Hanging off the Cliff!

The work here continues in Uganda. The team just spent a few days of respite away. It has been a month now since I arrived. Wow! I am amazed and in Awe of how God's creation speaks of His Glory, Power, and Honor. I am blown away at times. We where in a place nestled in the mountains of Uganda close to the Kenya border where we could hear a rushing water fall as
we slept! There is no electricity and the path at night is lit by lanterns. The sky is brilliant
and full of stars, even shooting stars. It is another world away from our daily visions in
Uganda.
Many of us decided to de-stress a little while repelling off a 333 foot cliff next to the waterfall. Repelling down the mountain was exhilarating! As I repelled down the mountain I was doing great at first, giggling with nervous anticipation and excitement. As I continued to go down it became harder and harder. The longer I went the further the end seemed to be. My arms were tired and I had begun to get rope burn. I never feared for my life but was overwhelmed at the task at hand. At the end they yelled out, "just letgo!" What I feeling of freedom as I let go and was carried by the rope controlled by our teachers. I flew back and released all of my stress and felt such freedom. I flew with joy as I let go.
After this experience it seems the Lord taught us all different lessons. Later that day I realized what a picture in my own life this was. It is so easy here to become overwhelmed with the task at hand. It is easy to tire as you look at how much further there is to go and how much more to do. There is so much work to do, so many needs to meet, so many people to reach. The task is scary just as the cliff is. It is overwhelming at times, just as the task to make it to the bottom of the cliff was, so is the work in Uganda. It is at this point as well as all other points I am to abide in Him. I was reminded He is my life line. He is in control. He has me. Apart from Him I can bear no fruit. I have tried to abide in Him and asked for help in abiding in him. He gave me a vivid picture illustration. I must abide in Him and just let go. It has refreshed me and helped me to picture active abiding. I have already struggled and been able to visualize the red rope holding me. I can accomplish the task He has for me by Him. I can run the race because of Him. I
can do all things through His strength. I can let go! This is not easy but I know
He is in control.
After the treck down we were rewarded at the bottom by a swim in the pool of water. How mighty and powerful God is! The waterfall is overwhelming and invokes wonder and awe of God. As I came closer to the waterfall I felt I was facing a hurricane due to the strength of the water. Even from a distance you could feel how vast and overpowering the water was. There was constant rain and wind pushing you as it fell from the great heights. Our God is mighty. His creation is vast and great! He is all powerful, all knowing, and ever present.
Becky
John 15: 5 "I am the true vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me He can do nothing."
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble."
Hebrews 11: 3 "By faith we understood that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

Hey! This is how we keep things together. We love our only only surf that has made us be what we are in the field now. It played abig roll from the beginnig of survew in areas of work. That is why I Jackson is trying to make the indicators fixed by using the medical tape.

Some day it will be a memory from where we started.

This also tells that, no matter what happen to disrups your work. Always stand and fight the devil from any.

For the sake of the people in pain both spiritualy and bodly in the camps, We will always be there throught Gods call. We love you all. Try to think how much you have done for the lord since you knew him.

God bless all.

My name is Javan Larem. I missed my dad during day light. I don't regret becuase i know he is working hard for the lord and to bring back the peace of the hearts of my brothers and sisters in the camps. I love them so much that one day when i grow up, I will put a hand too. God bless GRI.

This is how i have fun when he is gone. Mum tells me to be careful with the fun. I love you dad.

Psalm 46:1

Obanga en aye ka-ponowa, kede teko wa... Jabuli 46:1 (In Langi, the local language)
"God is our refuge and strength"

Walter demonstrated his amazing creativity by painting this on our office wall. It looks great and will be a reminder to us daily of our theme verse here at GRI.

Come visit soon!

Shaunessy

PARTY like it's 1999!

Okay, so I am going crazy today with pictures, but I just found a way to load them and I actually have a good internet connection. YEAH! Monday was Jaden's birthday, the big 25, so we had a surprise party for him, and he was actually suprised. We had all of our staff here in Lira and even some traveled in from the camps. We had a blast! Shaunessy

WHOA!

I just had to share with you all how completely honored I was a few weeks ago to know that one of my friends in a camp had a baby girl and named her Shaunessy. AAAAHHHH!! A few of us traveled to the camp for the naming ceremony. It was amazing; dancing and singing by a children's choir from another camp, praising God and eating alot of great food. I just hope that someday she will be able to actually spell and pronounce her name correctly! She is so beautiful!

Shaunessy

The truth shall set you free...

There is no way to describe what a beautiful morning it is here in Uganda! It is burning up already but we are praising God for the cool breeze. The trees are starting to bloom, the grass is becoming green again and Becky, Corrie and I have been digging in our soon-to-be garden. Anyway I know that is hard for many of you freezing in a snow drift in Colorado to believe. Hope you all are doing well!

Just a quick request...I would greatly appreciate your prayers the next two weeks. After many months of research, meetings, more research and more meetings, we are beginning some HIV and syphillis testing in the camps these next 2 weeks. We are praying that many will come and agree to be tested, husbands will agree to come and get tested also, and that we will be able to get access to the drugs we need to help if they test positive. There hasn't been any testing thus far in the areas we are working, so everyone is just guessing as to what the rates are. I am so tired of guessing and assuming. I just want to know the truth. In some sense I believe the truth will set me free; free from guessing and free to help in the best way! Thanks for caring and praying!

Shaunessy

Many opportunities

I have been here over a week but how full it has been. We are working on several different projects. We have many opportunities to focus on educating and empowering those who want to help their families and people.
This past Wednesday we were able to go into the camps to provide a clinic for mother and babies under three to teach them how they can improve their health. For the first teaching it went well and the women really opened up to some of our questions. It was a very intimate meeting under a tree, next to hollering cows, and children sneaking listens as they walked by.
In the midst of this we continue to work on the HIV program. There are many things to continue to work on and research to figure things out. Hopefully we will be putting some things into action within the next week or so.
We are also focusing on helping equip those that are involved in the health of the camps. This past Friday there was a training session for our medical assistants. They were so very attentive during the day long training session. Wow, how proud they were and hopeful to use this teaching to help their people. We have also been working on meeting with the traditional birthing assistants (TBA's) in the camps. Today we met with many of them to continue to find out their learning needs as well as their supply needs. We will be having a training session next Saturday in which TBA’s from all five camps will be coming to. Those we talked to today are so excited to take part in this training. They are so eager to learn.
In addition to this the Priceless program continues to grow strong. Bethany and MariAnne have done so much work with these precious girls! Pastor Walter has been going door to door to visit with many of the people and this Friday had an "open air" where he provided a church service with a generator to the people in Alibi camp. We had some that came to receive Christ! Praise God and Glory to Him!
Some personal lessons and experiences....dirt, dirt, dirt, a blessing of cool days and rain in the middle of the dry hot rainy season, budding flowers, never ever take mefloquine, God is everywhere, even in the darkness, He is omnipresent.

Becky

He Paid the Price

Our first group of Priceless Girls was recognized in an awards ceremony 2 weeks ago for completing the abstinence course and committing to abstain. We were all so blessed to witness the girl’s excitement at completing the course and being a part of something that could heal their country. – They were absolutely beaming!

The ceremony was carried out in the traditional, formal Ugandan style, so much so that I was actually nervous when it was my turn to speak! But Shaunessy was our honored guest speaker, and the girls felt special to receive such a high congratulations. The parents who attended were also thanked for their support of their daughters and challenged to support the girls in their decisions to abstain.

After stressing that the choice to abstain was a personal decision that only they themselves could make, each girl chose to sign a pledge card to remain pure from this day forward until marriage. Praise God! They now fully understand the importance of their actions and how it affects themselves, their community, and their relationships with God, and they all chose to take that important step of faith and believe God for their future.

We also had each write out a prayer request so that we and all our supporters back home could pray for them more specifically. Bonny, who has been my translator, told the girls that God was right there inside the prayer box, just waiting for their prayers so he could answer them. So each girl wrote a direct prayer to God and after having them translated, the prayers went straight to my heart. God hears their cries and all the other prayers on their behalf. The following are a few specific prayers from some of my girls. I thought this might help to personalize the girls that I know some of you are so diligently praying for.

"God I thank you for protecting me up to today and I ask you to continue protecting me at all times…God I thank you for making me an orphan. God I request you to just continue to keep me because it is you who took away my father because you saw that it was good to do like that. So God, it is you who will continue to protect me, to keep me…" - Jillian

"…God I thank you for giving me life. My God I beg you to do this for me. Help me not to have the desires for sex in my life until the right time that you have appointed for me…" - Sarah

"God forgive me. I want to be saved." – Babyra

"... I ask you to help those who are sick. Inject them with a syringe that comes from heaven. Stretch your hand that is so forgiving and allow them to get healed so that they may come back to the church and worship you. I ask you with faith and trust in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen." – Gloria

On Tuesday, Bethany and I were able to go to Opeta and deliver the white PRICELESS bracelets to all the girls who committed. We drove to the schools and walked through the bush to their homes and were blessed to witness the excitement and pride on their faces as we put the bracelets on their wrists. The bracelets are so bright and bold against their dark skin and surely will evoke many questions from the community on the meaning of the bracelet.
Please pray that they will teach and testify to their community, and also continue praying for the girls' safety and their convictions and courage to make the right choice. We will be seeing the girls frequently to encourage and mentor them.

We are having a teacher training next week in Otwal. Once the training is complete, the teachers will begin a session in Opeta while we begin teaching another group of students in Otwal with some of the future teachers observing. Three of the older girls in Bethany's class came forward and want to be trained as teachers. This is our hope - that the girls who are trained will want to spread the word and train others, and that the choice to follow Jesus will spread like wildfire.
Thanks to everyone for your tremendous support and for serving our Lord.

-MariAnne