all in a day

Our Humble Abode

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 00:21:27 +0300

We got some pictures of our house today and wanted to share them with you. Don’t you just love it? I think it has lots of potential. Don’t you?

I know some of you are worried that we are living in the hut above, but that is not our actual house and it is actually not even a hut. Although it is on our property, it is not the house.
It's called a piyot and it is like a sitting area/patio, but covered. We had already talked about building one at our house. Thank you God!

Here are pictures of the house.

A picture of the front

It has a really big pantry off the kitchen with super cool shelf paper as you can see.

Master bedroom

Our house has three bedrooms and 2 baths. Kathryn has be talking about having to deal with having 1 bathroom. God had already prepared us because our kids have always used ours more than theirs anyway.

I wish our team in Baton Rouge (especially Bryce, Trampas Cheynne, Lauren, Kaitlin, Aimee, Tricia and Melinda could come help us make it even better - Lauren maybe this time you could do more than one tile) could be here to help! Guys, you might have to bring your own RedBull or RockStar.

Thanks to all who have been praying for our humble abode. We have even heard that there are a couple of trees that are not very big, but have good climbing branches for the kids to climb. Once again, God has provided. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray and all Glory to God

I Woke Up In Africa

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 23:56:35 +0300

When I woke up (after getting only 2 hours of sleep) on Monday to begin the final leg of the journey of my family moving to live and serve in Africa, I felt a wide range of emotions. Mostly, I felt like I must be crazy! Not in feeling crazy because I am moving to Africa (I know it doesn’t make sense to many people), but the thought that I have anything to offer the people I am going to work amongst. I felt strongly inadequate. Don’t worry it isn’t crippling or hindering. I think it is actually helping and I even began to pray that I would not loose this feeling. I never want to feel like Africa or its people need me. Actually it is not the needs that I am concerned about. It is my need!

These feelings could have easily drug me down, made me quit, and even not even get on the plane. What Satan could have used for his gain, drove to a place I believe I need to not only visit, but learn to live in. I need God. I cannot do this on my own and I really have nothing to offer the Lugbara.

I keep coming back to Moses’ response to God when He said it was time for the Israelites to move into the land God had promised for them, ultimately not for them and their own good, but for who God is and for every tribe, tongue, people group, nation.

Exodus 33:14-17
14And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" 17And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."

I cannot adequately express what is going on inside of me and I am not even sure you can even adequately understand. When we landed in Entebee and loaded all of our stuff we began our drive to Kampala where we will stay for a couple of days I wept. Not out of fear, not out of loss, not out of doubt, not out of regret, but out of joy that I was finally here. The day had come, I am here not of my own nor for my own, but of and in and for my Great and Mighty God.

This morning something amazing happened! I woke up in Africa!

Trumped By Ben 10

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 23:10:47 +0300

We arrived last night into Entebee at 10:05pm (1:00pm Texas time) actually 5 minutes ahead of schedule. The day of travel started out to be quite eventful when we pulled out of Kathryn’s Parents drive way onto Morris Community Road. Not even a mile down the road Caleb said “are we there yet.” Have you ever tried to reason and explain the concept of time and distance with a soon to be four year old. If you haven’t it is a lot of fun and is a great exercise for your communication skills or lack their of. To which I simply replied “Nope, not even close. We have two hours of driving and two plane that we have to travel on before we are there yet” Oh buddy, this is going to be some trip!

The day got even more interesting when we were told at the ticket counter that they were not going to let us go to Uganda because we did not have our permanent visa and did not have a return ticket that would allow us to get a temporary visa when we got to the country. Here is where years of student ministry trip experience paid off. I knew I went through all those things for a reason. I wanted to say to the airline agent, “Oh yes I am, I am going to Uganda one way or another. You have no idea what we have done to get here.” Thankfully our friend Natalie was still hanging out with us, because she had a cell phone we could use (ours had already been turned off) and because she is just awesome! We made a couple of calls and got the proper info faxed to the airline and we were on our way even though we were the last people in line for our flight. God also saw fit make sure our plane was 55 minutes late due to tighter security. From there everything else was smooth flying.

The kids traveled so well. Even Kathryn did really well. She hardly gave me any trouble. I am so proud of her. It was probably because I am such a great husband and flew her to London on her birthday. Top that men!

In London we even met up with some of our quad mates on their way to serve in Kampala, Uganda. They sat right behind us on the plane. How cool is that?!?

Thank you so much for to all of our prayer warriors. Your prayers were felt and answered all along our trip. It was so obvious everywhere we turned that God felt your cries on our behalf and truly God answered in so many ways.

I worked so hard before this trip, not only because I packed every bag personally, but I also downloaded movies from some of our DVDs for on to my iPod for the kids to watch on the plane. That way they could have options other than just what the in-flight entertainment offered. and knew they had something to watch that they would like and would be kid friendly. I worked so hard for days and weeks to get the movies transferred (each one required 4 steps and took hours). I know what you are thinking...what a dad. Thanks! I love my kids and think of them and try to serve them.

Caleb found a new favorite cartoon/hero...Ben 10. Caleb liked it so much that is all he watched for 18 hours of flight. Mind you, he slept a good bit, but when he was awake and was watching something...it was Ben10.
Karis also found a favorite but I don’t think she ever finished it because she kept falling asleep, but she always came back to the same movie...Aliens In The Attic. You ought to watch it. She says that it is great. Kylie was a trooper and ventured out a little bit more by adding some variety. Not sure exactly what she watched but it was more than just one movie.

By now you may have figured it out. Yeah, they never watch a one of those movies that I worked so hard to get done for them. All that hard work and not a one of them watched them. It is not like the forgot about them, because I kept asking them, “don’t you want to watch one of the movies I put on the iPod?” Toward the end I must have been sounding pretty desperate, because Caleb started consoling me.

“Come on dude, really? I got trumped by Ben 10. Don’t you know what trouble I went through for you.” Somehow this was lost on a traveling 3 year old.

All Systems Go In...

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 11:17:55 +0300

Raising The Sails

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 07:47:16 +0300

The are moments that thoughts, feelings, and realizations wash over me. Though they are not constant, they are very powerful and surreal moments. It is not really worries, fears, or even cold feet. The process itself seems to linger on and before you know it the process almost seems to feel like what we are suppose to do, but it is merely a step (a very big and long step). There is a day though, there has alwasy been a day, that we were moving towards. The day we would actually get to go where God has called us rather than just talk about it, wonder about it, and train for it. More or less these moments are more like, “this is really happening, it is finally here.”

No doubt, in this past season we have been following God and in that season He has faithfully led. We continue to trust and obey even though our clarity in destination is full of great unknowns! So, on Monday, once again we raise the sails on the Taylor ship for the winds of God to fill and direct our vessel.

Lord we want to be completely obedient. May the wind of Your Spirit fill our sail and lead us. May we be as obedient as a ship in the wind on the waters. Let Your wind blow as you guide and direct our path. May Your name increase and may the Lugbara come to know You as their God

Join with us in praying these immediate needs as we really begin this adventure!

1. Pray for the vitality of our personal time with the Lord to be rich and full. That we would be ready, on alert, and live in the truth of God against Satan’s attacks.

1. Pray for our travel and that the kids would travel well. This will be their longest trip on an airplane by far. Our first leg is 9 hours (Houston to London). Second leg is 8.5 hours (London to Entebee)

1. Pray for our transition to Uganda and our first two weeks in country we will not get to be at our new house. We were all so excited to see our new house, but it will have to wait and we will continue to live out of suitcases in yet another bed that is not our own.

1. Pray that we would connect with the team that we are joining. That we would be great observers and listeners. That we would be quick to listen and learn and slow to speak.