We were told about it and we were trained for it, but nothing could prepare us for the feeling of total helpless in a place so new and so different.
We have had to rely on our team for housing, for food, to go anywhere, to help clear our container, to schedule picking up our dog, to know who to contact to help get our new home ready, to go to the market or to the bank or to the supermarket… Continue reading
We really had no clue coming into this. We didn’t know what to expect. Our team members in Mbale raved about it but gave us very little details. So we showed up with our car full of stuff, our 2-1/2 year old, and a lost look on our face. And now, near the end of the second week of our training, we are starting to get into a rhythm here. Sort of. Continue reading
It has been an emotional week. Got to attend some of our Nichols Family Reunion and see family I hadn’t seen in years. Marked the two year anniversary since my Pops, Steve Piland, died and all the stories and tears that brings. Moved away from our home of seven years in Belton to take the first major transition towards Uganda. Continue reading
We have been studying about “people of peace” – those people that are receptive and open to not only hear the message of the gospel but who are willing, eager, and in position to share it with others. They are connected in their communities, families and friendships. I can think of some people off the top of my head that love everyone, talk to everyone, welcome everyone, and share Jesus with everyone. Those are people of peace. Continue reading
It has been an interesting year. And as always, time has flown by. We are at the end of our time here in Belton with under a month left and it’s a bittersweet “see you later.” While we know God has quite an adventure in store for us in Uganda, it is also hard to say goodbye to friends and family who we’ve shared life with for 7 years.
We celebrated our 2015 graduating seniors this past weekend. We usually give them a hard time when they get emotional because we remind them they have all summer together. But this year is different for us because we won’t have the summer to send them off to their next adventure. And it’s not just the Seniors…it’s the Juniors and Sophomores and Freshmen Continue reading
At some point I may stop being surprised by how amazing, gracious, encouraging, and present our God is, but don’t count on it being any time soon. He is far more than we could ever expect or imagine. One way that He continues to show us His provision is by the ongoing encouragement of people excited, eager, and almost giddy about partnering with us in the work that God is doing in Uganda. Let me explain…
This past weekend I was honored to be able to perform the wedding of one of our former youth ministry students, Julia Thomasson. Gina and I were blessed to get to know her now husband over the 
past few months as we helped them make plans for the next chapter of their lives. I can’t describe how humble, happy, and honored it made me to be asked to celebrate such an awesome thing with Julia and her family, as well as with our new friend, Michael Potts. It was so special to write a message about the love, peace, and hope that God demonstrates for us in the marriage relationship for a young woman I knew when she was in high school. Don’t get me wrong, Continue reading
Sawyers In Uganda 