Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this : to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. -James 1:27

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Seeds of Truth

Each Sunday, beginning around sunrise, you can hear echoes of the Saints singing. Sometimes they are soft echoes from a distance and sometimes they sound like they are gathering in your front yard because they are so loud. But they are the voices of the Father's children none the less.

In town you can find people arriving at beautifully finished brick buildings by many means: cars, motorbikes, bicycles, and on foot. 

In doing a google search I learned that the word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” 

But as you get outside the city and into the village you understand this to be true a bit more.  In the rural areas, buildings are more unique and the mode of transport is solely by foot.  But the "called-out ones" faithfully come.


I was blessed to be invited to this church in a little village about 20 minutes drive from Mbale town.  And athough the walls and roof were made of papyrus mats and the chairs and benches were carried in from the members' houses, and although this church building did not look like much from the outside, once you entered you were with "the assembly." God's chosen people who are dearly beloved by Him. And the celebration of His unfailing love was great in this place.





For this gathering of new believers, they were hungry for the seeds of Truth. And I was blessed not only to have been a part of that day, but was given the opportunity to share what the Lord has been teaching me (soon to come in another blog post).


And sitting under a mat roof, with beams of sunlight shining through (and prayers for the rain to be held back) it is hard not to be drawn back to the basics. An open heart, willing to meet with the Lord, is what matters. 


Jerad encouraged us to walk with God. 




"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." 
(Matthew 6:33)



"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)



Oh Lord, let these seeds of Truth have been sown on fertile ground.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Fatuma and Siraji visit my Home in Austin, Texas

One of the highlights of my time in Texas was getting to spend a few days with Fatuma and Siraji in Austin, at my parent's house. For years they have graciously hosted me in their home in Uganda; it was nice to return the gesture.


We had a wonderful fun filled couple of days.  Here are the highlights in photos.
Austin, Texas
Hike and Bike trail
A jumping dog drinking out of the shower

A huge thanks to TbarM Camps for inviting us to come for the morning and play on the ropes course.



I love volunteering at Angel House soup kitchen when I have free time in Austin. They have been a great encouragement to me and were eager to meet some of the children who I talk so much about.

The kids enjoyed seeing how creative God is, even under the ground at Inner Space Caverns.



I feel very blessed that Janece has been able to come to Uganda to visit me and my friends at LCH twice. But it was a great delight to have my Dad meet these kids and see them interact together.

And we had fun just being around the house.



Target practice with the bebe gun. Fatuma was practicing her best stance :)
And in case you were wondering, we were all pretty bad shots.


One of my best memories is seeing the big smile on my Dad's face when Fatuma told him, "Papa Paul, everything you make to eat I just love!"

The Lord is so good for giving us these great memories together.