Great is Thy Faithfulness

I always start by apologizing for not updating frequently and this is not unlike the rest... life has been going nonstop for weeks. Here's a brief catch-up session for you: Indeed I got to see the Hopsons, it was awesome! Yes my bff came in from Seattle and yes it was absolutely fantastic to spend time with her. Of course I went to the Cubs game and though they lost the game, I had a great day in the city with some fabulous friends!
That doesn't sound like a lot and I realize that, but what I didn't expect to do in the midst of all of that was have surgery. It wasn't a huge deal and it shoulda healed in about a week, but because I had all that exciting stuff going on... I didn't rest therefore the stitches came apart and I've been laid up for almost 2 weeks! It's my own fault and I recognize that, but it doesn't make it any less annoying to do NOTHING for so long. I've not been able to work, thus my money supply is rapidly deteriorating. AND since I'm still healing I'm not supposed to be doing too much activity... my Nintendo is getting a lot of use right now. I'm still planning on my trip to Alabama this weekend to see Jade and Shelah Acker (Lino's soon-to-be adoptive parents) while they're home in the States! Please pray for safe travels. :)
Beyond that I've had a lot of exciting stuff going on in my life pertaining to my churches...
And this brings me to the point of this update. Jesus is absolutely faithful. I had previously talked about trying to figure out my future and where my ministry needed to focus. I specifically asked God to make it clear where I was supposed to be spending my Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. No sooner did I pray that prayer, than I got answers. I know that my "home" church is the UM church out here in Plano. I love the Body of Christ out here and I love serving and spending time with them. But I also know that my original "home" church was WSUMC in Naperville and I've been wanting to reconnect with them for years. The Lord brought two separate people to me from WS to tell me about ministry needs at the church. One is a small group leader for Sunday school which I'll be co-leading with Joy Thomas (love her!), the other is a director for the youth worship team. You all know my passions and music and youth rank pretty high up there! The call about the worship team can a mere two days after talking with Joy about Sunday school. I was very up front about my level of commitment, knowing that I'm going back to Africa (more on that later), but I also expressed my excitement to get something going with the kids out there. Becky (my old youth pastor, mentor, and great friend) is the one I was talking to about this and she was very aware of the fact that I'd be leaving for Africa in the near future and she kinda figured that into her plan of calling me. Jesus gave her a peace about it knowing that I could get stuff going and then someone else could take over once I'm gone. (Another confirmation towards my return to Uganda).
So anyways, I went to youth group a couple of Wednesday nights ago to kinda meet the kids and introduce myself. (It's so weird to be back at my "home" church and have no one know me anymore because it's been so long. I don't know any of the kids!) All of that said, I'm SUPER excited to get this party started and to start sharing my philosophy of worship with the kids and then form a team to lead others into worship. It will only be by God's strength that I'll be able to do this and do it well, but I'm pumped. Would you be in prayer with me about this? I've always felt very mediocre at singing, average at guitar, and like I'm just a beginner on piano, however I've got a great understanding of music theory type stuff. BUT I've done this before because God has given me a heart of worship and I'm excited to tell them what I know, what God wants them to hear, and then to share that passion with the rest of the youth through worship. Pray for the youth and their hearts. Pray for my leadership and direction. :) Praise Him for such an opportunity.
I've been praying for clarity since I returned home (almost 3 months ago!!!) and once again, God has answered that prayer for me. Isn't it so much easier to see things when we wait for the Lord to reveal them to us? Go figure! Anypoo, in my seeking about what's next I've been feeling like God is leading me back to Uganda. My plan at this point, unless Jesus has something else that's unforeseen by me, is to go back as a VIA (volunteer in action) like last time. However, unlike last time I won't be teaching at Heritage International School, my focus will be more on KIU (Kampala International University) ministries and marketing. There have been talks about a program with the orphans on Buvuma Island (where we have a church and a school) to get them sponsors and I would LOVE to be the person to help get that program up and running. I've been in talks with my field director (well former field director) in Uganda, who has been in talks with THE field director of Uganda and the regional director of WGM in Africa and they're discussing possibilities and options. I would really like to get back there by January and my thoughts are leaning towards a 2 year commitment at this point. Obviously I'm still waiting to hear back from the big bosses across the sea to hear their thoughts, but more and more I'm getting confirmation from the Lord through other people and through circumstances. He has covered me with a peace that I still don't understand and is preparing me even now for my time there. I'm asking for you guys to pray with me about this. There are still plenty of details to be worked out and then there's that little thing called a budget to work out and then I'll need to start raising support in an economy that screams, "keep everything you have!! Save your money!!"
Yikes. Raising support is a daunting task for me because it's so humbling. I've never been good at letting people give to me, but I know that in supporting me they're supporting my ministries and the works God has given me.
I long to be back in Uganda. It's strange to feel homesick for a place that I spent a short 11 months in, but I do. And it's such a real and strong feeling. My first trip was a breeze, in a sense... I was healthy (thanks be to God) and I did what Jesus asked me to do. Not that there weren't any struggles and not that there weren't times I was ready to throw in the towel and come home, but I have a feeling that this trip, whenever it is... is going to be a totally different experience. Pray, even now that I would adjust well, be healthy, and be able to jump right into serving the Lord in whatever capacity He allows me to.
Thanks to you all for your love! I love you all so much!! If you would, send me your address and email address to help me keep you updated on my progress as I move forward with these plans. My email is christina.maddalone@gmail.com.