Final month!

     Yes, exactly one month from last Saturday we leave. Only one month! This last month will be a bit busy. Many of you didn't know about a certain trip one of us took, and that was good. You didn't know because it was for the safety of the surprise for the Ugandan kids.
     Tuesday night the 20th my Dad stayed at my Grandparent's (his parents) house, and the next day early he was off to the airport to head to Uganda! The next week we hung out and did school. We missed my Dad, but he called us a lot. Thursday the 29th the next week we went to the Gettis's (my Dad's sister's family) house for dinner.  Friday we got the news.
      You can determine if it was bad news or not. The people whose house we were staying in were coming back early. Sunday by 3:00 we had to be out. So without my Dad we had to pack up everything. We were ready by Sunday morning, so we packed up and moved back into my Grandparent's house.
     Now, back to the details. Friday night we had our family night, but it was without my Dad, so it wasn't a real family night. Saturday morning, the 1st of December, we spent mostly cleaning and packing, and after lunch we headed over to my Grandparent's house, and Kara went to do babysitting with Linnea Gettis, our cousin. My Mom and I stayed at my Grandparent's house for a while, then headed back to the house we were staying in and hung out there till around 5:00. Then we went to Nathan Gettis's birthday party, then picked up Kara, then came home.
     Sunday we gathered up all of our stuff, brought it to my Grandparent's house, and headed to Church. Then we came back to my Gp's (Grandparent's) house and hung out there. Around 6:00 we went to the airport to pick up my Dad! We had to wait for a while, but then saw him and took him back here. After dinner we saw the videos and pics that he took while he was in Uganda on the new computer. After that we, of course, went to bed. Today we do school and then hang out here.
     Thank you all for the prayers and support. We appreciate it very much. The Banda, or small house for the Ugandan boys that will be staying with us, that we have been trying to raise money for is already started. Please pray for our final trips to Seaside, Oregon and Uganda, Africa will go well. Thank you all again!

                                               Micah
                                                    Peterson

A fun memory

     Ahhh.... Riding a dirt bike for the first time... awesome!! It was at the Kelley's, in Clay Center, Kansas, and when they offered, I was both excited and nervous. John Kelley, the Dad, showed me how to operate it, and when he finished, I was off!....slowly. I went slow at first because I didn't know what could happen, and if there was big bumps in the area that we were riding, but of course there was nothing to fear.

Us getting ready to ride!

     So with the sound of engines in my ears, and the rough handles vibrating in my grasp, I went faster and faster, until I was at full speed, which wasn't very fast, cause I was on a little bike. If I didn't go fast enough, I could catch a faint hint of gas. I rushed around, everything a blur around me, other riders on bigger bikes zooming ahead, racing to see who was the fastest. Obviously not me. What an exhilarating feeling!
     Near the Kelley's house was a valley filled with bushes, and many paths among them. In many places there were jumps going out of the valley, and if I went fast enough, I would get both wheels in the air, which was awesome. Weaving in and out, we would try to find new paths, with some ending in dead ends. In and out, down and up, stopping and going, around and around we went, never getting tired of it. Because, of course, it is awesome!
     I love that memory, and can't wait ride dirt bikes again. We had fun, my Dad, Kara, and I, riding dirt bikes for the first time. We miss those in Clay Center, as we miss those in Colorado Springs, Tulsa, and many other places, especially those in Uganda, as we did not expect to say goodbye so soon. We miss, and will miss, everybody. Thank you all!

                                                 Micah
                                                      Peterson

Last Month and a Half

     Yes, we are heading into our last month and a half. The majority of the traveling is over. Besides driving down to Seaside, Oregon of course. Relaxation, for the most part, the rest of the month, and most of next month.
     November 2nd, Friday, we went up to the place where my Dad grew up, Mt Vernon. After some school, of course. We looked around for most of the day, then went to a concert that near there. Saturday and Sunday we hung around and Sunday we went to church. Monday we did school and then we met a friend that we met in Uganda up near Seattle. Tuesday the 6th we did school, went over to my Grandparent's house for a while. Wednesday and Thursday we did school, and on Thursday night we had dinner with an old friend of my Grandparents.
     Friday we did school and hung out, and Saturday we got ready for our journey. Sunday we started, pretty early, and drove all the way to Port Angeles with my Grandparents. We stayed the night there, then, on Monday the 12th took a ferry over to Vancouver Island, Canada! We stayed there through Tuesday, then on Wednesday we headed back to Port Angeles, then home. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we just hung out, did school, etc. Sunday we celebrated Thanksgiving early for certain reasons.
     Yesterday, Monday the 19th, we went to Ikea for breakfast, then did some shopping, then we came home and did our school. Today, this is the last thing I have left. After I finish this, Kara and I will watch some Phineas and Ferb episodes.
     Thank you all for you prayers and support. We all appreciate it. Please pray for my eye, it has the same problem my other one had in Kansas. We are doing well besides that. Please pray for our final trips. Thanks again!

                                Micah
                                      Peterson

In Des Moines.

     So we are now in Des Moines, which is just south of Seattle in Washington (Washington State, not Washington DC). Or, more exact, Auburn, which is right by Seattle. We have had quite a travel, from Colorado, to Southern California, to here.
     I haven't written a Blog for a while, so I'll bring you up to date. On Thursday the 4th, three days after my last blog, my Mom's parents came to visit us one last time. They stay through the 6th, then the next day, Sunday, the 7th, they left early. The next two days we hung out and did school. Then Wednesday the 10th we went and picked up my Dad's parents at the airport. Then that night we went to my Grandpa's sister's house. We spent that night, and the next, and the next, and the next there.
     On Sunday the 14th, we headed out to Durango, Colorado. We stayed at a big lodge just outside of Durango. The next day we headed out towards Flagstaff, Arizona. On our way there, we stopped at Four Corners. The monument was not like I thought it would be. Then the next day, the 16th, we started on our way to the GRAND CANYON!!! It was HUGE! Anyways, after that, we continued on our way to Kingman, AZ. Then, on Wednesday the 17th we finally got to Costa Mesa, California. We stayed there for three nights. The next day, Thursday the 18th, we went and saw the collage that both my Mom and Dad went to, and where they met. Then in the afternoon, we went to Newport beach, and went swimming for a while. It was hard, though, cause the current was strong, and the current was going diagonal. Towards the beach, and to the right a lot.
     Then the next day we went to a place we have wanted to go to for a long time... DISNEYLAND!!! Some of the rides were fun, but it was still disappointing, because we spent four of our eight hours there in line. I think my favorite part was Space Mountain. They just redid it a year ago, so it might be better now.
     The next day we headed towards Coarsegold, CA, where my Dad's younger sister lived. We stayed there for two nights. I guess I should mention that my Aunt's Husband has replicas of some of the swords from Lord of the Rings! They were the same length, width, weight, and so on. The first picture is of me with Aragorn's best sword, Anduril, Flame of the west. The other one is the Grand Canyon. Anyways, on Monday the 22nd we headed up to Stockton, and visited most of my relatives that were living around there. Then Tuesday we went to a family's house, that was close to Jacksonville, Oregon, that used to live in Uganda, the Zimmerman's, and stayed there for the night. Then the next day, Wednesday the 24th, we had our longest day of travel. We went from about Jacksonville all the way to Des Moines.
     The next four days we hung out at my Grandparents house and didn't do much besides going to church and that kind of thing. Then on Monday we went to a free breakfast at Ikea. After that we moved into the house that we are in now. Tuesday we did school in the morning then in the afternoon we went to a clothing bank, then after we went and got our new computer. Now we have two computers for as long as the one that I'm typing on right now.
     Wednesday, as everybody knows, it was Halloween. We still did school, and then we had lunch at my Grandparents' friends' house for lunch. Then after that we went and saw the movie Hotel Transylvania! Then we went back to my Grandparents' house to hang out for Halloween night. We handed out candy to the Trick or Treaters, and Kara and I snuck around outside watching the people that were walking around. It was fun. Now we come to today. Today we, of course, did our school, and after this, Kara and I are going to watch Phineas and Ferb for a little bit.

     Thank you all for your provision and support. We appreciate it very much. We are coming to the end of our Furlough, and will soon be going back to Uganda. January 1st is when we fly out. Please pray for the rest of our days, and that our flight would go well. Thanks again!

Still in Colorado.

     Yes, we are still in Colorado, and will be for another two weeks. The time here is getting shorter and busier. We are spending time with friends, and very soon with family, as we stay here in Colorado Springs.
     The last week hasn't been very busy, but these next weeks are getting busier as people want to see us before we go. I haven't posted a blog for a while, so I will bring you up to date. I posted my last blog on the 17th, so I will start with the 18th.
     The 18th was the day before we left Kansas. Nothing really happened except that we went to the Chestnuts house for dinner. The next day we headed out and got here sometime in the afternoon. The next day we went on the Crags hike,  a hike near Pikes Peak. I don't remember what we did on Friday and Saturday, but we did go to Church on Saturday night. Sunday was free, except for going to dinner with the Ashes, a family we've known for a while.
     Monday and Tuesday we didn't have anything, so we did school for the morning and just hung out at home.Wednesday we went to have dinner with a Pastor from Mountain Springs church and his wife. The next day, Thursday the 27th, my Mom and I went to one of my friends' house, who I had known since we were last here. We then went to the Gages house for dinner, another family we knew.
     Friday was the 'fatal' day you could call it. In the Morning we went to the Ashes again. We were there for lunch and stayed for a while, the headed over to the YMCA, the same place where, five years ago, I had gotten my first concussion. Five years later I got in a head-to-head collision with a friend, and, unknown to myself, it also destroyed my evening plans.
     Couple hours later I was having trouble saying what I meant, and being unusually clumsy. A little while later I'm in the Hospital and I don't even remember it. I don't even remember where I last remember. Then when I started being conscious of myself it was at about 5:30 the next day.
     That day, Saturday the 29th, was uneventful, except for going to the Mirandas for dinner, more of our friends. Kara stayed the night with the Mirandas that night though. The next day my parents and I went to the morning service at Mountain Springs Church then went to have lunch with the Baloos. Today there is nothing happening, so we will just hang out for the day.
     Thank you all for you prayer and support. We all appreciate it a lot. We are doing well and can't wait to see the rest of our friends and relatives. Pray that the rest of the trip would go well. Thank you all again!

                                    Micah
                                         Peterson.

I will Wait...

Anyone would freak out if their little brother went to the emergency room, right? I mean, come on... I can't be the only one.
We were in the car, on the way back from the grocery store... Hold on. Rewind.
Grocerystoreicecreamsodastrawberriesapplesbrightsunsunglassescardrivingbriargateymcabasketballcourtplaying
shootingrunninglaughingtryingtobreathgoodshotwaterpausingplayingmoreOUCHgrabballshotrunningtryingto
catchbreathforgame....
Ack, wait. Go back.
OUCH.
There, that's where we want to be. At the ouch. That's when Micah hit his head.
Let me mention, before I continue, that Micah hit his head seven years ago. Not the kinda 'bump your head on the way out of the car' or 'knock it while sitting up quickly in a bunk bed'. No. The kind that when a five year old hits the back of his head on the concrete and eventually can't talk or see kinda hit. So we took him to the emergency room and he got a CAT scan. How fun. I was told he was close to dying. Scary, right? I wonder if I didn't fully understand the seriousness of the situation that day, because I was no where near bawling my eyes out because I was scared. Like I was today.
Micah hits his head playing basketball (if you haven't already figured that out), he bonked heads with another player. So with his history, here we are now, at the exact same place, and he gets another concussion!!! How ironic that we were talking about what had happened before on that curb, just before we went in to play.
His head was hurting directly afterwords, his whole head, not just the part that got hit. But then he was back in, playing again. Running around, he was fine! Hadn't complained again. We stopped at the grocery store to get a few things, and he was fine then too. But when we got back in the car, he started complaining that his fingers were tingling and he couldn't use them properly. Ok, I was thinking, was it something he picked up at the water fountain? Could it be the Motrin he just took to ease the pain in his head? *ding ding, I shoulda known it was coming*... Well, I sorta did anyway.
After he complained about his arm not working right, I told mom that it must have been the bonk on the head. We got home and I went out and played with the dogs while Micah tried to get dad to let him play computer. (He didn't). I came back in and Micah was slurring his words. I just thought it was because he was crying, he used to slur his words while he was crying all the time when he was little. Shoulda known. Well, I sat down to get on Facebook, and Micah was still crying and talking. Soon, he could only say small words, like 'I'll' 'go', but couldn't 'find' the right word to say. It was like he had forgotten all his vocabulary. That's the first thing that scared me. Then he said 'where's my w-w-watsh?' .........It was on his wrist.......... my mom pointed to it and told him it was right there! He said, 'no, I'll go get it.' He was still slurring his words. My parents were being very patient with him, they thought if he would sit down and rest, he would be alright. They thought it would pass. Well, by then I was really scared. I didn't like it that my little brother was talking like someone with speech problems... I don't know if that's the right word to say, but something like that. When he got up, he walked like, ten steps, tripped on nothing and fell HARD. It was almost like he couldn't catch him self. I couldn't take it anymore. Afraid I would burst into tears right then and there, I jumped up and walked quickly out of the room. My parents didn't see me, they were trying to help Micah up. Well, I did burst into tears. I don't think I've cried like that for a long, long time. I don't remember exactly what I was thinking, but I just saw Micah fall over and over again in my mind. It didn't really help that there was a thin wall between me and everything that was going on in there. I could hear everything, the confusion in Micah's voice, the patience but worry in my mom's... I was shaking by then. I almost felt I couldn't walk myself.
Huge racking sobs where heaving out of me by then, and good old Bill, one of the dogs here, came over and started licking my leg. He knew that something was wrong. Soon, I got up and walked over to a bench at the side of the house where the sun was shining. Bill followed me, saw where I was heading, and laid down to watch me from a distance. I told Jesus that I wished He was here, sitting beside me in person. I told Him I wished He could hold me in physical arms. I was so scared, I was shaking even though I was warm. I needed His peace! I cried out to him to give it to me! He came, slowly it felt, and comforted me. I called Bill and he came over. I took comfort in petting him, as well as sitting in the sunshine. I think I felt I needed physical touch, because my emotions were in shambles. The only thing I remember clearly, was that I was telling myself that I was not going to let go of my faith through this small trouble. I still trusted Jesus, even though He wasn't there in the physical reality.
It started to get colder out, the sun was going down. I heard Micah screaming and crying and the tears started flowing again. It hurt me to hear that. I don't mind the crying if it's a scrape or a cut, it bothers me if he's screaming when he's got a splinter dug out, but it stung me to hear his frustration that he couldn't communicate with us. He was hurting. I heard my dad whistle and call 'here girl!' at first I thought he was calling the dog. I didn't want to go, didn't want to have to deal with the pain again, because I knew that seeing Micah close up in the condition he was in would make me hurt again. When my dad yelled Kara! in that tone when I know I'm in trouble, I felt a nudge in my soul. If they were looking for me and wanted to take Micah to the hospital, they wouldn't go until they found me, which meant Micah might get worse. I pulled myself off the bench and walked shakily around the corner of the house. My mom came running towards me and told me in that tone where I've done something wrong and she knows it "you can't just go hiding somewhere like that!" I started sobbing again and said "I'm SCARED, I'm scared I'm scared..." They asked if I was going to the hospital with them or not, I just shook my head and walked inside, shaking again. I sent various emails and posted on facebook some of what had happened. People prayed, family friends... Thanks you so much friends! Thank you so much Jesus for answering! Since I don't have a phone, I grabbed a blanket and sat on the couch, listening to music. I prayed one worded prayers and tried to find God in the situation. I knew everything would be fine, but I didn't want my brother to not be able to speak right... Somehow I knew he wouldn't die, but there was always the possibility. I thought I was done crying. Oh no.
Right before I went to take a shower, Mr. Balch knocked on the door. Even now I don't know what he wanted, but as soon as he asked how I was, I choked up again. After the story was out, I asked him if he could call my dad. (P.S. I need a phone.)
He reported that Micah had taken a CAT scan, and no major injuries were found. Micah's speech was was a little clearer and they should be home soon. Heh. That was about an hour ago. I repeat. I need a phone.
So here I am, still dripping tears every once and a while at the memories... But at least I know that everything's going to be ok, and I'm sitting here knowing that God's in control.
Wasn't it just this morning that I was reading Isaiah 26:3? "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Hmph. I was trying to remember exactly how that verse went this evening and just now it popped up.
 Anyway, I meant this to be a short blog, but it's kinda turned into a long one. I think Micah should write about his experience-
Later... Once he's recovered....
Thank you to everyone who prayed for him, the prayers of the righteous will be answered.
I guess I've missed out on family night tonight... And pizza. And soda. Somehow, it just didn't seem right to be watching a movie, eating or drinking while my brother was in the emergency room... I didn't want to see him get as close to death as he had last time.

I hope they're close, they said they were on their way over an hour ago... Hope nothing else happened... I STILL NEED A PHONE!!!!

"I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart and wait for the Lord!" Psalm 27:13-14

Kara

Shadow of the Mountain... Ok, not really.

So.... Do I start all my blogs with so? Anyway. So, here we are in Colorado. Do I say that in all my blogs too?
Whatever.
Well, we are in Colorado however. The time in Kansas was AWESOME! I loved being with old friends, and being surprised by how some have grown. I especially loved hanging with my bestest friend Audrey, we threw a sleepover (even though Audrey was super tired), ran around the church together, headed to Manhattan (with the moms), snacked at sonic (actually it was more of a dinner), and took pictures in the park. I really enjoyed talking to her, catching up again after three years. I know, it's a long time. Thanks Audrey, for an amazing time with you!!! I really hope you come to Uganda so we can do it again, this time in my world.
Another friend I really REALLY had fun with, was Emilee. I mentioned her in my last post, but I can't remember if I spelled her name wrong... :D I also slept over at her house one night. We had fun, and I don't think I'll ever forget her dog, Rascal. I don't know how to spell his name, sorry Em. Anyway, I was interviewed, then we watched America's got talent and the Voice, then slept for about five hours. No wonder I was so tired... We headed down to the Zoo, or, the Zoo Park as I've called it since I was little. We 'spoke' to the Cockatoo there. Oh, he was so funny! He really didn't like Emilee's laugh. I have no idea why though... ;)
It was also cool getting back together with most of the mission team, seeing people I've known my whole life (like the Richardsons and Kelleys), riding horses, and driving dirt bikes for the first time!!! Thanks to all my Clay Center family for blessing me with an amazing time with you! Can't wait to see you again, in my African home or just coming back a last time before college. Wow. College... Ok... That's a bit far off... Back to the present.

Right after we got to Colorado, we went hiking. Ok, the next day after we arrived in Colorado, we went hiking. I think I took, like, four hundred pictures. Seems like a lot, but hey, I'm practicing my photography skills! I'll perhaps post some in this blog or the next one. I've got so many pictures to put up!!!!
I'm looking forward to hanging out with some of my close friends in Colorado Springs, Marisa, Danielle, Sydney, Brooke, the Eash boys, Daums... And many more...
Still missing my family back Home, the Africa Home, but I'm so glad I get to see these friends again! And my relatives too, did I mention we ate dinner with my great aunt and uncle Thursday evening? Good to see you again Aunt Joan and Uncle Rodger!
And about the title, we're not exactly in the shadow of Pikes Peak, but we're pretty close. We're in black forest. Appropriate name.

First pic, Audrey and I, me, Audrey, Audrey and I. :D Second, with the Clemens family, Third, Kelleys, fourth, Richardsons, us on dirt bikes, and
mom with an aspen leaf in her hand. Aspens are her favorite tree in the fall!!! I loved taking pictures of them...




                Kara

Humbling & Aspens

Last night I was once again humbled to hear that I HAVE been used by God and He HAS worked in me. Too often I wonder if anything I do is honoring my Father. This furlough has been very encouraging but it has at times filleted me, knowing that anything good that is happening is God's work in me. It is hard to know how to handle complements and praise that I know is for God but is pointed at me. I love to hear the praise but in the end I know it really isn't for me even though people say my name.

I'm challenged to dig deeper because I still get a sense that Christ has only just begun in me and He has so much further to go.

I left the U.S. in 2010 bound for Uganda thinking I had only two children. God had blessed us with Kara and Micah and I love to see Him working in them. Then as I returned I thought I had an additional 19 sons and daughters in Uganda that I was missing. Since being here in the States, I have seen the fruit of God's work and He is showing me, as the Apostles Paul and John and Peter said, that there are spiritual children and grandchildren that I have not even accounted for and many I don't even know about.

I looked back and recounted the children we left behind in Uganda and I know of at least 33 that I need to be praying for and searching God's heart on their behalf.

The aspens are a good picture of this. The roots spread underground and many grow up from those that spread their roots. It is hard to tell, in a grove of them, which is the parent that has grown all of these and yet, each is grown for the glory of God and, especially in the fall, they sing the beauty of our God and Father, the Great I AM.

Only for God's glory,

Tim

Still in Kansas

    Yes, we are still in Kansas but not for very long. We are leaving on Wednesday. But for now, we are enjoying our last moments in Kansas. We have had fun while we were here.
    Tuesday we were free for the morning, so we did most of our school. The rest we brought to the church, where we were having lunch with the Young at Heart group. That night we went to Jason and Chelsie's house for dinner. We actually were at their wedding some time ago. Wednesday my Dad went to Breakfast with a friend and lunch with another friend while we did school. In the afternoon we went to the Kelleys to do dirtbikes. It was Kara's first time, but I had done it before on Friday the 7th. It's a lot of fun. We went to the Sterlings for dinner that night.
    Thursday my Dad went for Coffee with a friend while we did school, then we went to lunch with the Tiers. Then after that we went to visit with the Cotts, then we went to Audrey Derosiers track meet. That night we went to the Dreeszens house for dinner. Friday my Mom went with Dana Kelley to Manhattan to do some stuff there. That afternoon we went to the Kelleys to do dirtbikes again. I just can't get enough of riding them. They're so fun to ride. We made dinner for Nancy and Rick Hammel, the people whose house we are staying in, that night (Friday).
    Saturday my Mom and my sister went to Manhattan with Laura Derosier. That day my Dad and I spent time together. We went to Sonic for lunch, took the food to a park, then when we finished, we went to the Clay Center Zoo. Then we came home. We went to the Richardsons for dinner that night. Sunday we went for lunch at the Clemons, visited the Petersons (we have friends with the last name Peterson also), then went for dinner with a small group. Today my Dad went to Coffee with another friend, and we went to lunch with Gail and Martha Habluetzel. My Dad and Kara are going to Kara's contact training in 2 minutes, and we are going to the Kelleys sometime this afternoon.
    Thank you all again for your prayer. We all appreciate it. We are doing well here in Kansas and on our trip. Please pray for the colds we have, and my eyes. They are starting to get better, but not very fast. Also pray for the rest of our trip across America. Thank you all again!

Having a good time!

     We are having a good time here in Kansas. We have been staying at the Kelley's place for most of our time here. We are still doing school as we are here, so we don't get behind. Most of our days are filled with us having Lunch or Dinner with different people. Tuesday we hung out at the Kelley's, Wednesday we did the same. Thursday we went to the Roth's for dinner. Friday we also went to the      Kelley's.
     Saturday my Dad was speaking at a Men's Breakfast at the church, so I went with him. Jairus also had another football game that morning. That night my parents and the Kelley parents went to Topeka to have dinner with some of the Kelley's friends. Kara went to the Derosier's, and I hung out at the Kelley's with the Kelley kids.
     Sunday my Dad preached at both services, and we had lunch there at the church, where we also spoke. Today Kara and I had a dentist appointment at nine, then I did school when we got home. After lunch my eyes were itching and were hurting. We went to see John Kelley (he's a doctor) and he suggested a couple medicines. Cold water also helps. Tonight we are going to have dinner with the mission team.
     Thank you all for your prayers. We are so far doing ok, and having a good time traveling across the States seeing family and friends. Please pray for my eyes, and the cold that three of us have. Also pray for the rest of our trip. Thank you all, and I hope I see all of you (except for those we've already seen)soon!

                                Micah
                                       Peterson

Among Friends

Wow, it is so good to be back here in Clay Center! It's been so awesome seeing all the old friends, people I've known my whole life. But it's also been weird because all my age-mates are all grown up, which means I'm grown up too, but still- I've missed three years and when that happens, people change!!! Oh well, it's all cool. I've especially loved hanging around my BFIKAML (Best Friend I've Known All My Life), Audrey, at the rodeo, her house, church... It's funny seeing her now after years of being away, but yet, she's still the same old Audrey. :D That's the awesome thing about good friends. They don't change on you, well, not entirely at least. 

We've also got to have dinner with the Clay Center 2011 November Team. Long name, I'll shorten it to the CCNT 2011. Better. Whatever anyway. Unfortunately, the whole team wasn't there for more reasons than one. But it was great for me to see Emily again, HI Emily! :) She's probably reading this and grinning. Check that, now she's laughing. :D

We also got to hang out with the Wallace's at their swimming pool. Larry's parents' swimming pool. I remember swimming there a long long time ago. Thanks for inviting us Tracy! It was fun! 

Now, I can't forget the Kelleys. They have been an amazing, fun second family to us. Micah loves being with his best friend again, all the time almost. Even though Jairus IS almost a head taller, and a bit solider than him. I'm also amazed at how much Anna has grown up since we've been gone. I keep marveling at that. And it was awesome to meet Abby, their newest adopted little girl. We hang around their house all the time, talking and playing... And it's been fun jumping on their trampoline! It's been a long time since I've jumped on one of those! But I still am able to do my flips and handsprings and stuff! Yey!

Well... I kinda wish we could be here for longer then we're going to be... But for now, I'll just have to enjoy the ride. It's good to be among friends again.

                              Kara

"...but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

In Kansas

We are now in Clay Center, Kansas. Next will be Colorado. We are having a good time traveling across the States, seeing our friends and family. In Kansas, we have more friends then everywhere else combined (I think)!
We got here (Clay Center) on Friday afternoon. Soon afterwards we went to the Kelley's (good friends of ours) house. Then we went to Kansas' annual rodeo. That was fun, cause I had never seen a rodeo before. The next day we went to a really good bakery that has good donuts. We also went to Jarius Kelley's first football game. His team did good, even though they lost. Then we went back to the Kelley's, and hung out there through supper.
 Sunday we went to Church, of course, then went home for lunch. Afterwards, we went to the Wallaces (more friends of ours) and swam in their pool. We had a good time there also, although we didn't get to be there very long. Then we went to the Kelley's again.
Monday we spent the day at the Kelley's, then went to dinner with the Kansas team that came to Uganda last year. Today we have been doing school (ugh) and once I finish this, we will be going to play Basketball.
As I said before, we have been having a great time traveling across America. Thank you all for your prayers and support, we are doing very well. Pray that the rest of our trip would go smoothly. Thank you all again!

                                         Micah,
                                                  Peterson

Our Journey Begins (Began)

It's been a long, tiring journey, but here we are at last!
And here I am again. I haven't written a blog for quite a while, so sorry to our followers!!! :D  I was either too busy, or never remembered.

So here we are in America! What a trip. Sixteen hours in a plane... At least we were adding hours. It's easier to go west over lots of time zones than east.
We were in New Jersey for the first three weeks. As we took a three week break from school, we visited some of the main historical attractions, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York. It was cool to visit them.
We were also visited by the Bouffards, a fellow missionary family who are now not returning to Uganda. We had a great few hours with them, swimming in my cousin once removed's pool. Wow, that was confusing. Ok. First of all, we were staying at my mom's cousin's house. Mom's two year-deceased aunt's house. Ok. Now, we swam with the Bouffard kids and ate lunch with them. Ok. Got that cleared up. I'm proud to say I saw Micah Bouffard and Emily go off the diving board for the first time! Yey!
Last week we left New Jersey and headed west, crossing Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia. We ended up in Kentucky for the night and headed north about a hundred miles to the Creation Museum there. The Creation Museum was really interesting, if you're ever in Kentucky you should go up there. They had amazing wax figures, movies, pictures... It was awesome! They had a walk through of creation, and the fall, how much bad is in this world and how Jesus is redeeming it and is going to destroy it all in the end. It was pretty convincing.
After driving four hours through Indiana to Illinois, we stopped for the night and headed down to Oklahoma. We got here on Tuesday, or Wednesday last week I think. Friday afternoon we drove almost two hours to my uncle's house in Arkansas, my mom's brother Keith. I have two older girl cousins there, one of which is getting married next year! We stayed the night and drove back here the next evening. It was great seeing them again and meeting my future cousin-in-law. :)
Well, it's been about four weeks since we've been here. I guess one of the great things of being back is that I can wear shorts and pants again. And it's been fun seeing everyone here! But I really miss all my friends and family back home, in Uganda. It's only four months left, and it'll go quick, but it still seems like a long time.
I've learned a bit more on my guitar since we've returned, thanks to my second cousin Jeff, and my future cousin-in-law, Eldon. They've taught me a few more chords and, thanks to Eldon, now have tons of song sheets on my computer.
We have another trip coming up on Thursday. We head up to Kansas, to spend a few weeks with our old friends that-a-way.
The pictures are of my granddad, dad and I being patriotic. Notice the shirts and hat. The other one is Katelyn, Micah, Emily and I in my long-gone, great-uncle's pool.

                 Kara

In America!!!!

    We're in America!! Three weeks from Monday we flew in. The plane rides were very tiring. Most of the day we were on the first plane from Entebbe, Uganda, to London, Great Britain. The rest of the day we were chasing the sun from London to Philadelphia. We stayed with a relative in a town called Haddon Heights that isn't to far from Philadelphia.
    One day we went to Philadelphia to see the historic stuff there, such as the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. That was fun and so was going to the Islands of New York. We learned more about the Immigrants that came through Ellis Island. I don't remember learning about them before, but now I have. We also got to see the Statue of Liberty up close.
    We stayed there for a few weeks until Sunday the 19th, when we left early for a long drive. These drives were even more tiring then the plane rides I think. The first day we drove a 12 hour long drive to Lexington. The second we went to Cincinnati to go to the Creation Museum. That was fun. Then a 4 hour drive to Mount Vernon, Illinois, then an 8 hour drive to here in Tulsa. I barely survived.
    We miss the Ebenezer kids and they miss us too. We talk to at least one of them at least once a week. Of course we miss the Western families too. We also miss our cat Nutmeg. We have a Western lady looking after the cat and the house. We're looking forward to seeing all of our friends and our relatives as we journey through the States.
    Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate it very much, especially as we travel across the US. Please pray for the trips, that they would go well. Thanks again, hopefully we will see most of you soon!

                                       Micah
                                               Peterson.

Fourth of July and Ugandan Thanksgiving.

       Wednesday last week was Fourth of July as everybody knows, and all the Americans gathered at the Andersons to celebrate. Most of the afternoon until supper we played dodgeball. It was fun playing against Jensen, Jerimiah, and a friend of their's, who were a few years older than me, because I would catch most balls that they threw. Anyways, playing dodgeball was fun, and after we had dinner, and a bonfire, everyone went home.
       We are having Mwine over here most of the time this month, and his is a fun guy (Haven't I already called him that before?). Anyways, it is fun having him here, and he will be with us until we leave. He is actually sitting in the living room as I type.
       Saturday the 7th was New Hope Ugandan Thanksgiving, and my Dad was in charge of it all, so it was a bit stressful for him. Especially since the first Lady of Uganda (the President's wife) came for it. Thanksgiving started at around 10:30, and the First Lady arrived at about 12:30. Her and some of the people who came with her spoke. After lunch, which was at about 2:30, everybody was dismissed.
       Two weeks from today and we will be heading to Kampala. Then two days after that we will be flying!! Time is flying, and soon we will be leaving Uganda for the rest of the year. Can't wait to see you all! Thank you for your prayers and support. There is nothing important happening except that we are going back to America very soon. Please pray for that, packing and planning and stuff will take a while! Thank you all again!

                                             Micah            
                                                  Peterson.

Friends.

       Nothing special has happened lately except that some friends from the States have come to visit us. They arrived on Friday and right now are on the way to Mukono as I speak. They brought some stuff for us, some that we ordered, some that they got for us.

Wednesday we had two Ebenezer girls over for their birthdays. On Thursday night we had John over because he was sick and they had bedbugs down in the family. So he was he was here that night and the next. We also had another Ebenezer girl over because she was also very sick. 

On Friday morning my Dad went to get John Kelley(My Dad’s best friend and father of my best friend), Don Couchman(Our Dentist), and Don’s Grandson, Nate. Larry, someone we’d never met before, who knew Don, came the next day. We had dinner with them that night, then came back to sleep. Saturday morning after breakfast we went to get them and give them a tour around Kasana. We had Lunch and Dinner that day with them also.

Sunday morning we drove over and walked with them from the Guesthouse to church. After Church we had Lunch with them and then I went to Toby Britton’s birthday party. There was a lot of sugar in it. Saltwater Taffys, Marshmallows, Cake… It didn’t get me Hyper though, luckily. That night we brought Ebenezer over to the Guesthouse to celebrate American Father’s day and Kara’s birthday with our friends with a feast. We had a fun time.

Today my parents took our friends down to Mukono to do something down there for a couple days. They will head back to America once they’re finished there. They left at about 8:00 and it is 2:30 now. They should be back in about 40 minutes.

Thank you all for your prayers once again. We appreciate them very much. Also your support. Please keep praying for our Furlough. We still don’t know the exact date we are going. We have a lot to do. Please keep praying for that and other Future things. Thanks again!

Micah

      Peterson.

One month to Furlough!

                                      (written on the 12th)

So our plans have changed. We are not going for furlough next year anymore, but we are now going in a month. Crazy! Just thinking about going back to America in only one month after planning for next year makes my head swim! Can’t wait to see good friends though!

We will be on our usual schedule until we go next month. Doing school, going to the family group on Tuesdays (like today), going to the family gardens on most Saturdays, going to church, etc. We did a few special things the past few days.

On Saturday we went down to the family group and slashed around the compound for a while then came back. Then that evening there was a basketball party for the basketball teams and each person could invite 2 people. Since there was a lot of players from Ebenezer, almost all the family came from being invited. There was a banquet(small one), a slideshow with a few clips of the Regional and National tournaments, then they gave certificates for playing in the nationals to the teams.

Sunday we had Ebenezer over for pancakes, and my Dad called it our own I-Hop(International House of Pancakes). After Church we had them at around 4:00 for a football game then a basketball game. We had fun both times, and everyone’s getting better at basketball.

Tonight we will be going to Ebenezer(of course). Tomorrow night we will be having a few of the girls over for their birthday. Today, if it doesn’t start raining to hard, I will be heading over to see how Toby is doing. He has been terribly sick lately, but it sounds as if he is better now.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, we appreciate it very much. Please pray for next month, as we have much to plan before we go. Please pray for other things also. As I said, it is raining right now, and I think our cistern is pretty much full. Thanks again for everything!

Micah 

    Peterson.

        We are settling back into our pattern for a couple weeks. We just got back from the Staff Retreat (just western staff) in Kingfisher. Kingfisher, an area that is basically a hotel with big spaces, is located in Jinja. Did I mention it has a pool?

There are different sessions in which they talk about different stuff. Some of them older kids have to go to, but some we don’t. On the way to Jinja on Wednesday the 30th we switched Toby Britton with Kara. So Toby came with us, and Kara went with the Brittons. We went to The Keep for lunch, and Kara came with some other people. Toby was staying with us even though his family was eating at Kingfisher.

We swam a bit that afternoon and then went to a session. Everyone was supposed to be there until little kids and big ones that were helping were released. Then the next day, Thursday the 31st, we had two morning sessions that older ones had to be at. But one I didn’t have to go to. That afternoon we also swam.

On Friday the 1st there were no sessions the older ones had to go to. So we swam most of the day. At 4:00 Toby, the Mitchells, Elisha McFarland, Noah McFarland and I went on a Boat ride down a little bit of the Nile until 5:00. Then everyone went to Two Friends for dinner.

On Saturday the 2nd many people left except the Vogts, the McFarlands, the Sparks, and us. Mwine came in the morning and we went on another boat ride. We also went to Two Friends for Dinner. The next day, Sunday the 3rd, we left after breakfast. We got to Kampala before lunch, shopped a bit, went and ate lunch, then went to the Theaters. I don’t know if you’ve seen Avengers, but I think IT IS FULLY AWESOME!!!!! Cause that’s what we watched. Love it! Then after the movie we dropped Mwine off and started home.

Thank you all for your prayers, we really appreciate them. Thanks also for your support. We are doing very well, but my Mom is a bit sick. Please pray for that and other things. Thank you all again!

Micah

    Peterson.

National Tournament Report

   Kara here.
   Sorry it's been so long! Things have been crazy around here. I don't think I've posted more than one blog this year. First Kobwin, then basketball tournament prep, regionals, more basketball prep, national tournament, EYO camp. I want to focus more on the national tournament and EYO camp.

    I'm writing this (or rather beginning to write this) on Sunday May 6th. (Just now editing it on the 23rd!) The national Ugandan basketball tournament was the last week of April. EYO camp, just this past week. Now, I was somewhat excited for the basketball tournament. I looked forward to spending time with friends and actually playing... Playing! In a National Tournament. But I was nervous. These were girls that have been playing for years and years, and here I was, a girl who had been to a one week basketball camp at six years old, bounced around a ball here and there, and only started to play seriously a year ago. What was to become of me?
    Well, the night before we left, we went to bed around ten, then woke up at 5:30. Seven hours. This is important. It was a long nine hour drive from here to Fort Portal. My legs were cramped, I was holding a bag on my lap the whole time in the hot coaster, making my legs sweat. At least I was seated by my amazing sister Peace. I love Peace. She's awesome. So we got to Fort Portal and started settling in. At first we were told the girls would be eating, sleeping, and playing in a different place. Everyone was like, "WHAT?!" I think all the girls (including me) were super disappointed about that. Thankfully, we ended up playing and eating break and lunch there.
    The dormitories where the girls slept were horrible! People didn't care about keeping the latrines clean so some girls began using the ground right outside the latrine rather than the latrine itself. The official bathing place was four tin 'walls' that were about four feet high, so instead of bathing there the girls bathed right outside the dorm rooms (the dorms were separate 'cabins', each about fifteen to twenty feet away from each other). We shared our rooms with two or three other teams, football and basketball both. The first night I slept with them I got about four hours of sleep. Girls' phones would ring at about midnight to two in the morning. Whenever I turned over in my bed the springs would squeak. The light didn't get turned off until two in the morning. The mosquitos were bothering me. I was miserable. The lines throughout the week for food were bad. Two girls that I saw had refused to listen to authority to make a straight line and/or move into or from it. They were beaten by an askari (security).
    An askari is basically a guard. We have askaris here on NHU, they patrol the place and rotate being our gatekeepers. Anyway, there were other girls who got in fights with each other and askaris. It wasn't the greatest place to be. I spent two nights with the girls, the second night I got about six hours of sleep. Better bed. Lights off earlier. Two others I spent in a guest house (hotel) with my family. Good beds, good bathrooms, good old mosquito nets, amazing breakfasts...
    But enough about the accomidation. I'm sure you want to know about the actual tournament. Truth to be told, I had fun. For most of the day, I preferred to hang out in the coaster and read a book. I'm not the kind of person who likes to make friends. It's hard for me. But I did meet a few people, who received my 'contact' by the end of the week. Those were Shila (Sheila), Asher, Sharron, Lillian, Rita and Brenda. We played three games that week, the first game we played was against one of the teams that had reached the top eight the year before. Gosh those girls were good. I was getting so frustrated with their hands on team (by that I mean they were constantly touching us, grabbing our arms and jerseys) and the fact that we couldn't make any shots I was in tears by the end of the first quarter. But after crying out to God and receiving His grace, by the end of the game I was able to congratulate the winning team without resentment. Thank you Jesus! And surprise surprise, most of them asked my name and invited me over to their coaster to 'hang out' for a little bit. ?  Once there, they actually asked me if I wanted to join their school the next year. Ding ding, translation! Meaning, "how about playing for our team next year?" Ok. Hold on a second. Do you mean you are inviting someone from a loosing team, 4 - 48 who didn't get one shot but only dribbled the ball down the court making it past their defenses once? Or twice, I don't even remember now. Heh, but that was a surprise. The boys team played the same school and lost, less miserably than the girls did.
    Second day we had no games, it was a pretty boring day. The boys played one game (which they lost) and went to tour the Toro Kingdom Palace. The girls had to stay behind, just in case our game was next. We ended up playing it the next day, so we were bored. We interacted with some people. Actually, I was getting tired. Physically, yes, but also socially. I'm not used to interacting with a huge crowd of people I don't know, having strangers saying "Hi Kara!" It's kind of weird, made me feel almost like a celebrity or something. Now I know what they feel like. During devotions the morning after, I shared Hebrews 12:1-3. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles..." Looking back, I can think of the 'sin that so easily entangles' as frustration, anger, hate towards the teams that beat us. I personally, didn't feel and hate, but that first game we played I was getting very frustrated and angry. So that verse caught my attention, now here's the rest of it. "...and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Wow. So even if I'm getting socially tired, even spiritually, if we fix our eyes on Jesus and persevere the road He has set before us, He will perfect our faith, he will renew it, make it strong! "...who, for the Joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hello God. The boys just lost two games, we have lost one and were about to play two more that afternoon. He is going to keep us going if we 1. Fix our eyes on Him 2. Consider the pain, opposition and shame Jesus endured to bring us life in order that we "not grow weary and loose heart"!
    So now, we go out and face the next two giants. Squash. Yep, you guessed it. We died. Actually, we could have beaten both teams if we would have made more shots, but there were no nets and the backboards were funny. In the second game, if I would have made two more lay ups and two more free shots, we could have won. But, I think the best thing was that we girls were so joyful after the game. We didn't win, yet we were happy! ??? Why? People actually thought we had won our games because we were so happy. Why? We got joy joy joy joy down in our hearts... Down in our hearts... Down in our hearts, we got the joy joy joy joy down in our hearts, down in our hearts to stay!!!! ......... Sorry. Oh! And at the end of our last game, Grace (who is our team leader), our Dad and I all got interviewed by a guy from the FUBA (Federal Ugandan Basketball Association). He asked me (in not so many words), what is it like to be the only caucasian on the team? I told him they all treat me like we're sisters, and we are sisters, in Christ that is. It's funny, because people noticed how much we are like family. A guy from another team asked Peace why we don't treat other guys like we treat our boys. Peace told him it's because our guys are brothers, rather than strangers/newly made friends. I actually had one guy ask me my number. I was so surprised because I had just met him, and because of the way he asked, I just said we'll see. After he left I smacked myself on the head. Stupid stupid stupid. At least I could have told him I don't have a phone and that if he wanted my dad's number he could take it. Sometimes, I just fail miserably at social interaction. Thankfully he didn't come back. Maybe the fact that I got teased by most of our boys confused him so that he thought I already had a 'boyfriend'. I hope that's not the impression I made. They are all great friends and brothers. Nothing of the romantic sort.
    The boys played their last game and won, but didn't make the qualifying round by one point. Saturday, we went to a place that had a pool, sauna and steam room. Oh the sauna was heavenly! It was a cold rainy day in a cold pool. Getting out after my lips turned blue and running to the sauna was amazing... Anyway. We stayed in a different place that night, a hostel. Y.E.S Hostel, Youth Encouragement Services. They had a ping pong table, a badminton net, connect four and cards on computers, Brevin brought his computer and we watched movie clips, then went to sleep on amazingly comfortable beds. And that was the end of our week- oh no. Not yet. I almost forgot (how could I?!). About an hour our of Fort Portal, the coaster broke down. The brakes broke. Big time uh oh. Thankfully, we stopped right under a tree (a nice one to climb, we were still wearing pants). In just about a half an hour, a huge public bus came by. I wanted to go along with everyone, but I had to go in the car with my mom and Tiff and Tal. And Brevin and our obnoxious little brothers. :P Yep. I was bored. At least I had plenty of gonja (thanks mom!). Gonja are a type of bananas. The ones they sell along the road are roasted, and when eating them hot they're super good! Love those things. They're my favorite traveling snack. Anyway, we got home safely, and total that week I got about 45 hours of sleep. Just wait for my next post, the EYO camp. I get even less sleep then.


                                 Kara

           1 Corinthians 10:31- "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Birthday again.

                                     (Written on the 21st)

We have gotten back into the rhythm of things. Doing school, having the family group over, going to church, Etc. On Friday night we went down to the family meeting at Ebenezer for something important. We had known what this important thing was before, but the family didn’t. It was that the Ebenezer Family parents were going back to Jinja and someone else would take their place. Please pray for that, because I know that when they leave many of Ebenezer will be sad.

On Saturday my Mom and Dad went to Kampala to get rims for the car. Kara and I spent the day here on Secondary until the came back, and Toby Britton came about a half hour before they got home. You see, Toby was having a sleepover here at my house. So he came at about 4:30, we played DS until about a half hour before supper, (Acacia Britton was having a sleepover with Kara that night too, but she came later just before MacGyver) and watched a MacGyver before and during supper.

Then after supper Ebenezer came and we all watched the rest of Matthew. We had fun. Then after that Ebenezer left, we watched another MacGyver, Toby and I played some more DS then went to bed. The next morning Toby had to leave early after breakfast, but Acacia, Kara and I play DS for a while. Then we went to Church.

Last night we had the Brittons over for supper and us kids went out and play outside for a while after a VERY good supper. We had lots of fun as we played in the dark and then came in and danced to music until they left. Today I am going over to the Brittons again to play with Toby. As soon as i’m done with this, of course.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We all appreciate it very much. Thank you all for your prayers, it has been raining a lot lately again. Please keep praying for the kids in the Family group, as they struggle with the Family parents leaving. Please also pray for Future things, such as dry seasons and anything else you think of.

Micah

      Peterson

Back home.

(Written on the 14th)

So we got back from the National Basketball Tournament a little over two weeks ago. We had a lot of fun. When we got there after a 9 hour trip we dropped the Boys’ (team) stuff off, cause they were staying where the actual games were taking place, and went to where the Girls were staying. After all this we went to our (us and the Anderson family) Hotel.

The next day (Tuesday) was both of the teams’ first game. Both teams lost these games. Then the Boys played the next day (Wednesday), lost, didn’t play the next day (Thursday), played the next day (Friday), and won. The Girls played twice on Thursday, and lost both.

But the Girls and Boys were joyful after each loss and win, and everybody noticed it. Many people commented on it, saying they were different in their attitude after losing. They also made new friends, including ones that were on the opposite team.

So after two weeks of no school, we started again a week ago. We also had Ebenezer over to watch a movie that acts out Matthew.

Thank you all for you prayers and support. We are very grateful for it. It has been raining a lot lately again. Our cistern is filling up and the rain is once again slowing down. Please pray for future things.

Micah

      Peterson.

Happy Easter(Resurrection Day)!

        (Written on Monday the ninth)

Happy Easter everyone! Yes, some people get offended when we call it Easter. That’s why sometimes it’s better to say Resurrection Day. Because, in a sense, it makes more sense. What happened on Easter? Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Therefore, Resurrection Day makes sense.

The last few days have gone as regular, except for yesterday and today. We did school last week as usual. We went to the family group as usual also. On Friday night we had an actual Passover meal with bread, meat, and a special kind of juice.

On Sunday, after church, we went down to the family group for an Easter lunch. We also celebrated the family group parent’s little boy’s birthday. After that we came back and played a football match in ‘Ebenezer Stadium’. Then we had them over for a Movie night and watched Courageous.

Today we are having the Family group over for a Basketball game. As soon as I finish this I will head over. We are also having a family group boy over for dinner. He is a fun guy. No pun intended.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We all appreciate it very much. We have not had much rain for a while and our cistern is getting empty. Please pray for that. There are also a few people who are having problems. Please pray for them. Thank you all very much once again.

Micah

    Peterson

Basketball Tournament again!!

Yes, there is another Basketball tournament for the Boys and Girls again. It is tomorrow and Thursday, and we will be leaving pretty early. This time Kara will play because she is also on the team now.
The days have been normal, which is doing school, plus having fun playing basketball. Plus going to our family groups on Tuesday nights. Plus going to church on Sunday. But there hasn't been a basketball tournament for a long time now.
There hasn't been much happening lately. We did have another basketball game here though. Lady Staff against the Girls again, and Men Staff against the Boys again. This time, though, the Girls won their game, and the Boys won their game. We had lots of fun, once again, watching the game, and playing at halftime and after it.
When we go to the tournament tomorrow, we will go to New Hope's Basketball court in the early morning and meet the Basketball teams, Boys and Girls, there. Then we will head out, them in the bus, us and others in our (Peterson's) car. We will have breakfast on the way, and should get there pretty early also.Then we will play, and come back home for the night. The next morning we will do the same thing, and once again come back home for the night.
On Friday morning we will head in to Kampala because my Dad is teaching IY(Investment Year). I will probably play with Joel Brown's little brother, Silas Brown, until IY is over, unless Joel comes back early. I don't remember where we are spending the night. Then on Saturday we will meet some friends who are leaving back to America on Sunday. We will spend time with them all day, spend the night in a Hotel with them, then see them off on Sunday.
 On Sunday we will meet one of our Ebenezer boys who is in school in Mukono. We will eat Lunch with him and then go shopping after he leaves. Then after we go shopping, we will come back here to New Hope. Hopefully these days will be fun.
Thank you all for your prayers. Please pray that the trip will go well, and the tournaments too. Keep praying for future stuff too. This Year is a busy one. Thank you all again for your prayers and support, we all appreciate it.

                                Micah
                                    Peterson.

The Regular.

        We have gotten back on our regular schedule of our weeks. We started school again on February 27th. We are going to the Ebenezer family group every Tuesday night again, and we are helping them in their gardens almost every Saturday morning.
        Friday evening we had the Ebenezer family group over for a football game. We played from 2:00 to 4:00, and we had lots of fun. We also did a basketball game from 4:00 to about 6:00. We had fun doing that too. I had a sleepover at Toby Britton's house(see previous blogs) that night. The best part about that sleepover was that we stayed up until 1:00 A.M.!!!! We had fun the next morning also.
        On Sunday we went to Church, of course, and ate lunch after. Then in the afternoon, the lady staff(including my Mom) played basketball against the girl's team(including my sister). The lady staff won that game. Then after that the Stallions(boy's team) played basketball against the men staff(including my Dad). The men staff won that one. My family(the Petersons) had our family night that night also. We had lots of fun that weekend.
        Today I have finished school all but this blog. After I am finished I will wait for my Dad to get back from a meeting and then we will go play some Basketball. Last week we couldn't play together because my Dad was teaching the institute all week.
        Thank you all for your prayers. We appreciate them very much. Please keep praying for anything that is coming. Right now I am listening to some thunder that rumbles every few seconds. Hopefully it will rain soon. Our cistern is filling up, for that, we are grateful. Thank you all and please keep praying for us!

                              Micah
                                    Peterson.

Beginning the New Year 2012

I just hate it when you have to write down the date for something, but instead of writing the current year, you write down the year that had just finished? Or is that just me? Could be. 2011 has been amazing. This was one of the best changes in my life, moving to Uganda. I've made awesome
friends, gone out of my comfort zone and had fun, had fun in my comfort zone, done things I'd never have
imagined two years ago, found talents and shared them with many people, worked hard, lazed around, found God
more extensively than I had in the states, and found family in places I wouldn't have dared to dream even less
then a year ago. I've learned lessons the easy way and hard way, became sick more than a few times, recovered
to bless His Name, received amazing pets and more blessings than I could ever ask for. I do love it here! But now
I am able so say that next year, we are going on furlough. It's not a bad thing, no not at all. I just hope we'll be
back this way after visiting the States, if we don't, I'm going to miss everything, everyone, here.

I said I've made awesome friends. Well, I have. And not just Ugandans or Missionaries either. When the
Kansas team came back in November, there were a few people I had never met before. So within the week they
were here, I made friends with most if not all of them, just, not quite as well as I would have liked. Thanks Emilee
for being a great new friend for the short time you were here! Miranda, if you ever see this, *rolling eyes* you
were pretty awesome too. As for Paige.... Must I say more? :P Just kidding. Oh and Leah, I didn't forget you
just to let you know. ;) Yes, there are also many awesome Ugandan friends. I met most of them on the basketball
court, many in the Heart of Worship Team and For Him team, one or two of them actually just continued to say
hello to me until I learned their names. Notice I didn't mention meeting friends in Ebenezer family. The reason for
that is, they are all my brothers and sisters. They could be friends, but I like to think of family as family.

The first time I went out of my comfort zone and had fun was back in February. Uncle Ronnie and Hannah both
wanted me to join Heart of Worship team. I was very reluctant, because I wasn't confident in my singing, and I
only knew one person in the group really well. But I took a chance and went to practice the first time. I loved it!
Probably one of the reasons I loved it so much was because this girl, named Peace, who I didn't really know at
all, invited me over to sit by her because I was sitting alone. That was what made it so amazing I think. The
second time was in May. Some of my friends kept asking me if I was going to this EYO Camp that was
happening. I didn't really want to go but everyone encouraged me to, so I did. I went, and I had a blast! I've done
a lot of things within my comfort zone, like played basketball with the big boys. It's not so bad if you know what
to do around them. I've gotten knocked down once or twice but that's part of playing. Who cares as long as you
don't break or fracture or sprain anything?

Some of the things I've done that I would never have imagined two years ago would be to lead worship songs,
eat goat meat roasted off the bones and liked it, learned a few words in Luganda, an African language, and much,
much more.

Most of you readers know what my talents are, although I don't really brag about them (if I do, it'd be nice to
know). I found my talent for basketball, I already knew I had artistic talent, I found out I could sing, playing
piano... Though the piano thing took six years of practice. I've shared my basketball talent by helping out in the
staff team when they don't have enough people, and helping the girls learn how to play. I can't really remember a
time when I shared my art, although maybe cooking is an art, in that case I've shared art countless times! I've
shared my singing by helping lead worship and helping different people find harmonies to different songs,
performing a song with three others by taking someone's place... Piano? I've played quite a few times for worship
nights and for Sunday worship services.

Working hard comes from helping around our house which isn't really working hard compared to when you're
working in the Family gardens. I've gotten blisters tons of times, hoeing, slashing, harvesting... Lazing around?
Really, that only comes when the holiday's come. This day today, because I have a fever, I had to stay home and
laze around. I don't like it so much, I'm kinda a girl who has to be active, using my mind or body, working or
playing. Anyway...

I think the reason I've found God more extensively, is because I'm around different people who love God
differently, wider view. Also, because I'm more active in helping out in the church which means I'm included in
Bible studies, and even those worship practices when we're just focusing on God. Thanks to the Kansas team,
who brought my Bible and two Bible study books, even in the short time I've had them, I feel closer to Him. I
hope this year, 2012, I'll become ever closer, so I'll never be able to pull away.

Family is important. Ebenezer family is important to me. All of them, from the eldest to the youngest, associates
and parents. They have all played a part in my life, in my growth. I know that none of them will ever see this post,
but I want to thank all of them, starting with Aunt Lydia and ending with little Faith. You guys are my African
family, and whatever happens in the future, I will not forget any of you!

Let's just say, for the easy lessons and hard, God has had a hand in all of them. He's The Teacher, and I'll never
forget it. Mostly when I learn my lesson the hard way, it's when I make a mistake in life. That's the hard way to
learn, learning how to mend the mistake, and if it's not possible, give it up to God and in the process, learning not
to make the same mistake again. The easy lessons come when I read His Word and take it to heart, putting it into
practice whenever the time comes.

Sickness is a part of life. I'm sick right now, as I'm writing this. Just a slight cold, sinus flu, however you'd like to
look at it, but I've got a fever. Anyway, we learn to push through the sicknesses we encounter, the mild ones at
least. God controls the bad ones, when we become sick enough so it's possible we might die, all we can do is
trust Him that he knows what he's doing. I've never before in my life, that I can remember, come close to death.
And I'm not bragging about it, but I don't think it would be fun to brush past death. Malaria isn't that bad, you
people who are scared of it. If you realize you have it at the beginning stages, it's over in a few days, just leaving
you weak and tired. If you don't know that you have it until weeks pass, it's very possible you can die. I've had
malaria before. It's just like having a really bad fever and aches. Fortunately, I didn't throw up like a lot of people
do if they have malaria, that's what I hate most. Throwing up. Thank you Lord that I haven't thrown up for over
six months! Why am I talking about this?

Our pets are amazing. Well, ok. Pet. One pet is. Nutmeg (cat). She's amazing. Right now, Domino (cat) and
Neptune (rooster) are just plain annoying. Granny, (a chicken) she's ok, even though she only lays like, ten eggs a
month. But I'm thankful all the same for all of them. Other blessings? This house for one. Beautiful sunsets,
wonderful people, even just being here in Africa doing His work. The list of blessings could go on and on and
on..... But if I continued to write all of them, it'd probably be weeks or months or even years to write them all.
That's the long overview of 2011. I had fun.

Here's the quick over view of what has happened in 2011. January through December.

January's main event consisted of moving into our new house. Now we almost have most of our furniture and two
months ago we started doing our floor.

February, for me, was exciting because I joined the Heart of Worship team and was up front for my first
Worship Night.

March, gee, what happened in March? Oh, looking back at pictures in March, we planted our first

sweet corn in our garden.

April we gained a new family member, Nutmeg! She was a tiny kitten then, as big as her head is now!

:)

In May Micah had his first bout of Malaria, and I went to the EYO (Emmanuel Youth Outreach) Camp

June was my birthday which got celebrated five times in one week. I was sung to, like, eight times?

Then mom and dad had their 19th anniversary also.

July was Micah's birthday! Which he celebrated with an Ebenezer family member, John.

August was New Hope's Thanksgiving Day, all the families march around the roundabout and sing,

praise God, wave flags and tree branches then gather together in the Church. Plus we went to Kenya and

pet a CHEETAH!

September was our first basketball tournament and the first time I led two songs for worship night.

October held two birthdays, Mwine and Dad's. We went to Entebbe for Dad's birthday, then to

Kampala a week later for Mwine's!

November was when the Kansas team came! We had a blast together with them, going on Safari,

swimming, visiting Musana Camps... All that good stuff.

December, the Month of Many Things. First of all, we went on a family trip with Ebenezer family to

Jinja. I loved that time, we swam, took tours, ate good food, watched Mr. Bean (LOL) and got to be apart of

the Father's Blessing that went on the morning we left. Then, we took John and Mwine to Kampala right

before they left to go to their home. Those are the two closest brothers I've ever had besides Micah.

Awesome brothers at that. Spending time with them was mom's birthday present, a good one too. Then,

Christmas of course. I had fun time practicing a Christmas song and performing it Christmas morning in

church with Jeremiah, Joseph and Johnny. I did the piano and sang along with them, unfortunately the mic

was so far from my mouth. Then of course, there's New Years Eve. We stayed up until eleven at night

playing Scrabble, then prayed together as a family (Peterson family that is, most of the kids on New Hope

are with their families somewhere else) and crashed into bed. BOOOOOMMMMM........ And that ended

2011. We can just say that it went out with a bang.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

"Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for you; Your name and renown are the desire of

our hearts."

Isaiah 26:8

Thanks Jesus.

Kara

The first pic is of Aunt Lydia, her son Joshua and baby Faith, my mom especially likes this picture! The second is
one of my favorite pictures of a person and a guitar. I fixed it up better on my computer, but whatever.