Easter

Well, I never in a million years would have thought I would be spending Easter in Uganda. And I’ll be honest, I was not too happy about it at the start of the week. Thankfully, I came around as the week went on.
I love that here both Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays. So it gives everyone lots of time to travel and celebrate. On Friday, we attended a Good Friday service at Watoto Church. They always have amazing music and they had a very moving reading of the Crucifixion, communion, and a long time of prayer. It was just what I needed. The only tricky part was keeping an energetic toddler entertained and quiet for the two hours. I won’t tell you how many suckers she consumed, but they seemed to work. Sometimes it’s all about survival.

On Sunday we went to church with Lawrence. I bought Mercy a new dress for the occasion. I thought about wearing my new Ugandan dress, but my wardrobe choices are a bit limited when taking a boda boda (motorcycle) to church. Not sure if I should admit this or not, but I think this was the first time in my life to not wear a new outfit on Easter morning. And guess what… life went on and there was still church. Who knew?

Mercy was not too happy about getting her picture taken. She wanted to twirl instead.

It totally reminded me of Avery’s Easter photos when she just turned 2. This was the best I could get. Seriously, Avery and Mercy are a lot alike. It makes me laugh and I’m grateful to know that there is a light at the end of this strong-willed toddler tunnel.

Church was very good. I loved when the pastor said, “Let’s make sure to keep the resurrection a reality and not just a memory.” Good stuff. Then we went to lunch with my friend, Cheryl, and her daughter that she is adopting. They have a long and precious story of how they met and the journey they’ve been on to bring her home. I met Cheryl while sitting in court hearings last fall. I make friends in the craziest places here. I was very glad to be able to spend the holiday with her. We had a great meal and then let the kids run around and play for a bit. And if you think of it pray for them tomorrow. They have a very important meeting.

Sunday evening, Mercy and I hung out with Simon, Kelly, and Heather and her kiddos. I feel so blessed that God has given me great friends to be with while I am here. It makes the tough days so much easier to handle. He keeps taking care of me every step of the way.

Cody, Emma, and Avery had a wonderful Easter. Poor Cody went non-stop last week. He had multiple services to handle, other pastoral duties, and then took care of all of the Easter things at home. He did fabulous. The girls had lots of fun and looked beautiful. Cody said the services all went well and they had many people make decisions for Christ, which is the true meaning of Easter. They had a great lunch with some wonderful friends from church… and then they crashed and enjoyed some much needed rest.
 

Avery, friend Mady, and Emma



Egg Hunt Fun!

 While I hope that this is our last big holiday apart, I know that we are all grateful for the ways God provided for us this past week. He continues to bless us, so we continue to persevere.