Shauen & Krista Trump

After a wonderful visit with Shauen's mom, February has been a time to get back into the swing of things. Josiah was introduced to Shauen's TEE class. We also took a quick trip to Iganga to visit our friend Norbert from the States and LCMU president, Noah Isanga. Josiah was very popular during this trip, everyone wanted to take him out of Mom & Dad's arms and hold him, pass him around to others and walk with him out of our sight. He handled it all fairly well, much better than we did! Shauen continued with his TEE responsibilities and also took a short trip to the West to Mbarara for a Youth Friendship Sunday.

We couldn't let Mom come all the way to Uganda without going on safari. So, even though Josiah was only 4 weeks old, we packed up the truck and headed to Murchison Falls National Park, the only place where you can see giraffes in Uganda and a place neither of us had been to. We had a wonderful time! We didn't see any lions, they had been very scarce with the recent heat. We did see a leopard in a tree though! They are a very shy animal and not easily found. We also saw several crocodiles descending on a hippo carcass a few feet from our boat! We were in awe seeing the Nile squeezed into a space only 4 meters wide at the top of Murchison Falls. Josiah even had a wonderful time, his favorite part? The bumpy roads which put him right to sleep!

Shauen's mom, Kathryn, arrived the second week of January and spent a wonderful 3 weeks visiting with us. We did lots of fun things like going on safari to Murchison Falls (see photos above) and seeing the Source of the Nile in Jinja. Josiah loved meeting his Grandma and was especially happy that she always seemed to want to hold and cuddle him! Delano and Linda Meyer, agriculture missionaries in West Africa, made a visit. The first TEE of 2010 was spent attending their workshop, Managing the Harvest. We also had a visit from Pastor Mark and Ron from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Cary, NC. They, along with Shauen, visited 3 possible locations (Kayunga-Central, Amudat-North, Busia-East) for future mission trips for Resurrection. Josiah was very excited because they brought over a glider (unassembled) as one of their pieces of checked luggage. He loves being rocked! Thank you very much to those who helped make this possible. Krista celebrated her birthday on January 29th. Thank you to all those who sent birthday wishes!

December was quite the month for us! We worked on finishing the nursery so we would be all ready for our little one. Shauen taught the last TEE session for the 2009 year, looking at the African Roots of Christianity. To give the students a taste of an American tradition, Krista made cookies and frosting and the students had a chance to decorate their own Christmas cookies. We celebrated confirmation, 2 adults and 3 youths were confirmed. We were blessed with visitors from the States, here to do a Luther Academy Seminar and to visit the Ugandan Seminary students home for break. We had fun getting ready for Christmas: enjoying our sticker Advent calendar, buying our fake Christmas tree, making cookies and stringing popcorn for the tree, and finding poinsettias to decorate the house. Most importantly, we welcomed our son, Josiah Michael Trump, into the world on December 19th. He was baptized into the Christian faith on Christmas Day. We also had a wonderful dinner that day with friends we have made this past year. What a joy-filled day! Now our time is filled with figuring out how to take care of Josiah, hopefully we don't mess it up too much!

November has flown by, although without all the hectic activities that October had. The ladies from the Women's Bible Study that Krista attends threw her a shower and all chipped in to get Baby Trump a pack and play. Shauen stayed busy teaching TEE classes and then moving his office into the living room to make room for the nursery, which he also painted. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with a group of Americans, as well as Irish, South Africans, Canadians, Sudanese and Ugandans. The menu included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, applesauce, carrot souffle (a yummy substitute for sweet potato casserole), bread, apple crisp, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. It was a wonderful time and we came away appropriately stuffed. The following Sunday we got together with friends of ours and made a gingerbread house! We are in the process of decorating for Christmas. It may not feel like Christmas due to the weather, but we're sure trying our best!

Our retreat began the end of September and finished during the first week of October. Pastor Jim Heining led us in a wonderful discussion of Philippians. The attendees were Shauen & Krista Trump and Jake, Michelle, Amelia & Evangeline Gillard (Uganda), Claude & Rhoda Houge and Walter & Lidia Winterle (Kenya), and Mike, Cindy, Caleb, Jacob & Seth Rodewald (South Africa). Check out the picture drawn by Caleb Rodewald as a thank-you to Rhoda for handling the logistics of our retreat. Our first Sunday after returning home (Oct 11) we celebrated the ordination of our 3 Ugandan vicars! It was a large celebration attended by many special visitors from Ghana, Sudan and Kenya. Krista was asked Thursday to make the cakes for the meal that followed. Although not surprised at how the cake was served (cut into small pieces, piled on a plate and passed around), she was chagrined to see them cutting apart the layers she had worked so hard on! Regardless of this small detail, it was a beautiful celebration and a big day for the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda. The next weekend for TEE the men did a service project in Lukonda. The church there needed a new church building and had the land and necessary supplies, but since the congregation was made up of primarily women, they lacked the manpower. So Shauen, Jake and the TEE students supplied the necessary manpower and cut down trees and built the frame for the new church. The project isn't finished yet, a roof needs to be put on it and the women will mud the walls. On Sunday a day trip was made to Lugombe for Word & Sacrement ministry. The following week (Oct 22), Shauen and Jake went to visit the Ugandan seminary students in Matongo, Kenya. From there they picked up Pastor Charles and continued up to Amudat, a fairly remote region in Uganda that is close to the Kenyan border. Note the picture of our car with branches on the windshield (a symbol of blessing) and the local gas station (diesel poured from a jerry can, using Shauen's handkerchief to filter it). In contrast to September, October has been a rather busy month! Note: there are two pages of pictures.

September has been a quieter month for us as we settled back into our routine after our trip to the States. We received an amazing package from a friend/supporter, check out that bottle of ranch dressing! Evangeline Gillard turned 3 years old and we were all on hand to help her celebrate! Rev. Dr. Jim Heining and his wife arrived for a 6 week trip out of his 3 month sabbatical. He taught both TEE sessions in September, giving both Shauen and Jake a break. Both Jim and Jolene will be accompanying us to our upcoming East Africa Missionary Retreat in Mombasa, Kenya where Jim will be leading us in Bible study and devotions. We experienced another church wedding and an early morning rainstorm covered the floor of the church with mud, just before the start of TEE! We arrived in Mombasa for a week of personal vacation before the start of our retreat. Shauen not only didn't bring his laptop, he never even checked his email! Our vacation was wonderful, we essentially did nothing and caught up on sleep and time with each other. We also had a wonderful time with the other missionaries during our week of retreat.

Shauen joined Krista in Milwaukee on August 3rd. Time flew by as we kept busy with family and friends, helping out Krista's sister with wedding details, making a trip to St Louis, speaking at congregations, going to the Wisconsin State Fair, enjoying an awesome baby shower for Baby Trump, visiting a friend in Orlando, and even going to Disney World (thanks Billy and Amy for the complimentary tickets!). We had an eleven hour layover in London on our way home, so we hopped on a double decker bus and enjoyed some of the sights! Sadly, we were both a bit tired, although it was Shauen who draped himself over the railing of the bus and fell asleep! His first words when we arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral were "Coffee!! I need coffee!" Since we had a Starbucks' gift card in our wallet and happened to be standing in front of one, we enjoyed some Starbucks as we walked around. Only a few days after arriving home, Shauen headed to Western Uganda for a wedding and visits to several congregations.

Shauen only had one big trip this month, it was a trip to Western Uganda for the distribution of 500 Runyankore Catechisms to 10 congregations. Over 900 kilometers were covered and our Landcruiser was really put to the test! Shauen, Jake, and our short-term missionaries, Liz, Christine and Alec, had a wonderful day of white-water rafting on the Nile. Krista left for the States on July 22nd for her sister's wedding. Before she left, she was asked to make 5 cakes for a church wedding (different than a traditional Ugandan wedding) happening 3 days after she left. Shauen not only attended the wedding, but preached the wedding sermon. He also had the joy of making sure the cakes made it safely from the freezer to the wedding! After arriving in Milwaukee, there were some beautiful flowers waiting for Krista, sent by Shauen!

Shauen and Jake attended the celebration of Martyr's Day, a day that honors both Anglican and Catholic martyrs killed in the late 1800s. The shrine and surrounding areas were teeming with people, and many made the pilgrimage by foot, some from as far away as Tanzania. We were blessed to receive several amazing packages from family and supporters (yeah Dove chocolate and Popular Science!). We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary with a new gas grill. This makes Krista happy as Shauen now loves to make dinner! We received a copy of the Superbowl from a friend in the States, and had a Superbowl party with several of our Ugandan friends. We did our best to create a true American meal to go along with this American event. At the end of the month we packed up our house and shifted to our new apartment.

This month has been full of trips! Shauen has been on the road three weekends in a row. His first trip was to Kayunga, to visit with a TEE student and visit 4 congregations in the area. His second trip was to Mbarara for the dedication of Grace Lutheran Church-Mbarara. His third trip was to Ikumbya, also for a church dedication. In both Kayunga and Ikumbya there were many baptisms and confirmations, and in Ikumbya Shauen baptized over 20 people! Krista also took a day trip to help with immunizations on a small pennisula accessible only by boat. We also welcomed the arrival of Alec Fisher, a short-term missionary who will be in Uganda for the next three months.

After our trip to Fort Portal, since we were only a 2 hour drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park, we decided to make a quick stop before heading home. What a wonderful experience! The scenery was beautiful and the animals amazing. We took close to 400 pictures during our 24 hours there, but managed to narrow it down to what we think are the best ones. What an amazing experience to see God's creatures in their natural habitat!

Shauen & Jake continue to visit a local school they have made a connection with and Michelle had some girls over for a chocolate party! Shauen preached on Palm Sunday and celebrated his 31st birthday on Good Friday. He was most excited about receiving Kaldi's coffee and his Asterix & Obelix comic books! We tried dyeing Easter eggs (the colors turn out differently with brown eggs) and Krista attempted cream cheese frosting for the first time for Shauen's birthday cake (the taste was right, the texture was all wrong). We had a wonderful Easter service and celebrated later that evening with Easter dinner and birthday cake. He is Risen! The Sunday after Easter we celebrated the baptism of 10 children! That following week we went to Fort Portal, a beautiful town in the west, situated in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon). We were there because Kevin, a Ugandan man seeking baptism, wanted to first burn the fetishes of his deceased father, a witchdoctor. We also had the opportunity to meet Bob & Linda, a wonderful LCMS couple working in Fort Portal as missionaries with an NGO. They are overseeing the building of a Christian school. When we arrived back in Kampala, Shauen got the worst haircut of his life! Luckily, hair grows back.

We bought fish for the first time! Krista was quite relieved when they offered to fillet it on the spot for an extra $0.50 (money well spent!). Shauen has continued with teaching TEE (Theological Education by Extension) every first and third weekend of the month. We also took our first trip out west, attending a church dedication in Ibanda and visiting several other churches. On our way home, we stopped at Lake Mburo National Park (pictures below) and stopped at the equator! We were also blessed by the visit of a friend who works for an NGO in Sudan. Later in the month we received another visitor, Dr. Phil Giessler, who was a guest teacher for a TEE weekend. He was passing through on his way to Sudan where he will be teaching the next 10 weeks. Shauen was commissioned for Word and Sacrament ministry in the LCMU this past Sunday and last night we had our first attempt at Mexican night!

On our way home from the church dedication in Ibanda, we stopped at Lake Mburo National Park. Although you won't find the big animals here, there is an abundance of zebras, impalas, warthogs and hippos. While paying our entrance fee, we were excited to see several zebras grazing on the other side of the gate! We spent one night in the park, enjoyed a game walk with a ranger, a boat ride on the lake, and took more pictures than probably necessary! It was amazing to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat. God is awesome!

February 6th marked the beginning of TEE (Theological Education by Extension). Twenty-four men, identified as leaders in their congregation, will come to Kampala every other weekend for the next two years to complete what essentially is a pre-seminary course. Shauen also had his first opportunity to preach and although nervous, did a wonderful job!

Well, we finally arrived! Our days so far have been filled with lots of shopping: shopping for a refrigerator, shopping for furniture, shopping for groceries, and currently, shopping for a car. January 18th was the installation of the church leaders of the LCMU, followed by a get-together at the home of Jake & Michelle, our fellow missionaries. The next week we got internet in the form of a satellite dish to be shared by both families. We also were blessed with visitors as the Area Facilitators and Regional Director of Africa gathered in Kampala for a meeting. The month ended with a trip north to visit a new congregation in Gulu and four existing congregations in Lira. During our time in Lira, Jake baptized two babies and confirmed 17 adults!

We spent the holiday season with Shauen's family in Gig Harbor, WA. This included a 5k Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, a trip to Tacoma Zoo Lights, a trip to the Bavarian mountain town of Leavenworth, a trip to visit Shauen's grandparents in Northern California, and a snowball fight Christmas Eve Day.

Krista's grandma got married in March, we traveled to North Carolina in May & September, visited a friend and celebrated our anniversary in New Orleans, had missionary orientation in St Paul, MN, began sharing about the amazing work God is doing in Uganda with churches all over the place, and drove from St Louis, MO to Gig Harbor, WA.

We were married June 9, 2007, at Light of Christ Lutheran Church in Federal Way, WA.