Over the last few weeks I have been preparing to go back to Uganda. As some of you know, last year I had the privilege of leading a team of 10 to Lira. Our goal was to teach the children the bare-bones gospel through a very good curriculum called “Evangelism Explosion”. Our building projects were installing solar power lighting systems into the homes, and building a chicken coop that would provide eggs for the children. We accomplished all of our goals and returned home with satisfaction. months later, I received an email from Dr. Peter showing me a picture of the eggs that the chickens had produced for the children and was very happy. I read further in the email and he explained to me that there had been a break-in at the orphanage and many of the chickens had been stolen some time ago in the night. I didn’t understand how this could be possible since we built the coop very sturdy. The next picture I saw was of the back side of the coop where someone had taken hammers and broken through the ventilated portion of the coop enough to get inside and pass the chickens back through. Dr. Peter told me that they had come in the middle of the night during a rain storm so that they would not be heard. I was disappointed. A few days after reading Dr. Peter’s email I chatted with Mum Betty over Facebook and let her know that I had heard that there were a number of chickens stolen from the orphans, and I wanted to fix the coop. She then told me about he next time the thief came back; another rain storm, and all of the rest of the chickens that we had purchased were stolen. I called Bruce Douglas inquiring about what it would take to repair the coop and get some more chickens, the problem was that the thief would simply return and make quite a living out of the new source of chickens. I started to think about building a wall around the orphanage.
I sent an email to Jackson Senyonga asking him if it would be alright if I were to raise funding, come, and build the wall around the orphanage. I later received a phone call one sunday afternoon from Jackson telling me that it would be alright, but he also told me a story about a truck that had recently driven through the barbed wire fence and collided with one of the homes; killing the driver. He informed me that none of the children were hurt, but it was one more confirmation to build the wall.
In the past years we have noticed conditions in the Lira orphanage that continually decline as each year passes. When we first came to this orphanage there was no fence, nor were there homes in the immediate surrounding area, and there was no reason for concern. As time passed more and more people gravitated towards the city occupying more and more land. Homes started to be built around the orphanage and people tended to wander through the orphanage as a shortcut to get from place to place. Being a refuge for young boys and girls, this brought up concern from the management of the orphanage. They did not want people wandering through the orphanage for the safety of the children. A barbed wire fence was built around the orphanage to prevent people from passing through the grounds. We spoke with the mums and the cook about the fence. It was placed well inside the official property lines of the orphanage, leaving a considerable amount of property outside the fence.
As people move into the city and build their homes, the fence indicates to neighbors that this is the correct property line. buildings have been built closer and closer to the orphanage and we are afraid that if much more time passes, this land will soon become land belonging to someone else. The correct boundaries need to be established so that this land is not “squatted” on by the neighbors, leaving the orphanage with less room then they are legally entitled.
When it rains in Uganda, it pours. The average monthly rainfall is right around 5 inches from July to November. This is not very much water spread out over a long period of time, but Uganda rarely sees a day like a day in the Northwest. Their rain comes hard and fast making small rivers of water cut through the dusty ground carrying off large quantities of dirt. If you examine the orphanage you will notice that many of the home's foundations have been exposed and the dirt that once filled this space is now somewhere else. As the water continues to take soil from the area, the homes will experience increased cracking and crumbling, resulting ultimately in a house that is no longer suitable for anyone let alone children. Putting a wall in place will stop the erosion of the soil from the orphanage and could possibly provide a way to collect water.
I started to think of ways to collect funding for this project. I came up with some rough figures of about 12,000 dollars for the entire budget of the wall. This included transportation to Lira, hiring a contractor and labor, buying all the material, paying for food, water, lodging, and even the flight it was going to take to get me there. I knew that it was too much to write to friends and family about, so I started calling people I know who have small businesses and know people who could help out. Fortunately for me, it was the end of the year and I was hoping to capitalize on year end tax donations from people who had not yet done so. I called Joe Cipov in California and spoke with him about the situation. It turned out that God had placed this exact thing on his heart a few weeks before I called him. I was beginning to see the divine appointment. He spoke with his wife and decided that he should come with me. He started talking to people that he knew in California and preparing as well. Funding has started coming in!! We have actually made it to our halfway point. I have made a contribution and purchased my tickets. My flight leaves Portland on February 2 and I return home April 3. I have been communicating with my brothers in Uganda about logistics and have really enjoyed talking with them again.
I feel that I have been enough times that I don’t have the crazy excitement of traveling any more, but I am getting very anxious. I am ready to get over there and start building this wall. I am excited to see the children in Seeta and Lira again. I am excited to see how the children have continued to grow and develop into people of character.
When I am in Lira, I doubt very much that I will be able to send any updates, as there is a severe shortage of wifi. But when I can, I will. I will send more updates as time gets closer.
