"Planted"

One of the things the Lord shared with me during my personal retreat earlier this month was about being "planted" in Him. If I want to see fruit and growth, personally and in my ministry, I cannot do it apart from Him.

And, He provided the perfect visual illustrations as I sat near the Nile River, with the lush plants and trees at the shoreline. I don't want to write much in this post, but let the photos and scriptures speak for themselves. :)

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked,

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on His law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither - 

whatever they do prospers."- Psalm 1:1-3

"But blessed are those who trust in the LORD

and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green, 

and they never stop producing fruit." - Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself 

unless it abides in the vine,

so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

I am the Vine, you are the branches; 

he who abides in Me and I in him,

he bears much fruit, for apart from Me 

you can do nothing." - John 15:4-5

"Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. 

The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, 

and there will always be fruit on their branches.

There will be a new crop every month, 

for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple.

The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing." - Ezekiel 47:12

(Loved this little flower and how it grew out of the rock near one of my favorite sitting spots overlooking the Nile.)

"Abide in Me..."

From Busia to Bujagali

 Hi My Faithful Followers,

  Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but I have not had consistent Internet or computer access. But, I received my new laptop this week!

With my new laptop, which my church, Westport Community, graciously purchased for me!

  The past week has been a busy one. Last Tuesday I came from the island and then on Wednesday joined a group of six SHIM members in traveling to the district of Busia, to a small village area, where we held a three-day youth seminar. Our theme verses were 2 Timothy 2:20-21.

 "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."

  We centered our messages around this theme and although we didn't coordinate our messages, God did. : )  I shared about Joseph and the journey God took him on to mold him into an honorable vessel. The youth seemed to receive and be encouraged by what we shared with them. We were graciously and warmly hosted in the home of the pastor and welcomed by those of the village and church.

The church where we held the youth seminar. As you can see, it is not yet completed.

  We were near the border with Kenya and at one point, saw some of its hills. The three of us girls on the team returned to Jinja Saturday afternoon, via a dusty, hot and crowded taxi. These particular taxis remind of a Volkswagen bus, except smaller. On the side they say, "Licensed to carry 14 passengers," though they often carry 18-20 people.

 This past week we welcomed Andy, Karina and David Smith. Everyone was so excited to have the SHIM family reunited again! : )

Everyone is amazed at how David has grown. Of course, he is a charmer with his sweet personality and three-toothed grin. : )

David Andrew Smith - almost 8 months old.

  On Wednesday, I and a friend, Katie from America, ventured to one of my favorite scenic spots in Uganda - Bujagali Falls. It is not far from Jinja and is a beautiful spot as the Nile River rushes down rocks on its journey to Lake Victoria. It is a favorite recreation spot for kayakers and whitewater rafters. I went here three times on my last trip and took so many pictures that my family became tired of them. : )

Me at Bujagali Falls

  I am now back on Lingira Island with most of the SHIM team and a couple of American visitors, including Katie from South Carolina who is doing a two-month internship to earn her master's degree in public health, and Shanna Sullivan, from my hometown of Oregon. Shanna will also be staying until March and has been doing a variety of things since she arrived at SHIM. We discovered her talent for mending and have been paying her for her work with "special food items" (like Rice Krispie treats) not normally found in Uganda. : )

 I am excited to begin my work with SHIM's child development program and will be dedicating my time in the coming months to better linking sponsors with their students and helping organize the program's other aspects.

 I wish you all could see the beauty of Uganda. Pictures don't do it justice, but I will close with this sunset photo, taken from the nearby camp of Kyoya. Blessings from Uganda!

Sunset on Lingira Island

Did You Know?

If you would have asked me several years ago to find Uganda on a map, it may have required some searching. Yes, I knew Uganda is a country in Africa - but the continent of Africa is rather large and has a total of 54 countries.

I have learned some about this East African country in the last couple of years, but am still learning and want to continue learning.

I thought some of you might be interested in perusing some facts as well. So, with the help of Google and Wikipedia, here is a small "buffet" of information.

• I was excited to learn that Uganda is similar in size to Oregon - my home state! It is 91, 136 square miles. (By the way, Oregon is 98,466 square miles.)

• Uganda ranks as the 11th largest country in Africa in terms of population and 38th among the world's countries. In 2007 Uganda's population was estimated at 30,900,000.

• Uganda was once a protectorate of the United Kingdom, so yes, they do drive on the left, drink black tea and call cookies "biscuits" and flashlights "torches." :)

• Uganda is bordered by five other countries - Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Uganda is on the East Africa Plateau and the elevation averages 3,250 feet above sea level. (Oregon's average elevation is 3,300 feet.)

• Forty-five percent of Lake Victoria is considered to be in Uganda. The lake is also in Kenya and Tanzania.

• Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and the earth's third largest lake. Its surface area is 26,600 square miles.

• Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile River - the world's longest river. (I had the opportunity to visit "the Source" - the spot where the lake flows into the river - pretty cool!)

• There are approximately 3000 islands on the lake, including Lingira Island where I stayed.

Okay, so I don't want to overwhelm you with facts in this one post, but to give you a bit of an intro to this fascinating country. I plan to share more about Uganda in coming posts, including some about its history and hardships and the people.

By the way, check out the slideshow to the upper left of photos from my first trip to Uganda. I will be adding more pictures in the future. Enjoy!

Oh, and don't forget to take the poll, too!