First Impressions of Uganda

Well we are here in New Hope Uganda. It was not an easy trip getting here: (we got delayed coming out of Denver when the plane was late and then the de-icing truck broke; stayed overnight in Chicago, switched airlines, finally got here a day later; had 5 of 6 bags not here, had no driver, almost couldn’t get ahold of our contact, got a taxi to take us to our guesthouse, got lost going to the guest house, got there at 1 am, and didn’t receive bags until Tuesday night which meant the same clothes for 5 days). But in all of that, one thing remains true: God is so good.
I have found that the folks on staff here and the people in class in the Institute with us are so very in love with Jesus and His Word. They could easily spend hours praying just about the good attributes of God found in His Word. Many people here have had unpampered lives to say the least, and many have faced great struggle and pains. But they have a love of God and faith that inspires me to love Him better.
Life runs on a different time here, and priorities are different. They believe that business can wait but relationship cannot. This makes them a (generally) very friendly people and they greet you heartily even if it is just passing on the street. I greatly enjoy the relationship investment of that (even if it can make getting important tasks done nearly impossible). I have enjoyed the vibrant worship (although I am not used to clapping so much). Many dance for joy during worship because of what the Lord has done.
Though we miss those we love and hold dear at home very much, we feel very privileged to be a small part of what God is doing in this beautiful country. (And though I sometimes miss pizza and flushing toilets, I don’t think I would trade it).Thank you for your continued support, love and prayers.
We also wanted to let you all know for anyone that has not yet seen the link on facebook. Our first YouTube video is live!!! You can watch it at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOS0Lx0zuKI and we really hope you enjoy seeing what New Hope Uganda actually looks like.
And finally, here is the part that I promised would be in every blog post we have. Romans 12:1-3 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Here’s what we should remember. The problem with a living sacrifice is that when a sacrifice was made, it was cut up and usually burned. A living sacrifice would not be living for very long. In words of author Douglas Adams, “I always tried to dissect a cat to see how it worked, but the problem is, as soon as you start to dissect, the first thing you have is a non-working cat.” When we present ourselves as a living sacrifice, we must first be willing to die to ourselves, as that is the next thing that will happen.
It says don’t be conformed, but be transformed. The only way to be conformed is again by continually offering ourselves as a sacrifice to God because it is only Him that has the power to transform us, which He does by renewing our minds. Remember, the heart and the mind work so closely together that it difficult for our heart to be changed without first our minds being changed. Then remember that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, there is no work of our own to boast with but only God’s grace at work in us. Paul had every qualification to be a Hebrew of Hebrews, but not one of them qualified him to be a child of God, only God’s grace.
We don’t know what  the future holds, but we know God holds the future. In regards to God’s kingdom and His work, the greatest ability we have to offer is availability.