Haven't Had Power In Four Days

August 22 2013

We heard from the SMI team today! They haven't had power in four days, due to bad storms in the area. There are a lot of great things happening, and they are looking forward to sharing more details when they get back from Uganda.

The team finished well repairs last week, and has been spending much of their remaining time networking and building relationships. 

They discovered that the health education officer for the Ibanda District happens to live right across the street from the SMI land purchased in the spring, and we were able to meet with him to discuss health issues including malnutrition and drug resistant strains of malaria. (What are the odds – Kristen just completed her capstone project on drug resistant strains of malaria). When she did her research, they didn't have any data on this happening in sub-Saharan Africa. It is our hope that meetings like this one will create opportunities for further work in the future.

Thank you for all the encouraging comments! Follow us on twitter!

@sustainmission

The Opportunity To Learn Sustainable Skills

April 17, 2013

While most of the team visited wells on Monday, Mary and I visited Alpha and Omega Secondary school and spent time with Pastor Moses’ family. We spent time talking with the headmaster, Frank, and one of the teachers, gaining a deeper understanding of how their curriculum works and what they need. I was able to take lots of pictures at the school in order to document the conditions there. Mary took video interviews of several students. 

We hope that pictures and video will help those at home visualize what life is like here. At the beginning of the week, Mary taught everyone how to make beads out of colored paper and newspaper. The paper is rolled up and dipped in varnish before being hung up to dry. The materials are inexpensive and easily accessible to the community. The result is a professional looking product for very little cost. Our vision is to sell the jewelry in the U.S. for a decent profit by Ugandan standards. This will give students at Alpha and Omega the opportunity to learn a sustainable skill that will boost their confidence. The current dropout rate at the school is 20% due to lack of funding by parents during dry seasons when there are no crops. Students who are struggling to afford tuition will be given first priority. It is our hope that small steps like this one will lead into bigger opportunities. Expanding this initiative into the village churches could eventually lead to positive results such as the ability of church members to tithe, save, start savings accounts, and help fund future well maintenance. The churches could even use profits to initiate their own benevolence campaigns to reach surrounding communities.

Bacteria-Laden Water

April 16, 2013

Well, today was quite a powerful adventure!

We have been repairing wells to return clean water to communities. Over 500,000 person-days of water usage occurs each year; that is, each well serves between 1,500 to 2,000 people every day. Many of those served are children from the local schools, and most are drinking black-colored, bacteria-laden, dysentery-causing water, if the wells are not working.

We were up at 8 AM and we started work this morning at 9 AM when the well mechanic arrived at Pastor Moses’ house. Taursisis (or Teshi as Bart called him) was sent from God.  He jumped right into working with Andrew Okello –instructing the village workers while showing us how to disassemble the well pump head so that Andrew could learn how to become a well mechanic himself. Cat recorded the GPS data, and worked with Andrew to update the paperwork that will lead to the well inventory, and well repair and maintenance data. We are gathering the data for statistics regarding each well (e.g., population in the communities served by each well, the GPS location, the elevation, the frequency of inspections, the maintenance and repair records, the longevity of various pump parts). First, we worked on well #9, then we dropped off the well crew at well #10 so they could start identifying the problem(s) with the second well.

While they worked on the second well, we traveled to Mbarara. We have rented Pastor George Nsamba’s Toyota Land Cruiser for the ‘bush’ portion of our trip in and out of Kiburara – the 4-wheel drive and off-road suspension have been highly needed, well worth the fee, and greatly appreciated by us. There were three main reasons to take this 2.5 hour trip to Mbarara today:

1. To meet with the Mbarara Land Council to, hopefully for the last time, identify the specific documents that we need in order to buy land. This process has been difficult, as each district and region has its own procedures. We arrived at the offices at 4 PM (it was our understanding that they were open until 5 PM). They were closed, but the guard graciously allowed us to come in and we were able to chat with the Processing Attorney, who detailed the process that we need to follow.

2. To purchase the parts for the two wells that the well crew was working on. After leaving the Land Office with nothing but what else they wanted us to bring next time, we went to the plumbing shop in Mbarara. This is the entire plumbing department of Home Depot crammed into a 15’ x 15’ storefront – that only has one type of something, and if they don’t have it, you can’t get it. But we purchased EVERYTHING we needed there! Wow, George (the owner) was very helpful and found us everything we needed, after looking through a multitude of boxes. George had to cut the 10 — 20’ 1.25” pipes into 20 – 10’ lengths, and then used the dye to cut the threads, by hand into the cut ends of the pipe. We decided to go get something to eat while we waited, and have a Novita (a delicious carbonated pineapple drink).

3. To meet with Pastor George Byabagamby for dinner and discuss his business experience. George told us all about how he started  Savings and Credit Associations (SCA) with his communities. Cat had great questions about the micro-finance and SCA models. George explained that, while the first attempt failed, the second attempt worked well because the women and men invested their own money into the loan pool and lent out their own money. He found that they were more accountable with their own money. George also described how they are starting to form a bank and explained what they have learned from this process.

Moses is doing all our translation from ‘we need to have it this way’ American to ‘this is the way we do it here in Uganda’ Luganda or Runyankole. Moses is a gentle, loving, and joyful man. We love his friendship! He has become like family. God has even used Moses to speak friendship, patience, faith, and waiting-on-God’s time to us. We are truly thankful for him.

We have had a full day today; we have stretched all the hours to their maximum. Cat and John are asleep. We are on the way home. Tomorrow, we plan to finish repairing the first two wells, and then repair and maintain as many additional broken wells as possible.

Pray that God continues to favor our work!

Mukama Asiimwe

Eight Hour Trek To Kiburara.

All of the Ugandans are so very friendly! We have felt very welcomed and are grateful for the friendships we are developing.

So far, we have visited 6 wells. One well had no pump head, one well was working but the water took a long time to pump and come out, and the other four wells were non-functional.

Joseph, our driver, let Bart take the wheel with his International Drivers’ License and said he drove like a ‘commando.’ Bart is not sure what he meant, but had fun!

We installed both Rainwater Collection/Catchment Systems (RCS) today. The installation crew arrived yesterday, and worked yesterday and today to install the RCSs. The systems included all the gutters, downspouts, two 10,000 litre water tanks, and 3 filters to make sure the water is drinkable immediately from the tap.

Afterwards, we drove to Ibanda to get fuel (for the 3rd time – total of 750,000 UGX = $300), bought 3 mattresses (2 for Covenant Mercies facilities), 5 pillows, Coke, an Energy drink, rice, baby formula, and also checked on 2 more 10,000 litre water tanks.

We enjoyed a great dinner of goat stew, rice, mashed potatoes, chapati, and tea.

We will have a chicken butchering session in the morning to watch ‘dinner’ being prepped.

Thank you for all the encouraging comments! Follow us on twitter!

@sustainmission

Our first stop of the day was at a medium sized church, where we were surrounded by children shaking our hands, and joined in worship for a little while. We introduced ourselves and left shortly afterward headed for Pastor Ben Nbasa’s church.
His church had been meeting in a building without a roof for several years. Walls had been in place, and a fine layer of straw covered the dirt floor, but blue tarps provided the only shelter until three weeks ago when they were finally able to have a roof installed. The service was about three hours long, with worship, testimonies, a message from Pastor Moses, and several introductions. Children worshiped in the middle of the room while parents and adults were against the walls near sets of benches, and the passion of this congregation’s worship was powerfully sincere.

After the service, Pastor Ben invited the team to his offices for a lunch which a member of his staff had prepared for us. We had chicken, eggs, and soda, but what pulled some of us up short was the chicken. It didn’t look like chicken. And maybe that’s just because we’re so used to seeing nice and neat chunks of boneless meat arranged on a silver platter. It was strange pulling off hunks of chicken off random bits of bone, but we were hungry, and it was good. Grease coated our fingers as we got up from the table to wash and say goodbye as we headed off to visit yet another church.


People have welcomed us by giving us bottles of water. At first I thought it was a one-time thing, but it’s happened everywhere we’ve gone. Churches and schools have all thanked us for visiting by giving us bottles of water. What must it cost for these leaders to buy us water when they cannot afford it for themselves or their families?

A swarm of children – literally – would surround you if you took their picture and showed it to them. It was amazing how many children would crowd, pushing, shoving, hands reaching, necks craning, to get a glimpse at the bright screen that showed them what they looked like. Erin, Bart, and I took many pictures of these children, bright white teeth flashing, huge brown eyes gaping, colorful dresses and tattered shirts staring into the camera, it was adorable and endearing to see the excitement on their faces to see the Muzungo taking photos of them.

While we were gone, Mary spent the day at the church in Kiburara and made beads with some of the ladies here. They’ve been working on creating beads from paper to make jewelry to sell. It’s a lot of work, but we’re working and praying toward great success for the ladies as they prepare to eventually go to market with their products.

The church in this community was in a small mud-caked building no longer than 40 feet long. In spite of its size, it was packed with believers worshiping God. Drums, clapping, and children’s voices dominated the hot, still air as these wonderful Christians sang with all their hearts. After introductions were made, with many Hallelujahs and Amens, we were asked to sing a song for the congregation. It’s a good thing Bart had gotten Erin and me to sing “In Christ Alone” on the earlier drive; we all got up there and sang it for the believers, who picked out a drumbeat and clapped with us. Then three ladies from the congregation blessed us with a song, complete with choreographed movements and harmonies. Shortly after that, we made our way from the church to the banks of Lake George which was some 300 yards away. 

We laughed as we watched several of the boys jumping in the shallow waters, doing flips and dunking each other until we noticed the water containers they had taken out there with them. And then we saw the cow-pies littering the ground near the water’s edge, and the trampled grass where the animals had come down to drink. Finally we realized that the people of that village drank from and bathed in the same water that cow dung was swept into during the rains, and that they shared this water source with the cows themselves. It pulled me up short when I saw this firsthand. Dysentery is only one of the many problems caused by the poor water quality, and there is no other water source available to them at present. And yet the incredible joy and hospitality these people had despite their circumstances astounded us: we were given several purified water bottles and a bag full of oranges from their fields.

Before heading home we stopped in at a well at the Kanara Gospel Center, where we discovered the well, which hasn't even been up for a year, services 1,000 to 1,500 people a day and is still going strong. Although a part had gone bad within its first five months, the community leaders in charge of the well took the initiative to see to its repair and set it back on track, adding security measures to protect the pump lever from being unnecessarily abused. It was the first well we had seen with this added security protections.

Bed time; but the bar next door is blaring its music again. Last night they didn't knock off until 3:30 AM, so we would appreciate prayers for another power outage (including an outage for their generator) so that we can be well rested for tomorrow’s work! 
This web site gives you much more in-depth details posting a link to the teams other blog sites:

http://sustainablemissions.wordpress.com/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-b
log

In short the team picked up another traveler (John) and made the eight hour trek to our friends in Kiburara.

Some great photos are being sent, and I will try to post them of the reunion in the village. Mary spent much of the day with the head master at the new vocational school and was helping the sewing instructor with projects that will help produce income for the students. Much needed supplies were also given to the staff.

They completed the rain collection system on the roof of the school in one day just before a huge down pour. Because it is rainy season one tank on the new system filled over night. Sweet success.

Trip Full Of Activity

Day four in Kampala was probably the busiest so far. By 8:20 sharp they were out the door, cramming in the Land Rover with Joseph at the wheel, and headed out to the first of what was supposed to be only two meetings with the various attorneys working with us to register the land bought in Kiburara. There had been a setback due to a lack of information being given, and Bart and Andrew were particularly anxious to resolve it as soon as possible, so work on the land could begin. Mary and Beatrice (our host’s wife) left us to shop for fabric for the vocational school while Andrew, Bart, and I (Cat) went to meet our first attorney. Everything was smooth sailing, even the hectic but ironically laid back traffic, until we met the second attorney where we ran into a few snares of the previous delay’s nature, resulting in two more appointments being made, and setting us back at least two and a half hours.

​ Consigned to falling a few hours behind schedule, we sat down to lunch at a Chinese restaurant which sold a mixture of Ugandan and Indian food with some Chinese food on the side, and called Chris at Farming God’s Way to let him know our revised schedule. We had hoped to meet him at 3pm 80 kilometers away in Jinja so he could show us around the farm he oversees and tell us about the style of agriculture he and his organization implement. We ended up arriving at the farm past five. Chris met with us and took us around to various plots, educating us on how “Farming God’s Way” technique works. Although they are affiliated with Katie Davis and the Amazima program, and though she does her work there every Saturday, they are separate entities. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool being on her turf and seeing where she works. Chris, a “no nonsense” Canadian who’s lived in Uganda since the late 1990s, showed us the differences between the traditional forms of farming and the methods used by “Farming God’s Way”. Part of their ideology is that the earth responds and yields its best when it is treated the way in which God designed it to be treated. Therefore, their methods, including zero tilling, using natural mulch to protect the earth’s nutrients and prevent tilting of the land itself, proved to be far more effective at consistently producing better, healthier, denser crops than the traditional methods of farming. Chris proved to have a wealth of knowledge that he was most eager to share with us, and we tried to absorb as much of it as we could. He explained to us how much he wanted this knowledge to reach as many people as possible so that the land could be used more effectively and fruitfully, and so that farmers would honor the Lord through the work he gave them. His message made so much logical sense; it would have been hard to find a point of contention or significant flaw in it.​ Chris is a trainer of trainers, meaning he goes to different places in the Southern, Eastern, and Northern regions of Uganda to train enthusiastic and driven farmers to know how to better care for their land. Farming God’s Way depends on three aspects: spiritual, management, and technical. It’s not possible to only utilize one or two of these methods; like a 3-legged stool, if one leg falls, the whole structure can no longer stand. To farm the way God intended it to be, there must first be a personal relationship with God; managing and stewarding the earth well is a job God personally gave mankind at the very beginning. And finally, farming is an occupation that requires much forethought and not just brute force. There are technical sides to it that cannot be ignored, such as when to plant, how much to plant, where to plant, etc.. Combining these three aspects well produces a means of farming that is done the way God intended it to be. When measures of success came up, he made a comment that he would consider success to be when farmers are utilizing Farming God’s Way methods without knowing who the organization itself is.
​
Our team would be grateful for your prayers as we head off to Kiburara to begin the second phase of our work, for good productivity, that the Lord would bless these water tanks for the Alpha and Omega School, for Mary as she has persistent sinus difficulties, and that the remainder of the land registration would move smoothly and quickly, with no more unexpected hurdles or obstacles. Prayer for the continual overall health of the team would be very much appreciated as well. 

​We left just as the sun was setting and lightning storms were flashing across the sky. On our way out of Jinja we crossed over the River Nile.  Although it was nighttime at that point, Joseph, our driver, took us to the origin of the Nile where we got to see the river of the Pharaohs’, from which Moses was delivered as a baby in a basket, and the river where God displayed his power by turning its waters to blood. Although it was pitch black, we could barely make out the water hustling past us over a wooden dam-like structure, and were able to take pictures thanks to a caretaker who became our spontaneous, stand-in tour guide. We didn’t get back to the Wingate Guesthouse until well past 11PM. Today we are heading to Kiburara, an 8 hour drive out of Kampala to finish setting up the rainwater collection systems and finalize our work with securing the land for the three businesses.

See you in Kiburara!

Hopefully as the team is interacting with a multitude of individuals  each will learn from the other. What is working, what isn't.

No need to reinvent the wheel here. One concept that Katie's  group has had with success is called "Farming God's Way". Using sustainable farming methods that are good for the environment they are able to dramatically increase yields with little disturbance to the soil. This concept has worked well the the landscape industry in our own country and can now be applied to farming.

Fast Foreword

The team  is eight thousand miles away. When I last spoke to Mary on Sunday (a miracle of technology, with a five second delay), the team had settled in for their work. 

Bags were packed with: sustainable business materials,  extra laptops for the Alpha and Omega School, sewing and teaching supplies, financial books and annual reports for business and financial training, water filters for clean water and for installation on the Rainwater Collection Systems at the school and church, medical questionnaires to assess medical facilities, medical delivery processes, clinic and hospital access, songbooks, and more items to strengthen the sustainable aspects within Ugandan communities.

They will be working to establish sustainable Ugandan Companies, purchasing 32 acres of farm land in Kiburara western Uganda. This land will be used for vocational training and livestock production, a soap factory run by locals and a much needed orphanage modeled after the Sanyo orphanage in Kampala.

They also plan to meet with two different attorneys in Kampala in order to finalize a Ugandan Bank established in the village called a Sacco. This bank is like a savings and loan company for the villagers run by locales for community development. 

Tomorrow they are off to Katie Davis’ orphanage, (you remember her book “Kisses From Katie”), to speak with Chris Sperling about an exciting natural method of farming called “Farming God’s Way”, east of Kampala (the second largest city) called Jinja. Then back to the Kawanda Guest House in the west.

God knows their steps and all they need to be about today. They are on His mission, and in His hands. There is no better place to be. They are having the most incredible time of a their lives. This is impossible to explain. If you have ever been on a short term missions trip, in a land far from home, it is an experience some are terrified of, some are exasperated by, and some could only wish for. It truly is the experience of a life time, and one this team is embracing.

Green Lights Ahead

After much research, council, conversations and prayer we agreed this was an opportunity not to pass up. All the practicals; money, shots, visas, would and could be over come and dealt with. We serve a big God who has big plans. As long as we are walking in accordance with those plans, what's to fear.

President Roosevelt once said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

Having fun at the Vocational School

          So we said "let's do this thing!".






Two weeks was still a short time to prepare. we moved into full prep mode and everything fell into place. It will take another entire blog to recount all the excellent folks who felt a kindred spirit in contributing funds, and a whole other group who couldn't send money but offered up much needed prayers. I n God's economy both are necessary.

The Vision

What Bart shared that evening was a confirmation of what Mary and I had discussed over the past two years. What would it look like to live among our African brothers and sisters, along side them, sharing with them, working, laughing, and crying along side them. Being "salt & light" in a community that so desires to see an alternative life style.          

Mary and John in Kiburara Uganda

It was never our desire to impose a Western point of view on the African church, but it was our desire to listen and to serve them in ways they requested and asked for.

We experienced what many Americans experience on their first trip over. An overwhelming sense of generosity and kindness from people who didn't know us at all. This experience was nothing like what we saw in the media, or expected.

Simply put, we received much more from our host and hostesses than what we received. They say once you visit the continent you are forever changed by that experience  This was true in in our case.

Bart's vision was to meet practical needs in addition to spiritual needs. The wells that had been dug, the widow's homes that had been repaired, all necessary, all beneficial  but were there other practical investments that could be made to help the community?

Bart and his partner purchased 32 acres of land in Kiburara, (the village Mary and I had visited). They were interested in installing a rain collection system on the top of the new vocational school that had just been started the year before. They were interested in locating and repairing the twenty fresh water wells that had been dug.They had a vision for the acreage......... but what did that look like?

All practical, all beneficial.

The Meeting

So the team leader from SMI we had never met. This isn't unusual in a large church like ours with multiple services. We knew his wife and daughter from ushering Sunday mornings, but had never met her husband Bart.



Tuesday night we skipped our track out with our running club at the local High School, and went to Bart's house to hear first hand of his vision and passion for reaching into developing countries and creating opportunities for local villagers. His new enterprise is called Sustainable Missions.

So Tuesday was just crazy - they needed an answer soon. Was she in or out? Wanting to go, deep down for all the right reasons, a love of the country, a love of the  the people, and the desire to make a difference; but she only had a 48 hour window to decide! 

Meeting with girl friends for lunch, talking to our daughters, asking me what each of us thought, it was unanimous... GO!

Nov said it best;. Question:"so why are you thinking you should NOT go?" Answer: not having the money, and being afraid of travelling without Paul! 

So Nov said again, "why do you think you shouldn't GO?"  She got it! If God was in this thing, and we all thought that he was, he would provide the funds, and he would provide the courage. 

A funny thing about courage, (like Grace) you don't get it in advance, it comes right when you need it. So it was settled, she was going to Uganda!

The Call

Monday was one of those miserable wet cold nights where the wind and rain seemed to come down sideways and cut right through you. You know those nights. You zip up your coat, put your chin down and walk straight into the storm. 

Getting into the car and turning up the heat was a nice relief from the night air. As we listened to the radio, the wipers slapping rhythm, and the mobile phone rang. It was Sue. She had just felt an impression that she was not to participate on this trip in country.

She ask if Mary would consider taking her spot in April. I grabbed Mary's hand as they chatted away about the details. Leaving in two weeks. Thoughts racing in my head, she needs to get shots, renew her visa,  her passport, money, oh yes this will cost a chunk of change. 

In the midst of the conversation I got a sense that if this was supposed to happen then all of those concerns would be taken care of.

Yikes-Two Weeks! Off to Uganda again!

Ugandan Church Services

The team split up into smaller groups of three or four and visited seven area churches today. Most of the churches are constructed of wood and mud, sometimes fabric for a roof, banana leaves and poles for walls. Most are situated near a hill. It is a beautiful and picturesque environment for worship and we felt privileged to be able to participate in the services we attended. 

Before departing for our respective churches, Isaac had an impression while in prayer that the God was calling many more to know Jesus as savior and asked the team to share the good news and give people an opportunity to respond at each service. God was definitely leading and moving- many professed Christ that day!! 

Isaac was able to share a little more detail about the church plant he visited (which started up just about a month ago). He said there are about 15 adults and 15 children who attend on a regular basis. As a result of Pastor Moses and Isaac being in attendance that morning, multiple local villagers (non-believers) came out to see what was going on/what the service was all about. Four of these individuals came to know Jesus as savior!! In addition, some local politicians visited. The most prominent of the politicians (most similar to a councilman in the States) is a believer and declared that he will always provide support to this local church as long as they are "preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ". What favor and kindness from God! 

At 6 pm Ugandan time (10 am USA time), Isaac and Drew brought a second gospel message on the local radio station. It has an audience of around one million people. There were many more wonderful stories of God's grace in the seven churches and throughout the day.

Last Day of Youth Conference

Today was the last day of the youth conference, Jeff Martin and Peter Giglio taught and Whitney Hall shared her story. It was a powerful time. 

Instead of participating in village outreach the team attended a concert put on by the youth ministry. It was a great time. The entire team danced for the Ugandans for two songs. They started out by doing the electric slide to a Ugandan song which the locals thought was hilarious. Then a young man taught our team a Ugandan dance that they performed to the second song. In addition Isaac taught a short gospel message. 

Gia stayed back at the guest house because of a painful wisdom tooth. There doesn't seem to be any serious infection but she is in significant pain.  

"Busy" with Service

Friday, January 13

Friday was another very full day. The Youth conference continued; Gavin, Isaac and I taught. In addition, Andrew wrote a skit on the bus on the way to the village. It was based on his story of being delivered from the occult and witchcraft. A ten member cast from our team performed it. The crowd went wild with excitement. Andrew then shared his personal account of being delivered from the occult. This was an important time of ministry as followers and non followers struggle greatly with fear of local witch doctors and the power and influence they have.  

We pray the good news will go forward, believers will be strengthened and the evil practice of witchcraft will be abolished.

Friday also saw the conclusion of the Pastor's Conference. Robin taught and then handed out Certificates of Completion for the week-long course. 

 This was a significant moment for the Pastors/Leaders (and for their congregations) as none of them have had any formal training. One Pastor shared his story. In 40 years of Pastoring, this was the first time he had ever received training. It brought tears to our eyes seeing the smiles on their faces. To God be the glory!  

Peter Giglio stayed back at the guest house to rest due to a slight fever from a spider bite he received. Peter is doing well.....   The site had begun to swell a bit over the last two days and required attention from our medical team. We also contacted our physician in the States who directed care for Peter via the internet. There was no infection and the wound is healing well.  Peter is feeling better he will be teaching both Saturday and Sunday.  

Saturday will be the last day of the Youth conference. The team will also participate in Village Outreach.  

Highlights from the Day

* Everyone with cold symptoms fully recovered- there is power in prayer! 

* Isaac kindly received a gift rooster from a young boy who attended the Youth conference four years ago and professed Jesus at that time. This is a very generous and meaningful gift. We ate the rooster for lunch on Sunday.

* A young woman, named Fortunate, was singing a special song in honor of Robin. Fortunate's story is pretty amazing; she attended the Youth Conference in 2010, she had plans to drown herself in the local river, when God intervened and delivered that day. Today she is a young woman of much faith and a leader of her peers- God showed his mercy & kindness!

Preparations for the Youth Conference

Today was a great day! The team completed preparations for the Youth Conference which begins Thursday the 12th. We are anticipating over 500 attendees!   

Our team visited two areas today to participate in village outreach. Over thirty people professed wanting to know Jesus personally, God is good! Many more locals will be coming to the village Churches this Sunday to see what all the excitements about.

The "fields really are ripe for harvest!" Isaac said and he  asked me to thank CLC for sending this team into the harvest fields.  

Robin Boisvert completed day three of the Pastors Conference today. He is doing an amazing job!  

Tomorrow's Schedule

Youth Conference (all day) 

          Pastor's Conference (Robin will teach 1/2 of the day and Isaac will teach 1/2 of the                   day) Prison Outreach (at the end of the day)   

Thursday, January 12

Thursday was a "super-busy" day for our team - they accomplished much! Our basic schedule for the day was:

Youth Conference- AM

Village Outreach and Evangelism- AM

Pastor's Conference- all day

Prison Outreach- PM

In order to meet the needs of the day, we split up into smaller groups. Some folks participated in the Youth Conference including teaching and worship.  Drew Garfield, Jason West, and Andrew Sandor taught. That morning, other team members also visited two area villages to participate in Village Outreach. Robin taught at the Pastor's Conference in the morning and Isaac taught on being image-bearers of God (Genesis 1-2) in the afternoon. Robin got some much deserved rest that afternoon as a team visited the local prison. Men on the team shared the gospel with prisoners and ladies on the team reached out to the wives of prison workers.They live in a nearby village just outside the prison gates. Much fruit came from the day and many were encouraged and many professed faith in Jesus throughout the day!

"People are Getting Saved Like Crazy"

God is working mightily through the team in Uganda and pouring out His kindness upon them! They continue to be healthy, doing well, and enjoying themselves together as they serve. 

Please pray for continued health, strength, and joy.

Today the team completed work on the remaining widows' homes. They mixed cement by hand and applied it to the structures. It has been hard, physical labor in the heat, but everyone is doing great. In addition, around 100 people came out both days to watch the team work. Some ladies on the team spent the time creating games, preaching the Gospel, reading the Bible, listening to, and praying for the children in attendance. Isaac said they did an outstanding job caring for these precious ones. 

Please pray for the encouragement of the local Church & for the salvation of many as a result of our team's labors.

Today was also the second day of the five-day Pastor's conference led by Robin Boisvert. The attendance increased to over 120 participants. Robin is joyfully teaching almost non-stop from 8:30 am-5pm each day. 

Please pray for continued stamina for Robin as he teaches & for the Pastors and leaders attending.

Additionally, attendees have begun arriving today for the start of the Youth conference on Wednesday. This is a great opportunity for the team to begin interacting with those they will be serving in the days ahead. 

Please pray God would direct and bless these conversations/interactions and for the upcoming conference.

Tomorrow will also find our team splitting into smaller groups to begin village outreach and evangelism. They will be visiting areas nearby churches that have been planted by Kiburara Gospel Center.  

Please pray for God to open the hearts of the villagers and for wisdom for our team as they seek to share with and serve these folks.

Lastly, I was able to get more information regarding the radio broadcast on Monday. Drew Garfield opened up the radio program by speaking for ~5-10 min on who they are & why they, as Americans, have come to Africa. Isaac then preached a message focused on the Gospel for ~35-40 min. Isaac said they were surprised to learn that the listening audience is around one million people in Western Uganda. It is a secular station that has a portion of airtime set aside for Christian programming. Listening to this radio station is apparently a very popular activity among local residents, believers & non-believers alike.  Many people have approached to talk because they heard the message on air. Isaac also indicated they have received much favor as the owner is a Muslim who communicated directly how much he "thanks God" for them & for the message they are preaching. "People are getting saved like crazy" is a direct quote from Isaac (thanks be to God!). An additional radio broadcast will occur on this Sunday, the 15th.   

Please pray for continued fruit from the previous broadcast & for many more to be reached through the upcoming message.

Homes Built, Pastor's Conference and Radio Broadcast

All is well with our team in Uganda.

Today the team refurbished two widows' homes and will refurbish two additional homes tomorrow. The Gospel was preached to many kids that came to watch the team work. Ladies from the team came up with games and other creative ways to teach about Christ to the children.

In addition, Robin began teaching almost 100 Pastors and church leaders today.

Lastly for today, the radio broadcast of the Gospel went well; thank you all for praying!

The schedule for tomorrow will be the same. Please continue to pray- God is answering your prayers!

Ministry to Begin Tomorrow

The team retired for the night at the Kamwenge Guest House around 10pm Uganda time.  Isaac said everything is going great; the team is doing well, everyone is healthy and enjoying their time together. 

Tomorrow morning, the majority of the team will begin the repair of widows homes and Robin, the other pastor on the team, will begin teaching at the Pastors' conference. Please pray for the Church to be built up, encouraged and  the gospel would go forward through these efforts!

On a side note, Isaac also said the radio broadcast of the message Moses asked him to preach has been rescheduled for next Sunday evening, as the bus got in a little late for it to happen tonight.

Made it to Kiburara

Received news this morning that the team made it safely to Kiburara, the village where they will be serving. This is what Isaac, the team leader, wrote:

"Arrived safely in Kiburara. Team is all well. We prayed for CLC and did a Sunday morning service on our bus ride here!"

Uganda 2012 - Arrived Safely in Entebbe

Greetings! My parents have asked me, Tessa, to once again write blog updates as I receive news via email on the team. This is the first update from the team leading Pastor's wife.... 

Everyone on the team is doing well overall & will have the opportunity to get a full night's sleep at the hotel in Entebbe tonight before boarding the bus for Kiburara in the morning - which is great since they had been awake for nearly 36 hours and the bus trip has historically been a bumpy, non-restful adventure each year.

Prayer requests: 

1) a couple of folks have mild cold symptoms - that they would resolve quickly 

2) for the bus ride to go smoothly - they hired a new company this year as their usual company sold it's business 

3) Isaac will be preaching on the radio tomorrow evening their time (11 am our time tomorrow morning) and asked for prayer. This is quite an exciting, new opportunity for our team to reach folks in Uganda-  please pray for the gospel message to go forward!