Pillowcase Project Update

I am writing to update you on the Pillowcase Project. The ladies here in our office aer still working hard once a month to sew dresses for our orphans. To my understanding there are also several other groups making dresses in their towns and with their friends.

On top of that, The Pillowcase Project, has now fully partnered with us and is helping to provide dresses for all of our girls. We will be delivering these dress in December which is just 3 months away! All dresses will need to be in our office by the beginning of December so that we can sort through them and get them into the suitcase of our team members going on the mission trip.

Currently, we need more teenage sizes for our older girls. Mum Betty has communicated with us that about 150 of the 400 dress will need to be larger for our older girls. If you could make an extra effort to make dresses in this size that would be so helpful! Also, if you can make boys shorts that would be great too.

We are currently looking into what we will be doing for the 600 boys in our village. We will have to look at Uganda business or women making shorts locally to assist us in this project. You can help us by sponsoring a dress for $15 or even sponsoring boys shorts/tshirts for $15.

If you choose to sponsor this project, we would like to send a personal message from you to the child you sponsor so please provide us with a short note for them with your donation.

By His Grace,

Jackson Senyonga
Christian Life Minsitries

Making a Difference

I am writing today for two reasons: to encourage those of you that are sponsors and then to plead with you to help me find this little boy a sponsor.

We have diligently been working on a new child letter system. One of our boys, Innocent Atugonza, wrote a letter to his sponsor that I would like to share with you.

"It’s me your handsome son writing to thank you for choosing me.

Thank you so much for taking such a decision in spite of the economic crisis.

You must be a great lady of faith. Me I am also a steward of faith.

I had faith that I would get a mum and now Hebrews 11:1 has come to pass.

I believed God for a mum and now I have you-glory be to God."

I found this letter would be of great encouragement to many of you who sponsor our children and maybe don't think you are really making that big of a difference. However, after reading letter after letter like this one from Innocent I want you to be encouraged that you are indeed cherished and loved deeply by your sponsored child.

I thank all of you who have made sacrifices during what Innocent has called an economic crisis. I understand that it is not always easy to continue sponsorship during difficult time but your faithfulness in that is so greatly appreciated. We are grateful for you and your faithfulness to our minsitry and your sponsored child.

On a sad note, prior to Innocent sending this letter, his sponsor had to cancel her sponsorship. I have a desire to find him a sponsor more than anything because he was so excited about their new sponsorship relationship. Please help me find a sponsorship for Innocent!

Blessings,

Jackson Senyonga

Christian Life Ministries

Sponsorship Relationship

Have you had the privledge of visiting Uganda and meeting your sponsored child? If so, please email us a picture of you with your sponsored child to Jana Kitts. Her email address is j.kitts@christianlifeministries.org

We have a special project we are trying to put together for all of you, but need some pictures of sponsors and their sponsored child. Please help us with this!


Thanks,

Jackson Senyonga
Christian Life Minsitries

My Friend, Victoria

Hi gang!

I don’t think I have written since I returned from Uganda. For those of you who do not know, I just celebrated my wedding and honeymoon in August, so the last month has been a rush! Bring on September!

I write today because one of the children that I fell in love with while I was in Uganda, Victoria, has lost one of her sponsors. She needs a partial sponsor to fill her needs. Do you have room in your heart to be Victoria’s sponsor? It will be $30 per month.



Victoria was surrendered to the orphan village because they are severely poor. They are both unemployed and unable to take care of themselves, let along young Victoria. When Victoria arrived, she was uneducated and starving for both food and hope.

While I was in Uganda, Victoria (“Vicki”) and I became very good friends. She sat on my lap during worship service, and from then on, there was hardly a moment that she wasn’t at my side, her hand in mine. She was very shy about her English, so we didn’t talk much. Most of our communication was in form of sound effects, clapping, stomping, humming, and a lot of giggling. If you are looking for a sponsored child that can be a light of your life, she is one that can do it! Her smile will warm your heart from half way across the globe, and just thinking of her will make you want to be a better person.

Will you please consider making a huge difference in the life of Victoria? She only needs $30 to meet her needs each month (you will be sharing sponsorship with one other sponsor).

If you are interested in sponsorship or have questions, please contact me at t.lucas@christianlifeministries.org or 972-307-5433. Blessings!

In His grip,

Tasha Lucas
Christian Life Ministries
General Manager and Executive Assistant to Pastor Jackson Senyonga

One Body, Many Members

I had to privilege of jamming my pinky Sunday night at the dog park. I say it's a privilege only because it's been a spiritual lesson for me. While it has been painful and very annoying God has spoken to me through my injury.

It's amazing how the simplist tasks have become difficult for me as my smallest finger has been out of commission. Simple things being tedious tasks. My handwriting suddenly looked like chicken scratch and pushing enter with my pinky was no longer an option on the keyboard. I drank with my pinky in the air as it was unable to bend. It's amazing how often I would use my pinky on accident and experience tremendous pain. It really had me thinking about my body and how each part plays a significant role even though we may think it doesn't.

I reflect on 1 Corinthians 12: 15-30, One Body & Many Members.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

While my finger has been injured I have been trying to reflect on this scriputre and just how God has found significance in each of us an our purpose as the body. We cannot function the way that God intended for us to function apart from the rest of the body. I may still be able to do a lot with an injured finger, but some tasks are suddenly more difficult. Remember you have a very specific role as a part of the body, and without you the body cannot function the way that it was intended to function.

I am grateful for the injury soley because I can reflect more on this truth. Happy to be part of the body!

One to Love, One to Share

Nine-year old David Holdridge, founder of Happy Blankie and now Chief Happiness Officer, had a remarkable idea. He wanted to combine his little sister's two favorite things, stuffed animals and blankies, to create something that would make the world smile. His mother Emily encouraged him to bring his idea to life – and then added a life lesson that we can ALL teach our children - share. Her idea was to share the happiness of Happy Blankie with children in need of a smile. Thus, One to Love, One to Share, became the core philosophy of Happy Blankie. The concept is based on Emily’s message to David (and her other 3 children) – love one another, share with others and make a difference in the world.

Happy Blankie, a soft, oversized cuddly animal that is the perfect combination of stuffed animal and blanket. Every time someone buys a Happy Blankie, an identical blanket is given to a child in a hospital, orphanage or distressed situation around the world. Their mission is "one to love" and "one to give". What's great about this is that Happy Blankie has listed our orphanage as one of the places to give!

The best part is that you can choose where you want your second blankie donated. When you receive your blankie you will be able to follow the instructions on the "giving is cool" tag in order to donate your second blanket. Happy Blankie will allow for you to choose Uganda, Africa as the place to give your second blankie. So if you are needing a gift or want one for yourself, then this is a great oppurtunity to make sure our kids get one too.

Here are pictures they took while delivering Happy Blankies to some of our orphans.

By His Grace,

Pastor Jackson Senyonga
Senior Pastor and Founder
Christian Life Ministries

Missions Teams

This summer, Jackson Senyonga and Christian Life Ministries have hosted about 120 guests from the United States for short-term mission trips, with winter mission trip coming up in December, the number of guests is expected to go beyond 150. Praise God!

These wonderful guests leave behind lasting smiles on the people of Uganda. They serve in so many ways. UKids, a very project oriented team, came this year to help start the school building for our children. They also put on a Vacation Bible School and did some mum training. Another group with members from Colorado and Alaska came to build a computer lab, a lavatory, and do special projects in Lira… all for our children. Dr. Dan from Ohio brought a team to do a temporary dental clinic for the children and mums. Rick Chowdry did maintenance on our water purification plant that he helped plant. Houses were painted, clothesline was hung, mums were blessed, and children were loved. The list goes on and on.

We are forever grateful for these teams that are helping shape Uganda’s future by preparing its leaders today.

To find out more about our winter mission trip, please visit www.theugandaexperience.com.

Have a beautiful day,

Pastor Jackson Senyonga
Senior Pastor and Founder
Christian Life Ministries

Uganda Ministry Updates

My family and I, Pastor Jackson Senyonga, just returned to the United States from our summer long trip home. It was a glorious time of ministry on several fronts.

On the church front, I worked to cast the vision to plant 400 additional fellowship campuses accommodating 100 people each. By 2012, we are called to have greater Kampala saved. The people at Christian Life Church were very receptive to the vision. Their prayers for guidance turned into a line out the door of people volunteering to step up and lead these fellowships. Leadership training has commenced, and a leadership training manual of 200 pages is in print. I expected to have people step up, of course, but I thought there would be around 300 or so people. Surprisingly, we have over 700 people coming forward to commit to leading a fellowship. Wow!! Glory be to God! I started training these mighty men and women of God in the making for about 8 hours per week. We are planning to make hell smaller and heaven bigger by planting our first 100 of the 400 fellowships by December this year, Lord willing. If each fellowship can accommodate 100 people, we might as well have heaven throw a big party because the Lamb of God will again win the rewards of his sufferings.

Please help us pray for this Kingdom work and this project, specifically for these leaders, the training process which is still going on, and of course, the resources that will be required to launch this assault. Christian Life Ministries will seek help for Christian Life Church in this vision launch. Again, thank you for praying and supporting our ministry.

If you are interested in supporting this project, please let us know by calling our office at 972-307-5433 or emailing info@christianlifeministries.org. You can read more about our ministry by visiting www.christianlifeministries.org

Thank you for your love of our ministry and more importantly, your love for Christ.

Pastor Jackson Senyonga
Senior Pastor and Founder
Christian Life Ministries

Women's Conference

As many of you may know already, we hosted a large women’s conference in Uganda at Christian Life Church, the sister church of Christian Life Ministries in the United States. We were so privileged to have American visitors to speak and attend the conference. It was such a Jesus-glorifying conference.

I am so proud of my wife, Eve Senyonga, for all of the hard work she put in not only hosting for the conference, but also leading it and speaking at it. She put so much heart and effort into the event, and it showed as it was such a powerful time for all in attendance.

One of our key-note speakers was Pastor Joy Headley from Texas. She is the wife of Pastor Gregg Headley of Gospel Lighthouse in Dallas, a personal friend of mine. I first met the Headleys when Pastor Gregg first invited me to speak at an area-wide Pastors of North Dallas Assembly of God churches conference. Then, he invited me to speak at the Gospel Lighthouse Sunday Services, and also at their annual Big Pentecostal Sunday Joint Services for the whole area. Pastor Joy’s warm heart shined through her friendly smile and great sense of humor. The Ugandan women loved her, and her presence was a blessing to all that had the opportunity to hear her speak. Her good friend, Karen, was also in attendance, all the way from Texas. We loved to host you both in Uganda! Thank you for coming all that way, and thank you for being a blessing to all that you encountered!

At the Pastors’ Wives event, we also had some other American guests. Pastor Andrea from the Oaks Fellowship in Red Oak, Texas spoke. In attendance were Tracy Houston and Amy Noelck. I hear they prophesized that Amy would be marrying a pastor someday. Need some contacts, Amy? ;) Andrea’s words definitely empowered the women. That day, God cracked open many hearts, healed many wounds, and revived many relationships. Testimonies are still pouring in to this day.

Thank you to all that was in attendance and to all that spoke and blessed the women there. You will never know the gratitude Uganda feels for your ministry here.

Finally, if you would like to attend next year, we are considering having another women’s conference next summer. Contact Tasha in our offices to get information about visiting this beautiful country: t.lucas@christianlifeministries.org. You can also go to our website, www.christianlifeministries.org to find out more about our ministry in Uganda or www.theugandaexperience.com to find out more about our mission teams.

Thank you for reading. Your prayers and support are highly appreciated.

Because of Him,

Pastor Jackson Senyonga
Christian Life Ministries

August 1st

Today was a great first day of August. We went to the orphan village for worship. The children sang and danced. I wish I could find a Sunday service that was so lovely. I would be there in a second with a pep in my step. I was asked to speak, and while at first I was nautiously nervous, I calmed down as soon as I stepped into the building filled with the kids. I had a little girl, Victoria, come keep my lap warm during service. I think she is around 6 or 7 years old. From then on, we were inseparable.

After worship, we had about an hour until the team had to leave for the airport. The team handed out candy and those silly bracelet band things while children crowded around with their palms to the sky, saying “me me me.” I had some sweeties to give, but as soon as I had children acting like begging dogs around me, I put them away and said, “no more.” Then, the children automatically lined up in a single file line and waited patiently for their candy. I didn’t prompt this at all, and it was a pleasant surprise. After seeing that, the candy just had to make its way out of the bag.

The team kind of left without saying bye, but it was partially my fault because I stepped into Resty’s house so she could show me the kind of bible that was easy for her to read. We read a few bible stories together, and then headed back outside. The bus was on its way out. So, there I was, the only Mzungu left, and I was okay with that. I would have to say that the village is one of my favorite places on the planet, and I feel completely comfortable there. I let Nelson and Resty both have turns with the camera. By the end of the night, I kid you not, I was putting in the sixth set of batteries. It was worth every battery though because those kids love to be both in front of and behind the camera. It actually turned out to produce some really great photos, photos that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

The staff set up for the birthday party, and I just hung around with my newly acquired friends. It has been so nice getting to know them. Resty was very solemn, and when I asked why she wasn’t smiling, she said it was because I was leaving. Just thinking about her sad face makes me tear up (and yes, tears are filling my eyes as I type). I finally convinced her to smile when I started taking photos. We got rid of the blues for at least an hour after that.

One thing that I thought was really cool was that Victoria is a sound effects person, too. So, she would be making a sound or humming, and I would make a sound in return. In truth, I don’t think we spoke more than a sentence to each other in English, but we had our own secret sound effects language. It was really a lot of fun. And, she is so ticklish! The “bah-doop, bah-doop” game was very entertaining.

For the birthday party, Eve brought along Pastor Joy Headley and Karen. We had special chairs up front, we were served food first to eat in front of everybody, and the treatment was top notch. But really, it made me feel bad and uncomfortable. After quickly eating to get the food out of the hungry children’s faces, I invited some children to share my padded, front row seat with me. Victoria sat on my lap, Resty shared the left side of the chair, and Sharifah came and kept Eve’s chair warm since she spoke the entire time she was there. I’m glad my friends could sit with me, and I am glad that Resty’s frown was flipped to a smile.

The choir sang, the drummers drummed, the dancers danced… it was so much fun. The cake was cut, and the children could hardly contain themselves. When it came to handing out presents, I was able to hand out some. This made me happy. My friend Erinah, who shares a house with Resty, was one of the children that I presented with a gift. It was fun to present to someone that I knew.

After Eve handed out a few gifts, she was ready to leave. Since she was my ride, I was disappointed. I asked if I could walk back, and she agreed.

After the festivities, music filled the village and the children taught me to dance more “African” so I didn’t look too Mzungu. Once I started dancing, I had mums clapping, kids pulling me from one place to another to learn a new move or two, and just a bunch of fun. One of the kids swiped my camera and videoed it. Hmmm… I don’t think it will ever make it to the public eye, unfortunately for you guys! Maybe I’ll bust some moves at the wedding, just as a treat to you guys!

Once it started to get dark, the interpreters came to get me to walk back. I started my goodbyes or as Jessie would say, my see you soons! Resty just hugged me so tight and started balling. Of course you know my response, I started balling too!! When I started crying, I had Dan and some other boys hug me and pat me and tell me it was okay, that I would be back in December, which is exactly what I was telling Resty. Then little Victoria latched on to my leg for about 2 minutes solid. Everytime I walked, she said, “bah-doop.” This made me smile a whole lot. Throughout this whole trip, I would say the children served me more than I could have ever hoped to serve them.

I pulled myself together, and Nelson, Dan, and Frank walked me to the edge of the village. I got a big hug from Nelson. As I walked off, I got teary eyed again. I don’t think Nelson knew, so I think I was safe.

All of the interpreters walked me back to the hotel. They were headed to the internet cafe in town anyway, so it worked out perfectly. I really got to know Zion, the head Mistress at the school in the village, and it was a great experience as we tried to keep each other from falling in the mud puddles (it was very dark).

All in all it was a great night, but the goodbyes were really hard for me.

July 31st

Today was another good day! I love the orphan village

I started painting a little this morning, but I really didn’t do too much before it was time to go teach the teachers (haha, that sounds so impressive, doesn’t it). The computer lab is up, so I was to help the teachers learn to use a computer. I helped Eunice. She is a very sweet lady with the best smile ever. We went over the mouse, word processing tools, and typing lessons using a children’s typing program. It was fun.

After that, the painting was finished So, the rest of the day, from about 1 on, I was able to just hang out with the kids. I started out with Resty. I gave her a little bag of goodies that I had gathered for her, and she was very thankful. We played skip bo for a while. While I ate lunch, they took good care of my camera for me, taking many, many photos.

Then, I headed to find Nelson. He was playing soccer/football, and when he saw me, he waved and left the field to hug me and say hello. I told him that he didn’t have to stop playing, but he said that he wanted to spend time with me. So, I offered to play with him if he would teach me some tricks. We kicked the ball around. I got relatively good at that part until we started to try to juggle. Um, Tasha can’t juggle. Glad we got that cleared up. He asked me to take photos of him playing, so that was fun to see him show off some tricks, although I am a horrible photographer with a point and click, so I don’t think I really caught any of the cool things on camera. His very good friend is Noah, who is newly sponsored by Tracy Houston and family. I took them down to see the J. Houston Homes, and I explained about how the family gave for this house. He thought that was very cool. We then went to Nelson’s house, the McClyntire house. There, we took about a million photos, and finally started playing cards. We played some mad slap jack, and I had about a million kids slapping in with me. It was a lot of fun! When I got the call that it was time to go, I made my way to the front of the village. Of course, no one was ready to go, as usual, so we started a Skip-Bo game on the front porch. It was fun, but slap jack was just better suited for a place with 900 kids all wanting to play for a little bit then move on.

It was so much fun playing cards with Nelson. He is such a genuine character with a great smile, but I have noticed that he doesn’t smile all that much otherwise, so I am glad that I can bring that to him. Even though he hasn’t really asked for anything, I got him a bookbag full of goodies as well. His face lit up! I love this feeling! I could spend all my money here. (yet, really a backpack full of goodies only cost about $8 USD).

We walked home again today, and I passed out candy to my die hard fans.

I am very excited for tomorrow (with one exception). We will go to worship tomorrow in the village and sing with the kids. Then, this is the bad part, the whole team is going to leave me. We have team members flying out, and everyone but me is seeing them off (Pastor Jackson wants me to be there today for a special event!). I will stay for the BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!!! YAY!! I am so excited!! Now I feel like I need to go shopping again…

July 30th

We were at the village again today. We immediately got to painting, and the Cornerstone group started their dental clinic back up.

I enjoyed painting today. Some of the boys in one of the houses we worked on, one boy in particular, really wanted to help. His name was Rogers Amera (he was tickled that I knew his last name without him telling me because I recognized his first name and his precious face). He was picking up after us and sweeping the floors and doing whatever he could think of to help. So, I asked him if he wanted to paint. He smiled, and nodded at a rate of about one million nods per second. I loaded a paintbrush for him and showed him what to do. That boy was all over it. He was a painting fool! He was smiling the whole time. His attention only lasted a few minutes, but he enjoyed every bit of it. Then, I let him play with my camera. This got the attention of many of the children. I look forward to seeing the photos that they took. I’m sure they nearly filled my memory card.

When we broke for lunch, Resty found me. She sat with me as we ate lunch, and I shared some of my goodies with her, like fruit snacks and peanut butter crackers. I think she enjoyed the one on one attention. I gave her a letter that I wrote for her to say “Thank you” for the letter she wrote to me.

Then, we went back to painting. We got a lot done today. It started raining very hard, which turned out to be a huge help in the clean up process. I think we cleaned in record time. To give you some framework, there are no hoses or running water at the houses. So clean up means many trips with buckets to the holding tanks and many trips down the hill to dump dirty water. With the rain, we could put buckets under the drip lines and pour dirty water out to be washed away. It was wonderful!!

Then, I went to the main area of the village to hang out and wait for the team to be ready to depart. There were some younger children around playing. When I broke out the camera, the fun began. They were being goofy and posing for the camera. It was a lot of fun. When Resty got out of school, she looked sad and disconnected. I talked to her a little, but she just wasn’t very talkative. She disappeared.

I went to Nelson’s house to drop a note on his bed because I didn’t think that I was going to get to see him since we were leaving fairly early today. But, as it turns out, the dental clinic ran long, and I got to see him afterall. We didn’t get too much talking in because his duty is to round up the children for nightly chapel and prayers, so he was a busy fella. He gave me a note he had written while he was at school.

When I saw Resty later, she gave me two notes, one for me and one for Jason. I thought it was very sweet that she wanted to write a letter to Jason. I put them in my bag to read later. I bid farewell to her, as the team was leaving me behind. I really wanted to talk to her, but it just didn’t work out that way.

We walked home today. It is a feeling that I will probably never get used to to have all of these children treat you like a celebrity. They run up to you with smiles, waving at you. I feel like I am on a parade float. To some extent, it is sad to think that when I go home, as I pass I won’t even get eye contact, let along a warm smile and a wave. So, if you read this and happen to see me on the street, if you smile and wave, I won’t be discouraged

When we got to the hotel, we went swimming with the interpreters. They don’t know how to swim, so it was fun to help them learn. We had two success stories, but the other four really didn’t take to the water. It was a good time.

At dinner, because I got there sooner than the rest of the team, I had time to read the notes I had received today. Resty seems to be a little jealous and concerned about my relationship with Nelson. I will have to talk to her and let her know that it does not make us less of friends. I look forward to our conversation so I can clear that up. This is heavy on my heart and probably will be all night.

Nelson’s letter was very sweet. He says that since he has come to the village, he has never had a sponsor. It was just really sweet, thanking me for being his sponsor.

The team meeting was fun tonight. I like our whole team, but it is interesting how the dynamic changes with the loss of the Oaks team. They are missed and not forgotten.

I didn’t fall again today.

I am pooped. Over and out from Big T! (The team might get the joke… everyone else… sorry!)

July 29th

Today was a GREAT day! I had a great time in general, and I think I just woke up in a good mood.

We got started in the morning with a team photo. Then it was off to painting a house. Of course, I was covered in paint.

During the school recess, I got to hang out with Resty, my 10 year old friend. She asked me for underwear (she called them knickers) because hers were in bad shape. I told her that I would get her some since I brought so many pairs when I came on this trip. She also took me to her classroom. They had the school creed written on a poster on the wall. It was very, VERY long. I asked Resty if she knew the school creed without reading it. She said yes, that they recite it every morning before school. It was so neat to see how we have used so little to make such a huge difference. A little later I got underwear for Resty. She tried them on to make sure they were the right size, and when she showed me the ones she was wearing, they were full of holes. I was glad that I could give her something so basic to make her life better. Thanks, Mom, for all the undies! I wish you could have seen the smile on Resty’s face.

Then it was back to painting. The interpreters/translators helped us. It was so great to get to know them. Winnie, who just got married to a Mzungu missionary from Oregon, Jessie, Allan, and Hope helped us.

When Betty and Henry finally got to the village, it was time to dedicate the Oaks Fellowship homes and the J. Houston Homes homes. They gathered many partially and unsponsored children that they are going to move into the houses all together. The children had posters of thanks, and three of them even spoke to say Thank You. I got volunteered to speak as a representative of Christian Life Ministries, which I know I am going to catch flack from Pastor Jackson about it because I was wearing work attire with paint ALL OVER me!! Considering he is so serious about dress code and representing the ministry, I can already hear it! Oh well, I am glad that I was able to express thanks for these 5 new homes. Oh, by the way, this was all video taped and will be shown to the company and the church congregation. Joy!

One of the children that spoke was Nelson. He is in some of my photos of my first day at the village. I had already created a relationship with him, so when I saw him in the group of unsponsored children, I had my “ah hah” moment. I have created relationships with many children, but they have all been sponsored, and by sponsors that write regularly and send small gifts. I was surprised that Nelson wasn’t sponsored, and I figured out that part of the reason why is that he is listed in our master list as age 6… he is 13. So I had assumed he was a different Nelson who is already sponsored. I guess I shouldn’t assume. I talked to Nelson and asked if he would mind if I became his sponsor. He said, “I would love that,” and gave me a huge hug. My heart was melted. It is official. I am bringing my entire family here to meet my new friends, one of which is my sponsored child, Nelson.

So, I think I was flying high all day because I felt like I had really made a difference in Nelson’s life.

We had to see the Oaks team off to the airport. They were such a great group of people, and I am blessed to have served with and beside them.

We went back to painting. After I got another liter of paint all over my body, we were done. For all of you keeping up, I was very careful during cleanup to not fall. I was successful in my goals of not injuring myself today. I hope I am capped at 3 falls this trip!

Resty had found me painting and waited patiently while we finished. She took me to her house and asked me to teach her how to play Skip-Bo. Of course, I was delighted because this is one of my favorite games. She is such a smart girl! She caught on very quickly, and she whooped my butt! I guess I will need to bring Morgan back, too. We could have some serious Skip-Bo rallies!

Nelson is in Primary 6 so he goes to school at a place nearby the village. They get out of school at 4:45pm so when he got home and finished with their nightly chapel, I got Nelson to show me his bedroom. I got to know him a little better. He loves to play football (soccer for us Americans), and his favorite subject is math. As stated, he is 13 years old. He is reserved and quiet, which I can definitely relate to, but it seemed like we were both able to open up to each other. When I told him about the wedding and Jason, he said that he wanted photos. I told him that I would definitely send them or bring them back in December. He seems very humble and sweet, and his smile will melt the world. I am a proud sponsor!

We headed back to the hotel for dinner as usual and a team meeting.

Today was a GREAT day!

July 28th

Today we went to the orphan village. This is my favorite part of Uganda, personally. During the hour long recess, I got to visit with Resty, take photos of many kids (Jana, I got them to write their names down for me too so we know who they all are!), and enjoy the hustle bustle of all of the kids running around.

Then we got to work painting. I worked on two houses today. There isn’t much to say about painting. I was all painty, like I always get when I paint.

When cleaning up, I stepped down from the porch to the step, probably a 24″ step. It was wet and my shoe souls are so worn down that I, again, ended up on my butt. My butt hit the second step and my upper back hit the porch step. Darn that hard concrete!! This is the third day in a row, which is why I am theorizing that gravity in Africa is actually stronger than American gravity. Any supporters of this theory? Say “Ay.”

Anyways, I am back at the hotel, ready to eat the same thing I have had for the 11th time in a row. I miss asparagus, green beans, squash, snap peas… milk, shredded wheat, chocolate chip cookies, brownies… thick steak, sushi… No more matooke, nakati, machile… I’m almost getting tired of pineapple, and the pineapple is SOO good here!! But, my number one rule is NO COMPLAINING, so I’ll stop. Yummy food. Yummy, yummy food.

It was a good day. I pray, desperately, overnight as I sleep, that I will be able to walk in the morning. Darn that African gravity.

July 27th

Today we attended a presentation by Pastor Jackson and other members of the pastoral staff at Christian Life Church. They wanted to teach us what and how they learned about prayer.

He went through the history of Uganda, starting with their freedom in 1972, when they kindly told Britain to get out. Their first president was not liked by the people. In 1971, Idi Amin took control of the government, which as we all know, was worse than the first president. Idi Amin was a vicious and inhumane ruler. He kicked out the Asians, giving them less than 60 days to leave. He pushed his religion, Islam, to the people. He was paid by other countries to turn all men in Uganda to be Muslim. He was passionate and successful at doing so. He closed down churches and made Sunday a working day and Friday not. He would snap his fingers and have his secret service whipe out an entire village. The Christians went into hiding. Prayer became their last resort. They prayed long and desperate prayers. Overnight prayers became popular and regular. Can you imagine praying for 12 or more hours straight??

According to Pastor Jackson, Idi Amin was intoxicated with power but he did not know that God was using him.

After much prayer, God answered and Idi Amin was out. So, the people relaxed. Then, come to find out, the first president, who was bad, became the successor. He was back to retaliate, and he did so with force and vigor. So, they prayed more, even harder, even more desperate. According to Pastor Jackson, God was punishing the people for being event oriented and worshipping their own success.

One night, elders got together. One agitated man threw down his cane, stood up, and challenged the others to do more, to pray harder, to stop this. They prayed even harder than before with so much desperation. Miraculously, people within the government would get demoted or ousted. 30 days later, the rule of this man was over.

He went on to criticize American churches in particular for being so program oriented instead of spirit oriented. He says prayer should be center stage, not a bullet point in the list of things to do by service end time. It was a challenging message.

He then asked us to pray. We all had to pray out loud at the same time. This was very difficult for me. I think I prayed 20 times within that prayer, “God, please help me concentrate because this is hard for me with all of these other people talking, one of which is my boss who I have become trained to listen for his voice.” It was a mile long prayer, probably one of the longest I have ever participated in. I guarantee if I have ever met you, I prayed for you. My short and to the point prayer mechanisms ran out pretty quickly, and I had to find people out of thin air to pray for. So, I picked you

All in all, it was a learning experience. Even though it was a Christian mentoring Christians, it is evident that they do things a little different in Uganda. I personally would say it is better. They seem to promote a personal relationship with God, one with much prayer, instead of a checkmark off the to-do list. It was interesting to learn more about why Ugandans are like they are, and why there is so much desperation in their prayers.

We then ate lunch with the staff. It was nice to eat different food, as the Ridar hotel food seems to be very similar each day. Considering I have eaten it for 10 days in a row now, the change was welcomed.

We then headed to the craft market. It was fun to souvenir shop for all of my loved ones waiting at home. I am excited to share your gifts with you.

I got a letter from Jason this morning. It made me smile so large!! I saved it for when I got back to the hotel because I had a feeling I would cry and I didn’t want to explain why 24 times (once to each of the people on the trip). It was so sweet and so loving. I could marry that man today if it was an option! He is the one for me!

Tonights meeting was great. It was neat to hear others’ perspectives on the prayer conference. We heard from the people of the day:

Nancy thought it was neat that the prayer conference landed on her day since she is a great intercessor.

Amy felt that it was a great day for her as well, starting at 5:30 this morning when God spoke to her. She was moved by the prayer at the prayer conference.

I think my favorite comment was from Dan. He compared the decline of the American church to a scene in Braveheart. He said he would rather die fighting than live not trying to be a change agent to improve the mindset of Christians in America.

God spoke to me tonight, too. I stepped on my bible, which is the same color as the carpet and a very good sled as well, and my feet ended up above my head. I don’t know what he was saying, but his Word definitely shook me up.

to love an orphan

July 26th

Today was a day intended for a little sight seeing. We headed off to Jinja this morning, about an hour and a half drive. We visited first the B— Falls. This is a very popular spot for white water rafting because there are Class 5 sections of the Nile (White Nile). We saw not only the gorgeous landscape and the astounding power of the water, but also some crazy folk kayaking and taking the jerrycan down stream. Many of the kayakers spend a good percentage of the time out of view of spectators as the water swallowed them whole. The jerrycan people, well they are just plain crazy. They went down the waves floating on top of a 5 gallon plastic container.

After some moments to take in the wonder, we headed by bus to the source of the Nile. There, we first ate lunch. Our Fish and Chips for many was an experience as the fish came out whole, eyes and all, welcoming us to dig in. Some did, some didn’t, but all in all, it was a great experience eating with view of the Nile River. We even saw some wildlife over lunch, including monkeys, birds, and a colorful lizard. After lunch, we walked down to the river and boarded two boats, which I would describe as large row boats with a small awning overhead. They did have small engines on the back. Our guide James took us to find wildlife, and as a result we got to see monkeys, one with a baby, three monitor lizards, and a variety of neat birds. We heard a little bit about the Nile, including the fact that it takes 90 days for the water to travel from the source of the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea as it is 4000 miles long. We stopped off at an island that is at the beginning of the Nile River. There, we saw the exact marker for Mile 0 of the river and many members of our team literally crawled (“like cows” according to James) across the Nile to the marker. It was great fun, and our guide James was wonderful.

Afterwards, we had some time to souvenir shop before heading back to the hotel. We had a taxi van plus the coaster on the way back, but due to mechanical difficulties with the cab, we all scrunched into the bus again. I guess that is one thing about being in a country with many older vehicles.

The meeting was beautiful, with worship songs lead by Tim on guitar and Amy at lead vocals. Our people of the day were Chris and Donna P. Here is how their day went:

Chris said he had a wonderful day and that he enjoyed the time to relax. He talked about the 20 minutes he sat on a rock overlooking the falls, with time to calm his mind. He was proud that he didn’t spend a dime, which made the group laugh because most of us knew his refusal to pay the bathroom troll that insisted on charging each participant. He liked the fish and loved the opportunity to stand with his feet in the Nile.

Donna P never dreamed she would see the Nile, and was so excited about that part of her day. She kept thining about yesterday during church, in which people kept thanking her for coming. She felt, “Don’t thank me! It is a privilege to be here!” She is enjoying getting to know not only the team, but also many Ugandans, on a different level. She said, “I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” and she was amazed that we were among the last people to ever see the falls.

Tomorrow’s people of the day are Dan, Donna O, Nancy, and Amy. We will be wishing Dan a happy 60th birthday!!

inspired.

a picture for me speaks a thousand words. as the teams come back from uganda each time we always compile all of their photos into an album at the office. this photo is precious to me and reminds me why i love my job so much. it reminds me of the hope i have for these children to have a better life. i found this quote and thought it was perfect for this photo.

July 25th

Today we went to Christian Life Church in Bwaise for Service. It was nice to see Pastor Jackson in his element. This is the first time I have seen him speak in person. He is passionate and engaging. He asked us to all come to the stage and introduce ourselves individually. He personally introduced me and said really nice things about me. It was touching.

Pastor Chris was invited to speak for a few minutes. As it turns out, his message was the same that Pastor Jackson had told in the two previous services. How neat is that??

After that we toured TOP TV and TOP Radio. The radio studio consists of this: two mics, a tiny, tiny room, and a desk. From this shoebox studio, they reach 15 million people. It is amazing how God can use such little resources as such a powerful evangelistic tool. The TV Studio was also very barren and limited. It just reminds you that you don’t have to have a lot to make a difference. You just have to be creative and resourceful, using the skills, creativity, and intuition that God has given you.

Then we headed to lunch at one of Pastor Jackson’s favorite restaurants: The Shanghai, a chinese restaurant. Many members of the Pastoral staff joined us. It was nice to converse and get to know them better.

Then, we headed to a fellowship location that was planted last year. It was nice to see the area and see a vision coming to life, but what stole the show was all of the children that lived in the church plant village. The team played with the kids, taking their photos, kicking a make shift soccer ball, and picking passion fruit. It was great to see that we had the opportunity to make differences in the lives of children, even when we just came to see the modest structure.

We ended the night with a team meeting. Here is what people said:

Andrea, who spoke during church to the thousands in attendance, felt that God was speaking to her the whole day. “The last few days have been amazing for me because I have gotten to watch our team shining with the light of Jesus.”

Jeff said, “I had a really good day. It is always a blessing to hear Pastor Jackson speak”. Talking of the orphanage, he liked when he saw the children praying. He was refreshed to see that these kids are content with nothing, always smiling. “There is no depression like our kids when they don’t get a video game. It is awesome to bring these kids up in the Lord.”

Donna M said that it was a good day. She said it was a privelege to go to Chrisitan Life Church and that Pastor Jackson’s message really spoke to her.

Joyce was marveled at the threads that God has been weaving in her life. We all look forward to seeing what those threads continue to form as the weave gets longer and longer.

It was a great day. We are ready for our trip to Jinja tomorrow, where we will see the source of the Nile and the Buganji (something like that) Falls.

July 23rd

Oy! Today was a long day. It was not a bad day, but it was long. I started the day off right with a call from Jason. This is the best start to any morning. We did not have electricity when we woke up, so I did everything in the dark. I skipped make up for obvious reasons.

Then, I headed to breakfast at 7am. This was when we told the team that breakfast would be served. Apparently, they are adjusting well to “Africa time” where everyone is late. Since everyone was late to breakfast, the morning meeting was delayed, which means our departure was delayed and so on. I didn’t think I was a person that gets stressed out with tardiness, but to some extent it wore on me.

We got to the village and did a walk around. It was break/recess time so kids were everywhere. It was great to see the team immediately jump in to converse with the children and love on them. We have a good team.

During the walk around, I got pulled aside by a little girl that I met yesterday, Resty. She said to me, “Why don’t we sit over here?” and pulled me along. We sat on the side of a house and chatted for about 15 minutes. I am not a very good small talker, and she was a little reserved as well, but somehow, together, we made it through. We took photos together. She loved that. She carried around with her everywhere a little book. She said that she received it from her sponsor. I asked how often she read it, and she said everytime she had nothing else to do, so many times in the morning, at recess, at lunch, and in the evening. I definitely plan on letting her sponsor know, Sharon and Greg, how much that book means to Resty. It just reminded me again how important good sponsor relations are to the children. We will encourage more participation from sponsors when I get home. When the school bell rang and she had to return, she told me that she hoped to see me later that day because she had something for me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her again. I was out shopping with Donna P and Donna M for furniture, paint, curtains, etc. to decorate a home that their church built last year. It took a very long time. We negotiated, through Betty, pricing for each piece of furniture. It was painstakingly long, but surprisingly fun as well. The furniture builder, who attends Christian Life Church, wanted to show examples to get an idea of exactly what Donna P wanted, so we walked around a ton to other shops to discuss this piece or that, this color wood or that, this fabric or that. Once all was decided, we headed back to their shop. Their shop was located behind a building in a little wood shack. In an effort to make things more comfortable for their mzungu guests, they literally went and got a sofa and carried it back, patted off the dust, and fluffed the pillows for us to sit. There, we sat and did the business side of shopping… money. Actually, I felt more comfortable in this back area on this plush sofa than if I was in a reputable store because I had a lot of money to count and no audience in this secluded area.

This ate much of our day, so we went to the paint store next. We chose a store that could mix on site so it would only take 20 minutes. The prices were discussed with a salesman previously by Asher and me and we were given the retail price list (This info will come in handy later). The prices were actually higher, but there is convenience in being able to get your paint the same day you order. Donna P and Donna M had a specific idea of what color they wanted. Since we were limited to the swatches on the board, the Donnas had to make some compromises. When they finally chose the swatches, we made the order.

The price that the lady wanted to charge me was very high, higher than the retail price list. I gave her a hard time about charging me a mzungu price and she discounted it down to the listed price for me. Oh gee… thanks. As we were waiting for our paints to get mixed, I get notioned to come and the cashier explained that I wasn’t charged enough. They gave many reasons, and I got them to negotiate down to a more reasonable price. I still had to pay equivalent to $30 more. Fine… I did it. We got quoted for a pint of brown paint that was on clearance… they charged me more… these people… I tell you!! At this point, Betty was gone, so it was hard to translate.

When the paint finally came, which was longer than 20 minutes (back to Africa Time), one of the colors was off. The staff insisted that when it dried it would be okay… however the paint was yellow when we ordered orange. The hues were wrong, not just the darkness. He offered to work on it some more and that it would take 10 minutes longer. 45 minutes later, he brings out a color that is wrong again. They explained that they would work on it and it would be ready tomorrow. They close at 12:30. We may have to pick it up Tuesday, which will be cutting it close, because tomorrow will be nearly impossible to go by 12:30.

We were about 1 hour late returning. Africa Time stresses me out more than I thought it would. I don’t feel like I’m high strung about it, but I do feel more worn out than I think I should. All in all, I just think about my 15 minutes with Resty and I am happy again. She warmed my heart as if she knew I was needing a break from my hard “work,” which it is. I work from about 7am to midnight most days. But, I love it.

We came back to the hotel so that Asher could get ready for the airport run and I could make preparations for the arriving team. For example, I put their welcome packets that we prepared in their room and prepared for their dinner since it will be later than dinner is typically served.

Also, I ate dinner with the team and hosted the team meeting for the night. It was nice to hear everyone’s perspective:

Nancy liked that the children at the village seemed happy. She didn’t notice any fighting. It seems like the children take care of each other.

Bev commented on the daily evening devotional that most of the team got to witness. She said that the older boy that was preaching said to the children, “We used to have only one meal a day, and now we have three. But we still complain!” His message was encouraging the other children to count their blessings and be thankful for what God has given them.

Donna P commented on her feelings when we drove up to the orphan village. She said that it was its own world and that there was a peace about it. She said, “I would never wish for a child to be an orphan, yet this is such a great place for these children.”

Austin, age 12, commented about school because he was able to listen in on some of the classes. He said it was a lot of fun. There are a lot more kids in these classes than at his school. The team added in that one class has 67 and another had 84. In some cases the smaller children sat on the laps of the larger ones so that everyone had a seat.

Wayne also talked about the school. He said he was impressed, but that he realized many needs within the school. He said the teaching, especially the debate club, was very well done.

Andrea said that she was proud of and impressed with her team. She said they exceeded her expectations and that she liked that they immediately started loving on the orphans when they got there, whereas in her experience most teams take a few days. She said to the team, “it was beautiful to see you guys in action.” She said, and I agree, that they did a good job representing The Oaks and Jesus!

I got to more administrative stuff, including typing up this blog after meeting. I probably wont get to my room until well after midnight again tonight since the team is arriving so late. I’m glad we are done with airport arrivals. I’m glad everyone is here, safe and happy.

Anyway, I’m sure I’m not making too much sense because I am tired now as I am writing this at 10:45pm. I may go nap in the lobby while I wait for the team.

July 22nd

Today is the final day that we have to run errands before the team arrives. Our first engagement was to meet Betty and Felix at the orphan village. Betty, who is Eve’s youngest sister, basically heads up the orphan ministry, as best I can tell. She knows everything there is to know about the moms, the kids, and so on. Felix is the construction professional. As usual, our ride was late. This morning he was about an hour to an hour and a half late. Asher calls this “Africa Time.” Jessie and Kelsey were able to come, two members of our team that have spent most of the summer in Uganda.

Our meeting with Betty went well. It was nice to meet her considering I hear about her all the time. She expressed an inside view of where our missions team and our missions funds would be best utilized. We had been discussing many options. Betty’s top options were painting the inside of some of the boys’ houses, working on the water runoff problem at the orphan village, patching foundations, and painting the outsides of the homes.

Felix, as I kind of expected, said that it would be better to have time to prepare for the water runoff issue. We decided we would try to prepare a team to tackle that project in the December trip. We asked him to take a repair inventory of the houses to make list of what needs to be done to each of them. Many teams focus on new construction, so the existing buildings tend to be ill-maintained. We decided that this trip would be spent painting the inside of some of the houses that need it the most. We had been told many different projects, so it is actually a relief to finally have an idea of what our construction team’s focus be so we can go shopping!!
We went to the paint store following that. We ordered all of our paint and supplies. During that LONG process, we got to witness some drama outside the store. It started when Jessie noticed one man pulling another man down the side of the street. The man being pulled was fighting. As it turns out, the man pulling was accusing the other of stealing. He physically grabbed the other man’s pants, pulled them away from his body, and was pointing down the man’s pants. The people gathered around. It was a town effort to resolve the conflict. As it ended up, they called a Boda Boda. The accused and the accuser got on after some argument, and they headed to the police station to resolve it there. I thought this was a situation that probably would have played out much differently in the States. That was our first drama of the day.

Then, we went by the Game store. We got some water and snacks before heading to the church. Eve wanted to introduce me to the staff at the church.

When I got to the church, it turned out to be a full out meeting. It was stuffy and weird, but it was business I guess in Uganda. Truthfully, I’m perfectly glad that it is over.

Then, we headed to get something to eat. On the way, there was a truck that had misjudged a turn and had gotten himself stuck. Really, if some cars would have backed up, he could have made the turn. But that is not Kampala style… if there is a jam, you just find a tiny hole and squeeze through it. An older man saw that this was only making the truck get stuck there longer, so he got out of his vehicle and proceeded to yell at all of the drivers. It was kind of funny because when Joseph, who was driving, saw the jam, he immediately went off the road and started driving there.

It was probably 3:30 by the time we got to eat, so we were starved!! We went to an italian pizza place. The setting was so neat! It was mostly outdoors, shaded with all kinds of trees and plants. The pizza was mediocre, but it was an experience.

Then we headed back to the church to drop Asher off to the coaster bus so he could go pick up our first half of the team from the airport. Joseph took Jessie, Kelsey, and I back to the hotel. On the way, we encountered another traffic jam. When we got to the problem of the jam, there was a cow lying in the street. Many men had tied ropes and were dragging him off the road. The cow was definitely alive. Our first theory was that it had fallen out of a truck. Joseph’s idea was that it didn’t want to get slaughtered so it ran into the road. In an effort to get it to quit fighting, they tied its legs and were dragging it. Who knows… all I know is that it was quite a sight!

When I got back to the hotel, I got to work passing welcome letters and stuff to all of the rooms of our team. One of the items was a 2 liter water bottle, so it was a heavy task!! After that, I had worked up a small appetite. I decided to take advantage of the buffet dinner and get a light meal. The tables were completely full. In Uganda, there isn’t as much of a sense of “personal space.” For example, at breakfast, strangers come sit with us all the time. So, being in Uganda, I decided I would be brave and do a Ugandan thing. I asked a man sitting alone if I could sit at the table. He said yes. As it turns out, his name was Andrew and he was visiting the Ridar for a conference. He is part of the government. We spoke of many things, mostly comparing Uganda and United States. We discussed many things. Here is what I learned:
• Uganda uses mostly glass bottles because plastic has caused littering problems. Littering in general is a major problem because there isn’t really a good solution for the amounts of trash that the city generates. He said that the only public trash service is the one that picks up from the city center. People are expected to either burn their trash or take it to the city center. He pointed out that there are no trash cans around; I hadn’t noticed, but there aren’t!
• Bricks in Uganda are much less expensive than bricks in the US.
• They are trying to implement building code and a permit process, but it is too hard to enforce. He said that they are highly considering creating another city center elsewhere that will be able to provide for its people in a better way. He said that other countries have done this, where they basically move instead of working to improve the city that they have to accommodate the number of people they have. He said Kampala is growing at a rate of 33% every 10 years, I think.
• He hopes internet will be faster here someday.
• The war in Lira went on for about 20 years or so. The terrors would enter a small village pretending to be a regular person. Then one night they would terrorize the village, slaughtering, raping, kidnapping. We both agreed that we never hope to understand fully how one human being could do something like that to another. We just pray that it stops.

I enjoyed my conversation with Andrew. After dinner, it was off to work! I worked on the bookkeeping, blog, and photos, among some other miscellaneous things. I am ready for the team to get here.

I, personally, am doing okay. I miss my Jason, my family, and my dogs. I actually miss vegetables, too.

July 21st

Breakfast was good as always. It has been nice to get to know Asher with talks over tea. I also got two cards today from Mom Jackson. I need to back up a little…

Asher got with Jason to get him to gather letters and cards for encouragement along the way. This has been so great! The first/second day, Sunday, I got an email from my daddio! Monday or Tuesday, I got a card from Gurney and one from Mom. This morning, I got two from Mrs. Jackson. They have really made me feel supported and encouraged, and I thank Asher, Jason, and all of my family for doing such a nice thing for me.

We met with Joseph around 9:00… a little later actually. We went over the game plan for the team and covered projects, transportation, and other things. During this meeting, I learned the Ugandan handshake. I would share it will all of you, but its only for cool Ugandan people and their inside crowd, like Asher and me.

Then we were off. We first visited a paint store. We figured out about their pricing, their scheduling, and all of that fun stuff. We want to be prepared when our team gets here. Then, we went by the church. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but it didn’t turn out to be so. Henry was in office, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Between Jana and I, we email him pretty much daily. He is a nice young man. We discussed letter writing among other small details.

We also met Pastor Chris, which is Pastor Jackson’s dear friend. They have been friends since before the church was started 15 years ago. He was a jolly man. I think he said Amen ten times in our short conversation, mixed in with God is Good and Bless you.

We saw the inside of the church. The church offices were very modest. A small office, what I would call a small walk in closet, housed two people. An L-shaped desk had a computer on each leg with two chairs squashed in there.

The main church hall was basically a large building with a naken metal roof. I imagine it is LOUD when it rains! It was filled with plastic chairs. I cannot describe this fully. It was huge and humble. You can tell churches in Uganda are simply places to gather to worship and serve. They are not fancy in the least. Christian Life Church in Bwaise is no different. It is just a very large gathering space.

The parking lot was smaller than I would have imagined to host that many people. To make it even more amazing is that the church had roped off all of the parking lot close to the building as a precaution due to recent bombings in Kampala. I keep having to remind myself that many people do not own a car.

Speaking of precautions that the people of Uganda are taking, it is amazing how much security is present. Pretty much everywhere you go, you have to get searched at the door. They wand you, search your bags, and let you on your way. For example, we went to a hardware store. We got searched. We went to a grocery store… yup, searched. It is pretty much everywhere you go.

After our miscellaneous shopping was done, we left for the hotel. We bid Joseph farwell and got to work with some of the businessy stuff, like bookkeeping, etc.

The drive is always interesting to me. You see more and more trends in the people here. First, they all seem to spend much of their time outside. A/C is very rare here, and some people’s houses are really only a room large. In addition, there are so many private vendors here. I imagine a good 75% of people here would be described as self-employed. It doesn’t matter where you are, there is someone wanting to sell you something. Stop at a traffic signal… buy some kids shoes, screw drivers, sunglasses, or air cards. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a residential area or a commercial one, they will be there. I saw a bicycle today with janitorial/cleaning supplies, like brooms, mop buckets, etc. I think riding a bicycle is hard enough without any other weight but my behind… I cannot imagine how these people do it. They must have a lot of coordination and strength.

In general the people here are hard working. Most of the people you pass are busy doing something extremely back-breaking, whether it be carrying 5 gallon pails of water, washing clothes in a small tub sitting on the ground, fixing something, anything! On top of that, most, if not all, of the vendors move their merchandise outside then back in every single day. Since there are not many car owners, the Ugandans find a way to make what they have work. We saw a man carrying a bed on his bicycle. You see Boda Bodas loaded down with so much stuff. Today, I noticed a Boda Boda that had a huge box on the back. After reading the box, he was a traveling meat salesman. I can only imagine how much fun it is to not only balance the motorcycle with that much weight, but do it all navigating through the insane traffic here. I admire the people here. I feel like a fat and lazy Mzungu when I think of how hard they work.

If working hard wasn’t admirable enough, you would not believe how generally happy the people are here. They smile all the time. You can’t go very long in the car without hearing someone laughing hysterically with others in the streets. Among the dark faces, there are many, many white smiles standing out at you. When you pass, if you are kind enough to give them eye contact, they will smile, say hello, and genuinely ask you how you are doing. This seems to be across the board, whether you are in Seeta or in downtown Kampala.

Speaking of using what they have to make it work, I notice more and more things. I have been paying attention to their new constructions. You have to check out the photos! It is just amazing! It looks like a forest! They use manual pulleys to get materials to higher stories. There is very little scaffolding, so I can just imagine how scary it is not only to get up to the top but to walk around up there as well.

At the hardware store, I noticed that the men were carrying huge bags of concrete, probably double our quikrete bags back home, so 160lbs or so, on their heads!! They were so dirty. Not one of them was complaining. They would grab a bag, walk it down a steep ramp about 50 yards into the basement where they were stored and hustle back to get another. Next time I see a forklift, I may just kiss it.

Another thing that is very apparent is that emissions are a lot less strict here. Many times I find myself holding my breath because if I breathe what is coming out of the car, Boda Boda, or truck beside me, I will instantly get a headache. I’m surprised Boda Boda drivers and bicycles that ride and drive in the traffic don’t die of carbon monoxide poisoning!! Okay, so maybe it’s not quite that bad, but it is bad.

Well, its about 4:00pm. I might have more to add later, but for now, I’m out.

New Blog

This blog will be different than Pastor Jackson Senyonga's blog in that the staff of CLM will be able to post on this blog. You will be able to check in for update on our ministry as well as be encouraged by the staff spiritually. Pastor Jackson will continue to post on his blog as well.

July 20th

After a yummy breakfast (Ugandan French toast with banana), we waited for Pastor Godfrey to pick us up. He was in charge of driving us around today. We do not drive for a few reasons. One, it is a little different driving on the left side. Two, the drivers here are CrAzY!!! They just cut each other off, get within inches of each other, and have to watch out for the even crazier Boda Boda drivers. The parking spaces are very very tight, and I have decided that it is a good thing that Ugandans are generally thin because otherwise they couldn’t get out of their cars. Plus, road signage is not stellar, so you really have to know where you are going.

Our first stop was to an organization that Asher found called “Bead for Life.” However, it took a bit of patience for the trip there. Pastor Godfrey had to call William with Bead for Life many times, we made many U-turns, and as it turns out, we had to hire a Boda Boda to show us the way. Pastor Godfrey was so calm and even-tempered the whole time. Not once did he show frustration. I hope to live by that example in my day to day life. I know Jason will appreciate that!!

This organization has a mentor program for impoverished women. The women not only make the beads, but are trained in the aspects of business, from bookkeeping to marketing and more. The program is very inclusive for these women to re-enter the world equipped to own their own business, not necessarily with beads. They even have a mandatory savings program for the women so that they have start up capital for their new business adventures. Even after leaving the “Bead for Life” house, the women are mentored. It was a neat program.

Since the selling of the beads has been successful above and beyond just the cost of the program, the organization has started other programs, including a vocational education program, in which they hand pick kids off the street to train in skills like accounting, catering, health, business, life skills, and more. This training is completely paid for by the bead sales, so it gives these kids a chance to better their lives. You could tell they really try to get these kids jobs after training is complete. They said that catering is their most successful program because nearly all graduates are employed in the industry.

Another program that was pretty neat was their efforts to help women in Northern Uganda. They have a program in Lira in which they pay women to collect Shae nuts for a profit. These Shae nuts are then made into Shae Butter and Lemongrass soap. The whole complex smelled wonderful with this aromatic scent. Supposedly, East African Shae Butter is different than what we most get in stores in the United States. It melts at body temperature, making it a perfect moisturizer with no additives, whereas West African Shae takes many other ingredients making it feel waxy. It seemed like a neat process. We got to see them making the soap, forming it, and even cutting the lemongrass with a papercutter. It was a super high-tech process… not so much.

Our next stop was the Game store. Game is semi-equivalent to a clean Wal-Mart back home. They have groceries, home goods, tools, you name it. Here, we got the 5 gallon water jugs for clean water and some other miscellaneous things. Then, we walked over to get some money exchanged. To give you some idea, the exchange rate is 2220 shillings per U.S. Dollar. When they say prices of things, it sounds REALLY high!

I learned on our drive today the origin of the name Boda Boda, which are the motorcycle taxi things. They used to be used to travel between Kenya and Uganda to get products from the sea. These motorcycles were economical and easy to get to back roads. They traveled from border to border. Now, say border border with a thick accent really fast. Does it sound like Boda Boda? There ya go!

We then went by the Grand Imperial hotel. This is where we will be hosting the prayer conference next Tuesday. As it turns out, it is a great thing we went because they had not set up our reservation. They had free space, so we were able to book the date and give our deposit. This was one of those moments when shillings sounded scary… one million and what??

Then, we went to eat lunch. We asked Pastor Godfrey to choose any place he would like, and he chose this little fast food looking food court. The food was actually made to order, but it was a little funny that this was his choice. We all three had chicken burgers and chips, which translates to a crispy chicken sandwich and french fries. It was pretty good…

At lunch, we really got to talk to Pastor Godfrey a lot. He has 5 children with one on the way! Wow! He grew up under the care of his step mother because his mother left him when he was young. His step mother would constantly tell him that he was not her son. His father, who traveled often between his wives, would believe the step mother when she told how he didn’t do chores and was not doing his school work, even though he was. Mom… Dad… thank you! Thank you for giving me a beautiful and healthy home to grow up in.

He was also telling me that he was going to turn me into a Ugandan because I was picking up on the language very well. Here’s some for you guys:

Oli otya nno? Means How are you?
Yesu a kwagala means Jesus loves you.
Mzungu means white person

For the most part, everyone we have encountered speaks English though, so this language learning is mostly just for fun.

We also got to hear a little about how Christian Life Church was started and its growth since then. I knew most of this, but it was neat hearing another perspective. Pastor Godfrey joined the CLC team three months after formation. He said that Pastor Jackson would say, “build an addition,” and the public would gawk and say, “how are you ever going to fill it?” Pastor Jackson would say, “If we build it, God will fill it.” He was right, addition after addition. He wanted to purchase a stadium for all of his followers, but when the government shut that idea down, he decided to grow his church more by adding new locations in different neighborhoods, which he called fellowships. The pastors of these fellowships are given a verse and theme to talk on so that the church as a whole stays together, but the people do not have to fight Kampala traffic and risk not even having a seat in the church to get that message. The dream is still alive for a stadium structure, but while funds are raised and plans are made, they continue to grow the church with fellowship locations.

We then headed to the craft market. This was fun. We bought some gifts and other things that we needed. You barter with the sales personnel and get the best price, but really it was fun just to talk to them. They were all very friendly and courteous. I can’t wait to go back with the team and do some souvenir shopping. There is a shirt that says “Mzungu” and I kinda want it. I would get arrested or at least scowled at for a “white pride” shirt, but I’m sure I could get away with Mzungu… not that I am wanting to be stereotyped as what people usually think of when you say “white pride” because I love all people. But I am proud of who I am, just like I feel every other person should be proud of who they are. Savvy?

We visited two markets in all. They were both different and good.

On the drive back to the hotel, Asher was taking photos out of the window. He took a photo of a police vehicle. Apparently, this was not appreciated because we got pulled over. The police men were mostly being jerks, and it ended with a 10,000 shillings bribe to get them to let us go. What a joke. Asher calls moments like these, “Cultural Experiences.” Glad we got that one over with… You could tell it made Pastor Godfrey upset. He talked and talked about it. He didn’t say one mean thing, but you knew it was on his mind.

All in all, it was great to get to know Pastor Godfrey. He is a very neat man, and I am glad to have met him.

We ate dinner and got to work. Although we tried to get online, the service here is hit or miss. Tonight, apparently, it was a miss. Bummer, eh?

I am pooped. Isn’t it funny how shopping can do that to you??

Oh, and Jana, is 120 necklaces enough? I can see you jumping up and down in your empty office now.

I miss all of you guys!

July 19th

Today started rather slowly. We thought we would be meeting Pastor Jackson and Eve in the morning, but plans changed, and we didn’t meet them until almost noon, even though we had eaten breakfast at 7:00am. We made it productive and did some miscellaneous tasks around the hotel that needed to be done.

The meeting went well. We went over about a million things. This meeting made me very excited for this trip. Afterwards, we ate lunch and headed to the village.

My first impressions of the village:

I got a strange sense of pride when we drove up to the village. It wasn’t necessarily pride in myself, but pride on behalf of every person that has worked to make this place what it is. Well done everyone. You are truly making the difference in the lives of these children.

It took some seriously bumpy roads to get there, amongst what I would call hectic streets and traffic, but when we got there it seemed happy and calm.

After taking care of some business, Asher gave me the grand tour. It is amazing of how much the ministry has been able to accomplish through God and through all of the generous people who have given time, effort, advocacy, and fiscal help. There is a kitchen, water well, cistern, and many, many cute homes. In addition, a computer lab, lavatory facility, and school are in progress.

It was nice to meet some of the children. I met Frank and Honest, two of Asher’s good buddies. Along with them, I got to meet many other boys. They each showed us their house, their room, their bunk. It was neat. One of my favorite parts of this personal tour was seeing how the main rooms of the homes were decorated. Since most of the houses only have beds, the main room is empty. One house had nearly all of the walls covered in newspaper articles, mostly about the World Cup. Some had colorings, stickers, photos, etc. There was even a photo of Asher in one of the main rooms (I must point out he was the guy in the background of the photo, but still!).

Along one of our walks around the vehicle, I felt a little hand slide into mine. Joshua, age 3 and 1 month according to his “brother” Honest, wanted to tag along. It was just one of those moments that has to make you smile. I hope everyone experiences one of those moments in their lives.

I also met three girls in particular. It started with Jane, age 9. She brought me a letter. As it turns out, she was the chosen deliverer for Caroline, age 14. Then came along cute Karen. All three live in Momma Bena’s house, which is right on the main strip. They chatted with us for a bit.

All in all, it was a very unique moment for me as I walked the village and saw the children, as I felt I partially knew all about this place and these children. It was like a chunk of my puzzle was missing, and now it is complete.

We elected to walk home. It was about an hour walk, but it was worth every second. It started as we passed a woman walking the opposite direction. She introduced herself as Moureen and, unprompted, thanked us for blessing the children in the village.
The children would all wave as we passed, and yelled out, “Muzungu, Muzungu” which means white person. As far as I can tell, it is an endearing word of sorts. They would stop whatever they were doing, smile and wave. Some would even run up to us with huge grins. It was touching. By the end of the walk, I couldn’t help but feel like I was on a parade float. People would wave, I would wave back…

We acquired a walking buddy along the way. Derrick, a 12 year old boy who was walking home from school, latched on to us. It was a good thing because he could tell us where to go if we were ever unsure! His favorite subject is English, and he was a very kind boy.

One of the more bazaar moments of our walk occurred when a bicyclist stopped and asked to take a photo of Asher. He said he liked white people. I do not remember his name, but he said his father’s name was James. I mentioned that my father’s name was James, too, and then I looked at Derrick and told him that my father’s friends name was Derek. He just smiled and said, “Really!?”

We followed up the walk with a dip in the pool, which considering the weather gets to be only 80 something degrees, it was a chilly one. But strangely enough, I weathered it, even though it was uncharacteristic of me. Finally, it was dinner and now blogging and uploading photos. Tomorrow will be a big day, as we have a list that is a mile long of things to do and buy. Pray for us!

July 18

We finally got to the hotel at around 3:10 this morning. It was actually interesting though seeing the city at night. There was hardly any traffic, but there were still quite a bit of people out and about. Saturday, like at home, is a big bar night, but since there are many people without cars, it was a different dynamic. In the city, there were street lights, but in the outskirts, it was very dark. I am glad that I was not driving (for many reasons really) because I wouldn’t see pedestrians and bicycles until they were right close to us. Joseph, my new friend and driver, had a trained eye for those things, I guess.

When we pulled up, you would have no idea we were at a hotel. The entire premise is surrounded by a wall with a beefy metal gate. The guards, after being woken up, checked our car and my baggage before letting us enter. Security is heightened after the bombings.

The hotel is very nice. There are all of the amenities that you would find in a nice hotel in the States. There is a gym, swimming pool, various restaurants, etc. The gym is actually very nice! I was quite impressed.

My room is nice. It is funny to see the decor here and how much different it is than how we would decorate at home. They don’t seem to mind “clashing” colors. It is about seperate nice things all mixed together.

There is A/C and hot water. In fact, I have my own personal water heater. Unfortunately, I have to choose between hot water and water pressure, but it is no hassle.

I have a balcony, and I am right by the breakfast room. I have a minifridge and a small TV.

When I first walked into my room, I noticed this curtain that wraps around the bed. It reminded me of some of the romantic getaways you see on TV, but as it turns out, that is my mosquite net. Speaking of mosquitos, I haven’t really noticed any. It is probably because you can smell the Off! on me from miles away! I even sprayed a little on my bed just in case they get hungry at night.

Today, Asher and I decided to take it easy for a few reasons. One, we kept Joseph out very late and he had to speak at 6AM this morning. Two, we wanted to get aclimated and settled in. Three, we just wanted to!

We poked around the hotel a little and did some prep work for our meetings tomorrow. Then, we went walking around a little around the town to see what was around us. We found an ATM, grocery store, and internet cafe. This is where it set in that we were in a third world country. There were people everywhere, cars all over, and “Boda Boda” motorcycle taxis buzzing around. Many of the shops were very small. To some extent it reminds me of Trader Village. The grocery was interesting to walk around. There were many things that made me curious, like bags of minos, unrefrigerated. And anyone know what Cow Ghee is? It was with the peanut butter, honey, and jams.

There were meat vendors on the street. The meat was hanging in large chucks out in the open. You could even see parts of the cow with the innerds. I respectfully declines when the vendors asked if I wanted some. I’m sure I don’t need to explain.

There were quite a few kids running around without parents. I don’t know if this was because “rules” were more relaxed here or if these kids were orphans. One thing is for sure… there are some cuties around here!

I think it is very good that I have gotten here before the majority of the team to get over my culture shock. I guess to some extent you aren’t as saddened by the situation because the people don’t seem sad at all. It reminds me how spoiled I am, and yet these people still walk around with a smile. I can really learn from these people. With all that I have been given in life, I should get cramps from smiling so much!!

The food here at the hotel is pretty good. It will take some getting used to. Today I tried:

- Matoki (a banana looking thing)
- Sweet Potato (tastes similar but looks like regular white potatoes)
- Pumpkin Soup
- Fried Fish… bones and everything. It was really good.
- Roasted Beef (delish!)
- Some green veggie… not so crazy about it
- Pineapple and Watermelon… YUMMY
- Rice (its a little different I think)

The sodas here are sold in glass bottles. They have the same brands, like Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, and Fanta, but they have different flavors too. I am not a big soda drinker, but Asher has had a few different varieties.

I am excited for what this trip has in store for me. I am trying to sit back, observe, and LEARN.

July 16-17

I leave Dallas today. I will be going to Frankfurt to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Entebbe (Uganda). After a tiring night, I ended up saving every ounce of packing for this morning. So, needless to say, there are little baggies under my eyes, but I will get rid of those soon enough after I get off my 10 hour plane ride to Frankfurt… or the 7 hour one to Addis Adaba… or the 2 hours one to Kampala.

Packing is going very well. I have two suitcases, and one whole suitcase are things that I am bringing for other people. Good thing I pack lightly! If the baggage guys search my bag, I’m sure they would think I have a fetish with children’s underwear (Mom bought a lot to donate to the kids at the orphan village. Thanks!)… I’d hate to be there for that.

I went shopping last night for misc things. The only alarm clock that was solely battery operated I could find was a Hannah Montana one. I wonder if they know who that is in Africa.

Hmmm… what else is interesting? I packed a roll of Charmin Ultra Soft. My hiney is spoiled to it… I brought 6 things of bug spray… I actually remembered underwear and socks… I begrudgingly put razors in my bag… I wish my dogs, my Jason (yes, M’kenna, he is mine), my mommy and daddy, and my Nate could fit in my bag… I packed a package of Kid-O’s (off-brand Oreos, double stuff) that my mommy gave me with a nice note on them.

It was actually harder than I thought to leave the dogs. I know they are in good hands, but I guess I was just having an emotional day. Ace seemed to know. He had very sad eyes. But Big… he didn’t indicate that he had any idea. I don’t know which was harder to leave, Ace’s puppy eyes or Big’s optimism that I would return home in a few hours.

I had lunch with Jason and Dad Jackson at Sammie’s BBQ in Fort Worth near Jason’s work. Jason had a one hour lunch break, so it was short and sweet, but it was worth every effort. It was very nice to be able to say goodbye again. I am so honored that Mr. Jackson made such an effort to see me off. I am so lucky to be marrying into such a wonderful family come August 21. Surprisinging enough, I didn’t cry when Jason and I said our farewells. I tried my hardest to hold it together because I figure he got his fair share of crying last night to last him a year… I held it together until about one-tenth of a mile down the road. I am proud.

From there, I headed to Mom and Dad’s house. They offered to take me to the airport. Nate and Dad still had to shower, so Mom and I went to the bank to get my Power of Attorney notarized. We are FINALLY going to close on the permanent financing on our house while I am away… knock on wood. When we got back to the house, we gathered to boys and off we went.

I think a majority of the 15 minute car ride to the airport was spent trying to figure out how to pronounce the airline: Lufthansa. We didn’t come up with anything conclusive.

At the airport, Dad, Mom, and Nate went through their super-exclusive workers entrance while I had to wait in the long line for ticketed passengers. So, they got a chance to go visit the Blue Mesa/Blue Bamboo people while they were there. Before the send off, Mom and I cried like babies while Nate cracked jokes, just as expected.

While on the plane, I finally got to know how to pronounce Lufthansa… here’s my try at putting it into letters: looft-hahnzuh. Good to know.

The airplane and airline was very nice. They are definitely customer service oriented. The staff was all friendly and courteous. The plane was accomodating with overhead screens and personal screens at each seat. The personal screens allowed you to choose movies to watch or music to listen to, while the overhead screens showed various statistics, like maps, altitude, temperature, flight times, and speed. It was a neat reference, actually. For example, over most of the mid-United States, I watched Alvin and The Chipmunks 2. Then, over Toronto I started How to Train a Dragon. Wrapped up in blankets, both mine and theirs, I started to think that Lufthansa doesn’t skimp on the A/C until I looked up an realized it was -56 degrees (f) outside the plane. The dinner service was nice, although not necessarily tasty, with a warm hand cloth before, silver cutlery, and complimentary wine. My favorite part was the brownie (is anyone surprised?). I was not a big fan of the breakfast.

I sat next to a gentleman, originally from India, that was headed to visit family there. He lives in Plano now, and works for a private search engine that does affiliate marketing for non-profits. He was impressed that I asked, “Using affiliate marketing?” when he was first explaining it to me. I explained how I knew this. He was a very nice man with a very beautiful wife and daughter. The daughter though, poor thing, was throwing up throughout the second half of the flight. I’m glad I was not seated by her.

My stay at the Frankfurt airport was short. We had to go back through security, and the line was very long. They were very thorough, which I can appreciate. I, along with many other women, got frisked because the underwire in my bra set off the sensor.

It seemed most like a regular U.S. airport. I walked and walked and walked until it looked like the airport ended. I followed the signs to my gate, which lead me through a hot, semi-dark hallway to a metal building. As it turns out, this was where I would catch a bus to the plane. They checked our ticket at the gate, and locked us in a holding cell until the bus came. It was a tad bit odd. It was at Frankfurt that I realized that I don’t think the computer I brought has a wireless card… or I need Jason (which is probably more true).

Once on the plane, I realized this one was very hot. As it turns out, there was some part broken and we sat on that hot plane for an hour. The flight staff tried to make us as comfortable as possible with cold washrags, cold water, etc. It was still hot, but not unbearable. I can imagine how much American Airlines people would have tried to keep us comfortable in a similar situation… zilch!

On this plane, I watched Date Night and Valentine’s Day. I think I have watched more movies on this trip that I have in the last few months.

I sat next to a man named Monte. He is originally from Ethiopia, and he is working and going to school in Germany. His work, in radio broadcast, sends him to Ethiopia once per year, so he gets to spend some time with his family. He is alone in Germany. He will be staying in Ethiopia for 2 months.

The Addis airport is set up pretty neat. You can definitely see differences. For example, people smoke in the airport! And, the people here don’t have a concept for standing in line apparently, or they think that Americans and Europeans should stand behind them. Either way, it was a bit frusterating. But, on the other hand, I wasn’t in any hurry. My layover here is about 3.5 hours. I have paid for an hour of internet time at an internet cafe, so I am using it up!! After that, I may go scope out what I want to bring home. I may buy it tonight so I can pack it in a suitcase on the ride home. I will already be carrying souvenirs from Germany home with me on my return. I guess it is about 9:00pm here in Ethiopia, and it is 1:00pm at home. I won’t be getting to Uganda until around midnight Uganda time, so I won’t be out of the airport until maybe 1:00am. While this sounds like a pain, I don’t really care considering my body is so confused on the time here anyway.