A Very Bon Voyage

In August this year, Virginia’s doctor informed us that if we were planning to give birth in America, we’d better travel as soon as possible. “Why not next week?” he quipped. We had been planning to go at the end of September to spend a couple months with family and friends while bringing our son into the world, but placenta previa threatened to complicate the birth so we hurredly prepared ourselves and within 14 days were packed into tiny economy seats flying to Grammy’s house.

On the flight from Entebbe, Uganda to Nairobi, Kenya, we flew directly over the islands we are planning to expand our ministry onto in the next couple of years. It was exciting “exploring” them from the sky and getting some photographic idea of where the villages on these scattered lands might be.

This was the first time in six years (and the very first for our children) that we had visited the United States in warm weather. I’m sure Josiah and Emilie previously thought America was a land of snow & ice! The nice weather meant we perfected our golf swing, among other very important things.

I was privileged to attend the annual conference of Minister’s Fellowship International in Portland Oregon in October. This gathering of church leaders from around the world was packed full of great teaching, refreshing worship, and I met a lot of the leaders I have looked up to for many years. These relationships are already resulting in many churches being involved in the work of Life Church and our ministry on the islands.

Two of our pastors from Uganda, Joseph Kibirige and Edward Baligonzaki, took time to visit us in Bend after the conference. They were excited to see me in my home village and take photos of the hospital I was born in while I was blessed to take them spelunking and touring around the beautful place God gave me to grow up in.

Our kids got to carve pumpkins and go “trick-or-treating” for the first time of their little lives.

Westside Church (Bend, Oregon) and Family Life Church (Nampa, Idaho) had me speak and lead worship for various groups while around. We got to share stories and photos of all our African adventures while inspiring different groups to be missionaries wherever God has placed them. It was fun joining in the ministry that both these great churches are doing. (especially since I can say hard things and then go back to Africa!)

Best of all, God worked out every complication with the pregnancy and the delivery turned out perfectly normal. Labor went quick and my valiant wife delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy – Aidan Isaac Earwicker – on the evening of November 1st. He was 8lbs, 10oz and 21.5″ long! Giving birth in America was definitely a different (and better!) experience than with our other two in the slightly less equipped hospitals in Kampala. Insurance even paid for 100% of the birth-related expenses!

We spent Thanksgiving in Bend with my family and enjoyed my mom’s home cooking and plenty of games and fun with my neices. My parents had graciously hosted us in their home for the majority of three months, but we did make it over to Nampa Idaho to see Virginia’s family for some good time as well.

Westside Church generously donated an outboard motor for a new boat to speed up our work on the islands, together with an entire 20′ shipping container of used clothes they had been gathering for most of 2012. This massive Christmas present will arrive in Uganda sometime next week–Please pray that customs clearance will run smoothly and quickly, at minimal expense.

Did I mention that Central Oregon is just a beautiful place?

Now it’s time to get back to work!