Speaking in Wingham

 On Sunday, April 27th, I had the wonderful opportunity to share God's stories of what's happening in Uganda, and I taught about my theme for the year - Walking in Power. 

 God showed up, and gave me so much peace to continue speaking... I was emotional about being back in a church in an area where I grew up - so I knew 75% of the congregation.  And then I watched my videos of friends in Uganda and I was just homesick, no matter how you looked at it.

 After the service I was able to meet with people, swap stories, catch up with old friends, and pray with people.

 I praise God for the offering that was also collected on that morning!!  I love seeing how the Lord continues to provide for my needs as I will continue serving in Soroti, Uganda.

Submarines and Other Subjects

Week one in Canada is finished and for the most part I'm doing well... just a strange mix of emotions.  Ugandans are still calling and texting every day and I don't know who to visit here in Canada.  I have only spent time with family in the last 7 days and I think that's good. 

 On Easter Monday Mom, Dad, and I went to the Lake.

 To see icebergs floating out on the lake still

 And to visit the Ojibwa Nuclear Submarine in Port Burwell.

 Inside the torpedo cabin!

It was a good, in-depth tour and a nice day out with the parents.

Now I'm nanny to my sweet nephews.  :)  Except that I don't make a good nanny anymore.  Yesterday morning I was supposed to bring the boys to the bus stop.  We hopped in the car and as we were approaching the drop off corner, I noticed that parents were walking away without any kids there.  Oh no... we missed the bus.  Turning on to the next street, we saw the bus sitting at the stop light.  Racing after the bus, I accidentally popped the trunk... I have no idea how or when... but the boys were laughing as I made lots of race car sounds effects and we followed the bus.  About 5 km down road the bus stopped randomly on the side of the road.  My nephew says sometimes it stops just to wait, so that it's not too early to arrive at the next kid's house.  The boys jumped on the bus.  The substitute bus driver apologized and so did I.  He said he was new to the route and I said I'm new to this motherhood thing.  :)  O ya, all in a days work.

Some people tell me I'm still on Africa time, but other parents at the bus stop have told me that my brother is often late for a drop off too... so maybe it's a Lubbers thing.  :) 

 

Initial Thoughts

I want to share with you all some of my first initial thoughts as I culturally reverse back into Canada.  These are completely random because jetlag can confuse the brain:

• There is way too much perfume being sold at London Heathrow, and I would never buy an expensive handbag sold there.  But I did enjoy a taro bubble tea... I love those chewy drinks.
• Canada is still cold.  I've seen occasional spots of snow, tucked in shady wooded areas or under bridges, but for the most part, I'm walking around in a sweater.  Although, I have thought that I would rather use a hole-in-the-floor pit latrine than sit on a chilly toilet seat.
• Eating out is expensive, but petrol/gas is about equal.
• I have missed hanging out with my family.  My sweet niece was attached to me all day yesterday.  She wore the elephant earrings I gave her last time I was home and asked tons of questions about Africa.  That sure melted this Auntie's heart!!
• Snacks are too sweet and rich, but the food tastes so much more delightful.
• Driving on the right side of the road has been good again, although I keep getting the blinkers and the windshield wiper mixed up.  And hopefully I won't mess with the automatic gear shift since I'm so used to driving a manual stick.
• It was great celebrating Communion with my parents at Dad's church in St. Thomas. 
• Canadians love my blue hair, but they have no idea what extensions are... do you know how many have asked me how I was able to dye a few braids a brilliant blue.

• Laundry is done so much faster here, but either I have eaten too much in the past four days or the dryer shrinks my clothes.
• Running shoes hurt my feet and I miss my sandals.
• I wonder if my twins are doing well or if they understand that I will be gone for more than a few days.
• I wish I could sing with Oil of Gladness on Friday night.
• It's good to be in Canada and I'm excited to share God's stories with the churches here!

 

Swallowship

 The final days are wrapping up at the moment... and I have been incredibly blessed with the sweetest of "Thank You's". 

On Thursday night I was invited by the Freedom Boys at TECDEFO to come and have some swallowship with them.

 I had no idea that the boys who are living on the streets of Soroti wanted to have a meat roast with me... I was just told to come to the TECDEFO (Teso Children's Development Foundation) centre to meet with their leaders.

 With the help of International Teams, 6 boys are now taking a mechanics course and a few others are now attending primary or secondary schools... although they still spend their nights on the streets.

 We sat around a hot fire and chatted.

 The boys gave me the sweetest of Thank You cards... for sponsorship their mechanics training.

 I pray they get to know and believe in the light of Christ!

 The girls are also struggling to get through school...

 Then last night was Oil of Gladness night.

 At 7:30 pm a friend called and told me it was an emergency... I had to go to her house to pick her up and take her to the clinic.  I excused myself from the few band members who had come on time for Friday night practise, and 20 minutes later I came home to find the sitting room turned into a party zone... with food, drinks, and lots of people.

 The group gave speeches that humbled my heart and we shared cake in celebration of the last year that we've had together.  I'm going to miss this group every day for a few months.  We are already planning August times of singing and fellowship.

 The girls showered me with gifts.

 A wall hanging that says "A faithful friend is a strong defence, whoever has found one has found treasure."

And a new dress.  I am blown away by the love of friends.

Purity Retreat

I spent last weekend with 12 vulnerable girls... having a wonderful retreat.  Friday night was just fun and games and Saturday was a whole day of discussing "Love and Sex" through a Biblical perspective.

 Untying the knot - an icebreaker

 It's even more interesting to untie the knot when some of the girls do not understand English.

 The girls had to craft something that they loved...

 Many of these young ladies have never touched pipe cleaners, paint, or markers before.

 They weren't sure what to make a first...

 So I made a model of a tree... because I love trees!

 Another highlight was getting their nails done!

 Eating passion fruit

 Lots of laughter

 And then came the serious discussions... of God's love for them, God's plan for marriage, 10 reasons why they should wait, problems that can arise if you give your heart away to soon... and more. 

I am praying for these girls as they begin their journey into womanhood.

Donuts in Obule

Today a fellow missionary invited me out to Obule to check out her cooking class.  It was exciting to see a group of women coming together to learn a new recipe.

 The lesson was called "15 Minute Donuts" and had only six ingredients.

 The ladies struggled to make them round, but after a long time, I finally confessed that they don't have to be round... westerners just think that's cool... but they could design little balls if that was easier.  They completely relaxed after that and loved the lesson.  Although working with oil on a charcoal stove is hard to moderate the temperature.

 After making two or three batches, Ronnie went through all the ingredients with the ladies and they also had a math lesson by multiplying all the ingredients by 4 and then pricing it out, in case they wanted to sell donuts as a snack.  What a joy to watch other workers in the field!!