One Week

Today is exactly one week from our departure date. As I type I am exactly one week, to the minute, from our boarding time.

Last week I started to get a little anxious about everything but through God's help and everyone's prayers I am feeling quite a bit more relaxed. We met with Kendall yesterday morning as we left San Antonio and he gave us vitamins to take over to the children. I think that this last week is going to keep me so busy that I won't even realize how quickly the 16th is coming.

Last Sunday Mitchell's parent threw a wonderful going away party for us. We got to see family friends, kids from church, and even some of our friends like the Nicole and the Canales family. It was a complete blast.

My goal is to blog everyday this week to let you know what I am thinking but most of all to send my prayer requests out to you. Even in the days of the new church the body would share it's prayer needs with the rest of the body. Prayer needs for today: Pray that God gives me a clear mind so that I can get everything into order, pray that the pipes at my dad's house thaw so that they can have hot and cold water, pray for the orphanage in Uganda and the preparations that are being made on their end for our arrival.

To read more about the orphanage where we will be and to learn more about the children check out their blog at www.zembakids.blogspot.com

The picture is from our road trip yesterday. Cold, no make-up, and tired!

11 Days

I can hardly believe that Saturday the 16th is almost here! Every time that I try to sit and think about where I am going to be and what I am going to be doing I get a little bit overwhelmed. It is so amazing that God has chosen little ol' me to fly across the world to care for his children.

I try to imagine what it will be like to walk down the streets of Entebbe. I imagine the monkeys that I have been told about and the big birds that are everywhere. I imagine the warmth of the sun on my skin. I imagine myself trying to communicate in the market. I imagine myself holding the children and playing with the children. I imagine the beautiful eyes of the kids as they look at this crazy muzungu walking through the city.

I know that no matter how much dreaming and thinking that I do, God is going to blow my mind. Every plan that I have ever made that I have given over to Him, He has turned my so-so into amazing. I am on the title page of the next chapter of my life and cannot wait to read the beautiful poetry that El Shaddai is going to write on these pages.

Contributions

For those of you who have been wondering how you can make a contribution you can either a: make a check payable to Mitchell and I or b: for a tax deductible contribution you can make a check payable to Harvest Fellowship and leave the subject line blank. Either way you can mail the checks to 15323 Antler Creek SATX 78248.

Thanks to everyone who has been so willing to help Mitchell and I go be the hands and feet.

My Center

It is so crazy how fast time passes! Mitchell and I have been frantically working on moving out of our apartment and into storage. It doesn't seem like that big of a task until I realized that we not only had to pack for Uganda and put everything else in storage, we also needed clothes out for winter and for April when we get back, i.e. we have stuff everywhere!

Robin has been telling me very exciting things about the orphanage and the children there and my friend Whitney sewed me an awesome baby sling to carry the children around the compound in!

The prayers that we have been surrounded by have been absolutely wonderful. Any "logical" person would be slightly frightened or worried about leaving the comforts of home for three months to a place that they have never been, yet I sit on the title page of a new chapter in my life calmly. The placid feelings within me don't seem to match the tumultuous waves that one would think should accompany such an endeavor. Praise be to God who is my center, my shepherd, and my everything.

Please continue to pray that plans go smoothly, we already had to change our flights back home, and that God shows us what to do next.

Thanks for your prayers!

So many of you heard about the new strains on the trip. (If not read the previous post). Thank you to all the prayer warriors out there. God has already laid out the "new", more price efficient path (I say new because it is new to me... but He knew all along).

Praise God!

New Strains... Need your prayers

Last night I got an email from Robin, the woman who lives in Entebbe and just started the orphanage. It seems that the more affordable housing option that Mitchell and I were hoping for may not be available during the time that we are there. The prices that we would be paying for the new options are four times more per month. Needless to say this has me a little bit worried.

Pray that God eases my nerves. I know that this is His plan and that He will provide us with a path and a method to get down that path. Pray that somehow the guest house option (the more affordable option) becomes available. Pray that God reminds me of His always present provision in my life.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

Really God... YOU want to use me

As I have been packing for Mitchell and my weekend trip to Dallas to talk to Cristo Viene's youth about our upcoming trip to Uganda and all of the need that is there I have been listening to the Mwangaza children's choir. Mwangaza is Swahili for "shining light" and that is what their voices are, pure and innocent light that holds the hope for the future of Uganda.

I started crying thinking, "Why do I get to go be your hands and feet God? Are you sure that I am the one that you want to use? I fail you all the time. There are others that are better suited for this." Yet from within me I hear that still small voice saying, "Don't you trust me Cassidy? I chose you to do this. I have a plan for you. I have known since before you were born that I would send you to my children across the world. I have been preparing you for this since you were born"

What a humbling experience to be chosen by God! He must love me so much. And you want to know a not so secret secret? He loves you too. He is especially fond of you. He has a plan for you that will knock you off your feet because of the magnanimity of what He wants to lay before you.

I will never be good enough to accomplish His will, yet when I live through Him, He will give me more than enough to share His love. And that is what we need, the pure undefiled love that comes directly from the Father.