Ladies Retreat

Thank you to all of you who prayed for our recent Ladies Retreat.  Many have said it was the best one yet. Thankful for a great leadership team that worked well together.   Our theme for this retreat was The Fruitful Connection and we looked at John 15 and Galatians 5.

We started out on Friday night with a bonfire and testimony/worship time together.  It was amazing to hear of how God had worked in the lives of the two ladies that shared.  We serve an awesome God.

On the Saturday I taught on the first three verses of John 15.  We looked at the importance of being connected to the vine and being pruned by the Gardener.  After the first session there was a time for the ladies to go off by themselves and spend some time with God and listen to what He had to say to them.

A friend of mine continued in teaching the rest of John 15 (v's 4-17) in two further sessions with times of prayer afterwards.  There were also meaningful times of worship throughout the day.

In the afternoon there was an opportunity for free time.  This could be spent relaxing, swimming, going to the "beauty" salon or enjoying fellowship with old and new friends.

A friend and I offered debrief/counselling sessions in the afternoon so we were busy with that as well as at other times during the weekend.  Pray for these ladies that God would continue to provide their needs as they work through some difficult situations.

On Saturday night we had an ice cream social with lots of lovely toppings.  There was a lot of fun and laughter and it was good to see people enjoying themselves.

Sunday, brought two more teaching sessions from another friend on Galatians 5 with prayer, discussion groups and worship.

It was a great group of 50 ladies and we had a lot of fun together throughout the weekend as well as learning from each other. Pray that the things that we learned will not be forgotten and that we will be reminded to apply what God has spoken to us about.

Shoulder Surgery

This post won't be as long as normal due to me typing with one hand. :)  Last Wednesday I had surgery on my left shoulder.  I had been having problems for about a year and a half and tried different treatments but with no success.  The diagnosis was subacromial bursitis.  For all you medics there is a diagram below :)  The surgeon took off 6mm of bone in one area and 4mm in another.  There was talk of having to cut the bicep and tie it but thankfully when they did surgery it wasn't necessary.

I saw three doctors on Monday prior to surgery.  Two of which were shoulder specialists from Canada who were in country for 6 days doing surgeries.  They scheduled me for Wednesday.  Simon and I went into hospital at 7:30am and the surgery took place at 1:30pm.  I was back in my hospital room by 5:30pm.  The actual surgery takes between 30 and 50 mins normally but the anesthetic took longer to wear off.  We were home the next again day after lunch.  I will start physiotherapy on the 19th May and will probably be in a sling until then. There is still quite a bit of pain with certain movements but that should reduce in time.  I won't be able to drive for 4-6 weeks but thankful for our MAF team and friends who are filling in the gaps when Simon is not around.  Praying for a full recovery!

Our Easter Trip to Northern Uganda in photos

Mount Kalongo, We camped on top of here the first night

This was our home for the night.  An amazing view from the top but also very windy.

Here is me cooking dinner for the night....beef fillet if you are interested to know!

Nadia and I battling the wind on top of Mt Kalongo (thanks for the photo Nadia!)

The road down the mountain, not for the faint of heart.

The view from the other side.....

African sunrise and sunset....the photos don't do it justice.

Getting fuel for our trip further north.  The pump wasn't electric and had to be done by hand.  Who needs the gym?

Need a new roof for your hut then make them an offer they might just take you up on it

Our home for the next three nights

We brought all our food up for this trip....it was quite the logistical challenge.

The moon was bright each night so it never felt pitch dark.

Bush fires in the distance

Off on safari to spot the animals....the lions beat us this time....didn't see any.  Joshua is in the orange t-shirt.

Zara and her friend Olivia

Idi Amin built this structure in the park many years ago.  It was never finished but has now been tendered out to possibly become another lodge.  We have never see it with a roof on so it has potential.

Kids always find something to climb.....I should have taken a picture of all the sandals at the bottom.....bare feet rules.  Joshua is in the orange t-shirt at the top.

Kidepo National Park......just stunning

One that didn't quite make it but still photo worthy

You can see on this map where Kidepo National Park is in the far North East bordering South Sudan and Kenya.  It took us 5 hours on tarmac road to get to Lira (centre of the map) and then it was dirt roads after that.  Years ago this area wasn't safe due to the presence of the rebel group, LRA (Lord's Resistance Army).  Simon would fly into many of the airstrips during this time but not always stay in the towns.  It was fascinating to be able to drive through them and not worry too much about security. Thankful that things have changed in this area for the people of Uganda since we first arrived over 14 years ago.