Greetings form the Codas. As I sit by the woodburning stove in our kitchen watching the snow fall outside , hearing the rumble of the snowplows clearing the road it seems odd that in less than 2 weeks we will be sitting outside on our porch at St. Francis Hospital Mutolere in western Uganda, avocados hanging on the nearby tree, garden rows freshly planted awaiting the rainy season and tea plants on the mountain sides ready to bring forth the bright green of new growth.
As my wife Martha and I continue to organize and prepare for our 6th volunteer trip overseas with Mission Doctors Association this transition time always seems to carry a tense uncertainty. We leave a world where routines are for the most part predictable, trying to pack some of that predictability into our limited baggage allowance. But I think God has again shown His mercy on us by allowing only 2 bags per person, 50 pounds each and a little extra for an additional charge. The rest we must trust in his providence. I remember that, in the past, we sometimes packed things that we didn't even need, and that what should have been packed never even cross my mind.
I think this path we plan to travel leads somewhere through a desire to help (our planning) , a call to Faith (my anxiety resulting from uncertainty) and a need to trust (accepting baggage limit). I pray for the strength and courage that Martha and I, as well as the people of St. Francis Hospital, will need to allow God to do His work on us and through us in the months to come.
Peace to you all,
Lou Coda
