Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Palissa, Uganda: Tuesday 6/24 Radio Broadcast

Jim and I were presented with a unique opportunity on Tuesday of our trip.  Pastor Samuel rountinely travels to a radio station north of Mbale, Uganda to host a radio talk show.  He invited us to participate and have the opportunity to speak to 5 million eastern Ugandans.  Talk about a unique opportunity to share the Gospel!  After an interesting ride (winding, muddy roads up a mountain), we arrived to the top of the mountain.  What a beautiful view! 



We were able to speak about the Biblical role of the husband and father and Pastor Samuel did a great job of leading the conversation with his questions.  Near the end of our time on the broadcast, am muslim man called in and thanked us for our words.  It was an eye opening experience. 

The second part of our day was to include a stop at a revival retreat along the way home where Pastor Samuel was scheduled to give the closing sermon.  We ran into a bit of a snag along the way.  Remember the phrase TIA (this is Africa)?  Not everything always goes as planned.  To say the least, the next part of our day was...adventurous.  After a quick stop for lunch, Pastor noticed the temperature gauge on the van was creeping into unwelcomed territory.  A few moments later, a man on the street told us through the window that the van was leaking fluid.  Uh, oh!  It's likely we bottomed out the van on a rock (or several) on our trip up or down the mountain.  Here is another reason we partner with great men like Pastor Samuel and Andrew.  Pastor Samuel got on his phone as we literally were coasting with the van off into an automobile repair shop. His friend, David, owned the shop.  As we rolled in, the workers stopped working on every other vehicle and went to work on our van. 

The work would take enough time that we would be late for Samuel's speaking engagement, so David arranged a car.  Turns out, the car belonged to his mother.  So we all piled in her car, drove her home, and then off to the revival.  Pastor Samuel delivered God's Word in his usual engaging and enlightening fashion, and afterwards, David brought the repaired van to meet us.  God works in amazing ways!

During the time Jim and I were on our adventure, the rest of the team was having an adventure of their own.  Work on the chicken coop was progressing slower than anticipated this day.  However, an uninvited guest did make an appearance that would make for a great story.  Check out the visitor below. 

 
 Yes thats a snake.  About a 4 foot snake.  We have no idea what kind, but he was lurking around in the lumber pile we made the day before.  He raised up and spit venom and then our Ugandan friends took care of him with a swift whack of a shovel.  Makes for a good story.  Once again...protected by God!

We ended our day with another incredible meal thanks to Mercy and spent some more time in fellowship with Pastor Samuel and his family. 



Pallisa, Uganda: Monday June 23rd

Building a chicken coop...actually building anything...in Uganda is a bit different than building here in the United States.  After a great breakfast courtesy of Mercy, we drove to the Kerith's Children's home, the site of the chicken coop to be.  We joined a team of Ugandan men (two of them pastors, and the rest local young men).  The "foundation" was already completed and the next steps were to place the posts, put the roof structure in place, and then put up the sides and wire mesh.  It sounded easy enough.  Below are a few pics of the process, mostly in chronological order.  Note the pic of team members mixing concrete to set the poles.  We essentially dumped the ingredients onto the ground, poured water on top, and mixed with shovels.  We then shoveled the mix into a wheelbarrow and carted the "concrete" to the post holes.  Due to the condition of the ground and the wheelbarrow, we had one team member push the wheelbarrow while another pulled with a rope from the front.  Kinda fun, actually.   Needless to say, our progress was much slower than anticipated.  We were, however, able to establish great relationships with the men we worked with.  This was one of the times we really were able to get to know Bruhan, the pastor interning with Pastor Samuel.





We worked 1/2 of Monday and then we were headed to a local school to follow up with some of the boys the first Man Up team met with approximately 3 weeks prior to our arrival.  We met with a group of around 75 boys (middle to high school aged) of mixed religious backgrounds.  There wer some Muslim, some non-believers, and some new believers.  We had lively conversation and were able to present the Gospel message.  If my numbers are correct, 7 young men prayed to accept Jesus for the first time that afternoon.  It's amazing to witness God's plan in action and to be a small part of it.  In addition, we were able to provide Bibles to the group.  They were so excited to receive the Bibles! 



We spent the evening having dinner and talking with Pastor Samuel and his wife Mercy.  This time of fellowship became so valuable during our stay with them.  It was a time of learning, growing, and sharing that I will always treasure. 

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Uganda: Sunday, June 22: A Day of Worship

Our Sunday plans included worship with Pastor Samuel's River of God church.  As a team we had also been asked to provide sermons for River of God and for Pastor Abraham's church.  Pastor Abraham is another awesome ministry partner.  His church has grown and given birth to other churches.  His church actually has "grandbaby" churches now.  No doubt, the Gospel is being spread!  Co-leader Jim gave a sermon last year at Pastor Abraham's church and was excited to return and give another sermon.  Team member Les volunteered to preach at River of God.  Given the timing of both services, I was fortunate to be able to move between the two churches and see/listen to both sermons.  They both did a great job at delivering God's Word!  Below is a pic of Pastor Abraham's congregation.


Pastor Samuel's church (River of God) has 2 services much like my home church.  They have Sunday school in between the services. Team member Adam and I were asked to speak with the young adult class (college age) before I left to see Jim preach.  What a great opportunity to get to know this age group better.  Pastor Bruhan, an interning pastor with Pastor Samuel accompanied us.  After some general conversation to get to know each other, I spoke from 1 Corintians 12 and how we are all important parts of the Body of Christ.  It was exciting to hear how each of these young believers have futures planned and how they plan to use the gifts God has given them. 

Sidebar...Pastor Bruhan is AWESOME!  He is a former muslim converted to Christianity.  He is probably mid 20's and has an incredible heart.  He traveled with our team to many of our stops and facilitated our conversations.  We are very thankful for him and his work!  He is definitely a man we will keep in touch with as he progresses with the plans God has for him.  Below is a pic of Pastor Bruhan with Les and Adam.  Bruhan has promised to help Adam find a Ugandan wife.  :)


Worship in Uganda is INTENSE.  Pastor Samuel took the opportunity to follow up on Les's sermon and continued with fervor. Pastor Samuel is blessed with a gift of preaching.  He is also blessed with very long fingers.  A few times when his speech volume increased and his arms were flying, we thought for sure he was going to poke someone in the congregation right in the forehead with those long fingers!  He is incredible to listen to and his love for Jesus is so palpable. 
The singing during worship is also very intense.  Not one person is sitting back listening.  Everyone is singing to the Lord.  The phrase "raise the roof" comes to mind, but probably doesn't do it justice.  Imagine if we always sang like we were singing to the One True God! 

The rest of Sunday was spent orienting to the local area, planning out the coming week.  It actually rained (massive amounts) Sunday afternoon and we were forced to cancel one of our speaking arrangements.  When it rains like it did, the roads become impassable and people who would walk to the event simply won't come.  The impromptu late afternoon rest did the team good as they were able to recharge for the coming week.  And of course, we had an awesome lunch and supper courtesy of Mercy!  I can't say enough about her hospitality and cooking. 



Thursday, July 31, 2014

Uganda Saturday 6/21

Every day in Uganda is full of adventure for the Man Up teams.  This day was a "travel" day for us.  We left Jinja and headed towards Pallisa with plans to stop and see ministry partner George and his wife Sylvia at Ebenezer orphanage.  I was fortunate to meet George and Sylvia 2 years ago as they were just setting up their orphanage and ministry. They started with very little, in a less than desirable setup.  They serve children affected by HIV/AIDS.  The children either have been infected with HIV, or have lost parents due to HIV/AIDS.  With the help of partners like Man Up and Hope Grafted In, George and Sylvia have made great improvements to their orphanage.  More importantly, they have demonstrated the Father's love to these special children by providing them with love, shelter, food, clothing, and education.  I love spending time with George and Sylvia, the entire staff at Ebenezer, and especially the children.  Based on information from the Man Up team that returned to the USA just before our team left, we knew Ebenezer was in need of sheets and blankets.  With the amazing help of many donors to our team, we were able to provide many blankets and sheets for these children.  Check out the happiness below!


I was so excited to see how Ebenezer has changed.  They have acquired additional land within walking distance from the orphanage and have begun construction on a new school.  What a blessing!  Here are pics of the current school followed by a pic of the school currently under construction. 


 
We were blessed to have the children sing for us!  What a glorious sound they make.  We also were able to eat with the children and spend some time playing.  Les even lead them in songs.  As a team we decided to purchase 5 mattresses to complete the bedding for one of the orphanage rooms.  We feel blessed to be able to help in this small way.  Unfortunately, due to our travel schedule, our time with Ebenezer was all too brief.  Below are some additional pictures. 
 
Ebenezer children preparing to sing for the Man Up team.

Les leading children in songs.

Lunchtime!

An Ebenezer rockstar!
 
After lunch we headed off to Pallisa.  Pallisa is a different experience than Jinja.  It is primarily a muslim region.  We are very fortunate to be partnered with Pastor Samuel and his wife Mercy.  We were able to stay with them at their home.  The back half of their lot is home to the former orphanage (it was the orphanage last time I visited), and they have made it available to teams that come to visit.  Mercy, God bless her, provided all of our meals.  I love her and her cooking.  She makes amazing goat and chipati and is a great hostess.  Unfortunately, we had electricity only 2 of our 5 nights in Pallisa. Oh, well, as the saying goes...THIS IS AFRICA.  We had water (not always warm), we could shower, and Mercy's cooking made up for any lack of conveniences.  An additional benefit of being a small team and staying with Pastor Samuel and his family was that we were able to sit and converse each night in their living room.  It made for great learning conversation and allowed us to form even deeper relationships.  He is an incredible man with a passion rarely seen to serve the Lord and spread the Gospel.  Pastor Samuel regularly holds public debates with local muslim leaders.  The crowds are large (several hundred to more than a thousand) and the debates are intense!  His courage is absolutely provided by God. 
We ended our day with a great meal and settled in to our new home for the upcoming week.  Sunday would be a day of worship with Pastor Samuel's church and Pastor Abraham's church. 
 

 
 


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Jinja, Uganda: Friday 6/20; An Unforgettable Day.

The end of the first week came quickly!  Thankfully, Les was feeling better and was ready to rejoin the team.  We had asked Pastor Andrew if we could spend the entire morning at Bethel School so we could get some extended quality time with the kids.  He agreed.  So after breakfast, it was off to the school.  If you've never been mobbed by a group of 4-8 year olds starving for attention, I'll do my best to explain.  My friend and fellow team member Steve is over 6 feet tall and regularly works out.  Nonetheless, the children nearly tackled him to the ground.  They desperately hang on to your arms essentially removing any arm hair you may have, and they continually jump on your back, your lap, or hold onto your legs as you try to walk about the school yard.  It is AWESOME!  Below are a few pics. 







The team very much interrupts the school day and any chance of learning for the day, but we have so much fun, I don't think the teachers mind.  They actually interact with us and the children the entire time, too.  We sing, dance, play "PE" games, soccer, whatever the kids choose.  As a team we all agreed we felt much more physically exhausted after our time with the children than after our "hard labor" tasks at the tree farm!  Man Up teams play hard!  One of my favorite moments from the entire trip happened during our morning at Bethel.  Team member Les, who had been ill the previous day, rejoined us for Friday.  At one point during the morning, it started to rain.  Some of us entered classrooms for a bit of shelter.  Les and a group of children went into the "music" room.  Within moments, the joyous sound of drumming, singing (yelling), and utter glorious chaos was flowing from that room.  I hope the videos below work so you can get just a feel of the moment.  Video 1 is of lesser quality than video 2 but I love the energy from both so I posted them both here. 

 



After lunch and leaving the school we were scheduled to meet with the women of the Masese community.  I want to reiterate that these are STRONG women.  They are often left single with multiple children and are forced to provide for them with very little means.  As a reminder 65% of the Ugandan population lives on less than $2 per day.  38% lives on less than $1.50 per day.  Perspective? 
Our conversation time with the women was great.  We had an open and honest conversation about how we can help them.  We ALWAYS get asked to provide financially.  While in certain situations we can and do provide that type of assistance, we are primarily about providing a hand UP, not a hand out.  We are in Uganda to stand with the people there and to help them help themselves.  We spoke about the Biblical roles of a man and a woman in marriage.  They were very excited about how we had spent time speaking with the men in their community.  As is customary for Man Up teams, we bought beads.  I love these handmade beads.  Such artistry. 
Another favorite moment occurred while we spent time with the women.  A woman probably in her mid to upper 50's was listening to us.  I had asked them to share some of their "stories" with us and she willingly spoke.  She is a single, unemployed grandmother.  She fosters 12-15 children. That's not a typo.  12-15 children.  In a small hut.  She is a believer.  She said God always provides.  She had me in tears with her story, then she gave me a bracelet.  GAVE.  She lives on less than $2 per day and supports 12-15 foster children and she GAVE me a bracelet as a thank you for coming to her community and spending time with them.  More tears.  She said it was for me and my wife.  People amaze me. 
After supper, we ended our day packing for the next day, our mid-trip travel day towards Pallisa. 

Friday, July 11, 2014

Uganda Thursday 6/19

Our second full day in Jinja started not exactly as planned.  Sometime during the middle of the night I was able to hear team member Les talking with his wife via Skype.  Upon waking up early in the morning, Les knocked on my door asking for some additional bottled water.  He had the African stomach junk and had been up all night getting sick.  Ugh!  We quickly got him started on the meds we carry for such an event.  Adam had additional meds for nausea and also gave Les those.  Unfortunaltely, my recommendation was that Les stay at the travel hotel for at least the morning to ensure a good recovery.  We would be able to check on him at lunchtime.  Our first "in country" bump in the road. 
The rest of us met for breakfast and after breakfast we headed back to the tree farm.  It's amazing how much the local men were able to accomplish in just one day.  We set to work carrying what they had cut from the previous day.  Pastor Andrew wanted to keep as much of the wood as possible for use as firewood at the school, so we stacked it in such a way that it would dry.  We noticed that in a few locations on the property there were sweet potatoes planted.  Pastor Andrew explained it was essentially what we would call "squatters" planting their crop on someone else's land.  He was able to talk with the locals and let them know that after they harvested this crop, the land would no longer be available because of the tree farm.  During this day of work, we encountered a few children who wanted to work alongside us. What a special treat for us!  There was a language barrier, so I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they ranged in age from 5-11.  I posted a picture of them about 2 posts ago. 
We again left around lunch time.  We checked on Les back at the travel hotel and he was still "under the weather" so he decided to stay the afternoon in bed.  We drove to Bethel Junior School to have lunch and hang with the children.  As yesterday, lunch was awesome!  Below is a picture of the school kitchen and the cooks.  When I was growing up some of my favorite people were the school "lunch" ladies!  I have more favorite school lunch ladies now! 

Bethel Cooks

Bethel Kitchen
 
After lunch we returned to the Masese community to continue our conversation with the men.  Our focus was more on the role of the man as a husband and father.  This lead to some very interesting conversations.  At one point, a young man was presenting us with a hypothetical situation in which he didn't necessarily agree with or believe our Biblical response.  Kenny simply asked him if he was a Christian. His "no" response opened the door for our presentation of the Gospel.  I love how God works!  This lead to the best part of the day.  Jim presented the Gospel and at the end of the day we had 36 men pray with us to accept Jesus into their lives.  We learned later in the trip that many of these men attended church at Pastor Andrew's church the following Sunday.  None of them had done that before.  Please pray for these men that they continue to follow Jesus.  It was an awesome day, the day the Lord has made! 
 
 

 



Sunday, July 6, 2014

Uganda 2014: Wednesday 6/18

The Tree Farm

One of the projects we were looking to advance was the setup of a eucalyptus tree farm.  As an organization, Man Up was able to provide funding for the purchase of 3.5 acres of land.  Pastor Andrew was able to make that purchase about 1 week prior to our team arriving in Jinja.  The eucalyptus tree farm has serious potential to fully fund Bethel Primary School, the school Pastor Andrew started with support from Man Up (lots of love to Mitch and Shannon Hauschildt for their work and assistance getting this school started). 
Pastor Andrew drove the team along with Kenny (Man Upper on the ground in Uganda for about 5 months) to the site of the tree farm. It was about a 30 minute drive, but hard to really estimate distance because of the roads.  Upon arrival and inspection of the property, it was obvious there was a ton of work to be done.  There is a small home on the property but it had been taken over by an ant hill.  Ant hills in Uganda can be upwards of 8 feet tall and this one was almost to the roof inside the home.  That was part of the project we were glad to not be undertaking! 
We were armed with 3 machetes and an ax for the seven of us.  The property was heavily wooded with thick underbrush and most trees at least 4-6 inches in diameter.  3.5 acres looked like 100 acres!  Regardless, we said a prayer and got to work.  After about an hour or so we had attracted a crowd of onlookers (Mzungus working must have been a funny site!)  Given the daunting nature of the task, we asked Pastor Andrew what it would cost to hire a few of the local men to work along side of us.  Fortunately, he was able negotiate a fair wage for the task and we were able to pay it.  These men worked us into the ground.  They worked barefoot and swiftly.  We decided we were better off letting them do the cutting and we removed the cut materials.  Here is a picture of the 4 guys we worked with. 

We worked until after noon.  The local men continued working after we left.  Our afternoon plans included lunch at the school, hanging with the kids briefly, and then to speak to the men of the Masese community. 
After an awesome lunch we had a short time hanging out and playing with the children at Bethel Primary School.  It's always a treat to spend time with them.  We were then on to the community where we were scheduled to speak with men about the role of the man as a provider for his family.  It really turned into a great conversation between the 6 of us and the locals.  They had the opportunity to ask us lots of questions about our backgrounds, careers, families, etc.  We were also given a chance to get to know their stories better as well.  That's the advantage of being a small team.  I think there were roughly 60 men in attendance that day, and our time together was great.  At the end of our time together, we all decided we would come back the next day (Thursday) and speak more. 
The end of day 1 was our meal at the travel hotel and then early to bed.  We were all tired and frankly, not adjusted to the new time zone.  Falling asleep was easy! 
Below are a few more pictures from 6/18

 
After partial clearing. 

 
These young kids wanted to help as well!