MY UGANDAN FRIEND/YOUNG SISTER, GERTRUDE, IN MINNEAPOLIS

      What a treat to see her and her husband last week when we were in the Twin Cities.  Hadn't been able to see them for several years.  Dave and I and Don and Trudy rejoiced together.
      In Fall, 1989, she had come to Omaha with the African Children's Choir, because she was one of the leaders.  When a church here, where I had been a member several times over the previous years, and they would be singing there, the secretary contacted Dave and I.  LaVerne knew we planned to go to Uganda, and, because the ACC was going to be there,  she wanted us to have this leader and a couple of the singing kids.  Trudy and two young girls came and were with us for two nights and several very important discussions re: Uganda.  We had a wonderful time together.
      When we arrived in Kampala in January, '91, we were picked up by the main leader, Robinah, of the ACC and were staying at her house and working at her local kids location.  We had brought piles and piles of clothes and books and many other things.  
 

       That's a whole story by itself.  Trudy and that huge group had shortly arrived from U.S., Ireland, England, and other locations.  She whipped over to where we were staying, and we rejoiced together.  She told us so much of what had happened re: the university situations and took us around and about.  We walked a lot.

This girl was one that stayed with us in '89 and this was in Uganda in '91

      We were very heavily involved during that several weeks before we came back to Omaha.
      She was married, a couple years later, to a man who lived in Minnesota and had been a fairly short-time worker in Uganda.  However, he stayed longer when they met, and  were married there  When they arrived here, we were invited to their "wedding" recital south of the Twin Cities.  We had such a wonderful time with them.
      For years, we went to their portion of Minneapolis and they were in a part of the downtown area and heavily involved in a huge and wonderful Baptist church with a famous pastor, John Piper.  We went to that church a number of times.  Dave absolutely loved it!  Sometimes I went up to their home on my own, because occasionally Dave's family or other people with serious circumstances  needed someone there.  
      Somehow, about 14 years ago, we could hardly connect with Don and Trudy.  They had moved and somehow the emails, address, phones didn't work any more.  I began to think, after a few years of dealing with so much and missing them, that somehow we had offended them and they had left us.  I knew they had at least two kids.  Didn't know much else.
      Miraculously, we connected about a month ago.  Since we were going to the Twin Cities we arranged the timing so Don would be off work and the kids would be home.  What a treat!!  We rejoiced and smiled and blessed and hugged.  I met  a few of the kids.  The girls were staying and the boys were going on a camping time with a family connection. The oldest boy is in Hillsdale College, in Michigan, and Andrew was provided much of the finances, because of what he was doing so overwhelmingly.  So we couldn't see him this time, but saw him when he was a young, young one.
      We enjoyed the whole time at their house and Trudy will be going to Uganda in December to see her mother, brother, and others.  When she goes, I'll have to send a few notes, cards, or anything to her friends that she'll connect with, because they are OUR friends.  Oh, I want to go, but can't.  Heavy sigh.
      Again, meeting Trudy in '89 here, being with her/seeing her in '91, '94-'96 in Uganda was a real treat. And several years in the Minneapolis area.  What a huge blessing, because we now are together.  They visited us in Omaha a couple times many years ago, and, hopefully, they and their 4 kids can come and hang out and go to the zoo.  What a blessing that will be.

Their 2 girls.  The 3 boys were gone.

      So, couldn't not share about this when it was such a gift from our Lord.

      [BTW, in an album I have many, MANY photos from the past years with us together and around and about.  But I've not been able to download them lately.  Oh, well... as I often say, "Life gets complicated."  And I didn't want to wait re: sharing this piece about Trudy.]