'tis the season to embrace

when your time is limited you truly cherish every moment. not that i haven't before but even more now.

i have been home with my family for about a week and half. it has been so wonderful to be with them. i haven't done much other than that. :) i hit the ground running with different events..a wedding, christmas parties, and a full house of family. my soul has been refreshed & i am so thankful.

as this season comes around each year, i can't help but look back over the year. many milestone markers and events that remain significant. each one is a stepping stone. each one lead by the Lord. each one, whether difficult or not, is good and for God's ultimate purpose for me and my life. so as my family and i entered this christmas season, i thought about what we did last year and how different and/or similar they are...

last year i was living with my parents

this year i am only home for a few short weeks from uganda

last year i drove home on christmas eve from austin after a surprise engagement for one of my best friends.

this year i drove home on christmas eve from a dallas hospital with my parents after spending half the day there getting dad an IV pic line

last year my family was at ease with no new signs of recurrent cancer in my dad

this year my family battles on a daily basis the effects of recurrent cancer in my dad and how it has come back with a vengeance

last year i was looking ahead to all the adventures and the journey the Lord would take me on in 2011

this year i look back and stand in awe of the journey. i am overwhelmed with HIS goodness. HIS faithfulness. HIS mercy. HIS strength. HIS steadfast love for me. HIS ways of speaking to my soul. HIS kindness in the relationships i have built. HIS sovereign leading.

this year as it is ending, i hold tightly to the time i have with my family. with my dad. God knows our days and He will not allow us to be in His presence until He is finished using us for His purpose! the Lord Jesus is our foundation and our blessed hope.

this year, i look ahead to 2012. i look to Him who steers my life. i look forward to finding more strength in Him who gives it. i look forward to all the days ahead that are already planned and ordained. i fix my eyes on Christ, for no matter what 2012 may bring, i will have hope and joy. i will rest in Him as i embrace all that He has for me. may there be celebrations of all what God does. for everything is about HIM and to exalt HIS Holy Name!

for His glory & praise,

joy

village visit #3

i am changed each time i spend days in the village. i never know what God is going to teach me. i never know what my conversations will be like. i just know they will be filled with rich wisdom, challenging questions, grace, hope, and love. 

all of the ROWAN students with pastor paul and i

i met up with ronnie, pastor david wafula and his family friday, dec 9 in the morning. we wanted to get out to mawanga to be a part of the children's program. we arrived around mid-day. i couldn't contain my excitment as i FINALLY met the students of ROWAN! :) my heart was spilling with more joy and love for them. pastor paul kindly took me around and introduced me to everyone. the kids were split up into 3 groups: secondary students, primary, and then the little ones. i found myself holding back tears as i looked into each one of these students eyes. these are the kids of ROWAN. they each have a story to tell. 

every group of students i met, pastor paul asked me to share with them. of course you are suddenly on the spot. as i open my mouth i just asked God to give me what to say. i held it together until i stood in front of the secondary students. i was so excited for them and their commitment in school. they each have dreams for themselves and are pursuing it with great passion. as i was speaking to them, i couldn't hold it in anymore. tears began to fall. i was overwhelmed with how good God has been. His Faithfulness in my life, in my families lives, but also knowing how He's been faithful to these students lives as well. i couldn't speak. i was vulnerable standing in front of them. i haven't cried in front of people in quite some time. and within that moment, i felt the arm of my dear friend. pastor paul put his arm around me and spoke on my behalf.  he was speaking to the students in lusoga (the local language). as i found strength, all i could say was, "no matter your circumstances, no matter what you have gone through, no matter the story you have to tell, you can look back and see how faithful our God has been and that He is good." 

all of the secondary students!

i got to the spend the remaining of the day with them by singing songs, laughing, and getting to know them more. there's HOPE in each of their eyes and i feel so privilege to know them. there are exciting days ahead... the rest of the weekend included organizing and packing up all the 400+ necklaces the widows made, spending time with each secondary students, as well as, attending church sunday morning and worshipping together with the mawangan people! 

what a blessing it is to spend days in the village. what a blessing it has been for me to be embraced by pastor paul and his family. that is what i feel each time i go. part of a family ('AMAKA'). they have taken me in. loved me. cared for me. encouraged me. challenged me. and shown me more of Jesus. my heart is full and 'my cup overflows' with gratefulness and love for them. 

Signature Collection of Beads

coming to the USA soon!!! 

during my last trip to the village, i spent some time with some of the ladies who are diligently working on creating beautiful necklaces...

the ribbon

a few ladies signing paper to be cut out to be rolled into beads..

after varnishing, they hang to dry..

they are hard working women!

a beautiful picture of HOPE for these widows..

each bead was touch and hand made...amazing!!

with momma edisa and ashley

i'm headed back to Mawanga village this weekend to pick up the finished necklaces!! i can't wait to see them, as well as everyone else!! such joy fills my heart!! 

learning from the Mawanga people

(this post is reflecting on my last village trip, november 25-27. sorry for the delay) 

though the trip was short, what i learned and took away from mawanga was more than i expected. there is a special place in my heart for the village. i have always desired to “live and be among the people”. to feel what they feel. to see what they see. and to do life with them. i am far from understanding what the people of mawanga face on a daily basis, but even spending a few days at a time i continue to learn. and i continue to be refined by the Lord. He never fails in His faithfulness in making me more like Him. i fall more in love with Jesus as i see Him in every person. in every face. in every smile. in every moment. i look ahead to all the days i will spend in the village. as i learn from the mawanga people what life is all about. and how caring for those around you is one of the greatest callings/commands and responsibilities we have.

pastor paul was back from the states and i finally was able to spend time with him. he had spent 6 weeks traveling around and sharing about what God is doing in Mawanga -- a beautiful village tucked away in the heart of uganda. spending time with pastor paul was exactly what i needed. it was so interesting to hear his perspective on america and our culture. he made some remarkable statements regarding how we live, what we value, and even the faith he sees in americans. one of the things he said was “what i observed in the states, was the most valuable thing to americans is time and what they do with it. but the most valuable thing to mawanga people is relationships and building community.” talk about a gut check and even just some self-examination. he’s so right though. i’m guilty of the same. i have made excuses. i have chosen other things. i have passed up numerous opportunities to invest in relationships. it’s time to change. it’s time to evaluate what will matter in the end. my time? or building relationships? it's time to slow down and be with people. may i continue to glean from the mawanga people and how they value their time with each other. doing life. everyday. for they are defining “amaka”, a lusoga term meaning family.

pastor paul and i

so thankful to the Lord for all He is doing and all He is teaching me!