Oh how our garden is growing!

By Lauren

Dear family and friends,

The title of this post is relevant in more ways than one. The most pertinent is Eric’s beautifully thriving gardens! He has worked so diligently, along with the guys helping him, to plant, haul various fertilizers and mulch and nurture vegetable and herb gardens that have changed the looked of our compound (for the better) and that provide a harvest of healthy goods for us each day.  In the midst of all this, Eric is learning a lot about farming and gardening in Uganda so he can inform the communities that he will be working with.

A few months ago, I told Eric that he can never harvest enough cucumbers (I LOVE cucumbers!) Well then he started bringing me in 10 + a day, I just could not keep up! But they are really delicious! Aside from that, he has planted beautiful sunflowers (another one of my favorite thing) and they are aglow all over the gardens!

Our growing harvest- carrots, squash, lettuce, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, peppers and the list goes on!

Beautiful Dahlias!

Our herb garden- turmeric, cilantro, garlic, strawberries, rosemary, flowers and more!

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These kiddos are so special to me! The newest one- Israel is one month old!

In July, I went to visit my old stomping grounds in Nimule, South Sudan. I still do some part-time work with my old organization and I LOVE going to visit the school (LASS) that I was a part of starting. There are new students and some new staff, yet the ‘specialness’ of the place there remains so close and dear to me.  While there, I had meetings with staff, taught a few classes, attended fellowships and then visited friends in the community around!

This is Pastor Abraham Tia (one of the most faithful men on earth) and his wife Baraka Sharon. They are a very special family to me. They have a beautiful, God-ordained story of how they met and fell in love. I was in their wedding back in March 2015 and now they have two kids! It was wonderful to catch up and spent time with them!

Leadership Academy of South Sudan (LASS) students

Some of the LASS alumni who are serving at the school over their university holiday

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We are also watching our baby grow! The last check-up I had was at the beginning of August and all looked good; the baby was active and had healthy measurements. I feel so wonderful and I am absolutely grateful for that! Each week the application on my phone tells me the size of our baby as compared to a fruit or vegetable. I am now 21 weeks along and little bubs is as long as a large banana. I am also growing, you can really tell!

Eric is going to be a great daddy! Here he is with the furry children!

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We spent the beginning of the month in Northern Ethiopia where we met up with one of Eric’s brothers who had been studying in Israel. It was a good meeting point and we had the opportunity to travel around, explore historical sites, and stand amazed at the breathtaking beauty of the region.

Linford, Lauren, Eric at the base of the Simien Mountains. It was breathtaking watching the midst come and go from the peaks, so high up

Historical baths in Gondar

St. George's underground Church- one of the many historical parts of Lalibela

  

  

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Rainy day refuge- all the dogs cuddling in their house

Pup found sleeping in a place he isn't allowed! He snuck in the house:)

Upcoming:

-       We will be celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary next weekend!

-       Eric will be traveling for a region-wide team meeting to Kenya from September 1- 6

-       We have dear friends coming to town in early October

-       Graduation at Livingstone International University is in mid- October, many of my dear students are graduating and I cannot wait to watch them move into a new season of life!

-       We will be traveling to the US on October 22 to prepare for the birth of our baby! We will be based in PA and will travel around the region to visit family and friends.

On our way home to Gulu, there are a bunch of baboons around Karuma Falls, here's one going for a ride!