A Videos Page

Hi All!

I have taken a lot of videos during my time in Uganda and I wanted a place for them on the blog, so I just created a "Videos" page. Many of them were "filmed" on Lingira Island in southern Uganda, where I am serving as a missionary.

Click the "Videos" tab above, grab some popcorn (just kidding!), enjoy and stay tuned for more! :)

The International Adventures of C.T.

Bad weather in Memphis, Tennessee delayed my flight out of Tupelo, Mississippi this morning. So, I missed my connection in Memphis and I am spending a few unplanned hours in the airport as I wait for my next flight.

To kill some time, I did a photo shoot of my traveling companion - C.T. I have been accompanied by this faithful friend from my journey's start in Jinja, Uganda and continuing to Nairobi, Kenya, then to Amsterdam, Holland, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Tupelo, Mississippi, and back to Memphis. He has been in and around airports, restaurants, cars (in the trunk and in the front), airplanes, and a home. He's a quiet fellow, but I am somehow comforted by his presence.

He can't do much - speak, stand, wave or sit, thus, I carry him everywhere. But, if I needed to, I could use him as a weapon. : )

My friends, meet C.T.

Memphis has a rich musical history, so C.T. insisted on a photo with a painting in the airport spotlighting this fact. He also said he could be an instrument if he wanted to. Not so sure about that...

Since we had to get up shortly after 5 a.m. to make our flight out of Mississippi, C.T. was pretty tuckered in the airport and tried to find a place to rest. I can't imagine he was very comfortable though.

Finding a souvenir shirt to fit C.T. was a challenge, especially considering that he doesn't have arms. :(

C.T. suggested that if we got stuck in Memphis, we could stay the night in the "Heartbreak Hotel." ; )

C.T. wishes we had time to visit the Memphis Zoo and see this cute panda.

C.T. was a bit put out that I didn't share part of my airport breakfast sub with him. But, I said he shouldn't feel bad as he doesn't have a mouth to enjoy it.

Memphis is the home of the NBA Grizzlies basketball team. C.T. wanted to try out, but I told him he wasn't quite tall enough and having no arms was a bit of a handicap.

C.T. didn't like the fact that I carried him into the women's restrooms, but he was reassured that they could be used as a "severe storm shelter area" in case of any more tornadoes in the area.

Unfortunately, this was the best sighting we had of Elvis while we were in Memphis.

C.T. insisted that my Starbucks sleeve would dress him up a bit. Silly fellow.

Just a couple of more hours and C.T. and I will be on our way to Salt Lake City and then on to Portland - our final destination. I can't wait for my parents to meet him. : )


P.S. C.T. stands for "Cardboard Tube." Inside C.T. is a canvas painting created by an artist in Jinja, Uganda. I will post a photo of it in a future post.

Nail Bitin' Time

Last weekend, I was in a "nail bitin' time." I don't bite my nails, so I mean this figuratively. I was in a place where I could see the dark tunnel, but not the light at the end of it.

Up until then things seemed to be clicking along as I continued making plans for Uganda. Then it came to buying the plane ticket.

I have wanted to travel with my good friends Andrew and Karina Smith and their little guy, David, whom I will be working with in Uganda. They called me a couple of weeks ago and said they were looking at flights, leaving the U.S. on Jan. 9, and wanted me to check and see if that would work for me. So, I began checking. I contacted the travel agency and the ticket prices seemed reasonable. Then I called Global Outreach International, my mission agency, and they were very hesitant to give me a "green light" because my financial support levels were not where they would like to have them. (Note: Global has certain financial goals they want their missionaries to meet. This is for the missionaries' protection, so they don't get out on the field and are not properly funded.)

I responded to this news with a rebounding faith and an inner joy, trusting God had something better in mind.....not. I wish I could say that was my response, but it wasn't. I slipped into a little pit of my own making, with walls of questions and doubts, held together by some depression, too. Faith is trusting when you can't see - and I realized how shortsighted my faith really is.

Today's selection in "Streams in the Desert" (one of my favorite devotional books) fit so well with this topic.

"'You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; He will also hand Moab over to you. (2 Kings 3:17-18)

"To human reason, what God was promising seemed simply impossible, but nothing is too difficult for Him. Without any sound or sign and from sources invisible and seemingly impossible, the water flowed the entire night, and the 'next morning...there it was...! And the land was filled with water...The sun was shining on the water...[And it] looked red - like blood.' (vs. 20, 22)

"Our unbelief is always desiring some outward sign, and the faith of many people is largely based on sensationalism. They are not convinced of the genuineness of God's promises without some visible manifestation. But the greatest triumph of a person's faith is to 'be still, and know that [He is] God' (Psalm 46:10)

"The greatest victory of faith is to stand at the shore of the impassable Red Sea and to hear the Master say, 'Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today' (Ex. 14:13), and 'Move on' (Ex. 14:15). As we step out in faith, without any sign or sound, taking our first steps into the water, we will see the water divide. Continuing to march ahead, we will see a pathway open through the very midst of the sea."

God did have me act on the bit of faith I had, doing some things on my part to press ahead. I knew that if God wanted to me leave later than Jan. 9, He would make that known. And, if He did indeed want me to travel with Andy and Karina, He would make a way.

And a way, He did make. In about a week, He raised my financial support enough that I received the "green light" from Global to go ahead and book my ticket. Yay! I was so excited! God made a way when there seemed to be no way.

Now, back to "Streams in the Desert."

"Whenever I have seen God's wondrous work in the case of some miraculous healing or some extraordinary deliverance by His providence, the thing that has always impressed me most was the absolute quietness in which it was done. I have also been impressed by the absence of anything sensational and dramatic, and the utter sense of my own uselessness as I stood in the presence of this mighty God, realizing how easy all this was for Him to do without even the faintest effort on His part, or the slightest help from me.

"It is the role of faith not to question but to simply obey. In the above story from Scripture, the people were asked to 'make this valley full of ditches' (2 Kings 3:16). The people obeyed, and then water came pouring in from some supernatural source to fill them. What a lesson for our faith!

"Are you desiring some spiritual blessing? Then dig the ditches and God will fill them. But He will do this in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways. May the Lord grant us the kind of faith that acts 'by faith, not by sight' (2 Cor. 5:7), and may we expect Him to work although we see no wind or rain." (A.B. Simpson)

I can attest to the fact that God does work in unexpected places and ways, for He did that for me last week. He provided the financial support I needed, but it wasn't how I had anticipated.

I believe we serve a very creative God and I think He delights in doing things "out of the box," including answering our prayers. Why not? He can do anything He wants. : )


P.S. So, I am leaving Jan. 9 with Andy, Karina and little David. I would very much appreciate your prayers that God would guide my preparations in the next month, and for safe travels. Thank you!


Stoplight photo courtesy of wallconvert.com.

Beyond Me

"When David kept his eyes on the giant, he stumbled. But, when he kept his eyes on God, he was victorious."

This was evidenced throughout David's life. There were many times when he faced an opponent or obstacle far greater than his strength, his skills, his wit or his experience. Yet, over and over again, as he lifted his eyes to God, he found that victory was there, within his grasp.

I heard this wisdom earlier this week on a podcast and thought it went along well with something that has been on my heart and mind. As I think and make plans for Uganda, it is so easy for me to become overwhelmed. There seems to be a lot to do, and some of it pushes me far out of my comfort zone. : )

I just finished putting together a contact list. Global Outreach asked for a minimum of 200 names. In my mind, this seemed nearly impossible since I come from two small churches and a small town. But, I was thrilled earlier this week as I sat with my family and God seemed to generate names out of thin air. While this may seem small to some of you, it was such a blessing to me to see God provide in this way.

I am beginning to come to a greater and greater realization that this trip is beyond me. I don't have the faith, the skills, the funds, the love, the courage, the experience, etc. It is simply beyond me. Which is why it must be all of God. I believe that if He has called me, He will provide everything that is needed - even the names. : )

Today's selection in "Streams in the Desert" was so very good.

"'Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14)'

"This is God's loving challenge to you and me each day. He wants us to think of the deepest, highest, and worthiest desires and longings of our hearts. He wants us to think of those things that perhaps were desires for ourselves or someone dear to us, yet have gone unfulfilled for so long that we now see them as simply lost desires. And God urges us to think of even the one thing that we once saw as possible but have given up all hope of seeing fulfilled in this life.

"That very thing, as long as it aligns with what we know be His expressed will - as a son was to Abraham and Sarah - God intends to do for us. Yes, if we will let Him, God will do that very thing, even if we know it is such an utter impossibility that we would simply laugh at the absurdity of anyone ever suggesting it could come to pass.

"'Is anything too hard for the Lord?' No, nothing is too difficult when we believe in Him enough to go forward, doing His will and letting Him do the impossible for us. Even Abraham and Sarah could have blocked God's plan if they had continued to disbelieve.

"The only thing 'too hard for the Lord' is our deliberate and continual disbelief in his love and power, and our ultimate rejection of His plans for us. Nothing is impossible for Jehovah to do for those who trust Him. from Messages for the Morning Watch"

So, is there anything too hard for the Lord in your life? I think you would have to join with me in saying, "No, there is nothing too hard for the Lord."