Some details .....

We have had a lot of great questions about our upcoming move to Uganda and what we will be doing there. So I thought I would post some excerpts from an email we sent out earlier. 

What is the Orthodox Presbyterian Church?

The OPC has been our denomination for the past 10 years. Here's the website: www.opc.org.

What do you need to do before you go?

At this point we are packing..... Our shipping container will arrive in our driveway in a couple of days. We then pack in everything we will be bringing to Uganda and it will head out for its journey on June 5th. On June 7th we will close on our house then on the 8th we will head out to western NC for missionary training at CIT. We will be at CIT for 6 weeks. After that we will have a few weeks to travel around and visit family. We then hope to fly out to Uganda around late August. 

What will you be doing in Uganda?

Mark will be working as a missionary deacon. In that capacity, he'll be doing a variety of things including maintenance work, vocational training, orphan and widow care, and general mercy ministry.

He'll also be using his skills as a nurse practitioner. As most of you know, Mark works as a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner (like a physician's assistant) in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Duke. In God's gracious providence, the only pediatric intensive care unit in all of Uganda is in the town we'll be living in! Mark will be working there on a volunteer basis to keep up his skills :-).

The boys and I will be doing a lot of the same things we do here, although I'm sure it will look different: homeschooling, playing with friends, showing hospitality, etc.

How long will you be there?

We hope that Uganda will be our home for many years to come, but we are committed to a 4 year term, with a 6-9 month furlough back here in the states. 

How do your kids feel about it?

Excited and nervous at the same time. Josiah, age 11, has had the hardest time adjusting to the idea. It has been hard giving away pets, and packing up Legos that can't come along with us. It is sad thinking of saying goodbyes to friends. But we know there are new friends ahead of us...not to mention a plethora of fascinating wildlife, including lots of snakes :-).

Do you need to raise support?

No. The OPC fully funds its missionaries. We do not need to raise any financial support, but we seriously covet your prayer support!

Have you shared this with Mark's work yet?

Yes. Since we are going to training earlier Mark has let Duke know that he will soon be leaving. 

Thanks for reading my ramblings and for praying for us! We are super excited, but definitely feel overwhelmed at times. The boys and I are memorizing Psalm 91 right now, and its words are a huge comfort.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."

We hope to see many of you this summer as we travel around! We'd love to hear from you. We will still have access to our gmail account, skype and facebook while in Uganda.