As I sit here to write the first post on the RUJA blog I feel a combined sense of relief and urgency. Finally, the website is done. All the paperwork has been submitted to the state and IRS. We’ve come up with the money to pay lawyers and the application fees necessary to have RUJA recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization. School is out and summer is here. Exhale.

Deep breath. While school is actually getting out for the summer here in America, school is just beginning in Uganda. That means we need money to pay for school fees. Not only that, we need to move Robert, Milly, and the 5 children we are providing for into a safer environment. Our current location just isn’t safe enough. We already have a compound picked out that is just a little more per month than our current location. It has reliable electricity, running water, and more room for our growing family.

Six months ago I was on a street corner in Boise with a guitar and sign that read, “I NEED $1,000 IN 24 HRS TO GO TO AN ORPHANAGE IN UGANDA.” My brother and his mandolin came along for emotional and musical support. Fifteen minutes later I was holding a check for one-thousand dollars. We never played a note.

We need $3,000 to pay for school fees and school supplies next week. We also need 6 months of rent up front to move our kids into the new compound. We have no way of coming up with this money. We won’t be ready to launch online sales until early August.

Here I am back at the proverbial street corner. I am faced with the same scenario as six months ago: God comes through or I fail. A lot more is at stake this time around.

My “office” is littered with burlap coffee bags, paperwork, and loose thread. There is a 1950’s Singer sewing machine resting on a table made out of recycled pallet wood. Everything around me is a testament to the faithfulness of God. The burlap scraps on the floor scream His providence. The Ugandan flag on the wall connects my mind to a place that He used to change me forever. A bent piece of white poster board covered in faded green permanent marker reminds that I’ve been on this street corner before. The check stub that is tacked to my bulletin board reminds me that God was right there with me.

I'm just going to sit on this bench, pull out my guitar, and watch God do what he does best.

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Blog Post #1

Hope