MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!

Wow, it hardly seems possible that it will be Christmas in only 5 days....I KNOW this because the red and green countdown paper chain is getting shorter each day. We have put the names of family and friends on each link and prayed each days for those families. We are blessed as a family to include you in our prayers.

Family is different this year for us. Part of us are in Texas, celebrating our Savior's birth without us this year. Some of the traditions are continuing...stockings, gifts, fudge, cookie decorating. For us, Christmas will be "smaller" this year in many ways, yet "bigger" in other ways. Smaller because our whole family isn't together, but bigger because we are serving where God has placed us. Smaller because the tree is, well, smaller, but bigger because we know the tree doesn't make the day. Bigger because each day we are reminded that what we have is much more than some people have. Bigger because we are celebrating with 40+ adults and 50+ children that love the Lord and we are thankful for this Amani family. We have family "REAL" family here in Jinja as well, so happy to spend the holidays with my sister, her husband, my niece, her husband and their 4 children. Having cousins for Christmas is a "bigger" thing to have.

We had the privilege of having a family as guests in our home last month. Family from "home town." Family from "home church". Family from our "neighborhood." Now, that is family. We have missed all of you, our family, during this season especially. Our house would like to say Merry Christmas to your house. We pray your days of celebrating are full of His goodness, love and joy.

David would like you to know that both he and Courtney have lost a tooth. Tooth fairy is in Uganda! Really, they know. When I didn't have small change to put under Courtney's pillow, David got money from his T.O.S.S. savings and put it under his sister's pillow. Can you say BIG HEART!, They are growing and there is definitely nothing "smaller" about that! They both say "MERRY CHRISTMAS"!

celebrating 59 years of God's goodness

Last month, I celebrated 59 years of life! Wow, I seem to be getting older! When I think about why God would see fit to create my life, I stand in awe at how He has blessed me.  I was five years old when and I sang and prayed "into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." Funny how I can remember doing that but forgot where I put my phone 20 minutes ago! Anyone else ever feel that way?  I remember missionaries coming to our church and showing their "slides". Oh how I wanted to go to Africa and see the people and tell them about Jesus!

God certainly has put me in an "awe" position here in Uganda, East Africa. I stand in awe of Him and how He is using our family and blessing us as well. Dustin works longs hours at the new babies home. We will be moving at the end of November and I feel like saying "ready or not, here we come!" There is much work left to be done, but we are moving. The home will be safe for the children and a very happy place, but just not compete. It will take you, me and anyone else that wants to join in giving financially, praying, visiting, painting, cleaning, packing etc. We are so happy to see it coming together.
 http://amanibabycottage.org/help-us-give-51-babies-a-new-home

I am working on "coming together" as well. There are two families that will be traveling here to Uganda to go to court for their forever family children! This is the most exciting, terrifying, hard-working, joyous, fulfilled time my work here. When a parent holds their child for the first time, all of us pretty much "lose it". The mommas are rejoicing, we are crying and laughing, and the children are wondering! It is amazing!

Have you learned about GOD"S timing in your life? Well, here I am 54 years later after giving my heart to Jesus, living in Africa, living a dream God put in my heart as just a little one loving Him. Don't under estimate what your children tell you. Teach them, train them, love them and listen to them. Who knows? Maybe there is a missionary in your family just waiting on God's timing!

Celebrating 50 years of Independence!

50 YEARS....JUBILEE

Celebrating Independence in the USA usually meant hot dogs, parades, beach picnics, family gatherings, potato salad, baked beans dressing in red/white/blue and ended with FIREWORKS!!! This year in Uganda, we celebrated 50 years, JUBILEE, of independence for this nation.

To celebrate, we made chocolate cakes for Amani Baby Cottage mommas to have for dessert. To many, this was a holiday from work. For our precious mommas, there is no holiday that all can be absent. We were not even going to stay for lunch that day which included a rare ingredient....meat. Our family wanted to bless the mommas with the cakes, then return to our home. But no, they would not have it that way! "You stay and share our lunch. It is our Independence Day. You stay and celebrate with us." So, we stayed and shared their celebratory lunch. Having lunch at Amani is common for us, but on this day we felt we shouldn't take away from their abundance for that day. We are humbled, loved, and grateful to be her with these precious women.

Today, in the Sunday paper, there is an article of history that was made this JUBLIEE..... quote "At the National Jubilee Prayers...President Yoweri Museveni made history when he openly repented his sins and the sins of Uganda..."  "Father God in heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda.....We confess these sins.....Forgive us of sins of .......Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love You, to fear You and to seek You. Take away from us all the above sins.......We want to dedicate this nation to You so that You will be our God and Guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfill what the bible says in Psalm 33"12 Blessed is the nation, whose god is the Lord. A people you have chosen as Your own.....I renounce.....I renounce..... and I hereby covenant Uganda to YOU, to walk in Your ways and experience all you blessings forever......in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"

 Wow. May it be so, may it be so. Celebrating Independence has never been so meaningful. This country is where our oldest daughter began the journey 13 years ago. This country is where our two youngest children were born. This country is where our oldest son took the longest journey of his life. This country is where we call "home" and abide in His Grace. May we celebrate this year of Jubilee repenting, confessing, prayin for forgiveness and seeing God move in ways we never imagined. We. Are. So. Grateful.

David's Blogging

Scroll of Truth

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of Life.”

 Proverbs 4:23 That verse is from my Bible Study called “The Squire and the Scroll”. I am learning how to be a knight for Jesus.

Last Sunday Courtney, Danyne, Diana  and I,  all of us four, sold Amani Butter Cakes. We sold a lot of them.  We had some fun. A team from Australia choir sang some songs.  Amani got  gifts.  We raised  over 300,000 shillings for Amani Baby Cottage!  

 Another Sunday, Courtney, Danyne, Diana, Aunt Charlie and I went horseback riding. Everyone one loved it except when we went near the water.  

September update

"Uncle Dusty taking bags full of grass to feed the cows that provide our milk in exchange for their manure to feed our garden. That's a true story." Danyne posted this on facebook.

I used to read blogs. Sometimes I would wonder why there was a long gap between updates. Now that I am a blogger, I understand! Life continues to flow day by day and we live by our duties, schedules, children, family, events, etc. As you can see in the pic, Dustin drives the van. Mary has yet to drive very far at all. Driving on the "other side of the road" may not be a problem, but the roads are not smooth and the drivers fast! Maybe one day I will venture out on a busy road, but for now I am content to walk and "catch a ride".

We are settled into our new home. Waiting for you to come visit! David and Courtney are doing well, except growing out of their clothes!! They play outside so much of the time and they are eating well. Courtney even eats greens thanks to the Amani cook(Mama Sarah) and our blessing, Miss Mary. They attend a home school group on Fridays and are learning Swahili!

The weather is cool at night and hot in the day, but not too umcomfortable. The birds sing, the roosters crow and the monkeys play! Today the monkeys came onto the porch to see in the door. David thinks they probably wanted to watch the movie he was watching! This is Africa!

Another child went home to her forever family a couple of weeks ago. Such a reward to see the children with their parents. Even though the process is hard at times, it is wonderful to be a part of it. We are thankful for the opportunity to see this happen. The building process is moving along. We had some men volunteers these past two weeks helping Dustin. He is very thankful for their involvement in labor, gathering supplies, laying tile and even shoveling the "gift" from the cows!

 

Thank you for your continuing support and prayers. We would love to hear from you. It is so good for our hearts to read emails and comments. Thankful for magic jack, email, skype, facebook, but so much more for the words you send.  Thank you!A precious preemie, Naome, that we had the privilege of caring for in our home. Courtney does so well with the little ones and the older girls as well. Naome is now at the babies' home and thriving very well!!!

A new house

We have moved into another house here in Jinja, Uganda! The house is BIG! Well, we consider it big, compared to our Texas home of 25 years. The bedrooms are large, the kitchen is very large, the dining and living rooms are large, there is an in-door laundry room(something I have always wanted) and the bonus room upstairs with large storage closet is an extra. Right now, we have two house guests, so every bedroom including the bonus room is filled. My heart's desire was to have a home and have guests. We are so at home already! You have a place to stay, so come visit!

Outside the house, the yard is filled with beautiful flowers, trees, bushes and plants. Our porch is big enough to sit and enjoy the scenery. The weather has been cool enought to accomodate a cup of coffee on the porch! Here is a picture of a rock on the path outside our kitchen

Yeah, well, I think it looks like Africa with a red dot where Uganda is. Maybe you can see it.

We are grateful to the Lord for the house. It is a few minutes walk from our gate to the new Amani Baby Cottage. Now, Dustin only needs walk a short distance instead of 30 mintues. Now, Mary has a longer walk to the present Amani, one she hasn't tried yet! Thank you for your continues prayers for our family. Pray for the children going through the process of guardianship. Pray for peace, strength and rest. God has plans for us, we trust in His Holy Name. Thank you!

David

David is blogging tonight:
"Thank you for supporting us. I went to the zoo. I am helping my dad build the new Amani Baby Cottage. Today at school I learned about the food pyramid. How is church doing? One of my friends is turning 5 tomorrow and then going to Ameria on Thursday!!! Sunday is my and Courtney's adoption day, number 8. The money here is different, it is called shillings."

WORDS

Court: what great joy to be in court and hear the judge say "granted". With that word, another child belongs in a family with a dad and mom. The work getting to that word and the continuing process until the family boards the plane, is tedious-emotional-hard work. But, the reward? priceless and joyful. I am honored to be a part of this side of the process.....meeting the parents, walking with them through the days of steps, sigantures, forms, appointments, disappointments and joy. I am thankful.

Airport: what great joy to be in the airport waiting for a parent to meet their child, some for the first time! With that word, "waiting", I had time to observe others waiting and those arriving. Most of those waiting had signs with names for people arriving. So, I watched the arrivers: those whose expressions showed exhaustion, wonderment, anticipation, and some even fearful. I watched teams with matching t-shirts with many bags, ready to "conquer the world." I saw grandmas greet their families: in a word, that made me sad. But, I knew I was in the airport because God had brought me to receive a parent coming to see their child. I am thankful.

Illness: what great joy to be here in Africa and be well most of the time. The word "illness" struck me last Friday. I began with slight nausea and then uncontrollable shakes. If I had been at home in Jinja, I would have gone to the International Clinic. But, I was at the US Embassy in another town, with a parent , her child and her mother-in-law. Can you see the word "embarrasing" coming now? As a guard escorted me out of the building, the parent was quickly seen and recived the document we had come for. We then proceeded to an ER, malaria test negative, infection positive. Two IVs  and one injection later, we were on our way back to Jinja. After a few days rest, I will be good as new. I am thankful.

Prayer: what great joy to know some of you have been praying for us. Living here is not "a piece of cake", instead the word is ......well, there several that come to mind, but I am NOT complaining, just describing.....trying, hard, difficult, stretching, ...yet the words that come to mind that make those words just little words, are......rewarding, family, children, progress, people, prayer(LOTS of that word). I am thankful.

Continue: what great joy to know that God will continue to use us as we follow His leading. We have been here for 3 months! We are seeing families united and bricks being laid. Restoration is a beautiful sight when seen with our eyes. Pleae "continue" to pray for us, support us financially, and write to us. Emails from you mean so much to our whole family. Let us know how you pray, let us know how your family is doing, and continue to read our blog and newsletter. We are thankful

Amani's Mommas

One of my most favorite times here in Jinja Uganda, is to be with the mamas of our babies' home. They fill my heart with song, my mouth with laughter, and my spirit with love. One of the mamas is also our neighbor. We sat together one Sunday afternoon and made a necklace, a bracelet and a pair of earrings from orange beads. Well, I say "we" made them.....I had strung only part of the necklace and she had made a bracelet and earrings, then finished the necklace for me! She had remembered I wanted orange jewelry to wear with my gomez and I have lots of use for that color.

The mamas at Amani Baby Cottage always have an encouraging word when I am not smiling. Some have an admonishing word when I slightly complain that I am tired. Some have tears when the children are having heartache. But they all have such love for the children. You can't be around them long and hang on to any grief, pain, weariness, sadness, homesickness, illness......they just don't allow! I love them so much, I am grateful for the way they bathe, feed, clothe, sing, play and care for the children.

When we move into our new building, the mamas will be divided into the cottages of children they are assigned to oversee and care for. This will not lessen the bond they have, but will strengthed their bond with the children and give them great joy. The cottages are being painted beautiful colors and Scriptures are being painted in each one, as well as in the clinic. The mommas will be surrounded by beautiful walls, but their spirits is what carries the children through hard times and joy.

When you think of us this month, pray for the mommas. There are almost 35 workers: cooks, dishwashers, laundry(you can't IMAGINE the amount of handwashing these wonderful workers have), mommas, housekeepers, assistants, social workers, administrators, and more I probably can't think of right now. Pray for the finishing and the move into our new building. Pray for the health and well-being of the mommas. Thank you for taking time to read and pray.

 Like the t-shirt reads in the above pic of my neighbor-friend, the mommas truly believe GOD IS ABLE!

HOME IS?

Going to an African Introduction for the groom to meet the bride's family. No, that is not Jesus and Abraham, though they do look mighty handsome! We were glad to have been invited, making us feel at HOME here in our Jinja town. How do you know you're HOME?


We know we're HOME when the cow bellowing outside ourr window doesn't give us a second thought as being abnormal.

We know we're HOME when our youngest son eats ants from the market and I don't say no!

We know we're HOME when our oldest son has an IV for three days to treat severe malaria,the bag of fluid hanging from a picture hook on the wall. One night while the nurse was here hooking up a new bag, a bat was on my shirt. Did we scream? Of course, but we are still at HOME! Dustin and David have become pretty good batmen!

We know we're HOME when walking places is the norm and getting a ride is a blessing.

We know we're HOME when the power goes off just minutes before ten people are arriving for dinner. We lit the candles, held the flashlight to fill the serving bowls, and are with laughter anyway. The dishes can wait until morning!

We know we're HOME when our house is filled with children laughing, playing outside for hours, taking time to have tea, and just.....taking time. There is not much hurrying, no "fast food", no red lights to stop traffice(although that could be a good thing!!)

What makes you feel like you are HOME? I pray God brings peace and joy into your HOME, will you pray He continues to do the same for ours? We are grateful for you that read this blog, those that pray for us, and those that also support us. We are at HOME where the Shepherd provides, we do not lack, we do not fear, we do not need for any good thing....surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the HOUSE of the Lord forever.  You are most welcome to come visit our HOME

WELCOME TO OUR TOWN

WELCOME TO OUR TOWN, JINJA UGANDA AFRICA

OUR TOWN, where the kids play in the street! Both children AND little goats!

OUR TOWN, where the traffic includes cows! Just take a walk with us, but watch your step!

OUR TOWN, with one stop sign! Seems there aren’t many traffic rules, just drive on the left side, watch for people, boda bodas and bikes in the way!

OUR TOWN,  with the sweet smell of rain and the most amazing thunder you have ever heard! It has been raining a lot, makes for a lot of red mud that changes the color of our clothes. Makes lots of rainy-inside play with lots of kids making lots of happy noise!

OUR TOWN, where the windows are always open (if there is a screen), so you always hear sounds of birds, dogs, children, frogs, vehicles, etc, but there is a peace in hearing the sounds.

OUR TOWN, where one house may not be just one family, but rather as Courtney observed “each house is its own neighborhood!”

OUR TOWN, where we feel so at home.

OUR TOWN, wishing you could join us and experience the blessing of being here.

You are most welcome to OUR TOWN!!!!

OH THE JOY!

IF I WERE A RICH MAN, YA DA .......For some reason that song is playing in my mind as I write. I think because even if I was richer at this moment, I can't think of being any happier. Here are a few reasons why:

I was able to talk to our family in San Antonio yesterday. Hearing their little voices makes my heart smile and sing all at the same time! Oh the joy of grandchildren!

Today I saw a little boy go into the arms of his mom and dad for the very first time! There was no hesitation as he walked toward them and wanted to be picked up and hugged. He was all smiles while we were all tears! Oh the joy my Heavenly Father must have felt when He adopted me into HIS Family through His Son Jesus Christ!

It is a beautiful, breezy, cool Sunday afternoon. The family is together watching a movie, having coffee and coloring. Oh the joy of family being together.

At lunch today, Dustin asked the adopting parents if they have a Sunday night tradition at their house. They thought for a moment and said no, they didn't. Well in the past 20+ years, we have had a Sunday night tradition, starting with Melissa, Kirby and continuing with David and Courtney. We have a "pick off tray": popcorn, lunch meat, cheese, crackers, etc. We watch a movie together or America' Funniest Videos. We may not do that tonight, but we will be together with family and new friends.  Oh the joy of traditions. Oh boy, another song from my fav movie of all time!! TRADITION!!!

Yes, I am rich: family, grandchildren, adopting parents, being in Africa, traditions. BUT beyond those: I am a child of a King and THAT makes me rich in love, grace, compassion, and so much more. Oh the joy of having a loving Savior!

We hope to post some pics soon of the new building and our beautiful Uganda! OH THE JOY!!!

Greetings from Uganda

Greetings from Jinja, Uganda!

After an 8 hour flight to London, we rode the underground to see Big Ben. It. Was. So. Cold. We walked many blocks until we saw the clock. David was excited to see it. We then rode the underground back to the airport to wait for our flight to Entebbe. Our niece, Danyne, her two daughters, and Mary’s sister, Dorothy, met us at the airport in Uganda. What joy to see family waiting for us! 18 large bags, five carry-ons, and backpacks loaded into the van. We were so glad to be on Ugandan soil.

We arrived on Friday morning, spent a wonderful day with family, then a blessed afternoon at Amani Baby Cottage. The mamas had a ribbon-cutting for David and Courtney. The women sang and danced with great joy at our coming home to Jinja. Then, one of the mamas had a great word of encouragement for David and Courtney. She also had a challenging word for Kirby. God had certainly preceded us. We learned years ago that coming to Africa is not for the African’s benefit, it is for us to be increased in wisdom, love and faith. The mamas are so open to us and GREAT prayer warriors. When we visited Uganda two years ago, the mamas had a send-off prayer time for our family. They prayed that our “tent pegs be moved”! Welllllll, our pegs have definitely been pulled from the ground and we are “camping” elsewhere.

Our house is very much home to us for now. We have settled in and feel like we have been here more than just 6 days. Today, Dustin is at the new Amani site, getting a feel for what is to come. Kirby is feeling comfortable enough to walk to town. David and Courtney are having a grand time with their toys, their cousins, and life in general. Mary is glad to have internet to communicate to you how faithful God is.

We are spending this week acclimating to our surroundings and getting phones, internet, groceries and anything we need to begin our life here. Thank you for your support, it is needed and so appreciated. Next week we begin working. For now, Mary is enjoying holding babies. They are so peaceful, content and happy. You may have a picture in mind of an orphanage where the babies just lie in their crib all day. That is not the way here. The babies are on schedules, loved, held, sang to, play with toys and fed well. That is the way they are cared for, but there are many needs. I will cover that in another post. For now, we just want to say thank you. Continue to pray and support us. We are happy, yet we miss our family and friends. God is good all the time, all the time He is good.

DID YOUR HEAR?

Did you hear we have tickets????? We leave Houston on April 4, 2012 and arrive in Uganda on Friday morning, April 6!!!

Did you hear we are packing after unpacking so many times? We have determined so many things in our lives as "unnecessary", so our priorities change in what we plan to take with us.

Did you hear we had more garage sales? Dustin came home from working in AL, so we had a tool sale. It was hard to see him sell and give away what he has used over the past 25 years in this house, but the joy in knowing we are following God's call is so much more joyful than the sadness.

Did you hear we met people at the garage sales we may have never met otherwise? People that will support us, adopted adults, new friends, neighbors. One neighbor came over after the sale to "wish us luck". She told us she has enjoyed watching our little girl in her many outfits, dancing outside. We had no idea we were being watched, what a lesson  learned!

Did you hear our oldest son, Kirby, is going with us? We are so overjoyed that we will be together! Not so overjoyed that our oldest daughter and her family will still be here. What do you think, should we pray they come to Africa? No, we pray that God's will be done in her family and that they continue to serve Him how and where He desires. She is the first in our family to go to Africa 13 years ago.....a deposit of things God began and is continuing!!

Did you hear Mary was invited to speak to ladies at a church that has supported Amani Baby Cottage for years? The ladies have been praying for specific children, even have all the pics from the website printed and on the wall! It was such a blessing to be able to tell them in person how wonderful they are to pray for the children. The offering they gave me was amazing and precious. I was truly blessed to be with them.

Did you hear? Did you hear? We did, and now we go. Please continue to pray with us. We would love to HEAR from YOU!!!

LOVE

How many songs and sayings do you know about "LOVE"?
This morning I read the ultimate expression of LOVE. Psaml 107
"His love endures forever."
"Give thanks for His unfailing love"
"For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things"
"Give thanks for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men."
"They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved, healed, rescued them"
" Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy."
"Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great  LOVE of the Lord."

My heart was filled with gratitude for HIS LOVE.  Psalm 106, the Israelites were praising God for His unfailing LOVE and then rebelled and forgot what He had done. Many times He delivered them. "BUT He took note of their distress when He heard their cry; for their sake He remembered His covenant and out of His great LOVE He relented. Let all the people say, Amen. Praise the Lord!"

I pondered about how many times I have rebelled, forgotten the miracles and blessings God has given our family. How many times have I failed in my trust, hope and faith in His leading and timing? BUT God took note of our distress, heard our cry and answered out of His great  LOVE.

We have ticket reservations and will be purchasing them very very soon! The timing has been the Lord's, not mine. The process has brought so much peace and joy into my heart. We don't deserve the outpouring of offerings and donations that have helped us get this far. BUT God heard our cry and answered out of His great LOVE.

Our hearts are full, our spirits soaring, our bellies full of butterflies, BUT God is answering out of His great LOVE!

AND THE AWARD GOES TO......

......the men and women at Christ Covenant Church, FAMILY, for planning, organizing, buying food, setting up tables and chairs, decorating, cooking sauce, boiling pasta(in amazing circumstances), assembling, serving, bringing desserts, cleaning, taking down, and sending us home with a generous portion of left over spaghetti and sauce!

.....those that scanned, organized, narrated and produced an extraordinary, magnificent video production of the Nuttall FAMILY mission!

......the executive director of Amani Baby Cottage, Corky Randolph, for his testimoney about the beginning of the babies' home, giving those attending the dinner a great picture of the where and what of our mission to Uganda, for telling them that FAMILY is priority!

......the missions director for his vision and heart for the calling on the Nuttall FAMILY!

......Pastor Dennis for his insight, wisdom, prayer and direction for the move of the Nutall FAMILY!

......the donors and supporters being led by God, blessing the hearts of our FAMILY!

......for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, adopting us into HIS FAMILY so that we may be called sons and daughters of the King!

All of the above deserve an award and one day, they will receive it for all they have done and are doing to help further the Kingdom of God. We are in awe of what the Lord is doing in our FAMILY! The announcement Sunday, was that we are half-way to our goal of two-year support!!! Through monthly pledges and donations, we are at $20,000. Our two-year goal is $2000/month for two years = $48,000.
Some months ago, the Lord dropped a precious promise into my heart. He said the finances would come from "unexpected places". This has happened through circumstances, events, phone calls and contacts! Our support is building. You, our donors and supporters, YOU are FAMILY!

A picture of Courtney and David at Amani. A picture of Courtney and David today. The beginning of our journey with this FAMILY!

 

A lemonade stand

A precious daughter of some friends. She asked her parents to help her make a lemonade stand to raise money for the children at Amani Baby Cottage.  A couple of years ago, her older brother had a  lemonade stand. Can I tell you that those coins he gave us then were one of the most precious offerings we have ever received?! Now, she is old enough to want to give. Not just asking her parents to give her money, but having a heart to work and earn for the children. Yes, tears fill my eyes and heart when I think of these with pure hearts. Scripture says, "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right." Proverbs 20:11

WELL DONE, C AND A, WELL DONE! Thank you to their parents for teaching them! Thank you!

Not there Yet!

WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO BE, BUT NOT THERE YET, NOT YET, not yet, not yet............

We are waiting until our monthly support is complete. Please pray about helping us go to Uganda.

So many decisions. So many plans. So many things needing to happen, some all at the same time. So many hopes and dreams. So many phone calls and letters. So many duffel bags and foot lockers.  So many days making new decisions, changing plans, watching things not happen, holding onto hope, receiving calls and letters.     That seems to be the theme of our journey right now: "So many...".

So, what does a person do while having those  “so many” days? God’s Word clearly gives direction:

“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I TRUST, O my God.” Psalm 25:1 
“The Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart TRUSTS in Him, and I am helped.” Psalm 28:7
“But I TRUST in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands” Psalm 31:14

God’s Word is full of Scriptures that say “Trust in the Lord”, “Commit your way to the Lord”, “Be still”, “Wait patiently”. So, while there are "so many" to do while we wait, my soul will not be downcast. Our HOPE is in God and we will praise Him. He clearly showed me during our worship last Sunday, that it’s easy for those who have gone to Glory before us to worship Him, but what pleases Him so much is us praising Him through the "SO MANY!" No, I didn't make a mistake in making that "so many" blue, that is exactly what God is doing, changing us in the process. 

Maybe you are waiting on healing, financial freedom, family relationships, a spouse, a list that seems like "so many". While we are waiting on ours, we will pray for you. We would rather be across the ocean than still waiting, but God’s timing is far above ours. Meanwhile, we ask for HIS help with our "so many": the sale of our house, complete monthly support, tickets, and wise packing decisions. Thank you for following our journey. May you be blessed today. May your “so many” turned into "dancing and shouts of joy"!

......not yet, not yet, NOT YET, BUT NOT THERE YET, WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO BE!

Happy New Year!

  A memory quilt for David, made by his big sister to cover him with love while in Uganda

Greetings and Happy New Year! We pray your family is well and had an enjoyable holiday season. Our family was together celebrating our Lord's birth and built great memories. Now. we are continuing the journey for our move to Uganda to build new homes for Amani Baby Cottage www.amanibabycottage.org . The Nuttall family has been blessed by an outpouring of love, support and prayer. Thank you.

As you may have read in the previous post, the children received duffel bags for Christmas. They are constantly thinking and rethinking about what they will pack in those bags and what will go into their carry-ons. Just in case you are wondering...no mention of clothing has been made. only what toys they just know they can't leave behind! Guess it is up to momma to make sure they are dressed! Our family was generously blessed at Christmas by a Bible study group at our church. Dustin received Barnes and Noble gift cars, Mary received a Kohl's gift card, David and Courtney DS games. What joy! We are eternally grateful for the body of Christ and our church family www.christcov.net . Thank you.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to be used of God to build for Him and the babies. Prayer is so important in this journey, we would appreciate knowing if you are praying. If you would like to receive specific requests, please let me know mariettan@sbcglobal.net . Thank you.

This past week, we celebrated life. Our oldest son turned 24, our 34th anniversary is today, and a precious dear friend went Home to our Savior. Even though we will miss our sister, Charlotte, we have such great hope in seeing her again. If you are reading this post, and you don't have the hope of Heaven in your heart, we pray you take the time to ask Jesus to become Lord of your life "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life". John 3:16. Thank you.

If you want to contribute financially, you may use the pay pal button on the right. OR mail a check to our church Christ Covenant Church  17000 Longenbaugh Dr Houston TX 77095
Make checks payable to Christ Covenant Church with Nuttall missions in the memo. Thank you.