Rat Attacks and a Russian Missionary

SOOOOO I am alive… Just in case you were worried. I am horrible with communication, BUT I am going to try to be better. Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, emails, and support!!!! They are so needed and so appreciated. Thank you so much.

So I have a couple stories for you… First we will start with a few T.I.A. (This is Africa) stories:

As many of you know, we are currently living in a mud hut. With this mud hut comes many new T.I.A. experiences one of them being RATS. The night before we moved to the mud hut was our first rat encounter. We were calmly sleeping when around 4:45am I awoke to a rustling sound coming from Whitney’s bag. I shined my flashlight onto the suitcase only to see plastic bags moving. Then all of the sudden I saw it, our first rat encounter, stuck in the top mesh part of the suitcase. I quickly woke Whit and Mb up so they could see the commotion. We zipped the rat into the mesh only to see it quickly chew through the mesh, jump out of the suitcase, and run somewhere in the room. This was only the first rat encounter.

Thankfully for the first month in our hut, we encountered no rats, however, this is now history. A night ritual consist of:

1. Praying against rats, snakes, lizards, and cape buffalo

2. Tucking in mosquito nets to prevent easy access for rats

3. Falling asleep

4. Whitney or I waking up around 4:00 am to the sound of rustling somewhere in the hut

5. Trying to fall back asleep

6. Shining the flashlight all around the hut in search for the rat

7. Repetition of this process about 3-4 times throughout the night

Needless to say, rats are now an issue (last night Whitney awoke to a rat watching her sleep on her bedside shelf).

Although there have been many other T.I.A. stories, life is becoming less and less T.I.A and more like everyday life. This is one of the biggest answered prayers and praises for me. Today MB and I went to Karuma and had a WONDERFUL thing happen. We were able to talk to Beatress about the Lord and realized that she is a follower and believer of Jesus Christ. There was a miscommunication about her being a Muslim. She told us that she had been walking with Jesus since 1989 when she converted from the Muslim faith. This brought so much joy and comfort to us. Beatress is genuinely one of the most hospitable and joyful women that I have ever met. She is filled with so much joy, and even today as we were able to encourage her she told us that her joy is a gift of the Lord. She assured us that she was a sister in Christ and that she is filled with so much love because of Him. PRAISE THE LORD. Thank you so much for your prayers for her. Continue to pray that she would be a light to those in Karuma. She has many Muslim friends that she showers with the love of Christ everyday through her hospitality… We were not able to go see Francis today, but he is still very sick. Please continue to pray with us for his healing. He is such an incredible man of faith, and his family (especially his wife) is absolutely precious.

Another story from the past week… this will make your heart smile. Every Friday MB, Whit, and I lead morning devotionals for the kids before school. Our devotions on Fridays are focused on praying for the nations. Last week we prayed for Japan, and this week we prayed for Russia. We sang “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands” and a song called “For God so Loved the World” then we showed the children a map and a few pictures of Russia. We talked about the religion in Russia and how there are many people who do not know Jesus there. About 4 or 5 kids prayed for the Lord to move in mighty ways in that country. Afterwards one of the boys named Morris came running up to me. Morris grabbed my hand and said “Auntie (this is what they call us), do only three people know Jesus in Russia?” I told him that very few people knew Jesus in Russia, and his response was, “Auntie, that is so sad. They need to know about Jesus.” I proceeded to tell Morris that maybe God was calling him to go tell them, and Morris looked at me with a HUGE smile and said, “Okay, I will go tell them.” I literally had to hold back tears of joy. God is raising up a new generation of leaders in Uganda. I truly believe He is going to call them to go all over the world to spread His fame and name throughout every nation. Continue to pray that the Lord would move in the hearts of these children. Pray that He would draw them near and raise them up to be men and women of His word.

A second heart-melting-wonderful story happened a couple of weeks ago in my class. We have been learning to read words from the “at,” “et,” “ot,” and “it” word families. We have been learning words like “cat, sat, fit, sit, hot, jet, pot, and rat.” One of the assignments that we did during class was to choose one word from one of these families and make up a mini-story of about 4 sentences and a drawing using the word. Most of the kids decided to write about a cat or a pet, but one child, David, wrote his story about a jet. This was what David’s story said:

“I have a jet.

I fly up in my jet.

I met God in my jet.

God sit with me in my jet.”

(On the front David drew a picture of the jet with him in the drivers seat, but on the back he drew a picture of the jet with him and God sitting together in the front.)

I almost lost it in class. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about how good is our God. How incredible are His purposes and plans for His children. How amazing is His divine plan to bring each of the orphans to a place of hope and restoration. He is pursing their hearts just as He has pursued mine. He has incredible plans for each one of these kids. I am so honored and blessed to even see a glimpse of His work.

Love you all VERY much,

Macy D. Phenix

We are alive...if you were concerned

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been so long since we last posted. We have
been increasingly busy here, which is actually an answer to prayer.
So, Praise the Lord!

About 2 weeks ago, we moved into a new home at RG—a mud hut. It has
been a really good experience so far… and thankfully we have been
protected from any rats that we were told would nibble on our fingers
at night. (Almost every Ugandan we talked to said something about rats
inevitably exploring our hut and eating our fingers. Needless to say,
we were pretty nervous about our new home…) Our hut has three beds in
it, three shelves, and a bamboo mat in the middle. It has been a
really fun place to hangout in the evenings—doing one of our three
activities we can do post 7 pm (read, watch a movie, or watch your
comp load the Google homepage for 20 minutes). But truly…we are
thankful for it. The Holy Spirit is working in our new home, and we
are really grateful for the bonding and community the mud hut provides
us.

Can I just tell you that everything in Africa is exactly how you
picture it to be? If anyone is wondering what a “mud hut” actually
looks like, it is probably exactly how you initially picture it. Look
it up on Google images…I’m sure you will find the most typical looking
African mud hut, and that is what we are living in. Mud for walls,
concrete for floor, and grass for the roof…and somehow, no
leakage…even in the most intense rainstorms. How have Africans not
figured out the convenience of a flashlight but have found the
cheapest, most efficient, coolest type of roofing for a home? I don’t
understand this continent.

On a more serious note…today, we walked to Karuma—the little town that
is about 3 miles from RG. Mzungus—or foreigners—stick out a lot in
this town, and everyone likes to come greet you (or stare at you) as
you are walking. It is really fun to be with the people that live and
work and play in the middle of Uganda. We have made a lot of friends
in the town, so it was especially fun today to hangout with different
people there. We had the privilege of going to the home of a lady who
works at RG and praying for her sick husband. Her husband, Francis,
has a liver disorder—something that would be easily corrected in the
US, but there aren’t resources here to help him. We walked into the
tiny hut, and Francis was laying on a thin mattress right beside the
door. He woke up and welcomed us, moving slowly to the end of his mat.
When he sat up I was amazed. He was much smaller than any of the three
of us; he was basically skin and bones. He also had a really big
belly, resembling that of an intensely malnourished child or the belly
of a 7 month pregnant woman. We exchanged a few words with him, but he
spoke very weakly. He knew we had come to pray (Mary Beth and Macy had
prayed with him last week as well), so he thanked us, and we began. We
prayed for God’s healing over his body, for him to know the love of
Christ more, and for him to be a light to people in his village
because of what God does in his life. After praying, Francis felt no
immediate relief, but he thanked us immensely for our prayers. He said
that he hoped God would agree with us for his healing, because he was
in very much pain. He told us that he maybe sleeps two hours a night,
and that he can eat very little because there is no room in his
stomach for food. His wife, Ameda, arrived home before we left, and
she also thanked us for coming to pray. Francis and Ameda are
believers, and they have faith that God can heal if he chooses. It
absolutely broke my heart to see this grown man sitting in front of me
who was the size of a tiny child. Francis was not only weak in his
physical appearance, but I sensed so much that he was weak in his
spirit, his hope, and his faith. He has been suffering for a long
time, and though he has a small bit of hope for healing, he is slowly
losing even this. Will you please pray with us for a miraculous
healing for Francis? Will you please pray for the renewing of his
faith and hope? And will you pray that he will put his treasure in his
heavenly homeland during this period of intense earthly suffering?

People in Uganda need hope. They need restoration. They need the God
of Life to blow over them like a cool, refreshing wind. Pray with us
that our GOOD Father will grant this country JOY again. A joyful,
grateful people are eager to receive the hope of our Savior and
beautiful God. Let’s join the cries of the weak, of the sick, of the
oppressed, of the lonely, of the poor, of the orphans, of the broken.
Our God is coming to save….let’s just pray He comes in power all over
Uganda very, very soon.

Much love to each of you!

here are some pics....sorry for the blog's defficiency
by the way....in this link are pics of the 7+ ft long cobra found and killed at RG....enjoy!
Whit

Hello from Uganda!!!

Hello Hello Hello from Uganda,

I really do not even know where to begin with trying to explain my time here in Uganda thus far… I first just want to begin with saying that GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. I am learning what this means to trust in His faithfulness even when it seems like He is so distant.

Today has been such an incredible day. Mary Beth and I footed (the African term for walking) to the nearest village, Karuma, which is about a 5-6 mile round trip. This is our third trip to Karuma. On our first trip to Karuma, Whit, MB, and I, were blessed to meet this really sweet lady named Beatress who owns a medicine shop in the village. She openly welcomed us into her store/house and talked to us for a couple hours about her life, family, and African culture. Ever since the first visit, we have been able to form a friendship with Beatress. We visited her last Saturday, and when we returned this week she was gone and her sister, Agnes, was there to run the shop for the day. After talking to Agnes for a few minutes we discovered that she is an incredible believer and follower of Jesus Christ. We also discovered that Beatress is a Muslim. We sat with Agnes for a little while and then felt called to ask her if she knew anyone that was sick who might need prayer. She answered yes and left to find her grandmother, but she returned with two people, Molly (the grandmother) and Joseph. We set up a little space in the back of the store and began praying over each of them individually. Molly was having pain in her knees and stomach, and Joseph was having pain in his ankle. We prayed, with Agnes, over each of them for about ten minutes, but there was no immediate healing that we were able to see, but God is at work. He opened up an opportunity to pray over two hurting people in the house of an incredible and beautiful Muslim woman who He desires to know and have a relationship with. He is at work in this village and He is at work in each of their lives. We are going to continue to pray that the Lord would heal them in Jesus name. This was such an answer to prayer because I have been continually praying that the Lord would open up opportunities to connect with the people here. I have been crying out that He would direct our steps and open up conversations about Him with these beautiful people. He did. He heard my prayer, and even if the result of our prayers for Molly and Joseph did not turn out the way we wanted or expected, He is still God. He still sits on His throne, and He desperately and deeply loves each of them. He loves Beatress, Agnes, Molly, Joseph, and me. God is so good.

Also this past Thursday evening, we had testimony time with some of the orphans. A few of them stood up to tell the stories of their lives before they came to Restoration Gateway. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to listen to, but at the same time it was one of the most joyful moments to know that the Lord brought each of them here. About four of the kids stood up to speak, and each of the children gave thanks to the Lord for bringing them to this place. Each of them gave thanks to God for food on the table, for a pair of clothes, for a bed, and for people who loved them and cared for them. One of the girls who shared her story is named Gloria. She is one of the most joyful girls that I have ever known. Gloria ALWAYS has a beautiful smile on her face. She is one of the leaders in the orphanage among the girls. Gloria’s parents died of AIDS, and after they passed away Gloria didn’t have anywhere to go. She would move from place to place trying to find food, shelter, and water. Other children would taunt her because of the death of her parents. She described being beaten by older girls for taking up too much space in their hut or asking for more food. She also described never being given clothes. When all of the older girls would get new dresses, they would say “why don’t you get your parents to buy you a new dress.” Gloria is only one of many. Each of these children has such a heartbreaking story behind them, but they are so joyful for the little that they have been given. God has His hand on each of these kids. They have been brought from a place of desolation to a place of love and restoration. How great is our God that He cares and provides for His children in this way.

So, here I am in Northern Uganda. Everyday brings new challenges and struggles, but I am learning that God is faithful and that He is always near even when I cannot feel Him there. He is using me even when I feel purposeless. I am learning to take one day at a time. I am learning that He will sustain and provide exactly what I need for each day. When I look at the big picture, I literally am overwhelmed with my own inadequacy and weakness, but God says that His power is perfected in my weakness. I am praying that everyday. One thing that He has continuously spoken to and over me during this past month is Isaiah 61 (especially v 1-3). It says:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

This is what He is doing in Northern Uganda. This is what He is doing at Restoration Gateway. I don’t know why the Lord keeps speaking this to me, but I know that I have no power on my own to even get through one day. God is at work. He is raising up these children for the display of His splendor. He is calling them by name to be the next generation of leaders in this country. I pray that I even get to see a glimpse of it. I pray that I am a vessel in His hand to be used here. Even though the enemy daily whispers lies of inadequacy and thoughts of my time here being purposeless, I know God is at work in this place and in me. I pray that I am clay in His hands. There is a song called, “Nothing I Hold Onto,” that I have been listening to on a DAILY basis. It says: “I lean not on my own understanding. My life is in the hands of the maker of heaven. I give it all to you God, trusting that you will make something beautiful out of me… I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open, there is nothing I hold onto.” This is my daily prayer and desire for this time. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, encouragement, and support. So blessed in SOOOO many ways!!! Love Love Love ☺

-Macy-

Portraits from the Nile

marybeth

TIA: This is Africa

infront of the Nile

'TIA' is an acronym that we use often, here are some instances:

TiA, when a boy pulls up to you on his bike and has 10 live chickens hanging upside down from the handlebars

TIA, a naked baby being put on Macy's lap

TIA, when clothing often has holes in it, causing fingers to be in places they shouldn't be when holding a child

TIA, when bats sleep on your mosquito net 

TIA, when a truck appears at RG in the middle of the night and we hide in fear of the LRA

TiA, when a rooster regularly walks into your room

TIA, when you are allotted one square of t.p. for #1 and two squares for #2

TIA, when every question you ask to a person is replied with 'yes'

TIA, when you are walking down a dirt rode and come across a woman with a shovel on her head and a live chicken under one of her arms

TIA, when a pig is tide to the back of a bicycle

TIA, beans, cassava, cabbage….every day

TIA, mice…everywhere

TIA, never expect a shower curtain

TIA, when a prayer is said before any foot is set off RG, praying against: baboons, pythons, spitting cobras, nile monitors, and cape buffalo

TIA, when you go to sleep sweating and wake up in the same state

TIA, when you take the kids fishing in the Nile river

TIA, when that means to watch out for crocs and hippos

TIA, when you spend your day hoeing (by hand) an acre of land

TIA, when children are pushing each other in wheelbarrows filled with machetes

TIA, when hair and fingernails are cut with a razor blade

TIA, when peanut butter and fish are made into a soup

TIA, when anything is carried by your head rather than hands

TIA, when your feet will never be clean

TIA, when your shower is lit by flashlight

TIA, when you handwash 12 pairs of your underware in the same small bucket 

TIA, when you havent washed your pants for 3 weeks and continue to wear them

TIA, when you smash honeycomb by hand and make your own honey

TIA, when the presence of a spider the size of my palm is NBD (No Big Deal)

TIA, when sitting under a tree drinking a 16oz Coke for three hours is normal

TIA, when life is one million and one times slower

……….and I'm loving every moment of it!

marybeth

this is no tan line....just the everyday dirt line

honeycomb ready to be smashed

Beauty for Ashes...

Today I had my favorite Uganda moment so far...actually, I had two
favorite Uganda moments.

In the past week, Restoration Gateway has received 4 new orphans.
These kids come to this place with nothing except for the clothes on
their backs. I wish that we spoke their language, Lwo, or that they
spoke English, because there is so much that I want to ask them. They
must all have so many stories--good stories and terrible stories both.
Even though I can't listen to them, I hope that my being around them,
playing with them, teaching them, and hugging them can somehow squeeze
out of them the stories that have been painful and bring eternal hope
to their lives... but this can only be done through His work through
me.

Today, I was given the job of going to get new shoes for the new
orphans. Their poor little feet are completely scuffed up and dirty
(which, I suppose, is how all feet are here...TIA). So, I collected
the new kids and brought them up to the storage room in the church
building. I had them try on different shoes that had been
donated...lots of crocs and flip flops. It took awhile to find shoes
that fit each of them, but when we found a fit, I put the shoes on
them and sent them on their way. I didn't think it was that big of a
deal, but...

Jacob. Jacob is a new orphan that has been here about 5 days. I tutor
him each morning in English, and I have seen him stay after class to
work on writing his letters. But I have never seen Jacob smile. I know
there is so much behind his stern face ... I want to know his story.
Today, when I put his red crocs on him, I said to him, "These are
Jacob's. You can go back home. These are YOUR shoes." Right then, I
saw the biggest smile come over his face. Jacob hurried down the
stairs and out the door, where I heard him running and giggling all
the way back to his orphan home. Not only did Jacob finally smile but
he LAUGHED with delight.

"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of dispair."

My second favorite Uganda moment happened this evening after dinner.
Two orphan boys showed up at Restoration Gateway with a police
officer. We have been expecting these boys for a while, but they
finally came tonight. Their names are David and Christopher. David is
5, and Christopher is 3. Though they are different ages, the brothers
are the exact same height and weight due to the intense malnutrition
they have experienced during their short lives. They are true
orphans--they came from a town where they wandered the streets looking
for food. They ate off the ground and would split what they could find
everyday. The boys were brought over to us, and I picked Christopher
up. Macy handed them each a biscuit...and they ate it so fast. We held
them for awhile. There were no words exchanged. The only sound that
came from these brothers was the sound of them chewing their bread. We
carried them to their new home where Mama Lillian greeted them gently
(though she was so excited to have them!) We introduced the boys to
their new "brothers and sisters" who welcomed them and held them
immediately. Orphans welcoming, loving, and caring for other orphans
is one of the greatest sights to see...

Holding Christopher in my arms was my second favorite moment thus far
in Uganda. Christopher and David now have an earthly home. They will
be loved deeply here by their new mamas, their new siblings, their new
teachers, and by us. They will also be taught that more than any of
these, they are loved abundantly by their Heavenly Father. Love reigns
in this place. Keep praying for us as we learn more about Love that
redeems nations and orphans. Keep praying that each child would find
that Love to be their hope and joy. I can't wait to experience more
moments like this here...

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of dispair."

Praise our Redeemer, JESUS.


whit

We are Here!

Well, we made it to Uganda! Our travel went so smoothly, and we are
now settling into our new home for the next season of our
lives—Restoration Gateway. Praise the Lord for getting us here safely!

We are slowly getting acclimated to the Ugandan lifestyle. Uganda is
so different than America—such a slower pace of life, but one that is
so much more intentional in relationships. People love each other very
well here. The kids already call us “Auntie” and all of the workers
refer to the older women as “mama”. The family dynamic that is woven
into all relationships here is so beautiful to see and experience—and
it is only day 2!

The children here are so fun to be around! They have a love for life
and a passion that I have not often seen anywhere else. Tonight we got
to participate in a worship service with the kids, and it was
absolutely incredible. They danced and sang their hearts out without
any shame…they raised their hands and cried out to God for His Spirit
to fall on this place as we worshipped. The service tonight, though it
was geared towards the kids, was so encouraging for our hearts. We
loved getting to see and hear them worship their Daddy, and it was fun
to worship with them.

We have also been assigned daily tutoring sessions with small groups
of kids. The children don’t know very much English, so we will be
teaching them very basic phonics so that they can catch up in the rest
of their lessons. After tutoring, we will be teaching art classes
during the afternoons to the kids. We will also be spending a lot of
time discipling and encouraging the house “mamas” and the other
workers at RG.

Please pray against satan’s attacks on us as we are working here. Pray
that we will not believe his lies or be tempted by things that he
throws our way. Also, pray for our team as we are transitioning so
much from our normal lives at home. Pray God will be our refuge and
joy as we meet with Him throughout the day. He is our only hope and
only strength—we desperately need y’alls prayers for His nearness!

Thank you for praying for us and fighting with us in this journey!
Praise God for what He is going to do, because we know that it will be
so good.

Love,

Whit