Author: rhondajwelch

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” – Psalm 46:1-3,7 

We’ve been back home for two weeks now, and it’s been a little rough going but I believe the break we had strengthened our resolve to stand firm and wait on God. And able to hold on to God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us.

There has been much trouble made by the man that we replaced. Even though he resigned he held bitterness and jealousy and it has festered and grown in his heart. Although he has tried to cause trouble and damage our name and our organizations name, God has surrounded us and protected us against the rumors and confusion that has been set against us. He has been our refuge and help. And though it would be easy to hate the person, we know the battle is not flesh and blood.and what the devil meant for evil has only strengthened our faith and our standing in the community. I pray that he can put his focus back on God and his heart be healed. Actions speak louder than words they say and that is especially true here. Even though this man tried to make us believe the people here are stupid, we have found that is far from the truth. People know when they are being disparaged and looked down on. It has been amazing to see what God’s love through us has done as far as relationships and changes we have seen in their hearts and character. To show respect and see one’s dignity restored is an awesome thing. And even though it may be a few at a time it has already begun a change in their community. I pray that we do everything we can as we work here to always point them to The One that has made it possible for us to love and walk beside them. Because of the hatred against us by one man,  a select few tried to rally the village to demonstrate and send us back to the States, the majority of the community stood behind us. And the root of all these human attacks has been removed and went back to the States. Praise God, this battle that has gone on for a year is over. And I believe that huge henderance being removed will allow so much more growth.

But there have been a few loose ends because of the last ditch efforts to discredit us. A few farmers were pressured not to honor their contracts. But when they came face to face with us they gave in. Cheated us, but also learned that Christian is not a man that will just lie down and take dishonesty.

Our bulls were stolen by a farmer that had been housing them. When he wouldn’t give his rice (still hasn’t) he was told to give them back but refused because he had been making money off of them. It ended with his arrest and the return of our bulls. What the devil meant to use to discourage us and cause confusion and anger with the village, again only strengthened our standing here.

Our truck has given us problems since two days after we got home, but with much prayer and Christian’s knowledge of vehicles and unwillingness to give up I believe he has found the problem and with the part fixed we pray tomorrow it will run again! Pray for it to be up and running!

We pray and believe that now we have a clean slate, after a year we have proven to be honest, have the best interest of the people here at heart and follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. It hasn’t been easy but this year has strengthened us physically and spiritually.

Now you are up to date with what we have been doing since we came home! Continue to pray for us daily, we know there will be many new challenges that we will face, but with God beside us who can stand against us?

We made it back to Uganda! After 24 hours of travel, including 8 hours in the middle of the night in Dubai airport (can you say MISERABLE?) we made it back. Checked into hotel near the airport for the night…this pic is 10 minutes after we got in the room!
We will be headed back him this morning to our welcoming committee. Pray with us that they will let us have a little rest!
I will admit I cried the entire 24 hours and at one point feared we may get removed from a plane, but once we were here I felt like we were home. Haven’t cried now in 18 hours so that is a good sign. I will definitely miss our family but was so good to have the time with the little ones, their personalities as they grow is something I feel we miss out on the most. I’m afraid we will have some food withdrawal though and there’s not much we can do about that!
Raelee is ready to get home to Smokey and get our puppies back this week. Hopefully get settled back into our life here. It was definitely good to step back and gain some perspective on our life here!

Yesterday we went to the beach. Have to say Greek people are not self conscious about body image. Very interesting, terrifying and traumatizing! There were many more over 50 crowd letting it all hang out than any other age group!
The kids had a blast and we are hoping to go back today, if it doesn’t rain. We only have three full days left, we leave on Thursday. All of this time I thought we were leaving Friday until last night Daniel informs me our plane leaves Thursday. So, instead of being sad I am going to make the best of the days we have left!

We got to go with the kids to a pretty cool place, a little like Sci-port, that is a hands-on kind of learning center. It was a big house that was turned into a multi-room play area. We started in the construction room and after a bit we moved into the market area. I think they liked it the best, it was pretty cool. It had a bakery, a butcher, produce area, dairy and fish market. It also had a checkout area with cash register and money! Next door to it was a dining room/kitchen where there was a lot of cooking and serving going on. Amos was very serious in his cooking, Raelee and Lydia liked setting the table and cooking. I think they all took turns washing the dishes. The place started to fill with more and more kids so we (especially Grandma) decided it was time to leave, and we would try to come back another morning to explore the rest of the rooms!

I think with these pictures I am now caught up with the time Nic and Liz were here! It’s hard to sit down and re-size pictures and post when I would rather be playing with these amazing kids! But there is a little more time with them in school and Daniel back at work!

At the base of the Acropolis is Mars Hill, a rocky hill known for Paul’s sermon to the people of Athens. It has an awesome view of the city spread out below, but it was a pretty surreal experience to be standing on the place someone as faithful and courageous as Paul. I think Christian and I both were near tears to be there, thinking of the people who embraced the message and the ones that scoffed. At the time he spoke here, the city was full of idol worship and philosophers and debauchery. He told them that they were worshipping many gods who would do them no good. They even had an idol that represented the “unknown” god just to have their bases covered.

I really didn’t want to pay and walk to the top of the Acropolis but I was very glad I did just to be able to stand on Mars Hill.

Paul in Athens

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[a] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst.   Acts 17:16-33

While Nic and Liz were still here we visited the Acropolis Museum and the ruins of the Parthenon that are there. The Parthenon is a former temple that sits up on the hill that is the Acropolis, and is dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron.The museum was very interesting and it has many, many artefacts from ancient Greece. It is built above the old city and has glass floors so that you can see what is left below. There are many tools and statues, some there are only parts left but there were many that were still intact. You could probably go 4-5 times and still not look at everything.

The Temple of Zeus – Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός, Naos tou Olympiou Dios is a huge ruined temple in the center of the city that was dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. The columns that are left are huge in diameter and height. It is a little strange here, to be walking around the city shops and busy streets and come upon ruins standing. But then you realize that there is basically another city underneath that has been covered with time. There are some shops that have glass floors, or portions of the floor that is glass that allows you to see the ruins of a building or interiors of buildings that were there so long ago. Athens is definitely an interesting city to visit. Also, at the entrance of the ruins of Zeus, is the Arch of Hadrian. It is believed that the arch was built to celebrate the arrival of the Roman emperor Hadrian and to honor him for his many benefactions to the city.

There is an obsession, that has it’s roots in the Grecian times of debauchery, of the male genitalia and of sex. There are naked statues of men, of which we cannot pass by without a running commentary by our three year old grandson calling out the anatomically correct word for that particular body part. He calls them the “nasty statues”. It is pretty funny! Almost all statues and pictures of females are fully dressed, but even the warriors that went to battle were most often naked. So in many of the tourist shops you will find items that emphasize said genitalia. Bottle openers, whiskey bottles and many other things that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have use for! I guess it’s the novelty to take back for some people. I think the souvenirs we will take back will be more of the eating kind, or rocks!

Arch of Hadrian

Without my glasses on I bought this water, thinking it was mineral water. Of course the blue glass bottle caught my eyes, even though I couldn’t read it. Nasty! Tastes like carbonated pickle juice! Daniel says it is made from a certain Pine tree sap and is pretty popular here. Eeww!
We had to say good bye to Nic and Liz yesterday. They should be back in NY sometime this evening. It was sad to say goodbye, but we did have a great time together. Pictures to come…!