Prayer Mountain

Yesterday, my friend, Heather and I went to a place called “Prayer Mountain”. We’d heard it was a great place to go to getaway to pray. So we left our kids with Kelly (no one under age of 7 is allowed at the mountain) and took off. The place is a bit outside of Kampala. The whole area is set up to be a spiritual retreat for people. They have an open air meeting area for conferences. They also have a campground, a small snack bar and an office. You pay 1000 shillings (about 40 cents) to enter and you can stay for several days if you’d like. We just stayed for a few hours, but it was a great experience. You get this amazing view of Lake Victoria. Then there are places under the trees and all around to sit and pray. Several people just walked around praying, either silently or out loud. Heather and I sat down and talked for a while and then we got off by ourselves. Then we got back together and prayed with each other. I am so glad to have amazing sisters in Christ here to talk with, cry with, and lean on.


I had a great time of praying, reading scripture, and just taking a deep breath with God. I could see all of His amazing creation around me. I could hear the fervent and earnest prayers of other believers. For a while I could hear nothing but the chirping and the wind in the trees. It was glorious. For me it was a great time to relax, focus on God, and pray for many specific situations. It’s interesting to see how God has changed many of my prayers over the last months. It’s tricky to balance praying for what I know God can do and what I want vs. praying for God’s will to be done, for Him to be glorified, and for me to be ok with His plan. Does that make sense? I’ve cried out to Him many times telling Him how hard this is, telling Him my fears, telling Him my worries . These are all things He already knows, but I feel better telling Him myself. But then He always reminds me that I must trust in Him, trust in His timing, and trust that His ways and plans are better than mine… even when it’s hard and it hurts. Oh how I long to have my family all together. How I long for Mercy to be in our home in the US. How I long for Emma and Avery and to be a part of their day to day routines. But I must trust Him in all circumstances. This is what He kept reminding me of while I prayed. And I found some more peace, which I greatly needed.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met people in recent months and they’ve said, “I don’t know how you do it. I would be a complete mess if I was in your shoes. I couldn’t do it.” A year ago, I would have said the same thing. I’ve had a few days of complete freak out and crying. I’ve been angry at God, myself, and others. I’ve had my share of “Mommy Guilt”. But when I ask Him for help and when I let Him in, I find peace. I find peace through your prayers for me and my family. I find joy in the wonderful friends God has placed in my life in Uganda and in the US. I find joy in Mercy’s smiles and antics. I find purpose in the ministry God gives me to do here.  I see God’s provision for my family on a daily basis. I see Emma and Avery doing well and keeping such great attitudes through all of this and it blesses my soul. I see the blessing in the wonderful husband God gave me. He amazes me each day with all he is doing at home and at church. God gives you what you need, when you need it, if you let Him. That’s what I’ve learned. When I try to keep control and hold on to all of my fears and anxiety, I lose it. When I grasp at my plans and desires, I fall. When I give in and tell God I need His help, I get through the day. Geez, I hope this is a lesson that I will remember for the rest of my life and not just days when I am on Prayer Mountain.