7 weeks to go!

Just 7 weeks until we take off on August 14th for a year (or more) of volunteer
service in Uganda!   

This year, I plan to teach 300 ladies how to sew.
Many of these women are refugees who have fled South Sudan,
leaving everything behind.
Jeff will use his skills and talents for leadership training,
business development, and church planting.

We are touched by friends who are asking
how to help us in our work with the people in Uganda,
so I thought that I would explain some things about the trip and
how the finances work and provide some ways to help out.
So this post might be a little lengthy.

Some are surprised to hear that we are not being paid
by a church to volunteer in Uganda.
However, this is quite normal.
We are very fortunate in that our church, The Grove,
is making a monthly contribution to cover 15% of monthly living
expenses and 23% of one-time start-up expenses.

One time costs include things such as airfare, visas, work permits,
generator, solar backup, etc. Ongoing monthly costs are rent, food,
and supplies for classes.
We are responsible for all other costs while living in Uganda and
doing our projects such as teaching sewing.
While in Uganda, we still have the expenses of maintaining
our home in Riverside.
We are being creative with generating income by renting out
our bedroom and my sewing room (as another bedroom),
and selling some comic books, paintings, and a car.

We are limited to three 50 pound checked bags each
for our stay in Uganda, which does limit the things we can take.
We are unable to receive packages in the mail
because it is quite unlikely that they would ever reach us.

Some very, very generous family and friends have already
come alongside us to partner with us financially.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you again to those who have been asking to help
and be a part of the team.
Imagine empowering women by teaching them a skill
they can use at home and in the marketplace. And men
and women will be acquiring important business and leadership training.
That’s what you do when you partner with us in Uganda.

If you would like to help with this important work,
in addition to praying for us,
here are ways:

1.Partner with us by making a tax-deductible monetary contribution.

*To make a one time monetary donation to pay for airfare,
visas, work permits, household things such as furnishings,
solar backup for the generator, etc.:

http://tinyurl.com/1uganda

*To make monthly donations for ongoing needs such as rent,
food, utilities, and sewing supplies for classes:

http://tinyurl.com/2uganda

2. Purchase something from our Amazon wish list.

Some items are specifically for our sewing classes,

others are soccer balls and jump ropes to use with children
and give to schools.

There is also a duffle bag to transport the wish list items.
Items that you order will automatically be shipped to our friend,
Shirley Moran, who will be meeting us there for a three week stay.

The link to the Amazon wish list is here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/37AWA2ETLG3C5

Thanks for reading this long post.
And thank you for considering partnering with us.

Much love to you!

Yvonne and Jeff

Thoughts about packing my sewing room.

Thanks to the hard work of my 2 sons, Jonathan and Jacob, my longarm quilting machine is disassembled and ready to be put into storage. It was satisfying to watch my sons as they carefully labeled dozens of parts so that someday it can be reassembled.

Packing up my sewing room has led me to a great deal of introspection.

The sewing room has been a quiet place where I have grown spiritually by reading the Bible and praying at the start of the day. It has been my place to allow creativity to flow by sewing and quilting. I have enjoyed the physical process of making things but, more importantly, I have experienced joy while thinking of the person who would receive the quilt. So packing my quilting tools has been bittersweet. The empty room will allow us to generate income which will help us in Uganda, and in Uganda I hope to touch lives - even by teaching ladies there to sew. And that thought brings me joy.

After

Before

During

Generous friends

One of the things that I do in Uganda each year is teach how to sew. A favorite is making purses from beautiful Ugandan fabric. I find it very satisfying, I had lunch with Kathie, a good friend, yesterday. She asked me if I thought that I would get tired of being in Uganda and sharing with the ladies there the skill and fun of sewing. My answer did not take much thought - it came from my heart. No, I don't think that I will ever get tired of teaching and helping others. I am sure that is not what she meant (helping others) but that is what makes me tick. Find what makes you tick, and pursue that passion.

The opportunity to sew would not be possible without the help and generosity of many friends who donated supplies. Thread, scissors, needles, thimbles, tape measures - all things that are now available to use. Thank you for your giving attitude. Thanks for helping me pursue my passion. And thanks for making a difference in the lives in ladies in Uganda.

The craziness of our days

The craziness of our days

Crazy.
I was going to say that our days are busy, but they are beyond that. Crazy is a more accurate description.

We were slicing through our very long to-do list, checking things off on a daily basis. (And adding things to the list, but it seems that we were adding things more quickly than taking them off. Net negative. ) One thing on our list was to get my sewing room and our bedroom ready for renters. Since we had not painted in years, we decided that a fresh coat of paint was in order and since we are so crazy busy with other things, we decided to hire someone to complete it. The next thing you know, painting the two rooms turned into painting the entire interior of the house because of the great deal the contractor gave us. The next thing you know, we were also up to our necks in one major bathroom renovation and a minor refreshing of the other bathroom. It had been a long time since we had painted we had forgotten just how much prep work was required. So we were removing fragile items and taking down pictures from the walls at the same time that we were packing up ALL of the things that were in my sewing room to put into storage.

I did not realize just how difficult packing my sewing room would be. My good friend, Susan, was down from Washington visiting friends and is such an amazing friend that she chose to spend a considerable amount of time and effort helping. It seems like packing should have been a rather straightforward activity - put things in boxes. It was into the second hour of packing that I realized that I was very conflicted. On the one hand, I saw the necessity of renting to generating income. But then I realized that my sewing room meant so much more to me than a place to sew. I had never had my very own space (the extreme example of this was during one period of my life when there were 6 children and 2 adults living in a 2 bedroom mobile home). My room served as a place for reflection, study, and prayer. Isn’t it funny how one activity can lead you to process situations and feelings from long ago.

I am staying at my sister’s house for 11 days caring for my mom so that my sister can get away with her husband for a trip. It has been nice to be away during some of the confusion and chaos of the painting and remodeling. I has been nice to spend time with my mom in advance of being away from her while in Uganda. I am thankful for this time.

Now, back to our to-do list!!

Our faith journey

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

We would like to invite you into our plans for the next season of our lives.  We are happy to announce that we will be going to serve in Uganda for an extended time (1 to 2 years). Our plan is to leave in July this year (2019). We will be based in Gulu in Northern Uganda under the leadership of Pastors Martin and Hope Onen. Pastor Martin has an incredible ministry of training new pastors to plant churches. One area that we might be sent to is called Adjumani, located just south of the border with South Sudan. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in this area and we would be blessed to help there in whatever way we are able. 

Our Story

I (Yvonne) was going about life, wholeheartedly involved in my employment as a Teacher-Librarian at Frank Augustus Miller Middle School in Riverside. I also happily served as a volunteer at The Grove Community Church as a Bible study table leader and media tech for worship services.  Jeff was enjoying his life as well. He was retired and working as a consultant to the Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation as a Field Naturalist, leading hikes and campfire programs and volunteering at the Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County. He, too, gladly volunteered at The Grove in the parking ministry and as an usher. We were preparing to lead a group of high school students on a short term (2 week) trek to Uganda.  We had been to Uganda several times (Yvonne 7 times, Jeff 4) and we were looking forward to reconnecting with the friends we had established.

Then something happened which altered our plans. On May 12, 2018 I was in a car accident. I crashed my VW Beetle head-on into a palm tree on Victoria Avenue.  The impact was directly on the driver’s side. The police said they were surprised to see me alive.  My car was totalled and I had a broken back. (For those of you who know about/ are interested in the details, it was a T12 compression fracture of 85% reduction in height). It was quite painful and there was no question in my mind that I would not be going to Uganda last summer. I was off work for the rest of the school year, healing and undergoing physical therapy. Jeff went to Uganda as planned as one of the Trek leaders while I remained at home.

It has been a long journey for me. One major lesson learned from this experience is that people are truly the hands and feet of God, right here in Riverside. There are many people who care about me. God provided this as a tangible lesson through the cards, visits, meals, and e-mails with encouragement constantly flowing into my life. Another realization is that God’s plans are always higher than our plans.  Due to pain issues I was unable to return to work in August when the new school year began. As the weeks turned into months, it was evident that returning to work in the near future was not going to happen. After much prayerful consideration, we decided that I would retire.

During Pastor Daniel Bishop’s sermon on September 8th, he was talking about troubles in life.  He said something that resonated with me. He asked, "Do you trust God to use trouble for a greater purpose and plan?"  Looking back over the past year, I can see the trouble of a broken back being used for His plan. Almost the minute that we made the decision on retirement, we both had the same thought. Our hearts are in Uganda. Over time we have felt that God is calling us to serve there in some capacity.  Retiring allows us the freedom to serve in whatever capacity God wants, wherever He wants.

At church, there have been sermons that seemed to be written specifically for us.  Our church’s theme verse for the year is:  "And without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:1. Themes that were interwoven were Pastor Tom Lance’s call to step out in faith which included the call to continue actively serving God both in the Church and the community, even after retirement. And then we heard Pastor Daniel say, ”when you hear God’s call, you can listen and obey or listen and go astray.” We have chosen to obey.