Emotions (by Jeff)

Emotions

Yvonne has written about the stress she has been feeling during our packing and all the other details we have had to address before August 14th. I on the other hand have tried to keep an upbeat and positive attitude. I have tried to encourage her that we will get everything done in time. The problem is that I am a procrastinator (have been my whole life). If she had not taken the lead on this move with her “to do list” and daily schedules of what we need to accomplish, I would probably be ready in August 2020. Today I was able to communicate with the Ugandan Embassy in Washington D.C. to discuss my Visa and now have that issue settled. We finished packing up the kitchen and hall closet this morning. And tonight we will pack duffel bags and suitcases with things for our new home in Gulu. Step by step we are making progress and the end is in sight.

Every box we go through brings back memories of our 33 years of marriage (wedding photos, children’s school work, and family photos). What do we keep? What goes into storage so we have it when we return? What do we give away? Every day is filled with tough decisions and emotions. And I am a very emotional person. I cry watching commercials and movies. When people tell me that they will miss me I tear up. Today my good friend and business partner (Marc Stirdivant) passed away after a long battle with cancer. So, it has been a very emotional day. It is a good thing that we have so much to do and I have to stay focused and keep my mind occupied on the task at hand.

What a difference a text makes.

Our all-grown-up kids decided that it would be fitting to gather last weekend for the last time we would all be in our house together for a couple of years. The dream was that we would relax and enjoy each other, eat some homemade food, and generally begin the process of saying goodbye. Jeff and I were behind schedule for packing/storing/moving by Wednesday the 31st so that our renters could move in. I was a little concerned about all of the things that were left to do, but was assured that the worry was needless.
Sunday was a day filled with progress toward our goal, but I was still concerned about our move-out day of Wednesday. We did spend time together, and even fit in a little pool time, but most of the day was spent packing.
I am so glad that Rachel and her boyfriend, Scott, came. Rachel took one look around and could see that relaxing would not be a major part of the agenda. They finished packing up the china cabinet (which took much longer than I had imagined). Rachel was an encouragement to me as I went through the rest of my closet, deciding on the destiny of things that I hadn't worn for ages (most went to the Salvation Army). She did most of the bending and all lifting required, saving me from back pain later in the day. Jacob and Jonathan were both helpful in other ways, but I worked side by side with my daughter, learning to appreciate her diligence and positive attitude as an adult.
At bedtime, I looked around, excited that we had made so much progress, yet still concerned about what remained. How in the world would we be able to get everything finished?
Just then, Jeff came in with a huge smile on his face. He had received a text from the young man who would rent our bedroom asking if he could delay his moving until August 14 (which is the day we depart for Uganda). It didn't take long for Jeff to respond. Praise the Lord!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Surprise! Friends who are like family Part 2

My precious friends from women's Bible study decided to surprise me with a party to say goodbye. I was very touched. There were many clever decorations made of maps, hearts, arrows, and crosses. There was a globe with a crystal heart on Uganda. And a beautiful cake. (Pictures are included below because a picture is worth a thousand words).

The centerpiece of the party was a circular puzzle of the world with Africa in the center. How they found a map with Africa as the center is beyond me. We sat in a circle,  and each person held a piece of the puzzle and said something about me, then added their piece to the puzzle.  I was in tears. My friends are so kind.

The very center of the puzzle is the piece with Africa. I was given the piece but was not allowed to put in in the puzzle. I am to keep it until I return, and will place it then to make the puzzle complete. More tears.  I've decided to carry the puzzle piece with me take photos of it in various locations.

Now, those of you who know me well (or even a little bit) know that I do not like being the center of attention. So this was way way out of my comfort zone and left me exhausted - but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Such a sweet time of fellowship. Thank you, Table 44.

Friends Who Are Like Family Part 1

We still have nearly 3 weeks before we leave, but folks are making sure that they have a chance to gather together to wish us well, ask questions about what we think life will be like, and pray over us. I have been touched by these "wish you well" gatherings on a very deep level. Two of the gatherings were this week, and we now officially feel beyond loved by my friends. On Sunday afternoon (after being commissioned in church) there was a BBQ with our Small Group. Our host and hostess went above and beyond in terms of decking their house with all things Ugandan. We enjoyed food, fellowship, and a sweet time of prayer.
Friends. We will miss them for a season.

3 Weeks, 2 Days

3 Weeks, 2 Days to go until we are on the plane headed for Uganda.
That is not very much time. Of course, it doesn't really matter how much time is in front of us, I don't think it would ever seem like enough time to complete everything that I need to do. Every time we cross one thing off the to-do list, we add at least one more. A couple of days ago a friend asked how I was doing. The first thing out of my mouth was that I was about to have a meltdown because there wasn't a place of calm in my house. There are boxes everywhere, some sealed and ready to send to storage, others still open and partially filled. Our family room is overtaken by all the contents of my kitchen cabinets (when else would be a better time to have work done in the kitchen?)

But enough of the whining. I am so excited about life right now!

For my non-Facebook friends, I am going to copy a post about the generosity of the Raincross Quilt Guild ladies:

Definition of generous
a. characterized by a noble or kindly spirit : MAGNANIMOUS, KINDLY; a generous heart
b. Ladies of the Riverside Quilt Guild

I went to my last meeting of the Raincross Quilt Guild this evening and was overwhelmed by the generosity shown to me. My guild friends kept stopping by where I was sitting and handing me boxes and bags of sewing supplies to take to Uganda. They gave me notes of encouragement. And I can't forget the cash people kept handing me to purchase anything else needed. Friends. Generous.


Yesterday I was once again thinking about the Raincross Quilt Guild, thanking God for each lady who gave. I began thinking about how to best spend the donated money ($420 total!) and grew excited about the many sewing supplies that could purchased and taken with me. I knew could buy more than enough to fill a duffle bag to the brim. This led to the "I wonder how much I can buy and not exceed what we are allowed to carry in our luggage?" question. But then ZOOP! A thought rushed into my head - why not use the money to purchase 2 treadle sewing machines in Uganda? I had a friend (Pam) who had already donated enough money specifically to purchase one machine already. With the addition of these machines, I would be able to have 3 ladies using machines at one time. Amazing to think that one area of our home could be designated for community sewing. Such a blessing!

Come and visit us! We have space!

You might wonder about having enough space in our home to house three sewing machines. I had shared with many friends that I was picturing us living in some sort of small abode, and was praying for running water and a flush toilet. Well, very early one morning about a month ago my phone started exploding with text message notifications. Then photos began popping up on my phone. Unbeknownst to us, Adam (a pastor from our church in Riverside who was chaperoning a group of high school students) teamed up with Pastor Martin (who we will be serving with in Uganda), and did some reconnaissance on housing for us. They found three potential places, all with running water and flush toilets. The choices included a small 1-bedroom furnished apartment, a cottage, and a large unfurnished house.

I struggled with the decision. I do not want to be one of those "rich Americans" who flaunt their wealth. I had thoughts of not deserving such a nice place since, after all, we were going to serve in a sacrificial manner.  It just didn't "jive" with what I had thought that our living situation would be and was resistant to choosing the large house.

But then a couple of things happened that changed my mind. The first was that Pastor Martin, a Ugandan who is held in high regard in Gulu, recommended that we select the large house. He said that we would not be perceived as the big ugly wealthy Americans, but as people who were willing to care enough about the area to establish ourselves with esteem. He also expressed that we could use the extra bedrooms to house visitors. I could use some of the space for sewing classes.

I was reminded of the verse in Isaiah that that says God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 58:9). I was moving to Uganda with my idea of what things would be like. While I was open to helping in whatever way asked, I had placed a limit on my thinking.  I had a paradigm shift from going out and being visitors in the community to becoming a part of the community. A larger home would allow us to invite people in and show them hospitality. We could use the space for classes and gathering times for the ladies. The extra bedrooms could be put to use by pastors visiting from out of town for training. So we chose the larger home.  Yes, larger. Four bedrooms plus a guest house with an outdoor place for gatherings.