We are getting along here in Uganda quite nicely this month. We are getting set into our schedules and projects are being completed here and there. Arley and I have come to the understanding that the weather is the same as it is in Minnesota, minus the drastic temperature change of course.

‘If you don’t like the weather, just wait a while’!

It changes at least  three times through out the day.

Arley has been busy building and fixing. Two weeks ago, he took down the top half of a water tower at the Christian Leadership Academy (CLA) that will be used at the new guest house where he has also been installing waterlines. The students at CLA have re-dug an existing trench from the bore hole to the water tower, removing the old line so that Arley could help install a new one which has also been completed. Arley has welded a pole and frame for the solar panels that have been mounted by the bore hole to provide power for the water pump so that CLA will have running water once again.

I have been helping in setting up a pharmacy for the clinic this week and helped in designing a prescription slip for the nurses to use when prescribing medicines. We were able to help out with two activity days in the surrounding community.

Bosco, the director of children’s affairs, has such a wonderful ministry with these kids. Once a month, he goes to four schools (one per week) and has praise and worship, bible stories, games, health talks, prayer and a word of wisdom. We hope to continue going with, every Saturday, until we come back to the states.

Last month was rough for Solomon. As many of you know, he received two stitches after falling on a glass glass, was hit with a metal grate and got a big knot on the side of his head, and got his foot caught in a bicycle tire and lost some skin. He is doing so much better since your prayers and I am happy to report that there has been no more incidents since then!

Some things I have for prayer at this time;

• Continuing health for the kids and ourselves so that God could continue to use us for His glory.
• The kids have been pushing boundaries the past few weeks. Please pray that they would feel secure and safe with our new schedules and that Abraham especially would feel peace.
• Pray for a safe return for Maggie, a missionary coming back from the states on March 11 and also that we would be able to connect with them.
• We have been receiving some needed funding, but still have a ways to go. Pray that God would release the funds that we need.

Blessings,

We have learned so much within this time here.  It is amazing to see God working and to be able to be still in the remoteness of Uganda and hear Him. We are beginning to see and hear why He has sent us here. What He wants us to learn. I have so many thoughts going through my head right now, it is insane. It is so beautiful here in this very spot that I am hiding. Yes, hiding. Sitting on the veranda of one of the three guest houses, listening to the workers, speaking Lugandan, working on the third of these houses that is not yet complete. I am listening to the breeze flowing through the palm leaves of the plants hiding me from plain view in the middle of construction. Sitting here, dare I say, I feel like I am on some kind of vacation! I am loving listening and watching, to the people walking by, the students cleaning and getting fire wood for the next guests to have hot water, and thinking how blessed I am to be here with them, helping in any way I can to make their life a little sweeter.

That is what I am. I am a servant. I am the one who can count pills faster so I get the big bottles of 900 and some needing to be inventoried. I am the one with a computer that can make a template for a prescription form, even if it is after the offical work day, and get it to Mr. Daniel before he goes to town. I am the one buying 50 sets (or 100 – I am not totally sure) of necklace/bracelet/earrings for my supporters and friends back home to give a single mom of three boys some more money for clothes and school and food and another lady who I don’t know much about to have whatever she needs that hugged me when I asked her to make these for me!

God, please help me to be a servant. Please help me to take joy in the tedious jobs that I can do to help others. Please help me bless them today.

I am mostly talking about things with Arley and praying. I am hungry alot the past few days. I am sweating madly and drinking alot of water. As much as I dread half days of rain on our extremely loud metal roof, I will be welcoming the cooler weather. I was very hard coming from near zero temperatures to mid august weather. I am not sure exactly what the temp is, but it is humid and hot and the sun is tourturous for us fair skinned folks. Wow. I have a purple neck and Eden has some red arms. The boys and Arley are fairing better. Arley has gotten some burn on his neck and arms, but it has not been bad enough to stay overnight.

African women can practically bend themselves in half to clean the floors and wash clothes. It sure comes in handy, but wow it looks painful. I might have to start stretching and see if I can even do it. Maybe in a couple years…. We are the only muzungus here for a few days. I don’t know much of what to do. Arley has some prodjects going on, but I don’t now that Mary is gone and I am not sorting beads or keeping her company and doing some computer work.

We have arrived safe and well at Ekitangaala Ranch in Uganda. Our flight was long but uneventful. All of our bags arrived and were waiting for us when we finally got through customs. The gentleman that was checking us in had us fill out the same paperwork that we had already brought with us, and asked us many questions as why a family of 5 with three young kids want to stay in Uganda for three whole months. He eventually gave us all 90 day visas which is a great praise, as we later found out that a lot of the time people get 30 day visas and have to come apply again if they want to stay longer. We got our bags and found our way to a resort in Kampala, 45 minutes from the airport.

Have you ever heard about the traffic in third world countries? It was amazing to go through. It is the best display of organized chaos that I have ever experienced. The people walked on the dirt edge off the shoulders, the piki-piki’s (two wheelers) were on the shoulders, and the automobiles were in the non-marked main road weaving here and there. We were in two of those vehicles weaving in and out of slower traffic, traveling the 70 miles to the ranch. We have been staying in the green house. It includes two bedrooms, bathroom, and main room with living, dining, and kitchen spaces. We have geckos to “mouse” the bugs that happen to get in and are serenaded to sleep by the bugs and the birds. We had a heavy rain Sunday afternoon and heard hundreds of frogs that night! It was beautiful. Loud, but beautiful.

Arley was put to work right away plumbing, setting up lighting for the conference hall that was having dental training this past weekend, and marking out water lines that will be installed this week to an old water tower. They hope to install a new pump and have it running again before Wayne Daniel goes home at the end of March. I have helped sort beads that the women’s ministry have been making for sales around the USA and in a fair trade magazine WorldCrafts Village. They are so beautiful, and they make almost double income the  selling them through Mary Daniel. The kids have been staying with Salema while I am out. When I am home, Solomon and I do school work and we go for walks around the ranch. Today the whole family walked with an interpreter into the village nearby. It was so amazing to see the families and their houses and all the crops that they had planted around them. Did you know that the banana plant is a  weed? A weed that feeds millions. Arley and I went to the primary school  and did some reading with the kids. They all loved reading with Arley.

We have several prayer requests to send out to you today.

• Now that we are here, we have been told that we will not have enough money to stay the planned three months. We need guidance as to what God has in store for us. Are we are supposed to stay 90 days here, or are we to a shorter stay? If you feel God calling you to answer this prayer, please visit www.africanchildrensmission.com for more information. Remember to write “Lund missions” in the memo line. Thanks for your obedience.
• Our house keeper, Salema, is Muslim. Please pray for her and her child; that they may come to know our saving God. Arley keeps his bible on the table and I have already seen her open it up and look at it. And that the boys would listen and obey her.
• Health of the kids and ourselves as we are eating out of our normal diet.
• Development of relationships with the people on the ranch and in the neighboring villages and God would provide insight as to why he called us here.

Thank you for praying for us and giving us the ability to serve God in this capacity. We are truly humbled and without words.

Blessings,

It is 1 am our time back home, but an early 8 am here. The sun is just starting to make the rainy sky deep blue. Eden slept a whole hour and 15 minutes on the plane and the boys not much longer! We all watched movies in our seats and listened to Eden vetch… The flight was very smooth and went quite well for most of us (again, Eden wasn’t too happy this first flight). I hope the flight is better for her and she gets a good nap. It will be evening when we get to Entebbe and I hope that we will all be exhausted and curl up into bed and sleep until morning, Ugandan time.

It is amazing we are actually here. I love the northern European languages. I think that they are beautiful even tough there are some ‘throaty’ sounds here and there. There is a little round kids table that the boys are playing a magnet shapes game while we are waiting for the plane. I am gazing at my wonderful husband from across the room. If we didn’t have so many kids running under foot, I would love to spend some time with him right now. Off to hang out with the fam and maybe take some pictures