FINAL DAY IN AFRICA

Fred writes:  Our final day in Uganda was one of travel and visits.  First we made our way to Jinja where we once again caught up with Tim and visited Abide, the family ministry where he is serving for three months as an intern.  We then journeyed about an hour to The Suubi Project, an orphan ministry, church and school that Heather has assisted in the past and where some KCCers served last year by conducting a VBS and sports camp.  After a very brief stop at the source of the River Nile we traveled back to Kampala to visit Pastor Solomon's school where Heather was able to Skype with Jason's classroom back in the U.S. - the Ugandan kids went absolutely nuts!  Heather then went on with the driver to run some errands while Tim and I jumped in Solomon's Landcruiser and headed to the countryside to see the Mud Run's Village Drill in action.  The human-powered well drill we provided with the proceeds from the 2013 Kalamazoo Mud Run is hard at work drilling water wells in partnership with local churches, bringing clean drinking water to places that have not previously had access to it.  Tim and I even got to work on the crew for while.  The rig functions flawlessly but the energy required to spin the thing is considerable.  I don't think many construction laborers in our culture would be willing to work that hard but Solomon's guys are pouring themselves into it on a daily basis.  Then it was back for a final cold shower and then to Entebbe to catch the redeye for home.

Thank You to all of you who helped make this trip possible, whether you contributed financially or held us up in prayer, or both.  When I accepted the invitation to go along on this journey I had no idea the grand adventure it would be.  I visited places that rarely, if ever, had been set foot upon by mzungus and saw things most of you will never see.  The entire experience was breathtaking.  Being a "list person," I have returned home with a list of things to do to assist both The Way Home Africa and Pastor Solomon's well drilling ministry.  Please pray for me that I would be faithful to make good on my commitments and that God would bless my efforts to the extent that they are in keeping with His good and perfect Will.  And pray for Heather and Jason as they continue to advocate for the awesome ministry of The Way Home while maintaining a healthy balance between that, their increasing level of involvement at KCC, and the needs of their young family.  

I look forward to sharing more about our experiences in Uganda soon.  For now, some photos from our final day.  Grace & Peace.

Toes in the River Nile

Skyping with kids Jason's classroom in Mattawan

The Village Drill in action

Hard work for an old man!

BITTERSWEET

Fred writes:  Today was bittersweet as it was our last day at The Way Home.  While today was sweltering and we're tired and starting to look forward to coming home it will still be hard to leave this place and its wonderful people.  This morning Heather sped off on the boda to track down the last three grannies while I stayed behind and spent some time talking to director Russ about how our church might be able to assist him in what God is doing here.  Later in the day we had a very special treat as we were able to be present at a granny interview where she was informed that she would be receiving a new home.  Her son passed away and left her with three orphaned grandkids and she still has three daughters at home as well.  They are all sleeping in the round eight foot diameter hut pictured below.  They will soon have a 10' x 30' house, a new latrine and three years of training and assistance with their garden.

Director Russ shared with them how God has a heart for widows and orphans and that there are people in America who love God and desire to obey Him and invest in the things that He cares about and that is how they are receiving their new home.  At the end of our time with them He then also had an opportunity, at the request of one of the Ugandan pastors who will be following up with the family, to share the way of salvation with them.  It was astounding to hear the sensitive, culturally relevant way in which he was able to share the Good News - Good News that began 2000 years ago in Palestine and now traveled to east Africa by way of North America.  Amazing stuff here.

At the end of the day we were treated by the Ugandan staff here at The Way Home to a traditional Ugandan dinner of mitoke (an un-sweet banana kind of thing cooked like mashed potatoes), greens, rice, potatoes and even some of Tom, one of the turkeys we've been watching strut around the yard all week.  It was great to sit down and break bread with the builders, farmers and pastors who work so diligently bringing shelter, food and Jesus to the people of Uganda.

Tomorrow we head to Jinja so Heather can tie up some loose ends and then to Kampala to visit Pastor Solomon and the Village Drill.

Granny with three of her surviving children and her three orphaned grandchildren.

This is their existing house - all seven of them sleep in there.

Not much privacy left at the latrine.

The Way Home staff cooking us a traitional Ugandan meal.

Mitoke, greens, rice, potatoes and a little bit of our friend Tom the turkey.

"You seen Tom?"  "No, don't know where he went.  Last time I saw
him he was over there by all those people at that kitchen thing."

BARNSTORMING

Fred writes:  Yesterday we attended church at Acacia Community Church in Jinja, an open-air thatched roof church both reaching out to Ugandans and providing a place to worship for mzungu missionaries.  And led by a pastor from West Virginia no less - "Can I get an amen!!"  We then ate lunch at a little place called The Haven on the Nile river.  Last night I had the privilege of executing our first African rat.  Sucker was eating our bananas.

Today it was back on the bodas for a barnstorming run to 20 granny homes.  We have only three left which we will get to tomorrow morning.  One of the highlights was visiting a home where they had spent the very first night in their new home last night.  They were walking on air.  We went inside with the family and prayed a blessing on the home and that all who live there would know Jesus and look forward to the day when we all have a permanent home with Him.  We also visited a home with a shrine behind it where the clan keeps their demons -not just any demons mind you, specialty demons.  They give them a little house out back so they can call on them when they need them.  Handy, I suppose.  The granny there is a Christian but not all of her clan has followed in her footsteps, hence the continued presence of the shrine.  Pray for them to see the Light and turn from their old ways.

I have a lot of time to think as I'm riding down the back roads and trails and today I was captured by thoughts about the masses of people I have seen, even out here in the bush.  Walking, riding bikes, standing around in the trading centers, carrying jerrycans of water, pushing old bicycles laden with everything from huge bunches of  bananas to massive bags of charcoal for their cook stoves, walking to and from school, laying around on their lawns with their babies (it was a scorcher today).  I wondered how many of them have heard of Jesus.  I couldn't escape the question, " If no one tells them, how will they know?"  There are so many great things going on here and yet so much still to do and so many lost who need to be found.

Tomorrow we'll catch up with the last three grannies and then observe an "interview" with a prospective granny home recipient.

Acacia Community Church

Rapids on the River Nile

Demon shrine

Just spent the first night in their new home last night

STRANDED IN MBALE

Fred writes:  Sorry to have been AWOL for a day - we've been a little sidetracked.  We decided to take a day off from the bodas on Friday because after three days of tearing up what they call roads over here Heather and I were experiencing some serious chafing in the . . . umm . . . well . . . shall we say, "seat department."  Another day on the motorcycles and we would have needed some awkward bandaging.  So we left for Mbale (mmm - bali) to visit a Christian school established by Pastor Alfred who also works as The Way Home's construction supervisor.  The mission's minivan had experienced some coolant loss problems recently but was thought to have been OK.  I was a little suspicious, though, and watched the engine temperature gauge closely from the  back seat.  About 40 km out from the compound the gauge suddenly went from normal to the peg at the top of the scale so we pulled over and discovered the radiator was empty.  Fortunately we had taken two cases of drinking water along with us and were able to fill it back up. We traveled on to Mbale where Pastor Alfred took us to his mechanic.  You know that thing about first impressions?  Yep.  Keep reading.  Three hours later we were  back on the road and visited the school.   It's amazing what God is doing through Alfred's efforts in a heavily Muslim area.  Since we were already almost there anyway, after leaving the school we headed up the mountain to visit Sipi Falls.  Still don't know what they look like.  Half way up the mountain the temperature gauge pegged again.  The repair made in Mbale was somewhat insufficient.  Turns out they basically tried to glue the leaks closed.  After several more stops to refill the radiator we found our way back to Mbale where we holed up in a hotel for the night.

The next morning Alfred took the van to a different mechanic who was recommended by a professional driver he knows.  First estimate was "mid-morning," then "mid-day," then "later on," then "45 more minutes."  We called Alfred after about two more hours had passed and they were "almost done."  We finally left as it was getting dark and returned to the guesthouse about 9:30 p.m.

We had big plans for the last 48 hours.  Seems that God's plans for us were different.   While we were disappointed to not get to see the falls, had to spend money to stay in a hotel, and spent ALL DAY sitting next to a beautiful swimming pool we couldn't use because we didn't have swim suits (always keep one in the glove box, I guess), we still had a great day.  We were forced to slow down and engage in deep conversation and experience some real community together that we would have completely missed if not for a broken car and a totally incompetent mechanic.  God protected us every step of the way and led us to a place we wouldn't have wanted to miss.  Soli Deo Gloria.

Director Russ, Pastor Alfred and one smokin' hot Toyota

The pool we couldn't swim in  Looked all over for one of those "No Swim Suits After Dark" signs  but couldn't find one.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN (sing it like Willie Nelson)

Fred writes:  Third day on the road today.  Began with a beautiful sunrise - see  below - and then we saddled up and rode about 1-1/2 hr. to our first stop.  Really out there but the ride was beautiful.  Tim Johnson rode with us, too.  We stopped at only eight granny homes today because of the remote locations.  We saw some beautiful babies today but were saddened to see that they were all wearing witchcraft bracelets.  Even those who convert to Christianity often maintain their previous practices of black magic and ancestor worship.  It's really hard to see that knowing that they will never know the abundant life in Christ unless they can be led away from the old practices.  Many of the Christian pastors here are uneducated and preach a gospel that isn't really the Gospel.  More on what The Way Home Africa is working on to help with that later.

We saw some beautiful gardens today - we were really impressed at one stop where there are three grannies in immediate proximity to each other and they have teamed up to do some major power-gardening.  Many hands make light work.  Their gardens produce a very abundant harvest and they not only feed their grandchildren, but also can sell enough excess to pay for all of their school fees.  This concept really works when it's applied and worked hard at.

As we visited some gardens that are a few years old it was really neat to see how the soil develops over time using the Farming God's Way method.  The soil here is naturally a gritty red clay.  It is not particularly fertile and is even hard on farming implements due to the angular abrasive nature of the grit in it.  The Farming God's Way method of using planting holes instead of tilling the soil, covering the garden with mulch to retain moisture and minimize soil compaction, and returning the spent plants to the soil results in a rich, dark topsoil after only a couple growing seasons.  It was very cool to see that the neighbors of the grannies being served by The Way Home Africa / Farming God's Way partnership are taking notice and beginning to employ the same methods themselves.  This is really a game changer for the folks over here.

We had a little excitement on the way  back this afternoon.  The rainy season is moving in and we were doing our best to skirt a big thunderstorm but just a couple miles from home base we were nailed by a pretty nasty hail storm and had to pull off in a small town and take shelter under a canopy with a large group of local men.  They looked at us like we're freaks but nobody bothered us.  We often wave to people as we blast down the back roads and they wave back, give us a big grin and yell "mzungu!".  The Ugandan people are very friendly and helpful.

This morning's sunrise

Upon my trusty steed

Witchcraft bracelets

Tim J. with Pastor Simon and driver Jeffrey

Uh oh, Jason

Hailstorm

Under the canopy

OUR SECOND DAY ON THE BACKROADS

Fred writes:  We spent another day on the backroads of Uganda visiting with 13 grannies at their homes.  We observed several fine gardens being prepared for planting.  They're prepping the planting holes now and will plant the seed in another week or two when the next semi-annual rainy season begins.  We also prayed with each one that their garden would produce abundantly.  No all of them have gardens - we've met a few who are blind and one today wasn't able to get up from her mat on the floor - but some of them we've seen have been astounding.  While the grand kids are away at school the grannies work on preparing and maintaining their gardens.  The idea is that they will be able to raise enough crop to not only feed their family but also enough extra to sell so they can pay the kids' school fees.  If you can't pay, you don't go to school here.

We're learning many things about how to best to help people in other cultures work their way out of poverty.  It's so easy as westerners to want to just put together a team, write a check, and fix the problem.  We can see, though, the dependency problems that creates.  As we ride the bodas  through the little towns along the way we can hear the kids calling out for money from the mzungus.  When we pull into the villages it's like the circus just pulled into town.  People come from all around the village to see what we have brought for them.  It's encouraging to see how The Way Home Africa is working to break that cycle with the people they serve.  They're working hard to fade into the background as they train up more and more Ugandans to do the work on the ground.  They're also willing to apply tough love in situations where the recipients sit back on their hands expecting the work to be done for them.  

Well tomorrow it's back to the bush on our trusty bodas and will be joined on our journey for a day by Tim Johnson.  Please continue to pray for us and for the work of The Way Home Africa.

African Sunrise

That's me?!?

BEATING AROUND THE BUSH

Fred writes:  Today was an adventure unlike anything I've ever experienced.  We were on dirt  bikes literally beating through the African bush.  When I talk about Africa I normally hesitate to use words like "bush" and "village."  In one of my classes in Bible college we had a student from Africa and I remember her complaining that Americans all thought everybody in Africa grew up in a grass hut out in the bush.  She was from a modern city and found our presumption both ignorant and arrogant.  Well, we weren't in the city today!  We visited 17 granny homes, meeting with them, taking photos, and looking at their gardens.  We were really in the African bush.  We went down roads that weren't even roads - some of them just a path between villages.  If we had lost our leader you never would have seen Heather or me again - there was no way to know where we were or where the next turn would lead.  I'd be building our grass huts as you read this.

My being here is an incredible gift and an experience I don't want to squander on myself.  I believe God provided the means for me to be here for a reason.  Today in the solitude of my motorcycle helmet I recalled a thought from our devotions last night.  The person who shared it didn't remember where she got it so I can't cite credit but it goes like this:  "In Christian life and witness so much is lost because we are indefinite.  The devil is not worried by our pious aspirations.  He is troubled when, in obedience to God, for the glory of Christ and in the power of the Spirit, we make firm practical decisions to do specific things for the Lord."  Pious aspirations.  Ever have any of those?  To be the best wife or husband your spouse could ever dream of.  To be the dad that yours wasn't.  To get out of debt.  To save for a secure retirement.  To have deep conversations with your kids so they don't make the same mistakes you did.  To be a godly man or woman.  I've certainly had more than my share of them and many of them have ended in my being indefinite.  My prayer is that through this experience I'll move beyond pious aspirations about spreading the gospel to the poor in Africa into practical decisions to do specific things.  In obedience to God.  For the glory of Christ.  In the power of the Spirit.  

Saddle up!

Granny with some of her grandkids

Old house on the left - new house on the right