BAD NEWS? UGANDAN FRIEND DIED. GOOD NEWS?

He's in Heaven.

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Did u Know Uncle Robert Tumuhairwe, he passed on today morning, he was the first Kasana Manager

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I rarely had a message from Ugandan "nephew", Robert Sennyonjo.  This was dropped in yesterday, and, along with it, my heart dropped, too.

I hadn't seen Robert Tumuhairwe since early 1996; hadn't heard much about him since then.  Any time I looked at my photos taken back then, I always grinned when I saw him.  He had such a heart for the orphans at New Hope.  And, yes, he was the manager.  But, NO, he wasn't thoroughly administratively oriented.  He...loved...kids!!  And he had some good ideas.

Now, for a few months, I was his secretary.  He gave me what he needed to have done, explained the details and time limits, and readjusted if possible. [Since I "secretaried" for 6 people, readjustment was sometimes an absolute necessity.]  He never fussed, always smiled, and expressed appreciation for me. [When working for someone for free, that's nice, to say the least.]

After receiving Robert's message, then contacting my dear ones, I've been told that he had a heart attack.

One of the final times we saw him, we had lunch together.

So... the joy?  We will see him again.  In Heaven.  No work together, no worldly/earthly jobs, no intense tasks.

What could NOT be joyful?  Maybe not able to play badminton together, but I'd sure like to.



 

JOY ... LIFE AND WORD OF GOD

Ranks right at the top of my most joyful day.

 While in Hebrews today read, again and again, one of my very favorite verses in the Word.  Doesn't USE the Word "joy".... but it IS in my life.

 


...for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

!!H A L L E L U J A H!!

MARY MAGDALENE -- SCENE 6

 When the sun was setting, fire dimming, and the men dispersing to do their final night chores, Jesus sought a secluded place to pray...to touch his Father while away from the constant pressure of the people He was called to serve.  He sat in the grass and leaned back against the trunk of a tree.  It wasn't altogether comfortable, but it reminded him of the oneness between creation and God, and, in his exhaustion, he needed a firm reminder of that over-flowing unity.

As he gazed into the heavens, centering himself in the love of God, he heard footsteps.  Turning his head, he saw James approaching.  Love warmed his heart for this older brother of John, this man of tempestuous nature, yet possessing a great capacity for compassion and sympathy.  "One of Father's unique achievements," he chuckled inwardly.  Aloud he said, "James, what brings you here?

"Master," said James, digging at the ground with a sandaled foot, "I need to ask you about Mary."

"What is it?"  Jesus asked gently.

"Well,"... he paused, probing for just the right words.  "People are talking.  They are laughing behind your back, saying that you love Mary, and..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged in helplessness.

"But, James, I DO love her.  Mary is a wonderful, gentle, beautiful woman.  She radiates the love of Father, and it is a pleasure to be with her."

As he watched the shock on James' face, he smiled and continued, "But I love you, too.  And Andrew.  And Thaddeus.  And Joanna.  And John.  Each of you. All of you.”
 
James continued to look a bit surprised, but he seemed less worried.

"James, you must remember, most men have no understanding of the heart of my Father that impels Him, to enjoy what He has created.  He does not see that friendships and caring, such as the ones I have, are sordid or sinful or inappropriate.”

He smiled.  "There is nothing inappropriate about my love for you or your brother.  We are brothers.  We are family.  Most people can not understand that.  We do not share a common blood line.  But our holy spirits communicating and focused on serving my Father make us one."

He looked intensely into James’ eyes.  "And there is nothing, absolutely nothing, inappropriate about my love for Mary.  Mary is my sister, my friend, my child.  If my mission was human in origin, that relationship might be different.  But that is not the case.  My mission is for, and to, all men, women, and children. Nothing must stand in the way of what the Father wants me to do.”

Jesus shifted a bit.  Glanced at the sky for a moment.

"James,  when ugly rumors and misstatements are made, who is the author of that ugliness?  Certainly not my Father.  And if not my Father, then whom?"

James answered quickly.  "Satan, the father of lies."

"That's right, James.  If he can discredit or manipulate or create dissension, he will.  Remember the story of the sheep and the shepherd.  How did I describe Satan to you?"

"You said he was a thief and a murderer and that he came to steal, kill and destroy."

"Right again, James.  Now, think.  Does that only mean in the physical realm?  What if part of Satan's scheme is to steal peace, joy, respect, courage?   To kill reputations, and feelings of self-worth?  And what if he came to destroy – not simply the body -- but loving relationships among families and friends?

"People misunderstand because they want to misunderstand.  They enjoy painting pictures of unrighteousness, because it mirrors the unrighteousness of their hearts and helps them deaden the pangs of conscience.”

Jesus nodded firmly at James.  "So, yes, I love Mary.  But I love my Father and my mission first."

James broke into a broad grin.  "I feel better.  I guess I've learned something in spite of myself."

It was a good self assessment, and Jesus smiled back, remembering again James' usual reticence at learning.  Jesus was pleased to see James growing in his understanding through the growth of his own heart and spirit.
 
And, James nodded at Jesus, with a worshipful heart, and, after waving a joyful goodbye, was gone.
 
Jesus turned his gaze and heart heavenward, laughed, spread his hands outward in a gesture of openness and affection, and spoke.
 
"Oh, my Father...Thank you.  Thank you for these Little Ones." 

UGANDA MOTORCYCLE -- FUNNY!

What a story.  Should make you laugh, and that’s nearly always a good thing!

About Christmas time at New Hope Uganda, 1995, we received a box of gifts from my daughter, Renae.  As I show you the home across the compound from us, it will look very rainy.  It wasn’t the day this story will progress, because in the November through January stretch, it usually doesn’t pour  -- it's the dry time.  So, here’s photo number 1.

Do you see the red motorcycle?  Nice, huh?  Dave LIKED it.  He hadn’t driven one for nearly ten years, since shortly after our marriage; Omaha was not a safe place in those years.   And, in Uganda, with many crazy motorcyclists, unless we had stayed there for a very long time as missionaries and had income, we simply wouldn’t go that way.  We’d walk, take public taxis, let friends pile us into their cars with everyone else, do boda-bodaing [passengers on bikes].  Kept the cost down, and usually safer, to say the least. There, if he DID drive a motorcycle, for fun, he wouldn't need a license, especially out in the bush area.

WELL, one day that Fall, Dave asked Richard if he could borrow the motorcycle and that we would stay on the local roads, not too many miles, but just have a good time.  So, yep, we got on it.  And, YES, we used helmets. [Dave would NEVER do it without one and wouldn’t let a passenger not wear one.] He drove to Kiwoko, about 3 miles away, drove around the town, and we came back.  That was it.  We...had...fun!  LOTS of fun!!

A couple months later, when Christmas came, and we received our gifts, one of them was a video of The Lion King.  Dave was a piano teacher for Emily, one of Richard and Alison’s children.  I took the video across the yard to Alison; thought they would enjoy watching it.  Alison looked around the cover and saw the name of the composer, Elton John.  She told me, rather casually, that she had heard that her cousin was at our Oscar event with him on stage. 

I was shocked.  Big eyed.  “Who????”  She said, “It is Julia Ormond.”  Then she said that when Julia was in First Knight with Sean Connery, Julia invited her family, including Alison, to come to a scene-area in Wales, and, as I recall, she said that the family, as a gift from Julia, stayed at a castle connected to the movie process.  I could never have imagined this.  Alison also told me that Julia’s present movie was Sabrina. [On our flight home, 4 months later, April, 1996, while over the Atlantic, that movie was shown on the plane.  What a chuckle!]

NOW, the funny and amazing part.  While talking to her, she said that Julia had donated a gift to them.  And, yep, it was the red motorcycle.  Did I laugh, grin, shake my head with amazement? Yes, I DID!
 
When thinking about my hundreds of Ugandan stories ... more and more hitting my blog in the next stretch of time ... this one jumped in as a “laughinger”, not a “seriositer”.

Oh, and here’s a photo of Alison and Richard...

Could be a challenging party time for Brits, doncha think?  They smiled.

and one of my favorites of Richard teaching a Ugandan how to handle the oxen. Richard was a good teacher ... and one of the funniest, most humorous, men I’ve ever known. [Now, because of family schooling, etc., they are living back in their part of England after many years in Uganda. But missing their Ugandan "family" and friends there... and missed much by the Ugandans.  [Dave and I sure understand that one.  We do, too.]

WHAT? COBRAS???

She came for conference in Indiana.

Not long after we moved into our home in the New Hope Uganda orphanage complex, one of my Ugandan sisters, Gertrude, brought a teenaged girl to me who was on her school break.  She wanted Margaret to help me around my house – we’d pay her bits and pieces – and I could expand her reading.  Margaret only had a couple weeks before things would change again, but she’d do what she could.  We connected well.  I truly liked her ... and still do.

Photo in Nov.'03 when I visited.

We were sitting on the couch one day and reading together.  A novel that was a bit over-the-top in her English reading, but we were laughing and enjoying the time.  Then, suddenly, she heard some hollering, in their language, not mine, not far behind my house, and she jumped up and run out.  She came back in just a minute or so.  Basically what she said was, “Auntie, boys have a cobra in a hole.  Killing.  Come see.”  She grabbed my hand.  I started to pull away, saying, “No!!”  She said, “They want you.  Bring your camera.”  She pulled again.  I didn’t know how to back off without seeming like a cowardly, not-caring person living there. [Believe me, many of the men, women, and children from a variety of countries, including England, Canada, Scotland,the States, and Uganda, were brave.  How could I turn into a wimpy one?]

As a little girl, could you be smiling?

 We went behind the house, at a gardening area, probably 15 feet away, and the boys were fighting the cobra.  The way they did it was to have their sticks in their hands and when it came to the top of the hole, aiming at one of the boys, the other side would whack it with their stick.  It would fall and then turn the other direction and be hit by the other side.

 
  

 After striking the cobra a few times, it finally died.  I’m not sure why, but one of the boys was chosen as the “winner”... and he was able to take the cobra to his family home as part of a duplex across from us.  The reason?  The family would be free to fix it for dinner.  I couldn’t have imagined anything much worse, believe me.

As I’ve said before on posts, I’ve loved a variety of animals, birds, lizards, Nile River "residents", etc., we saw in Uganda. However, I never jumped for joy when seeing pythons, mambas [one in our house in the Kampala area the year before], or any other scary bits, such as that.  Uh, UH!!  

This cobra event, however, was a blessing simply because I was able to make the kids so happy by being out there with a camera.  I guess it was a good thing. 

 [But don’t want to do it again -- ever, ever, ever.]

GENESIS IN UGANDA

GENESIS 1:25 

God made every one of them. 

Then he looked at what he had done,

 and it was good.

When we lived in Uganda, every one of these ... and many more ... broke into our hearts.  The Lord's creativity made us laugh, and made us just roll our eyes in amazement.

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  [The only time I ran away ... snakes, spitting spiders.  Not a brave-enough follower of our Creative Father.  Sorry.]

FRIENDSHIP ... A GOOD SEED

Through friendship, both good and evil, our hearts can be opened.  And in our heart, seed can be planted.  Good fruits and vegetables ... or poisonous weeds ... can be the result, either quickly or much later.

I've had both kinds of friends ... maybe been both kinds.  But, the important part for me now is to be a good one and to not just take friends for granted.  But enjoy them and rejoice for them.

Today, Susan, who I have considered a best friend/sister for over 50 years, is having her birthday.  Now, I've never wondered why God put her into my life -- it's been a blessing to me -- but I've often wondered whether SHE ever wondered. I had a reputation when I entered that high school, having just moved to town, as a "tough cookie", to say the least.  She, however, was known as kind and caring.

 We've hardly ever spent enough actual day-by-day time with one another, but it has been a special quality, whether staying near or far away.  I can tell her almost anything -- and she won't gossip about it, or be mad at me, or reject me.  I have tried her patience more than once, and even with a tiny bit of fussing between us, we are always able to forgive and forget almost instantly.  She has loved me when no one else would, and she has taken care of me when I was sick [emotionally, spiritually, and physically].  We walked together through classmate situations in high school -- and everything from that point forward in life. Different opinions sometimes, different viewpoints.  Yet, through it all, we have remained together.

Now, this friendship was not overly cultivated by either one of us.  We just happen to have a love for one another that time and space and hardship hasn't been able to destroy.  We don't neglect our friendship, but we haven’t had a lot of time to spend cultivating it.  We just know that we know that we are loved.  

One of Susie's favorite flowers... and we love butterflies.

NOW, God's friendship is similar to that in many ways.

               -- God loves us for what and who we are.  We don't have to put on a front or act phony (in fact, He seems to have a special dislike for the phony, hypocritical person).  
              --  Our age isn't going to make any difference at all with Him 
              -- He’s willing to start a friendship any time we are.         
              -- Distance won't get in the way, because He is near to our heart.  
              -- If we tell Him a secret, He won't tell anyone else.     
              -- No matter what we tell Him, He won't reject us. [He may not like what we are saying, but He will deal with us about it on a one-to-one basis; He won't blab it to the whole town.] 
              -- He won't let us be lazy about our faith or our growth; He knows just the way to keep us moving.  But He will be patient and loving in guiding us the correct way.

Now, to close, one of the ways that this earthly relationship is different than the one with God, is that the earthly one must be cultivated.  And, if we encourage growth of your human friendship through time in the Word of God and prayer, He will multiply and strengthen that effort and the rewards will be outstanding.  He moves nearer and nearer, closer and closer – and so does the friend.

Thank you, Susie.  Happy Birthday.