While in Uganda, Scott bought me a goat as a wedding gift. Here is a photo of Scott “giving” me the goat we bought in the market.
We named her Lillian, and decided to give it to his neighbor, Gonge, who promptly renamed the goat Mizzy. This is Gonge and his family in front of their kitchen.
The Pierce Family and the rest of the WHM team helped host an “Introductions” ceremony for Scott and I while we were in Uganda. There, there was a scavenger hunt for the children, and we gave Gonge his goat. Before the ceremony, we had tied the goat to a tree…and she escaped. We eventually found her, but Lillian/Mizzy is quite a runner! Here’s proof in a video of Gonge, the goat, and the rest of Gonge’s family.
While I was visiting Bundibugyo, I also was able to see a milking goat distribution through BundiNutrition. I had bought Scott a goat for Christmas, so it was incredible being able to see the gift in action. The milking goats were distributed to mothers with HIV in order to provide their children with milk.
Here is a video of the goat distribution in front of the Massos house (which was near Scott’s house as well - you can sort of see it in the distance at the 180 degree point).
Below is a picture of Charity (Gonge’s brother) struggling with one of the goats. The goats had a lot of personality!
While in Uganda, I was able to go to a National Park and see elephants - real live elephants! Here’s a shaky video of some elephants we saw (we saw tons of elephants!)
We also saw a leopard! Folks said we were extremely lucky to have seen a leopard. It was incredible - he was lying on the side of the road, chill and relaxed, and then crossed the street. Here’s a video of him:
Kids and adults alike rode on top of the car…and it was an absolute blast! Thanks for a great trip, Scott and WHM team!!
Jane and I made it back safe and sound from Uganda last night to warm food, fresh flowers in our soon-to-be-home, and some nice hugs from friends. We had a great time in Uganda that was filled with dear friends, encounters with majestic elephants, sickness, health, laughter and and adventure. The hardship and heights of life were squeezed into a two week journey and we are thankful that we get to see and discuss through that common lens. We even had a bed made at the local wood workshop in Bundibugyo and managed to get it home on the plane! (Photos coming…) It’s a journey we’ll store with us forever. And that piece of furniture will be a daily reminder of a place and a people we love–far away in distance, but close in heart. Coming home to North Carolina was nice, and we were welcomed so lavishly. It is nice to realize more and more that home is where Jane is. And while some places feel more familiar than others, every one is better when shared together. With thankful hearts as we approach that life.
I (Jane) leave for Uganda Monday evening, where I’ll get to meet up with Scott, hang out with the team, and see the community that I’ve heard about so much but haven’t been able to fully picture (despite the maps and pictures Scott has drawn and shown me).
Please be praying for safety and health. Please also pray for my layover in London and Nairobi and that the travel time (I arrive in Uganda on Wednesday afternoon) would be seamless and quick. I’m hoping for some good sleep on the plane and some fun movies as well…and then I get to see my best friend once again! No more expensive long-distance phone calls (although they were well worth the price)!
I (Jane) have 2 countdowns on my Macbook Dashboard. One counts down the days until the wedding (49 days). The other counts down days until I get to leave for Uganda. There are only NINE more days until I leave! It’s pretty amazing that about five and a half weeks have passed since Scott left for Uganda. The other day, I mailed what I hope and pray is the last letter I will ever mail him in Uganda. Lord willing, if he goes to Uganda (or anywhere overseas for an extended time), I will be with him.
There are a number of things to get excited about in going to Uganda. Not only do I get to see Scott, but I also get to see the community and much of the World Harvest Mission team that Scott worked alongside for a year. I’m excited about things like meeting his neighbors Charity and Gonge, seeing the Myhres pizza oven (to see if we can recreate it here Stateside), and even seeing the ants there (although, in all honesty, I hope not too many…or at least not close by…).
It’ll be nice to get a glimpse of the place that made such an impact on Scott and helped him become an even more admirable man than he already was (his family already had done a pretty amazing job of bringing him up to be a highly respectable man). It’s been a fruitful and well-worth-it challenge being apart, and it’s nice to know that we are stronger for it. But I do find myself praying, Lord, please never again let us be apart for this long of a time…. There is something wonderful about a Scott Ickes Hug, and I miss them.
Please be praying for our travels, for safety, and for Scott’s continued work in Uganda. All praise and glory to God, our Sustainer.
I (Jane) had the honor of mailing out most of the wedding invitations yesterday. What a great process assembling them, stuffing the envelopes, labeling them! I’d initially recruited help of some girl friends, but later decided I wanted to be able to hand-assemble each invitation myself so I could intentionally think of and pray for each guest and spend a brief moment being thankful for them. A very, very cool process, especially as Scott and I are only 56 days until we are united as a couple and I am able to reflect of the meaning behind sending out invitations.
I think with “events” such as weddings, it’s easy to get caught up in the planning part of the process - to make “assembly lines” for invitations and programs. It’s been a really neat experience planning this wedding with Scott actively as a part of it - we’ve been able to be intentional about the whole process - whether it be the invitations, the registry, or the ceremony - and take that time to think about what’s actually happening.
As I finished up some of the invitations, I hear word of fires in Eastern North Carolina, of sickness and malnutrition in Uganda. And I am amazed that God cares about every detail of this world - even something like a one-day event that seems silly compared to despair in the world - and how He is a God that wants to party and play with us. It’s nice to remember that God does want us to have fun and celebrate!
I (Jane) got a call this morning from Scott, who safely arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi. He says it’s pleasant outside and that they even have a swimming pool at the place he’s staying at for the next couple of days!
Last night, I hung out with some friends from college and discovered how small of a world we live in — one of the guys that came with us was the husband of my friend’s college roommate…and his wife is going to Malawi and has been working with Scott on the RUTF project! Very, very cool…. Please continue to pray for Scott’s safety abroad, and that he’ll be able to witness God’s active hand in the work that he’s doing.
I also start packing this week to move to Carrboro, where I’ll be keeping watch over Scott’s place and getting used to it (we’re going to be living at Scott’s place and renting out my place). I’m pretty excited about having visual reminders of Scott all around me and for getting settled…my place feels very transitional right now and I’m ready for the move. Please pray the move goes smoothly and that I’ll trust God has good timing in store for the move and the transition.
You can check out Scott’s blog at http://scotticcus.blogspot.com/ to read up on the fabulous work he’s participating in this summer.
I’ll try to update this site with his posts as well (see below for his latest post)…but you should definitely look at some of the past entries…he’s an extremely talented writer.
On a side note, I (Jane) am stoked to be able to visit Uganda July 1-16 to see this part of the world that has helped shape Scott into the man he is and will continue to become!
On Saturday I set off on a 20 hour-long trek from Ireland to Malawi, where I will spend 1 week before heading to Uganda. I’ve spent a wonderful last two weeks in England and Ireland. The first week was with my two former roommates and the second week was with Donovan and Wilma Graham, folks working with World Harvest Mission who helped de-brief me from my meaningful, life-changing year in Uganda…and just before I head back again!
During this past week we’ve had some great conversations about transitions, closure, commencement, living between two worlds, longing for home. How privileged I am to get to process the tremors and triumphs of life lived across continents and cultures in a safe place.
While in Malawi, I will learn about how two excellent NGOs produce ready-to-use-therapeutic food to meet the nutritional needs of their county’s malnourished children. Then, I will return to Bundibugyo, Uganda–the place that feels like my second home. My time in Bundibugyo will be all too brief, but I am nevertheless excited to re-unite with friends and learn about and work with World Harvest Mission’s Byokulia Bisemeye mu Bantu Project (Good Food for People). I’ll be writing about this along the way…
Thanks for your prayers and well wishes as I travel and transition.
Scott (and his roommates Ben and James) arrived safely in London yesterday. Scott will be in London for a few days, and then head to Dublin for debriefing with World Harvest Mission, whom he worked with last year in Uganda, and then he’ll head to Malawi and Uganda for work/research on ready-to-use therapeutic foods (I hope I got that right…I’m still learning the terminology).
I (Jane) am stoked that Scott’s able to participate in the development and research of helping undernourished children in Africa, but it’s admittedly been difficult not having Scott in the same time zone. You can pray that we both will stay safe and healthy and that this time apart (I’ll join Scott in Uganda in the beginning of July for a couple of weeks) will draw us closer and allow us time to reflect on our upcoming union
In the meantime, I’m thankful for Skype…where I get to see Scott’s smiling face and talk with him. I’m one heckofa lucky gal, and I’m excited to see how God’s going to use him, me, and us this summer for His glory.
We were fortunate to have our friends Bekah, James, and Ben visit us in Williamsburg, VA, the evening of the proposal (Friday, April 4, 2008) and the following day share in the celebration of our engagement. Here are some photos from that weekend. You can click on the photo to see more photographs.
We went to Scott’s parents place at Smith Mountain Lake this past weekend to spend time with Scott’s parents, Scott’s uncle Don, and Scott’s Mamaw. The Ickes’ also had an engagement party for us and we were given a special surprise by the Foggy Four, the barbershop quartet that Scott’s dad is a member of. Here’s a video of the first song that they surprised us with. Our cheeks were sore from smiling so hard in glee after the event…not a bad kind of sore at all! (Note: Scott’s dad is the third singer from the left).
After the quartet sang a few songs, Scott decided to join them for a round of “It’s a Wonderful World.”
Scott also showed us his Louie Armstrong impersonation!
Thank you to the Ickes for hosting a wonderful party and sharing your home and friends with us! It was a blast!
That’s right! Scott and Jane are getting married this August and we’ve created this page to provide our guests with information that may be helpful for them! Click on the pages above to see more information and stay tuned to this blog for any updates!
