How else do you begin a journal that will document a Radical Journey? I mean, it’s not as if Debra and I are moving across town, to another city or state. We are relocating life as we have known it 10 hours ahead….. Well, 9 hours during Daylight Savings Time.

1st Bonus: Debra won’t have to deal with the annoying time shift back and forth because in Uganda they just leave them where they belong!!

Well, we are now at T Minus 30 Days & counting before our departure into our new life; a new Mission the Lord hath ordained. We are honored to be chosen to serve as the Country Directors of a.k.a. Hope and know the role will have many challenges and rewards; especially since we are going to be in a completely different culture. But before we depart on the “Mobile Cigar Tube” to fly the Friendly Skies on January 18th, we have a huge job of preparation here.

To begin to even describe the feelings around retiring from a 30 year career with one company (Bill), both of us stepping down from our respective leadership roles in ministry, transferring our dear furry ‘kids’ to new homes, saying goodbye to friends and family and selling and giving away most everything we own, is impossible! Please pray for us as we deal with the “Losses” needed to experience the “Gains” the Lord will be giving us.

Where our Christmas tree usually stands this time of year, is filling up with a growing array of boxes ready for their new owners. Every day, the house we were planning on dying in becomes more of a shell than the warm, inviting home it once was. We have seen just how bogged down we were with the “stuff” of life and how much work it is to get rid of it all.

We are trusting in God in ways we never imagined as we strip down our life from a 2400 square foot home to about 10 square feet in the form of 4 suitcases, 4 carry-ons and a Partridge In A…… Okay, everything but the last part. It is a freeing feeling but also uncomfortable. Debra and I are seeing that this will not only be a huge growing experience as we go into this ministry but also in our ministry to each other!

 Having led a marriage ministry the past several years we are like newbies all over again as we learn to do a new dance of working side by side together and being around each other more than we were used to! We realize that everything we have experienced up to this point in ministry, in our professional lives and in marriage has been a training ground for what is to come.

In one of the suitcases, Debra will be bringing along some of the crosses she has been given over the years which will adorn the walls of the home we will establish in Fort Portal. The Cross symbolizes our Source of Strength which we desperately cling to during this time of radical change.

As Christmas approaches fast, we won’t have the presents, the lights and all the trimmings we have been accustomed to. Instead we will be able to celebrate the true meaning of the Season, Jesus! In this Season of our Savior, we too are about to embark on a new season of our own.

And… So It Begins! Merry Christmas!

We will be self-supporting missionaries and are seeking financial partners. If you desire to help, please go to our funding page to make a tax deductible donation. For any questions, you can contact Bill at sidscrat@outlook.com. Thank You!