Thursday, January 1st

Our first full day in Pallisa. We slept in Simon’s “guest quarters” last night. The boys had their share of space while the girls slept 9 to a 6’x10’ room. We arrived yesterday on the last day of 2008 to the warmth and love of Simon and his family (and about 30 kids from his community). We will be staying here through the middle of next week and after one night we are already feeling at home. The conviction and intention with which our Ugandan friends here go about their day is unexplainable. It was our intent to come and serve them and instead we are humbled by the way they care for us and cook for us the best that they have. They are doing everything to make our stay as wonderful and as full of an experience as possible. They even helped us ring in the New Year African style. It was quite the sight I assure you—complete with a surprise visit from a truck full of armed guards checking on the joyful noises coming from our house. All was well; they even let us take a picture with them! God has truly opened our eyes and hearts to His wonder here and continues to bless us and protect us as we go on this journey. As you continue to read our updates, please know that we praying that this day finds each of you wrapped in God’s love and surrounded by his grace and blessings. We have missed each of you greatly and look forward to sharing our stories and pictures when we get home. Peace and grace in the coming year. 1.4.3…

What a wonderful, gracious provider we serve. We can praise Him today for the gift of life this day and for a new year! If there is one thing I have been reminded of on this trip so far it is our overwhelming need for Him, something I often feel we can lose sight of in the States. Here, it is impossible to miss! As I sat aside this morning reading, surrounded by children who wanted to look at what I read and watched everything around me I saw this more clearly than ever before. As I watched, everything around me is full of noise and activity. One man sweeps the ground with a broom made of sticks. Only through God’s provision would He have those sticks, and He knows this as He gathers them together. Several men and kids (including some of the guys from our team) step aside to kill several chickens for lunch, another thing we visibly see that the Lord has provided. It is funny to think that as Americans, we were annoyed as we woke up early this morning from the noise of the chickens and the crowing of the roosters. And yet our brothers and sisters here praise God for these gifts! We were able to eat breakfast today from their eggs, and lunch from their meat, what a gracious provider we have!

As the day continued, we were continuously blessed by our time in this village. We traveled through the village to see the various projects that have gone on from past Young Life teams. This was a gift because it is not everyday that we are visibly able to see the fruit of the work we have done. We saw a house that had been built for an older woman and a spring well that had been protected to provide clean water. Before this new well was built there was only one source of clean water for these people. This new well gives clean water to nearly 5,000 people. On our way to visit the well, we stopped by a local church that was having a New Year’s Day worship service. The sight of such praise was overwhelming. The people overflowed with joy for the Lord. We had an opportunity to dance with them and to share with them how thankful we were for God’s work in this place!

Simon and I had a conversation today walking back to His home that really challenged me. We spoke about the vastness of things we have in America as he often tells us we have “too much!” He expressed his pain for us Americans in our constant desire for more. We are always working to buy bigger houses and newer cars before it is even necessary. I asked him if he thought it was wise to invest and save in certain things. His response was convicting. He explained that it is wise when we invest or save for the absolutely necessary things of life. He continued to explain that in America our investments are never toward things of necessity, but often to things of security or pleasure. We justify the newer car or the bigger house by saying we will use it for God’s work, and often we do, but we are here in a guest house with 2 rooms for 14 people and we have seen the mighty hand of God at work! We have seen how Simon and his family and the other leaders give abundantly beyond what they have been given. For instance, whatever meat they use for meals (whether we are here or not) they give the same amount of meat to someone else in the village. Though they have little, God continuously provides more. Simon shared with us last night as we were entering the New Year that they do these things all from the LOVE of God. It is how we are called to live. It is not an obligation, but the love of Christ constrains us! I have never been served in such a way as this and with such joy from those serving. It is from the overflow of the love they have for the Lord. I have been challenged today in the beginning of this year to love like this, a love that can only come from our great Lover.

- Stephanie Hinton


Warm coca cola in Uganda quite refreshing…

- Schroder Voyles