Brief Update

Whoa.  I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted something to our blog. (I'm sure many a would-be blogger has written these words.)  Well, in the immortal words of Inigo Montoya:  "Let esplain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up...."

So let me sum up: 

KIDS

The kids continue to do well.  We've had beautiful weather in Texas, with ample time for zip lines, soccer games, dancing, visiting a friend whose litter of bassets had just been born (a highlight for us!), kite flying with cousins, playing outside with friends, collecting eggs, holding new born kids (goats), and visiting parks.  Oh yeah -- and going to school.  That last one reminds me of a recent comment from Jesse, our 3rd grader.  After enduring a week of state mandated standardized testing, he remarked, "Great!  Now I don't have to learn anything for the rest of the year!"  Yep, right thar's the joy and power of teaching to the test, a highly regarded pedagogical practice I recommend to all!

The kids also enjoyed a significant amount of grandparent time with both sets of grandparents!  This has been a true gift for our families, and part of what will make leaving all the more sad.  Our hearts, and especially our kids' hearts, are more closely knit than ever with my parents and with Leslie's parents, and soon we'll be stretching those threads across the ocean.  There is definite pain in parting.

NEW WINESKINS

 Our wonderful friends at Truro in Northern Virginia made it possible for Leslie and me to travel to New Wineskins at the beginning of April.  We went without kids (whee!), and we had a wonderful time.  Not only were several of the sessions and workshops significant and inspiring for us, but we also reconnected with many dear friends (I had no idea how many people I would know after 8 1/2 years at Trinity School for Ministry!), and made several new ones.  We received even more clarification on the vision and work that God has for us in Uganda.  We also had fun just being together as a couple for the first time in...well, a very long time.

COVENANT GROUP

Once a year for the past 5 years I have had the opportunity to meet with 13 other youngish clergy (less young all the time) under a mentor who is an elder statesman in the Anglican church.  This has become for me one of the most significant times of the year.  We gather together to hear each others' stories from the past year, to give feedback, to pray for each other, to rest, and to have fun.  For me, it's my New Year.  As I prepare to tell the story of the past year, I'm able to be reawakened to how God has been moving in my life, and I get a glimpse as to what he's moving my family and me toward in the year to come.  Also, I learn so much from these other guys, and I simply enjoy them!  I'll get to join long distance by Skype next year, but it won't be the same.  I am going to miss this group immensely.

AUSTIN

Leslie and I had the wonderful opportunity (thanks once again to grandparents extraordinaire) to go to Austin as a couple.  We stayed with our dear friends and godparents of Jesse, and ate at some of our old favorites (Hyde Park Grill, the Omelettry).  We spent an entire morning and afternoon at Mozart's cafe, the place where our romance began in earnest. In the early evening we were joined by the Morrows (our teammates), and after a dinner of fish tacos at Hula Hut, we went to a gathering hosted by Christ Church Anglican.  Christ Church is one of our supporting churches, and they wanted an evening where we could get to know each other better and where we could share our vision in full, and begin exploring other ways in which we could partner together.  What a wonderful group of people!  And an added bonus was presenting together for the first time as Team Kabale!  Oh, we love Austin.

MAY

And here we are in May.  I had a wonderful time preaching at my parents' church (Transformation Anglican) just yesterday, where we are loved as family.  Now we set our sites for...well, yes, Uganda, but before that our cross-cultural training in Colorado.  There is A LOT to do between now and then, and we need your prayers.  In addition to still needing to raise a remaining $1800 per month in support, we have packing, shipping, visas, passports, vaccinations, finishing school, wills, burial plans....  This list goes on.  But we know that in the midst of our stormy overwhelm, Jesus is present.

"And he that spoke peace to the waters, cares more for our hearts than the waves...."