From Jesus Calling: a book that speaks the heart of God, to us.  Not inerrant but Spirit-inspired:

Listen more to Me, and less to your doubts.  I am leading you along the way I desgned just for you.  Therefore, it is a lonely way, humanly speaking.  But I go before you as well as alongside you, so you are never alone.  Do not expect anyone to understand fully My ways with you, any more than you can comprehend MY deaings with others.  I am revealing to you the path of LIFE day by day, and moment by moment.  As I said to my disciples Peter, so i repeat to you:  Follow Me.

See what our awesome friends did for our welcome home party!!  They slurped our blog via Blurb and now it’s official – a book of 426 pages!  I hope I’m not narcissistic enough to read it!

Thanks Kees, Leights and Lowes!  We had a wonderful time with you all on Sunday – can’t wait to do it again!

Sickness has hit the Pierce family hard, post-travel.  In addition to three festering staph infections, I  have slept forty out of the last forty-eight hours with fevers and a hacking cough as has Quinn. Naomi got sick last night. David is the lone man standing, drinking and resting and hoping it won’t hit him too. . . . . if I haven’t emailed or called you back, this is why.

We re-entered American life Sunday with our first trip into the real world, to church.  It was a great time of hugs, smiles and reunion.  How many friends we are blessed to have.  Worshiping with our church was a gift.

What startled me, though, was the question on EVERYBODY’s mind: “so, what’s your plan?”   This question, strangely, overwhelmed me in a way perhaps no other would have done.  And after about the thirtieth time it was asked I almost burst into tears and ran to the ladies room! (but no, those Ugandan ladies have taught me more stoicism than that.)

So what’s our plan??  I think it has about three steps to it:  wake up each day, ask Jesus what He’s doing and how He wants me us to get involved,  then go and be a part of it.  We HAVE tentatively decided to take from now till the end of August for travel (both speaking as well as  visits to friends/relatives), rest, and processing of our experience.  This will be a very busy time of travel but we believe we will still rest deeply and debrief well.  Unprocessed “stuff” surely holds us back as we desire to  move forward so this six months will be crucial.  After that??  God only knows.  We have applied to several ministry schools for the fall and are unsure whether God is asking us to move that way or not.  We are very interested in staying long term in missions work overseas.  But we are open to living WHEREVER God asks us to, even if that means being a soccer mom! ( I know, how horrifying!)

I think the reason this question was hard for me is because it taps at the root of this faith journey we are on right now.   It is a reminder that what looks to us like faith ( being obedient to not knowing even the future a few days ahead sometimes) looks to others like foolishness and poor planning.    When I sense that it looks that way to others I quickly tend to doubt myself instead of trusting Him. So this question was an opportunity, for me, to learn better how to embrace my choice of faith proudly and without shame.  Uganda was plan A,  radically trust Jesus with the future is plan B.  We’re on plan B now.  And that’s a pretty cool place to be.

Yesterday my friend Dana (more on THAT welcome party to come!) brought me a card.  When I opened it I burst into silent tears, because the quote is so perfect, so fitting and because I am so thankful that she GETS it and that she reminds me that He and many others do too.  Even many who ask the question “what’s your plan” not knowing how I will respond.   The card said simply;

“not all who wander are lost” jrr tolkein

We are wanderers for the moment, BUT WE ARE THE FARTHEST WE HAVE EVER BEEN, FROM LOST.

We “reached” yesterday afternoon to a full contingent of Flanagans (we missed you Andrew, Sarah and boys!) at the airport and at home.  This is the home I grew up in. The home I homeschooled in for 11 grades.  I know almost everything in this house by heart:  the peacock feathers from my gramma’s peahens,  my sister Alison’s beautiful art, the antique child’s secretary that I played librarian and “wallpaper seller” (yes, an early ambition) with as a small child, posters of Oregon wine country from that phase of our lives, flowers everywhere because my mother loves them so, our antique chest, my old bedroom that I decorated at age 12 and still think is beautiful, the design I stamped on my brother James’ wall, curtains I made, many many books I have read. . . . . . . Yes this is home from long ago and far away and somehow it has come close again because we are home from long ago and far away too and memories have changed and become new just as places have and yet somehow it is all the same and familiar and warm and more beautiful than I remembered.  My mother has a gift for making simple things beautiful in the cherishing.

All five pieces of luggage made it through every single leg of the journey.  And we did too despite more throwing up on the plane (once Quinn coughs he can not stop)  and  and yet another traffic incident (train wreck in Belgium) that left us scrambling to get across the Channel in time for our flight.

Now we figure out what being here, now, means.  We combine the joys of reuinions and remembered things with the losses of our other way of life.  We find that things our family remembered we loved we had forgotten to miss (Clausens pickles!)   America is bigger and better and louder and realer than it ever seemed in Bundibugyo.  But it may be lonely too.

It is so hard to remember the pitch at CSB, the hot sun, the touch of warm black fingers on my arms, hunger.  And that makes me sad.

But wherever you are, said Jim Elliot, be all there.  So we are here, now.  Loving it. And remembering to forget what might be forgotten in the joy of remembering what was, right now.

Early yesterday morning we hauled our four trunks, one large suitcase and assorted backpacks and purses down the hall to the “Greasy-Grimy Glass Lift” which only fits one person and two bags at a time and out to the street where our driver met us for the ride to the airport. When we reached the airport we were surprised not to find our flight on the screen. When we asked they simply said it had been cancelled and we had been rebooked on tomorrow’s flight. We were dismayed. Two days in Greece minus one day is simply not good. We also felt annoyed.

It was not until an hour or so later, as we sat at the airport Burger King, eating hot apple pie and drinking coffee (good too!) that we saw the CNN report on the Greece strike.  Turns out ALL flights in and out of Greece are cancelled for at least 24 hours.  In fact the government is closed down meaning no customs officials and no historic sights either.  That made our decision easier.  With only time for a day and a half in Greece given the flight change, we decided to skip Greece and head straight to Rome.  SAD – but a good excuse to come back and spend a longer time there once the weather is warm enough for swimming (she writes hopefully.)

We hauled our gear back to the hostel which thankfully still had space for us and headed back out into the city for a relaxed day.  Having already seen the major sights we had no great plans and no schedule to keep.  It might have been our best day in Cairo yet.  The sun came out and we felt warm enough to take our jackets off, Quinn’s breathing had settled a bit, and we discovered the American University bookshop – a GEM! (It is so frustrating not to be able to even read the book titles in the book shops here, everything’s in Arabic!  I found my ultimate Egypt novel, a very special book called the Yacoubian Building and David picked up a great non-fiction read on Egypt called “Inside Egypt” which was originally banned in the country because of it’s content.  We are both learning and enjoying a LOT.  Egypt is under our skin and we want to know more!  Meanwhile Naomi and Quinn blissfully read on the floor for an hour then got to purchase Usborne books on Rome that kept them busy all evening.

After a dinner at K.O.S.H.A.R.Y. (we love the egyptian food called Koshary!) we headed home to snack on our nuts bought off the street, finish our Cairo journals and sleep.  Today we head to Rome.

Post written morning of February 1oth:

Cairo is NOT a beautiful city.

It is LOUD.

It is DIRTY.

It is full of honking horns, shouting people and smog.

But the people have lovely hearts.  And there is great history here.  Culture abounds in every form – much unknown and unnoticed by Egyptians themselves but thirstily enjoyed by us foreigners.  We are having a blast.

Memorable moments thus far:

- taxi drivers nearly coming to blows as we excited the airport.  Physical pushing and threats made at each other in an effort to earn our business.

- the long-gowned Muslim woman whose son tried to talk her onto an escalator in a modern mall and who simply couldn’t take that step onto the moving stairs.  His wide grin and her clinging arms and stubborn feet were irresistably laughable.

- The Pharaonic Village in all it’s glory.  Far from “authentic” as billed but great fun for the kids. David and I got some laughs too!

-Head coverings of every kind on the beautiful Egyptian women.  I find it fascinating to see young Muslim girls wearing tight jeans and tops together with a thick multilayered head covering.    There is the full gamut here from traditional full-face and body veiling to the modern-day women who do not even cover their heads.  Most interesting is that head coverings are a fashion statement, perfectly coordinated with their clothing.  Naomi and I are jealous!!

- Arabic EVERYWHERE.  I have always imagined that Arabic is too hard to read in REAL life.  Yet here each shop name is written in Arabic, every license plate, most menus.   We recognize a few words from the Juba Arabic we spoke (briefly) in S. Sudan.  Both David and I feel a craving to learn Arabic.  It is somewhere between singsong and harsh with the mediterranean feel mixing with the Hebrew guttural sounds.

-Papyrus Making  We discovered that what we have always called “pom-pom forests” in Uganda is actually Papyrus!!  We learned to make papyrus paper and learned the wonderful history of it’s making and use.  It was rediscovered only fifty years ago!

-Food!  The kids favorite discovery of food in Egypt is . . . . Orange sweet potatoes!!  They love Ugandan sweet potatoes but don’t know to be surprised by their cream color and barely sweet flavor.  Orange sweet potatoes (like ours in America) taste like candy to them!!  In the bazaar here, the sweet potato man walks around with his wooden cart, selling freshly baked (on the cart!) potatoes.  We quickly bought a HUGE one (after Naomi tugged my sleeve and said, “Mom, mom! Aren’t those the orange potatoes you told me about from America!!”)  The potato was devoured in minutes, as fast as our mouths could take it’s heat.  And this morning they are already talking about buying another.  We have also tried pigeon, enjoyed shawarma street sandwiches (Acacia, I thought of you!), sampled nuts from street vendors, and looked longingly at all the amazing fresh fruit from car windows.  We hope to pick up some this morning!  Though we love the traditional Egyptian cooked foods, especially the spiced meats and rices, what is most exciting is simply the variety, freshness and availability of so many foods in-country. Egypt is blessed!

- Explosive speech. I find the tone and volume of many Egyptian men to be quite startling!  It is not unusual for the waiter at the table to begin screaming to another waiter at a tone which hurts the ears and makes you jump!  In traffic drivers snarl at each other then break into smiles.  At street corners one notices men’s faces turned into their phones, speaking Arabic at high speeds and high volumes and acting as if life as they know it has ended.  Just another conversation here.  We have often turned to each other and said, ” can you imagine living at this stress level all the time!” but I’m not sure it is stressful to them to shout at each other the way it would be to us!

-Smoking; cigarette smoking is rampant here.  It seems a compulsion for every driver, tour guide, etc.  Quite sad, really.  Of course there is also the hookah or shiwah which is used with flavored tobacco.  In outside cafes you can see Egyptian men enjoying an evening puff of this relaxing habit.  I have yet to see a  woman try it.  We took a puff too just for fun (and besides, our friends were doing it.)

- the Bazaar; Kahl el Khalili is the Egyptian Bazaar in Cairo.  It is huge, touristy and filled with Chinese goods.  But when you venture into the long dark alleys it is also beautiful and colorful.  We loved taking sweet drinks at El Fishawys smoky brass tables; hibiscus juice, mint lemonade and tamarind juice.  Naomi and I got prettified with henna and we spent many hours walking the streets of the bazaar and people watching.

-OF COURSE, THE PYRAMIDS.   Quinn’s excitement as we reached the pyramids was incredible.  They were incredible.  Of course there were hawkers, there were too many picture takers.  But they are absolutely unreal in their size, their majesty.  We climbed down inside the smallest pyramid, through a steep shaft and landed in a small burial room.   We walked between pyramids and marveled at the dust, the barreness, the size of each stone.  It was super windy the day we went and sand was EVERYWHERE; in our hair, between our teeth.

-Islam; 85% of Egypt is Muslim while 15% is Coptic Christian.

Heading out to Athens this morning.  All for now.

This post written on Saturday evening, February 6th:

It seems like long ago that we left Bundibugyo but there is still the final push of leaving Uganda up ahead in . . . . . 10 hours.  I have several trunks still to repack to their correct weight, reservations for the Early Civilizations Plus Paris Adventure still to finish making, and hopefully a few hours of sleep before we reach Cairo at 8:30 tomorrow morning and dive in to “ECPPA” (see above).

Quinn has been obnoxious the last few days and I sat with him last night and asked our usual ” how’s your heart?” and his response was “sad. sad about leaving.”  I find that for my children they sometimes have trouble connecting their behaviors to their heart feelings and need that check-in.  We’ve all been a bit obnoxious with each other for the last two days.  We’re all sad.  It’s the final cut of the tethering to our current life.  And it’s finally real; it’s finally happening.  Without another $10,000 or more we won’t come back here.  And we don’t have that kind of money.  That’s okay.  But the reality is still in our faces, and hard.

Right now, David is dropping off our car , cleaned and tank filled, to wait for the Johnsons arrival in a few weeks.  We are strangely attached to Kisembo (as we call our car) and it was another goodbye.  So many funds raised for that vehicle, so much faith extended and answered in it’s tough metal self.  Much of me wants to hang on to it – but Jesus is ALWAYS ENOUGH.  We had lunch with a few sweet Ugandan Kampala-based friends today.  And we finished the last few errands.

Now I’m procrastinating by writing here, because I wish I had a dear friend with me in this moment .  . . . and I’m glad I DON’T because I don’t know if I can handle any more goodbyes at this moment.  I think I need to pack and cry alone for a little and then move forward – towards many of you.  And into the rest of our Destiny in our Great Adventure with Jesus.

“The only thing you can grasp without damaging your soul is God’s hand.” – Sarah Young

Yei, South Sudan. Hot, hot, HOT.  Dry and dusty.  Beautiful people;  some characteristically tall, thin and leggy, others not so different from the Babwisi. DARK skin.  SPLA soldiers in the large barracks.  UN peacekeepers standing guard from their compound towers.  A largish town composed primarily of soldiers and foreign aid.  No tarmac anywhere.  Savannah brush landscape; ugly at first glance but slowly more beautiful.

The ministry we visited.  Simply functional. Refreshingly non-dependent on the missionaries.  Orphan care in a new context; radical dependence on Jesus.  Organic church planting and a nation-wide church network. Pastoral training and care.  Education and a vision for skills-training.  Motherless baby feeding in the name of Jesus.  A vision for an entire nation.  Three steps for daily ministry: Get alone with Jesus, ask Him what He’s doing, Go and join.

We enjoyed a simpler life in the “I” ministry we visited in Yei.  Our tents were set up in the middle of the orphan village compound so eighty-nine children worked and played around us during our two days.  We ate local food three times a day including the familiar posho together with a new green which we enjoyed as well as beans and meat.  The resident kids are well-fed and joyful, you should have seen them run for their three-times-a-week vitamins!  We were surprised by their happy demeanors and by their good behavior.  The olders help the youngers and they really do live like family.   They seem eager both to play circle songs, football and construct play mud houses as well as to worship Jesus, recite their memory verses and listen to Bible stories.  Each day they meet for worship in the evenings; a spontaneous time of song and prayer led by the children themselves.  And daily they can be seen working on their verses together.  They join in cleaning the compound and themselves; though often imperfectly!

Jennie, a sweet former MK, now missionary, hosted us in Yei and was a wonderful guide and friend during our time there.  Reaching Kampala again on Thursday evening we had an opportunity to meet with the director of the Sudan project and hear her heart and vision for their work in this large and troubled country.   The vision is BIG, BEAUTIFUL, and authentically reflects the heart of Jesus.

For the year ahead we will join this team in the best way we know how: PRAYER.  As all of Sudan waits for 2011 with it’s history-making decisions and reactions we join Sudanese, “I” ministries and God’s people around the world in forming an ark of prayer that will provide rescue and salvation in the face of whatever may come.

Unbathed from three days of camping we headed to a ministry site for a chance to meet some folks who are interested in our joining their team. We spent a very brief day and half just south of Gulu, looking at a project that seeks to restore Northern Uganda and it’s people through orphan care, education, evangelism and discipleship, business opportunities, agriculture and medical and dental care and teaching. It’s an ambitious (to put it mildly) project and it’s only just beginning.

Though the site is remote by many standards (off the grid, 40 minutes from a decent town) it’s hard for us too feel “in the bush” when there is a paved road just ten minutes from the team housing. Has Bundibugyo spoiled us?? Will other ministry sites seem as dramatic, as exciting, as intense?? The Nile surrounds the acreage of the ministry on three sides, though and we got to walk down to see a water snake swimming in great River. Crocs and hippos come onshore on their land and a very impressive python skin was rolled up in one team house. Mamma Rose, an orphan caregiver, told me to sing when I walked near the river so that the pythons would know to hide! “RG” needs help in many, MANY ways, one of which is a primary school for their orphan children who may soon number 240 and vocational schools for nearby kids. So they ask us to consider joining their ministry and we agree to pray.

Now here in Jinja with long-time friends the Massos, we delve into development philosophy with Michael (and Karen when she’s willing!). We talk about the needs and our gifts. We talk about how to do development, about aid mentality, about when projects have too much money and too few people and vice versa. We talk about the joys and hardships of working long-term and the needs of short-termers. They are planting a new team in Sudan and so all of these questions are fresh and relevant to them too. David and I are enjoying the time here in Uganda to look at other ministries.

In some ways it is the first step both in pondering what Bundibugyo was for us and how it has shaped us and in what God may be asking us to do next. We dream, we imagine the roles we feel most gifted in, we think about what we’d never want to do again. The questions of development, of providing physical, emotional and spiritual support to the poorest and most abused in the world are HUGE questions. There are many answers and few are clearly right or wrong. That’s why we’re so grateful that we have the Teacher, Encourager and Comforter, the Spirit who will show us where to go, how to speak and what to do. On our own we have little hope of plugging into a “good fit” ministry, of finding a place that is both challenging and possible. Yet with the guidance of God we can dream of accomplishing the impossible and of loving it as we do.

So many thoughts and ideas rolls through our heads. I don’t even know how to summarize them here. But it all begins and ends with this: HE will plan the way ahead. HIS dreams for us are better than any we know for ourselves. Just as HE knew the last four years in Bundi were for our good and the good of His kingdom, so He has new plans now. While there are many questions there is little fear. It’s so exciting to wonder what’s on the road beyond BGO, for us.