My Second, First Birthday Party @ the Wronski's

Grandma and Grandpa Wronski gave me a birthday party. It was just as much fun as my first party. We had lasagna. I ate some but not much. I don't like noodles, they are soggy and slimy in my mouth.
Next we opened presents. I got another car, some books, a bulldozer, blocks and a wagon. I also got some clothes. I had fun pulling the presents out of bags and boxes. I also had fun pulling the wrapping paper off. I did much better understanding what I was doing this time.

I had fun playing with friends I don't normally get to see. Aunt Laura and Uncle Nate came from West Lebanon. They got me the books. Dad keeps saying that books are good for my learning, I just like being read to and looking at the pictures. Mrs. Leno came and brought her girls. Madeline and Mia helped me open some of my presents. The Kubiczkis joined us; Auntie Em even came from Maine. She is in medical school but she still loves me enough to make the drive.

Aunt Laura decorated the cake. She did a great job making me a car. I tried again to blow out the candle but still didn't quite understand how. So Grandma helped me. I did enjoy the cupcake. I made a mess again. This time Dad took my shirt off first. That made it much easier to get right into the bath.

I had a great party. So this getting older thing is fun. I am not sure why everyone seems to disagree. As I am getting older I am learning to do so many things. Plus I get parties. Life is good. Remember to Thank God for all the ways that He makes your life good. Happy Thanksgiving!

Give a Gift that Makes a Difference

As I've been thinking about the upcoming Christmas season and all the gifts that will be given, I've been struck by the amount of "stuff" that fills most of our American lives. I'm struggling to think up gifts to give to people who already have most everything they need, and even most of what they want. This issue has been raised, in part, because Meg and I have been consciously trying to downsize our belongings in preparation for moving to Arua. But I have also been hit anew recently, especially in light of the recent drought and food shortage in Uganda, by how little others in the world have.

This Christmas, would you consider with me how we can give gifts that make a difference? I'm not just talking about giving another inspirational, feel-good book that "will change your life" though, I mean giving in such a way that could make the difference in someone thriving physically and spiritually.

I want to suggest an idea for us this year. Instead of buying someone in our lives one more thing to sit on a shelf or hang in the closet, why not use that money to make a difference in Uganda (or any part of the world that is on your heart)? World Gospel Mission publishes a resource entitled The Great Co-Mission Catalog that can assist in doing that very thing for the different fields they serve in.

Let me share a couple of concrete ways you could do this.

• Instead of buying someone the new bestseller, why not buy a Bible for someone in their own language ($12/ea.), or textbooks for schoolchildren ($7/ea.), or even help a Christian book get translated into an African language ($25)?
• Instead of the hottest new DVD, what about providing an opportunity for a village to see The JESUS Film in their own language and encounter Jesus in a dynamic way ($180)?
• Rather than buying a warm sweater, or a new pair of pajamas, would you purchase mosquito nets that would allow a child or pregnant mother to sleep in peace, without fear of contracting malaria overnight ($10/ea.)?
• In place of giving someone the latest and greatest technology, could you give a pastor in Uganda a bike ($110/ea.); a piece of technology we take for granted, but could increase their ministry by reducing their travel time.

By choosing to give to someone in need, in honor of (and in place of) that "someone who has everything," you can make a world of difference for someone around the world and for the Kingdom of God. What better way to celebrate God's self-giving love and revelation of Himself than to give so that His love can be revealed anew this Christmas?

www.wgm.org/catalog

Working Together

This past Sunday we had the privilege of sharing at Richwood United Methodist. We shared the service with the Hallahans. It was amazing to see how interconnected everything with our ministries is. I (Meg) shared about how we are going to be training pastors to reach their communities. Josh shared about how they will be working with the students at Heritage Christian School to send them home to work with their communities. Kelly shared how they will also be working with the college students at Kampala International University who will in turn go back to be leaders in their countries and bring Christ with them, and how Richwood UMC has that same opportunity with nearby Rowan University. Finally, Scott closed with how we all, whether in Uganda or in the U.S., have the same challenge; making disciples. We are all called to mentor others in their faith so they can pass it on.


So we are trying to do that too. We want to help you in any way we can; especially helping you set up a mentor relationship with someone currently in your life. How is God working on your heart to help them grow? Who in your life could you approach and ask to mentor you? We all need to be giving to others and yet we also need to be trained and discipled, just like Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2. Let us know what God is doing in your life. How can we help and pray for you better?

It's a God Thing

Our God is God of relationships. Let me share with you one example of how I have seem this at work in my own life recently.

Some might say it is coincidence, I say that its a God thing. In the spring my sister Laura, and at-that-time husband-to-be Nate, were looking for a church where Nate could be hired on as the youth pastor. Through some connections they had (again, relationships) they got word that there was a pastor in West Lebanon, NH who was looking for someone he could mentor as an intern. Nate was quite excited about the possibility of being mentored by an experienced pastor and getting to learn from his experiences in a real-life ministry context. As they started to look into this opportunity, they found out the pastor was Eric Ramage. That name may not mean anything to you, but Pastor Eric was our pastor when we were kids in elementary school. It amazes me that God has brought us back into each others' lives.

Nate and Laura are now a part of West Lebanon Baptist Church and Nate is on staff at the church and we are excited to be connected with this body. They are currently actively supporting missions around the world and in their neighborhood.

If this were the only example like this that we could give you, it would be much easier to call this a coincidence. But over and over again God is bringing people back into our lives that we would never have expected and its amazing to see how He wants to use those relationships to further His cause. Our God is a relational God. He wants us to be connected; to Him, but also to one another.

Who has God put in your life for bigger purposes? Who are you connected with? Don't just appreciate them, use them! Who can you mentor or who could be mentoring you? We all have things that God has taught us, but we also have things to learn. Just like Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."

Our New Home

We wanted to show you our new home. We are living in Dave and Laurie's (Scott's parents) basement. It is wonderful to spend this year on Homeland Ministry Assignment (HMA) with family. We have a full house with Scott, Meg, Tim, Dave, Laurie, Elisa (Scott's 17 year old sister) and Elsie (Scott's Grandmother) all living under the same roof. The basement is our space though. Let me give you a tour.

This is our room. It doubles as bedroom and living room.When we moved in the walls were painted but we added the curtains on the closets and the curtains on the windows.

We refinished the couches to match.

We decorated the walls with things from all over the world.

South America (Equador)



Pacific (Papua New Guinea)



Africa (Uganda, Sudan, Guinea)



Asia (Japan)



Our world map and collection of international money

You should see Tim's room too. But to do that you have to go to his blog :)
rambokids.blogspot.com

Soon we will be going to NH. We will be up there for about 3 weeks visiting my family and sharing at some churches. I am looking forward to spending time with my parents, getting to visit my sister in her new home, visiting friends in VT and hopefully seeing some beautiful leaves. So much to be thankful for and be looking forward to.

Growing in the Word

This week I was reminded of the importance of getting in the word regularly. I know its hard, and I know it takes time, but it is so worth it. A missionary friend of mine, Becca Platte reminded me that as a mom I am more effective if I have first sought out the Lord. She shared how it is hard to be consistent and to faithfully follow through with discipline if we are empty. So true, but how do you find the time when you have 1, 2, or 6 little ones running around needing your attention?


For me, I needed someone to hold me accountable. I know that is a scary thing! No one wants to be called out or judged. I am not talking about that kind of accountable, I mean someone who is in the battle with you. A friend wants to rejoice when you are doing well and love you when you struggle. Kelly Hallahan, my sister-in-law, and I are doing that right now for each other. We each do a week of devotions from Women of the Harvest and then discus what God showed us. It is amazing to be growing and have a friend cheering me on.

No matter how you do it, try to spend time with Jesus each day. It really will make a difference. If you don't believe me, ask Scott. He will tell you that I am a different person when I spend time with Jesus, and I am not so pleasant when I don't. In John 15:5 Jesus tells us, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." I know that I want to bear much fruit, and I pray that for you also.

Like Father, Like Son

As Tim has gotten older he has entered a phase where he wants to be just like me. This has become most clear in the way he wants and tries to imitate what I am doing. It doesn’t really matter what I’m doing - if I’m drinking coffee, he wants a cup; if I’m brushing my teeth, he wants his toothbrush.

This all started happening around the same time that I was planning my lessons for a class I was to teach to junior high kids on holiness at Delanco Camp. As all these thoughts were going on together I realized that the same thing should be true in our Christian lives. Since we have been brought into the family of God, He is our Father and as His children we have the privilege of imitating Him and even to become like Him.

So how does this happen? Just like it does for me and Tim, by imitating what He does. The first thing we need to do then, is to look for what God is doing and where He is working and then joining Him there. This can take many forms from partnering with missionaries as they head to the field to serving at the local food pantry; anywhere you are working with the lost you are imitating God (Mark 2:17).

But doing things by itself will never make us like God anymore than doing the things a dog does will make us a dog. We need God to give us His character if we are really going to be like Him and serving other only one avenue that God uses to impart His grace to us. We must do what He does, but we must also spend time getting to know who He is and letting Him shape us. It is only then that we can truly be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1), holy and loving.

We were made in the image of God to be like Him and through the person and work of Jesus Christ we are invited and enabled to imitate God in the power of the Spirit. What we do flows out of who we are, but who we are is also shaped by what we do.