Bottomless Refills

I haven't heard or been a part of that phrase since we left the U.S.  I'ts this concept that you could drink ten ice teas and there will always be another one available.  Yet the concept of bottomless refills has been resurrected over the past 2 weeks.
As most of you know, we are wrapping up here our first term of two years.  It has been wildly successful in many many ways.  This year our senior class chose to take us as their chaperones on their senior trip to Mombasa.  They worked all year and they paid for us to go.  Talk about feeling special.  There were 18 of them and the time we had was simply amazing.  I enjoyed the venue, but I loved the time with the class.  What a tremendous bunch of students, I honestly can't put into words how incredible they were and are.

We arrived back on Tuesday evening late.  Thursday was the last day of school and Friday was graduation.  Again, I was humbled to be asked to do the commencement address.  It was absolutely incredible.  I got to speak on the issue of being "qualified in Christ".  I spent a long time writing it and incorporating everyone's personality into it and it went very well.
Then we had to begin saying goodbyes.  These goodbyes were remarkably painful.  I can't remember a time where I ached more as I said goodbye to student after student.  Our family has put our everything into this ministry and God has blessed it beyond measure.  Some people begged us to come back, the rest simply threatened to come after us if we didn't come back.  LOL.  The thought of not being here next year is so difficult for us.  We are dreaming about being back here and what this next term will look like.

In all of the things that we have been doing, Debby and I have become physically sick from exhaustion.  It has been a rough few days for us.  Yet today came one of the greatest thanks ever.  I said goodbye to a senior and his brother today.  He came to school to say goodbye and then stopped by to say goodbye to our kids.  He left a letter for us.  I will not share the contents of the letter, but as Debby and I read it, we both just wept.  As I put the two page letter down, I looked at Debby and said, "that is the reason that we came to Uganda".  What an unimaginable reward this is to us.
For two years, our family did it right.  Everyone in this community would agree, we started well, we ran well and we've ended very very well.  I do not say that to be arrogant.  When I first arrived, I was terrified.  But God, had plans for us that I never saw coming.  They unfolded and morphed everyday. They were challenging, very challenging at times and yet this is the job that we were created for. These students have given us permission and privilege to speak truth into their lives.  I'm already ready to come back and keep going.

Finally, this is the picture of where it all began.  Today this is where it all ended for this term.  We walked in here in August of 2015 and we left here today June of 2017.  We fought here, we laughed here, we cried here, we loved here and God won here.  This picture is a reminder to me that even when the cloud from the battle is circling, our God has already won.  We have seen thousands and thousands of victories here.  This is where God took the ground in so many lives and He allowed us to have a huge part in that.  It has been a ministry of bottomless refills.  Please be praying as we return to the US, that our funding would come in quickly.  BTW we are already gaining ground in this area and we are praying hard for a May 2018 return date.  Please pray with us.  We will see many of you in just a few short weeks.  We love and appreciate you so much.  Thank you.