One month to go...

Friends & Family-

We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.  It has been wonderful getting to see many of you and spend time catching up on everything in your lives.   As you all know, our family is planning on leaving in August to spend the majority of our next year in Uganda, Africa being involved in mission work.    We believe that this is the next step we are meant to take in our journey in life and expect it to be a year full of both incredible experiences mixed with many challenges.  The past 10 months have been spent researching, talking, and planning and now we are excited to begin our adventure in exactly one month as we will be flying out from Denver on August 18th. 

We will be working alongside an organization "Come, Let's Dance (CLD)," which is based in Steamboat Springs.  We will be living in the small village of Nansana which is located about 15 minutes outside the capital city of Kampala.  CLD has a small Christian school that approximately 95 children attend, ages preschool - 7th grade.  Avery and Henry will be attending this school, and Troy and I will have opportunities to work with the Ugandan teachers in curriculum planning, leadership and classroom assistance.  CLD also has a small medical clinic staffed with a nurse, a 20 acre farm where young men can complete an agricultural training program, a craft training program "Thread of Life"  for women to learn income generating skills,  and they also are involved in outreach to the slum areas that surround Kampala.  While our exact role in all of these support systems is not exactly defined, we are excited to spend time learning and helping in all facets of this work. 

So many of you have already been so helpful in more ways than we can count - with your thoughts and prayers, conversations, cleaning and packing help, moral support and much more.  We already owe you a debt of gratitude for all you have done.  But, we are writing with one more request.  While our family has been extensively budgeting and planning financially this past year to prepare for this year of service, we have also been encouraged in several of our planning conversations with individuals to provide an opportunity for friends and family to support us on our journey.   We have set a fundraising goal of $4,000 as this would cover one month of our expenses while we are away, which is primarily CLD fees for our housing and meals and our private healthcare and insurance costs.   Upon our return in June 2013, we will be starting over looking for new jobs in whatever capacity this next year leads us. 

If you would like to support us financially, you can either donate online or via mail.  All donations are tax-deductible as CLD is a 501c3 non-profit organization.  Upon receipt of your donation, you will be mailed a receipt by CLD for your tax purposes.  Troy and I will also receive a record of your contribution.

1.  Donate online:  http://www.comeletsdance.org/donate

Put "For Greenwood Family" in the Comments field of your donation

2.  Check/Visa/MasterCard by mail

Print donation card, indicate "For Greenwood Family" and mail check/credit card information to:

            Come Let's Dance, P.O Box 770172  Steamboat Springs, CO  80477

We also understand that many of you may not be in a position to support our work financially, and that is why we are asking for your continued thoughts and prayers as well.    These will mean just as much to us over the next year as we will be far away from our comforts of home and you as our support network of friends and family that we feel so blessed to have in our daily lives and have come to rely on so greatly. 

We will be living in a house owned by CLD which has internet access, so we will be relying on email and Skype to stay in touch.  We have also started a blog to chronicle our experiences if you would like to check in.  We would love to hear from you!  All of our contact information is included below.  The time difference between Denver and Uganda is 9 hours.

Words cannot express how much your support means to our family.  We feel so privileged to be able to have this opportunity that we believe will be life changing for our family and we hope that we can always be there to support you and your family in the life experiences that lie ahead for you.

Blessings-

Heather, Troy, Avery and Henry

Summer Update on our Preparations

100 swimsuits collected for kids at Wakiso Christian International Academy

100 fish sewed with love ready to be stuffed by VBS kids for the school kids  in Uganda

Kids from VBS in Colorado sending love to kids in Uganda

Thought it was time for an update on our travel preparations as we're getting close to departure - only about a month away!  It's been a busy summer of preparations, but think everyone in our family is nervous, excited and just ready to go after almost a year of planning!  Here is what we've been up to.  

Thanks to so many generous people, we were able to collect 100+ swimsuits for the kids at Wakiso, which is the school started by "Come Let's Dance"  and the school that Avery and Henry will be attending.  They would like to form a swim team, so we wanted to try and collect enough suits to bring along with us for all the kids, as their current ones are getting old and moldy.  We could not have made this happen without both the kids at First Plymouth Vacation Bible School and also the Forest Park Blue Fins swim team.  Now we just have to vacuum seal pack them to get them all in our suitcases!  Thanks also to the women at First Plymouth and the kids at VBS who lovingly sewed and stuff 100+ fish to send over to the school children as well to show their love and support from here in the states. 

And the last big "to-do" item is now crossed off our list - the house is rented!  We were blessed to find a wonderful family from Iceland who will be living in our home while we are away.  We feel like it was meant to be, as they were looking for a furnished home while they adjust to the area and they have three children, including two twin boys that will attend Arapahoe where I taught.  This puts our hearts at ease knowing our home will be well taken care of.  

We just returned from some great time with family on my parents' farm in Nebraska over the 4th of July.  My sisters, brother-in-laws and nephews were there and we also had visits from two sets of friends from Colorado that were in town for the Olympic swim trials and were able to stop down for a visit to the farm.  It was really special time with family and friends.  

So, in these last few weeks, we are packing up our closets, moving around furniture, finalizing insurance details, going to dr. appointments and trying to still have fun in between! 

Here is our schedule for these last few weeks:

July 13 - 16:  Enjoy a camping trip here in Colorado with Troy's mom and our niece and nephew from Michigan

Aug. 1:  Troy's last day of work

Aug. 2:  Drop Tally off at her new home with friends

Aug. 3:  Leave to drive back to my parents in Nebraska as renters move in

Aug. 6:  Drive to Indianapolis to visit my sister and nephews one last time and take in the Indy State Fair

Aug. 10:  Drive back to Nebraska

Aug. 13:  Drive back to Denver for last dr. appointments

Aug. 18:  DEPART from DIA at 9:45 pm - 8 hours to London, 9 hour layover, 8 more hours to Entebbe

We will be flying into Entebbe airport and staying at the CLD house for two nights, then flying to Tanzania for a 5 day safari.  After that we will return to Uganda and move in officially!   

We can't thank all of you enough for your support in preparing for our journey ahead.

Heather & family