June 7

Ministry Partners,

Flight day has arrived.

Aaron left in the van to return to Uganda this morning at 3 a.m.. He will take IRM's things to Alfred's house for storage and then return the van to the  rental company. It's good to have a place to store our portable sound system and other remaining supplies.

Alfred and I had our final breakfast together and then he left for the airport about 8:15. Alfred echoed  my sentiments when he said, "Goodbys are hard". Being with family and friends sharing the Gospel and watching God powerfully work for 5 weeks are the things that make my heart sing and keep drawing me back here.

Although Alfred is my son and calls me Mom, here I am called "Mom" by everyone and the women in Kenya's Gulu Prison also gave me a new name so I have 5 now.  In Rwanda - Mechumesa (woman of honor), in Uganda - Victorious, in Kenya - Blessing, here in general - Mama Alfred and my personal name Arlene. They smile and applaud here when I am asked to introduce myself and I use all my names.  I'll have to try it when I get home and see what reaction I get.

I got fully packed yesterday so today as I waited for my ride to the airport it gave me time to work on sorting and filing the thousands of photos (I'm not joking here) I've taken as well as the ones Alfred took on his iPhone. I know I'm going to have a problem just trying to choose the few I actually use in my Power Point Presentations. 

Tending the goats, everyone works

I found the following photo of what it looked so often as I traveled with the guys on the IRM core team. They all seemed to gave a phone attached to their heads, Alfred making arrangements for tomorrows activities, Aaron driving and fielding calls from partners, Geoffrey contacting prisons and then there was me just taking photos and enjoying the scenery but usually I get to sit in the front left hand seat. It will hard to have to start driving myself when I return home.

Alfred and Aaron, I think those phones are permanently connected to their heads

Thank you Holy Spirit for helping me figure out how to check-in online this morning. As I wrote before, I have never boarded from a foreign country by myself but this morning after Alfred left I received an email from Delta that I could check in on line and I just wanted to see if I could do that especially since I am not very computer literate. 
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13
With His help I did it and the office here at Heart Lodge printed my boarding pass out for me, all of this should make my check in tonight easier. 

Thank you Dani Kelly for sending me off to Africa with these powerful verses

I enjoyed these verses again today. I have truly been blessed by those of you who have encouraged me with prayer, notes, fb comments and just plain loved me and forgiven me even when I did not deserve it.

Thank you to each one of you.

Lunch here today was interesting in a very pleasant way. IRM is usually in the field wherever we are so we just carry bread, peanut butter, jelly and honey with us for sandwiches but today I am in the lodge compound alone for a "real" lunch. The team of 15 or so left today, the group of 6 is in the field and my team is gone but the chef here prepared a meal for a child of the King, indeed, enough for two for sure.
When the chef started putting the many containers on the serving table I asked him if he had heated up his kitchen and prepared all that food for me, his response with a huge smile was, "Yes".

Generally the beef and chicken here is a bit tough but today I was prepared the best beef I have ever had in Africa. The pan seared beef medallions were so tender and delicious I could have eaten a second serving but did not. The rest of the meal was delicious too with round cut, deep fried baby potatoes, broccoli and julianne cut carrots served and pan seared separately, just until tender with a little butter.  The meal was topped off with vanilla/strawberry ice cream topped with chunks of mixed fresh fruit - pineapple, watermelon and papaya.
The chef smiled even bigger when I told him how wonderful the meal was and then he informed me that he would have something prepared for me a bit early since my airport transport would be picking me up at 6:30.

I will write one more blog post after I return home so that's pretty much it for today as I try to take a nap and then make final preparations to set off for my American home. Since I was unable to purchase some of the tea and coffee I wanted my two bags are not overweight so please pray:

1. That checking my bags in and boarding the plane at 10:45 for my 11:55p.m. flight goes without a hitch as well as my Amsterdam transfer.
2. That I would be aware of any opportunities the Lord might bring to share His Gospel and that I would have boldness to do so.

That none would be lost,

Arlene