One Step at a Time

Monday, August 27, 2012

Uganda...a Piece of Heaven!

We absolutely loved our trip to Uganda! It is my favorite place to visit, and truly feels like home when I am there! It was so good to see friends we love so dearly, revisit precious churches, and see the The Met church property (Elevare' and Mashah) again! So much work has been done, and it looks absolutely beautiful! The children and adults of Uganda have a very special place in my heart!

We met the team from The Met on Saturday, and drove by bus from Entebbe, through Kampala, to Jinja, where we stayed at Sergios! What a wonderful hotel! The grounds were beautiful, the service great, and the food delicious! I was counting on losing weight in Africa...not so much! Ha! After arriving, we went to Mashah, the orphanage, and met the sixteen children that live there! They were precious, and their smiles beautiful!

On Sunday, we went to church! Larry and I went "quickly", and that is a relative word in Africa :), to Pastor Zachariah's church, then also attended Pastor Mathias' church! I LOVE worshipping and praising our Lord in Africa! There is nothing like it! I find myself closing my eyes just to hear the beautiful worship and language. It is such a time of total surrender and focus on praise! I cannot express the closeness to God I feel when I am in Uganda, especially in church!

That evening, we celebrated at the orphanage with a birthday party for all if the children! What a fantastic idea! (thank you, Terri!) I'm not sure who enjoyed it more...the children or the missions team! There was singing, dancing, party hats, party favors, gifts, cake, drinks, AND most importantly, happy children! Just like any other birthday party, right?

On Monday and Tuesday, we worked at Evangel Church, painting the outside of the church, and building a fence. It was such a blessing to work alongside Ugandan church members, laugh with them, and get to know them better. The fence was built to completely encircle the church property. We painted a primer, then TWO different top coats! I must admit I questioned Mathias' wisdom in challenging us with two colors...but it turned out beautifully! When we were there two years ago, we met church members on Sunday, but to work alongside brothers and sisters in Christ was such a blessing. I was covered from head to toe in paint, and was very tired physically both evenings! It was so awesome to see the progress, and see the beautiful end result!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we visited a total of eight schools, and held two children's festivals at Elevare'. The format was the same at each school and festival. K-Krew, an African music group, and the youth group from Evangel Church would begin with singing with the children. We all said what a boring group we would be without these young people! They would worship and praise God, and JUMP for Jesus! When they were done, our part was easy! Our group would then do a craft, and recreation with the children. The ones in charge of planning these activities did a fantastic job, picking activities that were both meaningful and doable! The parachute was a huge hit!!! Members of the group would also present the gospel and testimonies. It is estimated 3,000 children attended, and 350 decisions to accept Jesus were made!

During one of these school visits, I had the most amazing experience! I remembered a little girl from our trip two years ago to Uganda. She had the saddest eyes, and came to the medical clinic at Elevare' both days. She sang with me, and read the two books I took with me over and over! I have prayed especially for her for two years. When we made plans to go this year, I talked to God a bit, and said, "I know there are many children in Uganda, Lord, but it would really confirm our service there if I could see that sweet girl again." As best I could understand, her name was, "a bire." in Uganda, they put their last name or significant name first. Anyway, at one of the schools, a young girl came up to me and said, "You are Beth!" It was her!!! Her name is Beth Babiere! She wanted to know where my Jesus books were that told about Him doing miracles like walking on the water, and feeding the 5,000 with the two loaves and five fish! Well, needless to say, we had a wonderful visit, and I told her my tears were happy tears!

On Saturday, we enjoyed the Nile River, and took a jet boat ride on the river! I said it was like dune bashing in the desert, only on water! :)

Larry and I were so blessed to be able to stay an extra day! We spent time with Mathias and his wife, Frances, spending the night with them! What an honor and blessing! We are so thankful to call them dear friends! What a testimony of faith they, and their four children are! On Sunday, we attended "part" of church and Mathias and Frances took us to the airport.

We had such a precious, precious time in Uganda! The team from The Met was such a blessing. It was so good to be with them. There are moments in my life when I truly feel like I am exactly where God wants me to be! It truly feels like Heaven, for I cannot imagine Heaven being any better than these moments! I am so thankful for these times! And as always, I find that, God leads through these moments as well, One Step at a Time...

Roadside Market

Picture taken from the Bus

I LOVE this picture!

Gorgeous Smile!

Pastor Mathias' family...minus Jr!

Precious!

The Whole Crew: Children, Mamas, Pastors, Missions Team!
Taken at the Birthday Party

"It's Your Birthday!"

DJ Brian!

One of the sweet ladies who came to the church while we were working.

I wish I was even a little bit this flexible!!!

Building the fence!

Painting!

Many times people living close would come when we were at the schools.
This lady and her sweet baby walked over while we were at our first school.

Larry praying with one of the students.

My sweet friend and her sister!

What kid doesn't like a parachute???

One of the classrooms!

I took this picture while we were walking up to one of the schools.

The plants (AND KIDS) are beautiful in Uganda!

Children running in to Elevare' for the Children's Festival!

Sometimes it's really hard to stay awake!

The finished product!
Church Members stayed up late Saturday night to finish the church sign!

Children's Church

"Lady of the Night", this plant opens and smells heavenly at night!

Nile Rive

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things...

We have been in Dubai one year! So, we thought it was a good time to celebrate! Larry and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and it was WONDERFUL! There are so many restaurants here, and every kind of food! There are many American restaurants, some are just like at home...some not so much! Anyway, there are so many things about Dubai that we like, and I want to celebrate those as our first year draws to a close.

One of our favorite things to do is walk down the walkway! We love seeing all the different people! There are many nationalities, and huge variations of dress! I love just listening to all of the languages you hear as you walk along. I STILL cannot tell by "looking" what nationality a person is, or what language they will speak!

I have really enjoyed the Gulf, and the beach. The weather is hot, but I like the sun, and would much rather be hot than cold. The views from our apartment are so fun, with the marina on one side, and the Persian Gulf on the other. The tall, tall buildings are all around us. The way the apartment is situated, you can see through nice windows on all but one side...the elevator side! I also enjoy sitting on the patio. We "inherited" plants with the apartment and have managed to keep them alive! The plants and small pool make the patio so relaxing!

Our lifestyle has changed completely here in Dubai! It is not a change I would want permanently, but one that has been fun! We have no car!!! We walk, or take public transportation everywhere we go. Most of the time, it works perfectly! Larry takes a taxi to work, and the metro home. I use the metro, buses, and taxis. And...we WALK! ALOT!!! We begin our day with a walk around 6:15-7:15. It is so nice for Larry to have the time to walk in the morning. He leaves for work when he is in Dubai around 8:00. Two weeks each month, he is in Iraq. Not fun for me, but it is where the work is. He has had some very unique experiences in Iraq...and really enjoys working with the people there.

We have made some wonderful friends, and have enjoyed learning about different cultures through them. Having been here a year though, I have already begun to lose friends here! Life is very transient, so people are coming and going! Thank goodness for FaceBook and email so that we can stay in touch! We are so blessed to have a wonderful church and church family as well. God is good!

As we enter our second year, we are so blessed! Summer here tends to be a mass exodus during the extreme heat, Ramadan, and trips "back home" to see families. But, we are looking forward to the fall! I have begun teaching ESL to a precious group of Ethiopian ladies, and will continue in the fall. I will also continue teaching 5/6 year olds at church. Of course, I will love that! Larry works with the HUG (Hospitality, Ushers, Greeters) at church, and will continue that as well!

But first, we have big summer plans! We'll be going with The Met in Houston (our home church) on a return trip to see our friends in Uganda in July. Then, home in August...to Houston to visit friends and West Texas to see our parents. We are planning a 90th birthday party for my mom...how fun! Finally, we'll visit our kids and friends in New Braunfels before returning to Dubai.

It has been a fantastic year of adventure! We are so thankful God has led, and continues to lead, One Step at a Time!

"Our Town"

The Walkway!

Home Sweet Home

Our hotel is 20 stories high...it is the SMALL one in the picture.
It gives a good perspective of how tall most buildings are!

We are on the top left of the building!

"My" chair!

A picture of the patio taken from inside the apartment.

Taxis!

This is one of the metro stations, with the train leaving the station.

The Burj Khalifa on a very clear day!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Amsterdam...Canals, Windmills, Bicycles, Tulips...Wonderful!

Wow! Each time we take a trip, I think "This was the BEST trip!" then, the next one is even better! We had an awesome time! God paved the way with surprises and fun more than we could have imagined. We had no idea when we booked our tickets that we would be arriving on Queen's Day, a huge national holiday in The Netherlands. There were people everywhere, and it was a sea of orange! The canal, the park, the streets were full of people! Everyone was so friendly, and just having a great time, but not offensively like I was afraid it would be! Perfect!

The next day we went to Anne Frank's Hiding Place! To imagine two families hiding in the close quarters of an attic, having to be quiet while people worked in the same building, never going outside...how were they able to endure? I honestly don't know! That afternoon, we went to Keukenhof Gardens! Oh my goodness, the tulips and the garden itself were BEAUTIFUL!!! God's creation was definitely showing off! It is a 30+ acre garden with several inside displays, plus tulips, hyacinth, and other "beauty" outside. There are literally fields of tulip crops, just like fields of cotton where we grew up! From the air, while we were landing, we saw huge "flags" on the ground of color...they were tulip fields!!!

Our trip to Brugge, Belgium was wonderful too! It was a three hour drive on a tour bus there and back, but we were able to see the countryside, which was so pretty! It reminded us of Upstate New York. Brugge is a town that has beautiful old buildings, lovely canals, delicious CHOCOLATE, and gorgeous Belgium lace! It was a great side trip!

Our last day was my favorite I think. I'm not sure...it's hard to top the tulips! We went to the Van Gogh Art Museum to begin our day. They have a large collection of pieces by Van Gogh. What a very talented man! He was always one of Ben's favorites. And, Larry really enjoys art museums as well. It's fun seeing things you think your children would enjoy...like the museum for Ben, the tulips for Emily, the market for David, and Queen's Day for Luke! They would have all loved this trip!

Then, the rest of the day, we just enjoyed the city! We took a canal ride, walked through the Red Light District, and enjoyed a park. For dinner, we met the sister of a friend from Dubai! We enjoyed so much visiting with her and her husband...hearing how it is to live in Amsterdam, and enjoying a "brown" cafe. So fun!

The next morning before we left, we went to a market! Another unplanned surprise that was the BEST! It was the perfect end to our trip!

There were hundreds (at least) of bicycles! The traffic was crazy! At times when we were walking, we had to watch for the tram, taxis/cars, bicycles, busses...all moving in different directions on different paths!

We are so thankful to have been able to go to Amsterdam! God had such nice surprises in store for us, and guided us One Step at a Time!