Feeling Thankful!

Today has been pretty stressful. We were finishing packing our containers, buying our last few supplies and waiting for negative COVID test results in order to fly back to Uganda. About one hour before we needed to start driving to the airport we received six negative test results. The problem is, there are seven of us. And we aren’t about to leave one of our kids behind. For some reason we just never got the test results for one of our kids. So we got in the van that was pulling the trailer with all of our baggage and asked for prayers. I kept checking and the test results just never came. 

As we were driving to the Atlanta airport, I asked a friend to send me the info she had found for us about a rapid testing center near the airport in case our results didn’t come through in time. The problem was that they only process one test at a time and it takes 30 minutes each. That really adds up if you are running 7 tests. But thankfully we only needed one! We arrived at the testing center 3 hours before our flight was supposed to take off. That is usually when we try to get to the airport for International flights. We had a little trouble finding the place because the tests were being done as a drive through in a parking lot across the street from where they process the tests. Then we had to wait in a line of cars. Then there was confusion since they do both 24 hour tests and 30 minute tests. When we finally got the test run and paid for it was about 2 and a half hours before take-off. And we needed to have the results arrive before check-in. 

As we arrived at the airport our kids were AMAZING! They helped get all 21 containers out of the trailer, to the counter and checked, took care of Evie, and did it all cheerfully! It was very stressful getting there, but as I saw my children all being so helpful and capable, I was encouraged. The women who were at the counter checking our baggage were also very helpful, kind and efficient. At some point while we were getting all of that done, the email arrived from the rapid test center confirming the seventh negative COVID test! 

Our kids navigated security, helped us find our gate, bought snacks for the younger kids and even helped me with my carry-on. As we reached the gate, showed our negative tests and got ready to board, I breathed a sigh of relief. We are now waiting for take off. Thank you all for your prayers! We are so grateful! Now I need to sit back and enjoy the flight! 

Heading Back

This summer in the US has been a blessing in many ways. It has given us time to make some great memories as a family. It has given us time to reconnect with our family and friends on this side of the ocean. And it has given us some time to process some of the more challenging aspects of living abroad. 

But now it is time to head back to Uganda and get back to work. School is supposed to begin next week. Since all schools in Uganda are closed due to COVID, we will again need to begin the school year with distance learning. We are working on ways to best support our students while still following the guidelines given by the government. I had hoped this juggling was behind us, but it will likely be some time before things are fully open in Uganda again. 

As we prepare to fly out this week, we have goodbyes to say, supplies to buy, containers to pack and COVID tests to get for travel. I was a little shocked when I realized how much it is going to cost our family of 7 to get the tests required to fly back. Shopping is also stressful for me due to the many decisions to make and feeling the stress of spending money. I worried about spending money before moving to Uganda, but now it is hard for me to buy something without thinking how the cost of this item compares to the cost of school fees for a child in Uganda. God has always provided more than our needs; I shouldn’t worry. But I do. 

All of this can be overwhelming in the best of circumstances. But right now I am feeling weary. My heart is heavy with many struggles. I’m trying to keep going and praying that God will give me the strength I need for each moment. But I also want to ask for your prayers for my family and me. I’m thankful that many of you love and support our family through good times and hard times. Right now feels like the latter. My biggest prayer is that my whole family will know more of the love and comfort of Christ through this challenging season. I am thankful that Jesus has said, 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I pray that we will all know the comfort and rest He offers in the midst of challenging seasons. Thanks for your prayers! 

Flexibility

This morning I woke with some back pains. It happens as you get older, especially if you are stubborn like me and try to keep doing all the things you used to be able to do. I have learned that stretching often helps reduce some of the pain. The stretching itself may be slightly painful at the time, but it helps in the long run. As I sit here stretching while I write, I think about the flexibility we have learned and are learning. 

Living overseas can be a crash course in flexibility. Learning new things can be hard and even painful at times. The COVID pandemic has also shown us our need for increased flexibility. We learned to do school online, to have meetings via zoom, and to come up with creative solutions in many challenging situations. Even our family road trip helped us grow in flexibility. We learned to live together in an RV for a month, learned to find campgrounds and parking lots to overnight, and learned to overlook a lot of little offenses. All of these “opportunities for growth” in flexibility have certainly had their share of pain associated with them. Sometimes the pain is slight and sometimes it is a bit overwhelming. 

We have another opportunity to grow in this flexibility as it has become apparent that our family needs to stay here in the US for another couple of weeks. I am in the process of trying to change our flights yet again. The plan now is for us to land in Uganda a couple days before we start back to school. We are still trying to figure out if we will be able to meet with our students in person. Uganda has just come out of another COVID lockdown, and schools are not supposed to open until a “sufficient percentage of students ages 12-18 have been vaccinated.” It isn’t clear what that percentage is and the vaccines are not even available for students in Uganda at this time. So, it looks like it will be another school year requiring a high level of flexibility and creativity. 

We are still working on changing flights, figuring out where we will stay, how to cover our responsibilities in Uganda and beginning to think about how we can prepare for the school year. There is a lot of juggling and stretching going on. Please pray that as we are stretched, we will cling to the consistent, faithful loving-care of our Heavenly Father. While everything feels confusing and out of sorts, He is our constant. I pray that you also will find comfort in Him in the midst of whatever challenges you are facing today.