“Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind……”, lyrics from a 1970’s song by Seals and Crofts seem to epitomize these summer days. Warmer days are here and with them, many sweet summer memories come drifting back; swimming pools opening; kids on summer break and all the activity of the summer months. Many childhood and adult memories that recall fun-filled days spent with family and friends that in all likelihood any number of you share with us.
A long-time Amish tradition that often happens during summer is the community creation of a handmade quilt by a group of women. Each woman brings her fabric scraps, all of different colors and styles. Together these are laid out, a pattern created and then the fabric is cut into a variety of smaller sections that will be pieced together and stitched side by side one at a time. Over the course of a number of days, this rich variety of fabrics combines to become a lovely, unique quilt that will serve a family well, providing warmth and beauty for years to come.
Sharing a bit about the events this summer, all of them, without exception, have been connected in some way to friends or family that we’ve been privileged to have in our lives. Just like many of our best summer memories are wrapped around the names and faces of people we share those memories with, likewise, each happening this past month was connected to friends. Each relationship seems to add something richer to the patchwork that God is designing in and with our lives.
We finished our training with Moses and Sarah the first week of the summer for our ‘Walk and Not Faint” 15km fundraiser for the children’s hall in Buloba, near Kampala. June 8th dawned bright and beautiful but even up to the morning of the event we weren’t sure how it would go because it was so unusual for our Ugandan friends. Those fears were dispelled quickly however. Thanks to Moses and Sarah’s tenacity and enthusiasm for the walk and the great efforts of our ‘mobilizer’, Ronald, the day was a MAJOR success!
We had over 300 hundred students from Alpha & Omega Secondary School and many members of Kiburara Gospel Center and the Buloba Church participating. The excitement was palpable when we all started off just after dawn. Everyone (including a student being treated for malaria and two boys ages 8 and 10) finished a few hours later with achy legs and feet but in high spirits. This was a memory-making event where we came together, talked, laughed, and cheered each other along.
We raised over $1,400 US dollars plus the monies many of you generously gave which we will be taking back to Uganda! Compared to the big name walk-a-thons in the States, this may not seem like a lot, but people in this small village gave sacrificially. We count this day as a great beginning to what we hope will be an annual event for Covenant Global Ministries in the future.
Two days after our walk event, We celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary and our Ugandan friends threw us a surprise party. We sang, ate, danced and shared some of our memories over the decades that included a number of you. Friends of many years or many months being stitched together because of the blessing of God’s gift of marriage.
The director of Hope Primary School, asked Mary to design the furniture layout for the school’s new library. He arrived in Kiburara the third week of summer. The furniture was constructed when we enlisted the services of a good carpenter from a nearby town. Alex, the carpenter and Mary had many phone calls, a half dozen meetings and finally the set-up times with his workmen. Yes, even in this work, another friendship was being built while together we created a colorful learning space for the children. The bonus was that it pleased David, the director of Hope Primary School, as well!
Paul had a number of opportunities to teach biblical truths during the online lunch hour fellowship and interacted with both men and women encouraging them to bring what they see in the pages of scripture into a ‘real life’ faith. Jesus lived His day-to-day life walking with imperfect people, loving and building into His friendships with them. Paul likewise has given time to do the same even with people he usually only interacts with over WhatsApp calls!
We began a short furlough the end of June but even in Maryland, the Lord continues to build the Foster quilt binding us together with relationships we’ve been gifted, both present and past. We’ve had some sweet times with our daughters, sons-in-laws and grandchildren. All these relationships add a vibrance to our lives like no one else can!
Friends we’ve been able to connect with while in the U.S., are helping to develop the ever evolving pattern to God’s creative work that we have grown to love and appreciate. People who encourage, challenge, build into, cry with, laugh with, pray with and feel all sorts of “feels” too.
Just before we left for our furlough, we received word that three dear, long time friends had passed away unexpectedly. Upon arrival yet another two friends transitioned to be with the Lord. All of their departures were emotional for us. The ”permanence” of loss can feel like a tearing, where well placed threads stitched by God over the years are being snipped. Loss like this can be painful for sure. But the Lord reminded us that these connections in our lives haven’t been torn out, but rather they’ve been embroidered with His heart as a sort of ‘punctuation mark’.
All our lives are ongoing works of our good and creative Father. He brings us pieces and patches of relationships that He lovingly sews together and all the while, He’s engineering a piece of art. One that is unique and of high value. He’s doing that with us. He’s doing that with you. We never know who He’ll bring as the next piece to stitch or the next punctuation of embroidery He’ll add but let’s delight in the masterpieces He’s making of each one of us!
Up With Uganda 