Hey everybody. In our last post, we were a few days out from our departure date and I (Josh) admitted that I was absolutely terrified. Well, we are now almost one month into life on the full time mission field, and it turns out that, once again, God has been faithful. We are adjusting to making the bush of northern Uganda our home, and so far things are going well.
I have to make this post quick because the kids are waiting for me to watch The Jungle Book. (One of the awesome things about Uganda is that you can get DVDs way before they are released in the states, and they cost about $0.60 apiece.) But I wanted to share some brief thoughts on our first month as full time missionaries, not in any particular order. (Disclaimer: These are my thoughts, and may or may not fully reflect those of our entire family.)
1. Uganda is an absolutely amazing country. We have known this, but knowing that it's our new home just makes it that much more real. The people are incredible and we have made good friends already. The scenery is breathtaking. Uganda is not called the Pearl of Africa for no reason.
2. Raising six kids in America is hard, but raising six kids in a remote region of the world is even harder. The many conveniences that we take for granted in the States are typically not available where we are. What to do for dinner? Want to run to Little Caesars and grab a pizza or go get nuggets and Chick Fil A? Nope. Not here. Dinner prep typically starts around 1 p.m. Feeding children is nearly a full time job. Clothes are finished washing. Throw them in the dryer? Nope. Hang them up on the line......unless it's rainy season. Then you have to do the best you can. Kids get bored. It gets hot and they get cranky. The list goes on and on. BUUUUUTTTTTT.......
3. Kids are incredibly resilient. Our kiddos have done an amazing job since we have gotten here. We certainly have hard times and fussy kids sometimes, but considering they have moved completely away from everything they have ever known, they are doing awesome. They have all gotten involved in some sort of ministry alongside of us. (Except Gaines.....and he's just busy period.) I'm insanely proud of them.
4. We ain't in Kansas (or Gardendale) anymore. I know this is stating the obvious, but culture shock is a real thing. Sometimes I stand in town or even in our own yard, and think "How in the world did I get here and what am I doing?" Most people wouldn't believe some of things we have seen, even if we told them (now imagine seeing some of that as an 11, 9, 7, or 6 year old). This is an amazing country, but it is a 180 degree turn from where I have been for 37 years.
5. I am extremely thankful for the Four Corners missionaries who have laid the groundwork for what is being done here. Several families have done an incredible amount of work in this place to make the Gospel known. God has used these families to bring scores of Acholi to faith in Jesus. As a result we now have a thriving church and men and women are being reached with the Gospel everyday. Thank you to those who have given their lives for the sake of the Gospel.
6. Taking the Gospel to the nations is dangerous. The week before we left, I preached a sermon at my home church about how we tend to idolize our own personal safety. God gave us the opportunity to "practice what we preached" as soon as we got on the ground. Our good friend and teammate, Myron West, fell ill with malaria a couple of weeks before we got here. He suffered complications that led to pneumonia and ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). As we were arriving in country, Myron took a turn for the worse, and has suffered irreparable brain damage. Myron is now back in the U.S. but apart from a miracle from God, he will not survive. As if that weren't enough, a week after we arrived, the city of Gulu (we are just outside of Gulu) became a war zone one Sunday night. An hour long firefight took place and there is some pretty serious political unrest rising. It's not safe.....but it's worth it.
7. People need Jesus here just like they need Jesus in Alabama. We are in a lost broken world. People sometimes struggle with the same sins that people in America do, and sometimes they struggle from completely different things, but regardless we live in a fallen world, and we desperately need a Savior. That's why we are here. We have good news. We know that Savior. And we want the Acholi people to know him too.
So that's it for now. I know what you're thinking. "Josh, you only have seven reflections?" No. I have way more. But we have limited internet here and it's about to run out for this month. More to come. Please continue to pray for the West family. Please continue to pray for the Acholi people we are so blessed to minister to. Please pray for us as we continue to "figure things out" so that God may be most glorified. We love you guys and are thankful you are own this journey with us.
In Christ,
The Moody Tribe
Praying for you all. Let me know if Mark gets his cards from his Sunday School Class.
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