Friday, February 24, 2012

Travelling to Bugema on Saturday


Tomorrow I (Jamie) will be traveling with Nick and Trevor to Bugema Adventist University to do some basic movement building training. This campus is a Seventh-day adventist (SDA) funded university, but allows people from any religion to enroll. Due to its SDA roots, no official ministry is allowed on campus. This means that we will be doing the training at an off-campus location.

Please pray for:

  • safety in travel
  • students to gain a vision for reaching their campus
  • students to learn and apply how to share the gospel 
  • a strong, Christ-exalting movement to be started at Bugema
Thanks for praying,
Jamie

our water tank

Just another day in Africa here...

The Water Tank from the Strickland scoop on Vimeo.

*a disclaimer* Don't worry, this isn't where we got our drinking water from. We buy giant bottles of water for drinking. This was just to collect rain water for things like watering grass, washing down outdoor areas, etc. Definitely NOT for drinking.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

striving to see beauty

I wish I could capture the smell of the rain as it hits this dry, red earth.


I wish I could take a picture of the way it feels when the cool wind blows against my skin.


I wish you could hear the songs of the birds in the towering trees and the lone rooster crowing in the distance as the thunder rolls across the skies.


The rains bring life here. Those who complain about the hot season here, often complain about the "cold", rainy season. But me? I absolutely love the rainy season.
In this place we've chosen to live that is so different from the culture and climate from which we've grown up in, it's so important for us to strive to see the beauty in the every day. To look for the things that are delightful; the things that I never want to forget and will one day miss about living in Kampala.

Philippians 4:4, 11b
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!
...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Lenten resources

For most of my life I didn't know what Lent was or what it meant for me, a Christian. 
It's only been a few years ago now that I've acknowledged it and most times participated in it and so to start off the first day of Lent, I thought this prayer by Thomas Merton would be appropriate to meditate on:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always,
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone
.
He chose the nails...


 Some other Lent resources and ideas for you and your family: 
A meditation from Ann Voskamp on forgiveness.
Fast from all other drinks except for water and donate the money you saved to 40 Days of Water.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

new look!

We have a new look!
In an attempt to streamline our look and as well as engage you, our supporters, we've revamped our blog, created a Facebook Group (you should join it!) and we'll be posting more updates, pictures and videos.
Please take a minute to either become a "Follower" of this blog (located a bit further down the sidebar) or subscribe to this blog by email or via the RSS feed (located on the sidebar) as this is where the main bulk of our updates will be located.
We're looking forward to letting you into our lives on a whole new level!