When we first returned home, it was good to be settled back in our home, but also sad to have Elijah’s bed and seat at the table empty. It was a sense of loss and while I am thrilled for him and where he is, we are also missing him a great deal!
We arrived on Saturday and began teacher meetings on Monday with classes beginning on Wednesday. So we needed to quickly adjust to the time zone, unpack and distribute curriculum and prepare to start the semester. We anticipated this and had packed in such a way as to simplify unpacking.
What we had not anticipated were the many other upcoming challenges. First, David’s SIM card was not working for about a week an a half. So he would drive the 30 minutes to town, go to the service center, wait for hours and then they would tell him that it will start working within the next two hours. The first two times they told him that, his phone still did not work. Of course he had no way to communicate during that time and missed appointments with people and did not get messages about picking up one of our kids, so the SIM card issue led to lots of extra trips to town and what felt like lots of wasted time and money. The cost of fuel has also significantly increased here.
When fuel costs go up, so does everything else that requires fuel. For example, the cost of food has significantly increased because fuel is necessary to get food to the market. Also, everyone pays more to get to themselves to and from work. In a country where that margin is very thin, many Ugandan friends have told me about their families needing to skip meals to make ends meet. Because of these increased costs along with the start of the next school term, many people have needed additional support. Our employees and Ugandan ministry partners needed additional funding, but there was not any money in our account here in Uganda. We had a miscommunication with the home office and the money was not transferred that was needed for starting back up with school and other ministry needs. The money eventually came, but that added more complications and stress.
In addition to the stress of not having the money at the time it was needed, we are also realizing that with the increased prices, our budget for this year will not be sufficient. We will be sending out an email with more information about that soon. This has been another source of stress in the midst of this adjustment. The most difficult part of not having sufficient funds is not being able to support our Ugandan friends and ministry partners more in this time of their increased expenses.
In the midst of our first week back, when David’s phone was not working and we didn’t have money in our bank account, our vehicles were also not working and our solar power stopped working. After a full day with no electricity in our home, we finally found the problem. There was a wire that was damaged going from the solar panels to the batteries. We were able to get the wire repaired, but the batteries had been completely drained, so we had to wait for the sun to come out the next day to start recharging our batteries.
When it felt like we had gotten through the worst of all of this, some of our friends lost a child. She was only a year and a half old and our community is all grieving with them. It is heartbreaking to see your friends and students walk through such a loss. I am glad that we were back in Uganda so that I could attend the burial and we could love and support their family in this time of grief.
The day after the burial I had to take our two Ugandan teenagers back to their boarding school. They lived with us for the 2 years that Ugandan schools were closed for COVID, and they have been staying with us on school holidays for several years now. Since they had been at home with us since our return to Uganda, saying goodbye to them at school was another transition and loss for our family. Some people laugh when I say this, but only having four kids at home feels like our family is so much smaller.
In the midst of these challenges, loneliness, and grief, I am learning to pray more. I know that my confidence is not that life will go smoothly or be comfortable, but that God is with me in the midst of it. As I read Psalm 146 this morning I was reminded that my hope is in the Lord alone. He cares about each of these challenges we face and He is the One I need to run to. I pray you also find your hope in Him today.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
