Old Year

I will continue posting about Africa soon, but I have something else on my heart right now. Christmas....a time of great celebration, remembering Christs birth, and sharing love and gifts. This year we celebrated, but our hearts were also heavy remembering those who are freshly grieving the loss of a loved one or remembering. Shine Inc., the business Chris started the first year we were married, celebrated Christmas together on Dec. 22. While we had a lot of fun, Chris challenged all of us regarding our relationship with Christ. He went on to talk about Ross, a friend who worked at shine and died this year at the age of 32 and Matt...also a shine employee who died his senior year in High school. Chris shared that none of us know when our time may be and do we know where we will be when that happens? Two days later, at the age of 37...a massive heart attack...a father, husband, and son died. This is our dear neighbors son and the lawyer and friend Chris had been meeting with regarding the Shine franchising. As I look out my kitchen window..washing our dishes from our celebration here, I see our neighbors home and know that on the other side of those walls there are tears and mourning.

The year of 2011, we have been touched by the very unexpected deaths of several friends. It has really impacted us in that we don't know the day or the hour when it will be our last. We are so good at planning for our future here and living for the future. We really don't know if we will live through tomorrow. God impacted us through each of the 5 funerals we attended this year, but the one that stands out most is Derek and Dylan Taatjes. A youth leader, in his 30's, sleeping on couch and his little baby son sleeping in his crib. A fire breaks out in the basement and the carbon monoxide from the fire takes them home before they even awake. They died peacefully and now they live gloriously! Many of Dereks friends came up and shared about Derek. The thing they all said was; if you know Derek...you will hear about Christ. He lived his faith and shared his faith. We left this funeral desiring to be more, share more, and not waste the time God has given us here.

In 2012, it is my goal to live 'Today' and not for tomorrow. To take time for the things that matter and let go of the things that I think matter so much and really don't. To run the race God has for me and our family while not running ahead of God. To let him take the lead. To surrender all that I have because its not mine anyway and when that day comes that He does take me home.....none of it will come with me. This is why I love the verse in the Bible that talks about storing up treasures in heaven...not on earth where moths and dust destroy. I remember reading something that compared it in a way that if you knew there was a stock that could make you millions or billions in a few years.....would you invest ALL you could? Well, we have soooooo much more than that awaiting us in heaven.....and where do we...(I inluded) spend most of our time, money, and energy?.....on the things that will some day be destroyed by dust...rust...and eventually fire. Today, I am tired of the latest fashion clothing, pottery barn decor, TV, toys...toys..toys.., the Mall......you get the picture. And don't get me wrong...some days I love it...I do love to shop, decorate, and enjoy the 'comfortable' life I live here........but in 2011, I have started loving them less. God is breaking my heart more and more with what breaks his, helping me to trust Him to do things that seem a little crazy and helping me to SURRENDER....(the word of the year)

Remembering those who have run the race and crossed the finish line and the ones who are still running and missing them this holiday season.

Journal- Day 10 in Uganda

Our last day in Uganda. We drove to Kampala with the Shaarda family and were blessed to spend the last 2 days with them. Here is a picture of Grace and Chloe where we ate our dinner before boarding the plane. The girls were all excited to get hot chocolate with words written on top. The food was fantastic and so was the company.

Mandy, Chloe, and I at the market in Kampala. It was overwhelming to shop after experiencing so much poverty...but we had alot of fun. Mandy helped a lot with picking things out. We wished we could have brought something home for everybody we knew!


I think Africans were born with an extra balancing gene! The things we saw them balance on motor bikes, bicycles, and thier heads was amazing.

Here we are with Josh

and Mandy Shaarda

by the Nile River.

Many people have asked how our trip was now that we are home.I wish I could give a 2 sentence answer. Even after blogging and sharing pictures of our trip, I can't share the smells, sounds, the great beauty, or the great poverty of Uganda. I will say, it is a place you can go and you will not come back the same. Today I was reading from Proverbs 28; He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses...and from Poverbs 21; Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard. I can honestly say, before going to Ethiopia to bring our daughter Kidist home I had not seen or heard the cry of the poor. Now I have heard, seen, touched, held, laughed, and cried with them. I can't come home and go back to my 'comfortable' living pretending I don't know about the millions of people around the world that will die of hunger or preventable disease before hearing the Good News of Christ. I definately struggled less before my eyes were opened. It used to be easy to buy that cute outfit to add to my already full closet until I seen children wearing thier only set of clothes and it was full of holes. I didn't stop to complain about the long lines at the grocery store to buy my cart full of groceries until I saw the women who sit ALL DAY at the market selling thier goods so they can feed their children that nite and then they do it again the next day. And I had to really stop and think about how I try to 'fit in' my time with God amidst my busy schedule when I recently attended a Bible Study where some walk 3 miles to get to and stay for 3 hours praising and soaking in scripture. Many of them, including pastors don't have a Bible and I have several sitting on the shelf collecting dust. We have been blessed so we can bless others.

Here is a little quote from Mother Teresa that was in our debriefing packet. 'When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened becasue neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. " Mother Teresa

Journal- Day 9 Second day at the Falls

Sing, O Heavens! Be Joyful, O Earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have Mercy on His afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

We awoke the next morning ready for another hike up to the top of the falls. First, Chris wanted to take me to the spot where he had spent some time alone. It was a time of wrestling with God and a time of great peace. These are pictures that Tim took of Chris during this time....and he had no idea. It was an amazing place as you can see!

I have to laugh writing this because in the picture below you can see Becky enjoying herself right on the edge of the major drop off of the waterfall. I have to say that I enjoyed the view from a little farther away! I don't have an issue with heights, but a definate issue with the edge! Chloe would have liked to have been sitting right next to Becky.

The rest of the group left with out us on the hike...so we had to find our way and we did eventually catch up. Below is a picture of the river we had to cross to get to the path up the mountain. The first time across...I was afraid...the tree was wet and slippery. A Ugandan woman saw us struggling and come to help each one of us cross. She was barefoot and did it with incredible ease! What is really incredible is that on the way back, I had a peace about crossing... I sang praise to God as I crossed holding the hands of others and God brought me back to the verse He gave me during cancer; after first being diagnosed and sitting in a pile of tears... from Pslam 18:2 The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress! I had written in my journal a year and a half ago this verse and the picture that God gave me of that verse...I pictured myself trying to walk across a roaring river (cancer)...standing on the rock (Christ) while holding the hands of friends and family to keep from falling (my support) This came to me at the very moment we were crossing and here I was living it! It was powerful and amazing...God was so present with us.

Journal- Day 8 Sipi and Sisiyi Falls

On Wednesday we began with a drive to Sipi Falls with the team. Not everyone was able to make it, but a lot of them were. It took about two hours to get there. My grandpa told us that Uganda is known as the pearl of Africa. We could see why on this trip! Below is a picture of the gas station on the way up the mountain. They usually have coke bottles with petrol, but they were out today!


















We hiked to the top of the first waterfall. It was amazing...lush...green..roaring waters crashing below...you could see for miles. On our way up we would pass homes built of grass where children would greet us. I wondered if they had any idea of what a beautiful place they lived at. Tim purchased a souvenier; a chameleon lizard who we named SIPI. Unfortunately SIPI didn't live long....his head was sticking out the window when Tim accidently put the window up on him. Eww....he was pretty to look at while he lasted. God's awesomeness and creativity was so evident in all we experienced this day.

After the hike we ate at the lodge at the bottom. It was delicious and refueled us for the next hike to the second fall.







































































































After finishing at SIPI Falls, we headed to Sisiyi Falls where we would be camping for the nite. This was no ordinary campground. We arrived to the tents set up, complete with mattress pads, sleeping bags, and pillows. This is a place the team will come with their families for a time of rest and time together. With the waterfalls crashing in the background...we slept...or tried to sleep!

Journal - Day 7

We were picked up early by Becky on Tuesday. Chloe stayed behind with the Sliedrects as some of the things we would hear today wouldn't be for such young ears. We began our trek down roads that in the US would be closed down! There were MAJOR pot holes and water holes. We said a prayer before we began and I think there were many more silent prayers said during the drive! It truly was a miracle that we arrived back without a flat tire.

Our first stop was Obalanga, where the mass graves are. This area was hit hard by the LRA army. So many were killed and thier bodies left. Team Beyond used money from the Ride for Refuge to make this cemetary. The people in this area were constantly coming across bones in their gardens and elsewhere. A team worked together to find all the bones, identify the ones they could, and lay them to rest in a proper way to add closure for this community. It was very sad hearing what this community has been through and the way they continue to struggle with the flooding, and poor crops this year.

Our next visit was to a village in the bush to visit with former LRA child soldiers. We met Francis, his wife and friend who were all abducted around the age of 12 from their village. We listened to the horrific story of the way they were chased down, captured, forced to kill, watched hundreds of children drown and then how Francis led himself and 8 others in an escape. We heard the story of a transformed life through Christ with help from alot of counseling and a retreat at Mt Moyoni for these children. Francis is now 19, married and has a baby on the way. He had a joy in sharing his story and what God has done through it. He now lives in this village with his mother, grandmother, siblings etc. Their village was very well kept, they were doing well with their crops and were living off the land. They were content. We might look at them and see poverty, but they don't and I wouldn't want to change a thing about the way they were living. I was able to hold Francis baby sister. She was beautiful and she peed on me, which to them means she loves you. Francis took us out in the field behind their homes where their crops were and it is also the place where they ran and were captured by the LRA. It was hard to imagine and visualize what they had been through.

Our minds were all ready full with what we had heard and experienced. We headed back on the BUMPY roads and went to Orungo, where Josh Shaarda was teaching a Timothy Leadership class. We entered in a thatch roof church, filled with men and women all sitting with Bibles open and pen and paper in hand, attentively listening to the truth being shared. They were hungry for it. Today they were talking about stewardship. The questions were a little different than what we would ask regarding stewardship! They spoke a lot about their goats, and animals and asked questions like; Am I being a good steward when my goat makes me angry and I beat it...since I am going to slaughter it anyway? It was really encouraging to see the desire they have in learing about Gods word. We were served lunch at the church since we were the guest.....more atop, meat...etc. I always prayed God would spare us from sickness...when eating in the village like this!

Now our heads were spinning with all we had taken in today. We headed back to the Sleidrect for dinner and it was good to do some talking and debriefing aobut the day with them. Tim finished dinner with reading out of the childrens Bible Story Book and guess what story he read? Daniel in the Lions Den. We thought he planned this since we had shared with him 2 days prior how God used this passage to work through our fears....NOPE, this is where the bookmark was and was the next story they were up to.