Adventures With Seth...

I am such a big boy now. I turned four! Soon I will be five and ready for school. I keep telling dad that I want to be big like him and that one day I will be a dad too. There is so much to tell but two exciting things that has happened recently is that a team from dad’s old school came to our house to stay for a while and I got to go with dad on a safari with them. Us guys went and Jodie stayed home with mom… It was a long trip and we even stayed a night and saw lots of animals. Wild ones like giraffes, water buffalos, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, baboons and many other cool things. Then not too long after we got back dad had some time off from school and we built a ladder for Jodie and my bunk bed. We used lots of tools so I had my tool belt from grandpa Mike on. The ladder works great and now even Jodie can come for a visit on my top bunk. Until next time see you later and before you know it I will be turning five and also have a new little baby sister or brother.
Quote of the month: While driving by a row of electric poles along the side of the road Seth says: ‘Is that a clothes line for God?’

Adventures With Mark...

In many ways it seems like we have been gone for a while already from North America and yet it seems like just yesterday that Uncle John dropped us at the airport with our 16 bags and carry ons. It has been very crazy since we have returned with school very busy and lots to catch up on. We had a team from my old school in Abbotsford, MEI with 12 fabulous students some of whom were my former students. That was very fun and rewarding to see these young people most of whom I had not seen since grade six. It was great to see these young adults come alongside the students here in Uganda and bless them with love and different activities. Yes, I would admit that as an educator it is the biggest reason we do what we do or perhaps I should say that it is the biggest reason I do what I do. To see lives changed and that zeal for life and helping others that young people bring is so exciting. Seeing and working with young people from Canada and Uganda has also helped me focus on my own little family as they continue to grow up. I am trying hard and enjoying every minute spent with Seth and Jodie. God has blessed me with two, soon to be three great kids and fantastic students at our school and young adults from MEI that I can be proud of. Continue to make a difference wherever you are placed…

Adventures With The Williams Four!

Wow, what a busy but good two months we have had back in North America’s winter wonderland.
Our winter fun began with a bang as we landed in Vancouver on the 22nd of November to be greeted by the coldest weekend for that time in November in the past 55 years. Yes we all had a severe shock but thanks to my buddy John and his nice warm pick up service from the airport in his silver bullet Dodge Ram we managed.
After some unpacking and repacking we zoomed off on a night flight a few days later to Minnesota. Some of the many highlights included time with mom and dad Carpenter where Seth got his tool set and put it into action to build a bird feeder with grandpa Mike. A snow storm added to our fun as tunnels where built with Uncle Kenny and a big mound of snow was used as a slide with cousin Alaina. A highlight for Mark was taking the kids skating for the first time. The rink was empty except for us as it was a school day and no one around. Then one of Mark’s dreams came true…he was given permission to drive the zomboni around the rink! He of course put the kids on too and then went too far by singing Oh Canada at the top of his lungs in the heart of MN, USA while cruising around the rink. He will never forget it! Thank you Josh for making that happen! What a memory!
As a family we also enjoyed catching up with the Carpenter side of the family and our trip to the center of MN – International Falls. Seth even remembered Grandpa Bob and Grandma Dori’s house from two years ago when Jodie was born. He also created some new memories sledding with his big cousin Mason and wishes he could join him at McDonalds for another fun meal. Everyday Seth and Jodie checked on Smokey the Bear to make sure he was not sleeping. We miss you Grandma Dori & Grandpa Bob!
After a cold and snowy visit in the US we had some time chasing more snow around the Canadian prairies. A highlight was Christmas with mom and dad Williams and enjoying all the trimmings and partaking of too much good food. Grandpa enjoyed making ice cream with Seth and Jodie who sampled the homemade treat a few times before it made its way to the table. Not sure if Seth and Jodie enjoyed it more than grandpa. Jodie’s highlight was some New Years time in Canmore with her good cousin Ellie of two years. They are only two weeks apart in age and they were in their own little world as cousins.
Five days were spent together with the entire Dan and Winnie Williams tribe in Canmore – 8 adults and nine grandchildren to be exact. Sarah and Mark enjoyed a quick visit over New Years with good friends from the old Lethbridge gang who journeyed from different parts of Alberta. As fate would have it once a trip to Saskatchewan was under way the surprising warm weather stopped for another burst of Canadian winter. Edson Baptist Church, good friends and family were visited along the way with 92 year old grandma Clara being the highlight. She is still going strong and prays for us twice a day. Please keep the prayers coming grandma! Mark also enjoyed a few hockey games watching his Calgary Flames live at the Saddledome – thanks Shannon W. and Jeff for making this happen. After a trek across the mountains toward Vancouver and a good visit with relatives in Kelowna on the way we are ready for the final leg of our trip. We hope to see many more friends and family in the Lower Mainland.

Overall it has been a very busy and special time. Sometimes it has been challenging for us as a family and especially for Seth and Jodie. They’ve been sick a few times and their schedules have been topsy turvy. But what an amazing trip! People have opened up their homes, let us use cars and helped fill up our tummies and gas tanks from one place to another. The support of us personally and also our work with the African Children’s Choir has been amazing. We only hope that one day we can return the blessing of hospitality and generosity to so many people who have shown God’s love to us. Thanks Phil and Shannon for letting use your car along the Canadian part of this journey. If it were possible we would love to return the love to all of you when you visit us in Uganda. But we know we can ‘pay it forward’ by being generous with those we know in Uganda and blessing those God gives us. Thank you all for being the part of the Body of Christ that He has assigned you to be. We’ve had precious times of fellowship and encouragement with so many of you as we realize we face such similar things and serve the same great God!

African Adventures With Mark!

Greetings from Uganda! Wow, it feels like a lot has happened since our last newsletter. I will just share a few tidbits of things here in Uganda. The biggest change for us has been a move from congested, polluted Kampala to out in the country, a five minute walk from the school. I love it as I don’t have to use the car and the five minute walk in the morning is good for me and allows an extra 45 minutes to sleep in. I can be home by six for supper with the kids and have my head cleared before I walk in the door. The area is pasture like with gravel roads and small village houses scattered along the bumpy path.
Our grade seven class has just finished their national exams as their elementary school years have come to an end. The 28 members wrote their national exams that are very comparable to grade twelve exams back home as far as stress goes. These four exams over two days decides their entire mark for the year and ultimately decides if they will enter a good secondary school and then have a chance to go to university. After the exams we took them to Jinja, the source of the Nile River and did some ministry to two orphanages and also saw some national sights of interest. It was fun for me to see how much they have grown as individuals and yet hard knowing the difficulties they face ahead during their three month extended holiday before beginning secondary. Their home lives are difficult. The Saturday morning they were leaving they came to my office one at a time for a final goodbye, a new Bible and a big hug amongst tears as they left and made their way out of the school gate and onto life. Not only was it hard for the students but myself as well as I had guardians kneeling down in my office crying for gratefulness. For example one guardian wept saying before The African Children’s Choir took her child there was no hope of the child completing even grade two as the parents had died and the aunt had already several children to feed and care for. Another P7 student was going home to her final parent on his death bed… still others were leaving their primary school years to lead homes where they would have to grow the food, gather it, and prepare it; Only to leave for their secondary education with the weight of home on their minds. Not easy situations. But after this difficult day of sending them off, on my five minute walk home I had a quiet peace that these students would be okay and that God was looking out for them and my part as training them for life almost as a parent had come to an end.
Once arriving at home I couldn’t help but think how fortunate my two children are to not only have two parents but a home where they are loved and taken care of. Seth and Jodie love our new place as God allowed us to move into a bigger house with a much larger yard for a much lower price. The biggest event for Seth was that one of our four kittens and in fact his favorite “Petre” died of pneumonia last week. Jodie and Seth decided that two of the kittens needed a bath in the washing basin outside that was being used for washing clothes by hand. Too many dunks and wash water in his lungs it turns out. He seemed okay at first but five days after his ‘baptism’ the poor kitten became very obviously sick and a visit to the vet couldn’t save him. Dad was busy at work so Seth went along with mom and said goodbye to his little cat. Later that day we buried the little guy under the tree and Mr. Seth put some of his favorite rocks over the spot. He handled his first experience with death very well and to be honest dad probably had a harder time as I have seen too much death in the families of our students at the school, and recently abandoned puppies starving to death or people struck by cars and dead or dying on the side of the road. Yes, we still pray for safety and health on a daily basis for our family.
It is hard to believe that since coming to Uganda about five and a half years ago we have had two additions to our family and so much has been seen and learned. After much prayer and debate about staying here longer we have come to a conclusion about our future for the next period in our lives. It is hard to believe that Seth is three and will turn four in April of next year. With him in mind and other things we have decided to only accept an extension to our contract that would take us into 2012. If we desired there is a clause that could bring it to an end sooner. This was a difficult decision as we miss family and friends greatly back home but feel that God has not ended this chapter in our lives yet. I know that for some of you this is not exactly what you were hoping for. Yes, there may be the odd few of you Oiler or Canuck fans that think the farther away I am the better.
Needless to say that if you ever wanted to come for a visit and see our ministry here in Uganda it would most likely be best if you came before Christmas of 2012. We have appreciated the numerous people who have encouraged us along this path and have supported us financially as I’ve worked at the school; and so many of you have covered us with a much needed shield of prayer. I believe that God has allowed us to be fruitful in our relationships and display effective leadership at the school with students and staff. Until God moves us in a different direction we would be blessed by your continued support. If you have a desire to continue or begin to sow along with us into the lives of these students please let us know as this financial support makes this ministry possible.
We appreciate your friendships more than anything! Please know that we pray for you and think of you so often. We hope to see you when we’re home!
God bless, Mark

African Adventures With Sarah!

Man, I don’t remember the last time I’ve written a newsletter! Maybe it hasn’t been so long ago but it feels like it.
Perhaps because we’ve moved house just three weeks ago I feel like so much has happened. I am very happy in our new home (just a six minute WALK for Mark to the school instead of a 45 minute drive one way in nasty dangerous traffic). God provided us with a big, cheaper, farm style home that our children love and I am getting used to. At the end of every day we are all filthy dirty with country dirt and it reminds me of my childhood growing up on a farm in Minnesota. We feel very blessed to be here and are thankful for God’s provision.
It’s been strange… I very much did not want to move from where we were. Mostly because of our large circle of friends there who kept me and the kids from being lonely and bored with the mundane. Our friendships with families of children our kids’ ages in the past two years have blossomed into encouraging, stimulating, real fun! It’s been such a blessing. So a 45 minute move down a crazy road that doesn’t invite travel felt like loneliness coming on. But God is amazing… after we decided to move there was a shift in my heart and I felt very settled and even more ready than before to stay in Uganda as long as God wills.
In fact I have been inspired in the past year and a half by a life changing experience that has made me wonder exactly what God is thinking. I don’t remember how much I’ve shared with you about this because it has been a bit dangerous but August 2009 God appointed me, with the support of Mark to take a 14 year old girl out of a deadly situation. This young girl, Hope (whose name has been changed to protect her identity) has since then delivered and is raising a healthy baby boy who is about to make one year old. She has absolutely zero family support as she was abducted into this country by her step sister and her husband as a child slave at the age of ten. So obviously I have felt the weight of her future very heavily since feeling called to intervene for her. (The story about that is amazing, by the way…I can tell you, God has a plan for this girl and her baby, no doubt!!)
Throughout the legal processes and hours of thought and prayer and networking that I’ve been doing with others about this girl’s future, I have discovered that there is nothing within Uganda to offer this girl as far as education or a training program that will equip her, as a teen age mother, to eventually get a job and at the same time, support her and teach her how to raise her child. This would include offering child care since she has no family support. Her options are staggeringly hopeless. The chances that she and her son would be any more than beggars and abused are slim to none. Amidst my research and new-found awareness, I’ve learned that there are vast numbers of such girls in very similar situations within Kampala (most of them from Congo and mothers because of rape - at the moment these girls are on the street).
Anyway, through all of this networking, God has put in my path some highly motivated individuals with the right connections to do something about it. The timing of some of these encounters that I’ve had with caring, equipped individuals is partly what has made me take notice.
Along the way another friend and I have managed to put together the outline of a program that would meet the needs of these girls and their babies. I also bumped into a woman who can access a national alternative education program from the UK for un-wed mothers dropping out of high school. The directors of this program have agreed to release it to us here in Uganda to be tailored for the needs of the girls in Africa and they would actually redesign their materials with our help with the aim of making it available to all of Africa! All they’ve requested is that we find the funding. This is amazing!!!!!
Something in me believes that these individuals have been put together for a purpose that is now. And the core of my passion about this comes from knowing one situation very intimately… looking in Hope’s huge terrified eyes, as she was hiding from her abusers promising her that I would do everything I could to keep her safe and that I knew God had a plan for her.
I don’t know what will be the outcome or timing of this, but I’m telling you all of this so you can pray with us about it. Along the way Mark has been listening to my fiery ‘sermons’ and outrage about the way things are and has listened as I’ve gotten carried away with the possibilities of what God might be doing through all the people I’ve met with passion for this like I have. And mostly he just nods. But recently he’s been asking me how serious I am about this and has been wondering out loud if God wants us to do something about this…. To actually spearhead a mission to give opportunity to young girls whose lives have been desperately sad up till now and are on course to get worse.
If you have any comments or feedback on this can you please send it our way? We’re really asking God if this is something we should do. And if we were to do it, we’d have to have people from ‘outside’ behind it. We have small ways to generate income here, but it’s not enough to kick off and sustain something like this. Sometimes I think, ‘Oh great. Just what Africa needs... another bunch of do-gooders pouring money into a hole that never gets full.’ But I tell you, I know of these girls now… I’ve seen the ‘yucky’ of their lives. It’s miserable. I can’t let this go by without stepping forward and saying, ‘God, here I am. What do you want me to do?’ If He wants to do something with this He WILL! And He will use lots of us to do it. Thoughts please!!??
That’s about all I have room for in this letter. Sorry I’ve not brought much news from the kids. They are in heaven here on the ‘farm’. After our furlough I’m pretty sure we’ll be adding some animals to the area so the kids can learn about chores, gathering eggs, and such.
We plan to see as many of you as possible when we’re home! And my good husband has promised proper internet when we get back to Uganda… it’s now available in new, more reliable forms!!! So I’m looking forward to re-connecting with you and staying a little better connected!
Lots of love, Sarah

Adventures With Mark... Joy & Sadness!

This is one of those catch up newsletters that brings both joyful and disappointing news. As many of you know the school is still under construction almost three years after it was started in January of 2008. We had local inspectors out last week looking around as we are working on registering the school and they were very impressed. They consider the new facility a first class school and one of the best in Uganda. This is exciting news as we are becoming well known in our new community for many other reasons as well. Just last month we had an organization called “Libraries of Love” that is based out of the US came and give us 500 books to add to our library collection. Not only did they add these to our collection of about 9000 books but they provided the money to build built-in book shelves along one complete wall and added some paint. Thank you Trudy for adding us to your list of the ever - increasing amount of libraries you have set up in Uganda.
Later in the week we had some secondary school graduates come and with awe stated that our library is better than their high school library. We know that many of you have helped along the way with adding books to this amazing collection and we want to thank you so much. God has multiplied what was a library of about 100 books seven years ago to now one of the best if not the best elementary libraries for all of Uganda. The greatest thing is that our students love their new library and are excited every week to come and read. There are tables in the library for a complete class to come and enjoy themselves for a full hour.
Unfortunately we are feeling the effects of the financial difficulties in the west more than ever and beginning September 15 the building project will come to a halt and the school will be used as it is until more money is raised. We have made excellent progress but still lack funds for painting of the exterior and interior of most buildings, plastering of the school block, completing the access road, landscaping, completing the playground area and other things. We will slowly try to add a few things out of our school operational budget hopefully like flagpoles and other odds and ends. I wish God’s plans were a little different but such is life, but we are very grateful for what has been done so far.
I want to close with a special thanks to a good buddy of mine who made his way to Uganda for a few days with us before he flew to South Africa on some school business. “Buster” it was great to have you and your support in all areas has been awesome. It was a highlight of the year to have you come and see a little bit of our life here. Like my good buddy, many of you support us in so many ways and we are truly grateful for that. I wish we could do more to repay the favor but at the moment the best we can do is pay it forward and pass all the love and generosity onto the students we interact with who are not so blessed. Thanks for loving us and please keep us in your prayers. God bless…

Adventures With Sarah... Seth & Jodie!

Quotes and common phrases heard around our house from the kids:
Jodie to Seth while dancing in front of the TV with her dance videos: ‘Hey! Hey! Do dis!’
Jodie while running away from a scary monster or crocodile (usually daddy), ‘Na-nana Boo-Boo!’
After several months of being plagued with stomach afflictions mommy says to Seth during a bathroom break, ‘So do you have any owies in your tummy today?’ Seth replies matter of factly, ‘Nope. Just bugs’
Jodie while toting a little purse on her shoulder: ‘I want some money. I put it in my person’
Jodie while watching mom put on her make-up: ‘I want some wake-up too, mom’.
Jodie when having a hard time climbing into her car seat: ‘Ooh. I need new batteries’
Seth while half sleeping after being awakened from his nap: Mommy lays him on the couch and says, ‘Man you’re getting heavy!’ absorbing the compliment he says kindly, ‘Yes. And so are you!’
Seth very excitedly after being informed that he and Jodie get to watch Dr Suess’s ‘Horton Hears a Who’, ‘Oh! I was thoughting about Horton!’
There are lots of other fun things they’ve said that I always forget to write down. Though some of my days I think I just want to get out of the house, most of the time I think my kids are the greatest human beings on the planet and I feel so lucky to see them every day!
Jodie is still going through a very clingy ‘mommy’ phase. She can go about 10 minutes without knowing where I am and then she starts walking around looking for me (even if she’s enjoying one of her movies). If she can see me she does pretty well but if not then she looks around till she finds me and wants to be involved in what I’m doing. So I have lots of help in the kitchen! I spent a few months trying to curb it but found that made it worse, so I now include her in what I’m doing and she loves it. She will often call out loudly ‘Sarah!’ (or more accurately ‘Sawah!’) because that’s what she hears all of Seth’s friends call me. Her favorite thing to say is still ‘I can do it by myself!’ when anyone tries to help her with anything. Her sentences are getting longer and she loves to be bossy! Last week on the way to church she started talking as we left the driveway and she talked the WHOLE fifteen minutes to church. (“Daddy, look at da chicken- I see a cow!-Hey! What’s dat sound?-I wanna drink-a-water-Look at dat guy, mom-See dat, see dat?- I see a man on a bi-co (bicycle)-we goin to chuch!”) About half way through Mark says quietly, ‘Wow. Do you think she’s always going to be like this?’ I predicted she will.
Both kids love to help make pancakes or cookies and are both pros at cracking eggs on the counter and putting in their thumbs to dump out the marvelous slimy egg. We’ve begun talking about flying to Canada and America on an airplane (for our visit at Christmas time). Seth completely gets it and talks about snow and hamburgers at McDonalds. He recently went with us to a birthday party for one of our friends and he saw a gray haired couple there as soon as we walked in. Though we show him both sets of grandparents’ pictures on the fridge all the time he stopped dead in his tracks and said, ‘Is that my grandpa and grandma?’ Of course mommy almost cried. And the couple who are also missing their grandchildren almost cried as well. They go to our church so since then Seth and Jodie have seen them a few times and enjoy them.
I hope you are all well. Can’t wait to see you! Sarah