Summer Travels Keep Us Going

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

This has been a great summer! We have visited 15 states in the 2 months we have been traveling around America! Crazy! But we have really enjoyed our time with different churches, family, and friends. We are so incredibly blessed to have an amazing support team of family and friends, so “work” is more like catching up and sharing life together. We know we are blessed in this unique experience of home assignment. We know many missionaries and families who have to do a lot of fundraising in order for them to continue their mission work, so we are very thankful our time refreshes our souls, even when it’s physically exhausting traveling, sleeping in other homes, and living out of a suitcases.

We can’t express our gratitude for all the love we have received over the MANY years!

Our trip back to the U.S. had a bit of a rough start with the U.S. government restrictions causing us to change our flights and travel plans due to their concern for Ebola. We were not in any danger or a threat to anyone else, but it was a very stressful and expensive change for us (apparently it is our responsibly to re-route flights and pay for the added expenses). We were frustrated and disappointed, but we made it to the U.S. and had an extra day in Dallas to get some sleep and prepare for the summer travels. We are blessed by a ministry called Tech Team Advantage, where we were able to rent a minivan for all our travels and the cost (including vehicle insurance and mileage) is about $25/day – a WAY better rate than if we had to rent other vehicles, especially since we practically lived out of the minivan as we roadtripped all around.

After Dallas, we made our way to Central Texas to spend 9 days with our supporting church, Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple. We enjoyed conversations and meals with many friends and supporters who are like family. While it was a really busy time with 4-5 meetings, meals, appointments, and meet-ups each day, we loved our time with people we love and who love us. Adalyn also got to spend some time with dear friends and ride horses, which made her very happy.

After Central Texas, we went to Houston to see my mom and we were blessed to enjoy a vacation with her. It was a nice break after a hectic time and we made some great memories together as a family. We went on an Alaskan cruise to see Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria BC, and returned back to Seattle, Washington. Then we traveled back to Houston to do laundry and repack for our next travels. We are thankful for the time together as a family. Plus, Alaska was beautiful!

We then drove about 12-hours to Franklin, Tennessee to visit with our former teammates, JP & Jill Robinson and their family. We also got to spend time with Harpeth Christian Church, who are partners with the mission work in Uganda. We are so thankful for their support, prayers and partnership. Plus, spending time with JP & Jill is always a blessing since they know the life of missionaries and how stressful home assignments can be. They always spoil us and make sure we get some rest.

We traveled to Georgia to see my sister and her husband, and we got to visit with former missionary friends from Uganda before continuing to Alabama to spend the weekend with Leland’s brother and family. It was such a nice time to see family and friends. We continued to Arkansas to see Leland’s other brother and our niece before we drove to Oklahoma to see some friends on our way to Colorado.

Colorado was another busy week of seeing many dear friends, and meeting with Legacy Church in Boulder. Legacy Church is a new church that was formed when two churches merged together a few years ago, so our relationship with Legacy Church is new compared to our relationship with the previous Boulder Valley Church of Christ. It was a nice time seeing old friends and enjoying the beautiful weather in Colorado. We also celebrated my birthday with dear friends.

Over the long weekend, we took a flight to California to spend time with family and friends before returning to Colorado for more road tripping. We drove up into the mountains at 9,100 feet to stay with some friends who have a cabin near Jasper. Then we drove through New Mexico and got to see a few friends as we continued back to Texas. It was a lot of miles and elavation changes, but we enjoyed the time with family and friends.

We spent the weekend in Lubbock, Texas to visit with Quaker Avenue Church of Christ. As the founding church of the mission work in Uganda, there’s a long history and lots of relationships to connect with and share about the ministry. It was a good weekend of seeing many sweet people.

After our time in Lubbock, we drove back to Central Texas for a few days to see other people we weren’t able to visit earlier in the summer. And we were spoiled with a day on Lake Belton, which was beautiful! There are so many people in the area, so there’s never enough time to see everyone, but we are thankful for all the support of everyone who loves us well. After Central Texas, we continued through College Station to see family and friends before spending some time in Houston and Dallas as we are wrapping up our time in the U.S.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired writing down all the travel we did this summer, just reliving it all. But as we wrap up our time in America, do our final shopping of the items we need for Uganda, and begin the packing and preparations to leave, we ask for your prayers for smooth travel and easy flights. It never gets easier to say goodbyes, and it’s always emotionally and physically exhausting to travel across the world. We have been blessed by our time with so many people in so many different states. While it was a really busy trip, we are so thankful for the opportunity to be able to travel and see people. Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support for us.

Missionary Parent Perspective

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

GUEST POST: Kim Broadway

When my son and daughter-in-law asked me to write a blog post about what it’s like to be a parent of missionaries, I immediately replied, “Of course!” because that’s what we do. We help them in any way we can. But when I tried to start writing, it was much more difficult than I anticipated. Not because I didn’t want to write it. Not because I couldn’t write it. Not because it was too much to ask. There are just so many different aspects and emotions wrapped up in it that I couldn’t figure out where to begin. I wasn’t sure I could accurately explain or describe it all, and above all else, I didn’t want to leave any parent with the feeling that they should try to persuade their own child not to go into the mission field. Because if your child is being called to the mission field, not only should they go, but they need to know that their parents support them.

With that being said….here it goes…

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Growing in Love – For God and For Others

/ Leland Sawyer / 1 Comment

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, the Apostle Paul says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

  • Nothing we do, however many church buildings we construct, goat projects we begin, preachers we train, or Bibles we give – NONE of it matters if we do not LOVE!
  • No miracles! No healings! No prophecies! No great sermons! 
  • Nothing matters, if we do not love!

Last month, at the Leaders’ Conference, we focused on GROWING IN LOVE FOR GOD AND FOR OTHERS as a central element to growing up in spiritual maturity and leading others to grow up in maturity. In order for God’s Kingdom to grow deeper and wider, our LOVE FOR GOD and LOVE FOR OTHERS has to grow deeper and wider!
We can’t grow in spiritual maturity without growing in LOVE.
We can’t help others grow in spiritual maturity without growing in LOVE.

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Memories from Tyler Homeschool Co-op

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

GUEST POST: Adalyn Sawyer

I have been at Tyler Homeschool Co-op since kindergarten. It has been a place for me to learn and grow alongside my friends and people who love me. It’s a place where I have not only grown physically and in education, but also spiritually. To honor my time at Tyler Homeschool Co-op, I wanted to share some of my memories of my time there.

1. What do you remember about starting your first day of school at Tyler?

I only know what I did because my friends and parents remember it. I had been going to a Ugandan school for pre-school, but I had to leave there because I was scared of the big kids because I was singled out for being different (not Ugandan) and it was overwhelming to me. I started homeschool with my mom before I was able to join kindergarten at Tyler. I thought that there would be more mean big kids, so I was scared. I was crying because I really didn’t want to go, but eventually, I calmed down and made two best friends in my class who have been my classmates for all 9 years I’ve been at Tyler.

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How to Care for Missionaries and TCKs on Visits…

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

It’s hard to believe we are preparing for our 6th home assignment trip back to the U.S. and it’s hard to believe we’ve been in Uganda for more than 10 years. With those years has come some lessons learned, both on the field and while we’re traveling around the U.S. There are some things we have recognized about ourselves and about our family, friends and supporters over the years of our relationship.

First of all, to be 100% honest: home assignment isn’t a vacation or break! We are NOT traveling to and around America for a break from life and ministry in Uganda; we are traveling in order to report and raise support FOR our life and ministry in Uganda. We don’t refer to it as “furlough” because that suggests rest. It is not a vacation. Traveling to so many different places, staying in other people’s homes, eating too much food and drinking too much coffee is not relaxing. And while we are very thankful for the opportunities that traveling to America affords us (reconnecting with churches, friends, and family), it is often more stressful, more exhausting, and we feel more foreign as we visit so many people and places. It is an important part of our mission work, and we have learned over the years of travel, there are things we (and you) can do to help this time not be so stressful for our family, and other missionaries.

We are blessed to be loved, cared for, and supported through all of life – whether in Uganda or traveling around America. THANK YOU for asking good questions, asking us what we need or want while we’re traveling, offering your homes for us to rest, seeking opportunities to get to know us better, and helping us relax while we’re traveling. We see you and appreciate you! But we also know from our experience, and from the experience of others, that some of you WANT so desperately to bless, encourage, and help, but may not know how to help. So, HERE are a few ways you can help missionaries feel loved and supported while they are in their home country…

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Good Questions to Ask Missionaries & TCKs

/ Leland Sawyer / 1 Comment

A regular part of our life as missionaries is returning to our passport country for home assignment (previously known as “furlough”). This will be our first time back to America since the summer of 2024 (two full years) and our sixth such trip since we moved to Uganda in January 2016. Like many other missionaries, our home assignment is filled with activity – visiting churches and supporters to report on our work, additional fundraising, spending time with family and friends, and attempting to recharge our hearts and minds. These trips help us stay in touch with the people who enable us to do our mission and provide a brief respite from the stresses and strains of everyday life in a (beloved) foreign culture.

But these trips also come with their own stressors: It means living out of a suitcase for a couple of months and staying in the homes of other people; It means being on our best behavior as the spotlight is shown on us whenever we arrive at supporting churches; It means trying to compact our whole life, heart, and ministry into two, five, or ten minute sound bites to take advantage of the opportunity we have to tell others the stories that give the ministry richness and meaning. It means many miles spent together in a borrowed vehicle as our family travels from one location to another. It means trying to split our time between family members who want to see us and the work we need to do while in America. It means still maintaining a spiritual “presence” and leadership role in Uganda while also preaching, sharing, and living in churches across several states.

As another missionary states: “We’ve been told that Home Assignment is meant for rest. We’ve also been told it’s meant for fundraising. And for reconnecting with family. And for sharing stories and photos at supporting churches. And for finding new people who might be interested in our ministry. And for reflection and prayer and rejuvenating ourselves before diving in again on the mission field. And…and…and…” (Click THIS BLOG for the full story.)

For us…we are blessed! We are blessed because our hosts, supporters, and meetings are with dear friends and loved ones. God blessed us with the honor of serving with partners who know and love us, so our time is more relational than many other missionaries we know. But it’s still hard to be away from home while also visiting “home;” and with several well-meaning people assuming we are enjoying an extended vacation stateside.

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Uganda – From a Visitor’s Perspective

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

As we have mentioned before, we love hosting visitors! We are so thankful when people make the sacrifice of time and finances to come experience Uganda with us. Not only do they get to see the ministry, but they can also relate to our life a little better. In March, we had some very dear friends come to visit and we asked them to share their thoughts about their visit to Uganda. Hopefully this will encourage YOU to come visit, too!

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How to Pray for TCKs / MKs

/ Gina Sawyer / 2 Comments

For those who don’t know, a Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. A TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures they experience while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into a TCK life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of a similar background. A Missionary Kid (MK) is a subset of TCK – they are born or raised abroad, and have both the privilege and the challenge of growing up in their family’s place of ministry. Adalyn is an MK. She has spent 10 years in Uganda. She came to Uganda as a toddler and is now a teenager. She is part American, part Ugandan, with several of other cultures that have influenced her since living in an international community.

A TCK/MK has some unique needs. Here are some ways to pray for Adalyn as she continue to grow into the woman God has created her to be…

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Oh the Life We Live…

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

In the past, we have shared different blogs about the funny, beautiful and challenging things about living in Uganda – things that make us smile, things that drive us crazy, things we marvel at, and things that give us a serious laugh. I’ll list some old blog posts at the bottom of this post about the different aspects of life here. But in all of it, we regularly say “oh the life we live…”

For example, every morning, we wake up to ask the question “Is electricity and water on”? We have a small community WhatsApp group that is regularly messaging about power or water issues. It’s an every day thing! We are used to it, mostly. But there are time when electricity or water has been off longer than anticipated, so we have to ask others to determine if it’s an area issue or only at our home. There is solidarity of community in “suffering” when electricity or water is off for everyone, rather than the panic and going into “fix it” mode when it turns out to be just our house.

There are many times when products are no longer in stock – staple items that you might not fathom could be out of stock for months at a time. There was a period of several months when the ladies in the community were having ongoing conversations about how butter had been gone, and we were not sure how long it would be gone, so when some of us traveled to Jinja (about 2 hours away) for a weekend and found 6 sticks of butter – we bought them all! Frozen chicken and beef are regularly not missing. Yes, I could get a live chicken and slaughter it myself, but I have my limits. 😂 A good brand of toilet paper many people really like went out of stock without any knowledge of when it will come back (and yes, we have a favorite toilet paper). You might be thinking, just get another brand of toilet paper, but that’s easier said than done. Most of the options are either like using a soft sand paper or tissue paper – not ideal. 🤨 I don’t usually trust box food (cake mixes, cereal, oatmeal, bread crumbs, etc) because I’m unsure how long it’s been on the shelves and I have found them full of weevils on many occasions. No thank you! We also get excited when a new product comes into town for a little while, like chocolate chips, shampoo/conditioner, cream cheese, or American-recognized brands. We can’t expect them, so it’s a nice treat when “special” items arrive. We never know how long they’ll be there, but we rejoice for the moment. And we often take photos to share with one another, in case someone else might want the product.

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Goals & Plans for 2026

/ Leland Sawyer / 1 Comment

January is a time of year of dreaming big for what’s to come! It’s an exciting time, full of hope and possibilities. People make resolutions, big life changes, and dare to dream BIG! As a mission here in Mbale, we also want to dream (and PRAY) for big things in this New Year!

We are praying BIG THINGS for 2026. The first BIG thing we are praying and planning for is the Leadership Team. Last year, we started meeting regularly with leaders, who have been discipled and moved closely with over the past decade, to involve them in decisions, planning, discerning, and guiding the overall ministry. These are leaders who have traveled around with us to visit churches near and far, so they have a feel for the needs of leaders from all over Uganda. They are also men and women who we’ve seen fruit of spiritual maturity in their lives – and seen them actively making disciples – so they are able to think of Godly solutions in difficult circumstances. This year, our plan is to empower them more and more as the year goes by, so that their voices grow and their impact deepens. We believe this kind of leadership team is vital to the future of the mission work here in Uganda.

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