Update from Uganda

Here is an update from the team in Jinja, Uganda. Keep those prayers going!!

Just a brief update on our team.....

TUESDAY:

Today was another exceptional day in Uganda! Our two rally teams (a mixture of Americans and Ugandans) performed at 15+ schools in the past two days. The teams consist of a puppet and drama team, HIV/AIDS presentation and then a gospel presentation. So far we have seen over 700 students ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior! Several thousand people have been attending the nightly crusade since Sunday and well over 300 salvation decisions have been recorded.

Our dentists have seen 300 patients in 2 1/2 days and our medical doctors over 400. We left the clinic today with about 150 dental patients and 300 medical patients to be seen. Unfortunately it was our last day in this town (Myunge) because we must move on to another location. It was difficult to announce to those who had waited for so long that we could not treat them. We could stay here for a month, in this one village, and never see everyone. It's so hard to leave them. Tomorrow we move closer to town after caring or the pastors who have been attending the pastor's conference.

We have had many exciting things happen already and we cannot wait to share with you all when we return home! Please continue to lift us up as we meet the physical and spiritual needs of the men, women and children of Uganda! We love you all and covet your faithfulness to pray!

Hello Again....

After a very long haitus from the blogging world - I am back. There are many reasons for not writing, but probably the most important would have to be the tone and words of some of the comments that were made concerning my posts. Those were not published for any of you to have to read. Soooo, I am back and ready to catch up with my online friends. If the comments begin again - I will have to make some changes to the way that I post.
Life has been crazy as usual, but it has taken on an even crazier pace for us in the past week. David leaves on Thursday morning for Africa. This time a week in Jinja, Uganda and then he travels with three other men to Siaya, Kenya. This is really a dream come true and answer to many, many prayers. Our friends and "family" in Siaya are going to get "CLEAN WATER" !!!!
More about all of that later...so check back.
Kelly has completed a year of living on her own and going to school in Charleston. Kaiti has completed her Masters in Teaching, and has decided to stay at home and be with Collin next year. Robert is already gearing up to deploy again in January. This time he will fly off of an aircraft carrier. David is busier than ever with his job, and his passion for the people of Kenya and Uganda. I have cut way back on my real job and now spend too much time doing David's office work. I have also taken on two incredible 8 year-olds who were struggling with home-schooling after the sudden death of their Daddy. I have been working with them on a full-time basis from January up until Apri. Now, I am there as support several times each week. What a blessing this has been!!!
Collin is growing up right in front of us - literally. We are able to skype with him almost daily. What an absolute joy he is!!!!

Collin's Christening

It has been soooo long since I have had time to post anything. There is much to say and write about but only a few minutes right now. Here are some photos from the weekend of Collin's Christening in SC.

Memory Verse #3

Job 8:21 (New International Version)

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Don't you just LOVE this little bitty scripture - what a prayer to wake up to each and every morning!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Finally - the gift from Christmas 2007 is happening tonight!!

Our Birthday Boy!!

Collin Robert Wicker - 1 year old

God Stop Friday

Now, I just love it when God shows himself as just a totally, delightful surprise to me. Like I said earlier, music is in my soul - it flows through every fiber of my being. And that is just nothing but a gift from God. Now, there is a certain kind of music that I have loved for years and years and years.

Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. These styles ranged from big band swing instrumentals to the more raucous sounds of blues/jump blues, jazz, doo-wop, boogie, rhythm and blues, reggae, rockabilly and old-time rock and roll. Beach music is closely associated with the style of swing dance known as the shag, or the Carolina shag, which is also the official state dance of both North Carolina and South Carolina. Recordings with a 4/4 "blues shuffle" rhythmic structure and moderate-to-fast tempo are the most popular music for the shag, and the vast majority of the music in this genre fits that description.

So, I am driving around Jacksonville, NC, Friday morning running errands for Kaiti to get ready for the big birthday. Turn on the radio and guess what!?!?! 94.1 - a station dedicated to playing beach music!! I just slowed myself down,took my time and listened to some wonderful music!! And just kept finding more errands to run out and do...now I KNOW that there are some blogging friends out there who will appreciate this one!!

Thankful Thursday

Up at 4:30 to drive to the airport and fly to NC to spend the weekend with Kaiti, Robert and Collin for his birthday weekend. Can I say how thankful we are to be able get away for this time with our favorite little boy - not to mention the rest of his family and friends that we will be able to see. We got to Jacksonville, stopped by Kati's school and were actually able to see her at work. What a thrill, and this sort of visit of course set off her class of 8th graders - who really couldn't believe that she really had parents. Off to get Collin from the daycare, and on to Chuck E Cheese for the very first time!! Yes, this was a day to be thankful for.

A Very Late Wordless Wednesday - well almost...

I grew up surrounded by music...it is in my soul and always has been. I started playing the piano when I was a preschooler. My parents saved and bought our first piano when I was old enough to take lessons in1st grade. My very first job was as a church organist to a couple of churches in our small town. Best job in town was the organist for a funeral home. So, anytime I hear the sound of the pipe organ in the National Cathedral -I am speechless - there are no words. I couldn't find recordings of the song that I heard on Wednesday - Holy,Holy,Holy -but when it came on the radio I had to pull over to listen. Amazing how we can be in a spirit of worship as we praise and raise hands with contemporary music, and at the same time can hear an old standard like Holy, Holy, Holy and be brought to the very same place in our soul.

Just a reminder...

It REALLY is tough being a woman...but I was reminded today of the commissioning from the first Beth Moore event that I attended almost two years ago...

Count it a joy, Dear One When life gets hard. God is doing something huge! He is also proving That you are NOT a fake. Be brave, Mighty Warrior. Your God is with you! When waves are crashing, Stand to your feet, Throw your head back And feel the wind of the Spirit! God is painting a masterpiece With multi-colored trials. Go forth and display Divine special effects To the great glory of God. YOU CAN DO IT!

2nd Memory Verse

This is my 2nd memory verse, and also my daily prayer.

2 Chron 7:14 (NIV)

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land."

For Such a Time as This...

Can't wait until tomorrow night. Finally - we are beginning our study of Esther!!

Pressing on...

After reading Beth's post and challenge on scripture memory at the beginning of January I made a commitment to participate. To hold myself accountable, I am going to post the verses on my blog on the 1st and 15th.
I started out with my "life verse" on Jan.1 because it is my all time favorite, and holds more meaning to me than any other verse. It has since my Emmaus weekend in 1992. I realized then, that Christ would hold me up, pick me up - no matter what happened as I pressed on toward the final goal.
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14

Happy 5 Year Anniversary Robert and Kaiti!!!!

pictures by Nate Bell - CharlestonPortrait.com
Nate did Kaiti's wedding pictures 5 years ago!!

2008

This has been a year full of blessings, answered prayers, and lots of tears. We have welcomed into the world Collin Robert Wicker - our first grandchild. We have prayed his Daddy, Robert, through 7 months of flying over Iraq. We have said goodbye to dear friends as they have beat us to Heaven - Trey, Dr. Pollock and his son, Preston, Simeon -our minister of music, Jeff Andrews and Pat Barry. All lives that seem to have ended too soon. David was able to make another trip to Africa last summer - this time to Uganda to work with Kelly Green and Water Missions to set up a running clean water system in a village. Plans are already being made to return this summer to our friends in Bondo to get clean water running in their village. We have enjoyed every single minute of grandparenting!! We moved Kelly to Charleston to begin nursing school last fall. Thanks to each of you who have prayed with us for the past 5 years that her health would be restored. This has been a great move for her - and she is so excited about "being home". An adoption that was a miracle happened right here!! Being a small part of that was such a blessing. Christmas brought a big family wedding, lots and lots of family in Sumter, my home-town, that we haven't seen in a long time, and what fun it all was!!! This was a busy, busy year - but a year that was packed with blessings for all of us!! This only highlights what has been going on in each of our lives - there isn't enough space or a slideshow long enough to hold it all. Our prayer for the new year is healing for hurting hearts-especially those close to us, for close friends who are out of work to find employment, good health for our loved ones, and safety and protection for Robert in his job, We pray for God to shine a light to show us a clear path and the direction that He wants us to go in this season of our lives. May each of you reading this be blessed in 2009. K