By Karina “Keeky” Smith
FRIDAY, FEB 16TH, 2018
We had a plan. We would leave the island at 2pm, after PTS (Pastors’ Training School) finished for the week. Derrick, who interned on the island, asked us to attend his graduation on Saturday. Then we planned to return to the island Saturday evening so Andy could preach Sunday morning and attend an all-afternoon church leaders’ meeting. During our short trip to town, I would restock our food and school supplies, and wash laundry.
As often happens, our plan got changed. The graduation was postponed to Sunday. The plans changed again several times before Andy left at 8:30 am to walk the mile to Lingira village for PTS. He returned in a couple hours to print some extra homework assignments for the pastors. Then back he trekked over the rocks. (No wonder he loses weight every time we are on the island!)
David’s first goat sale
I was nearly packed by 2pm, when Auntie Jen brought her neighbor to buy David’s goat, Rosa. His glee over his first sale suddenly turned to tears when he thought about how her two kids might miss her. Life lessons. I turned back to packing once he dried his tears, only to realize that little brother, Johnathan, was also sitting in his room crying for his big brother.
On the boat back to mainland.
There was really no rush to leave, the boat still had some boards missing from some “minor repairs.” An hour later all the boards were nailed back on the boat and we loaded up for a wet and wild ride – just what the kids love best! Island travel is never quite simple. Once we reached mainland, Andy and Gert-Jan took motorcycles to get their vehicles, while all the kids and I stood at the shore with our luggage. An hour went by. Our boys had exhausted their little Lugandan speaking to the children at the shore. We were hot and tired. Unfortunately, my phone was in Andy’s backpack. He finally returned with the news that Gert-Jan’s car wouldn’t start. So we loaded our truck with 6 kids, 2 adults and all our luggage and off we went!
SATURDAY, FEB 17, 2018
I am so grateful that God knows our needs. He gave us an unexpected day as a family to rest up from the last week, clean house, prepare for next week, and do boat repairs.
Just “flamly,” as our boys love to say!
Andy took the boys with him to work on the speed boat, and then naively went to pick up one yogurt and one loaf of bread for me. 5 stores and an hour later, he came back with a pint of yogurt so I could make ranch dressing, but no bread.
Tonight, as I sit typing, Andy and the boys are finishing up an abbreviated game of Monopoly. Tomorrow after church on mainland, we will stop in at Derrick’s graduation and then rush to the island for the church leadership meeting and the start of a new week! This will be another packed
week with a parenting class at our house (19th), Islands of Hope (21-22), Buvuma Pastors’ Conference (21-23) and SHIM prayer day (23rd).
Maybe this has given you a little glimpse of our life here. Hopefully it has shown you a little of what God is doing on the islands. I wish you could really see, hear, and feel the hope of God’s complete control in the midst of crazy intensity. As we often say of island life, “It’s simple; it’s just not easy.”
