mukama asiimwe

It means "Praise Him". And the answer to it is "Asiimwe muno", which means "Praise Him more". Learn it, use it.
I have been anxiously awaiting this past week, because Bob and Brenda Schulyer (pictured above!)- missionaries who work at the Kibbuse school in Nyamarwa, Kibale, Uganda - came to Franklin to meet and talk with many people from Harpeth. It was so good...so much to say. So many exciting things discussed.

But it has been decided...November 1 is departure day. It looks like I will actually be traveling down with my senior pastor, Bobby, and our missions director, Lonnie. They will stay for a couple of weeks. I will stay for an additional couple of weeks and come home somewhere around November 28. My good friends, Matt and Amy Walter, will be coming around the second week of November and will be staying for 3 months. I am thrilled to get to be there with people who I consider family.

Talking to Bob and Brenda naturally got me more excited than ever. Because they put some reality to my dreams. They told me specific things that they could see us doing...they told us specific things to bring...specific things about where we'll be staying, what we'll be eating...it just made everything a lot more real.

And they brought lots of pictures...
This is the village of Nyamarwa where we'll be staying!
These are the students at the Kibbuse Vocational School where we'll be serving during our time there. I get to know these people!
oh yeah...and down the street from the school? there's an orphanage where Bob and Brenda said they could probably use a lot of help. yeah, you don't have to twist my arm on that one. look at these faces...
possibly the thing I am most excited about is singing and dancing with my brothers and sisters in Nyamarwa. Brenda said that two of their favorite things to do is laugh and sing. Sounds like heaven to me...
sunrise over Nyamarwa...
then I just had to throw this last one in because I love it so much. This little guy was just walking down the street. The man in this picture is Reverend James Adyeri, who is head of the Kibbuse Vocational school. Bob and Brenda had awesome things to say about this man...I'm really looking forward to getting to know him.

I can't wait to go. I can't wait to meet these people. I can't wait to become friends with the compounds' "cook", who will be my roommate for the month. I can't wait to sing with them and play "net ball" with them. I am so looking forward to studying the Bible with those girls and learning from them how to make dresses and how to grow vegetables.

178 days...and counting...