A little fun along the way...

Today I was reminded of a great time this past June as I was out in Seattle for the week long Training of Trainers. In her in December Prayer Letter, CVM Director of Training, mentioned a number of us that are either already serving on the field long term or heading there. Two of the stories were from TOT. One was mine....

Emily is also going to Uganda.  She is a single woman who has been working as a veterinary technician for several years but was forced to resign from her job when she developed a severe allergy to the chemicals used in x-rays.  At first it was hard to see how God could turn this tragedy into good, but it was the way God moved Emily into a long term calling to serve by working with the traditional healers in the Karamojong tribe to research and document the use of natural medicinal plants (ethnoveterinary medicine)  passed down for generations. What had seemed a devastating loss of career turned into a cause for rejoicing. Isn’t that just like God, to take what looks to us like tragedy and use it for good in surprising ways?  Emily has just returned from a couple months of preparation in Uganda and is eager to get back full time as soon as her prayer and financial support is raised.  Emily came to the training I did in June and we got to know each other better. She and one of the other trainees faked a quarrel on the lake front and ended up in the lake-just to see my reaction!!  Look out Uganda!   

So here is a photo just moments after our 'quarrel'. The look on face of the 'other trainee', Lindsay, is priceless here. Everyone had just finished canoeing when I arrived at the beach. I had been busy getting my flight changed so I could stay in Seattle after the training to meet with CVM staff at the home office and go through my psychological evaluation. Yes, really, they think I'm sane enough to go to Africa! Though I'm digressing. So I had wanted to go swimming to say I swam in Washington State. So I had my swimsuit on under my street clothes. The plan developed very quickly as Lindsay and I talked. We announced rather loudly that we were going to go canoeing. But I was warned to take of my shoes because the canoe was wet. Um, sure. So we started walked down the dock when she slammed her canoe paddle down, turned to me and started yelling. "That's it, I'm tired of it... ALL WEEK....." I turned, throw down my paddle, and yell back demanding to know "REALLY, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM". As I dramatically stretch my arms out to my sides she gives me a big 'ol shove. I think it was believable for a few split seconds until I surfaced and we both started laughing uncontrollably.

The "other trainee" and I had a lot of fun together. We first met sharing a hotel room together the night before the training. I got in several hours earlier and was sound asleep before she arrived. The afore mentioned Director of Training had suggested we share a room to save money. But then she was worried we wouldn't be okay with that, having never met each other before. So it became a joke that we could really be axe murderers. It's plausible right? Axe murders attending a 'by invite only' CVM training. So my nickname became 'Vic' and her nickname was 'Axe'. It was a running joke throughout the week.

So we also developed another plan. We talked the director of the camp we were staying at for the training in to letting us borrow an 'axe' (yes, I know technically the pictured tool has a different name, but it's all we could get). The last day EVERYONE met in the girls cabin to listen to Dr. Fred Van Gorkom speak. As everyone was settling down I excused myself to go to the bathroom. A short time later Lindsay excused herself to go brush her teeth....lol. So there we were, in the bathroom, conveniently the very room we had stashed the axe. A short while later I let out a scream and throw myself at the wall. Then Lindsay yells, chases me through the cabin (and everyone sitting there), and out the door with the axe. HAHAHAHAHA.... good times!

So who said being a Christian was boring?!


Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. -Psalm 126:2-3

Yes, we did also learn a lot during that week. But our fun helped break up the intensity of it all!

November 23rd, 2012 Support Update

We are at 25% of monthly support committed now!! Thank you to everyone that has committed to be a ministry partner already. It is a blessing to be able to do the Lord's work with you. It's awesome that a team of mainly Midwesterners is going to be able to impact a land almost 7,000 miles away for the Gospel!!

Reminder.... there is still a few days left in the November challenge! If you haven't yet, watch this You Tube video to learn more. If you partner before the end of the month you have a chance to win an authentic Karamojong item! Warning... the end of the video clip is reported as too graphic for some.

DID YOU KNOW? If 100% of the monthly support was committed NOW, by time for me to move in May 2013, the build up going towards the one time needs would be ONLY $2,455 short!!! So if you are excited about being a part of the work in Karamoja, please start your monthly support today!

Monthly support ($4,547 total)= Salary, living expenses, ministry expenses, insurance, travel expenses, staff expenses etc

One time support ($37,764) = Truck, computer, training, airfare, moving expenses etc

Drawing near to God with a loaded gun...

So one wouldn't think that sitting with a gun on your lap waiting to end an animal's life is really a time to spend with God. But for some reason, for me, it is. I enjoy the time being still, quiet, and just watching His creation. Besides deer the woods offers plenty to watch. Squirrels, crows, blue jays, woodpeckers, turkeys, and even the sun filtering through the trees to the fallen leaves on the ground. Fortunately we aren't trophy hunters, though my 14-point buck from 3 years ago is an added bonus, rather we hunt to fill our freezer.

So this year I had an incredibly fruitful season... on the first day! As I was contemplating it I was overwhelmed by the journey and God's love for me. So let's flash back to 6 years ago!

Deer Story. Part 1
November, 2006

So opening morning I'm sitting out in the woods before it gets light. It starts to get light alittle before 7am. Around 7:15 I see a small doe a long ways away. I don't shoot because it would have been a pot shot and our house was in the distance. So I'm sitting out there watching nature. As I do I start having a deep conversation with God. About how awesome He is and where He wants me in life etc. Also telling Him that He is the Potter and I am the clay. I will go and do whatever He asks of me. As I'm talking to Him I tell Him that I know that He is aware of the thoughts and the intents of my heart so I don't have to prove anything to Him. But I tell Him that if a deer comes through within the next 10 minutes I won't shoot at it. So I looked at my watch and it was 8:16a. Then 3 minutes later I hear something crashing through the woods behind me. There comes 2 bucks and a doe running into the woods. I was like "Whoa, cool God!" So they get to the point where I would have shot them... but I just keep watching. Then 10 feet past that point they stopped. Then the two 4-point bucks turn around and start to fight each other!! That was so completely awesome. This was all happening 30 yards away from me. The doe was standing broadside with her head behind a tree so she couldn't see me. The bucks got down on their knees and everything. Later in the week I was talking to a guy that has been an avid hunter for longer than I have been alive and he said he had never seen two buck fight before! So then I'm sitting there and watching them and I begin to question... now was it just within that 10 minute time frame that I wouldn't shoot or was it anything that I saw within that 10 minutes even if they were around me after that, I wouldn't shoot?? Hmmmmm.... Well I didn't have to worry about it because 9 minutes later at 8:25a they left. Then they ran to the other end of the woods and dad shot at them... AND MISSED. He had just got a new scope on his gun and he wasn't supposed to miss with it. So later he called me on my cell phone and told me that he had seen "Two doe and a 4-point buck." He asked if I saw them and I said "Yes, and they were actually two 4-point bucks and a doe". Then he asked why I didn't shoot... did the gun jam? Were they running? Were they too far away??? I had to answer no to each of those. So I told him that I would explain it to him later. So I did when we were walking to the house later in the morning. He accepted it.... but later in the day and later in the season it really torqued him. We didn't get ANY deer this year. That was the first time in many many many years. So the next day my mentor asked me why did God send the 3 deer that He did??? 2 dominate forces fighting over a weak force??? Hmmmmm... I have had some good contemplation and prayer about this. Especially after 2 people around me out of the blue that they had a dream with me in. I was not active in the dream.... just in the background. But in each situation there were 2 dominate forces fighting over a weaker force. I have been filling my journal with this. Things just don't happen by chance. So that is my deer story and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had an awesome time of worship with God after they left the woods that morning.

Deer Story. Part 2
December, 2006


So on December 21st we got a phone call. Someone we know had gotten some deer and wanted to know if we wanted the meat. My parent's said yes. So several days later we packaged up ~40#'s of roast and chops that had already been boned out. All that needed to be done is the fat cut off, cut them in the right sizes and wrap for the freezer. God is good and faithful!! When I was out in the shed and we walked past the meat, dad said "Did you see the meat?". I said "Yes, see...". He stopped me.. "Don't even start". I said "Sorry, I did already.

See, God is faithful"!!!!

Deer Story. Part 3
November, 2012

So opening day of deer season this year found me out sitting in my stand contemplating that very time with God. It was the time that I went totally all in with God and pivotal on where I'm at now. Where am I at? Hunting potentially for my last time because I will be living in Uganda after this and who knows how long I will live there. Who knows if any of my furloughs will correspond with any hunting seasons after this. So mentally, I was just ready to enjoy this as if it is my last. So right at day break I shoot my first deer!! Amazing shot right through the center of both lung lobes. You couldn't ask for a better shot. We like to preserve the heart because my grandmother LOVES to eat them. So we finish hunting in the morning and process the deer before we are ready to head out for the afternoon hunt. It is just about the end of the day when two deer enter the woods. I shoot the first one. The second one goes for a bit and then stops behind a bunch of brush and a tree. All I can see is the area ahead of the shoulders. I shoot and my aim is true. Right through all of the vital blood supply in the neck. The previous deer I shot had made it a bit further and ran across the road. So we had to talk to the neighbors before we could go get her. After I dragged her out to the road and was waiting for the vehicle to come and pick us up, I had a little party with God. Here I am six years after going all in, having the time of my life hunting. Six years ago I let three deer walk by without firing a shot. Today, I'm in the middle of preparations to move almost 7,000 miles away to go serve in long term missions.....and I shoot three deer. Plus, the weather is INCREDIBLE!!! Sunny and warm (37F-45F). God loves me! I love Him. I'm super grateful for the time He gave me on Saturday. I don't know what the rest of the season will hold, but I know that now we have enough extra meat so I can make some jerky to take with me to Africa!!

May I also add, the hunting in our area is generally down and last year I didn't shoot any deer. 

So we may not know what our future holds, but why not trust God with it?! His plans are definitely the best plans. Even if people think you are crazy. There will also be hardships and struggles, but why not go through them with the one who is your greatest Advocate?!

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Reminder... 11 more days on the Imperishable Seed partnership challenge!! Check it out on You Tube... November Support Challenge  *warning... video at the end is a bit graphic for some... or so I have been told*

November Support Challenge and Drawing!!

Short video explaining the item you can win in a drawing if you start your monthly ministry support before November 30, 2012! Plus, there is a special clip at the end from my trip to Karamoja, Uganda this summer!!

Update on Grandma!!

So I mentioned in a previous blog about what my grandma was up to. She gave me a copy of the letter she sent out to her friends! I thought I would share this with you. I have a handful of people already committed to networking and telling others abo ut what God is doing in Karamoja. Are you interested?? Family, friends, churches, strangers? Contact me and I can get you more information!! Let's keep the momentum going and surprise everyone at CVM with how fast I can meet my monthly support goal!! Have a great day in the Lord!! -Emily/Enakit