More from the Desert!!

I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking, but we had an incredible trip to the Chalbi desert for Christmas and New Year's.... please few a post written a few weeks earlier that tells the tale of how we reached Dukana town.

From Marsabit to Dukana there is more than 300 km of rough, dry, rocky, sandy road to cross.

The land is filled with lava rocks, spread for hundreds of kilometers.  It may be a dry water bed of some sort because I can not find the big volcano that spewed rocks all over the Chalbi.

The Gabra people are nomadic camel herders, so we often found shepherd's moving with their herds.

In Dukana town, the herdsman bring their goats, sheep, camels, and even cows to drink water from the many wells that are there.

One day our friend Eddie took us down to the wells to see all the animals.. it's an amazing process.

Water is occasionally brought up by the bucket full from the "singing wells" but in today's day and age, the nomads actually prefer to use generators.  I can't blame them for wanting a lighter work load, as some of them have walked 18-100 km to find water, and then head back out to find pasture.

Oddly enough, the Gabra don't ride their camels.  Camels are used for milk and meat, given as a bride price, or used to pay school fees or medical bills.  Donkeys do more carrying of cargo.  I've only seen a camel carrying a load when a Gabra family is moving their home from one fair distance to another.

Such a barren land - with weeds and acacia trees decorating the rocky landscape.

Moses was able to preach on his birthday - January 3.  Golo was a great translating assistant.

Oh wait... I did find one crater. :)

The sunset on our first day.

On Christmas morning, the children's choir led in a few songs.  The tones and tunes are different than what we know in Uganda. A meal of goat and rice was served after church and for the first time I actually enjoyed offals.

The girls slept in a tent and every morning got up to take in the sunrise.  So stunningly peaceful.

Moses helped Eddie put up solar panels for the house.  They actually made a side verandah shade, which was so helpful to cool things down in the kitchen.

"Jesus Loves Me" from the church song book.

Ok, so Moses was busier than I was... he learned a lot in the mission station garage too.  The other mechanics were great at tutoring him in the language of Rovers and Cruisers.

A pilot from Africa Inland Mission came up to celebrate Christmas with all of us and everything on the plane needed to be checked before he flew back down to Nairobi. Next time we would fly to Dukana!! We could be easily there in 4 hours from the capital city.

Rachel and I - honestly, the two of us didn't take any good photos together.  :(  Rachel is my long-time dear friend.  She was one of my college roommates in the late '90's.  :)  She is such a hard working, genuinely caring, compassionate, good for my soul type of woman.

One day it even rained while we were there.  Absolutely awesome to see the land being rejuvenated.

Steve, Rachel and Eddie helped Moses figure out how best to help our old Land Cruiser.  She is a hardy old 1986 vehicle, but didn't do so well with all the hills and bumps in Kenya.

The guys carefully checked out everything.

On New Year's Eve a goat was slaughtered so that we could have a meal together with all those faithful workers who live and serve on the AIM mission station.

Yum Yum... meat meat meat.  Barbecued meat.  

Sheep drinking their fill.

They store water in their butts.  :)

And sometimes in their necks too.

It was so cool watching the shepherd's organize their flocks and herds, so that each group had a timely drink at the well.  Dukana is built around a dry river bed, so a valley runs through town, but not far below the surface there is plenty of water.  There are over 40 wells in town for the animals alone, and 3 or 4 wells connected to pumps and pipes, that are brought to certain parts of town as well.

I loved hanging out with the camels.

They could empty the water trough quickly!

And soon enough would be heading back out to "fora" - to pasture.

Cows roamed

Donkeys pushed their way to the wells as well. 

Watching another well in action.

Loading a donkey with water to take home.

Heading back to our vehicle.

Many of the tribal people live in round stick huts, covered with patchwork cloth.  Since they are nomadic, they still pack up their homes every few months and move... even if it's just a few hundred feed.  That's one way to do spring cleaning I guess. :)

One busy morning for Moses... on the air early in the morning.

Preaching through Romans 13 in the morning service.

And getting his hair trimmed by our new friend Golo.

Moses and I had a cooler in our vehicle as we traveled north, so we packed it full of treats, knowing that Rachel and Eddie have a solar chest freezer.

Rachel went out of her way to debone the turkey we brought and stuffed it for New Year's day celebrations.

It's a rare day when you eat poultry in the desert... let alone this delicious!!

Mwambi invited us on the air a few more times.  

And now we feel God is calling us to share over the radio waves in Uganda too.

Moses and I slept in that small silo during our two weeks stay.  Even though the days could be 103 degrees, it was not unbearable in our tiny home.  The wind always blew nicely!! A few times we even wrapped up in blankets in the night.

One day the guys asked me to help them write out their cost list on the garage door.  It was so cool seeing the local men study that list... so they could plan and budget the next time their brought in a vehicle or motorcycle.

The rocks made it very difficult for me to spend much time outdoors.  Such difficult terrain.

We have named our truck the Green Mamba... it was looked after well.

Better than these old vehicles I imagine.

Somehow, you know you are in Africa, on safari, when you see one of these.

My last time on the air.

The sun rising over distant hills.

Thankfully we could caravan with the Andersen family as they headed down country in the new year, so about one and a half hours into our journey out of the Chalbi, we stopped for a roadside picnic and stretch in another river bed.

Odels and Andersens... I love these people.

Every time you leave the desert, it's a prayer request.  We vibrated in our sleep for days after the journey.

Another pitstop... Moses was waiting patiently for us ladies to pull up behind them. :)

Oh, desert life!!

Roadside resting... you choose the path you want to take.

 

Until next time, thanks for checking in!!

"Migdal Edar" and How was your Christmas?

 For the Christmas season, I wrote a little monologue called "Migdal Edar"  - Enjoy!

Plus, we found Santa this year!!

And we were able to participate in a fun Christmas concert that took place out at World Embrace. We sang "Go Tell it on the Mountain" as a duet and joined in on other fun songs.

The Ladies Bible study group that I am a part of here in Gulu has a fun Christmas party/birthday party (The birthday girl brought her own cake - so fun!!) and we closed off the year bringing our study on "How not to bite and devour one another"... dealing with conflict Biblically.

I thought I would make Mom's special almond ring recipe that I remember as a child.  I was so excited to make it and the pastry turned out lovely.  I quickly whipped up the glaze to bring to the party and sat in great anticipation of all the grand comments I would receive.  No one said anything... so I tried a bite and spit it out.  I told everyone NOT to eat my special treat.  Bummer... I had used corn starch instead of powdered sugar to make the glaze.  Hahahaha... we all had a grand laugh.  Can you hear me laughing so loud that my face turned red?!  Yep, some day I shall redeem this treat.

Sweet "Deserts"

 

As a family we just finished traveling deep into the Chalbi desert in Northern Kenya.  We wanted a little break from life and ministry in Uganda, but no matter where we went, we continued to see God working in our lives and we were so very grateful. Spending Christmas and New Year’s in such a remote place gave us a lot of time to ponder all the lessons we have learned throughout 2020. 

Crossing the border into Kenya, we were excited about the adventures ahead of us, but an hour down the road we ran into vehicle troubles already.  Hmmm, we crossed 2020 with excitement and mission direction too and just a few weeks later the world went into lock down.  Moses and I had had tickets booked to go to a missions conference in South Africa, and were hoping to maybe have a few days of honeymoon there, but when borders closed we stayed put in Uganda and entered 5 weeks of not even leaving the house/compound.  We were grateful for good health while reports from around the world poured in of people struggling with or dying from Covid 19. And what a fantastic way to get to know your new spouse so well… we prayed, sang, listened to music, wrote, studied, played games, cooked new recipes, trained a puppy, watched chickens and rabbits grow, and just cherished each other’s company.

As we traveled further down the road, the old vehicle started crying in pain.  The journey had been going so well, but then all of a sudden, as we were climbing a hill, the engine over heated and smoke poured out of the radiator.  And then throughout the rest of the journey, it would slowly heat up and remind you that things weren’t the same any more.  It reminds me of the baby we lost in April.  Having a sudden miscarriage caught us both unaware and happened at a time when we were excited about the things God was doing in our lives.  We were happy, healthy, exercising, and seeking God’s wisdom on how to serve in the midst of a pandemic.  And just like the rest of the journey, whenever we climbed a hill, things started to heat up, or if we turned too quickly or hit some rough roads patches, the back shocks would cry out.  And so, throughout the year we were reminded of our loss.  We named our precious gift “Quintin” (because we lost it during quarantine) and occasionally that name would cross our lips.  We started praying about adoption or thanking God for the children we have in our lives already.

Our journey north was delayed by three days as we checked into a garage to make the vehicle run a little smoother.  It didn’t really help, but we were forced to come up with other activities to do while mechanics tried to figure out the issues.  Museums and malls were visited that were never on the list of things to do.  Our goal was to make it to the Chalbi desert – to Dukana town – so that we could have Christmas with our dear friends Rachel and Eddie Andersen.  I think about all the things we stopped to do this year that we didn’t originally plan on accomplishing either, but because of lock down requirements, we couldn’t proceed with our end goal.  We have a heart to preach, teach, disciple, and fellowship with people, so that they can grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  But when churches, schools, and groups were no longer able to meet, we found other activities to fill our time.  We have loved reaching out more personally with friends and donors.  And wow, we have loved praying for those who support us in doing God’s work here in Uganda. We have started learning Spanish – for personal development, and we have taken time to edit and translate various curriculum programs.

On the fourth day of our trip, half way on the map, we were refreshed by some new company.  We picked up an enthusiastic man of God who needed to travel to Dukana, so that he could get back to work as a DJ on the radio that reaches out to many of the northern, remote, unreached people groups.  This man helped with the driving and encouraged our spirits.  Half way through our year Moses and I shifted to a new location and our spirits were also refreshed as we felt rejuvenated in our calling to serve the Lord together and we’ve made some new inspirational friends and potential ministry partners.

Marsabit town was our last glimpse of normal civilization before we sloped down the hill into fields of black lava rock and entered the bumpy dry hot roads of the Chalbi.  45 minutes into the desert we hit a bump that took apart some rods at the back of the vehicle.  Seeing the damage below, we began to think in creative, none “mechanic” types of ways to tie the broken parts, but within moments the Lord brought a heavenly angel in a truck full of tools.  The Lord is good.  A mechanic was just passing by and freely fixed our minor breakage.  We didn’t see another vehicle for the next 3.5 hours.  Moses and I have often prayed that we could be an encouragement to people in the moment as well.  Even though we are new to Gulu town, we have helped foreigners who are stuck abroad to look after their property or belongings in Uganda.  We have met with friends in times of crisis.  We have tried to be a breath of fresh air to people in a desolate place. 

While driving over the hot sands, Moses’ stomach began to have as many issues as the car.  We had to move slowly for two reasons now and we often pulled over so that he could feed the ground with the meals he had collected down country.  Five hours into the desert we finally reached Kalacha town.  A nomadic village I had been to before.  It was comforting to me to know that we now had more friends to help, refreshments to drink in, and the hope of knowing that we could be towed the last 130 km into Dukana town – our Christmas goal.  Once again I was reminded of the people who have surrounded us in Gulu, making the transition more exciting and peaceful.  I was able to join an awesome women’s Bible study group and make friends amongst the artist community. Moses has been playing sports with the local men and building relationships.  So refreshing to know that we are together on this journey of life and missions. 

It was midnight (on Christmas eve!!) when we crawled into Dukana town… on to the AIC (Africa Inland Church) mission station and were welcomed into the arms of our sweet friends.  We had arrived – safe and sound and the fellowship was warm and pleasant.  I look forward to the gates of heaven, when the Lord welcomes us into His arms of love.  I also look forward to days of travel and border/health freedom.  I am grateful for the saints who travel with us through this journey of life and I praise the Lord for His constant presence over smooth and bumpy roads.

Some Shots and Other What Nots

Gulu has been a temperature change for us.  The days are much cooler... okay, 25-30 degrees and it rains a lot!! We sometimes even have two comforters on our bed.  I know, we are crazy, but I do crave the heat!!

Here was the evening sky when I went for a walk with a friend.

Recently someone was walking around town with a big bucket of grasshoppers. Moses pulled over immediately to buy one of his favorite delicacies.

And they I turned it into a gourmet breakfast for him.

Bacon wrapped yumminess!

Like everyone else in most of the world... technology has been important for our communication and ministry this year.  But our cell phones are getting tired.

I love it when our friendly electrician drops by... his truck makes me smile.

There is a school/office on our compound, so sometimes I walk to work.

There are people to meet, financial accounts to take care of, and books to edit and organize.

Last week we traveled to Soroti for Module 2 of the Timothy Leadership Trainings.  It was too short of a trip, because so many people wanted to see us, and we were super busy organizing all the participants.  We were also overseeing the finances, shopping, and kitchen.  

41 participants shared and studied about Stewardship. We would love you to pray for all the action plans that the participants have written.  They have 3.5 months to implement some change either in their families or churches in the area of Stewardship.  For example, setting a church budget, looking after the land, our temples, valuing time, and so much more.

On Saturday night we were invited over to a new friend's house... it was such a cool Sinterklaas party. People from many tribes and nations were there to chat, feast, share, laugh and celebrate.  We thank God for the new community we are finding ourselves in here in Gulu.

Sunday afternoons we often head over to the World Embrace property for sports and exercises.  I enjoy participating in an aerobics, walking, stretching class.  And Moses is feeling young again after playing football (soccer) and sometimes rugby.  

Moses was in goal... when the rains came pouring down!!

 

Many evening we play cards... I love hanging out with this dude.  Life is good.