The Adventures of Sticky- Steven + Niki

Wow! Did you know we are about to celebrate one year in our new congregation here in Jacksonville?! I'll admit my attitude about being in a big American congregation, was not very positive at first. We both were overwhelmed. So many times we wanted to run back to our little peaceful Ugandan group- a place where we felt safe and comfortable. I remember about February last year I had visited my sister Megan's huge congregation for a couple weeks as we lived with them in Palm Coast. During the student assignments one night I got really emotional. I was feeling the sharp fresh pain of leaving Uganda. Certain little things just made me contrast and compare what it was like to be there. Every meeting in Uganda was exciting because you were often seeing new ones participate. The students took their assignments so seriously and handled them with such care. I looked at Megan with the tears starting to roll. She grabbed my hand and I asked her, "Will I ever love a congregation ...

So we have been working hard to adjust back to life in the States. Our hearts are still tethered to Africa.   It will always will be such a huge part of our lives.We tried to watch the movie "Queen of Katwe" a few days ago, which is a Disney film set in Uganda. 3 minutes in my cheeks were soaked with tears. I balled. Steven said we'd better turn it off, just not ready for that yet. (But you should watch it! It's a very realistic portrayal of life in East Africa.) A huge part of us wants to be there so bad, and that was just a reminder. Here is where we are though, and here we want to thrive. Can't do that if we are always wishing we were elsewhere. We have to find a way to remember minus the great sadness.  Many lessons linger though. They're like distant echos beckoning us to live a better, simpler, more conscientious way of life.  People are probably really tired of hearing us talk about Uganda. I'm sorry if you've felt that way. (#sorrybutnotsorry ...

Stop-Think-Appreciate Today is full of blessings, so much to count Many are priceless, they're worth no amount Others are tiny but precious indeed People will fail to notice, but will we take heed? Let's stop and appreciate what we have right now Some self reflection is the key to how...  How to have joy, when things seem bleak We have so much more, if we would just think... Do you have a bed to sleep in, a place to rest your head? How about something to eat, even a little bread? Do you have safe water to drink and to clean?  Do you have the freedom to speak, and say what you mean? Some sleep in the dirt, cold and afraid Their empty bellies ache, tired bodies in pain They have no help, no one to provide In their despair, all their tears have been cried But still when they wake they find reasons for smiles There hearts are still beating through all of the trails And they can have joy because they know the key The key is ...

Transitioning to a first world country from a third world country after 2 years isn't as easy as it looks. Steven puts it well when he says "never have we had less". We came back with no congregation, no home, no car, no jobs, no furniture and very little possessions. When you haven't had a job that gives you a real paycheck in 2 years it's pretty challenging to get those things. It's been a rocky and slow start.  Just today I'm completely unpacking my suitcases for the first time in 3 months, because we have moved over 10 times between different people's homes. To say it's been a bit overwhelming, is to understate it. Where we thought we'd be by now is far away. I'll take just a few sentences to be competently realistic about this. Maybe it can help some who plan to serve where the need is great in a foreign country or are... To be frank, you will face tests upon coming back. We actually feel coming back is harder than it was to go to Ug...

Our amazing congregation in Uganda had a wonderful farewell party in our honor. What a joy it's been to serve alongside some of the best most zealous people we've been privileged to meet. Jehovah has surely blessed us with lifelong friends. Here are some of the highlights that will be forever etched in out hearts. Even though we are under 50 publishers we often have over 100 at the meetings.  Definitely some of my favorite human beings...  Being away in Uganda was really difficult at times because of how much I missed my family and friends in the states. So for fun and health reasons I flew home early and surprised them all! There were lots of tears and everyone was genuinely shocked! Steven is just finishing a few things up in Uganda then he'll be on his way to join me. We'll have less to write about for awhile, but I'll try to do some updates if anything exciting happens. That's a wrap!

It's with heavy hearts and teary eyes that we announce our departure from Uganda. Soon we will be packing up, saying goodbyes, and moving on. Being here has been life changing. This experience and these people will be memories we forever cherish.  But but why? This has been some of the best times in our life. But it's not exactly easy... We came to Uganda with the goal of 1 year. Well, a year came and went! After that the goal was to make it as long as we could with the money we have in had in the bank and energy we had in our tank. Both, especially the second, are running  almost  empty, but just enough to be excited for what's next. We made it almost 2 years, and when we reflect on that we are overjoyed. Because of health reasons in the past, our dream of serving in a foreign country seemed to be unreachable. However with Jehovah's help and a few changes I was able to make almost a full recovery. Thus we revisited that goal of foreign service. Still, honest evalu...

The Widows Jar... So remember the Bible account of the widow of   Zarephath who's jar of flour and jar of oil didn't run out as a miracle from Jehovah God for her faithful obedience ? Well we joke a similar thing has happened to us. When I was in the states in February I bought a bottle of this most magnificent shampoo the smells like raspberries. It makes me happy everyday when I get to wash my hair with it. It's a big bottle, but I didn't expect it to last too long since I have long hair and wash it pretty much every day. It's now the end of October, and somehow that shampoo bottle is only half empty after 9 months! And mysteriously it seems to stay half empty... In add ition somehow I only used 1 normal sized bottle of contact solution in a whole year, when apparently most people go through a bottle in 2 months!...Next Steven's razors. After a week in Florida they would be too dry to use, but now in a dryer climate,one razor last a month without it wearing o...