In Africa!!

Hello from Africa!

We can't believe we are finally saying those words! As we look out over Lake Mburo and 2 crowned hornedbill birds (Zazu from the Lion King for any Disney fans!), we write to you with full mouths and hearts! There is so much to tell about, so we'll try to hit the highlights...

Our flight over was...LONG! Both of them. But after repairing a flat tire on our trailer on the way to the Atlanta airport, we were thankful to have made it without any further issues. We landed in Entebbe and arrived Tuesday evening at Father's House.

Father's House is a family-style orphanage that is such a sanctuary from the surrounding area of Kampala. It is a beautiful home overlooking Lake Victoria and the city of Kampala. Even more beautiful is the family inside. Suzanne was a gracious hostess and shared with us about following the Lord's guidance to "father His children." They have about 20 children in the home currently, and they were so much fun to visit with. One message Suzanne shared with us was about the custody battle that exists between God and Satan for the hearts of the children of the world. Oh, how God loves us!!

Wednesday morning we left Father's House and traveled into Kampala to Grace Fellowship Primary School and Church. Pastor Nelson loves the people, and especially the children, of this city! We were loved on by the children at the school, many of them orphans, and they sang for us. It was incredible. They just wanted to touch us...and it reminded us of the woman who just wanted to touch the hem of Jesus' robe. We pray that we showed His face to them.

We also visited the Street Boys...a ministry to boys who live on the street. Many of them are also orphans and have been abused by their families. Abby, a former street boy himself, leads this ministry that meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to love on these boys, have Bible study, help with homework, provide a meal, and teach a trade. We had the great honor of praying with these boys and viewing/purchasing some of their beautiful work! When you see the giraffe in our homes, you will know where it came from!

After lunch, we headed to Mohingo Lodge in the Mburo National Park. For those of you who know Tripp well, you will love the fact that we 1) thought this would be a 2 1/2 hour trip, 2) were told as we boarded the bus, that it would take 4 hours, and 3) journeyed 5 hours before arriving!! :) Good times. Literally, for a 5-hour bus ride on African roads, it was! The team has had many opportunities to share with each other. :)

The trip was worth it. On the road to the Lodge, we saw zebra, warthogs, antelope, and massive deer-looking animals. For those of you who know Joy and Rebecca well...we are camping. In a glorified tent, but we. are. camping. We are thankful that the preparation for the trip into Sudan has been gradual.

Today (Thursday) has been a very restful day. Enjoying the animals, the food, and the fellowship. The boys are currently on a boat ride to see more animals. The girls are enjoying extra relaxing. We know the rest of the trip will be full, and we are very thankful that God has provided this respite before the rest of the trip begins.

We fly into Sudan on Saturday. Many of you have been praying for the "logistics of Sudan" as mentioned in Joy's and Rebecca's last email updates. We had no idea of what we were praying for, so we want to close with this miracle and final specific prayer request:

Right before Tripp left for Uganda (a couple of days before the rest of us came), he received word that Jeffreys, the missionary we are working with in Sudan, had not yet received his letter of exemption from the Government of South Sudan to come get the medications from us in Uganda and drive them back over the border into Sudan. Jeffreys told Tripp the letter would not arrive until November 15 or so.
After Tripp landed, he began the search for a way to get the medications to Sudan.

God provided.

Tripp contacted the MAF (Missions Aviation Fellowship), and they "just happened" to have an empty plane going into Sudan this Friday...as in tomorrow!

On our way to the Lodge, Tripp spoke to a staff member at MAF, and, in more continued praise, ALL of our medication gets to go in!!! Hallelujah!
Please continue to pray that the medication will make it there before we do. That sounds really simple to us, but evidently, it is not so simple here.

Please also continue to pray for us and our time in Sudan. Pray that God will prepare us. We don't really have a clue. Please pray that we will glorify Him in every single thing we say and do.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support! We love you, and we can't wait to share more with you!

For Him,
Joy and Rebecca and the boys