Get on the Banana Boat

Greetings from Uganda, and maybe Brussels or NYC…

This morning started early, in the dark. Deb was getting ready across the road. Michaela was still sleeping so Deb considerately continued without turning on the light. As she was smoothing on her lotion she thought to herself, “Why won’t this lotion rub in?” Feeling the bottle of lotion, she realizes that she has actually been putting her hair gel all over her legs. Hahahahaha.

After eating breakfast, we quickly set out for our shopping day. We visited not one, not two, but THREE Banana Boat stores. At the National Theater, which is like a ring of small shops, many souvenirs and gifts were purchased. Most of the shopping happened before a late lunch back at the Stevenson’s. A few brave souls ventured out for even more shopping. Can you guess who went and who stayed? While even our dearest Jimothy (Michaela’s nickname for Jim) made a few purchases, one shopper takes the cake! Angie! If you are friend or family of Angie, you are one lucky person! If you do not know Angie and your traveling friend didn’t bring you a good gift, we can probably arrange something from Angie’s up and coming African boutique. The after-lunch group went to a fancy mall. There was a really cool shop with some fun t-shirts etc. My favorite t-shirt showed an artsy style motorcycle with the definition of boda boda:

 (bo-da), n., pl. –as. 1 a rapid but risky mode of transport: he dodged traffic on a boda 2 a menace to all drivers and pedestrians 3 the fastest way to get from point A to point B, if you make it.

Kelsey wanted to share that today she experienced a lot of sweat, a lot of yawning, and a lot of eating.

After all shopping was complete (so we thought), we returned home and shopped some more from the TAPP closet. There was then a bit of a mass rush around the house as people showered, packed, lugged bags down stairs, weighed luggage, grabbed a bite to eat. We lined up on the stairs for a group photo when it was realized Caleb was missing. After a 10-minute search, he was located on the porch about 30 feet from us the whole time. Tim snapped approximately 800 shots of us making sure each photo we were not prepared for.

The two departure groups hugged each other and said our goodbyes. As a member left behind for an additional day, it was really hard to see the other group pull away. Not only am I anxious to get home, but we have lived an exciting, difficult, busy, slow, joyful, and unique 24/7 together for 17 days. There is an incomplete feeling in the house. Where is all the stuff? Where are all the people? There is an empty bed in my room. I’m the sole member of the late night crew. Who will stay up unreasonably late with me? In addition, not only did we say goodbye to our teammates, but we also are saying goodbye to some of the staff members that we probably won’t see tomorrow. It’s not all sad though. Deb left behind some ice cream, and now we are playing Skip-Bo.

One task left behind for our little group was to take the list of needs and funds left from the church project money to divide up as best we were able. I insist that a theme of this trip has been loaves and fish. Many times I have noticed how we didn’t run out of something we didn’t really have that much of. We never ran out of Twizzlers. During the Jja Jja party, we never ran out of pipe cleaners for the tissue paper flowers. Each time we were out and needed a gift, toy, activity – anything, we had it. Some of that is definitely attributed to Sue who was the bag master. She spent so much time organizing and reorganizing bags for Jja Jja visits, TAPP visits, Kupona, and so on. But even Sue said today how surprising it was the items we had left over. We had a table full of a variety of books and items that we were able to leave for the Stevenson’s to fill other needs. So, thank you church for your generosity in donating items and financially supporting this trip. We were able to have enough shillings to cover ALL of the needs listed from our visits. We left money for 2 sewing machines at TAPP. This is amazing because these machines will allow additional students to participate in the tailoring program – gaining a valuable skill in order to earn an income. It will also continue to help more people for years to come. We were able to pay back rent owed for several of the single mothers who have been injured, hospitalized, and living in slums with overpriced rent. We also left supply money for the leather shop and school fees for a few families. Education is invaluable. When we sat down to start allocating money, we were prioritizing, hoping that we could help as many as we could. Loaves and fish. We will meet with Edrin tomorrow after church to go through everything.

Tomorrow by this time, the first group will be home and the second will be on the way. Greg, Caleb, Emily, Laura, and Kelsey will attend church at Kasubi, meet with Edrin, have lunch, come back to the house and get prepared to leave. I’m not sure if there will be material and/or time for a blog entry. I’m sure there will be at least one follow up after we have all returned home safely.

I know this doesn’t follow the timeline of the day, but this seems like a perfect ending. After breakfast while we were all at the table, we did our devotions that had been postponed from the night before. Michaela and Greg led reading Psalm 30, emphasizing joy and leaning on the Lord in the midst of trouble. The group members were invited to share the moments in the trip where they witnessed or experienced joy. It was a wonderful time of sharing and reminiscing. Since it was the last devotion time, Tim wanted to share his thanks for us being here. Often short term mission trips can be viewed in a negative light. There can be an attitude that you are going to a place less fortunate to somehow fix what’s broken. The way Tim expressed his opinion was so eloquent. He said, “You are not a band-aid. You are a vitamin. You don’t heal us, you add to. Add strength and encouragement. You being here is meaningful. Meaningful seems so puny as a word. It’s important.” He also talked about how missionaries are ambassadors. We too are ambassadors. We represent who sent us here in Uganda, and we represent what we have seen when we return.

In case this is the last – thank you for following our blog and for supporting our trip. Your prayers have been felt and are deeply appreciated. We are anxious to greet you all in person!

Kale (ka-leigh).

Uganda Team 2018

Faith Like a Child

Greetings from Uganda! Thursday and Friday were spent at Heritage International School and Bukasa. 

     Our first order of business on Thursday was a tour of Heritage. There has been much growth since we last visited. We definitely got our exercise for the day walking around the facilities. I joked with Tim that he needed a map like you find at the amusement parks showing all the pathways and buildings. It really is a beautiful campus! Lots of trees, flowers, stone walkways… while taking some pictures Angie showed her super strength and broke off a limb of a Plumeria tree. We gave it to Moses to plant in his yard. Oops. The playground is the most magnificent and creative playground any of us have ever seen. We all enjoyed finding our inner child on the playground!

     The group then moved to Bukasa. We toured the school and church. The school is named Murchison Bay Naomi Froese Church of God Nursery & Primary School and Siegfred Church of God High School. The mission statement of the school is to empower the child with knowledge and faith for a bright future. It was impossible not to notice the stark difference between the schools at Heritage and Bukasa. Denise pointed out that in our American filter it can be easy to think that the money invested into Heritage means those students have more opportunities. She reminded us (and herself) that this doesn’t mean the children at Bukasa will get less of an education. We saw the students and teachers working so diligently in their classrooms on some higher level curriculum. These differences are something we see regularly while in Uganda and can be difficult to sit with. After the tour we had lunch and then the school welcomed us with a small program. The songs the students shared were delightful! We also had the joy of meeting Grace. I believe it was the trip 6 years ago when some of the group met Grace. She had a severely deformed leg and foot. The church trip donations allowed for us to leave money to pay for a surgery. We didn’t realize at the time, but the best way to correct her issue here was to amputate her leg and create a prosthesis for her. Yesterday we witnessed her singing in the choir, dancing, smiling, and having a great time. We spoke with her and loved on her for a bit after the program. It was so good to see her so happy and living a better life than she would have been able without the surgery. 

     All of the activities at Bukasa took quite some time, so we ended up heading back to the Stevenson’s just after the program. As we were standing near the cars, a group of kids were playing, trying to push Jesse’s car. They were working so hard to try and move the parked vehicle. Tim was lounging inside the car and put it in reverse (the car is manual) for brief seconds which allowed the kids to believe they were moving the car. They thought they were so tough! Tim was getting a kick out of it! I look forward to the side-by-side photos of the kids pushing and Tim’s smirk from inside the vehicle. A few elite of us had the pleasure of riding home with Jesse in his car. It was neat to hear his perspective on a few things, and as a bonus we got back home about 20 minutes earlier than the other group.

     Friday we were back at Bukasa for a luncheon with our sponsor children. Greg wasn’t feeling well so he stayed back. He read an entire book in one day! There were 10 children we were able to meet with and share lunch. Some of the children are sponsored by team members, while others are sponsored by people back at home who sent gifts and letters. A few of the kids were very talkative. Many were quiet, shy, and didn’t say much. We understand that it can be a very overwhelming experience. Some of the children were boarding at the school in Bukasa, but others had to travel to meet us at a strange place with a lot of strange people around. Even so, it was such a great experience to meet and connect with the children we sponsor. Angie came on the trip without any sponsor children yet and somehow ended up with 3 by accident! She planned on sponsoring a child we met on a TAPP visit in Mutungo and then also signed up for a child from the waiting list. While we were visiting, Edrin approached her for help with a little girl who was crying. Apparently someone from a village 3 hours away had brought her in the hopes she would gain sponsorship. When no one had picked her (none of us knew this was going on) she became very sad and began to cry. The girl’s name is Maria Angel and she thought it was so neat that Angie’s name also means Angel. So, as happens to many of us when we are here, she signed up to be her sponsor. Zero to three, just like that! Sue and Michaela visited with a new sponsor child. The child they had sponsored on a previous trip had moved out of the program so they were able to meet their newly assigned sponsor child, Tracy. Sue shared how happy and talkative she was. Caleb was really touched by his visit with Ruth and wished he had even more time. In years past, Ruth has been quiet and would only talk through an interpreter. This time she was still shy, but was holding conversations. She got Caleb a lunch plate and they talked all afternoon. Ruth asked for Sandra by name and had hoped she would be able to see her as well. It is encouraging to see the relationships grow between sponsor and child through multiple visits. It can be hard when we aren’t sure our capability to return on future trips, knowing this could be the last time we see our child. Then I think of how many people never get the opportunity to meet their sponsor child even after supporting them for years even decades. This is a gift we don’t take for granted and will treasure always!

     After visiting and lunch, the children began their various journeys home. Five of the group went on TAPP visits and Tim took the other 5 home after some late arrival sponsor visits. The group was able to visit 5 women, all in single parent homes, all HIV positive. Rosie has 4 children, 3 of which are also HIV positive. She has experienced shaming from her neighbors and community. She has recently joined TAPP in the last couple of months. Hopefully she will find supportive community and friends within the program. Betty has 6 children. Fortunately 5 of her children are negative and she is still awaiting the testing results on her newborn. Maurine has 4 children. Two are married with their own kids making her a jja jja as well. She asked for prayer over her oldest child still at home who is starting to rebel and is not wanting to stay in school. Robina has 3 children who are all negative for the virus. Most of these women are paying high rent - double the rent at other TAPP visits in Mutungo and Kasubi - for the same type of rental space that floods terribly with heavy rain. You probably remember all the rain I have mentioned experiencing. It has even rained again since we have been back from safari. These women have jobs of breaking rocks into gravel- very hard work, selling tomatoes, and washing clothes. One woman has been able to find work in someone’s home. Our team members shared how impressive it was that all of these women were working hard to ensure that their children can be enrolled in school. 

     I hope that through the stories in these blogs and the stories we will undoubtedly share when we return, that many people will grasp the value of these programs. Children of Promise, TAPP, Kupona kids. The Stevenson’s are doing such good work here. Their mission is extremely effective because of the love and dedication they have to Uganda and the Ugandan people. We are all thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside them and contribute in whatever small ways we are able. Please consider sponsoring a child or two. It is a small price to pay each month that gives hope to a child and often a whole family through the opportunity to be educated. Something our US kids have a right to, no matter what their circumstances. 

     We finished the evening worshipping outside with Phillip, one of the men who works for the Stevenson’s. Phillip is a talented musician. In the past we were fortunate to hear him play the undungo (spelling I have no idea), an instrument native to here. He said it is having some problems, so instead he played some guitar for us. He shared a few songs in Swahili with us and in return we sang some English songs. We pulled out some hymns and some oldy but goody praise songs. We were ending with “Blessed Assurance” Ed’s favorite and then sang one final request of Phillip’s. 

     The next one or two days, depending on the departure group, will be spent wrapping up. We will have the opportunity to shop for gifts and souvenirs and get packed up. No matter which departure group being referred to, we all have a very long trip ahead of us. Please pray for our travel. I also ask that you pray for us as we assimilate back into our lives at home. Pray that we will be able to share our stories in an honest yet meaningful way. That we will spread the messages God has placed in each of our hearts upon returning. That none of us returns home unchanged.

Uganda Team 2018

Spot It...Leopard!

Greetings from Safari at Murchison Falls National Park and Red Chilli Rest Camp, home of the wandering warthogs.

     Monday morning we headed out from Gulu to our meet up point with the safari drivers. In one van Annette was riding along and shared about her garden and the types of plants she is growing and interested in growing. Deb was able to negotiate a change in our original safari date, allowing us to start earlier and avoid the 6 hour drive home from Gulu and a return trip north the following day. We are so thankful she was able to do this as it saved us MANY hours riding in the vans. It's always amazing to me how we can sleep in the vans all day and still be so tired when we arrive, but it never fails.  For those of you with maps of Uganda handy, tracking our movements, we made the van switch at Karuma. Our safari drivers were Ronnie and Vincent.

     We were able to get into the park the earliest ever! Since we were coming from Karuma, Tim talked our guides into avoiding an hour drive around to the normal park entrance, plus an additional hour drive from the gate to Red Chilli's. We ate at a fancy safari rest camp, Pakuba. It had the best bathrooms! I realize this doesn't sound like a big deal, but in Africa the bathroom situation is always a point of interest. At the lunch stop, we picked up a park ranger guide, Sam.  We saw many animals Monday. I'm sure I will leave some out, but the sightings included: elephants, cape buffalo, warthogs, Ugandan Kob (a variety of antelope), Arribi (look like little Bambies), giraffes, water bok (similar to a small elk), Jackson heartabeast (we have previously refered to this as a hortelope looking like a cross between a horse and an antelope), the official bird of Uganda a crested crane, Guinea fowl, several types of birds, and... LIONS! A lot of the animals I named are frequent sights throughout the park. We love seeing them and stop to take many pictures. However, the lions are no guarantee. There have been multiple safari trips where no lions were found. Even more, we saw a whole pride minus the adult males. When there are young cubs around, often the male lions are kept at a distance. They have been known to play too rough and it can be dangerous for the cubs.

     Safari is an amazing opportunity. The experience of standing on the floor or seats to peer out the top of the vehicle is difficult to describe with words. You can see God's beautiful creation for miles and miles. Feeling the wind in your face and breathing in deep the fresh air while capturing sight of animals in their natural habitat that we have only seen in a zoo, is awe inspiring. I think the group would agree that it becomes a spiritual experience. And, it's fun and relaxing. Sometimes I don't realize how much our experiences, the difference in cultures, being with a group constantly (albeit a great group) can weigh on me. We enjoy the experiences we are having and are deeply thankful to be here. Once given the opportunity to rest and get rejuvenated, that weight comes into our consciousness. Safari is a place where we are tourists among tourists. We don't get stares and shouts of "Muzungu!" as we drive past. Again I want to emphasize that these are not complaints, just truths of where we have been and the replenishment we are able to receive during this time.

     After our first big game drive, we took the ferry across the Nile to the other side of the park where Red Chilli's is located. We put in our dinner order - there are typically 3 choices: a beef, a chicken, and a vegetarian option, then went to check out our bandas. You say band-uh, I say bond-uh. We don't really know. After eating, we headed to our rooms. If we were smart, we fell asleep early. Some of us are smarter than others. A few (they might be part of the late night crew who roped in some additional friends) stayed up way too late, but were thankful for the bonding time.

     Tuesday morning was an early rise to ensure we would catch the first ferry across at 7:00 am. We left Red Chilli at about 6:20 with a packed breakfast. Angie, Michaela, Laura, and Emily sat at a picnic table by the Nile river drinking tea and watching the sun rise. Naturally, the story of Moses being placed in the river came up and we started to discuss different theories of his time spent in the Nile River. Emily piped in, "Oh wow! I didn't know Moses's story!" thinking we were talking about our driver Moses. We saw more animals that we had seen Monday. We also added a monitor lizard, hyenas, which we learned is a difficult animal to spot, a jackal, more birds and LIONS, and wait for it...a LEOPARD!!! We are always searching diligently for a leopard and have never seen one! In fact, Deb has been on safari in this park 10 times and this was even her first sighting. Alex, I know you are super jealous. It was so cool! The leopard was hidden very well in an acacia tree, snacking on his latest kill. We could see the legs dangling over the tree limb. So many safari vans were pulling up all around. It was difficult to get a good position and it was pretty far, so without binoculars or Deb's super lens the leopard was very difficult to see. Ranger guide Sam was sharing with one van a lot of fun facts about the animals. He would share most animals' life spans and gestation periods. He also pointed out the "losers" among the cape buffalo. When the males get older, they get challenged by younger ones and the loser gets kicked out of the herd. Two are together in order to protect one another. He told a joke about one type of water bok that has a white rear - that when Noah loaded the animals in the ark, the toilet seat still had wet paint and that is how he got the white rear. Oh Sam!

     We ate a delicious buffet lunch at Paraa lodge. This was another first experience for even the veterans. When we arrived we enjoyed a beverage in the lounge while we waited for the buffet to be ready. Denise was excited for brewed coffee that was available. Instant coffee is quite prevalent where we have been in Uganda. We had a beautiful view of the river where we could enjoy a breeze and reprieve from the heat.

     Immediately after lunch we were shuttled to our Nile River cruise with Wild Frontier. This has always been an enjoyable experience in the past, just that it can be very hot. Once again, we received an upgrade! We were surprised with a little boat that provided a private tour for just our group. Each person had a seat to himself and with the size of the boat we were able to get very close to the shore and see many animal activities. Lambert and Chris were our guides and they did a splendid job! Up close we saw hippos, baboons, crocodiles, elephants - a whole family with a teeny tiny little baby, and many birds: king fisher, red throated bee eater, fish eagle, black winged red bishop, cattle egret, Egyptian geese, "snake bird" African darter, black heron, white headed vulture, and probably a few more. We really liked seeing the birds! When I say up close, I mean so close that sometimes you didn't need the zoom on your phone camera. It was awesome! We passed an elephant on an island between the banks. When he started to swim to shore, Lambert says, "I think we need to go there," and he turned us around to go back. Caleb was able to drive the boat, operating both the wheel and throttle. These are not things that happen when you are on a big cruise boat. The boat takes us up to the beautiful falls. Murchison Falls is the most powerful waterfall in the world. 300 cubic meters of water per second go through the falls. Niagara is the 2nd most powerful; it is much bigger and more spread out which gives Murchison more power through the narrow area the water is pushed. On Wednesday we were driven to the top of the falls on our way out of the park. We were glad to be there so early because of the heat and because we were the only ones up there! We climbed around the rocks and up a small trail for a full view of the falls. Angie shared experiencing the power and promise of the falls. How water is a source of life, but there is also a healthy fear of the powerfulness shown in the falls. There was a beautiful full rainbow present in the mist created by the falls. We were so grateful for these experiences.

     Rewind to Tuesday evening after our river cruise. We were back at Red Chilli's by 5:00 and had plenty of time to relax, nap, enjoy the scenery, journal, and have dinner. Several of us stuck by the lodge where there was a little campfire. I don't think I have mentioned the stars! Because we are in places with not a lot of electricity available, the view of the stars is tremendous. While at the campfire of 10 people - only 3 were not from our group, we overheard someone mention the Midwest. Would you guess? We were in the company of another Hoosier, a man from Huntertown just north of Fort Wayne. What a small world! Throughout the safari days, Emily went on and on about how cute the warthogs were and how they really just wanted hugs. She preached this, but when we walked back to our banda and stumbled upon a family of warthogs grazing by the path, her response was not to hug them. Instead she screamed and ran away. It was really funny to watch, and a little terrifying. The dad Pumba did not like how close we were so we ventured off path.

     Wednesday was yet another travel day for us. We had to be out of the park by the same time we had entered on Monday. So after a brief yet wonderful stop at the top of the falls, we returned to the vans for another 6 hour drive back to Kampala. Ronnie and our group had different ideas of stopping for snacks, and we endured what seemed to be an endless amount of gas station stops finally getting a good pace for the rest of the trip home. Dinner was ready for us shortly after getting back to the Stevenson's. We went around the table sharing about our favorite safari animals. Tim shared some safari stories and children's stories about how some animals came to be. We joke with Tim to share only the good stories - he seems to share a lot of stories that end with people dying. These were all good stories!

Thank you for the prayers while we were on safari! Please continue to pray for us as we wrap up our time here. We are starting to long for home.
Uganda Team 2018

Jja Jja's and JoJo's

It has been many days since we have been able to send our greetings. I will share our adventures in two posts. First, the village. Our safari adventures will be relayed in a second post tomorrow.

     Friday was a travel day. We were in the vans about 6 hours + a lunch stop traveling north to Gulu. When we arrived, we first checked in at our lodge, JoJo’s Palace, and then headed to Sande’s home for dinner. I must dedicate some time to sharing JoJo’s Palace with you. As Jim stated our last evening in Gulu, “It’s hard to believe JoJo’s is like home.” This “Palace” provided us individual beds, mosquito netting, and a bathroom we didn’t have to leave our room for. This is a really nice thing when lodging here. In the past we have needed to walk to a shared pit toilet at the hotel and “cup shower.” Most of us didn’t have hot water, but we did have running water. Many of us had to plan out our one flush of the day, but we had toilets capable of flushing. Some of us didn’t have a fan, but we did have a howling dog at a neighboring business that kept us up all night. We enjoyed playing euchre in the lobby area where we also ate breakfast each morning. One room -won’t be named- was prepared with some safe sex materials, which made for some good jokes the remainder of the weekend. But in all seriousness, we did learn this is a movement the government started in order to help the spreading of AIDS. These materials are provided at all hotels and can be accessed free even from the side of the road. Detour into some other observations of this nature - I always look for the PSAs posted while here. On past trips I have seen ads for AIDS prevention and education, ads advocating to stop spousal abuse, and this time seeing ads for watching children’s consumption of products (think watch out for those Tide pods). We have also seen ads for some “Safe Bodas” which have apps similar to Uber - you can know who is picking you up and each driver has an identification number so issues can be reported. These bodas also have to follow the traffic laws. This is an attempt to create safer driving conditions for everyone on the road. No matter what it’s called, I still beg to differ that there can be such a thing as a safe boda!

    Back to the trip agenda. Saturday morning we had breakfast at JoJo’s. Moses snuck out each morning and brought us back some treats in addition to the breakfast provided at the hotel. He brought us chapati - Emily did save us a few pieces - mendazes (he wasn’t pleased with ones made at the lodge), some rolls, and cookies! He takes such good care of us. We then had time to go across the street to a huge market. This taught us the lesson of never listen to Tim - who suggested that we didn’t need to bring much money with us. We really enjoyed the market and were able to find some things we haven’t seen at the markets in Kampala. There were many shops filled with beautiful fabric items. Fortunately we are a group willing to share and there was much brokering happening throughout both the village and safari trips. We had lunch again at Sande’s. His family was so hospitable to us. The meals they served us were all traditional, giving us a variety of options. The team has definitely been well fed! 

    Our main event was the Jja Jja house dedication. This dedication was special for several reasons. The location, Gulu, is special. Kelsey is currently living there and considers this home. It is extremely meaningful to visit Sande’s home as well. You read their names in the blog, you hear their names spoken in our stories. Moses and Sande. These two men have become like family to many of us. Yes, they drive us, but they are so much more than our guides. They live with us, take care of us, get us treats, help us communicate, protect us, allow us to feel in a constant state of safety, and so much more! For Sande to invite us to his home and share that with us was really special. The Jja Jja house itself is extremely special for our group as it was purchased and given by the Stiers family in memory of Elaine. Elaine has been a driving force in our Uganda teams. At the dedication Kelsey shared how her love for Africa, for Uganda came from her very first trip with the Park Place team in 2010 that her grandparents paid for her to come. Before we left for Gulu, Kelsey shared with us how she wasn’t able to be at Elaine’s funeral and how this dedication will hopefully bring closure to her. Greg shared at the dedication as well. He used the visual of a hug to represent how big God’s love is. When we hug one person it looks like this: arms wrapped around in a complete circle. When we hug two people it looks like this: arms wrapped around but unable to close. When we hug many people it looks like this: arms wrapped, opened even wider. When we love Uganda it looks like this: arms straight out to the sides with cupped hands. When God loves us all it looks like this: the formation of the cross. We are limited in our sight, but God can see all. He can hold us in one hand and Uganda in the other. He can hold this Jja Jja in one hand and Elaine in the other. It was very emotional for the Stiers family and the group as a whole. Both houses we dedicated in Gulu are named the Elaine Stiers House. The Jja Jja that received the first house was actually Sande’s Jja Jja, and as Kelsey has been accepted into Sande’s family, also her Jja Jja. Jja Jja Labwolo Filda (73 years old) gave her previous home and land for the church and school to be built in town. She was staying at Sande’s home, but was very far from the land she owned. The Jja Jja program is working to keep the older generations from losing the family land. The trip from Sande’s to her land was about an hour into the bush, a very difficult drive. In order for her to produce crop and income from her land she would have to travel back and forth. It was an honor to be a part of this gathering and gift. We finished the evening back at Sande’s house for dinner and singing worship songs with Annette.

    Sunday we worshipped at the Church of God in Gulu. Fun fact - Moses says that Gulu means heaven in the central Ugandan languages. During our time in Gulu, we started dropping like flies and ended up with 4 on the Cipro. Carma wasn’t feeling well and was unable to join us for the day’s festivities. Laura did her best to lead the group in our music offerings. However, the church sang our first selected song and in picking a different last second choice, she started us too low. Fortunately, the group members are real pros and were not phased when she switched keys in the middle of the first verse. Sue shared a beautiful testimony and Emily preached again. The group is constantly amazed at the gift of speaking Emily has shared here. Emily would say that she didn’t know that was a talent she had before this trip. How wonderful to be a part in helping her to discover and grow such a gift. Sande shared his testimony - with many church services attended, Sande has never spoken. He shared, “Where the church stands now was my Jja Jja’s home. Now it belongs to God. Yesterday, the Lord has given my Jja Jja a home.” Sande thanks Park Place and the Stiers for being the vessel through which God has given this gift. An area leader, Pastor Alfred, shared a testimony of healing he experienced when he had an ulcer. He also prayed for Colleen’s healing. I asked the group for adjectives to describe this prayer. Here are the contributions: spirited, serious, intense, fiery, spirit filled, angry? I’m going to stick with fiery- a powerful prayer. These prayers of healing continue to show us how loved and missed she is. “You are everywhere, hear the cries of your children...I pray and believe your healing hand will reach Colleen. Father you are better than earthly fathers. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Father.”

     Service was followed by a “quick” lunch at Sande’s in order to be at the second Jja Jja house dedication by 2:00… Our quick lunch had us at the Jja Jja house at 3:45, but no worries because they still weren’t ready and asked us to wait by the vans for a few minutes. Even so Michaela walked away with brown arms after running into some wet paint. The Jja Jja, Aketch Rofina, is 80 years old. She had 5 children but 4 have died and 1 is imprisoned in Sudan. She has 7 grandchildren she cares for. We were able to walk to her current home to see where she has been living. The home was a mud hut with a thatched roof. Very small for the number of people living there. They also were trying to cook inside, with two different fires going. The new home dedicated will provide much needed space and a safer environment for all living there. We also gifted both Jja Jjas with a bio-light stove. These stoves have a cast iron center that are supposed to be more efficient. They have a heat to electricity adapter that powers a USB port which is able to support a light or charge a phone. There is also a fan which is supposed to help there to be less smoke generated. Something special about this dedication was the traditional Gulu dance performed by the children. It is hard to describe, but worth asking one of us to see the videos when we get back.

     Denise and Jim were able to visit with their sponsor child, Denis. When their picture was taken, he initiated putting his arms around both of them. This was a special moment. Angie observed Jim and Denis sitting in the same position, picking up their drinks simultaneously, and taking a drink identically. Another great story of how important sponsorship is and how impactful it can be in a child’s life.

     At the conclusion of our evening, we ate a last meal in Sande’s home. What a task to feed a group of our size so many times. We are so thankful to his family members that were so hospitable to us. More than once Sande (and other members of his family) said, “Remember your seat, because this is your seat when you return.” This is why we come. To continue building on the relationships we have begun in years past. 

Thank you for your prayers as we were away from our home base!

Uganda Team 2018

TAPPed In

     Greetings from Uganda! Today we were welcomed by Mutungo. This is the home of Moses, our beloved van driver and friend. While there, many of us went on TAPP visits - some of us in the morning and others went in the afternoon. We toured the TAPP property where we were able to see the teaching of tailoring, sewing, and leather work. It was impressive the way the students were learning the basics and practicing valuable skills. Emily led a Bible study for the women. Many of the local women were very affirming of her lesson on the faith of David. Deb participated along side her for support. Emily led the women to share about the "giants" they are facing/ have faced in their lives. Greg worked on a project with Moses to dig out an area for a walkway that will also serve as a ditch to divert water away from the main door toward the playground. The whole area of Mutungo struggles with flooding. Several others of us played with the school children. There was an hour of bubble blowing and giant parachute playing. We then transitioned to a HUGE circle to sing Jesus Loves Me. Some of the older students took over and led school songs. It was so much fun! Laura got roped into a game similar to duck duck goose, with running around the circle and ending in the middle with a silly dance. The kids then broke into another school yard game that reminded me of Red Rover, only it included a 1:1 challenge seeing who could pull the other over the middle line. It was another meaningful and enjoyable day. I forgot to mention yesterday that we finally had sunshine! Two days in a row now without rain. Today it did sprinkle for a few minutes, but was helpful in cooling down the very hot morning.

     I want to spend the majority of the blog sharing about the women we met on our TAPP visits. The consistent prayer needs for all of the women were health, rent money, and school fees for their children. It was evident through all the women's stories how TAPP is serving an important purpose by providing the ability for the women to come together for support and relationship. The women check up on each other. Some of them have even become group leaders for different areas... like Nora.

Nora makes beaded purses for income. She hopes to have her own place to work in order to increase her income. She has a daughter, Abigail at home and a boy at school. She was the first house visited by the afternoon group. It is common for us to sing songs with the women while we visit. After visiting, Nora walked with the group, leading them to the other houses. At the last house she was waiting outside and some of our group members could hear her signing Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone which was the song sang for her during her visit. It was a touching moment showing the impact a few minutes can have on someone's day. 

Betty is 48 years old. She is a mother of 3, but sadly 2 of her children have died. Her oldest child is 30 years old and lives far away on the Eastern side of Uganda. Betty doesn't have any family to check up on her. In addition to having HIV, she also has a disease (we aren't sure exactly what) that causes her to black out for even an hour at a time. She has a large scar across her beautiful face from one incident when she passed out while cooking in her home and was burned. The TAPP staff have asked that she only cook outside to avoid additional accidents. Unfortunately Betty is not able to work and relies on friends, the TAPP program, and visitor groups like ours to help her with food and rent.

Gertrude has 3 little girls: Precious (2 months), Promise (5 years), and Priscilla (7 years). She also makes beaded purses. We learned that the TAPP tailoring students make the linings the women use for the purses. Government schools do not have a reputation of quality education, and private school (all the schools we have referenced and visited) cost money. Gertrude is praying for provision of school fees.

Susan's husband left her and their two children when she tested positive for HIV and went to live with and marry another woman. This is not an uncommon story - and many men have been unfaithful, contract HIV, pass it on to their wives, and then leave them. Susan has 2 school aged children but they are not able to go because she cannot afford the school fees. She travels around washing clothes for people. She is hoping to get funds to start a fruit stand that is located right outside of the apartment she is renting. She would like to earn more money so that she can afford a better place to live. Her current place gets flooded when it rains. She also needs to earn money for school fees for her children who are not yet sponsored.

Olivia buys maize and grinds it, selling it for a profit. This is hard work. She pays for childcare for her 2 grandchildren while she is working so that they can remain safe. We are not aware of what happened to her children that she is responsible now for her grandchildren. We did learn, breaking our hearts, that the grandchildren are already HIV positive.

Ravisia was not home when we arrived to visit. Turns out that she wasn't able to afford rent and had "shifted" as they say here. She has a friend who has been willing for her to stay a little while as she looks for work. Ravisia also has HIV, but she is feeling well, very strong, and able to work. She is hoping to be able to buy wholesale food and charcoal to bring back to her area and sell for profit. She has 4 children who attend government school that are also living in the friend's house.

Fatuma is 40 years old with 3 children, but looks as young as a teenager. Ugandan's age very well! Fatuma has recently returned from a hospitalization for an ulcer. She also has HIV. Due to her hospitalization, she was not able to work and is now 3 months behind on rent. She makes clutch style handbags. Fatuma was Muslim, but came to Christianity after becoming involved with the TAPP program. She was most excited about the gifts of food we brought on our visit.

     Carma shared a sentiment many of us also wrestle with - the balance/the line between helping those in poverty but not transferring our values. How do we empower someone to live well in their culture, recognizing that poverty is a debilitating and serious issue in every culture? We have means to help but don't want to push our values/priorities/opinions of living onto others. We continue to sit with this.

     We returned home early, having dinner and celebrating Tim's birthday with cake and ice cream. There was some down time for resting, packing for the weekend, and chatting. The group got to practice some of Andrew Gale's tips and types of conflict resolution presented at our group meetings as we selected songs for this weekend's events. We continue to be happy group, getting along with one another.

     Shout out to my late night crew who stay up with me and keep me entertained while I type these blogs. Also - it just started raining again.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Gulu, a village 6 hours north, for 3 nights. We will be dropped off on the way back for our safari trip at Murchison Falls National Park. Do not be alarmed if you don't hear from your loved ones until Wednesday when we get back to Kampala. If I am able, I will sneak in another blog before we go on safari, but no promises!
Please pray for safe travels, healthy bellies and bathroom situations, and for the work we will be doing in Gulu.

Thank you for your support,
Uganda Team 2018

Pink!

     Greetings from Uganda! You are most welcome. This is a phrase we are greeted with many many times each day. Today traveled to Busujja - a village about 2 hours away. One van had lots of conversation with Tim about history, financial planning, the cloud, and family. The trip was pleasant and thankfully the traffic on the way home wasn't too terrible.

     At Busujja, we threw a party for the Jja Jjas unlike any other Jja Jja party we have thrown before! As is typical for the culture, we commenced with a service of greetings, introductions, and presentation of songs by some choirs. The songs the children sang were particularly moving. The beauty of the children is hard to express with words. The amount of gratitude to God that is continually expressed by the people we encounter is humbling and inspiring. I must share one testimony that stood out to many of us. Rose, a teacher at Busujja, shared her testimony of being a child sponsored through the Children of Promise program. She told of her experience and gratitude for the program and what it brought to her life. She was sponsored in 2002, completed school, and trained to become a teacher. Rose thanks God and Children of Promise for the success of her life. "It got hard, so I tried harder and pushed through (insert strong upper-cut motion)." And now she is giving back to her community as a teacher. We are so sad that no one recorded her testimony to share. It was such a powerful story and reminder why the Children of Promise sponsorship program is so vital! We can't plug this program enough!

     On to the main event: the party! I must take a moment to note how much Colleen's presence was greatly missed. The Jja Jja parties and programing is a great love of Colleen's. There were comments on how she would love to be there dancing along side the Jja Jjas and Annette. The people's love for Colleen (and Tim too) is so evident! The kids shirts at school even have "Tim" and "Colleen" printed on the backs. There was another prayer time for her healing, and the faith in the Ugandan people is strong. There is power in prayer! Amen! Amina!

     After the introduction service, we served the Jja Jjas lunch. Denise and Caleb went around washing each of their hands. As an onlooker, I commented how the process really reminded me of foot washing - during debrief Denise shared the same sentiment. After lunch we had activity stations. There was a salon for hair, makeup, and nails, a craft station, a massage station (thankfully we have a therapist - Angie has become all the types of therapists :) that we have needed), and a studio for photos. During debrief we discussed how several of us ended up in a job that perhaps wasn't what we really wanted to do - it was uncomfortable for us - like washing hair and painting toe nails, but something changed during our service. By the end, there was a shift and I believe it is safe to speak for the whole group in saying that each person felt honored to be serving in the position they were placed. We had a blast! There were a few accidental drownings at the hair washing station, an impromptu dance party with Jja Jja George, and emotional connections through the physical nature of massage. While painting nails, many didn't speak English, but everyone knew "Pink!" Of course we had many shades of pink and our nail techs did a great job of helping the women select their colors. Denise had a conversation with a younger Jja Jja that was speaking very good English. She had not made it very far in her school education. Denise told her that intelligence doesn't have to do with your level of education and affirmed the woman that she is very smart! She had a strong desire to learn. With the help of others, even her grandchildren bringing her books, she learned to read and speak very good English. "I have so much more to learn!" she exclaimed. Many stations experienced difficulty with communication, but we saw first hand the creative communication God gifted us with. There are so many ways to communicate with each other and we often get caught up in the one that seems to come easiest to us - talking. We spoke to each other through smiles, gestures, service, and with the help of our Ugandan brothers and sisters. God is good! Another cool thing to come from the party was the craft. We helped the Jja Jjas make tissue paper flowers. The TAPP leader from the area approached me and asked for a lesson to make the flowers. She believes that the women will be able to make these and sell them as part of the TAPP program. It was such a blessing to us to be able to pamper the women (and a few men) today. You could tell they felt young and beautiful as they went around with huge smiles, showing off their nails. Deb took a photo of each Jja Jja. At first it was a challenge to get them to smile, but later they came back asking for another picture with their hair and makeup, even displaying their freshly painted nails in the photo. Big smiles!

     During the party, Greg was pulled to be taken to see a well. This is a hand dug well that is 150 feet deep. There was a brick wall built 12-15 feet down. Below this, rods are added every few feet to be used as foot holds for the workers as they dig. They climb down, dig, and a tripod with a pulley lifts and lowers a 5 gallon bucket that gets filled with dirt as they dig lower. I am thankful for the advancements that allow us to have access to water, but there is something really fascinating and amazing about the manual labor completed to bring a water source to this village. Greg also had some time to play with the school children, and had the honor of visiting and praying with Tim's namesake.

     As we used the restroom (in villages, this means stall with a hole in the ground) and packed up to head home, Carma and Denise were shown around a bit by Pastor Samuel. They saw some of the boarding rooms. The school has about 360 students and 160 of them board at the school. This is limited by the amount of space they have available for boarding. It was a solemn sight to see how many students live in one small room (38 girls in a room and 67 boys in a room)- three level bunk beds packed in. While it may seem unacceptable to our standards, these students have a bed, food, and they are receiving an education. Knowledge is power, a chance for a job, and income, and a better life. There are many ways we are reminded of how vastly different we live from many of the Ugandan people. We also experience many ways that we are the same. Different isn't bad. Different is different. There is beauty in difference, especially when we can recognize and appreciate our differences, piecing together a beautiful, colorful puzzle.

Many blessings,
Uganda Team 2018

The Rain Came Down and the Floods Came Up

Greetings from Uganda!

Today we spent time again at rainy Kasubi (we have decided to go with this spelling as used by the offices there. Google maps says Kisubi, but when in Rome...) doing various activities. Denise worked with the group of students from yesterday on Excel and some web based training opportunities. Jim and Caleb worked in the library cataloging books that have come in. Greg and Michaela were painting at the clinic to help prepare for the next group coming that will be a medical group. Deb and Kelsey worked more in the Children of Promise office. Sue, Carma, Angie, Emily, and Laura went on 4 Jja Jja visits. The first Jja Jja also happens to be the grandmother of Laura's sponsor child, Wassua. This was a touching and deeply moving moment. There will be a sponsor child luncheon next week, but due to Wassua's physical limitations he would not have been able to attend. It was wonderful to get to visit with him, singing songs, laughing, and praying together. Ok, and maybe some tears. Visiting Jja Jjas is such a joy. The women are so thankful to have us visiting them in their homes. One Jja Jja, Margaret, had such spirit and joy that she shared with us. Several of her older grandchildren were there, and they shared the gratitude and joy they had obviously been taught. We sang many songs while seeking shelter from the rain. Jja Jja danced while Annette drummed on a plastic bottle. It was a wonderful experience. We also get to listen to the needs and difficulties they are facing. Sometimes we are able to help, and we always pray together.

After lunch, the most of the group went down the road to Kapona, a preschool type program associated with TAPP (Tumaini Aids Prevention Program). Deb, Michaela, Denise, and Greg went on 3 TAPP visits to homes of women and men who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The clients were able to share what the TAPP program has provided for them. It provides a variety of support services: social, economic, spiritual, practical supports for themselves and their children. It was affirming to hear how one woman had found support and come to faith through the program.

Most of the remaining group members lead activities with about 25 preschool aged children at Kapona. Since it was still raining, we weren't able to play with them in the courtyard as planned. Thankfully, Sue was prepared! She had a craft of foam crosses with stickers, bubbles, coloring pages and crayons. We passed out some "sweeties" and enjoyed lots of smiles and laughter. The kids showed such excitement to do even these simple activities. Their ages ranged from (we think) 2-6. The activities we were able to provide seemed new to them and was exciting for us to witness and take part in.

Our van ride home was a little shorter tonight. Praises. Have I mentioned that it was raining? It was raining all day. The group ate dinner and had meaningful time of devotion and worship. Laura was able to meet with Simon who has been sponsored by Bob and Leah Helvering for over 20 years. It was discovered some years ago that his sister, Christine, works in the Stevenson's home. Such a small world! What a blessing to be able to connect with him on their behalf. The evening concluded with a crafting group creating giant tissue paper flowers that will be used as decoration for the Jja Jja party tomorrow. Obviously that tissue paper will fringe right up! (You'll understand when you see the pictures.) Jim makes a mighty dandy paper flower! Michaela holds the record for most tissue paper crafting which she can brag about back home to her crafting group.

And now we sleep, and dream of sunshine. Thank you for your prayers!
Uganda Team 2018