Jim’s Journey Starts

Friends and Family of CEED,     

I have never moved to a foreign country  I don’t like goodbyes, I have never owned less and I have always worked. I am out of my comfort zone. My prayers were “let me not be worried, but please open some doors”.  There were layoffs which pushed back my retirement.  Unexpected and costly repairs to my home showed up. There were the applications, forms, background checks, multiple entry visas and documents needed to leave the country. Goodbye parties, my brother John called it “my farewell tour”. The hardest part, the final embrace, kisses and tears shed by my family and loved ones. 

My favorite passage in the Bible is Philippians 4:6,7. The apostle Paul states “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God.” I must tell you that is hard to do when you quit what you thought was your life’s work, shut down a home and move all that you own, say goodbye to dear friends, kiss your large and loving family goodbye and move to a foreign country, a fellow could get a little anxious at times.

Through the layoffs, I had the time to make repairs to my home. A door was opened and I walked through. With each approved application and document a door opened and I stepped in. When the parties were over and the goodbyes said, a door opened and with a heavy heart I entered.  When each conversation was complete and I could break free from each tight embrace, and with the last tear-drenched kiss, I left my family.  A door opened and I prayerfully advanced and found myself in Uganda. 

I arrived in Entebbe late Friday evening and got a room for the night. Although exhausted I could not sleep. With all the doors opened to me, I allowed myself to be troubled (that Philippians Bible passage is hard to follow). In the morning I walked out of my hotel room and grabbed a bad cup of coffee and sat down. I could smell Africa.  I looked up at a view of Lake Victoria.  Everything was green with flowers all through it. There were twenty different kinds of birds, each with a different kind of song and purpose.

I am now able to use the bank and I have an international driver’s license.  No laws were broken in the process. Thanks to Graham, Hebert, and Joseph, solving problems in Uganda is made easier.     And the peace of God which transcends all understanding came over me. And He will keep my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Uganda is no longer a foreign country, for now, it is my home. Thank you for what you would have me do through CEED. God bless you.       Sincerely, West