We had some of our Ugandan friends over for dinner a few weeks ago. We made pizza, and apologized that we didn’t make them food. For it to be called “food” in Uganda, it needs to be a full meal with some sort of sauce or stew. Things like pizza and sandwiches are considered “snacks”. Thankfully they didn’t seem to mind! “We were prepared for something different from Muzungus!” they said (muzungu/mzungu is the word for white people). Cross-cultural friendships are always full of fun conversations like this.
We have made some incredible friends here. One thing I love about living cross-culturally is the way God teaches us about ourselves. Every culture has is touch from God’s hand, as well as its own taint of sin. The culture here is one that prioritizes relationships over all else! Have to be somewhere? It’s more important to finish the conversation you’re currently having than it is to be on time to your next meeting of the day. Need to ask for something? Always greet first!
Some of our closest relationships are those of our EMI coworkers. EMI Uganda is made up predominantly of Ugandan staff members, so these are the people we are working with and enjoying fellowship with every day. We’ve made it a priority to have people for dinner, attend and give to family events, and invest in our friends here at EMI. I have learned the most from these incredible people who have a heart for God.
Another way God has blessed us in friendship is through our church family here in Kampala. We are so grateful that we have found a community that loves and cares for us. Jamie was dedicated at our church on Sunday and our entire cell group (our church small group) came to stand with us and commit to support us in raising her. This church family has played a significant role in our spiritual development and has helped sustain us over the past couple of years.
Over the past couple of years we have asked for prayer in reaching out to our neighbors. We continue to see God opening doors for us to share the gospel with them. We are sad to say that our neighbor Fred passed away a few months ago. Since then, we have supported his daughter Letisha in school fees and continue to have the kids over to play games. It’s because of your generosity that we have been able to help this family weather the storm of grief and making ends meet.
This also brought their older daughter Faith back home to stay with the family. Faith has been helping me talk with her mother Maria- my Luganda is not sufficient and neither is Maria’s English, but we make it work! When I was visiting them Faith and I started to talk about the gospel and she said, “I want to know more about God”. I am hoping to start meeting with her on a regular basis to read through scripture together.
We are so thankful for the way God has answered our prayers through friendships over the past 2 years, and we look forward to seeing His work accomplished in us!
Arensen Update
After 2 years of ministry in Uganda, we are coming to the United States for Home Assignment! This is a time for us to meet with supporters and churches to share about the work we have been doing. It is also an opportunity for us to raise any additional support we might need, spend time with family, and reconnect with our home culture. We are so excited to reconnect with people and we will be travelling all over the US to see as many of you as possible!
You can find our planned schedule below. We would love to get together over coffee or a meal! If we haven’t gotten in touch with you yet, please feel free to reach out to me (Hannah) via email, Whatsapp or FB Messenger. Once we get US phone numbers again we will send them out. We can’t wait to connect with you.
September 7: Flying out from Uganda! We’re taking an extended 3 day layover in Brussels, Belgium to get a little R&R before getting back to the US.
September 11-28: Northern Virginia/Washington DC
September 28- October 3: Charlotte, NC
October 3-6: Colorado Springs, CO
October 6-9: Vancouver, BC
October 9-13: Seattle, WA
October 13-18: Los Angeles, CA
October 18-25: Dallas, TX
October 25-November 3: Minneapolis, MN
November 3 – 13: Corning, NY
November 13 – December 1: Minneapolis, MN
December 1 – January 6: Corning, NY (and some other short trips to see friends an family in Ohio, NYC, and hopefully Boston)
That’s a lot of traveling! Please be praying for smooth flights and that Jamie will handle it well!
Pray With Us
We are so grateful for your prayers and support! Please join us in prayer and praise for the following:
Prayer requests:
- Please pray that Jamie’s passport comes in! We have been waiting on the US Embassy to let us know when it is ready, but so far they are not keeping with the timeline they originally told us.
- We have a tight schedule for the few months that we are in the US, so please pray for the logistics of travel! Pray that flights are on time and that travel is smooth.
- Pray for Jamie as she has never been on a plane before (and is about to be on a lot of them!). Pray for wisdom for us as our routines are interrupted and that she will sleep well throughout all the travel.
- Pray for us as we connect with churches and supporters, that God will use us as a mouthpiece to exhort and encourage others.
- Pray for the project work we are leaving behind, that we would prepare our teams well and that projects would progress smoothly.
Praises:
- Praise God for 2 years of ministry in Uganda! We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve here.
- Praise God for the amazing friends that he has provided for us here. We love our family away from home!
Stay Connected
Each year, EMI’s people complete over 100 development projects which serve the poor and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To keep these design services affordable for Christian ministries, professionals like the Arensen’s on EMI’s staff are responsible for raising their own salaries. We are so grateful for God’s provision through the generosity of donors. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with the great things God is doing through the Arensen’s ministry at EMI?