Trip to Uganda; a time of retreat at Mto Moyoni and thoughts on singleness

Enjoying a morning cup of chai, looking out at the River Nile from my veranda

Mto Moyoni (Swahili for "river in the heart") is a retreat center on the banks of the River Nile just outside of Jinja. It was built for people seeking spiritual, emotional and physical refreshment. It's for people looking for peace and quiet or to spend time with God. (description from their website)

Early morning fishermen

While I was at Mto Moyoni, I read a book by Lydia Brownsback called, Fine China is for Single Women, Too. Following are photos I took on the grounds and quotes from the book.

I stayed in the top floor of the second cottage from the left.

"God wants to show us that true contentment and joy in living are found exactly where he places us at any given time. God has ordained where we are to live and work out our daily lives. He orders whether we will be rich or poor. He has designed our physical assets or lack thereof and the state of our health. He has determined whether we will be single or married. Around the life of each one of his daughters God has drawn the lines in which we are to live, and it is only within those lines that each of us can find true contentment." 

~ Lydia Brownsback, Fine China is for Single Women, Too

"Joshua 15-19 deal with divinely established boundary lines. God's priority was not equal portions of land for each tribe; rather they were determined purely by his sovereignly ordered plans for each member of each tribe." 

~ Dean R. Ulrich, Lines in Pleasant Places

"God will sovereignly direct your steps and put you in the place of service that he wants, however great or small. He'll take care of the opportunities for advancement, and He'll see to it that the things about which we worry so much will turn out well. For now, though, He's more interested in the fact that you faithfully follow Him in the place where He has you." 

~ Dean R. Ulrich, Lines in Pleasant Places

"Being set apart for singleness is a privilege, a special blessing. It enables us to serve God unhindered in a greater diversity of ways." 

~ Lydia Brownsback, Fine China is for Single Women, Too

"Be single to the glory of God, undivided in your devotion to Him. You have the freedom and the time to take bold adventures in the name of Jesus Christ... Singleness is a diving calling." 

~ Dr. Philip Graham Ryken, Second Honeymoon (sermon based on Jeremiah 22)

"Paul did not believe a husband or family were necessary to fulfill everyone. He legitimizes and even exults the position of single men and women, saying that singleness is an asset for serving the Lord." 

~ Susan T. Foh, Women in the Word of God

"When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God... All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions." 

~ Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, Message