We made it!

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are alive and well in Uganda! It has been a crazy time and we can't believe that we have been here for a week and a half already. Our apologizes that we did not do a "we made it" post earlier. We will do our normal monthly post at the beginning of April.

Here are some of the exciting and note worthy points of our time in Uganda so far. Honestly it has been a whirlwind and hopefully we can express into words some of the past week and a half.

• We flew into Uganda at about 11pm on Thursday the 13th. After getting our 12 checked bags (50 lbs each) off the carousel, we had to find enough carts to hold those plus 2 car seats (which we have yet to use here in Uganda), a stroller and all our carry-ons. It's like we were moving or something. After getting some help to get all our bags out the door we met our ride and got out to the car where Nathaniel starts screaming that he has to go #2. So Becky "suggests" in her "quiet and calming" voice that I need to find him a bathroom. I pick him up and run back to the terminal (remember we are in Uganda) and try to find a bathroom without my kid going before he should. We eventually did and got back the car. Not bad for flying into a foreign country at midnight with 2 toddlers.
• After staying in a guest house for 8 nights, we found a place to live for the next year (see the below pic). We had a bit of trouble finding a place, but in the end we are excited about the one we are at. It has it's challenges since it's quite old but it has a huge, pretty yard. Not to mention we have a large avocado tree in our back yard that has me dreaming of guacamole already.
  
• On one of our days of shopping for household items for our house, Bethany & Nathaniel were not doing so awesome in the seemingly endless rows of Mommy & Daddy looking at items that they were not allowed to touch. After a while, Becky turned to me and announced "Just so you know I'm close to crying, so just be careful with your words." It was good to know. $20 to the first person who guesses what I did while still in that same store. Yup, I made my wife cry. I say this to not belittle my Becky's feelings at that moment but just to give some real life moments of our life here. With adding moving to Uganda to the normal stresses of everyday life, we would love your prayers to be more like Him in not only our "purpose" of being here but also continue to need Him and be like Him in our our everyday things.
• The last item I will mention has been a fun one for me the past few days. Since being here we have had to rely on others to transport us around and get things done. It has been great and the people have been awesome. But there is something to being able just hop in your car and go do an errand. Well we don't have a car and even if we did, we had no idea where to go. Well the past few days as the map in my head of Kampala has gotten better and better, I have mustered up the courage to take a 'boda-boda' around to do certain things. Not only has it been great to go do things we need to do but it's been alot of fun to ride these things. For a boda-boda, think of a guy on a motorcyle for hire with the driving style being something like the video game Frogger: weaving in and out of cars and not really paying attention to any road rules. They've been fun to ride. Becky has made me promise to get a helmet if this is going to be a regular mode of transportation for me but they are fun nonetheless.

 I hope these few stories and convey a bit of our life here so far and help you to relate and therefore pray for us. I have started reading one of my favorite books since we got here. It's kind of a biography of a missionary in the early 20th century named Isobel Kuhn. Really cool lady; from Vancouver actually. Anyway, the main theme for this particular book of hers is that we, as Christians are in the middle of an arena filled with spectators each day of our lives. That our obstacles, trials, choices, lives are a platform for God to be revealed to ourselves, other believers, non-believers and the spiritual realm. That God wants us as Christians to look to Him and rely on Him with all the parts of our lives as we encounter it. This will enable Him to show His power and fellowship.

I find this really encouraging and I hope you do as well.

Thank you all for your support and words of encouragement. We love you guys & gals.

The Whisnands

P.S. Tomorrow is Bethany's 2nd birthday and Becky's 32nd. Happy Birthday!