On Saturday I was able to spend more time in the morning doing some work while Godfrey took care of other business. It actually has been helping to divide up responsibilities so we can get more done. Since I was there for only a short week it was a good option for us to get more things accomplished!
While Godfrey was out running errands, I was able to have another cooking lesson with our chef in the kitchen! Godfrey returned and we feasted on the meal together!!! Mrs. Otile joined us for the latter part of our meal!
We went into town and visited Rita & her husband. On my first day in town, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the news that Rita was able to occupy a small corner of a shop to set up some of her items to sell! Last time I was there, she had lost her shop to developers. It resulted in her having to work from her home. Unfortunately that brought little business her way. So I was thrilled when my other friend, Faith told me where she was. We rejoiced together when we saw one another again! They are hoping soon to get a little more space so they can display more of their products. Continue to pray for her and her precious family.
Godfrey and I were able to go back to the Central Market to buy more clothes for the children. Going through the market is a 3 story maze! It is basically like a swap meet. We were specifically trying to find shirts for the boys and long skirts for the girls. The funniest thing was after looking at various “stalls,” we walked into one area that had a sign that said, “Old Clothes.” I stopped and looked perplexed! I asked Godfrey about it because up until now, all the clothes I had seen seemed old or used. Apparently, the “old clothes” section was the “used clothes” section so it was cheaper. The “new section” still baffled me because those seemed just as used as the “old” section! But buying the “old clothes” were less expensive so I didn’t question that! Godfrey was looking for very specific styles. He was looking for dress shirt styles for the boys and peasant type skirts for the girls. For my ISP teams ... the long skirts that you leave for the girls are PERFECT for what they desire to wear. It also made me realize just how important those clothes are to them. They don’t have much. They wear the clothes we bring for them until they are torn and tattered. They were in need of new clothing. We bought each boy 2 shirts and each girl 2 skirts. That day we bought 28 skirts and 18 shirts and it totaled just around $135! For 46 pieces of clothing, the skirts averaged a little over $3 and the shirts $2! How many times can we spend $135 on one or two items for ourselves?! I was literally shocked at how much we were able to purchase. It also helped me because when I have to pay for an extra piece of luggage it will cost an average of $150-$170 for each piece. There is no way that all that we bought that day would have even fit into one bag. So buying clothes there is a good option for us and less expensive. We can easily buy new clothes there (or old clothes!) But the biggest blessing is always when we give them the clothes! I did bring some clothes with me so they also received about 2 shirts each. They cheered and praised the Lord over their new clothes! They were proud to immediately put the clothes on and model for the camera! The grins that are on their faces light up the room!
Godfrey & I were able to have a great meeting with Mrs. Otile and Robert that afternoon as well. For those that are new, Mr. & Mrs. Otile are the owners of the hotel and Robert is their son and General Manager. It was great to spend some time with them as well. She is such a gracious host. She had coffee and cakes ready for us! They have been instrumental in the house purchasing process. I am so thankful for their love and support.
After that meeting we headed back over to the house. I had all the letters ready to give to the children. What was a bonus were the bags that I put the letters in! When I spoke at the Women’s Brunch at Fellowship in the Pass recently, they had given me some bags from Brighton that they use to actually make children’s dresses. The ladies had given me some dresses for Godfrey’s children and extra bags for all! The cool thing was that the front of the bags had anchors all over them. I read a devotional from a book called “A Cup of Joy.” The one I read was called, “An Anchor Through Change,” by “Your Promises From God Today.” As we are in the midst of change this was a good reminder:
“Change often makes fear into an ally. Fear likes to remind you that you’re out of your comfort zone. It heckles you about why things can’t stay the same. The other voice of change is opportunity. It gives you a chance to stop and look at where you’ve been and where you want to go. Go to God! He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever!”
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth. And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure. Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” Psam 102:25-27
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Psalm 46:10-11
“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
They cheered when we talked about Jesus being our anchor. This is our time of change. He has been with us through all the ups and downs. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! The bags will be a reminder that He is our anchor through it all!
We had time after all of that to practice our songs to present at church on Sunday. We had so much fun! I wish that all of you could have been there as we practiced “Giants Fall!” Through all of it, I could hear the children laughing and having so much fun as they belted out the words to the song! They also practice one of their Raining Hope Choir songs ! We had so much fun I didn’t get back to the hotel until midnight!
So much more in the next update! Still have Sunday and Monday to fill you in! God really did pack a lot in a very short period!
Michael is running the marathon at this very moment. As I look out the window the rain is coming down. They predicted rain and thunderstorms. I am meeting another one of the wives in about an hour to go wait at the finish line. Pray for him to finish well!
God blessed my life yesterday by a visit from an old friend! I remember when I was at LAX that my friend, Pastor Dale Hansen and his wife Linda live here in the area about 2 hours away! I called them when I arrived and they graciously came to visit us last night! Then last night on Facebook I saw a post by Lynell Baille (Berg) who was one of my ISP Uganda team students! I had no idea that she lives here in the area with her husband as well! So we are going to meet up this afternoon! God is good!!!!
If I don’t send another update out before I head home tomorrow, I will be back in Ventura Sunday afternoon. Continue praying, continue praising!
Loving the RAIN!
mama eydie kisakye!
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