More Family

Alright so it has been some time, but I am now ready to give you a bit more info on some of the people I work with. The reason for the delay is the holidays here are kinda nuts. Not only do we have all the normal holiday busyness, but also in Uganda it is the end of the school year and the time to add more kids to our sponsorship program. We are currently working on getting around 100 new kids added.


Anyway, here is Laura. Laura was originally hired as an accountant for us, but she has become so much more. She now holds the title of Administrative Assistant as well which basically can be translated as "the one who explains how Uganda works to me." She assists me in all sorts of stuff, but one of the most obvious ways is explaining how government stuff works here. She is able to help with work visas, NGO renewal, taxation regulations, and the list goes on.

I have grown so fond of her. We have a fun working relationship that is kinda like a brother sister thing. We give each other a hard time and joke around and it makes the business side of Amazima much more fun. She is super smart and very professional which is good cause I often lack in the professional area. To often I find myself conducting business meetings in clothes covered in dirt and sweat stains. So it is nice have Laura in the office looking nice and professional.


Raoul is our youth director. I know you all are looking at his picture wondering why he looks so Congolese. The answer is simple, he is from the Congo. I honestly don't know the whole back story on how he ended up in Jinja, but he has been with Amazima since the very start.

He is great with the kids and leads all our worship and Bible studies. A couple of hours ago we just finished up our holiday program for all the sponsored kids guardians. Wow was it good. He organized dancing and singing performances that blew me away. We got some talented kids and he did a great job showing them off. It was hard to keep the tears back as I saw these Jajas (grandmothers) dancing in the audience and knowing the joy they are feeling about their kids and the opportunities that are provided by those who support Amazima. Well anyway, Raoul is awesome at what he does and we are lucky to have him.

Elijah is a new hire for us and he oversees the feeding program at Masese Co. Primary school. He is a man after God. He is very active in many community development projects in the slum community of Masese where he lives and can be found sharing his faith where ever he goes. He is honest as can be and exhibits so many fruits of the Spirit.

Because he lives and works in Masese we have found that he is ideal for this position. It is nice that he grew up in Karamoja and can connect and speak to many of the kids that attend school at Masese Co. or just come to get a plate at lunch time. He also is always thinking about ways to improve what we do. Thankful for him.


Andrew spends his days working on our land in Buziika. He is a big Ugandan which is rare, but for what he does pretty handy. Most Saturdays it is he and I that heave the 300-400 lb pots of food out of the stoves and carry them out to be served. Ok so I guess his size and stregth are nice, but I should tell how great he is outside of his physical prowess.

He is a worker. I love this him about him cause he is like me and I get him. I can count on him to get things done and not a day goes by that he doesn't sweat and get filthy for the Lord. He splits unbelievable amounts of firewood, helps with our farming, and oversees all things related to land maintenance. Can't imagine not having him around.


Regina is also a new hire. She makes me happy. I don't know what it is about being around her, but I am always smiling and filled with joy. She doesn't speak any English, but it never stops her from greeting and giving me an earful of Lugandan that I don't understand. Love it!

Originally we met her because she used to walk Katie's road with bundles of scavenged firewood to sell. Katie got to know her and realized she wasn't making ends meet and she was failing to provide for her 4 kids. She ended up staying at Katie's while her baby was nursed back to health. We were able to find her a small house out near our land and now she cooks food for our workers throughout the week. I can't imagine anybody who spent any amount of time with her not falling in love.

I know that I have not covered even close to all the people I work with and love, but I am thinking I need to get a few posts up about what specifically we have been up to recently so that will be next on my agenda.

Appologies

Alright so I'm a liar. I didn't get another post up before returning home and still have yet to get one up after getting back. I do have an excuse for the latter. Since arriving back last Wednesday night I think power has been out every night except for one. Yuck. Anyway, I do plan on continuing to introduce more of my Ugandan family, but I guess you will have to exercise some patience.

Friends? Nah family! -Part I

So I wanted to share with you all of bit about the people who I spend each and everyday with. It is this group that encourages and supports me. These are the ones that get to enjoy my great jokes, admire my rugged handsomeness, and all in all be blessed by my incredible personality. Just kidding, I've learned so much from this group. It amazes me how close you become with those you work and I am so lucky to have brothers and sisters in Christ by my side. I pray that I can be a blessing to them.


First up is Katie. Katie is the founder of Amazima and the mother to 13 great girls. She is the executive director so she does a bunch of administrative stuff, but all her passion is for the people of Uganda, so relationships with the people we serve always take priority. She spends big portions of her days homeschooling her girls, but she also, leads the women's beading circle and oversees all of our medical programs. She also works closely with Christine and her work in Masese (a very impoverished community that we work in). Those are the major things that take up her time, but she has her hand in all that goes on.

She amazes me daily and I am so thankful for who she is and how she hungers to obey God in everything. One of her most admirable traits is her willingness to share all that is her with anyone in need. She will welcome the downcast and rejected to her dinner table. She will kiss and love on the dirty hungry children that God so dearly cherishes. She will give of herself and her family in ways I have never seen before. She is the type of person that makes you want to be a better you.


Next is Patrick. Patrick has kind of become my right hand man. He is a very talented and resourceful man. He lives and works at the land that Amazima owns. He oversees the upkeep of the chapel, the farm, and the playground. He used to be a farmer and a carpenter...kindred spirit. He has become a pastor and has a small church in the village that he leads. We use him in such a wide range of ways that it is hard to explain. He knows tons of people and really knows how to get stuff done. I can feel confident that he will figure just about anything out. I just tell him what I want or what our goal is and he gets it done.

He also is a father to many. Not only does he take care of his own children, but he also has taken in several of his brother's after he passed and just recently he adopted a little boy named Noah who's mother was our friend and died from Aids. So thankful for the example he is to the kids and the blessing he is to Amazima, not to mention me!


Oliver is in charge of our sponsorship program. She is such a smart woman. We have over 400 kids in our sponsorship and currently they attend over 30 schools. She doesn't have advanced computer programs to track all this yet she has kept it orderly and organized which boggles my mind. She knows every child in our program, their siblings, where they live, and so much more. She does home visits with all of the kids and follows up on their performance at school.

We are currently trying to find ways to take the load off of her. We are getting big enough that it isn't reasonable to ask her to take all this on alone. Right now we are trying to pick her brain and get that expansive amount of info into a computer so all us dummies can have access to it without having to bother her constantly. Also, we are looking into breaking the kids into smaller groups and having some sort of mentor program. Thanks goodness we have Oliver though.


Christine is our social worker that works mostly in Masese. I don't directly oversee her so I can't say I know all that she does. What I do know is that she spends tons of time at clinics. Masese is ravaged by poverty, alcoholism, AIDs, and illness. Currently we are working to find ways to provide health care to those who can't afford it and education to those who need it (both of which are expansive). Christine is the face of Amazima to this community and shows them a love that is so rare...unconditional. She holds their hand as they wait for their HIV test results, she brings them a hot meal while they lay alone in the hospital, and she builds real and meaningful relationships with each and everyone she meets.

I am such a fan of Christine. I wish our work overlapped more cause she has such a joyful spirit and a smile that can light up a room. We have become good friends non-the-less. She is only 21 years old, but she is so mature, responsible, and wise. Currently she goes to school at night as well. She is working towards her masters in social work. I wish I wasn't so terrible with words cause I don't feel like I have adequately described how great she is. Oh well, just know she rocks!

Well this is getting pretty long so I will save the others I had in mind till next time. After starting this I realized I could have easily done a long blog about each. I will blog again this month before I come home. Oh yeah, I'm coming home for a visit! So excited to see everyone. Thanks again for caring enough about me to pray for me and follow what I'm doing.

Perspective

I never know what to expect here. The other day I got a call from our grounds keeper Andrew, "Mr. Brad you come this side. Four of your goats are dead." He seemed unwilling to give me any more information prior to me coming so I headed out to the village where the Amazima land is.

On the drive my mind went back and forth through possible ways that I could have lost four goats. I had just given them de-worming medication so I thought maybe it was that or maybe they had eaten some of the vegetation that had been sprayed around our tomato field. I really couldn't come up with any other solutions than these two.

As I drove I had the weirdest feeling. I was happy. I mean I was disappointed that I had lost 4 of my 12 goats and was hoping that it wasn't my big male, but overall I had a genuine feeling of happiness. It took me a bit to analyze and figure out how it could be. Finally, it hit me. I was overjoyed by the death of my goats because at least it wasn't a malnourished baby, or an HIV positive mother, or a young man in a car accident.

Over the past year my heart has broken for so many that have experienced death of a loved one. Just the other day before I had driven out to the land I was held up by a terrible looking accident. The young man was laying face down not moving in the middle of the road with blood coming from his head and mouth. I didn't get involved in this help effort cause there were many already working to get him to a hospital, but as I sat and watched I kept thinking about him getting up in the morning and sending his little ones off to school and kissing his wife goodbye. I sat wondering if he knew Jesus. I pray he did and it reminds me of our task.

The Harvest is now.



I didn't take this photo.

Upon arriving Andrew informed me that "wild animals" came and killed them. Nobody around knew what these animals were called in English, but I got enough information that I concluded that they were similar to dogs. That night I went home and looked up Ugandan wild dogs and printed off the photos. Sure enough these were the culprits. I guess there was a pack of 10 of them and boy did they do a number on the goats. A couple of them all that was left was 4 small hooves and a head. We butchered what was left and gave away the meat.




If you would have told me in high school that one day a pack of wild African dogs would eat 4 goats that I owned I would have told you that you were mad. Lucky for me I hadn't gotten around to naming most of my goats so it was easier to take. Unfotunately, one did have a name that a friend of mine had given it. Poor "Kisses"

Occupation or Ministry?

I have been thinking a lot about following Jesus. I am lucky that I have found a "job" where my specific goal is to share the love of Christ in all I do. Funny thing about what I do is that I don't plant churches or give sermons, yet it seems different than other work I have done.

I've realized that many people, myself included, have a hard time remembering that no matter what we do, we do it for the glory of God and his kingdom. I have it good cause I am now working a job that is classified as ministry which somehow makes it easier. I found it much harder to keep my focus when I was serving tables, or marshaling in airplanes, or driving tractors back in the states.

I wish our Savior had more influence on our job. I wish that our savior identified us better. For example: I wish that rather than a carpenter who is a Christian it would be a Christian carpenter and that people would understand the difference. So many people are identified by their work. We need to find our identity in Christ.

The point of all this is that I guess I am a farmer, businessman, construction worker, accountant, and teacher, but I only want to be a follower of Jesus.


I have recently been looking into posho mills. We buy 3,000 pounds of posho each week. Posho is basically flour made from maize. I have got really excited about the idea of starting our own mill. It must be in the blood. Anyway, I am hoping and dreaming that we could use this as both development and ministry. I think we could set it up like our women's circle that makes the bead necklaces. A group of men who work together and pray together.


I had my first "kid." So after Operation Christmas Goat I decided I wanted to raise some of my own and this little guy is my first addition (Since him I have had 2 more babies). I'm not really in it for the money so I think I will just use the babies I have as gifts, but it has been fun. I currently have 7 females, 1 male, and 3 babies. I still have not gotten around to naming them all, but it is on my to do list.



We also started to farm a small piece of our land. We have a bit of extra land behind where I built the playground. We hope someday to buy up a few more pieces and start a teaching farm. As for now I figured rather than it just sitting unused that we could plant some crops. I decided on tomatoes and onions after about 10 seconds of consideration. I'm thinking I should have done a bit of research. They are doing fine and everything, but they are a ton of work and I'm not exactly certain what we are going to do with all of them. My original thought process was that we could supplement our purchasing of these items with home grown ones, but it seems that we will have hundreds of times more than we could possibly ever use. I've been brainstorming and there is a woman with 4 kids that is staying with Katie currently because she got evicted from her home. I'm tossing around the idea of letting her set up a tomato and onion stand and sell our produce. It would give her an income and enable her to rent her own place and provide for her children (previously she would haul small bundles of firewood on her head into town).


We also have a chalkboard at our chapel now. This will be great for the Bible studies that we have each Saturday and will facilitate teaching a plethora of other things in the future. We also have been working on re-varnishing the entire playground and putting up a fence around our whole property. I am happy to have completed all three of these tasks.

So, that is a bit of what I've been working on recently. Well, at least the interesting stuff. I suppose I could get you some photos of me going through receipts and talking to government officials. Anyway, I have more to tell you, but I will save it for the next time. Hopefully at a much smaller interval than this time.

I encourage you all to come before the Lord and ask Him to help you turn your job into ministry. It is what we were made to do!

Downs and Ups

We will start with the downers and finish off on a high note.

Well, as some of you may know, Uganda is in a bit a turmoil recently. They had the elections a few months back and things have not been super great ever since. Compounding the problem of some disapproval of the President is the issue of inflation and oil prices increasing which drives up the prices of just about everything else. Anyway, this has led to some public uprisings and rioting.


Since getting back in November I've been the proud recipient of two separate tear gassings (yes I know gassings isn't a word). The first was following the election when they were counting votes and I decided to go to the bank which happened to be right across from the municiple building where they were doing said counting. The only details I know of what happened is that they shot the tear gas right near the edge of the road so it drifted right into my truck as I passed by. The second time I was just driving down Main St. and passed by the police station where they again shot the gas right near my truck and it drifted in. I tell you what, tear gas is very unpleasant. My eyes watered out of control, so much I couldn't see anything and you cough and your eyes burn and nose runs. All in all I wouldn't be disappointed if I have received my quota of tear gas.


Most of the rioting has been in the capital of Kampala, but Jinja has seen a bit. One day they brought out the military tanks and drove them around town to disperse crowds that were burning tires and participating in general riot shenanigans. We have also seen our fair share of military. It is weird seeing the sidewalk lined with 50 soldiers with AKs. I know that I am safe, but being in close proximity to such blatant death dealing forces is a feeling I don't like so much. Like I said earlier they had tanks. Real stinking military tanks with big canons and 50 cal machine guns mounted on top. Actually seeing them driving around town was bizarre and talking Christine (Amazima social worker) she said it reminds her of the wars from when she was younger up in northern Uganda. Different world over here.


I think as Americans we are so distant from any real war or even unrest that we don't even make the connection with what it really is. Scary to think that we feel like we (meaning the average American citizen) know enough or understand enough about warfare that we can have an opinion on if it is good or not or if we support it or not. I'm not making any stances for or against any war we have been involved in or saying I don't support our military and what they do, just saying being here and seeing the military face to face makes me realize I don't a clue about any of that stuff. As for me, I think I will stick to the pacifist route and focus on caring for, loving, and investing in others lives that they may know our mighty Savior and join me for eternity in heaven. Somebody else can figure out that other stuff.


Alright enough of that. Here are a few things I love about Uganda!

1) Little boys in suits. Man do I love this and you see it a decent amount. Ugandans enjoy looking sharp and they do it well. It might be an all of Africa thing cause my nephew Abra (Ethiopian) also an affinity towards suits.


2) I love the passport photo booth (errr passport photo alley). Here is seems you need passport photos quite often. The whole officialness of Uganda can get old, but the passport alley sure doesn't. I had to have 6 different ones taken because my ears were not visible enough for the bank. Finally I had to stuff paper behind my ears to make them stick out more. Who knows? I guess I will never be self-conscious about my ears sticking out. Well, I just love that the passport photos are taken in an alley behind the photo shop that they painted a block of the wall white for a backdrop. Excellent!


3) I love glucose biscuits! Not true, but I do love the name. Can you think of a more appealing name? I sure can't


4) I love having to slow or stop for cows on the road. Yeah it is an inconvenience, but they are sweet African bred cattle with sweet huge horns and they are being herded down the road! How can you complain about that?


5) I love the ice cream man. My love for the ice cream man pales in comparison for many Ugandans love for him, but I still love him. I love him more for the fact that he uses a cooler on the back of a bicycle or motorcycle to store his cold treat than the fact that I actually like his product. They also play the old ice cream truck song.


6) Finally I love my old security guard. I was only blessed with him for a few short months while I lived in an apartment, but they were good months that I will hold onto for as long as I live. Each time I would come home he would click his heels together and salute me. That sure makes a man feel special.


Well, I hope you enjoyed hearing a bit more about my time here. I am so thankful God has led me here. I am loving the adventure he has me on and I pray that I can continue to serve him wherever he leads. Until next time.

We left off with the completion of the chapel. This obviously calls for a party. I had a couple from my home church send me a donation to treat the boys and so I did. There is a hotel/resorty place in a nearby village that overlooks the Lake Victoria. We had stopped by there this past summer on our research field trip and the boys have talked about how they hope to one day go back. The day has arrived.



On my agenda for the night I had; pick up the boys, order food, eat food, go home. Unfortunately for me, Sam, Patrick, and the boys had a more Ugandan style gathering in mind. Ugandan parties, weddings, church services, funerals, and most any other sort of gathering are long drawn out events. I've heard stories of 6 sermons in one church service or weddings that just never end. I so far have not had many events of this sort so I am still in a bit of cultural rebellion. Anyway, their agenda went more like this; pick up the boys, Patrick gives an introduction speech, order food, Patrick give another longer speech, Sam gives a speech, several of the boys give speeches, Patrick does a question and answer session with the boys, I give a speech, eat food, they all decide that this was my gift to them so they want to have another gathering the next week that they plan, go home. Honestly it was great, but boy can Ugandans talk.



Fun story about the evening. I told them to go ahead and pick anything they wanted on the menu. Foolish foolish Brad. Of course every single one of the boys picks the highest priced item (lucky for me this was only $7.50 each). Each of the boys ends up with this big old fish. It comes out with a huge mound of rice as well. I was like "you guys really think you can finish all that?" Response from all of them "oh yeah, it isn't so much. We will finish." Guess how many finished. If you guessed zero you are correct. I took this prime opportunity to give them grief. "Can we get a round of doggie bags"


So, the next week they planned a dinner for Katie and I to thank us. We were also able to present them with their certificates of completion for the summer construction training program. They all chipped in and prepared for us rice and chicken. It was a generous gesture that I very much appreciated. I couldn't believe what they brought out next.



Side note-I have recently gone into the goat business. I have purchased 7 goats of my own and plan on raising them and breading them. Just for a hobby cause I really don't have much going on to keep me busy (that last comment is dripping with sarcasm).



Back to the story. They got me a goat! I couldn't believe it. Reminded me so much of the woman who gave the 2 copper coins. "Truly I tell you, these boys, gave more than I. I gave out of my wealth; but they, out of their poverty, gave everything."

It seems by the end of the day my brain is non-functioning which makes creative blogging difficult. I'm sure my brother will have some comment about how even fully rested my brain is only partially functioning so I'm going to preempt him.



We have completed the chapel! It took a bit longer than anticipated, but I should have learned by now to anticipate that my anticipations will be inaccurate. Ha what a horrible sentence.





A few details on the building process (not sure anybody will find any of this interesting, but here ya go):
-the slope of the land made the top side about 5 feet higher than the bottom which means filling which a ton of dirt. We had to bring in about 12 dump trucks full and wheelbarrow it all into the center, wetting it and packing as we went.
-We used 7,000 bundles of grass on the roof
-Each brick cost $0.04 and are homemade in the village; one of the boys we have been working with and teaching has saved his money and started his own brick making business where he rented a small plot of land and hired two others to make bricks for him.
-We used a final plaster coat of cement to make all the walls and floors nice and smooth. Basically it is cement without the gravel and applied at a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
-We didn't paint any of the walls cause we don't want to present ourselves as big and fancy. Perceptions to the locals is constantly on our mind.
-The poles used on the roof and for supports are eucalyptus poles, but we are not blessed with the cute Koala bears that most associate with the tree.
-We can fit over 400 children inside the building (probably closer to 600 if we seat them Ugandan style. By Ugandan style I mean on top of each other. Personal space doesn't exist here so much)
-We had the 10 young men (8 from the playground project and 2 new ones), 2 experienced construction workers, and my foreman Sam working on the project
-It took us about 2 and 1/2 months to complete the chapel construction





After finishing the roof we found that the span was a bit too far for the poles and the ones in the middle had been pushed out about 1/8 of an inch from the weight on the. This doesn't seem like much, but it is a major concern for the longevity of the building.

I had my trusted welder make us some beams with plates in the middle that we could bolt together to draw the poles back into position. We then reinforced the roof with poles running lengthwise to keep them from again pulling apart. Praise God it all worked out. I am now confident in the structural integrity of the building which is kinda important.




Here are some completed photos of the children enjoying the solace from the intense Ugandan sun. The project turned out marvelously and will open so many doors for future missions opportunities in the community. We are dreaming up so many different ways to use the building and excited to see how God is glorified through it.