A little of this, a little of that....

Quick update.......

I am getting very good at basin baths and actually feel clean after having one!!!!!

I have eaten my first white ant.  Yes you did read that correctly, an ANT!  I was brave, I ate it with a smile on my face and to be honest, it was pretty good!

Peeing in a hole is still a bit of a  learning curve, but there is a sit down toilet...praise GOD for little things, so my learning my take a while!!

No more rats in my room....again praise GOD!!
Kenzie and I have eaten  Ethiopian food for the first time.....it was great!  We were celebrating Amy and Paul's Adoption news, it made it all the more worth while.

Vikki is still an awesome support and encouragement to me.  Just seeing you and knowing you are near Vikki is a big help to me.

Hospital ministry is going well.  I will elaborate on this another time.

God is doing great things in my heart and I am getting closer to Him everyday.

All for now friends as my battery is dying.......love you all...

Cheryl xoxox

The Father Heart of God

I been blessed with a wonderful earthly dad.  My dad would do anything for me.  In fact, right now as I am in Uganda, my dad has taken on the daunting task of managing all that I left behind.  This is only one of the many things throughout my life that my dad has done for me.  For this dad, I want to say thank you. 

Having a dad like mine has made it easier for me to reach out for God and to understand His heart and love for me.  Not all of you have had this experience, some of you have been abused, rejected, some of you don`t know your earthly dad`s.  Rest in the truth that you are loved and that you have a loving Father God longing to have a relationship with you.

Jeremiah 3:19 says this.....I have always wanted to treat you as my children and give you the best land, the most beautiful on earth. I wanted you to call me "Father" and not turn from me.

If you are searching, if you have made mistakes, find comfort in knowing that we have all sinned, that none of us deserve to have God's love, but He is ready to give it to us if we ask.  Please take some time to read the following story and while you read it, imagine the Lord, waiting for you, longing for you to come home.

Sawat's Story...A Story of Forgiveness

He had disgraced his family and dishonored his father’s name. He had come to Bangkok to escape the dullness of village life. He had found excitement, and while he prospered in his sordid lifestyle he had found popularity as well.When he first arrived, he had visited a hotel unlike he had ever seen before. In each of the hotel rooms were teenage girls. Some as young as 12 years old and younger. Some of the girls were laughing and some looked nervous and scared.
That visit began Sawat’s venture into Bangkok’s world of prostitution. It began innocently enough, but he was quickly caught like a small piece of wood in a raging river. It’s force was too powerful and swift for him, the current too strong.
Soon he was selling opium to customers and propositioning tourists in the hotels. He even went so low as to actually help buy and sell young girls, some of them only 9 and 10 years old. It was a nasty business, and he was one of the most important of the young “businessmen.”
Then the bottom dropped out of his world: He hit a string of bad luck. He was robbed, and while trying to climb back to the top, he was arrested. The word went out in the underworld that he was a police spy. He finally ended up living in a shanty by the city trash pile.
Sitting in his little shack, he thought about his family, especially his father, a simple Christian man from a small southern village near the Malaysian border. He remembered his dad’s parting words: “I am waiting for you.” He wondered whether his father would still be waiting for him after all that he had done to dishonor the family name. Would he be welcome in his home? Word of Sawat’s lifestyle had long ago filtered back to the village.
Finally he devised a plan.
“Dear Father,” he wrote, “I wanted to come home, but I don’t know if you will receive me after all I have done. I have sinned greatly, father. Please forgive me. On Saturday night I will be on the train that goes through our village. If you are still waiting for me, will you tie a piece of cloth on the poe tree in front of our house? (Signed ) Sawat.”
On that train ride he reflected on his life over the past few months and knew that his father had every right to deny him. As the train finally neared the village, he churned with anxiety. What would he do if there was no cloth on the po tree?
Sitting opposite him was a kind stranger who noticed how nervous his fellow passenger had become. Finally Sawat could stand the pressure no longer. He blurted out his story in a torrent of words. As they entered the village, Sawat said, “Oh, sir, I cannot bear to look. Can you watch for me? What if my father will not receive me back?”
Sawat buried his face between his knees. “Do you see it, sir? It’s the only house with a po tree.”
“Young man, your father did not hang just one piece of cloth. Look! He has covered the whole tree with cloth!” Sawat could hardly believe his eyes. The branches were laden with tiny white squares. In the front yard his old father jumped up and down, joyously waving a piece of white cloth, then ran in halting steps beside the train. When it stopped at the little station he threw his arms around his son, embracing him with tears of joy. “Ive been waiting for you!” he exclaimed.
(Floyd McClung - The Father Heart of God)

So, just as Sawat's father wanted his son to come home, just as he was ready to forgive him for whatever and wherever he had been, the same is true for Father God.  Believe that he longs for you to know Him, believe that he wants to forgive you, believe that He loves you no matter what.

Blessings friends,

Cheryl

Happy CANADA Day

Ding dong......

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!

Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead.

This is the original version of this song......here is my version for your enjoyment......

Ding Dong! The rat is dead.  Which old rat?  The ugly rat!
Ding Dong! The ugly rat is dead.
Wake up - you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the nasty, ugly, sleep stealing rat is dead!

I apologize if anyone is offended by my posting a picture of my dead rat, however, this is my blog and I will post what I want too!!!  Also, I think it is important to give you the whole truth, which does include pictures of my world, pleasing and not so pleasing.

I will leave you a picture that makes my heart sing.  One that is so much more pleasing than a dead rat!!!!

Blessings to you my friends,

Cheryl

Oh Rats!!!!!!

Or maybe I should say..."oh, RAT!" 

For the last few nights we have had a friendly visitor in our room.  I say friendly because for the most part we have left eachother alone, but this is about to change.  My friendliness has come to an end and I think maybe so will the life of this poor rat!!  I am a lover of all things, but when these things steal my sleep, I become frustrated and tend to take my frustration out on others.  This is something that I refuse to let happen.

Now, you might be asking, "What is it that Cheryl has in her room that is attracting this rat?".  I can tell you this, all that I have in my room that is worth anything, is coffee.  My friends will not be surprized that coffee is what I deem as most important :)....  So, unless this rat has been to Starbucks and has since become a coffee connoisseur there is absolutely nothing that I know of that would be attracting this rat.  Unless of course he has radar for white girls form Canada!!! Clearly he has no idea who he is dealing with.

Onto other things......

School has begun, and I am learning much already.  This is a picture of the school, where we will spend everyday from now until the second week of September.  I know that God has many things to reveal to me while I am here, for this I am excited.  This truth makes everything that is uncomfortable worth it....even the rat!

Mackenzie is doing well.  We have both had moments of frustration and times when we missed home very much, but all is well.  God is here with us and so we will draw near to Him.  Homeschooling is slowly starting, it is a definite learning curve for both of us.  Mackenzie is distracted easily by the little ones who want to spend time with her, and she has no complaints about this....anything to get out of school right???!!!  Here are some pictures of Kenzie and her following.......

More pics to come my friends.  For now, please pray for us and know that we are also praying for all of you.

Blessings,

Cheryl :)

The good and the not so good....

We have been in Uganda for just over one week. I would like to paint you a picture instead of using words, as I feel my words are too few at this stage. This week has flown by in some respects, but at the same time has crawled along at a snail’s pace. My head feels like it may explode and I am on the verge of asking God why He chose to send me here. I cannot imagine at this point becoming accustomed to the food, the toilets, and the lack of warm water for showering. I know that God will come through and give me the grace to handle even these small things, things that I have taken for granted my whole life. I know there is a real lesson in even these things; however, I really have to be honest with you ......I HATE PEEING IN A HOLE!!


After going over the culture shock stages with Vikki, I have realized that I've fast tracked it straight to stage 3, the toughest. The stage where everything seems horrible and one cannot imagine surviving. I wonder if I have reached this point so fast because I have been to Uganda before. Perhaps it's because God needs to ready me for something else and so we need to walk through this now. This I may never know, but I will do my best to find harmony and peace in whatever stage I find myself. I will do this knowing that this is not about me, that making any sacrifice, when doing it for Him is worth it...and trust me when I say that peeing in hole is a sacrifice for me.

Top 5 best things about YWAM Arua:

1. The staff here are so welcoming and friendly

2. Watching Mackenzie and her posse of wee ones playing games that she has already taught them

3. Boda Boda rides to town (I will share more about this another time)

4. Vikki's ongoing support and encouragement

5. Learning new things


Top 5 worst things about YWAM Arua:

1. Toilets (holes in ground)

2. Showers (brick boxes located on the other of the base that pour cold water on your head)

3. Food

4. Small living quarters

5. Missing family and friends

And so, as I go please journey with me, I promise not to bring up sensitive issues like peeing everytime I write. For now though when you sit comfortably on your porcelain toilet, think of me as I try to steady myself, aim correctly, hold my toilet paper and my room key so as not to drop them down the hole and last but not least trying very hard NOT to pee on my feet and ankles!!!!! hahaha.....sorry all.

Blessings,

Cheryl

Just to give you a glimpse...in case you were wondering!!!!!!!!

We have arrived

Yes!  After much planning, preparation and anxiety, we are here.

I hope to post a few pics from the first day soon.  It was lovely to spend the day in Kampala with Mackenzie and Vikki Wright, YWAM Arua base leader and now my new friend. 

The smells the sights are the same, as is the feeling in my heart that somehow I belong here.  It is early still, and I am in the "honeymoon" stage for now, so don't be surprized if in the weeks ahead instead of  "I belong here", I am saying "get me outta here"!!!!  Vikki is going to go over some of the stages of culture shock for both Kenzie and I so that when those moments come, we can walk through them knowing that it is normal.

Later this morning we will leave on the bus for Arua.  A 7 hour bus journey......eeeeekk!! 

Well my friends, I shall sign off now as I must get a bit more sleep before we need to get up and ready to leave the guest house.  Stay tuned for pictures.

Be blessed,