we need to move towards the other.” Hmmmm…..our first ‘nudge’ back to seeing what was true.
As Paul’s message began to formulate, more wisdom emerged from this book and the pages of Scripture and the truths hit home
When we’re happy it’s because we have something we love.
When we’re anxious it’s because something we love is at risk.
When we’re sad or depressed, it’s because something we love is lost.
When we are angry it’s because something we love is stolen.
With all roads eventually leading back to our relationship with God, the question becomes…Do we LOVE what He LOVES?
We knew obstacles would come, but also that God had a way to get through them. We knew that God promises wisdom to those who ask, He helps shoulder our load along the way. He is never asleep, never unaware but active and involved in every detail. But, did we LOVE what He LOVES? He challenged us to consider if it was Jesus and His people that we loved most? Or had we gotten derailed by self-love and having things done our way?
We were reminded that the course God designs for us doesn’t mean an easy course, but challenges are what teach us grit! They can teach us to be better teammates and rely more on His direction. It also reminded us that even after forty six years together, our marriage, only thrives as we both look first to Christ, and then to helping one another, keeping guard over our own hearts.
Now, as we make a visit home, we are in a place of gratitude for God’s companionship, gratitude for His direction and help, and gratitude for the gift of walking beside each other, wherever that path takes us.
The holidays are a good time for this kind of reflection. As you move through this month we hope you, can stop for a moment to appreciate all that our good God has given us.
For anyone who desires the challenge of a “new course” for their lives, that “new course” begins with the life we celebrate during the Christmas Season. Jesus the Messiah, God’s gift came first in a cradle and then to the cross. His death ensures our eternal life, for those willing to trust His sacrifice. We walk a “new course” with Him, when the obstacles come.
We send our most sincere wishes to you for a Blessed and Joyful Holiday!
Up With Uganda 