Suprise - We're in Uganda!

Hello from Uganda! We weren't expecting to be here for another week or so, but Friday after the last post, due to a skirmish outside of town there was a precautionary evacuation of MAF families. There has been activity north of Bunia in the past couple weeks with the rebel army creating conflict there. The rumors were that the rebels were approaching Bunia and that is why we left. As it turns out it was not the rebel army, but rather a small militia having a skirmish with police forces while trying to steal cows on the other side of town. All that to say we are safe and are now with the MAF Uganda staff (a part of the European branch) here in Kampala.

All the families here have been so welcoming. We are staying with two moody grads, Simon and Pam Wonderly. Simon is from Switzerland and Pam from Scotland who met at Moody and have been here in Uganda for the past 7 years. Information on what actually happened is still pretty limited, so we are waiting to find out more info of what is going on before decisions are made to go back in. We were planning to be here a week from now for the maintenance on the airplane, so we may stay here until then. The two pilots are still in Bunia, with their families in Uganda with us. Here are some ways you can be praying:

Praise - everyone is safe and the evacuation flight went well even though it was at night and Lary hadn't flown at night in about 20 years (Caleb was more current than him!)

Praise that much is being learned through the process for future work in Eastern Congo.

Pray for stability in the Bunia area, the UN is pretty passive (due to only being able to defend, not attack) and police forces are bribed easily.

Pray for the decision making process as discussions are taking place about when it is safe to return

Pray for Lary and Dave Jacobson as they are staying in Bunia flying while their families are here in Kampala.

Pray for the people of Bunia, the rumors that came through created quite a panic scene with people remembering the past when the rebel army came through killing people in the streets with machetes. Pray for peace in their hearts and that they would seek God for their protection.

Pray ulitmately for God to do a work in the land that there would be peace with each other and most importantly peace with God through Christ.


"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
-Romans 5:1

The land of Congo

Well, much has happened in the last few days. We left Nairobi and got on a Kenya Air Boeing 737 and flew to Entebbe, Uganda. We were met at the airport and waited about an hour for the MAF flight to arrive. We then met Lary Streitzel who we are staying with in Bunia and he flew, well Caleb flew (from the copilots seat) from Entebbe to Bunia, DRC. We have been doing very well here. Bunia is a major center for UN operations in Congo, as they try to keep peace and calm with the rebel activity going on. There has been a lot of activity north of us, and a lot of troops have been flying out to help up there. Bunia seems pretty safe with all the UN support. We have been pretty busy already in our time here. Here are a few snipits of some that has gone on:

Caleb rode along in the Cessna Caravan one day as it traveled to a number of stops to pick up people, cargo, and even shuttling fuel (since fuel is not available every airstrip). It was a lot of fun and a lot of work loading and unloading the airplane!

Caleb and Emily both went with Sheryl, Lary's wife, to two schools for orphans. We spent the morning visiting each classroom and watching them learn and the teacher's teach. We didn't understand much since everyone spoke Swahili and they were being taught french. The children are taught the gospel in school and they stress that God is the one who provides and cares for them not the school.

It was evident that God was answering prayer during the customs process getting here. The only time our bags were even opened was leaving Nairobi. We were bringing in a pressurized canister about 3 feet long and 12 inches in diameter and we were a little apprehensive about getting it through customs. The one time they did open our bag (1 bag) it was the other duffle bag we had and they asked if there was anything metal in there, the only thing was our camera so it was ok, all the while the bag right behind it held that big metal cannister! Praise God.

Thank you to all who are praying for us. We feel very blessed. We are here in DRC for a few weeks and then the plan is to take a trip back to Uganda when maintenance comes due on the caravan and spend a week there for the 100 hour inspection. The plan is that both of us will go along with Lary and Sheryl to visit and get a feel for what Uganda is like. There are also plans for spending some time in Nebobongo, DRC for more of an "out in the sticks" experience.

"Let the nations be glad and sing for joy..." PS 67:4

Jambo from Kenya

Well, we got safely into Nairobi last night and have had a great day here. Thank you to those praying, it was evident that God has been taking care of us, even down to the airplane meals. We got the last chicken meals available and didn't' have to have the vegetarian ones :-) We had two long airplane rides, but had movies on demand so we caught up on the movies we didn't want to pay to see at a theater. We got into Nairobi around 8:30pm here and had to wait in line for a while for visas, but then picked up all our checked baggage (definitely the Lord's work) and said hi to the customs officer who smiled and waved us out to the street where we were picked up by George an AIM AIR driver and driven back to the guest house, which is more like a hotel.

This morning we went to the hanger and were shown around, the first person we saw was a moody student who was a year ahead of Caleb in Spokane. Not too much later we ran into an AIM AIR pilot who had been to spokane a year and a half ago and did a consultation flight with Caleb. Later in the day the roles were reversed and we got to ride in the back seat while he went through his 6 month "checkup" with one of the evaluation pilots here. Emily's lunch made a surprise reappearance, but the rest of the flight went without a hitch. We even got dropped off at an airstrip while the pilots did some more landing/takeoff training and got to talk to Charles, a local man who really wanted us to support his 6 year old daughter through college, or at the very least convince the pilots to take her on an airplane ride. We had to decline both offers, but it was fun to interact with the people as they watched the airplane take off and land.

We have greatly enjoyed our time here in Kenya, but tomorrow will be leaving for Uganda and then on to DR Congo. Please continue to pray for travel connections, customs and for continued adjustment to the time change. Also, please pray for communication as many people in Kenya speak english, but very few do in the places we are headed. Our french and swahili are not as far along as we had hoped :-) We love you all! (we'll try to get some pictures when we have a faster connection)

Forward to the past (not back to the future)

Well, the bags are packed and we're ready to get on the airplane this morning. We're heading to Kenya first and then on to Uganda to then get into Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya is 10 hours ahead of Spokane time and the other places are pretty close to that as well. So we're blasting off forward in time to get there, but many of the places we will be going will be very much ancient and primitive in lifestyle and technology. Many are primitive in spirit as well, living as though Christ never came. This is why we are going, to aid and support those who are proclaiming the light of the gospel in a dark part of the world. And to proclaim that gospel ourselves through actions and perhaps, the spirit will help us overcome the language barrier and share what Christ has done in our lives.

We are very nervous/anxious/scared whatever you want to call it about what awaits us on the other side of the world. Things are pretty uncertian as to what exactly we'll be doing each day, we don't speak any of the languages, we have never met the people we are living with. But God has been very faithful so far in this journey through getting the internship in the first place, raising enough money to go, and then getting the visas to us quickly with an unsigned passport. We trust Him, and this is where He leads. It is not our bravery or courage that takes us overseas (we wouldn't be going if that were the case :-), but rather its a work of Christ in our hearts that compels us to go. To have God demonstrate his power and mercy and love through us as we go to places the world doesn't know exist, to peoples who will some day be at the great wedding feast of Christ. A day we are very excited for. We greatly appreciate all of you who are praying. Here are a few specifics you could be praying for as we travel.

1. Flight Connections/Getting through customs without too much hassle
2. Meeting up with AIM AIR in Nairobi - communication and logistically
3. Connecting with MAF in Uganda
4. Health and Stamina during long plane flights and travel days


"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord."
2 Corinthians 4:3-5


"And I, when I came to you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
1 Corinthians 2:1-5

God comes through - again

We got our visas in the mail this morning! God is very faithful and allowed quick delivery of our visas. It was especially sweet because God showed his power over people and nations in that we got our visas without a problem, and we had forgotten to make sure that Emily's passport was signed! It has become more and more obvious that God is paving the way for us to go to Africa on Saturday. Thank you to so many of you who were faithfully praying. We have been greatly encouraged by many of you. We are really excited about what He is going to do in the coming months. For those interested we have posted our travel itinerary below. We have a short stayover in Nairobi to visit Africa Inland Mission which has an aviation base there. Please pray for connections and meeting up with them in a very large airport.

"If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey." Numbers 14:8


ITINERARY
SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE


KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 04OCT SPOKANE WA SEATTLE WA 1030A 1131A
KL 7112 SATURDAY SPOKANE INTL SEATTLE TACOMA
V ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: DE HAVILLAND DHC-8 400 SERIES
AS 2327 FLIGHT OPERATED BY AS ALASKA AIRLINES
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 04OCT SEATTLE WA AMSTERDAM 1255P 740A
KL 6034 SATURDAY SEATTLE TACOMA SCHIPHOL 05OCT
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-200
NW 0034 FLIGHT OPERATED BY NW NORTHWEST AIRLINES
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 05OCT AMSTERDAM NAIROBI 1015A 740P
KL 565 SUNDAY SCHIPHOL JOMO KENYATTA
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-200
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KENYA AIRWAYS 07OCT NAIROBI ENTEBBE 1255P 210P
KQ 412 TUESDAY JOMO KENYATTA
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: BOEING 737 ALL SERIES
PASSENGE
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 30NOV ENTEBBE AMSTERDAM 1055P 535A
KL 562 SUNDAY SCHIPHOL 01DEC
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-200
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 01DEC AMSTERDAM SEATTLE WA 115P 240P
KL 6033 MONDAY SCHIPHOL SEATTLE TACOMA
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-200
NW 0033 FLIGHT OPERATED BY NW NORTHWEST AIRLINES
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLI 01DEC SEATTLE WA SPOKANE WA 400P 455P
KL 8061 MONDAY SEATTLE TACOMA SPOKANE INTL
T ECONOMY AIRCRAFT: CANADAIR REGIONAL JET 700
AS 2516 FLIGHT OPERATED BY AS ALASKA AIRLINES
RESERVATION CONFIRMED

Pray for the mailman

Hey Everyone, just a quick update on the visa situation. The health deptartment would not write a letter like we asked so we are left waiting until our appointment wednesday to get our shots. We then will airmail it to headquarters in Nampa, ID and then they will send it to the Embassy to get the passport stamped and clear us to visit. It will then need to get back to us before we leave (9 days from our appointment), so please pray for fast travel and expedited time at the Embassy. We know that nothing happens outside of the complete control of a soveriegn Christ, and we are eager to see how God shows himself faithful yet once again.

"For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of th Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:26-28

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understnading, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Visa faith opportunity

Hey Everyone, just making sure this blog thing works and also to ask you to pray. We are trying to figure out visas to go to africa and we found out yesterday that we need a yellow fever shot just to get a visa. We had scheduled all our shots for next week, but that is going to be too late. there are no openings before then to get the shots done so we are going tomorrow to see if the dept of health here will issue a letter to send to get our visas stating that we are going to get the shot next week. Pray for this all to work out and for us to get our visas and also for attitudes as we get through some stressful times. Thank you all for praying.