March 18, 2013

• Consider it great joy…

  Yep, we had thieves running around in our house last night!  How great is that?  Makes you feel nice and safe, doesn’t it?  Thankfully though, everyone is safe and had really really good night’s sleep last night!  Considering the circumstances, we made out alright!  Yes they walked away with our dilapidated TV and our wonderful DVD player.  And they might have taken out new-ish deep fryer that was given to us two weeks ago.  Its also an issue that they stole the two gas cylinders that don’t actually belong to us, but from church.  But more importantly, they ate a bag of cheese curls (aka Gorillos) and a fun pack of Skittles!  Thankfully, they had the decency to put the empty bags in the rubbish bin (aka trash, translated from American English)!  Oh yeah, and they stole Isaac’s school bag, being the manlier one of the three, and remembered to leave the library book so we did not incur late fees!  Thanks robbers!

  ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.’ (James 1:2-3 NIV)

  I can honestly say that this morning, after assessing the extent of the thieves, we were actually immediately peaceful.  We were blessed with the ‘pure joy’ as said in James.  We saw the obvious good in what had come from the bad, and that is that we were all safe!  Some may find discomfort, fear, or even panic in the situation.  But by the grace of God we were excited for what was NOT taken.  Thank you Jesus for keeping my family safe!

  I can remember a little over a year ago where I had the same epiphany.  It was around the time we were going to be building the clinic.  Our first car, Satan’s chariot, was giving us every headache that a vehicle could possible instigate.  That one vehicle was able to discourage me in the physical, mental, and spiritual realm.  I wanted the car to spontaneously explode!  I wanted every Ugandan mechanic in the country put in jail!  And I wanted to punch Satan in the face for lending us his mode of transportation!  But then I realized that we were about to do some really good work, and that was just the thing that would distract us enough and discourage the crap out of us.  And we persevered!

  Now, we are making GREAT headway in the project in Bugiri.  Lizzy is seeing remarkable opportunity with the girls in the youth group.  People are getting encouraged by our willingness to help in any way we possibly can.  And Satan does not like that!  He does not like the Kingdom work he sees us doing.  Though not everyone can see tangible good of the work, the Prince of Darkness sees the threat!  Praise God for his failure to succeed at this time!

   

  Change of topic…

   

  Its now mid-March.  Happy birthday Izzy (yesterday was her birthday, she turned 3).  And we now have to find provision to get us home.  We have been faithful servants and open to the direction of God.  And now we are faithfully looking for money to buy plane tickets for home.  Keep in mind, we have NOT made up our mind of whether we are coming back yet.  But we for sure need to get home this summer.  Two and a half years is too long to keep the family away from everyone who faithfully loves and supports us.  So please consider helping us out and helping fund the plane tickets home.

  I am prayerfully laying the decision out before the Lord.  It has and will be the main thought in my mind until it is final.  I am giving Jesus a deadline, if that is even something I can do.  By March 25, a week from today, I am going to make a decision.  Does God have us living back in the USA or back here in UG?  Please pray for us!

  Serving a gracious King,

  Chad Neeley

  Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

   

  • 5:15 am
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