Ethiopia 2013
Last month, August 2013, a short term mission team from Grace Giving International traveled to Ethiopia to visit GGI's project and spend time blessing those in need.  One of the participants, Eric Olson, came back with a new found appreciation for life in the U.S. and on fire for doing something to help those less fortunate.  Below are a few words he's shared since being back plus a few photos.  Enjoy and watch our website for further trips to Ethiopia, Uganda, and Haiti where you can join the GGI team in action.

Eric writes. "My wife, Frani, and I recently returned from a ten day trip to Ethiopia to work at a church and school with an organization called Grace Giving International (www.gracegivinginternational.org).  We delivered food and blankets to many families in extreme poverty and interviewed 45 more kids for the sponsorship program.

The average worker makes $0.20 cents an hour there.  It is hard to fathom that we make more money in a few days here than most Ethiopians make in an entire year - all because we were born in the U.S.A.  Most of them have nothing but the clothes on their back and the worn out shoes on their feet, and yet, they are all smiles.  They are grateful when they can find food to eat and a mat to sleep on in a small mud hut at night.  Many can't afford to go to school so that's all they wish for in life.  If you have any interest in sponsoring one of these kids so they can go to school and receive a meal every day please contact GGI, it would completely change the child's life."

Eric also shared a few highlights from his trip.  "Words really can’t begin to describe all we did and saw these last 11 days. God worked so powerfully in so many ways that we were simply amazed. We visited many families, handed out clothes & shoes & goodies to so many kids and families, played the movie ‘Magdalena’ in Amharic to hundreds of people Friday night, did an abbreviated VBS and played the movie ‘The story of Jesus for children’ in Amharic Saturday morning, spoke at church on both Sundays, visited some of the seven daughter churches in the outlying communities, drove 250 km south to Soddo to see the large Christian Hospital there, chased baboons into the African bush, shared many meals and coffee with amazing people, loved on kids and interviewed 45 more kids to be sponsored by folks in the States. Every day was packed full."

Enjoy Eric's photos.

Blessing a widow with necessities in life

Visiting a typical mud house as part of the Blessing Program

Spending time at the school with the children

More children at school.

Typical mother selling items for cents at the outdoor market to earn money

Learning, Loving, and Leaving

This morning we returned to the doorless, windowless, dirt floored, plank-sided school room in Buloba for worship, and were greeted warmly by Pastor Fred, his older brother, Pastor Benjamin, and a packed house of around 100 believers. In fact, when one elderly lady saw us come in the door she ran up and hugged us all! Once again we were amazed at the joy in the drumming, dancing and singing of praises by people who are so poor by our standards, but so rich in spirit. In addition to some adult praise leaders, a group of seven children sang and danced a song of greeting in English and then a song in Lugandan encouraging people to have faith.

After many greetings Pastor Ken preached a great sermon on passing along the faith to our children based on David’s words to Solomon in 1^st Chronicles. Then Bosco exhorted the people in their own language. We had been told that only one of us would preach, which made me glad as a sinus infection has given me an increasingly sore throat, but the next thing I knew Bosco was introducing me as the second preacher of the morning! I borrowed a Bible from Pastor Peter, opened it up to Matthew 16, and improvised a sermon similar to the one I had delivered in Ndolwa. One of the essential skills in any kind of mission adventure is to be flexible and ready for anything!

In addition to the joy of worship, we are so often struck by the love and gratitude of Ugandans, who again and again ask us to pass on the following message to our home congregations: “Thank you for loving us.” They are so encouraged by the thought of people in America praying for them, and so hungry for more knowledge of the Scriptures. In fact, one of Pastor Benjamin’s heartfelt hopes is that they can get some Lugandan Bibles so the people in the congregation can read the Scriptures themselves.

Following worship the congregation insisted that we join them for a meal, after which they were going out to evangelize their neighbors. We sat on school benches as we enjoyed the now familiar meal of matoke, rice, beef broth, chicken broth, and cooked greens. It gave us a chance to talk to Pastor Benjamin, in particular, who shared the congregation’s ambition to somehow buy land of their own nearby, where they can continue to serve and evangelize this very needy, predominantly Muslim village. At present they feel that they have no sense of permanence and are unable to put in place many of the programs they would like to since the school is owned and operated by a private citizen, but it would take around $5,000 for them to purchase an acre and a half of land to have a permanent home.

As we were preparing to leave we gifted both pastors and their wives with packages of the food staples we had prepared and waved to the congregation as we headed to our home base in Njeru. After unloading the van we also gifted Pastor Peter with a box of staples, then hugged and blessed him, as he goes into surgery this week to remove the polyps from his vocal cords and is very nervous, having never undergone any kind of surgery before. It was a tearful farewell, with many eyes leaking, as they say in Uganda.

Tonight we are tying up loose ends and getting packed, as we have to leave at 4 AM tomorrow so that I can get checked in for my 9:30 flight to London. Ken, Martha, Becca and Charlie will stay at a guest house in Entebbe, as they need to check in for their flight to South Africa the next morning at 5:30 AM.  

We are also considering everything that we will take with us in our hearts. To be sure we will not miss the pervasive sights of mud, trash, advertising and poverty, nor the continual sounds of crying children, chainsaw engines, livestock and traffic, nor the potent smells of smoke, diesel fumes, open latrines, and body odor, nor the rattling taxi rides down poorly maintained roads. But we will deeply miss the people we have come to know here: their bright smiles and gentle laughter, their generous hospitality, enthusiastic worship, persevering faith, and loving friendship.

Thank you to all of you who have supported us in your prayers and helped us to make this trip. We look forward to bringing back a portion of the love and learning we have received, and hope to return again as soon as the Lord wills it. Please also pray about coming to Uganda yourself in the future. It is not for the faint of heart, but it will change your life to experience how the LORD is at work among His people here.

Joy in Jesus,

Kirk and the 2013 Ugandan Mission Team

Worship and Witness in Ndolwa

This morning we woke up early at the guesthouse in Kamuli to get on the road back to Ndolwa. I was really hoping for a hot shower but the electricity went out, and what I thought was coffee was definitely something else, though I am not sure what! As we jolted along the road for an hour and a half to Ndolwa, I was reflecting on all the things we take for granted back home, not least of which are shock absorbers on our vehicles.

When we got to Ndolwa, however, all thoughts of deprivation were dismissed by the joyful singing and whole hearted dancing of the choir at True Worship Centre! As Martha said recently, “If there are corners in heaven, I want to be in the Africa corner!” The choir was sharply dressed in shirts and pants or dresses all made from the same brightly patterned green material, and as they sang they smiled and danced enthusiastically, with such expression in their bodies I could often get a sense of what they were saying even without understanding Lugandan. Anet, Pastor Godfrey’s wife, led the praise and at one point told the growing congregation “If you are not sweating, you are not yet worshiping Jesus with everything!”

While Pastor Ken and I stayed to preach at the all believers’ conference, Becca, Martha, and Charlie went out into the bush with Pastor Godfrey to bring food blessings to six impoverished families. The contrast between the praise of the believers and the poverty in which some of them live could not be starker. One woman, Esther, had been abandoned along with her eight children by her husband, and had then lost one of the children to disease. Another, Ani, suffers from some kind of mental illness, yet always makes it to church on Sunday. Bringing food blessings and praying with them seems such a small gesture, but it is so important that they know they are not forgotten.

The return of our outreach group was considerably delayed when a road hazard slashed one of the van tires, but Jawale expertly repaired and replaced it. We were again treated to lunch at Godfrey and Anet’s home, then we had to ‘hit the road,’ a very appropriate term for driving on this particular road. A live hen and a young goat rode home with us behind the back seat of the van, but were silent the entire trip, undoubtedly praying!

Thank you for your prayers, which have supported and sustained us!

Kirk and the Tired Travelers

 

Discernment and the Drive to Ndolwa

This morning we left early, as those who had been to Ndolwa before agreed that the road was really bad. They were not kidding! If you like roller coasters, you would love riding in Jawale’s decrepit Toyota van over and around the potholes and construction obstacles on this rocky red clay road! We stopped to check in and drop our bags at a guest house in Kamuli, an hour and a half from our destination but still the closest facility that could house all of us. Then we continued on through the same kind of bush country as en route to Nawaikoke, but drier, as there has been drought here in recent years.

When we arrived at Ndolwa we were warmly greeted by Pastor Godfrey and watched with great interest by the children of the school he has started in the rented warehouse where his congregation worships. Because our journey took longer than expected and the village men had not yet gathered, we walked through the small village to Pastor Godfrey’s house where we were treated to heaping platters of matoke, rice, and potatoes, with steaming bowls of cooked greens, chicken, and beef.

Following lunch we walked back to the church, where around a hundred men and women had now joined the school children. We did not have either the space or the personnel to deal with men, women, and children separately, so we made a quick decision that Becca and Martha would minister to the children, while I would improvise a sermon to instruct the adults for an hour! It went well, thanks to Pastor Robert’s dynamic translation, even though we lost our sound system for a while when a passing rain squall required the generator to be moved inside and restarted. Meanwhile Becca and Martha presented stories, songs, and games to around 180 children!

After the children were dismissed, Becca and Martha led the women in a discussion of the helpfulness of Dorcas and the importance of hygiene for healthy families. At the same time, around 40 village men, including several pastors and elders, met outside under a large tree with Pastor Ken, Pastor Robert and me for a question and answer time. Some of the pastors do not even have Bibles, and much of the rumors and fanatics who reach them are wildly untruthful, so we had a very challenging time helping them sort fact from fiction with regard to the Christian faith. We were also occasionally interrupted by the bellows of a colicky cow grazing a few meters away. It must have gone well, however, as the men invited me to come back and give a three day seminar next year, if possible, and after listening to our discussion one young man came forward desiring to become a Christian!

On the way back to Kamuli we drove through a rain storm, which turned the already difficult road into a series of muddy streams, puddles, and wash outs. Jawale got us through and to the guest house just in time for dinner, except that the storm had taken out the electricity and the final preparation of our food had to wait until a generator was started. After we finally ate, we were all really tired from the intense travel and teaching, so we turned in early in the hopes of getting another early start tomorrow.

Thanks for paving the way for us through your prayers. Sola balunji,

Kirk and the Rough Riders

Children and Challenges in Buloba

Happy Independence Day to our American friends! Today we prepared packed five sets of food staples to bless people with and headed out in Jawale’s van to Buloba. The church there meets in a school started four years ago by a Christian man named Henry, who greeted us as we pulled onto the property. Since the government does not subsidize education in Uganda, anyone can start a school, and Henry decided it would be a good use for his land. Though he has not been able to afford to build more than a pair of dirt floored, plank sided classrooms and has no books, he has ambitions to build permanent buildings, run electricity, and even get computers for the children. He had the children sing and dance for us, then gave a speech welcoming us and asking for support.

Two brothers, Benjamin and Fred, pastor the congregation meeting at the school and work as carpenters during the week. They were already believers when Pastor Robert became a Christian in 1997, so they helped him grow in his faith and encouraged him to lead the youth organization they had founded. They told us that Buloba is a village plagued by alcoholism, adultery, and illness made very resistant to the gospel due to the strong Muslim influence.

Pastor Ken and I saw the latter factors as we went out to bless people with the food staples we had brought. We visited a man with some undiagnosed illness, a pair of elderly women who became believers with one daughter but whose other daughter and granddaughter remained Muslim, and a very poor woman who said she wanted to know Christ but feared the response of her Muslim husband. Her son was lame from an infection on his foot so Pastor Peter gave him money for medicine. Then we visited a woman with no family left crippled by chigger bites on her feet, and a woman with a grandson suffering from meningitis who had no money to get him treated.

While we were out visiting homes, Martha and Becca shared stories, songs, and sweets with the children at the school, many of whom were also suffering from illnesses. After saying good-bye to the children we traveled to Robert’s home town to visit Bosco’s mother, who lives in Robert and Sarah’s first home, a building he and Jawale had built. The house is surrounded by Robert’s relatives and near the family cemetery, but Robert had moved away after his relatives persecuted him for refusing to help with pagan burial rituals after his conversion. Now, however, his success as a pastor has made him a hometown hero, and we visited his cousin Balam who is a believer and manages the facility at Fountain of Hope.

We walked to the nearby home of Pastor Fred and were treated to a wonderful lunch prepared by his wife Esther. Their infant daughter Angela Joy was unfortunately afraid of the muzungu ghosts who invaded her home and hid her face the whole time!

After lunch we went to Fountain of Hope, where I played peek-a-boo with some laughing children while Martha and Becca paid school fees for some of the sponsored students, then sorted out and privately delivered supplies and gifts the children had needed. As they were doing that a thunderstorm struck, which was welcomed as a blessing for the crops and a diversion for the kids! We lost electricity after the storm, but it just came back on in time for dinner back here in Njeru.

Tomorrow we will leave early for Ndolwa and we will stay in a guest house tomorrow night, as the potholed dirt roads make travel to the village difficult and time consuming. If you don’t hear from us tomorrow, no need to worry; it just means we may not have internet, or for that matter electricity!

Thanks, once again, for your prayers.

 
Kirk and the Friendly Ghosts

Counting the Cost in Jinja

Today we headed into Jinja to buy more food staples with which to bless families and supplies for some of the children at Fountain of Hope. Sarah again led us down a dusty, crowded alley to a Christian woman she knew who would give us the best price for huge bags of rice, beans, and sugar. She then worked the shop stalls and street vendors for some additional needs. At one shop she had negotiated a price of $1,500 USH each for some clothes hangers if she bought two, but as soon as she turned to ask Martha about it, the price suddenly changed to the “mzungu price” of $2,000 USH each. After that we kept a low profile while Sarah and Jawale bought supplies at fairer prices. 

Martha had recovered from the fever she had yesterday and insisted that I accompany her, Becca, and Sarah to do some more shopping in a huge warren of tarp covered, rickety wooden stalls called the central market. There were hot, dirty, open air stalls selling an amazing array of fruits, vegetables, seeds and flours in one section, fish in the next, and animal parts in another. In spite of her recovery, Martha seemed a little faint as we passed the stomach and intestines section! When we got to the clothing stalls we found seamstresses at work on heavy old sewing machines doing alterations and making clothes to order from new cloth along with all sorts of used clothing, much of it bought in bulk bundles from US thrift stores and collection boxes.

After shopping for supplies we headed to the more upscale “mzungu section” of the city.  There a lady from one of Robert’s congregations gave us fair prices on souvenir items. It was actually a bit of a shock to see white people not part of our team for the first time in over two weeks, especially a few I noticed spending money with abandon, practically buying out the entire stock of one store. No wonder so many Ugandans automatically assume mzungus to be extremely rich.

After lunch we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the home of our driver, Jawale, and his family. He cares for eight children of his own, six grandchildren, and two orphans, on his taxi driving fares, in a tiny brick home built in two days. His wife helps by raising four cows, six goats, chickens, bananas, and other crops in their small back yard. Robert grew up with Jawale’s wife and the two men were both observant Muslims who spent a year arguing with Christian evangelists, until Robert converted to Christianity. Jawale remained Muslim, but they remain friends and Robert continues to pray for and witness to Jawale. Though our team filled Jawale’s front room so completely that he and his family had to sit outside, they insisted on treating us to sodas, avocados, and some incredibly sweet, flavorful bananas. We then brought out the gifts we had brought, sacks of beans, rice, four and sugar, which delighted his entire family.

This evening we decided to celebrate our day off by eating American food at a restaurant with Robert, Sarah, Jawale, Bosco, Steven, and Cedric. The food was quite good—burgers, sandwiches, and milkshakes—though all the food we have had here has been good, and a better reason for choosing the restaurant was that the American couple who started it use it to fund charitable organizations through which they serve in Uganda.

Cedric is a friend of Robert’s from Kenya who now teaches as an adjunct instructor at the seminary where they met in Jinja. He has a strong love of and call to teaching Biblical theology, especially in rural areas where pastors have very little training or background in the Bible, but is torn by the fact that he must leave his family back in Kenya to teach for months at a time, and when he returns to them they can’t make ends meet on an adjunct’s salary. I really empathized with him and am praying his situation changes, as he has such a passion for equipping pastors but also loves his family deeply.

Well, we just experienced a fairly pronounced earthquake here, which I will take as a sign that it is time to go to bed. As I do I am praying for those whose mud, brick, and stick shelters may not have withstood the tremors as well as the house where we stay did.

Thanks, once again, for your prayers.

 
Kirk and the Shakedown Crew

Beauty and Blessings in the Bush

This morning we left early for the long drive to Nawaikoke and Kafundakire, a small town and even smaller village in "the bush." The term is misleading if it raises images of sparsely populated, arid land overrun with wild animals. Here in eastern Uganda it means a poor, rural region far from major cities, but still fairly populated with people, cows, goats, and chickens. The trip took us from a two lane highway to a one lane paved road to a rocky, red dirt road, passing beautiful, lush, green fields of corn, sugar cane, sweet potato, and rice, with banana, jack fruit, and many other flowering and fruiting trees. As we went along we noticed more and more traditional housing in the form of round, thatch roofed huts, and as we approached our destination we crossed swamplands with marsh grass, water lilies, and papyrus. A flatbed truck passed us loaded with fishermen, indicating our close proximity to Lake Kyoga.

At Nawaikoke we met Pastor Fred and got to see the siding that our congregation funded to enclose his congregation’s pole structure and protect them from the elements. Fred had also started a school with forty students in the building. Martha had stayed home at Njeru with a fever and headache, so Becca had help from Sarah and Irene as she taught the children . This was a very quiet group, perhaps because they were much less familiar with mzungus than other children we have encountered. They had limited English, and their Lugandan was a different dialect from Sarah’s. Still, they were very polite: smiling, clapping in unison, and thanking Becca after each section of the lesson. They especially lit up when Becca brought out the universal languages of sweets and small toys!

At Kafundafire we waited while people came in from the fields and served as a novelty for people of the village to watch and discuss. Our advance team of Bosco, Philip, and Pastor Peter had set up a generator, sound system, and keyboard in the church building, which turned out to be a shelter of tree branches lashed together with an old, holey orange tarp overhead and sides made of sown together flour sacks. Before long the congregation had gathered and was singing praise songs that could be heard throughout the village.

After being seated in plastic patio chairs on the packed dirt platform, we were introduced to the congregation. We also met the young mayor of the village and Pastor Fred’s father Wycliff, who serves as volunteer pastor of the congregation, since it is 16km away from Nawaikoke. Pastor Ken then preached on Elijah and how God strengthens us when we feel we cannot go on. Pastor Robert translated and followed up, then I preached on how Jesus’ defiance of Herod revealed his courage and care for us. Pastor Robert invited people forward for prayer, and we were concerned about a woman who brought forward a very sick baby with skin infections visible on both its face and arm. Medical help is neither available nor affordable for bush people, so even Christians are tempted to turn out of desperation to witch doctors, thought their treatments make the situation worse.

Fortunately, we had brought a gift for Pastor Fred: his own boda-boda, to enable him to travel between his job, the two congregations, and the homes of his people. Our hope is that it also will allow Fred to meet needs such as taking people to get medical help. He was completely surprised, and his congregation was thrilled with the gift.

After the service we were treated to a delicious lunch of potatoes, sweet potatoes, chapate, chicken, and beef excellently prepared by the poor congregation. We then piled back into Jawale’s van for the long drive home under a dramatic, rainy sky.

Tomorrow we will be heading into town to prepare some more surprise blessings, but first we need sleep! Thanks for your continued prayers,

 
Kirk and the Surprise Committee

Updated Plans, Praise, and Propaganda

Today we had planned to go to Nawaikoke, but the taxi drivers had shut down the main roads and were threatening to stone vehicles carrying passengers in protest of excessive traffic fines recently enacted by the government, so we decided to play it safe and stay home. Pastor Robert does not think the drivers can afford to strike a second day, so we are planning to travel to both Kafundakire and Nawaikoke tomorrow, perhaps splitting into two teams to minister at both places in a single day.

We spent our time packaging blessings of food staples and hygiene supplies to distribute as we have opportunity later in the week. We also had fun singing through two books of Christian worship music a donor had sent to Sarah. Pastor Robert brought over the one guitar shared by his congregation and Fountain of Hope School. It had one string missing and all the rest were heavily corroded, so after lunch I set about restringing it with strings Sarah had bought in Kampala. After tuning the guitar we rigged a shoestring to attach the strap and cut some picks out of an old credit card so that I could use it to accompany our singing. I had talked to a couple of student musicians at the sports tournament over the weekend, including the Congolese student who plays the guitar. They eagerly asked if we could find some musicians to come teach them to play “American style” worship songs and help them get an electric guitar, bass, and other instruments for their worship team.

We also spent some time today in the sitting room watching the news and reading a Ugandan newspaper. It was striking to me how much American news Africans get, in contrast to how little African news Americans get. Aljazeera was reporting on the tragic death of the 19 firefighters in Arizona, the drought in many American states, and the Snowden debacle, but I am sure no American media picked up the 30 people killed and 29 hospitalized in a fuel tanker collision and explosion here in Uganda.

Of course, President Obama’s visit to South Africa was also big news here, though Pastor Robert told me that many Christian pastors consider Obama to be the anti-Christ, having learned from American evangelicals that Obama-care will require all people to have the mark of the beast in the form of microchips inserted into their hands. Pastor Robert seems to find such paranoid propaganda somewhat amusing, but I find it terribly embarrassing. I wonder what part of “not bear false witness” some of my countrymen don’t understand.

Tonight we will relax and prepare for an early start tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers!

Kirk and the Sitting Roomers

Worship and Widows in Bukeeka

Today was Sunday and we got to worship at Pastor Robert's large, open sided pole structure in Bukeeka. His youth minister and manager Bosco was already preaching to a half full house when we arrived, and soon there were around 300 people filling the place.

The worship team included about a dozen young men and women who led the congregation in singing and dancing praises with such joy and enthusiasm that it made even contemporary services at my home church seem pretty apathetic. As we worshiped I wondered if the fact that people here have so much more real hardship in their lives contributes to a greater appreciation and gratitude for the good news of Jesus' redemption. Though very poor by economic standards, their cheerfulness as they danced forward to give their offerings demonstrated a richness of spirit.

When it came time for the sermons, Martha, Becca, and Charlie took around 80 children down the road to Fountain of Hope to minister to them with songs, stories, prayer books and the Easter eggs we had brought. Since many children stay at the school over the weekend, the crowd of children doubled to around 160 by the time they were done!

Pastor Ken and I both preached, I on Jesus' superiority to Satan demonstrated in His casting out of a demon, and Pastor Ken on the steadfast love of the Lord. Given the influence of witch doctors and pervasive poverty in the area, both messages were received well. After we spoke, Pastor Robert reinforced both messages and called people forward for prayer before concluding with a song, blessing, and announcements. The people then came forward and greeted us very warmly.

After worship we went to pray with a sick widow nearby. She was in a lot of pain and had a very distended abdomen. Sarah had taken her to the hospital in the past, where she was treated for stomach ulcers, and will follow up to see if she is again suffering from the same problem. We prayed for her and tried to reassure her, as her house was the gift of a previous team and she believes that her neighbors have cursed her as a result, hoping she will die so that they can take her house. Such are the politics of trying to help even one person where poverty is endemic.

Tomorrow we were planning to travel to Nawaikoke, a long drive north east of here, but we just found out that the drivers are calling for a total shut down of the highways, threatening to stone even bicycles moving on the roads, in protest of an extreme hike in the traffic fines levied by the police for traffic infractions. There is a meeting of the authorities in Kampala tonight, but if the situation does not change we will not be able to travel.

Please pray for this situation and we will let you know what happens tomorrow!

Joy in Jesus,

Kirk and the Preaching Passengers

Ceremony and Celebration in Bukeeka

It's 9 pm and we just ate dinner after a long but rewarding second day at the Fountain of Hope Football and Netball Tournament! In the morning we sorted out medals for the top eight teams in each sport, then we got to watch the games. By mid-afternoon it was time for the netball championship game, and we got to inspect, meet, and have our photo taken with the officials and athletes in both teams before the game. And the winner was...Fountain of Hope, for the fourth year in a row, easily defeating the second place team 20-6.

The students were jubilant, but immediately headed down to the football pitch for the championship soccer game. After inspecting, greeting, and posing with both teams, we watched and cheered along with thousands of spectators lining the field, though Fountain's team was outrun, out passed, and out scored 3-0. After that we headed up to the campus for a closing ceremony in which I was one of several officials to give speeches. We handed out the 400 some medals, awarded cash prizes and recognition to the best players and teams, and finally awarded the two bulls to the top teams in each sport. By that time it was already dark, but the DJ running the sound system put on the music and the huge crowd of students remaining were dancing in the dark and dust as we headed for home. 

This week two very happy schools will be shooting the bull and enjoying the taste of victory, quite literally, while hundreds of others will cherish their medals and memories. It was a great day, and we will all sleep really well tonight! 

Kirk and the Dignitaries

Sports and Sacrifices in Bukeeka

This morning we left right after breakfast for Fountain of Hope School’s Sports Festival, a two day tournament involving 32 teams from 16 junior schools in two sports: football for the boys (what Americans call soccer) and netball for the girls. Netball is something like outdoor basketball, in which the ball is passed without dribbling and thrown through a hoop—with no net. (If you think it odd, consider that what Americans call football involves moving something that is not round like a ball, primarily with our hands.)

As we turned off the highway onto the rutted, red dirt road leading to the school, we could already see hundreds of children in their colorful school uniforms and many adults streaming to the festival. Our job was to sort and hand out the participant t-shirts in 16 different colors, chosen by their coaches in a blind draw, for the different schools. We then handed out polo shirts for school staff, coaches, and officials like us. We did this in a warm, humid, plank sided, tin roofed junior classroom with any hope of a breeze blocked by the student bodies pressed up against the windows watching us, so it was sweaty work! After handing out the almost 500 shirts, we sorted Sarah’s suitcase of medical supplies and put together first aid kits for the four football pitches (soccer fields). Sarah serves as nurse, not only for the school, but for their churches, which are in villages where medical help is often either unavailable or unaffordable.

After our work was done, we got to lend our status as “mzungus” (white European types) to the games by watching from the sidelines. Though the netball games are all played within Fountain of Hope’s compound, the school has only one soccer field, so after lunch I went with Pastor Robert to make an appearance at the three other fields and scout out Fountain’s competition. To my surprise, the other fields were several miles away in two different directions, a long walk for the teams and spectators.

As we drove between the fields Pastor Robert pointed out a large rock formation with a cave in which human sacrifices are performed. Even the poorest people try to barricade themselves in their houses at night and get their girls’ ears pierced if they can, since the witch doctors and their followers will steal children without blemishes to sacrifice at night, leaving the parents to find the remains the next morning. Last year they also kidnapped and sacrificed a local butcher, leaving his family to fend for them selves. When we got back to the school I took a picture of two of the small signs around campus that encourage the children in their aspirations. The first said, “Stop late coming.” The second said, “Fight human sacrifice.” No, not all schools have the same set of problems.

The good news is that around the school many of the witch doctors are either dying or converting. Pastor Robert pointed out the dilapidated shack of one of the chief witch doctors, who had infiltrated his church when he first started. Unbeknownst to him, she had been terrorizing neighbors with a large snake she claimed was the embodiment of a demon. During worship one Sunday, Robert was inspired to predict that someone in the congregation would come home to dead snake, and it turned out to be her! She cursed Robert, then died, so her sister and daughter became believers.

Compared to that kind of conflict, the sports matches are a rather trivial diversion, though you would never know it to judge by the joyful, shouting children running through the compound, jogging and jumping in rhythm to celebrate Fountain’s third victory out of  three soccer matches today. Their girls team completely dominated in netball, but from what I could see the boys will have a run for their money in soccer tomorrow. To be specific and accurate, a barefoot run, since they do not have shoes, for their bull, since the teams win not only money but something perhaps better: a bull for their village.

Thanks for keeping us in prayer, and tune in tomorrow for the tournament results!

Kirk and the Mzungus 

Building Up Pastors and Blessing the Poor

Today was the final day of the pastor’s conference in Bukeeka, and nearly 120 people participated! It was a tremendous joy to work through the Book of Romans with such an eager and engaged group. There were several questions having to do with Christian submission to government as described in Romans 13, which seemed a fitting topic as rumors are already circulating here of Nelson Mandela’s death. We also spent quite a while discussing how Christians deal with disagreements in practice, an important topic since differences regarding spiritual disciplines have been a matter of contention among the local pastors. We managed to work all the way through Romans by the time the conference was to conclude, and the participants were delighted when we presented them with certificates of completion on behalf of Grace Giving International.

While Pastor Ken and I were participating in the conference, Martha, Becca, and Charlie were blessing five families in Bukeeka with food staples. Then they headed to Jinja where they bought shoes and backpacks for some of the Fountain of Hope students. After that they arranged blood work and a doctor’s appointment for Sarah, Pastor Robert’s sister. She has been suffering from malaria and severe pain below her abdomen, which is a great concern as her mother died young of ovarian cancer. Finally, they were able to arrange a doctor’s appointment for Pastor Peter, and get the surgery to restore his voice scheduled for July 9^th. We are all tremendously grateful and thank God for donor who responded to yesterday’s blog post by generously funding the surgery!

Tonight is our second night preparing for the soccer and netball tournament that begins tomorrow at Fountain of Hope. This year there will be 32 teams from 16 schools competing, and we are preparing to help bring order out of the chaos! Mwabule nwa—thank you very much for your continued prayers and support of the work we are blessed to help with here!

 

Kirk and the Helping Hands

Resupply in Jinja and Romans in Bukeeka

Today was a bit more laid back, and for that we are thankful! Martha, Becca, and Charlie went shopping in Jinja with Sarah negotiating prices to restock the food gifts with which we have been blessing poor people and the hygiene kits they have been giving out at the women’s conferences. Shopping for such supplies can be a long and difficult ordeal, since each item is available at a different market stall. Fortunately Sarah knows where the best prices can be arranged with the least amount of haggling. After shopping they went to Fountain of Hope to determine how many of the students need new mattresses. The mattresses cost $60,000 USH each, about $22 US dollars.

Pastor Ken and I spent the day at Bukeeka where I was privileged to teach on the Book of Romans for a second day. The pastors asked many excellent questions, some of which would be difficult to answer even without the language barrier. Yet it was a great joy as the group was very thoughtful, appreciative, and committed to serving their various congregations.

It is hard to exaggerate the faithfulness of some of the pastors we have met. Pastor Peter lives with his young wife and six children in a two room mud hut. He has no transportation except his feet and cannot afford to send all of his children to school. Nor does he have the $500 for a surgery to remove polyps on his vocal chords which are preventing him from working as a teacher. This spring he was in a serious auto accident with one of the other pastors while returning from taking an American guest to the airport and he suffered a chest injury. Still, this man is full of joy, and last night at the evangelism rally his wife got up to give her testimony of how good God has been to them.

Pastor Ken and I are compiling a list of the needs of the churches we are visiting, as well as what’s needed at Fountain of Hope. The cost to meet most of the individual needs is not great, but the sheer number of needs is overwhelming. When we get home we plan to prioritize the needs and raise funds to meet as many as possible. Please pray, not merely for us, but even more for the brave men and women who are so faithfully doing God’s work here in very difficult circumstances.

Sola balunji (good sleep),

Kirk and the Investigators

Ministry in Kikubamutwe, Bukeeka, and Wabiyinja

Today we again split into two teams. This time Becca and Martha took Charlie to Kikubamutwe, Pastor Robert’s home village, where they repeated their presentation on Body Stewardship and Service. Kikubamutwe means “hit on the head,” but the only thing that struck our team was how gracious and pleased the ladies were with the information, hygiene kits, and opportunity to meet together.

Pastor Ken and I went to Bukeeka, where I had the opportunity to teach the first four hours of a study on the Book of Romans to a group of around eighty pastors, their wives, and other church leaders. Of course, since this is Africa, we started with only twenty people and others gathered as the day went on.  I was more than a little concerned about the effectiveness of teaching a lengthy and complex topic through an interpreter, but the questions and comments from the pastors participating were very thoughtful and encouraging. Since the buzz was good, we expect even more people tomorrow.

During the lunch break, Pastor Ken and I got to eat rice, beef and broth “African style” without any utensils. In America, of course, we also eat with our hands at pastor’s conferences, but generally that means donuts!

The Kikabamutwe team joined us after lunch, and immediately after the conference ended for the day we piled into Jawale’s taxi and headed back to the crossing at Wabiyinja for the second night of the evangelism rally. The crowd was even bigger than last night, and again there was loud singing and dancing by a choir and soloists on the rickety platform. Eventually Pastor Ken was called up onto the platform, and as Bosco interpreted he shared God’s faithfulness in keeping His promise to overcome the power of Satan, as evidenced in Jesus’ casting out demons and defeating Satan on the cross. It was a potent message for those under the influence of witch doctors, and Pastor Ken managed to make it down the ladder of branches afterward without falling (barely!) in spite of his feet having fallen asleep on the uneven surface.

We again arrived home after dark, ate a delicious dinner, and made plans for tomorrow. It will be day two of the pastors conference for me, while other members of the team are planning to shop for some of the items we need for outreach and the soccer tournament coming up this weekend. Thanks for checking in and for including us in your prayers!

In Christ,

Kirk and a tired out team!

Body Talk in Bukeeka and Evangelism in Wabiyinja

This morning we split into two teams. Becca and Martha went to Bukeeka, where Becca presented a talk on Body Stewardship and Service at a gathering of women, weaving in the Biblical story of Dorcas, a poor woman beloved for her generosity. The presentation was very warmly received, and the women were pleased to receive hygiene kits assembled for each of their families. They responded by giving some beautiful hand-made jewelry to Becca and Martha.

Pastor Ken, Charlie and I went to Wabiyinja, where we blessed five poor widows with gifts of food and got a better understanding of the congregation’s vision for serving the many widows and orphans nearby. One woman’s story was particularly moving, as she was the childless second wife of a Muslim man, whose other wife’s sons had cast her out after her husband died. She so desperately needed to know that she was loved and not forgotten!

After lunch we reunited at the worship center in Bukeeka, then prepared for an evangelistic rally at a cross road near Wabiyinja. The site was chosen because many Muslims live within hearing distance, and some young men had prepared it by building a rough platform of tree limbs about five feet off the ground and a hooking up a powerful sound system.

When we arrived, Sarah, Steven, and ten members of the local congregation climbed onto the platform and began singing and dancing to loud African praise songs. This drew a crowd of curious onlookers to join the singing and dancing members of the congregation who had gathered.

After a long period of praise and inspirational songs by congregation members, Pastor Robert was introduced, then introduced me. I had the opportunity to share the good news, based on Jesus’ revelation to his followers in Matthew 16 that he was not simply a teacher of righteousness like John the Baptist, nor a miracle worker like Elijah, nor a prophet like Jeremiah, but the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came to break down the gates of Hades and set people free through his death and resurrection. It was a very powerful message in a place where witch doctors hold the power of sin and death over people like spiritual mobsters and Muslims consider Jesus a prophet but then dismiss his words about his identity and purpose!

The sermon started so late that it was getting dark by the time I was done, but the crowd stayed to hear Pastor Robert call for their response to the message, and fourteen people came forward for prayer.   We were watching the bats come out into the night sky as we left, and as we jolted down the dirt road back to the highway I noticed a family had gathered their cows into their yard for the night.  I guess it is now proven that I literally can preach until the cows come home!

After a late dinner we are preparing for another busy day tomorrow. Becca and Martha will be presenting to another women’s group, I will be teaching at a pastors’ conference, and it will be Pastor Ken’s turn to preach at the evening evangelistic rally. Thanks for your continued prayers!

In Christ’s Service,

Kirk

Worship in Wabiyinja and Baptisms at Bukeeka

Today was a busy day! After breakfast we piled into Jawale’s taxi and bumped our way to True Worship Center in Wabiyinja. Before even getting out of the van we could hear the drums and the voices of the congregation singing praise songs inside the tin roofed pole structure. We were warmly greeted by about 50 adults and around 120 children inside the structure, especially as the team from last year and its congregation had funded rough wooden planks to side the building and protect the growing congregation from the weather.

Pastor Gabriel officially welcomed us and reported that congregation has been growing, both in members and in awareness of needy families in the impoverished community. In order to generate income and help provide food for the poor, the congregation has planted maize on their property and now dreams of obtaining a mill with which they can grind the corn to produce posho flour and a storage building to protect it.

 

While Pastor Ken preached to the adults on God’s grace revealed in His answer to Job out of the storm and in Jesus’ calming the storm, Martha, Becca and Charley went outside with all the children and taught them about Daniel and God’s ability to rescue us from death. The children especially enjoyed their first Easter egg hunt at the end of the lesson, in which each child was given an egg to keep as a toy with a piece of candy in it and a prayer book to take home as well.

After worship we were blessed to present Pastor Gabriel with his own brand new boda-boda motorcycle to solve his transportation difficulties.  The entire congregation burst into songs of praise to God when they saw the gift to their pastor and realized how it would help him in his ministry. The celebration continued as we enjoyed a delicious lunch of sweet potatoes, matoke, beans, rice, broth, peas, boiled bananas and sweet pineapple.

From the church we drove to Fountain of Hope School, where parents were visiting their children at the boarding school and enjoying lunch together. We waited and talked with the children while a large flatbed truck picked up people from Wabiyinja and several other villages for the afternoon’s baptisms.

The baptisms took place east of Bukeeka in the Nile River. I had the privilege of wading into the river and serving with Pastor Peter as one of three teams doing the baptisms following instruction by Pastor Robert.  It was a very moving experience as 69 people waded out to be baptized, accompanied by loud singing of praise songs by all those gathered on the bank. The power of baptism in the name of Christ was especially evident in the manifestation of demon possession in a young girl before her baptism and in two other women on the bank who went into convulsions and had to be exorcised.

Following the baptisms we headed back to prepare for the many outreach activities of the coming week, beginning tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM. Whew—time for bed! Except for Pastor Robert , who just got called out on an emergency. Please continue to pray for him and the ministry here, as the work is both deeply rewarding and desperately relentless! 

In Christ’s service, 

Kirk and the Gang

Mud Huts in Mpumudde

This morning we dressed up, piled into Jawale's van, and rattled up a deeply rutted track  to the bush village of Mpumudde, where Pastor Ken and I were privileged to speak at an "All Believers Conference." About 60 people were already dancing and singing praise songs when we arrived at the dirt floored, mud walled, thatch roofed shelter, the men in dress shirts and slacks, a few in suits and ties, the women in beautiful dresses, some with traditional pinched up shoulders, and many children, also in their best clothes.

The gathering was organized by Pastor Mike, who is Pastor Robert's physical father but spiritual son, since Robert came to faith first and oversees the congregation, and by Rebbecca, Pastor Mike's new wife, who first started the congregation. Mike explained that they had started in a coffee factory in Kisega, but built the shelter on Rebecca's property in Mpumudde when the factory needed the room. They are hoping to buy a one acre property nearby and build a more permanent structure, since the congregation is growing and the thatched structure leaks when it rains. They are also hoping to acquire musical instruments for worship, and transportation for the pastors, who live 25km away.

I got to speak first, with Pastor Robert translating for the enthusiastic group. I shared about Jesus' determination to accomplish our salvation despite King Herod's threats and noted that Jesus was not afraid of sickness, demons, death, rejection, judgment, or waiting for our repentance. When Pastor Robert emphasized that Jesus is not afraid of demons, a man in the back--whom we later learned was a witch doctor--quickly left the gathering! Pastor Ken preached from Ecclesiastes and the story of Jesus healing Jairus' daughter, emphasizing that "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases," a message that seemed to really resonate with those present.

The conference ended with praise, prayer, and lunch for all those present. We were treated to a delicious meal in the mud walled home of another local pastor, also called Pastor Robert, which included matooke (cooked plantains), red beans, rice, some kind of meat broth, sweet potatoes, cassava, and a paste of ground nuts that tasted somewhat like peanut butter. After lunch we prayed for our host, as his wife had left him after he became a believer.

In the afternoon we had the opportunity to bless the families of five widows who lived nearby in the bush with prayers and packages we had prepared of rice, beans, flour, sugar, and soap. Truly, though, we were the ones blessed by the opportunity to share with these gentle women. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day, and even amidst human poverty we found wealth in joy of the children, the greenery of the fields, and the growth of God's kingdom around us.

Since returning to our home base, we have been preparing for upcoming outreach activities and tomorrow's worship events. Thanks for checking in, and please continue to remember us in prayer!

Kirk (Or as most Ugandans pronounce it, "Pastor Kook")

Greetings from Uganda 2013!

Greetings from Uganda! Last night the last of our team members arrived at the airport in Entebbe. Our fearless driver, Jawale, steered our van through the dark, smoky streets of Kampala, dodging trucks, taxi vans, motorcycle taxis called boda-bodas, bicycles, potholes, and swarms of people. After five hours of jolting travel, relieved by a nice dinner at a restaurant along the way, we arrived at the compound of Pastor Robert and Sarah for a very merry, if bleary eyed, late night reunion.

Since several members of our team were jet lagged, we all slept in this morning. After a late breakfast, we ventured out to the dusty shops and alleyways of Jinja, where were a bit of a curiousity as we bought huge bags of rice, beans, and sugar, along with boxes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other items to share with people we expect to meet in the coming days.

After lunch, we headed to Bukeeka for a visit to Fountain of Hope Junior and High Schools. The children and staff all greeted us warmly and we were given a tour of the facilities. It was my first time to visit, but Becca, who had visited Fountain of Hope four years ago, was astounded by the growth in children and facilities. Pastor Robert showed us the new concrete kitchen built to replace the old, wooden, open air kitchen a few years ago, but noted that by the time the new facility was built the enrollment had grown so that they needed both kitchens, and they are now again waiting for money to finish expanding the new kitchen. Similarly, a dormitory built for resident students with two sides, for boys and girls, now houses only girls because it had grown overcrowded, with bunks stacked four high. So now a classroom building has been converted to boys dorms and the high school students are back to using an old, wooden building at the junior school for classes. The schools now have over a thousand students and its enrollment continues to grow with its reputation.

After touring Fountain of Hope, we stopped at the new and improved pole church, True Worship Center in Bukeeka. I was delighted to meet Elisha, son of a local witch doctor, who is now a bold believer in Jesus Christ. Not long ago True Worship hosted over a thousand people at an evangelistic rally, which is particularly striking as the church looks out at a mountain where human sacrifices have been offered to the demons that still hold many people captive here.

It's now after dinner, and we are preparing for our first visit to one of the bush congregations nearby for an all believers rally in the morning and some outreach in the afternoon. Thanks for checking in, and please keep us in your prayers in the coming days!

Kirk