Spiritual Warfare

"The thief comes to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."

The words of John 10:10 have never been more real to me than they have been the last couple of weeks. I've been finding myself in the middle of an abundance of life-giving blessings, yet feeling so beat up and defeated. I'm pretty sure this is true of Erin and Caitlin as well. Erin feels like she's being pulled in a million different directions, Caitlin feels like plans are falling apart and it's somehow her fault, and i've been bombarded with feeling of worthlessness. How can this be in the middle of the showers of blessings our Father has been pouring out on us? Obviously a thief is in our midst.

We're going to Africa. Satan knows he can't steal that from us. Instead, he has been busying himself with trying to steal our joy, our peace, our unity as a team, our freedom, our hope and excited anticipation, and our security in God as our Provider. It's been a battle, not to hold on to these things ourselves, but to stand up to the evil one and remind him that they are not his for the taking. God is the Source of all these things and Satan can only take them if we let him by cowering in the shadow of his empty threats. But that's not like us. We're fighters. However, that doesn't mean we can't use your help in the battle, so take this as a prayer request and intercede on our behalf.

Pray:

• That we do not overlook our blessings and focus on our fears.
• That we leave our financial situation in God's hands. He's got it covered and there's nothing left for us to worry about.
• That we do not give fear any ground in our relationships. Pray that we operate in trust.
• That we will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. (Is. 55:12)
• That other people in our lives will be understanding.
• That God will give us a clear picture of who we are in Him, and we will walk in that truth and not give Satan's lies about us any credit.
• That we will choose freedom instead of being bound by all of the same insecurities and fears that have held us back before.
• For our faith to be increased. We want the faith that is required for God to do great things through us.

Side note: Erin and Caitlin... God just reminded me of something. We've been praying for increased faith. The opposite of faith is fear. No wonder we've been presented with so many opportunities to choose faith over fear. :o)

I have no idea how many people will be reading this blog while we're gone, but i've got a feeling God has His hand in that too. If i knew the amount of prayer coverage and spiritual support we've got, i'd probably be blown away. Thank you for joining in.

A Mouthful of Beans

Only 10 days till we get on that airplane! We're getting more and more excited as the days go by. On some days it's more real to us than on others that we're really doing this. We're really going to Africa for 2 months!

We just got an e-mail from our contact with Touch the World. She confirmed that we'll be working with Sanyu Babies Home, St. Mary Kevin Orphanage and University Community Fellowship. We're also still hoping to go with them up to Gulu (a city in the northern part of the country) for a few days. There are some things i'd love to see there.

Please pray for each of the ministries and organizations we'll be helping out. Sanyu Babies Home is home to kids (from newborn to 3 years old) who have been abandoned. I can't wait to hold them in my arms and show them God's love. We've been told that St. Mary Kevin Orphanage has a really great children's choir that is always eager to learn new music. I'm super excited about getting the chance to put my musical training to use with them. The University Community Fellowship has a group of primary kids who come to the church every Wednesday sort of like a VBS. We'll be helping them out with that while we're in Kampala.

We're all also very excited about the second half of our trip which will be spent with Northern Lights Ministries. Kate (a Spring Arbor grad) and Peter have decided to open their home to us for that month. Kate sounds like an amazing person! We can't wait to meet her and her family. She told us that however many bags of chocolate chips we bring her, that's how many batches of of chocolate chip cookies she'll make us. I've got a feeling that living and working with her is going to be a blast.

Be praying for Caitlin, Erin, and me as we continue in our preparations. We've been facing a lot of spiritual warfare. Satan doesn't want this trip to happen, and since it's happening anyway, he's going to try to steal whatever he can from us.

I'll update some more on that later. For now, i think i should turn off my computer since the weather is getting really bad.

25 days to go

Finally, our plans are solid. Well, about as solid as they're going to get this side of the ocean. So, I figured I'd pop on here and give an update on where we stand with things.

For the first 23 days of our trip (June 19-July 12), we'll be in Kampala working with Touch the World: Uganda. Here, we'll primarily be working in an orphanage with kids aged 5-12. We'll be tutoring them in reading and hopefully writing (which is right up my ally). They also have a kids choir that is eager to learn new things -- which got Kathy super excited. There is also a chance that we'll get to go to the North. Yes, this is a place where war has been going on for longer than I've been alive, but the people we're working with would never do anything to put us in danger.

Then, the second part of the trip, we'll be in another large city: Jinja. This time, we'll be working in a ghetto...and it's going to be beautifully heart-wrenching. Here, we'll pretty much be taking over teaching the kids that are part of the educational program that Northern Lights Ministries has. Reading, writing, and pretty much whatever else they need us to do. Working here will probably be the hardest on us emotionally. We'll be working with the heart of poverty, daily for 35 days. This is the part that I am most looking forward to, and most concerned about wearing on us.

I realized in writing about Touch the World, that many reading this have no idea what's going on in northern Uganda. My suggestion to you all, do a little research; there is so much out there that will better inform you than the 2 minute summary that I'm about to give.

Northern Uganda has seen war for roughly 30 years straight. The past two decades, though, have been publicized the most. A rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) started up almost 22 years ago in opposition to the Ugandan government. Through the years, this militia recruited people into its ranks by convincing them that their way was better than the government's. But when the current president stepped into power (about 18 years ago), many people backed the president, so the LRA had to find new ways to recruit people. The leader, Joseph Kony, began kidnapping children and forcing them into his military. These kids are anywhere from 5 to 15 years old -- young because they are impressionable, easy to brainwash.

And brainwash is exactly what Kony does. He and the LRA forcibly desensitize new recruits through gruesome acts of violence. Many girls become sex slaves (Kony is said to have fathered over 50 children) while most boys are turned into killers. Because of this recruitment style, the gov. of Uganda decided to herd the majority of the northern population into internal displacement camps (at one time, 90% of the northern population lived in such camps). These camps, though, are no better than where they were before -- hunger, disease, unclean water, and rape are more prevelant because of the large number of people concentrated in one place. There is also serious concern that putting people in such camps only makes them sitting ducks for the LRA.

So, regardless of where the children are -- at home or in camps -- the threat has been high for LRA attacks. Many of the children of northern Uganda flee from wherever they're living to sleep the nights away in cities where strength can be found in numbers and the LRA are less likely to strike. These night commuters total around 3,000 per night.

The state of n. Uganda is not good, at all. But recently, there have been huge leaps toward peace treaties being signed. The ceasefire that had been in effect for months ran out early this month because Kony refused to show up to sign the treaties. So much of the conflit is both political and spiritual, so this peace is so important. It's so close, but so far away.

Here is an article that I find so intriguing, heartbreaking, and informative. Be warned, though, it's grapic at times. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/january/18.30.html#related
Also, go to BBC and do a search for Northern Uganda, Uganda, LRA, night commuters, or anything related and you'll find a well of articles (as you will in doing a general search).

So, there's some background on the country I've given my heart to. Thank you for walking alongside and giving pieces of yourself to us, and therefore, to Uganda.

doubt replaced

so, i thought it was about time that i add to this blog business. :)

i feel like going to Uganda is all about waiting right now: waiting for God to provide the money, waiting to hear from our contacts about final plans, and waiting for that final day to come (only 47 more to go!). I sure wish i was a patient person....

it also seems like each time i get to what feels like the end of my faith, God grants me one more day of trust in Him that he truly is going to provide and that he is big enough to handle a few thousand dollars and a trip over the ocean.

I was just having coffee with a friend earlier today and she asked how Uganda was going. After spouting off at the mouth for probably 10 minutes straight, i got to the part in the story where i talked about some of the hard times we've already come through. I said something about how when we haven't heard from our contacts or when the money isn't coming like i thought it would, i begin to doubt that i was ever called in the first place. Are we really called to be "salt and light" in Uganda? Did i miss-hear God's voice in my heart? Before i even let that thought sink in, my dear coffee-date chimes in and says, "Caitlin, there is no doubt you're called. You're supposed to go to Uganda." And while it seems really simple, she said it with the look on her face that said what i'm sure Jesus would have said: "stop doubting and believe!" What makes it so amazing is that she's only heard me talk about Uganda once and that was when we spoke at an on campus ministry event. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we ARE called to be there - i suppose i just needed a little reminder :)

God is always sending those kind of things into our hearts. Just last week we were all at Kathy's house having a bonding weekend and getting ready to speak at her church on Sunday. we were (or at least i was) pretty down about not hearing from out contacts, and we sat in the store where Kathy works and took donations all day and had very little luck. But, what kept me going was that we heard from BOTH of our contacts in the same day - i talked to Touch the World:Uganda on the phone and with NorthernLights via email. What are the odds of that!? What makes it even more wonderful is that it's happened twice! on two different occasions when i've been ready to give up and back out, God says "no, Go!" and puts us in touch with both our contacts in one moment. how amazing!

God is soo good! maybe Uganda is about waiting...waiting to see God move as we stand in faith!

Tickets!

We bought tickets! And we're all so excited.

This is a huge step of faith, though, because while we had enough money to purchase tickets, we still do not have enough money to actually be there. So, we're stepping in faith in buying these, praying and trusting that the rest of the money will come in.

Be praying with us about how God wants you to support us.

(Yea!!! We have our tickets :o) )

Donate Online

We now have a way for you to make a donation to our trip over the internet. Just click on the link that says "A Letter from Caitlin" and you'll go to a page on her church's website. Hit the button at the bottom of the page (after you read the letter, of course, because it's good) and you can make a donation with your credit or debit card.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has already made a contribution to this trip. Your gifts and your letters always seem to come at just the right time when God knows we need the encouragement. Thank you for allowing God to join your hearts with ours.

Hope?

It's been difficult, lately, keeping hope about the money coming in for going over. All three of us have struggled with this the past week or so. Over and over,though, God's been reinforcing our need to walk in joy and encouraging us to stand strong, believing in His provision. And here are a few things He's given me to help me:

"go to the people.
live among them.
learn from them.
love them.
start with what they know.
build on what they have.
but of the best leaders,when their tast is done,
the people will remark"we have done it ourselves."-author unknown

"The man who knocks on the door of a brothel is knocking for God." -- G. K. Chesterton

"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to...do it. Want to change the world? There's nothing to it."~ Willy Wonka

As long as one heart still holds on, then hope is never really gone.

And so, my heart is holding on, to hope, to joy, to the vision that God's placed in the three of us -- a vision that extends deeper and beyond than any of us know.