Traveling from Uganda to Oklahoma

Monday morning started early to say goodbye to the children of the household before they left for school at 7:00. That would have been 10:00 pm Sunday night Oklahoma time. By the time we were in our homes, it was 9:00 pm Tuesday in Oklahoma. So...today we'll try to bring you up to date.





We had our bags packed and ready to load whenever the taxi arrived. There was some wait time as our taxi driver was on Ugandan time and so we hung around the Compound, having last visits with many of the family and workers there. At one point, one of the young men said, "we are sad to see you go, but you all have smiles on your faces." I explained to him that we smile for two reasons. First, because we have had such a wonderful time in Uganda and have made such wonderful new friends. Second, because if we don't smile, we will cry. He seemed to understand that...but it was evident that Americans express their feelings differently than Ugandans. When the driver arrived, they manuevered the luggage and totes, positioned and repositioned, and finally got it all tied up on top, pushed under seats plus we were to carry items in our laps. It was time to say our final farewells to those who were not escorting us to the airport. There were many hugs and tears and then we gathered in a circle and our dear friend and extraordinary chef, Grace, prayed a prayer for us, sometimes in English and sometimes in Lugandan. It was beautiful and touching. No interpreter needed. We piled in the taxi and headed out of Jinja and across the countryside. This time we were able to see the agricultural production in the daylight. Byron and Don had each made earlier trips to Kampala, but not the rest of us, so it was all new again. Sugar cane harvest was in progress. We also saw tea fields. Don pointed out the speed trap area where Abe received his "over speeding" ticket. In Kampala, we stopped for one last dinner in Uganda at a coffee shop located in a shopping center that looked very Western. We loaded back up and our driver successfully manuevered through the rush hour traffic of Kampala. We marveled at how close the vehicles got to one another and were intrigued by the people who made a living hawking merchandise and food to the people in the cars creeping through traffic. Once again, we saw how Paul shared Christ with anyone and everyone in all situations as he talked with one of the Hawkers about becoming born-again. Once we broke loose from the traffic, it was a straight drive into Entebbe International Airport and it seemed very modern compared in the Departure area compared to the area we went through upon our arrival. We said our last goodbyes to Paul, Pam and Abdu and they watched us clear Security and we were ready to head home. The flight to Amsterdam actually left 30 minutes early...apparently everyone was there that they expected. The pilot was extremely good as the takeoff and landing were so smooth you could hardly tell when they happened. We had a reasonable layover in Amsterdam and then boarded the flight to Detroit. Clearing through Immigration and Customs went well for most, but Karen must have had the look of a terrorist. She was selected for the body scan but fortunately they did not discover any contraband on her person. We decided she was the token white lady they used to show they weren't profiling any particular racial group. We had plenty of time in Detroit to enjoy a leisurely lunch and make cell phone calls before boarding a much smaller plane, and a relatively short flight, back to OKC, arriving about 25 minutes early. We were greeted by many family and friends that had come along on the church bus to meet us. After dinner at Charlestons, we headed home and most fell asleep in the comfort and spaciousness of the bus. When we arrived at the church, we were welcomed by some more people, and it was great to be home. Jodi passed out our 3rd devotional book entitled "Changed". This series of books: "Called", "Challenged" and "Changed" are so applicable to our short term mission trip. Its as if they were written just for us. It is exciting now to continue the adventure into how God has changed us all through this amazing experience.




With a faster internet connection, it will be easier to post pictures, so check back after the weekend to see many more pictures posted on the Blog. Our Team has plans to get back together Sunday afternoon to put together a presentation. Watch our Blog for information on when and where to meet up with us to see and hear about our experience.

Have you enjoyed reading the Blog? And has God stirred a desire in you to go on a similar short term mission trip? If so, please talk to any of the Team Members about going to Uganda. Words and pictures cannot adequately describe Uganda and its beautiful people. You just have to go experience it for yourself!

Safely Home

We had safe travels and everyone should be about home (Dianna has a little further to go than the rest of us) and after a HOT shower and a good night's rest, we'll probably all be good as new. Its been 48 hours since we last saw a bed, so details will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for all of your prayers, and don't stop now!

Final day

Sarah, Henry and Dennis left for school this morning and we gave them farewell hugs as we will be gone when they get out of school. Today is Henry's first day of school and he is excited. (We'll have to share that story in person.) After breakfast and devotions we had some discussion about what we were apprehensive about before we left home and how God made everything okay here, such as physical limitations that have been overcome. We reflected about how God has kept us in good health during our trip and how we need to continue to pray for one another, and we need your continual prayers, as Satan will attack when we get home too. We know that we also have our Ugandan family praying for us when we return.



Wayne Unruh from the Fairview Church of God in Christ Mennonite had given us the contact imformation for some of the missionaries in Uganda. This morning Pam made a call for us to the one that has a Jinja address. She discovered they actually live in the village of Naminja where the widows live and where the water well is being drilled. The husband was in Jinja at the food market so Elton and Pat rode the Bodas to meet him and bring him back to the Compound to meet the Team and meet Pam. (Paul is in Kampala on business) His name is Joseph Lehman from Ohio and they are here on a 33 month mission trip. We had a good visit and shared with him our struggles with the pump drilling. It turns out that they have some experience in water well drilling and may be a contact for our Ugandan crew to be able to complete the well and pump installation. We showed him the pictures we had taken to help explain our process. He was excited to learn of the Widow's oven and that they could order pizza. It was a good time of visiting and we are excited to share with Wayne and his church that we were able to make contact.



We are packing and preparing for the trip home. Please pray for our safety and continued good health as we return to Fairview. We miss you all and are looking forward to reuniting with you.

Final evening

This evening the Team Members of Next Generation Ministries and their wives and children came to the Compound for our final evening. You can read more specifics about them on the Next Generation Ministries website, which is listed on the left side of our Blog. Pam and Grace prepared a traditional American meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, cold sodas, and the American favorite in Uganda….fresh sliced pineapple. We gathered around in the courtyard visiting and getting to know one another. Then Malcolm got out the guitar and he and Lilly led us in singing. They taught us some Ugandan choruses and Pastor Jimmy showed us a traditional Ugandan dance. Little Sarah and one of her friends also did a Ugandan dance for us. Lilly has the most beautiful clear voice…and when she sings, the Holy Spirit is evident in her. We had prayer and enjoyed the wonderful meal, stopping momentarily to Skype in to the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church for a live broadcast, and then continued with our delicious meal. Then Paul presented the NIV Study Bibles to the Team Members. They were so happy and excited to receive them. They all wanted the boxes they came in and you could tell they plan to take very good care of them and they are very valuable Paul asked each of them to share with us their vision. They are all so passionate for Christ and for building up the people in their Nation. The love they have for the people and for one another is evident. Following prayer, Paul asked them to each feel free to share anything God had laid on their hearts for us. Several had some scripture and words of encouragement for some specific people. Malcolm told us that this is a new season for Team Uganda 09 and that we are going to be working as a Team as God leads us. This relationship as a Team will grow stronger between us and with God. He encouraged us to continue to work together, even as we go back to America and that new ideas would be coming to us as individuals and as a Team. He said, “God is going to load you with things to do. He is going to equip you to do the things He wants you to do. God is pleased by your coming here. He drew you away from the hustle and bustle of America. Don’t let it break when you get back.”

We closed the evening with final farewells to all of the Team Members except of course, Abdu and Betty. Paul asked us to all come back out into the courtyard and shared with us that Betty has not been feeling well, and had really been wanting some Matoki. They had tried to get some for her this afternoon but it wasn’t ready yet, and she was really having a craving. And then they made the exciting announcement that there will be a new baby in the family in October! We are all so excited for Abdu and Betty and their family.

The municipal water supply was restored while we were having our evening together and we were all extremely happy! The thought of having to get on that plane without a shower for 3 days was not very appealing…but once again, God provides. Only in Uganda do we welcome a cold shower!

24 hours and we’ll be leaving our beloved Uganda. Please pray for our safety and continued good health on the trip home.

The Lord's Day

This was our second Sunday in Uganda and this morning 15 of us plus the driver loaded into the Taxi to go to Naminya to the Village Church. Some of the road was a bit rugged, but we finally arrived at the top of the mountain to a beautiful mud structure that is their House of Worship. It appeared that the Worship Team was having a practice when we arrived. We joked that it was a sound check…there is no electricity. Grandma Sarah (Abdu’s mother) was there to greet us along with others. We had our choice of seats and by now we were experienced enough to choose benches by windows and where the sun would not overheat us. Since the villagers had not all arrived, they decided to have those present share their testimonies. The service is presented in both Lugandan and English using an Interpreter. They started church with praise and worship music, then the Children’s Choir sang. The was not the first time we heard this amazing song: “Hello Visitors, We are very happy to see you here, Oh, here today. In the name of the Father, the Lord, Allelu, Alleluia.” The instrument section consisted of three outstanding drummers. One little boy that appeared to be about 2 years old was the center of attention. He was dancing to The Lord, as they all were, but he was especially gifted. The adult choir then sang and the one in English included these words: “The wind is moving again, the Spirit is moving again.” Whenever it is time for the Choir to sing, someone starts a song from their seat in the audience, and then all of the choir members begin to sing and get up from their seats, walk up the center aisle as they sing and take their place on the platform. They have multiple choirs, which we would probably call small ensembles. Whenever they clap for applause, it is unison to a beat. As people sing, others from the audience will go forward to give them a “blessing”, which is a coin or bill as an offering to them. After the choir numbers, they invited Abdu to speak. He had planned to only give his greetings and ended up giving a short sermon. It had been since July that he had been to the Village church as he is the Financial Controller at the church in town and has responsibilities there. He shared that when he visited our church in Oklahoma, our worship is just standing still and in Uganda they dance with Jesus and although our cultures are different, it is not important. The Kingdom Culture is what is important and we all share that because God does not look at our color. He shared about his trip to the United States. He was fearful on the first flight but Got got him there safely. Then on the flight from Amsterdam to the U.S., there were hundreds of passengers and only two of them were black. No he had a different fear. He told how God was showing him His love and calming his fears. Before his trip, He could not imagine a person from this Village going to the U.S. He said it does not matter where you come from and if you are in this Village, do not be discouraged, focus beyond. When Jesus was on earth, his disciples focused only on each day, but Jesus focused beyond today. After Abdu spoke, they asked all of us to go up front. We introduced ourselves and shared a little with the people. Abdu interpreted for all of us. Paul then gave a short sermon and talked about how Abdu and he are brothers because they have the same Father and how all born again Christians are sons of the same Father and are no longer orphans. He told the Villagers that these people who came from Oklahoma will be changed, they will not be the same, because they came to Uganda. Pastor Stephen was not at the church today as he was sitting with someone who is sick, so Paul presented the new Bible to the Associate, Pastor Huntington on his behalf, and then presented an additional Bible to Associate Pastor Huntington for his own use and explained to the people that this is a Bible with study notes to help their Pastors. He invited the Villagers to participate in the upcoming Leadership Institute being held at Next Generation Ministries. A young man shared a testimony about how his attendance at the Leadership Institute had changed his life. We then went up to sing for them (yes all of us, not just those that sing in the choir at home). We made a joyful noise by singing How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, and then Awesome God (we added some actions to that to show that we don’t always stand still when we sing!). They then had another choir come sing. Again, they started singing from their seats and walked forward together to the platform. Abdu was then asked to come back up to interpret for the Pastor. He preached that when we accept Jesus into our hearts, we receive Peace but that does not mean all of our problems go away. He told about how Peter was with Jesus and things were not always easy for him, but he kept beside Jesus. Sometimes when things are tough here, we go to the Pastor and ask him why when he said we would have Peace, God is leading us through a desert. Even through poverty, we must believe in God. He is the God of the impossible. Everytime you welcome God in your life, persecution comes. As a Christian, we must persevere. Don’t get tired. Walk, move forward, believe in God. When things are tough, God is going to do a miracle in you. You never know when things will happen. So you as Christians, lets keep on moving. We are soldiers, proceed in combat. The devil is not sleeping, he will attack. Keep going to reach the promised land. He used scripture from Exodus 17 and Matthew 16:19.
Next was offering, and like the town church, they sang as they went forward to put their offerings in the basket up front. We were then led in singing worship music that was slower paced, followed by everyone praying in their own way. Some standing, some sitting, some kneeling, and all reaching out to God. Then they had a prayer for us to have a safe journey home tomorrow. Next a man wanted to “say a few words”. Tomorrow is his birthday and he will be 83 years old. He sang a song and danced. He said he is retired but not tired, he gets up and keeps going. Then Grandma Sarah went to the front and prayed a prayer for their visitors and again, for our safe journey home. We were asked not to forget them at the Naminya Village Church and to tell those back home that we went to their church. They are all looking forward to our return. This was the close of the service and they all greeted us. Every one of them, greeted every one of us by milling about the church. When they greet, it is either with a three phase handshake, or two phase hug, and the words welcome and how are you are always included. Frequently we exchange names and there were a lot of Praise Gods and Hallelujahs. It is wonderful that those words are universal. It started to rain so we had to quickly board the taxi to get out of the village before the roads were too muddy. Church lasted about 2 ½ hours, but it felt like 45 minutes. It was wonderful. Every one of them wanted to be there. It made us reflect on ourselves.

Upon our arrival back at the Compound, we had homemade milkshakes with bananas and chocolate. Its amazing that you can make such wonderful milkshakes with a hand potato masher and bowl. No blender needed! Its also amazing how well we are doing on water rationing since the municipal water supply has been off for 24 hours. Yes, that means that bathing and toilet facilities are limited, but we have adjusted.
Pam, Paul, Abdu and Betty had an appointment to look at a different Compound for rent this afternoon. Their attorney had searched it out when they received word a few days ago from their current landlord that he is doubling the rent on this place. After our milkshake lunch, we loaded in our taxi and went over to take a look. We could all envision what an excellent facility it can be for them. It is larger, has a beautiful grassy area (they currently only have pavement in their courtyard). The deal has not been made yet. Please pray for them as they seek God’s will regarding their physical location.
The taxi then dropped us in the tourist gift shop section of town and we picked up a few last minute items to take home, and then hopped on the Bodas for a ride back to the Compound for a rest. There is a party planned for our last night. The Team Members of Next Generation Ministries will be attending and sharing their testimonies and visions. Word is that the menu includes fried chicken. It will be exciting to meet them all, but it will also be sad to tell them all goodbye. Although we all miss home, we will also miss this home when we leave.

Saturday we were mostly Tourists

Saturday morning Elton, Don and Leon headed to the well site with the local workers to get them started with the new pipe. The rest of the Team relaxed for the morning and hung out at the Compound.
When the men returned we learned that the better quality pipe was also breaking and they were still having difficulties drilling the well. They left the crew in the hands of James, the local supervisor they have been training, knowing they were doing all they could do.
We all loaded up in the rented taxi along with Paul and little Sarah and headed out for sightseeing. Our first stop was Lake Victoria where Paul rented boats to take us to the Source of the Nile. We disembarked on a little island and Byron and Sarah climbed up on a cement marker that was left there to mark the spot. At one time there were natural falls in this spot where one could see a tremendous sight for the Source, but since they built a hydro-electric dam, the falls were flooded. However, you could see the difference in the flow of water at that point and they explained that it was 400 feet deep compared to Lake Victoria which was 10 meters deep.
Our next destination was Bujagali Falls and required the taxi to take some primitive roads. We met a big truck and we were then coated with a thick layer of red dust since the windows are always open. Upon our arrival at the Falls, we climbed down a big hill and wandered around taking pictures and videos. Then we observed some of the local performers. First, the two boys who jumped in upstream and road jerrycans (large plastic jugs) down the rapids. Then an acrobat performed, climbing a pole while he balanced it, using only his upper body strength. He has a crippled leg that is not useable and walks with a crutch. He also performed body contortions for the crowd. Next we boarded a boat that took us across the Nile River to one of the Bujigali Islands so we could see the other side of the Falls, then we went on down the Nile for another stop where we climbed a big hill to see the construction site of the new dam they are building. We passed women and children who were doing laundry in the river and laying it out to dry. The children were having a great time swimming. When we got off the boats, we bought sodas at the little restaurant and enjoyed the local talent playing African music. It was very noticeable that the commercialization of this naturally beautiful spot was very different from the way Americans do it. First, the price for Non-Ugandans was 1000 shillings more than the price for Ugandans, although it was still extremely reasonable at $1.50. The gift shops were two small huts, the restaurant was a beautiful open air spot with a great view of the Falls and rapids. If this had been in the US, the road would have been paved all of the way up with huge hotels and expensive restaurants, high prices and big viewing decks. It was wonderful to see how natural it all was. And is sad to realize that with the building of the new hydro-electric dam, the Bujagali Falls will not be the same. Several commented that they were able to mark something off of their Bucket List after visiting the Falls.
Our last stop was the Amani Baby Cottage so the men could see what the women experienced there. Once again, the babies were difficult to leave for our tenderhearted team member, Jodi.
Upon our return to the Compound, we were greeted by James, the well drilling supervisor and found out they had many more problems with the pipe after our men left and their progress today was about 5 feet. They did break through the layer of rock, drilled really good through a layer of clay, but then ran into another layer of rock. We will have to send pipe from America and look into modifications. The well hole is at about 19 feet and we think we have to go 25 to 30 feet to hit water. Plans are being made to try to explain to him how to finalize the pump installation so he can do it without us being present.
Although it was to be a relaxing day, I think everyone agrees that we were just as dirty, hot and sweaty as on the days we worked, and probably more tired but without the exhilaration of accomplishment.
Our welder, Patrick, brought his wife, Grace, to the Compound today as this was the last day we would see him. He was the one that was so impressed with our Teamwork and tonight wanted all our names and take a picture of us all together along with him and his wife. He intends to teach Ugandans about Teamwork.
Supper tonight was a special treat of fish curry. We closed the evening with all of our Team plus Pam & Paul and Abdu sharing from our hearts with one another around the circle in the court yard. It was a beautiful night to spend outside with your Mission Team Family debriefing.

In 48 hours we will be on the flight, headed for home.

Don's Story, as told to Dianna

Don’s first reaction when he returned to the compound was, “I was never really scared.” Don returned a hungry man, because he had nothing to eat since breakfast and it was nearly 8:30 p.m. by now. Paul and Abdu had gone to pick him up from the police station in a nearby village, where they had to leave Abe in jail. The car with the sandpaper and new pipe were impounded as well.
Don’s story is that he and Abe had purchased the new pipe and were headed back to Jinja to leave the new sandpaper belts with the guys at the compound, and then head to Naminya to take the pipe to the guys at the drilling site. They were excited that they would be to the drilling site by no later than 3 o’clock. It was then about 2:30. That’s how close they were to Jinja.
Don saw a police woman motion them to the side of the road. He didn’t realize they had been speeding and never understood the conversation between the police woman and Abe. (The conversation he found out later was that she wanted a bribe of 50,000 shilling ($25) and Abe was not going to give in to the corruption. They also wanted to involve Don, as a white person, in the payoff but Abe never told Don.) The police then loaded Abe into a police car and asked Don if he wanted to drive Abe’s car on to the police station. Don didn’t want to drive so a policeman got in with him and drove the car to the station. Don didn’t know if it would have been legal for him to drive any way. At the station Don and Abe went before the judge who asked them to pay 400,000 shilling (200 dollars) and between the two of them they only had 350,000. The officers then put Abe in a holding cell and allowed Don to talk to him through a little hole. Abe reached out his hand so Don could hold it. Abe was a very scared twenty-four year old. He had never been in any kind of trouble before.
Don and Abe talked until it was 5 p.m. and the court was closing, and Paul and Abdu had not made it there to pay the fine. Don said it broke his heart to see his friend Abe taken away in handcuffs. The judge told Don to give Abe 2,300 shillings so he could buy protection for the night. (Abe later told us that is exactly what he had to do.)
Don then visited with the judge by showing him all the pictures on his camera. He had pictures of his niece at Christmas building the gingerbread house, pictures of his cows, his dog, his family and even a video of another niece’s kite pets. The judge was also interested in pictures of the well drilling activities and desk building. The judge even told Don if he could reverse the fines he would, but he didn’t have the authority to overturn that. Don asked the judge if he was born again and he said his wife is. The judge said that the neighbors are almost afraid because everything his wife prays for comes true. Don strongly suggested the judge follow his wife’s desires and prayers and become born again.
The next morning Paul, Abdu, and Don took off to pay the fines and have Abe released. Their early arrival was disappointing because the magistrate who needed to sign the paperwork was not there, and didn’t come until 10:30. Don tells how he cried and hugged Abe when he was finally able to come to them. Abe was hungry and dirty so they brought him to the compound to shower, and then took him out to eat in Jinja at Ozzie’s.

Abe's experience, as told by Paul

Back on the Road Again!February 20, 2008
The promo video for Next Generation Ministries has text slides that help describe the context of Uganda. One of those headlines declares “Corruption is Pervasive.” This claim is not the result of reputation, but firsthand experience. Want to hear our last encounter?
One of our Oklahoma team members, Don, traveled to Kampala with our diligent and faithful driver Abe. They were on a simple shopping mission to secure a better quality pipe for the well drilling project and belt sandpaper and paint for the desks building project. On the return trip to Jinja, Abe had to avert a collision with a sugar cane tractor and trailer. These farm units are very common on the two way highway and are the cause of many accidents. After avoiding the tractor, he was motioned to the shoulder by a uniformed policewoman.
The policewoman asked Abe to give her 50,000 schillings ($25). That’s right. She did not issue him a ticket, just asked for money. He replied that he didn’t have it. She suggested, “What about the muzungu? (white guy)”
Abe refused to cooperate with corruption and it cost us a half a million in shillings ($250) and him a night in a Ugandan jail. He was scared and crying, but when we went to the prison and requested that they release him to us tomorrow after we paid his fine, he relaxed.
This morning, Abdu, Don and I went back to Lugazi (I had to miss the fun of delivering the desks to Fountain of Hope School), paid the fine, waited an hour for the judge to show up to sign the release form and another 20 minutes for the authorities to get a car (another 15,000 shillings … which we found out from Abe tonight that they used a boda to bring him to the court for about 2,000 shillings) and bring him to the court house.
We were visiting with the judge about his need for Jesus when Abe showed up. We embraced and both leaked some tears. Then he hugged Don and more water ran. Then he hugged Abdu … by this time you know the story! Our group here had very little sleep last night. We must have all been praying for Abe at some point during the night.
We left the courthouse and returned to the Lugazi police station to retrieve Abe’s car. While the guys went out to start it and see if everything was still in it … it was … I remained behind and talked with the office in charge of traffic. I told him that this young man had just refused to cooperate with the corruption in his department and that it not only cost us a lot of money, but the man suffered a whole night in their prison. He denied that it was any of his people, telling me that this was a special unit that worked for the nation of Uganda and that they could not do such a thing. I said, “Maybe Abe is lying to me, but I have been with him for several years and I would doubt it. Plus, I’ve seen too much corruption in Uganda to think that it would escape the police.” I went outside and verified that Abe had been asked to give this policewoman 50,000 and then returned to the man’s office to have Abe tell him what I told him. He gave me the phone number of the OC in Kampala that supervises the national traffic police. I called this man from the parking lot and registered a complaint about corruption in his department. I told him where the violation occurred and suggested that he must know the officers and what their schedules were the day before in that area. He said he would know and requested that Abe and I come to see him in his office on Monday morning to identify the officer who demanded a bribe. We agreed and we will meet him around 9 AM.
Please pray for us that we let the Lord fight these corruption battles in His power and that we simply stand for righteousness. “Righteousness exalts a nation.”
After getting Abe home, letting him shower, and taking him to town to celebrate with any lunch he wanted in Jinja, we went to Bukeeka to get in on the tail end of the celebration of desks for Fountain of Hope School. I found that the taxi driver we were using was also used when the Salem team come and when the Portland team come in November and December respectively. We had a moment together and he told me that Abdu had led him to Jesus during the Salem team’s ministry. I never would have guessed that he was such a new believer. He is already very strong in the Lord. This is what brings such joy to my heart … seeing the Lord draw people to Himself.

Gift

Tonight Jodi presented a beautiful cross to our hosts, Abdu & Betty, Sarah & Moses (the children) and Paul & Pam. This was a thank you gift created by our own Fairview artist, Glenna Rush. It is beautiful and they plan to hang it in their home. Abdu said that he is not letting us go for 3 more weeks. Sorry, folks at home, it'll be awhile before we get there! ;-) Glenna, thank you for crafting this beautiful piece and sending it with Jodi. It is the perfect thank you gift from our Team and Partners at home.

Friday's events

Today we loaded all of the desk parts and the necessary tools on the lorry and we piled into a hired taxi and left for Bukeeka to the Fountain of Hope School. When we arrived at the school, there were cheers and all of the classes were totally disrupted by our presence. When the lorry arrived, there was even more excitement! It was piled high with frames, desk tops and desk seats. We all lined up to haul the pieces off the truck, then Byron oversaw the final assembly. We tried to work in the shade as much as possible but we all got a lot of sun (part of the sales pitch for our new Uganda Spa!). Everyone pitched in and found their area of expertise in the assembly process. Karen was full of smiles…she thought this was a project she would be watching but she learned to “sit & roll over”. She would sit on the desk seat to hold it solid while someone else marked the drill holes on it by putting a bolt up through the pre-drilled holes in the metal frames and pounding it against the wooden seat. Then she got up and they flipped over the seat on top of the desk and one of those with a drill would do their job, then it would roll back over into its correct position and be bolted on. We assembled 50 desks, half were orange and half were blue. During the children’s lunch break they gathered around the workers, sometimes to the point of being too close and we had to scoot them back. One exciting moment for the students was when Justin removed his hat. They had never seen a bald white man before! Pat took Elton to show him the P7 Classroom where the only 8 desks they have are located. We discovered one with a broken seat so Byron was called in to take a look. He took some measurements and has plans to cut some wooden pieces and then return to do the repair work. Upon completion, the Headmaster wanted us to move them into two classrooms that were vacant because the small children only attend a half day. We started hauling them in and then the bell (a wheel hung on a rope with a piece of metal hanging beside it to hit it and make it “ring”) was rung and the children poured out to help. In the USA it would have been the end of school, but not in Uganda. It was a break. They started helping us carry the desks into the classroom and it was instant chaos! When they were finished, they headed down the road. We thought school was out but then we found out they were going to the “playing field” for physical education. We followed them and watched them race around the “track”, then they organized them to sing for us. It was quite entertaining. Paul got up to sing for them and enlisted some audience participation. He told them that God provided the desks through us because He loves them through us. He told them that God knows where Bukeeka is and knows their struggles and loves them. We gave tearful goodbyes. It is so hard to say goodbye when you don’t know if you will ever see these precious children again on this earth. They are so beautiful…in spirit and in their looks. So many shaved heads and beautiful eyes and beautiful hearts…God’s amazing creations.

When we left the school, we crammed 17 people into our taxi and headed down the road. We stopped at the highway to tour the quarters for the children who are Boarded for school (some have too far to walk every day), and Paul befriended a blind man that needed a ride so then we had 18! That’s a load when most of them are big Americans. Remember that we had 23 in our public taxi earlier this week.

Paul and Abdu brought Abe out to the school toward the end of the day and we all had to hug him, and many tears of joy and thanksgiving were shed. The children probably wondered why all of these Mazungas were hugging this thin black man and crying, but someone probably explained it to them.

Tonight after supper, (another amazing meal provided by Grace, traditional Ugandan food tonight and it was over the top!) Abe shared with us about his experience in the prison. He shed tears when they took him away from Don and he shed tears when they were reunited this morning. One of the guards was good enough to let him know that his Mazungas were going to come for him in the morning so he was comforted by that knowledge. He told how the other prisoners “taught” him the laws of the prison. He does not want to ever go back to prison again! There is too much to write here so we will share it with you when we return.
Plans for tomorrow are to go back to the well drilling project and we are encouraged because we finally have the better quality pipe. Please pray that good progress is made.

Answered Prayer

Abe is okay! After his release they made sure he finally got some food and rest. He was not injured during his unfortunate incarceration, which was one of our great concerns. When we got up this morning, several shared of how they woke up periodically through the night and prayed for Abe's safety and peace. We decided that even though we cannot prove it, someone in our Compound was praying for Abe every minute through the night. In addition, those of you who were awake in the States were also praying. Thank you so much! We are singing Praises!

We just returned from the school and we're draggin'. More details later. Must get cleaned up and refreshed before writing the full day's activiies.

Update

"From a distance this may look like an adventure, when you're living in it, its a challenge." Quote from our devotions about Job this morning.

Word is that Paul and Abdu have paid the fine for Abe and are waiting for all three of the officials to arrive to sign on the authorization paper for his release. Abe still does not know what is happening and is still in danger of beatings. Those of you night owls that are reading this, please continue to pray for Abe's safety, peace and hope and for a speedy release.

Loading of the desk parts on the lolley (truck) is in process and we are on our way to Bukeeka to the Fountain of Hope School to do the final assembly. Abe will not be released before we go so the next update will not be several hours.

It is anticipated that parents will visit the school today to see the desk operation. Most of them are Muslim. We are praying for opportunities to share Christ with them today. So that you know, in Uganda "Christian" is a loose term. Born-again Christian is the terminology used here.

Must go before they realize someone is not helping with the loading process. ;-)

Later!

Clarification

There is some confusion about Don's "prison" status. There is an agreement between the U.S. and Uganda and they canNOT imprison a US citizen. If they had, the media would have been all over them. When Abe called to the Compound for help, he apparently said they had been taken TO the prison and the understanding on this end was that they were both IN the prison. Sorry for the misunderstanding. As you can imagine, it was alarming and confusing around here.

Esau's story, as told by Lisa

Tonight was an experience I have been waiting for. We led someone to the Lord tonight. And he was a Muslim. Isaiah (part of Next Generation Ministry) brought his wife, Blessing’s, brother to the compound, his name is Esau; he told us a story of how he was sitting for a woman that trusted him to stay with her children while she was going on holiday, and he had done it for several years, but one time he had a meal with them and he started eating and did not finish his meal, and got a glass of water, and then the woman left, but that night he got very, very sick. He said his stomach pained him much, and he spit up blood, so he saved it and showed someone and they said he had been poisoned. I asked him why she would do this, and he did not know. But later after she left, things started to happen to him. The lights would flicker, when the lights were out, so he turned on the light, and he would try to sleep with the light on. He felt as if something were in the room. He then saw bright lights. He described it as if you were looking at the sun, and it was on the wall, and the bright light would grab his arm, on both sides. He was very afraid, so he would go to another room where the girl was sleeping to be safe, and they did not follow him. He said for some reason the woman did not come back like she usually did, she stayed gone longer. So he got someone to stay with the girl. I think he said a neighbor, and he left to go back to his home, but when he got home the spirits followed him. When he confronted the woman, she denied having done anything. He would not be able to sleep. The spirits would wake him every night, and he would walk outside his house, but he was still in bed. I know this does not make any sense, but that’s what he said. What I think he was saying is that the demons, (spirits) were making him sleep walk but he could watch himself do it. He was tired of the spirits bothering him, but his sister Blessing is born again, so he went to her to ask what he should do. Of course she told him about Jesus. So that’s how he came to the compound because he knew we would lead him to Christ. I was the first to start talking to him but I knew right away that I was going to need help, so I went to go get Pam. This story from him took a lot of time. I told it much faster, plus we could not understand him real well, but in the end he made the decision to accept Christ as his personal Savior. He prayed the prayer. By that time there were several people gathered around to pray him in. Wow what a blessing!!! We put him in the middle of us and we all prayed, Jodi, Byron, Lisa, Pam, Randy and Betty, Leon, Elton, Kenneth and Isaiah. He is now born again!!!! Who would ever think we would witness a Muslim getting saved. After everything was said and done, we gave him a Bible and told him to open it and know that it is the truth and all the answers he needs are right in front of him. And then he had supper with us. Talk about getting charged up! Please pray for Esau that his mind will be opened to the Spirit of God and that the demonic torture will stop. Our prayer for Esau is that he will lead many others to Christ.

This day sure didn't turn out as expected

What an emotional day!
Don Neufeld headed out before breakfast with Abe to Kampala to shop for better quality pipe for the drilling operation. The rest of the Team joined for devotions after breakfast as usual. We take turns giving the devotions. We figure 12 mornings, 12 Team Members, hey! That works out! Today Leon shared some insight about Team Work. Our welder, Patrick, had joined us and Paul asked him to share what he had observed about our Group. Condensed version…he was impressed that we are not a Group, but rather, a Team and that his desire is for Uganda to learn about Teamwork. We are all amazed at how God formed us into a Team.
Justin, Randy, and Elton left for the village to continue drilling for water. Byron, Leon and Paul moved to the front court yard under the tent with the local workers to continue on the desk project. Pam and Pat went to the Bank to exchange dollars for shillings. Pat got to have a visit with the Branch Manager. After they returned to the Compound, Pam and the ladies plus Byron and a local young lady named Maureen, all boarded Bodas to go to the Children’s Hospital. We were only allowed to walk through the hallways and look into the Wards as the doctors were making their rounds and we would be in their way. The conditions were very primitive and very difficult to see. Some of our Team knew it would be difficult to see and we prayed about it before we left. Apparently God protected some of those tender spots in our hearts by giving us only a glimpse and not a full view.
Maureen is the daughter of one of the Widows we met in the Village. She is a trained plumber and has been here learning carpentry with the young men. She was kind enough to go along as our Interpreter. Later in the afternoon, the same group, less Karen & Jodi who stayed behind to rest, visited the Main Hospital. We walked through the TB Ward, the Maternity Ward, and the Surgical Ward. Maureen interpreted for us and asked various patients if we could pray for them, then took us as individuals or partners to their bedsides to pray. There is not enough room here to describe what we saw and the people’s reactions to a simple prayer for healing. We will have to show you pictures and tell you in person. Perhaps after some days pass, we will be able to share without so much emotion.
The desks are looking wonderful. The young people here working on them are so happy with their accomplishments and have every reason to be extremely proud. A lorry has been rented for tomorrow and in the morning the frames, tops and seats will be loaded, along with the generator, tools and nuts & bolts to go to the Fountain of Hope School in Bukeeka and complete the assembly. It will be a glorious day!
The water well drilling went slowly today. Since Don and Abe were delayed (see earlier prayer request post) our workers were using the inferior pipe. They spent many hours doing repairs. Reported progress for the day is one (1) foot. Elton is determined that the well will be completed before he leaves. Not for us to personally accomplish something, but so that James and the others in training will know how to complete the process all the way through the installation of the pump and making it operational, so that they will be able to drill other wells in the future. Please pray that they will make good progress tomorrow. However, we are keenly aware that it may be part of God’s plan for Elton to stay longer if need be.
So much has happened today that we will be sending multiple posts, some of which may show up later.
We are excitedly and anxiously waiting for God to reveal why the roadblocks were experienced today.

Next prayer request

Pray for Abe. He is still at the prison, he should be released in the morning. He is afraid. He does not know that Paul and Abdu have made arrangements to get him out first thing in the morning because they took him away and would not let them talk to him. He needs prayer for comfort and hope all through the night...that would be to pray through your DAY in the States. Paul will be there first thing in the morning to get him released before they take him to the big prison. If they should take him there, he will be gone for months. Statement made around the circle, "Satan is working overtime, something good is evidently going to happen".

The pictures are of the Judge and the Court from Don's camera. He visited with the Judge for a couple of hours and once again, God used the digital camera as a tool. Don showed him pictures of his family at Christmas, his cow dog, goats at home, other personal pictures and they developed a relationship. This gave Don an opportunity to ask him if he was born again. He responded that he is not, but his wife is, and he knows God answers her prayers. Don continued the discussion with him but he wasn't ready to be born again. Perhaps God used Don to plant some seeds with the Judge as he moves on his path toward Him.

They are home!

They are home, safe & sound! Don is telling the story. Details to follow. Thank you for your paryers.

Immediate prayer request

RIGHT NOW, please pray for Paul and Abdu as they go to take care of a legal situation regarding Abe, our driver, and Don Neufeld. They left for Kampala this morning to get drilling supplies and on the way back, Abe was pulled over by the Police for speeding. They are requiring a hefty fine to be paid or they will keep Abe in jail. Don is stranded there until Paul and Abdu arrive. They are taking along an attorney. Paul says Abe was not speeding enough to warrant this, but they are taking advantage of him because he had a white man along and they cannot pay the fine, or it will continue to happen. Please pray that they will be able to rescue Abe and Don without any problems. As soon as we know how this is resolved, we will post again.

Wednesday

Everyone is exhausted so this will be quick.
After devotions this morning, we ALL loaded up to head to the village to drill the well. We had a total number of 18 people loaded into a 4 passenger car and the bed of the small pickup. We were a sight! On our drive in to the village, people stared. When we drove out of the village, they waved and hollered goodbye!
In the 9 hours we were on sight, we had about 5 hours of actual drilling take place. The other time was spent either setting up, repairing or putting things away. By the end of the work day we had made progress of about 14 feet.
The pipe we purchased in Jinja was not good quality pipe for drilling and it kept breaking. The threads would break off. We had to change the threads, so a quick trip was made to the welding shop to weld a British coupling to our American threads. We are finding British and Metric threads, but not American. We fished the bit out twice and tried a third time but it is still in the ground overnight. The men went back to the hardware market after we returned to town to get odds and ends needed to make it easier to fish out plus a PVC pipe to put on the top for the discharge pipe. Don will be leaving for Kampala early in the morning to try to locate better quality pipe.
Our pickup driver, Abraham, is also a well digger. He digs by hand. He has been an excellent worker for us…and he is being paid only for driving and is working the drilling operation as a volunteer. Don said that if had to run the Pusher as long as Abraham did, we’d have to wheel him off on a gurney! Elton said it takes 41 Mazungas (white men) to work as hard as one Ugandan man.
Pat took a turn as a Puller and Jodi took a turn as a Pusher, but not at the same time. As we watched from the shade, we came up with a brilliant fundraising idea. We could charge rich and famous Americans to come to the Ugandan Spa and offer and exercise program (well drilling), mud baths (also part of the well drilling), beautiful flora & fauna, soak up the sun, enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, raw sugar cane, fresh air, African ambience in a remote location free from paparazzi. Price: $500/day.
Quotes heard today include:
“James can do it all!” This was after he reached up extremely high to hook the rope onto the pusher. (James is our local Foreman in training)
“This is like a government project—it takes longer than it should and you have lots of people.” Commented after the second time the bit broke off in the bottom of the well.
“This African pipe is giving us problems. We have a lot of recommendations to take back to Pumps4.”
“Hey, get ready to take a picture of Elton getting his eyes pecked out by that chicken.” During a rest time on a mat under the tree.
“If you don’t have mud on you, you don’t get to ride back to town” at the end of the day.
The widows baked pizzas for us in their mud oven. Paul told us that we were going to offer the workers the chairs (we had hauled them from the Compound in the back of the pickup with all of the people) and a cold soda along with their pizza. He told us that they may get a cold soda once a year on a special occasion. They washed up from the water in the jerrycans and were grateful for the food. The pizza arrived on Ugandan time “for lunch” at 3:30. These men had been working all day with nothing to eat except some Jack Fruit they had cut up during a breakdown. The average eating routine does NOT include 3 meals a day in Uganda. Special arrangements have been made for us. The pizza was amazing. A new secret ingredient: shredded carrots.
Other things happening in addition to well drilling included experiencing the farm, visiting with the people on the path and at the well, and Pat held an impromptu Power House session with the children that came by. They could not speak English but they loved to hear the songs and imitate the actions. They knew the sign for Jesus and that was the common bond. She showed them American movements to the music and her new Uganda dance moves. They all had a great laugh! Their new English word: Awesome! As in “Our God is an Awesome God”.
One of many lessons learned today…the digital camera is an excellent tool to open the door to build a relationship with children in Uganda. They love to have their picture taken and then look at it on the camera screen. The most shy and aloof child warms up immediately.
Meanwhile, back at the compound, the desk assembly made great progress. The local workers were on their own today and did not have any reported problems. They have been great students under Byron’s teaching.
Tonight after supper, Grace (our cook), gave Lisa a beautiful necklace as a gift. Lisa cannot ever stay still and is always looking for something to do, so if there is ever a slow moment in the activity, she is right by Grace’s side helping her. Grace also was the recipient of one of the Bibles we brought. It was an emotional moment for them both.
Justin and Dianna both received word tonight of the loss of co-workers to cancer. Please keep both of them, and the families of those who passed away, in your prayers.

Tuesday

Leon and Elton headed out after devotions to the Hardware Market to purchase the remaining needed supplies to drill the well. When they returned, the pipe was threaded and they got the casing ready. Randy, Justin, Don and Elton headed to the village to set up along with Abdu, Betty (his wife), Moses (2 year old son), plus James, the local person who is in training, and Derrick (Zimbabwa team member). We loaded all of our supplies into a small Nissan pickup that had been rented and ALL of us loaded up, along with the driver. Before leaving town, James gave a Boda driver some money and gave him instructions to bring lunch. About 2:30, here he came with rolexes! They were excellent. A rolex is like a breakfast burrito. Excellent progress was made in setting up the sight so we decided to get a jump start on drilling. The rented truck and driver were an excellent asset. After hauling us out there, he joined in and worked. Originally we planned to set up today and start drilling tomorrow. We drilled 4’ of hole…if you use a short tape measure. The local people were very interested in what was going on. The kids started picking up our empty water bottles and James said something in Lugandan to them and they scattered! The children got sticks and started imitating drilling a well. We are told that all of the village knows by now that a new well is going in. They are full of excitement. Our workers are exhausted. Elton was overheard saying, “I am too tired to eat, but I think I’ll get some more French fries anyway.” Grace had prepared an American meal of hamburgers and French fries tonight. The really special thing was the fresh avocado, tomato, onion and again for dessert, fresh pineapple! The plan is to leave at 8:00 tomorrow morning and EVERYONE is going. The women are rounding up their work gloves.
When the pickup driver brought them back to the Compound, Elton asked him if he would take us down to Lake Victoria. All but Byron and Justin piled into the back of the pickup and rode across town to take in the view. It was amazing!
The students of the Next Generations Technical School were rested and ready to go first thing this morning. The sander broke down. The belt was jumping off, but Abe fixed it. About a dozen desk tops were routed and sanded. They started building the second group of 50 frames today. About half of the first 50 are fully painted. Half will be orange and half will be blue, the school colors. The local workers will go solo tomorrow while we are out drilling the water well. This will be an opportunity to see how well they have learned. We plan to deliver the desks on Friday. It will be an exciting day. The desks sure are looking good. The students at the school will be so excited.
The ladies walked to the Boda stop to head across town to the Amani Baby Cottage. The neighbor from across the street drove up and offered to take some of us so 4 ladies rode in the car and 3 rode Bodas. The scenery was beautiful along the way. As we approached our location, you could see Lake Victoria about a block away. The Cottage was a beautiful compound that the organization had found in disrepair and fixed it up over the past 5 years. They have been using sweat equity to pay the rent instead of cash. They are now trying to purchase it at the cost of $170,000 (a steal in the US!) and they still need $40,000 to complete the purchase. We met Siouxanne who is from Tulsa that had come to Uganda on a short term mission trip, went home, liquidated her assets, and then moved back and has been here for 4 years as a volunteer. She is a Registered Nurse and is the Volunteer Coordinator and is the Medical Officer. She has a medical clinic on the grounds and told us that it is better equipped that the local hospitals, and she did not have much. They have 47 children from infant to 5 years old, which is the oldest they are licensed to keep. The children are either orphaned or abandoned. Most do not have a mother unless she is in prison or dying from AIDS. The imprisoned mothers can keep their children with them as long as they are nursing them. The Orphanage either reunites the children with extended family, transfers them to another facility when they are too old for theirs, sets them up in a Foster Family or finds a family to adopt them. They accept 10 volunteers at a time and most are college age girls from various countries. We met young women from the US, UK, and the Netherlands plus two young men from Texas (a whole OTHER country!). They generally stay for 2 months. There was a mother/daughter team there and the mother was getting ready to fly home tomorrow and the daughter was going to stay for awhile to travel the country. They gave us a tour of the grounds and the buildings and we got to see where the children sleep, play and eat. It was a wonderful home for the children. It was very clean and organized. The tile floors were immaculate. Then we went outside to cuddle the babies and play with the toddlers and older children. The local women who are hired to give physical care to the babies are called Mamas. The volunteers that come to play with the children and show them affection are called Aunties. There was a wall with pictures of the children currently at the Cottage, pictures of those who with their new families, and pictures of those who were lost to AIDS. There were at least 3 or 4 children there today we could tell had AIDS. Eight month old Josephine was Jodi’s constant companion. When we got ready to go, the little girl Karen was holding wouldn’t put her feet on the ground. Pat got to play with a little boy named Micah. The children did not want us to leave. The Aunties told us we just need to put them down and go, that they will be okay after we leave. One of the ladies that works at the Cottage made beaded necklaces for sale so we were able to do some gift shopping while there. The beads are made from paper.
We left the Baby Cottage a little after 1:00 and caught a Boda ride to Ozzie’s café and had excellent salads and wraps. This is the place we stopped for a snack a few days ago and had cinnamon rolls. We were instructed by the men that we had better NOT come back with cinnamon breath again, so we brought home a dozen. Then we did some gift shopping before riding the Bodas home again.
While hanging out in the courtyard before supper, little 8-year old Sarah started teaching us an African dance. She got some great laughs when we tried it! We have some practicing to do.

Electrical outage

We were without electricity for several hours today and are having a slow internet connection. Will post more later.

Posting Comments

To all our friends and family...we LOVE to read your comments! Please keep them coming. If you don't know how to send one...just go to the end of one of the Posts, and click on the word "Comments", a blank box will show up, and start writing! If there are already Comments under that Post, just go to the end to find the box. If you skip the sign-in process, please put your name at the end of your comments so we know who its from.

Monday

Our Family went several different directions today.

Byron, Leon, Justin and Randy opened up the Next Generation Ministries Tech Center following breakfast. They had 5 "trainees" that were learning to operate a belt sander, router, orbital sander, skill saw, drill, and table saw. A sort of assembly line was set up. In addition to the power tool stations, there was a washing station to clean the frames, plus a "paint shop" which spilled out of the compound and in front of the wall by the street. The generator was operating so that the power tools and the welder could all be operational at the same time. There were some curious passers-by plus some intentional visitors. It sounded like a full scale fabrication shop. After 3 days of labor we have one desk almost completed and project to have 20 almost completed by the end of tomorrow. We plan to haul completed parts to the school and do the final assembly on sight as it will be more efficient to haul them that way.



Kenneth is standing here and when I asked what he did today, he says "A Lot!" He worked on all of the power tools. He rescued Abe when his shirt got caught in the belt sander. Kenneth's favorite tool to use was the belt sander. Henry is also standing here and his favorite part was using the electric drill. They are tired and are wanting to get some rest.



Elton, Don, Paul and Abdu, along with James, the man who is being trained on how to drill water wells, took a trip to several locations to determine where to drill the first well. They visited the Fountain of Hope School at Bukeeka, Abdu's farm, and Naminya, the village where the Widows live. After reviewing all of the locations, they have decided to drill the well on the property of one of the widows at Naminya. Her name is Sarah, and she is the mother of Abdu, our Host. The men came back to Jinja and proceeded to shop for all of the pipe, fittings, and other supplies they will need to start drilling. They covered a lot of area this morning and moved at American pace, and the afternoon went at Ugandan pace (slowly).



The ladies had an adventure. We all rode Bodas (for those new to reading the Blog, those are motorcycles where the driver gives you a ride for a fee) to the Taxi Park. Pam negotiated with the Taxi driver to be sure we were all in the same taxi, which is actually a van that in America we would squeeze 12 people into. At one point there were 23 people in our Taxi, along with luggage, supplies, bags, etc. When we arrived at the village of Bukeeka, we again rented Bodas, but this time they were short one. Apparently 7 ladies are too many for the average crew! So Jodi and Pat rode together on the back of one. Now, you must know that when we go to the villages, we wear skirts, so the Boda rides were quite an experience! Plus, today was Karen's first time to ride the Boda and she rode it 4 times, side-saddle. Our destination was the Fountain of Hope School. They have 3 nursery classes and 7 primary classes. We were welcomed by a teacher and taken to the Headmaster's office to visit and learn. We then split into pairs and did our assessment of the classes.



In each class we told about ourselves and answered questions. Dianna was given a "test" when they found out she was a Teacher. She passed! She knew what a noun was! There are up to 80 students in a classroom approximately 12'x15' with only a chalkboard, no textbooks, no desks (only benches) and they score highest in the nation on their tests that determine whether or not they will be admitted to college. In one class, the teacher showed us her supplies. She had a ziplock bag with pencils and a razor blade to sharpen them. Her planning book was thin and the pages were falling out. In the Baby Class the children didn't have paper and pencils, they practiced their writing skills on the cement floor with chalk. Their school bags were hung on nails that were part of the construction of the walls. They had no book shelves and their writing books were stacked in the window sills and on the floor under their feet. The construction of the buildings would remind you of a primitive barn. Two of the classrooms were divided by a plastic tarp so the noise control was difficult. We were amazed that they could sing bible songs in a public school and we in America cannot...and we are the "free" nation.



We stayed through their lunch time. Those who ate free lunch received a cup of porridge. Those who could purchase lunch received a bowl of beans and rice. One little boy was eating a small pineapple in the same manner as we would eat an apple, and just discarded the peeling after he ate the fruit. Some went into the classrooms to eat, some ate under the trees, others ate under the eaves of the buildings. A few had a spoon, others ate with their hands. They have a hand dug well and children would pump it into jerrycans and kids cups. After awhile, an adult put a chain and padlock on the handle, securing it to the railing.



We returned by the same methods of transportation and Jodi and Pat got so good at sharing a Boda that they did it three times! As we walked from the school to catch a Boda we had the opportunity to view beautiful plant life and friendly people at their huts.

Augustine, as told by Jodi

Justin and I started off with a very emotional day today. The man from Burundi that was here this weekend that we talked about in church yesterday touched us beyond what I can even put into words. He came Friday and visited, but not many of us talked alot to him because he had only been studying English for 2 months. He spoke French and Swahili and very, very broken English. It was absolutely exhausting talking to him, but Lisa, Justin and I tried very hard to communicate with him. He was about to drive me crazy, because he really liked to talk and I could understand very little. He was 31 years old and had polio and was crippled. One of his legs was smaller than my lower arm. He told us how he used to be a thief (pick-pocket) and the story of how he became born again. Last night he told me " I love many people, and pointed to people sitting around here, but only one touch my heart" then he pointed to Justin. He had been observing Justin playing with Sarah. She follows Justin everywhere and holds his hand and he tickles her and she eats it up. She just loves him. Anyway, Augustine was leaving this morning to go back to Burundi and he wanted a picture taken with Justin and I. Then he told Justin he wanted to give him a gift. Justin didn't think much of it and came back in the compound with a plastic sack. He didn't look in the sack until Augustine had left. When he opened the sack, there was Augustine's suit coat. It was all he had!!! We were both so overwhelmed we both cried to the point of sobbing. I don't think there was a dry eye on anyone who had witnessed this most humbling event. I still can hardly talk about it without getting emotional. Paul later told us that we should feel most honored and that he was glad that Justin hadn't tried to give it back, because that would have been very offensive to Augustine. I have never felt so humble in all my life. And I was worried about what my sacrifice was. Augustine has taught us what real sacrifice is. It is an experience I will never ever forget. I knew my life would be changed, but I never could have imagined this. Later I found out that he also gave one of his shirts to Byron and one to Don.

Sunday, a day of rest

Sarah, Abdu and Betty’s 8 year old daughter, wants to say HI to everyone! Moses, who is 2 years old, is busy playing and entertaining everyone.
Sunday morning after breakfast we had a group discussion and devotions and were left with the thought that even before I know what I will face today, I will say Yes to You. Also, based on Proverbs 14:4, if your goal is to keep a clean stable, don’t get involved with people and relationships.
We left for church together as a group at 10:00. Some rode in a car, most walked, and Leon rode the Boda. We walked up to an open-air building and were welcomed by many people. Early church had dismissed and we arrived during prayer time. People arrived and left throughout the Service. It was full with at least 500 people in attendance. The Praise Team had three different Worship Leaders that took turns. As one wore out, another took their place. There was a lot of fast paced praise songs and then some slower worship songs. There was a welcome and greeting by one of the Pastors, a special musical number, more announcements, and then they formally welcomed us. Paul spoke on our behalf and presented one of the NIV Study Bibles to Pastor Tom that was preaching today. Pastor Jimmie, the Senior Pastor that many of you met when he visited Fairview, teased Paul about giving him a Bible and Paul assured the church that Jimmie would be getting one since he is a part of Next Generation Ministries. When it was time for tithes and offerings, large baskets were positioned at the front and people poured out into the aisles to go to the front to put their offerings in. There was no hesitation. An interesting part of the prayer was where the Pastor thanked God that they had food to eat and something to drink this past week. The Pastor’s sermon was about how all things are possible through God. With the exception of the singing, everything in the service was presented in English and a translator was used to speak Lugandan.
Church dismissed a little after 1:00 and many of the people greeted us. We walked back home in the heat and relaxed while we waited for Abdu and Betty to return. Abdu is in charge of the finances and needed to count the offerings and had a meeting.
About 4:00 we headed to a restaurant for Dinner. Our cook was given Sunday off. We rode in Abdu’s car in three shifts. The restaurant is called Two Friends and is owned by Swedish people. It was like walking into a tropical paradise. The setting was gorgeous and the weather was beautiful. In typical Ugandan style, it was very laid back and relaxed…and slow. We placed our orders in two separate groups so that we could be sure some got back to the Compound in time to log into Skype to be a part of the service at the Fairview First Baptist Church. The rest of us waited to eat and then got back just in time to log in to the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church. Randy set us up with a webcam and audio so that we could interact with the churches.
When we got back to the Compound, several people were here singing and having a Fellowship Time. After our interaction with the churches in the States, some of us listened to the church service live from the MB Church and others joined the group outside singing. Preparations begin for the next day. Don is grinding coffee and Byron is planning the breakfast. Tomorrow begins another day of building desks and the ladies plan to go to Bukeeka to the school to do an assessment of their facilities, procedures, size of classes, educational needs and quality.
An interesting observation was made today. Ugandans are very soft spoken in everyday life and Americans are very loud. But when we go to church Ugandans get very loud and Americans get very quiet!

Valentine's evening

First, we want you to know that we want to post pictures but our internet connection is so slow it is difficult. We will try to add to previous posts when the connection is stronger.

It is amazing how primitive things are. The villages are beyond imagination. The pictures we took will not do it justice. The homes are mud huts with a separate mud hut for cooking. The toilet is also a separate building. They haul their water from a spring in jerrycans and they have to pay for it. They do laundry outside under a tree by hand in a tub using a bar of soap, then drape it on ropes and bushes to dry. They wash their dishes under the shade of a tree in pans with a bar of soap, and dry them in the sun on a mat. They are meticulous. Everything is scrubbed clean and inspected. Children are rolling a tire with a stick and people walk by on the road and pass us as they walk down the path to other huts. Neighbors are passing the day in the same way. The plant life was beautiful, along with the women.
Our ladies were welcomed by the widows who bake for a living. A group from the Hunter’s church in Oregon researched how to make a clay oven, built one at home and tested it, then came to Uganda to build one. The American ladies from that church developed recipes for the widows using ingredients readily available, put them in a recipe notebook for them in plastic sleeves and brought all of the measuring cups and spoons, bowls, pans, cooling racks, etc and taught them how to bake in the oven so they could sell their goods for profit and support themselves. They gave us a demonstration and it was just like watching Food Network with a wonderful woman named Margaret as our host. They made banana bread and pumpkin bread for us. Regina built the fire in the oven to heat it up. The oven is located next to her home. Her adult daughter, Dorothy, was our hostess for the day. The other widows helping today were Sarah and Florence. As we waited for the breads to bake, the ladies shared their stories with us about how they became widows. You could tell by their faces how painful it was. Margaret interpreted for Florence and Regina. Their losses included assassination, illness (AIDS), car accident, and intentional alcohol poisonings. We sat on benches under a tree, drinking soda pops they retrieved from the market, as we listened to their stories. We sang for them and Dorothy sang for us an original song she composed and then taught it to us. It was an amazing day.
The construction of the desks is making progress. Byron made a handmade table saw and has taught the local men to use it. Before the end of today, we will have 50 desks 2/3 completed. We have made a big dent in the lumber pile with most of the wood cut. The tent in the courtyard is a life saver in this heat! We are going to be sanding and routing the seats and tops. Painting is next. The ladies are excited to be involved in the washing down and painting process. The young men who live here, Henry and Abe, have been introduced to power tools and refuse to quit…which means that our men don’t get to use them. It’s a great day.
Paul passed out three of the bibles tonight that we brought. Two to seminary students and one to a Birundi visitor that is passing through and staying a few days. He shared that he has prayed for 5 years for an English bible and today God answered his prayer.
The meals once again were over the top today! Tonight we sang “Marvelous Grace” and “Amazing Grace” to our marvelous and amazing cook named Grace.
Tomorrow will be church and a day of rest.

Valentine's morning

Our taxi is here, so we must run. Byron went to Kampala this morning with Paul, Abdu and Abe to get additional desk supplies. The other men are in the process of working on desks with the hired welder. The ladies are getting ready to board a taxi to visit the widows in a village to meet them and learn about their baking business. must run!

Friday's events

Paul rented a taxi for our personal use this morning to take the ladies to the Rock of Ages nursery school that Betty (Abdu's wife) started in the town of Mbuko for the children of the prostitutes. There were two classrooms, the Baby Class that had 3 and 4 year olds, and the middle Class that had 5 and 6 year olds. The children recited poems (bible verses) and sang songs for us. Then they wanted us to sing for them, and we were totally unprepared. We all searched our memory banks for children’s songs. The only one we were ready to sing was “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. Then we gave them all the red & yellow, black & white bracelets that Lisa and Jodi made. Erna Sallaska had sewn bags and provided school supplies for us to take along. June Hiebert DDS had sent toothbrushes and toothpaste, plus we had some little beach balls and rubber spikey balls. The kids loved their bags. The biggest prize was the blow-up beach ball which they called balloons. Unfortunately we did not have enough. One little boy refused to go home after school as he was waiting for a balloon. We finally found some stickers that Betty showed him and then he was willing to leave. The teachers sent the children home and then some of them came back. They couldn’t get them to leave! There was one child that has HIV and we had prayer for him.

Meanwhile, back at the Compound, the men had set up a tent early in the morning so they would have protection from the sun while they work on the desks. They proceeded to design the desks and were teaching the local young men how to use the power tools that we brought along. Robert came from the school and made recommendations about the proper size for the desks. Apparently the size to fit Don Neufeld was too big! It took several tries but now the prototype has been built. Now the battery chargers once again are not working right. We hired a welder who is a perfectionist and our guys are not cutting the iron straight enough. The heat is setting in. The plan is to build the frames and paint them, cut the boards for the tops and then rent a truck to haul the parts to Bukeeka to assemble at the school.

Grace, our cook, has been preparing wonderful meals for us. We found out she has given up her apartment to a friend for two weeks and is sleeping outside at the church. We gave her some foam rubber we had used for packing and she had a more comfortable night's sleep last night. We offered her a place to sleep at the Compound, but she would not accept.

The ladies rode the bodas back to the market this afternoon to get more fresh pineapple and look at souveniers. Don has again been busy playing plumber and has made some improvements on one of the showers.

We finally got the Magic Jack phone system working better and Jodi & Lisa were able to check in at the church office with their mom.

More later!

Communications

Good morning! We have limited access to our communication tools. Our internet service has limited capacity and we haven't found the right time of day to access the Magic Jack number as it cuts in and out. Those with Yahoo and Hotmail accounts have been able to access e-mails. Pioneer service has not yet been available. We are receiving the comments people post to the Blog. Thank you! We are reading those aloud to everyone after our morning devotions. They mean a lot to us.

First Day Synthesis

The group is sitting around tonight throwing out thoughts. Randy and Paul went to the Bank to exchange the US money into shillings. Byron said the rest of the men felt like monkeys in a zoo when they waited outside the Bank. The local people thought we looked strange. It was different to be in the minority. We can count on one hand how many other white people we saw today. Some were in the hardware store where our men were buying pipe. The women saw two white ladies at the market. Everyone is very friendly and like to exchange greetings with us. Our men moved a lot of water…100 cases onto a truck, then unloaded it at our compound. Elton says he’s overwhelmed by all he’s seen and experienced today. Leon says the boda-boda ride was exciting. We'll try to get some pictures of us on the back of those motorbikes when we're not in such a hurry. Don installed a replacement toilet seat at the compound tonight to increase our comfort. There was a challenge in getting the proper voltage to charge our batteries for the cordless tools. Our own electrician will not take credit for the rigging of the outlet. Randy seems to think that might influence his reputation at home. Lisa and Pat went adventure eating at the market…roasted flying white ants. Pat liked them, thinking they had a roasted nut flavor, but Lisa decided once was enough. Lisa’s highlight was getting to know Grace, our excellent cook. She prepared authentic Ugandan food for us and once again, the pineapple was “over the top”. Grace prepared matoka (steamed green plantains), with a peanut sauce, plus beef stew. For lunch she made black beans and rice. No chance of anyone losing weight on this trip! Byron said he has met more people today than he can remember names. We are seeing things that we have only seen in movies before now.

Moses and Sarah, playing with Jodi

First day, Karen

This is Thursday afternoon at 5 PM. What a day! My head is swimming. Much adjustments. Bend--don't break. This morning they fixed us scrambled eggs, toast, fresh pineapple juice and coffee. All very good.

Paul gave us orientation and devotional. He challenged us to let God stretch us and use us. The projects are only our tool.

Then at 11:30 the men went to town to exchange money and get supplies to start building the desks. They will be started here on the compound (which is a plot with two houses on it where we are staying. This is also where Abdu's chickens are. It is a walled in place.) The women also went to town. It is about a 5 minute ride to downtown. Several of us went on a jeep like vehicle and the others came by boda-bodas! (Mopeds driven by locals--you pay them and they take you). Downtown is about 5 minutes away. We went shopping with Grace, the cook, at the market, and helped shell fresh black beans for lunch. She showed us the open shops but we had no money yet. Pat found a dress for $15. She may go back. Then we met up with the women who came on the boda-bodas and went through the market again--this time was really stretching with the meat--all kinda like a flea market. Bought groceries at the grocery store and went to a shop where most had a soda and then back home by car and ate lunch at 2:30--the black beans and rice. It was very good!

Then to bed and had a good nap. We were dead tired, but slept well last night and had a good nap. The airplane just was so hard to sleep, but we got by. So many stories already.

First day, Jodi

We have had a great day today. We started out with breakfast and Orientation, followed by a boda (motorcycle) ride into town. We are most definetly the outsiders here. Everyone stares like you wouldn't believe and yelling Mazullu (White person). Today we spent time in the Market. A most interesting place. Smells I have never smelled before and I don't even know how to tell you about it and do it justice. Then we came back and had beans and rice for lunch. We spent time teaching Sarah how to play Nerz. She is Abdu's (our host) 8 year old daughter. And playing with 2 year old Moses. He is a doll. The minute I walked in last night, Moses held up his hands for me to pick him up. That thrilled me to pieces. We are looking forward to getting down to business tomorrow.

First morning

Don reports he slept good and the chickens woke him up this morning. Sarah and Pat are hanging out this morning. We are gradually getting around. There is fresh coffee, the best pineapple imaginable and its a beautiful day. Moses has joined us for "hang time". Sarah is 8 years old and Moses is 2. They are the children of Abdu and Betty, our hosts. Paul tells us we are going to have a quiet day to rest up from the trip. We will be having some orientation followng breakfast. Some of the early risers have rearranged our tubs full of supplies to make them more accessible.

Leon was not awakened by chickens, but by Elton's chatter. Justin slept great! Dianna is feeling great, and Lisa has realized she is the only one with long hair and its going to be a challenge to get it blow dried. Elton has offered to give her a haircut! Betty says life is good and she's having fun. Every one is gradually appearing this morning.

Arrived!

We have all arrived in one piece and in good health. Just a little bit tired. We're heading to bed now and will give details in the morning.

Update on our travel experiences: All of our flights went very smoothly. They all arrived early...must have been that tail wind. We wore our "Team Uganda 09" t-shirts and it opened many doors for opportunities to share what we are doing. It was amazing how many other people were on a mission trip to Uganda on that flight from Amsterdam. They were from multiple countries.

The first 8 hour flight took its toll on many of our group but they were able to rest better on the final leg. KLM took good care of us. When we arrived in Entebbe there was some confusion at Customs about our tools and supplies but our prayers and persistence got us through without having to "pay the man". They wanted us to pay a duty tax.

We were greeted by eight people from Next Generations Ministries and loaded our cargo up on the Coaster (between a bus and a taxi, like a shuttle bus at the airport), squeezed in all 20 of us , and then took about a 2 hour ride through the countryside, the middle of Kampala, and then on to Jinja. It was surprising how many people were along the roads at the shops. Paul told us they come out at night when it is cooler. We went through a couple of police check points, a new experience!

Upon our arrival at the compound, we were shown our accomodations and settled in for a welcome sleep.

Fairview trains to go to Uganda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lGSpegZrWc

Training to drill a water well

Five members of our Team went to OKC today to Pumps of Oklahoma to train on how to manually drill a water well using the hammer method. We will take all of the equipment with us and work with the people in Uganda to teach them how to drill their own wells. We will also be installing a pump on the well we drill. We learned that 90 million hours per year are spent gathering water in Africa. Water gathering is women's work. You can read more about the pump and processes we will be using at http://www.water4.org/