Greetings from the Stirn family! Only a month and a half until we hit the road! It's been a very busy month. We finally were able to get all of our homeschool materials and some critical items like water filtration systems. Just a few more things to wrap up before we go.
Many of you have asked how our kids feel about the upcoming trip to Uganda, so we thought we'd let them tell you in their own words. Click on the picture below to play the short video.
Blessings!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
God's Faithfulness
Jumping off the cliff...
Many of you have already heard that we finalized the sale of our house last week. When we originally considered what to do with our house (to rent or to sell), we felt that in spite of the struggling housing market, we should put it up for sale. Not only that, but we were praying and believing for it to sell within a month. God is faithful. We accepted an offer (near the asking price) within 26 days! There were many houses up for sale in our neighborhood prior to us putting our house on the market (some for many months) and none have sold. Through this experience, our confidence has grown that not only has He called us to this, but He will provide what we need to make it a reality. In some ways we feel as though we're jumping off a cliff, but He is catching us in mid air.
Moving out...
This past weekend, we finished packing up our things and moved into our rental house. It's starting to feel real now! We moved from a 5 year old, 2300 sq ft house into a ~40 year old, ~1400 sq ft house. Needless to say, we had to do some considerable down-sizing. We were so busy in the process of cleaning and moving out that we forgot to let our land lord know that we were ready to move in. She had said she would get the house ready for us by cleaning up after the last renters (they hadn't clean up at all) and would have the carpets cleaned.
So, we moved from our very clean newer house into a very dirty old house (with a brown shag carpet that has turned a shade of green from fading). The people who lived here before had put some powdery chemical in the carpet (which I think was ant killer) and so right before bedtime I was compelled to vacuum. As I tried to vacuum up the white stuff out of the carpet, puffs of white "dust" arose from the floor and then clogged the vacuum. Our bedroom smelled like insecticide. We were both very tired from moving and cleaning our old house and this was the final thing that pushed me (Heather) over the edge! I was so mad! I promptly told Danny I was not staying here and refused to live in this house! I put myself to bed and as I layed there, I began talking to God. I was ready to hear his reply which could have been something like, "OH Heather, you're a spoiled brat. Just stop this!" Or maybe even, "Heather, just get over it" or... "things could be worse!" No, God's response was, "I love you at this very moment. I love you and that will never change." The next day I made a decision to be thankful for where I was and to do everything for Him. We were able to get the carpets cleaned, scrub down the house, and unpack our things.
In the midst of this transition, it is emotional. It feels like a death. A death to our old life and way of living. My heart (still Heather writing) is being exposed. The adventure has become painful and sometimes it feels like pruning...ouch! I know that new growth is coming!
So here we are, waiting until we leave for Uganda (which is going to be August 17th). I have to say it is hard to wait for my heart's desire, which is to embrace and love with all my heart the children at Hope Children's home. It will truly be a joy to love them and be loved by them. I work at my children's school and had been gone all week because my oldest son Keith was very sick. I went into the school yesterday to pick up my youngest son, Jeremiah, who was now feeling sick. As I made my way through the school many of the kids started calling out to me, "oh hi Mom"and I would respond "oh hi my children!" I felt so loved and blessed even though they where being silly and teasing. It reminded me of being in Africa and made me even more "homesick" for the children of Uganda. I can't wait to hear the words Mama Heather from all the children I pull into my heart and receive as my own! Let the adventure begin!
If you'd like to find out how you can help support us or would like to learn more about Show Mercy, please go to the following link:
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Why Uganda?
Our road to Uganda
How can we explain in a short blog what God has been working in us over the past several years? It’s hard to put the stirring in our heart into words, but I'll try.
Three years ago, we were a very different family than we are today. Heather’s body was reeling from the birth of our last child, Jeremiah. Her doctors had no idea what was causing her physical and emotional problems and put her on just about every anti-depressent available. Those were really difficult days. Often times, she would call me at work to pick up the kids at school or simply come home to watch them as she couldn’t so much as get out of bed. There were times when I felt like a single parent. Carrying the load of cooking, cleaning, and looking after the kids was exhausting and consumed most all of my time and energy. During this time, we entered a sort of survival mode, and boiled our lives down to the bare necessities to get through each day.
At the beginning of 2006, I had the opportunity to go to work for 4 months in Singapore. In spite of Heather’s health problems, she was willing to attempt this move. As we were there, we began to see God working in her heart in a fresh way and she began to see some improvements in her body as well. Although it seemed unlikely at the time, in the back of my mind, I hoped that this trip was the beginning of a preparation time for something bigger.
After we returned from Singapore, we immediately began planning our next work-related trip, to Ireland for 8 months. At that same time, we also began planning our first trip to Uganda, Africa with Show Mercy (http://www.showmercy.org/ ). Since we would be in Europe, it would make it possible (due to the cheaper air fare) to bring the entire family to experience Africa. All during this time, Heather’s health was continually improving and we could see the goodness of God bringing more and more healing into her life.
During our trip in June 2007 to Africa, we absolutely fell in love with the people of Uganda. I have to say, it was a huge step out of my comfort zone and I was uneasy bringing the family there. Although I knew it would be a great experience, there were just lots of unknowns. It did turn out to be a wonderful experience. Almost a year passed before Heather returned to Uganda again (in June 2008). God really stirred Heather during this trip. She found new confidence as she ministered to prisioners, visited the children's hospital cancer ward, preached on a Ugandan radio program, and developed deeper relationships with the kids at Hope Children's Home.
Soon after this, God began to stir me about truly laying down all that I had for Him and for His desire for my life. Honestly, this was the farthest thing from my mind only a few months earlier. Over the course of the next few months, He drew me to the point where I truly believed it was time to take some concrete steps. Both Heather and I knew that our connection with Uganda went beyond the short trips we had made so far. In our 13 years of marriage, there were few things that we agreed on as strongly as what God was calling us to in Uganda. So, in December, Heather and I put in our application for a long term mission with Show Mercy. In January, Show Mercy gave us the official "go ahead" and I returned to Uganda later that month for a 2 week trip.
After I returned from Uganda, we spent a month preparing our house for sale. Less than a month after placing the house on the market, we accepted an offer. We're scheduled to close on May 14th!
So what will we be doing there, anyway?
So, you may wonder, what do we see ourselves doing there? Well, our primary mission will be to minister to the kids at Hope, the kids and people in the surrounding villages, and provide logistical assistance to the leadership at Hope Children's Home (and school). Our ministering will take many different forms, but our overall goal is to bring affirmation, mentoring, and love to these people in practical ways. In addition, Heather and I want to use this trip as an opportunity to bring you (whoever is reading this!) along for the ride. We want you to see first hand what God is doing in Uganda through our words, pictures, videos, and any other way we can think of to make this experience real for you. I have to be honest, I've never been stirred to action by watching shows or advertisements on TV about the starving kids in Africa. It wasn't until I went there, met the kids face to face, saw their circumstances first hand, and realized that they are no different than my own children, that my heart fell in love with them. My hope and prayer is that you will be stirred, too, when you hear their stories, see their faces, and hear their voices.
How Can I Get Involved?
You may be asking yourself, how can I get involved? Well, there are several ways. First of all, you can pray! We have a long road ahead of us and we're trusting God to pave the way. Lots of things need to fall into place over the next 4 months. Second, you can support us financially. Don't worry, we'll never hound you for money! However, we do have a great deal of expenses ahead of us (both monthly living expenses in Uganda and one time startup expenses, like airfare), so every little bit helps. Just go to: http://www.showmercy.org/get_involved/long-term-missions/ You can give a one-time donation or, if you'd like to give a monthly donation, please enter "monthly support for the Stirns" in the comment field.
Third, you can sponsor a child! I'll go into more detail on this in my next blog. You can go to http://www.showmercy.org/ to learn more. Show Mercy is a registered non-profit, so any donations are tax deductible.
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