Hello from Uganda
Hello from RAINY Uganda!! Wow the rain has been sooooooo heavy this year……Being from West Texas where clouds are rare and rain is scarce allows us to really appreciate Rainy Season
Our journey started 6 years ago in a Midland Texas living room and has been full of ups, downs, turns and twists all helping us to grow and mature in the Lord!
Losing my job (I had been asking God to release me from) abruptly in April 2013 turned out to be a HUGE blessing. This served as the catalyst to propel us to the mission field, a call that Holy Spirit put on me at age 16 (1986) in Lamesa, TX , I kid you not, in the high school bathroom reading the “Great Commission” with my friend Billy. We dreamed of traveling and proclaiming Jesus love to the world ….then- back to Algebra class.
Back to April 2013…..The day of my “job release” Wendy and Megan (Elkins) were leading a Medical mission to Rwanda and planned to go see Megan’s friends in South Sudan at the end of the trip. As Mike & I sat in my kitchen pondering what was next we received a text, much to our surprise, from Wendy & Megan in Yei, South Sudan
“Sell the houses, pack the bags & bring the kids…we aren’t coming home!” Speechless!!!
July 2013……. Mike and I made a vision trip to Yei with our church, Stonegate Fellowship. I can tell you that after 26+ yrs. of marriage a woman’s intuition is very powerful and usually right on! As I walked around the EPC compound in Yei asking God is this where we are supposed to be I felt an overwhelming YES as did Mike.
July-Nov. 2013 Made plans, started fundraising and purging, purging, purging, pur….well you get the picture???
Dec. 2013 (PLOT Twist) War broke out again in South Sudan and we received word we could no longer go to Yei for now. Heartbroken for the people, frustrated with God and asking questions: What now? Did we mishear? How do we go without our friends? Holy Spirit reminded us of our call to “GO” and just because the door shut doesn’t mean it was locked! SO we opened up the door and took the “Next Right Step” and began to explore options for our family.
March-Sept. 2014 We have a plan! Discipleship Training School (DTS) at Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Kona, Hawaii. We left Texas in September with all our belongings and supplies we thought we needed for the next season (whatever it turned out to be) I thought Missionary in Hawaii…I can handle this!
**Side note: Elkins went to Michigan for mike to attend airplane field mechanic school.
1st Week DTS Speaker says “if you cannot go where God has asked you to go then get as close as you can……the map in our room showed the YWAM Base in Arua, Uganda to be just that and we started making plans for a “One Way” outreach to Uganda!
God is so good and faithful to accomplish His plans through us if we will just be flexible, rest in Him and take the “Next Right Step” He will lead us in the desires of our heart.
4th week DTS- Talking to the Elkins they were excited to tell us how God had revealed their next right step to move to, are you ready for this? Arua Uganda…..whattttt…OFFF THE HIZZLE. God always has better plans for us than we can imagine
Dec-March 2015 Completed DTS lecture phase and travelled to Uganda for outreach and completed early March.
April 2014- Sept. 2018 Harper’s served on staff with YWAM, Arua, Uganda where we learned about the culture, working with others in an organization, the ebb and flow of daily life in a culture not your own. This was a great season of pruning, growing & learning for the Harpers. Knowing a new season was on the horizon we went on home assignment eager to pray and ask “are we called to come back?” and if so then what??
Early 2018 Elkins fully focused on HVG
Jan. 2019- We felt a resounding YES from Holy Spirit to come back to Arua and, would you believe it? serve at His Voice Global with the Elkins and Wards.
Currently 2019 We are 6 months into this season and we are having a great time serving and seeing Gods hand move in many ways doing things with relationships we have fostered over the last 5 years that are truly mind blowing! We are not only living out what God spoke to us 6 years ago with our friends but also serving the same people we would have been involved with in Yei, 2014….go figure.
Don’t get in a hurry…..enjoy the journey….the journey WITH God always turns out better than we expect!
Open the door again….keep walking WITH Him He will not lead you astray.
Psalms 37:3-4 (NASB)
Trust in the Lord and do good: dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart”
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
The heart of man plans his way , but the Lord establishes his steps
We are going to keep on taking the next right step WITH God and trusting Him for all things. Thank you for following along with us on the journey…..see ya soon!
Loving Big in Small ways that MAKE a BIG Difference!!!
sid, wendy, jojo, tate, Charlie, emmy, levi, kenlie, elijah & silas
AKA…..the harper tribe!