Uganda 2019!

Reece and Maezie are my missionary partners this upcoming trip to Uganda.  We are leaving in 13 days!!!  Cellie isn't going, she is keeping the homefront full of Joy and activity right here. This is Maezie's first trip and she couldn't be more excited.  When we decided to homeschool her, this was a dream I had in my heart the whole time but didn't want to say anything until I knew it was God's plan and not mine.  I went thru my usual struggle of battling with fear and I felt like God was AGAIN so gracious and settled my heart and showed me how much He supports and delights in her and He loves her enthusiasm to GO anywhere and everywhere in the name of Jesus.  Maezie is my little prayer warrior and she will see and experience prayer like she has never before.  

This is Reece's 3rd trip to Uganda.  He is so excited and his friends and brothers there are excited and ready to welcome him again. Reece is a little evangelist and we are going to be doing a crusade at Redeemer House and he will get a chance to share whatever the Lord lays on his young and passionate heart.

When I told my Ugandan son, Simon, that this trip was going to look a little different.  I told him I was tired and I needed to just soak in my loved ones there in Uganda and soak in some big doses of Jesus.  I told him the pace was going to be much slower.

His response made me laugh and kicked me into gear.  He said, "Mom, God knew the time you were coming and He has prepared much work for you to do."  This encouraged me like nothing else.  He didn't buy into my little selfish whining and reminded me that every day God has a purpose everywhere we go.  The most restful energizing thing I could ever do is wear myself out for Jesus.

Simon's response got my eyes off of myself and what I needed out of the trip and I began to ask God what He had for me.  I prayed about who would go and when we would go, but I never prayed about WHAT we would do.  I see too many mission trips being all about the WHAT and the DOING that the WHO gets put out of the spotlight, so I didn't even think to ask WHAT HE had for us to DO. 

As soon as I asked if God had something specific for us to DO...thru a series of events and conversations and prayers God downloaded in my heart the thing he had for us to do.  The beautiful thing about what He put into my heart is it is gathering the people and ministries that I love so much and joining them in using the gifts and talents He has given us.  

Psalm 37:3-4 English Standard Version (ESV)

3 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 

Delight yourself in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

  Only God could put the desires of my heart on my heart.  The desires and motives I naturally have, are selfish and self-centered, but once I get my eyes off of myself He put desires on my heart that could only come from Him alone.  And the best part is, He accomplishes it thru us and all we have to do show up and trust in the Lord.  We often interpret this verse that if we give God what He wants, He gives us what we want.....it's actually, we give Him our trust and delight in Him and He places desires in our hearts from Him, and then he accomplishes it.  It's so much BETTER than anything we can conjure up in our own hearts.