Donations

As the days before our going slip away into the past, wonderful expressions of giving to this mission endeavor are happening everyday. Last week, the children from the Wauseon, Ohio First Church of God sent a box full of flip flops and baby sleepers for the children we would see on our T.A.P.P. home visits.

Last night, the children's pastor from the Maiden Lane Church of God in Springfield, Ohio dropped off 102 Webkinz (small stuffed animals) to add to the numbers being gathered by Thad and Toby Fry from Park Place. What a heartwarming blessing to see children reaching out to children.

Sometime during the day, yesterday, monies were donated for the purchase of ten bicycles for pastors in Uganda so that they might have their own means of transportation.

Last night at the meeting of Craft Club, ladies put together Baby Bundles so new mothers would have something to take their babies home in from one of the Church of God clinics.

Sunday, a pregnant goat was added to the numbers of those animals already donated through the Easter donations to be gifted to T.A.P.P. clients and widowed grandmother's in need.

Thursday, we will receive school supplies donated from The Knowledge Shoppe to add to those already donated by local teachers.

Hundreds of bottles of vitamins arrived in four heavy boxes from a doctor in California that heard about our trip from a past member of Park Place after she read about our trip in the church bulletin that is sent to her each week.

This does not detail the many other items being donated to the church office by the people of Park Place every week or the financial gifts to individuals on the team to help make this trip possible or those that have volunteered to be prayer partners for each team member while we are away from our families sharing the love of Christ in a new and unfamiliar place.

Today, we are only 26 days away from departure and already I feel that the number of people going on this trip is no longer just 16, but the many who have given to the going. To the many who will pray and the community who is sending forth.

Deb

This morning is deep in Uganda memories as I take my chai out onto the porch to greet the new day . . . in it's coolness, in it's calmness and with the voices of the native birds singing their songs of blessing on this new day.

Each morning while we are in Kampala we rise before the sun to the birds singing and in the stillness, we each make our way to the kitchen to grab that cup of now familiar chai and find that place where we can just be in the presence of God.
Be still . . . and know . . . that I am God.

We know that before long the day's activities will be upon us and the things that we will see and the stories will will hear will make our hearts ache and by the time we return to this same place this evening, we will no longer be enveloped in that same peacefulness. It is then that we must remember to Be still . . . and know . . . that I am . . . God.

So today, as I am transported back to my previous trips to Uganda and as I anticipate the trip to come in only 51 days, I am reminded that in the stillness, He is there.

Deb