Housing updates

We have good news on several fronts! First, we have found a family to rent our home here in GA. We really like them a lot! And she likes to garden! Yay. They are an answer to our prayers.
Secondly, we have found a rental home in which to live for our first 4 months in Uganda. It is not as close to Good Shepherd's Fold as we would like to be, but it is fully furnished, so we will not have to worry about buying furniture and appliances immediately. It is a beautiful place on the Nile River and will give us the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with Jinja in our first few months. Hopefully during those few months, we will find a place closer to campus to live until our home is built. We are so thankful that the Lord has worked out these details for us in these last couple of days! Here is a picture of the Nile from the balcony.

Elijah's thoughts on moving to Uganda

Many people have been asking what our kids think about going to Uganda. They are all excited about going although they have very little concept about what life will be like. They simply see it as an adventure as a family. Elijah, age 8, is our oldest and most reflective child. So I thought that I would ask him to type some of his thoughts about moving to Uganda. Here is what he wrote:

I think God has lead me to Uganda, and if I end up living there, I will have a hard time saying good-by, and it really helps me have a better relationship with God, because wherever I am, I don't have to say good-by to God, and God will always be with me, no matter how far away from my other friends, I will always have a friend right inside my heart, and I NEVER have to be afraid. I could have committed the worst crime ever, and God will still love me and forgive me because of Jesus, so I NEVER have to be afraid. God gives the ability to move to Uganda, and strength to say good-by. - Elijah

Video of kids at Good Shepherd's Fold

HD movie from Heather Green on Vimeo.

Overwhelmed

I am so thankful and blessed and overwhelmed at the outpouring of love we received through our church family and our physical families! The women of our community groups and David's mom organized the most thoughtful "Ugandan housewarming shower." Many of the women of our church came, and my mom drove up from Florida to surprise me! (See picture below)We were given nearly everything that we are planning to take with us to Uganda, towels, sheets, even the chocolate chips! Our pastor's wife, who grew up in the Congo, shared some of her story as a missionary kid and encouraged me with reminders of the importance of what God is calling us to do. I have been so richly blessed by this community! And I am reminded that this is just a little taste of how God has lavished his love on me!

A great weekend!

David and I were encouraged to take a weekend away, just the two of us before we move overseas. We are so thankful for that advice and for the Feilmeiers keeping our kids! We spent two days at Callaway Gardens enjoying the beauty of creation, taking lots of time to pray and talk and read and just be together! We are so thankful for a wonderful, encouraging time together!

Three months and 30% to go

Our plans to move to Uganda are coming together! We have a vehicle lined up to purchase this summer. We have heard of a possible place to rent that sounds close enough to Good Shepherd's Fold. And our financial support is coming in. We now have all of our one-time expenses covered and have commitments for 70% of our monthly financial need! It feels very much like God is providing for us in so many ways so that we can follow Him to Uganda. We are also in the process of clearing things out of our home here. My goal of "giving something away everyday" has become more like giving bags of things away every day. Now that Spring is here we are giving away our winter coats and gloves. No need for those along the Equator. The summer will be here before we know it! Over these last 3 months we also need to raise the last 30% of our monthly support. If you have already decided that you want to be a part of our monthly support team, click here. This form needs to be printed, filled out and mailed in to Global Outreach. We have been so encouraged by the many people who are partnering with us in prayer and financial support for our ministry to missionary kids and orphaned children in Uganda! Oh and here is a photo of the vehicle we will be buying! The missionary family says that their kids like to ride on the luggage rack when they go to the parks in order to better see the animals! Sounds like fun!

99 days to takeoff!

It is hard to believe that in 99 days, we will be on our way to Uganda! That translates to 14 weeks until takeoff and 12 weeks until we move out of our house into the missionary guest house. It is exciting and a bit overwhelming at the same time. We have much to do in that time! We still need about 30% of our monthly support, we need to clear out of our house and get it ready for renters, we need to get all the curriculum for our MK school in Uganda, we need to pack up everything we are taking to Uganda, we need a place to live in Uganda, and we need to wrap up and hand off our responsibilities here to others. Yesterday as I was starting to panic when I realized that there was only 100 days, my sweet, wise friend, Meredith, gently reminded me to think of all God has accomplished for us in the last 100 days. As I look back I am so thankful! I have often recounted on this blog the many ways God has provided for us, financially, spiritually and emotionally. And I know that He will continue to do so! Even as I was discussing my most recent blog post, "The Last 3 Days" I was reminded about Ebenezers. One of the hymns I love is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." Here are the lyrics:

"Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, mount of God's unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come; and I hope by thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God: he, to rescue me from danger interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be; let that grace now like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love: here's my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."

For me, the best antidote to anxiety and worry is worship, thanksgiving and praise! So today, I am remembering God's unchanging love, the Ebenezers of His provision both in material things and more importantly in eternal salvation through Jesus. And if you are wondering about what in the world is an Ebenezer, here is a brief explanation. The people of Israel put some stones in a pile to remind themselves of God's provision. They called it an Ebenezer saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." I Sam. 7:12