We have arrived home safely and have begun unpacking and resettling in. It seems a little strange to be home and to be honest, I am not enjoying the weather here! I miss the heat of Africa, although I did talk to Angie the other day and she said it was 120 degrees in the sun and it might be hotter but that was as high as the thermometer went. YIKES...snow and cold or sun and unbelievable heat??? Could we meet somewhere in the middle? :) We do miss Uganda and the people there, but it is so good to see family and friends back home as well. We are blessed to be loved by so many people here at home who have been thinking and praying for us. and it is good to have all 6 of us home together in Michigan. Josh is feeling well and will be heading in to the doctor this week for tests and a check up in regards to his bout with malaria and black water fever. Please join us in praying that there are no long term effects, especially to his liver.
OK...starting up where I left off...Jake and I were only sick for one day so that was an answer to our prayers. That was the last of the sickness for any of us for which we were extremely thankful!
We spent the days leading up to Christmas teaching Bible school twice a day, tutoring, visiting with our Ugandan friends, and attending team Christmas get togethers and parties. Christmas was definitely different this year as we were away from home and extended family, but we had a good time with the team and celebrated the birth of our Savior in new and special ways. It was so fun to be a part of Team Beyond and a blessing to get to know some of the people of Uganda. They were truly gracious and welcoming to us and went out of their way to make us feel loved and special. We will never forget our time with them and our hope and prayer is that we can go back some day, God willing. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone and we miss them already!
Our last few days in Uganda were spent on a safari and white water rafting. I would have to say that the rafting was an absolute blast for all of us. It was over class 5 rapids and waterfalls which were intense, but we were able to do it with all 6 of us and couldn't have had a better time. The safari was amazing as well. Africa is absolutely beautiful and the it was a wonderful way to end an amazing time in Uganda.
Our last day in Uganda we spent some time shopping at the local craft market before heading towards the airport. We had some extra time before our flight left so we decided to stop for dinner near the airport. While we were in the restaurant eating, our van was broken into and 5 of our 6 backpacks were stolen. Most every electronic device we own was taken, along with many, many personal items...everything we were going to carry onto the plane. Fortunately they did not take my laptop bag and I had my camera in the restaurant with us so we did not lose all our photos. Josh and Nate's laptops were taken, so all 5 months of Josh's photos and journals are gone, but he did post some photos on Facebook so we'll at least be able to get those. Josh's passport was in his backpack so he was unable to leave Uganda with the rest of us, however during the night, a bag with many of the non-monetary items stolen was left at the door of the police station. Josh got his passport and ID back and was able to leave Uganda 24 hours after the rest of us. What an answer to our prayers! While this was an unfortunate way to end our stay in Uganda, it in no way changes our feelings for Uganda. The people of Uganda are wonderful and we were blessed by them in COUNTLESS ways! God is good through ALL things and we were so thankful that no one was injured.
Our few days layover in London were nice...cold but nice. Just a little taste of what we were in for when we got home! We ended up finding a flat to rent so that was a blessing. We did some sightseeing and took in a football (soccer) game which was a highlight for our boys.
Our flights home went well. We arrived in Chicago about 1-1/2 hours before Josh and Nate and waited for them to land. All went according to plan and it was great to see my Mom and Dad and Josh's friend Olivia waiting for us in the airport! All our luggage arrived as well and off we went to Michigan. Part way home, Andrew and Nate began to get carsick which, while that isn't funny, it is kinda funny because neither of them ever got carsick in Uganda on the terrible roads there, but back in the states on good roads...they get sick. Andrew ended up puking and then felt better and Nate got something to eat and then he felt better too. Welcome Home Feenstra Family!
We just want to say thank you to all of you who prayed for us, financially supported us, and were there for us along the way, through the good and the bad! We felt your prayers, your love, encouragement and support. Our time in Uganda has been life changing for each of us and we will be forever blessed by it.
Our prayer for each of you is that you might follow whatever God is calling YOU to do. It doesn't have to be going to Africa...only God knows what His plans for you are...but one of the things I was struck by was how many times we must miss out on the blessings God has for us when we do not follow His call, whether it be out of fear or just plain resistance to whatever it is He is calling us to. I think of how blessed we were by our time in Uganda and all the blessings we would have missed out on if we hadn't gone. I pray that each of us might have ears to hear the call of God and the desire to follow whatever that call may be.
Again, thank you for everything. We hope to be able to share our testimonies and stories with many of you. Please call us and we'll set up a time to get together to share. If you have even a spark of interest in going to Africa, we would love to tell you about our time there. It was beyond our greatest hopes and dreams of what it would be and God has blessed us in immeasurable ways through our time in Uganda.
Blessings,
Bob & Julie, Josh, Nate, Drew & Jake Feenstra
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