Happy New Year from Uganda!

Happy New Year!! We pray that this new year brings new hope, new beginnings & new blessings to you and your families! We pray that as you step out into this new year that the things that God has been stirring in your heart would not remain a dream or desire, but that you would step out in faith and take the next step. May you follow where God leads, be bold and courageous and know that the risk is always worth the possibility of failing. Faith Says Yes! Every year our small little group of dreamer dreamer girls in Texas get together and talk about what single word God has put on their heart for the new year. This word is about what we hope God will do in our life in 2016. God has no doubt shown me over this past year that I struggle in the area of complete surrender. The condition of my heart is not always in a place of FULL Surrender and I pray that God will reveal the areas of my life that I have not fully surrendered to Him. So, for 2016 the word that I will pray into my life daily is SURRENDER.  I Love what Rick Warren says about surrendering...   Surrendering your life means: Following God's lead without knowing where he's sending you; Waiting for God's timing without knowing when it will come; Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide; Trusting God's purpose without understanding the circumstances. You know you're surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don't have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more. Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:7 What is your word for 2016? We Pray that God reveals to you the areas in your life that need to be surrendered to the only One who can truly carry them.   "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. ~Galatians 2:20 HAPPY NEW YEAR! from the Harper Family 2016 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. ~Phillipians 3:13-14 For Him~ Sid, Wendy + the Tribe

Celebrating EVERY Christmas present opened!     Celebrating Gertrude's Christmas Birthday in her village. First time to celebrate her birth. It was a Happy !8th!

Thank You for your continued prayer for our family as we serve in Northern Uganda and South Sudan. Please continue to pray for these current prayer points. Blessings to ALL of you! Pray for us as we continue to learn the language Pray for Sydnie as she continues outreach in Nepal Pray for Lacey as she settles into life stateside Pray for Health for the WHOLE family Pray as we continue to actively share Christ with Muslims and non-believers Pray as we step out in faith to begin the adoption process Pray as we begin the process of getting licensing from Government for "The Haven" How You Can Help... Prayer is first and foremost essential to our ministry. We cannot thank you enough for faithfully praying for us. Partnership through monthly support or one-time tax deductible donations through our DONATE button below or via check to:                  LINKS USA                  P.O. Box 1223                  San Marcos, Tx 78667                  Re: Harper Family

Joy To The World ~ Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas!  It seems like we were just writing our November update! This time of year flies no matter where you live in the world. We spent hours looking for anything resembling a Christmas tree (think Charlie Brown tree) but we succeeded in adding a little Christmas feel to the house as we sleep under fans and run around in flip flops and tank tops. This month has been full of activities & ministry + a couple of fractured wrists, a bum knee and malaria x2. We started out the month with Sid heading to Kampala to join Jason Bollinger with LINKS International at a pastors leadership conference. They had some good time together and Sid had opportunity to share with him more about what God is doing here in Northern Uganda & South Sudan. We are super grateful for the spiritual and emotional support we receive from our LINKS family. The day after Sid returned from Kampala Lacey, Baylie & I took the overnight bus to Kampala to see Lacey off at the airport. After 18 months and 3 countries Lacey was headed home to surprise friends & family. She had a long journey and pulled off a good surprise. Baylie & I spent a few days in Kampala celebrating her belated 16th birthday with movies, good food & shopping. It was so fun to have one on one time with her. We traveled back on the bus with our fellow YWAMer Andrew who has come from Bozeman, Montana to minister with us for the next month. He's preparing to preach in a community of Muslims the day after Christmas & we are excited about the word that God has given him. He and Sid will head into South Sudan to pray over the land. Please pray that God gives them opportunities to share the gospel. Sid continues to oversee all of the building that is going on around the YWAM Arua base and has stepped into a new role assisting with Administrative and money matters on the base as well as a multitude of logistics. Wendy continues with homeschooling the children along with handling correspondence with upcoming outreach teams, organizing schedules, organizing fundraising for a much needed Land Cruiser for the YWAM base and helping with social media for YWAM Arua. We celebrated our "ONE Year in Uganda" on the 15th of December. It was fun to look back and talk about our favorite moments, our hard moments & all that God has done in our lives over the past year and how He has used every one of us in ways we never could have imagined! We Wish All of you a Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~ Isaiah 9:6 For Him~ Sid, Wendy + the Tribe

Well Yes, you can get a Land Cruiser STUCK! Sid with Jason fromLINKS at a leadership conference in Kampala. Thankful for their missionary support. Tate under the waterfall celebrating his 12th Birthday

Thank You for your continued prayer for our family as we serve in Northern Uganda and South Sudan. Please continue to pray for these current prayer points. Blessings to ALL of you! Pray for us as we continue to learn the language Pray for us as we spend our 2nd Christmas away from family Pray for Sydnie as she continues outreach in Nepal Pray for Lacey as she settles into life stateside Pray for Health for the WHOLE family Pray as we continue to actively share Christ with Muslims and non-believers Pray as we step out in faith to begin the adoption process Pray as we begin the process of getting licensing from Government for "The Haven" How You Can Help... Prayer is first and foremost essential to our ministry. We cannot thank you enough for faithfully praying for us. Partnership through monthly support or one-time tax deductible donations through our DONATE button below or via check to:                  LINKS USA                  P.O. Box 1223                  San Marcos, Tx 78667                  Re: Harper Family

Feet In Uganda ~ One Year

Whew! One Year! Where has it gone?

We stepped off the plane in Entebbe, Uganda a year ago with a ridiculous amount of bags ready for whatever God had in store for us. It's exciting to see where God has brought us to in these past months. We've learned so much and we grown to see God in a whole new wonderful way. This place has become our home, the people have become our family and we are continuing to step out in faith believing that God will continue to sustain us as we minister in Northern Uganda & South Sudan.

Faith Says Yes

In morning devotions we asked each of the kids to describe this past year in there own words + tell us what God has done in their hearts this year. Here's each of there responses word for word...

Baylie(16): This year has been awesome, hard and I've learned a lot. God has taught me to value relationships and that being a missionary is hard and sometimes you do things even when do you want to our your afraid to.

Jonathan(13): This year has been hard and sometimes boring. God has allowed me to play baseball in Uganda and given me a friend my age here.

Tate(12): I feel like I can go up to people and say hi and its not gonna be weird. God has changed my heart so that I can see stuff in a different way. Like caring about others and enjoying the outdoors more.

Charlie(11): If he could talk he'd say... "I love beans and chipati, swimming at the only pool in Arua and my teacher Harriet. And I know God and my family love me."

Emmy(10): This past year has been fun & hard. God has grown me closer to him. He has taught me so many things and how to help others.

Levi(8): Riding bodas, going to town, beans & rice, my Ugandan friends at school, my teacher Milly and playing soccer with anyone that will play with me.

Kenlie(8): This year has been hard but I made new friends and have had fun. God has made me feel better about moving here.

**Thank you to all of you that continue to cover our family in prayer. Thank you for your love and support and for sending encouraging words to us. We feel the prayers and we are so thankful for every one of you**