8 days

       Over the last month, I have been talking to people on the phone, face to face, at Christmas and New Years parties, and via email. I have been trying to raise money to get the wall funded so all that remains is actually flying and getting my hands dirty. That time has finally come, and much sooner than expected. Right now, the obstacle is the 8 days before I hand over my ticket to the person at the flight desk, and board the plane. ...and not tripping over the giant “check-in” bag that is constantly spread open in the middle of my room. Every now and then when I think of something that would be useful, I will pick it up and figure out a way to mash it into the case. One example is bug screen...  I will be living at the orphanage for 2 months. Since the mosquitos and I don’t get along all that well, I am going to do my best to keep them away. I do not yet have malaria, and don’t intend to get it. The 2 ways to ensure this are very simple: keep taking my medication, which prevents it, and keep the mosquitos off of me. I have actually experienced moments here in the US where I am almost asleep in my bed and start batting at my ear because of some delusional flash-back where a mosquito annoyingly and slowly flutters into my ear canal... its terrible.

Several checks have arrived in the last week; our project is now fully funded and we are ready to start. I received an email from our partners in Uganda telling us that they need to pay the surveyor that was hired to locate the property lines, so, we have wired a payment to them that covers the cost of the survey and allows them to begin purchasing the materials needed for the wall. With materials now going into the orphanage, I am sure that all the children there are wondering what’s going on...  

I have a team of 4 to 5, not including myself, which will be meeting me in Uganda and joining in on the fun construction festivities. It has been a blessing to work through the details of the trip, though sometimes it’s mildly frustrating. The frustration, however, is in my head. Fighting that is a constant battle, and is overcome by remembering that God is the one that placed this project on my heart. He has truly put this small team together, and he will use us in the ways of his choosing to accomplish great things of which we are still unaware. I am expecting a trip of construction and relationships; encouraging the children, mums, and sharing the message of Christ with some who have not yet heard. What God has in store for us may be something entirely different... Please be praying for divine opportunities concerning my team; authentic ones. 

Prepping

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. 

Home.

July 20th

We are back in the airport in Uganda, our flight is supposed to fly at 5:00pm. We will have a layover in Ethiopia for quite a while it seems. The flight from there is planned for 7:45am which will put us in Rome in the afternoon. Hopefully that gives us enough time to go straight to Casoria, or Naples.

The flight left Uganda at 5:00pm. We have become a kind clumped with the original passenger list of people that were scheduled for our first flight and have been traveling with them here and there. We landed at 7:30 and made our way through the airport. Having no idea what is going on or where we should be going, we just kept moving with the crowd of people. We eventually made our way to the main doors to the airport and found a few other original people. Some representatives eventually showed up and Looked at a piece of paper that we had been given with the name of the hotel we would be staying at. We were ushered outside to a van that had the hotel name "Churchill" written on it. We met an Italian woman by the name of Clara who is one of the original and is also going to Rome. She is a UNICEF worker in northern Congo where the LRA is still present and fighting. Se said that she lives in a container out in the middle of the jungle where she does her work. She said that the things that she sees out there is national geographic type stuff. I would love to see it.

We got to the hotel and got checked in. Both Julie's and my room are on the 6th floor of a hotel building that, from what I can tell, rises out of the middle of a slum. My room is on the corner of the building and overlooks dimly lit alleyways, and tin roofs. I opened my windows and experience a stillness of the area. The crickets are chirping, and the Muslims are in prayer. There is something beautiful about it to me, yet at the same time I don't really feel comfortable with it. It is beautiful to my ear, but disgusting to God's. They are cries to a false God that can not save them from sin. I need to go to bed. The bus takes us back to the airport at 5:20am. The flight should put us in Rome around 2:00pm, but I'm thinking that Julie and I may be catching a train on our own to Caserta.

We finally arrived in Rome, caught a shuttle to the main train station. I had no way of contacting the other team to find out where they were or where we needed to go. Julie and I checked the ticket machines to see when the next train to caserta departed. We then ran down the stairs of the train station into the underground to find a SIM card that I could put into my phone. My phone got switched over from Uganda service to Italy service but it took some time to activate, so we just decided to buy the tickets straight to Caserta. Our train departed on time with an estimated arrival time of 7:30pm. Julie and I had some good conversation on the noisy ride right up to 7:30 when our stop approached. I looked out the window to look for the Caserta sign, but I could only find one that said Isernia. I looked back at Julie, then to an old man that was sitting across the row from us. I asked him if he spoke English. "yes, a little." I held my ticket up and said, "Caserta." He said, "No, no! Big mistake, you make big mistake!" we were supposed to get off in Casino, and switch to a different train.. The next half hour I spent talking with Train officials, and our friends in Naples on my phone trying to figure something out. I couldn't understand what the official was saying so I would call my friends, and then they would talk to him, and then they would try to tell me what he said, but I couldnt understand them either. The official knew what was going on and made sure that we got to where we needed to go, thank you Jesus. After the second pick-up attempt, we finally were united with the team at a pizza restaurant, and started the Italy Camp Mission.

We spent the first night at the old mill (Vecchio Mulino). Though I was still in a bunk bed, at least now I didn't have to wrestle with a mosquito net. The Mosquitos that were at the camp were less than they have been in past years, but they still did a few dive bombs into my ear canal. I think that is the worst sound in the world. It is a sound that results in your arm whizzing past your ear so hard that you jolt yourself either upright, or into a completely new sleeping position. I never get them either, because they come back about 45 seconds later doing the same thing; new sleeping position.

We drove back into Casoria for church and heard Doug Valenzuela deliver a great message in perfect Italian. We could only sit and listen hearing the occasional word "Americano" drop. After the message, we returned to the camp and prepared for the campers to arrive a little later in the day. we had many new faces this year, which was really great. A lot of the older people couldn't come due to work or school. The students that we did have were amazing though. The week was filled with joy. We played team building games, volleyball, soccer, night time activities, study and meditation times that were led by the Italian leadership, and had great worship led by the Americans. I am really proud of the American team because of the way they integrated themselves in with the Italians. It is amazing to me the bond that you build with someone that you have never met before having spent only a week with them. God was with us on this trip, and he let us be examples of Christ in the way that we interacted with them and with each other.

 

July 28

We are now on the train back to Rome. Our whole team is spread out between two different cars, and only a few of us are lucky enough to be seated next to someone we know. The sun is going down and the lights have come on in the cabins. The train sways back and forth in an irregular motion as it winds around bends in the railway. I can see the Mediterranean sea on my left, and little castles on buttes on my right. Amy Simonson is sitting directly across from me sharing her headphones with an Italian girl that is on her commute home. Americans keep walking past the door to our cabin asking questions and saying hi... We have just a few hours before we are in our beds sleeping.

We walked around Rome for a few days. I think I have reached a point where the colleseum doesn't do much for me any more. I had much more enjoyment spending time with the team walking around, whether it was at the colosseum or not. I have seen everything but the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I had an opportunity to go, but I didn't feel a desire to go. The more I travel I find that I am less likely to need to see monuments and landmarks. I don't really care about them. Some of them are fascinating, but after I see them for a few minutes, I have this feeling like, "okay.. I can walk away now." I think it very much has to do with the people that I am with. I think it is true for more than just sightseeing also, if I am at home I can play a video game, but if I am by myself, it is boring. I can go and see the most amazing things that man has built, but if I am by myself it is just not as amazing. God has designed us for relationships, and that is exactly why I feel that way.

The flight back to Portland felt quick to me, probably because I was in and and out of sleep so much. We landed around 10:30pm. I was met by Cary Samsel and my car key, so I got to drive away from the airport. Sitting in my car, I thought about all that I have done the last 3 months, and the things that God has allowed me to do. It was warm enouh for me to roll down my window and let the air flow into the car and across my face. I didn't turn any music on; I instead just thought as I drove. The streetlights went by as I thought about where I was just 1 day ago, 1 week ago, the people that I have been with, the things I have taught, learned, and experienced. I turned my blinker on and changed lanes. I didn't have to worry about running into a ditch to get around the car in front of me. I thought about the dangers where I was, and now being back in Portland; safe and secure not having to worry about a thing. I almost feel more at home where I don't have the luxuries that I have when I am home. I know that soon I will be sucked right back into this place, expecting the things that I have, and not appreciating them. Last night I woke up sweating because of the heat. Portland isn't very hot, but I had a down-comforter that i didnt need in a bug-free, amazingly insulated room. No mosquito nets, no cocroaches. The bed was more comfortable than any bed I have slept on in the last 3 months. I am about to go camping at the beach with my family. My brother Elliot and I usually pack a futon that fits my tent perfectly; I am already expecting a bed that will be more comfortable than any bed in Uganda. My tent is better at keeping bugs out than any mosquito net. I will wake up to a nice breakfast, and relax most of the day in the sun, or shade, or whatever I feel like. I will have electricity, and running water... Camping. I don't have a lot by American standards, but I am filthy rich.

Now what happens? I'm not going back to work, I am applying for work with a christian international disaster relief organization called Samaritans Purse that will send me where they have the greatest need.

Posted with Blogsy

Yay, Ethiopian Airlines!

July 17

We had a nice drive back into Kampala the other day. We spent a little time at the souvenir shop and then at Lake Victoria for food. We waited until around 8:00pm before we left for the Airport, and dropped off the team. Robert then drove us back through Kampala to Seta. There was nasty traffic, and it took us quite a while. I took advantage of the opportunity and got my laser pointer out so I could play with people that were out and about. This place really does come alive when the sun goes down, it must have something to do with the temperature. We ended up getting back to the orphanage around 10:40pm. When we arrived at the orphanage all the lights were off and the gate was locked. I walked in and tried to find the keys to the gate. We eventually got in and had to rig up some quick mosquito nets before we could go to bed. It was the most primitive netting system I have seen... But it worked.

In the morning we woke up and went to church with the children. We washed some clothes and walked into town to get some of the essentials. I bought a bar of mint dark chocolate and a little box of tea. The children have been in testing at school all week, so the mornings are slow. After I wake up I usually have to go to the bathroom. Since they have closed the bathrooms that are near to us I walk across the orphanage to use the toilet. I get back to the house and we have tea and breakfast; which is either samosas or a granola bar. Then as we wake up we start to talk about what our lessons will look like for the Primary 7 children. We end up washing dishes, washing clothes, and talking to children and Mums throughout the day and then when 5:30pm rolls around we move down to the school and start to teach the lessons.

 

I have been slipping big hunks to children every now and then, it is so funny because you see the smaller children and they have sticky white nougat all over their face and hands. ...but they are so delicious!!

July 19

Get ready for a nice long paragraph...

I always forget what the last day is like when I am here without the whole team. I can't help but feel frustrated. The mums hear that we leave the next day and I get half a dozen mums coming up to me telling me that they have problems with their light bulb. There has been one mum that has been telling me she has a problem every day that I have been here. The initial frustration is that I was told that in all off the houses the light bulbs were replaced and the lights were turned on. The next one is that the mums will give me this look like i am turning my back on them and abandoning them with their problem if I can't fix it. I go to look at the mums house, and she shows me that her switch is broken. This means that I need to get into the container and find a switch, a screwdriver, and turn the power off. One of our interpreters sees me and tells me that breakfast and tea is ready, so I tell her to give me 15 minutes, so I go to the container and open it. I grab the cordless drill, find a screwdriver, then dig and dig through the place to find a switch. I lock the door of the container on may way out thinking this should be quick. I go to the house and set my things down in the main room and check the lights to make sure that I am in the right place. The switch does seem to be having problems. So I take my keys to the main panel to turn the power off to that house but I find that there is a new lock on the gate that protects the panel. Now I have to go find Mum Berna who has the keys. She isn't at her house. One of the Mums tells me where I can find her, so I go to find her. Then she says she will meet me at her house and she will give me the keys, so I go to her house and wait. She gets me the keys, and I walk back to the panel and unlock the gate. I open the panel and re-discover that unless I want to turn off the power to 15 houses i need to go to a different panel. I go to the new panel (which doesnt require a key) and turn off the breaker that shows the house I am working on. I walk back to the house and try turning the bulb on that still works. It still turns on. I start systematically turning off breakers until I have turned them all off except for the main breaker. The light still comes on, so I walk back to the panel and turn off the main switch for that panel, which I could have done from the main panel. The light finally turns off, so I go into the house and remove the old switch for the bad light, and wire in the new one. I set my tools outside so that I don't have to go back into the house, then walk back to the panel to turn on the power. The bad bulb still does not turn on. I grab the old switch and work it back and forth, and It feels like it works great. I think to myself, "Did I put the old switch back on? No, because this one has paint on it. It must be the bulb." I go to the container to look for more bulbs but find none. I go back to the house and tell her that I have no more bulbs, and can't fix it. She looks at me and says, "you don't have any lamp holders?" ...yes, I have lamp holders. I climb a set of bunk beds in the room and get in top of the wall. I inspect the light, and sure enough, the socket is all messed up. I climb down and walk back to the container and start to search for a lamp holder. I finally find one. I take it back to the house. Then I go back to the panel and turn off the main switch again. I go back to the house and try to take the drill, the screwdriver, and the new lamp holder up the bunk beds to the top of the wall. I get to the lamp holder to remove it, and the screws standard heads, which means that I have the wrong bit; back to the container. I get the new bit; back to the house, back up the wall, and start to remove the old switch. The dust is thick, and my nose is dripping. I shake my head to get rid of that drip on the tip of my nose, and realize that it is not a drip, but more like a shoelace. Without blowing a snot rocket in the house, and because of a lack of tissues in my pocket, I wipe it on my shirt and it looks like a slug crawled across my chest. I finish replacing the socket, and start to climb down. I take my things back outside and go to turn on the power again. I come back to the house to see if the light turns on, yes. I take the tools back to the container, lock the container, close up the panels, take the keys back to Mum Berna, then go to the bathroom on the other side of the orphanage, which I have been holding for some time, and walk back to the house and enjoy a nice cup of lukewarm tea. As frustrated as I was, on my way out of the Mum's house I saw a little boy in his school uniform standing in the doorway looking at me. His belly was big, and it was tucked into a maroon school sweater. He gave me a smile, and it made me smile. Sometimes it is easy to forget why I am here. If I put my frustrated face on, and walk around, who do they see in me? It's not Jesus. The work is worth the one smile that the little boy gave me. I remember that I am here to love these people, and not to worry about how many frustrating steps it takes to replace a lightbulb.

We finished our last day at the orphanage. It seemed to fly by from the moment I woke up. I don't even know what I did all day after the electrical fix. Our last bible study started on time and finished on time. It was on faith. "Saving faith isn't only knowing about God, saving faith isn't only for now, saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life." I wanted to emphasize that the saving faith if not accompanied by action is not a saving faith, like James chapter 2 talks about. The kids were a captive audience, and I think God worked on their hearts. At the end I asked them if any of them would like to accept the gift of eternal life from Jesus and many of them shouted, "Yes!" I told them that if in their heart they really wanted to, then they could pray a salvation prayer with me. I don't know how many of them accepted Christ, but I am so blessed to be a part of it.

A little later I was walking through the orphanage as it was getting dark and Godfrey came up to me and said that he was sad that I was leaving. He gave me a big hug. I started to walk again, but he just clinged on and started to walk with me. It has got to be so hard for those kids when visitors come and become so attached. I wish I never had to leave them. Someday in heaven, there won't be the sadness of departing.

Its 11:40pm.. We are now at the Uganda airport. Andrew, Julie, and I are playing a boardgame waiting to go to our gate. Andrew's plane takes off about 2 hours after ours.

1:50am.. on paper, our plane is flying away right now, but we are sitting in the terminal.

3:45am.. Oh here is Andrew coming through the gate boarding his plane to fly to Japan. Hey Buddy..

4:10am.. They are saying our flight has been cancelled. We are waiting to hear from the Ethiopian Airlines representative about what we can expect.

6:15am.. They are crossing our exit stamp on our passports off because we have to go back into Uganda to a hotel. We are boarding a bus for The Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel. Next flight will be around 5:00pm tomorrow.

 

Lira

Tuesday July 10

Lira has been amazing. When we arrived the some of us had mixed feelings of being here; torn between missing the children in Seta and being excited about being here. They said, "I dont know how I feel about being here, I'm just not that excited and I would almost rather be in Seta." After we spent a day here they came back and said that now, they we're excited to be here. The Lira kids got a hold of their hearts and were filling them up with joy.

We have been here for just under a week now, the chicken coop is moving along nicely, and we have wired all of the homes with solar lighting. After we went back to the hotel last night, I started to plug things in to recharge, and just after I got my last thing plugged in, the power went out. Joe said, "Isn't this ironic that now we have no lights, but the orphahage that has never had light has their lights on right now?" I am so glad that we have given them the solar panels, because now as unreliable as the power grid is here, they will always be able to turn their lights on.

We have been blessed to worship with the kids. Julie said to me that this is what it sounds like in heaven, and I think she is right. When they worship it is so beautiful. In Matthew 18 it says; "we must become like little children if we are to see the kingdom of heaven" and it is no wonder to me for they sound so beautiful. They move their bodies, clap their hands, gently whisper and shout at the top of their lungs, they stomp their feet and play their drums. One of the girls brought out an instrument that she had made out of can. They can harmonize... They can chant... They do all of these things together and it is beautiful.

This being my first time as the leader I vaguely knew what to expect, I almost feel spoiled to have a team like the one that I have. They are all so even keeled. They don't complain, they don't have many needs, they do what they are told, they desire to do what God wants, and they try their hardest to put the children before themselves. God is spoiling me.

 

July 13

Our time in Lira came to an end. I don't like leaving. Our last night we talked about all the different experiences that we have had, and the stories and moments with the children that we want to share with people when we get home. I wanted them to think about what they will say. It seems when people ask you how the trip was back home, you have one of two answers. It will either be "good", or it will be a 3 hour dumping of information that someone may or may not be ready for. We have heard testimonies from the children that make even the hardest testimonies in America seem weak by comparison. I have never heard of someone in America having their parents executed in front of them and then being abducted by rebels; being forced to carry guns, materials, food, anything that they want or face being shot or tortured. They run from bullets as they try to escape, showing the scars from where the bullets have torn through their legs. Care is rejected by their own people because these little ones still have a grandmother that is alive in their village that can care for them; a woman too old, being forced to labor in the fields, working to try and provide food for her children's children. The children beg and plead for a way out of their nightmare, but how do you say yes to 2 million children? If too many people get on the boat we will all drown. I feel the least I can do is give up my spot on the boat. I say this and then get on a plane to go back home where we are all rich and i am back in the place of comfort and luxury. Meanwhile the old lady is still toiling, and the children's world is still shaken to the ground.

At the same time, there is something that I see in the children that I don't see in the hopeless in the USA. Despite their burden they have joy that is unexplainable; a joy that makes no sense. There is no formula that you can apply, or logical explanation for it. They peek at you with half of their face hidden behind a crumbling building. You can only see one of their eyes as they study you from a safe distance; their curiosity getting the best of them. When you make eye contact, they show you the white of their teeth and a smile that overtakes your heart. With their eyes hidden behind their cheeks and they quickly disappear. They have no sense of entitlement. They humble themselves to us when we should be the ones that are humbling ourselves to them. Their happiness comes only from God. They have faith that can move mountains and a joy that overflows so much it fills me up. That is what being set free from sin by the blood of Jesus does. It is the freedom of forgiveness and truth that allows you to have joy despite such great suffering

We completed the chicken coop, purchased 40 laying hens, 5 roosters, and bags of feed that will allow the chickens to adapt to their new home so that they an go out and free range again. We set them up with a ccken coop that Dr. Peter says will accommodate up to 200 chickens. I don't know that it will ever get that far, but the children are very excited about having and taking care of the chickens. I pray that at some point they will be able to sell chickens and eggs to keep progressing toward a sustainable orphanage. Our solar lights are all in place in the houses. I believe our next step in Lira and in Seta is to adapt the pumps to solar power so that they do not rely on the power for water, and so that we can removIe their power bill.

We had a really, really awesome party for the kids on the 11th with sodas, cookies, sweets, singing, dancing, drama, and speeches. They asked for the leader of the Ukids team to give them a short speech, so I got to deliver on the cuff. I reinforced that they may think we are rich, and we do have money that God has given us, but one thing that we can not buy with that money is Joy. "You children have a joy that so many people in America wish they could have, yet they fail to see the way to experience the real joy that you experience. We always say that we are coming here to do all these things and give you children something that you need. We forget to say that when we come here, you give us something that we need. We are in debt to you, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as you. You are co-heirs with Jesus Christ, and your joy that comes from Him overflows into our cups."

We are now in Merchison Falls National Park at the Red Chili Safari Camp. We had a game drive on the way in, spent the night in huts, and today we have been on a Nile Boat Safari. Our next step is to sleep tonight in tents, visit the top of the falls, and drive back to Kampala where the majority of our team will fly home. The remnant of the team will then be Andrew, Julie, and I.

 

The Remnant

June 25 2012

I was talking to Susan Gosvener about the day we went to visit our children that are now in secondary school. I believe it was last saturay. Our team was split into two busses. I was on the 2nd bus as we drove onto the school campus. We were planning on making a suprise visit to the kids, but two giant busses of white people isn't really subtle. As the first bus drove up to the parking place Susan saw Joan searching the bus for me.. Her eyes were wide open and had a look of determination as she scanned the first bus. When she didn't see me on the bus, Susan said that her shoulders dropped and her eyes looked down as she moved to the back of the group. Children quickly filled her spot as other they looked for their sponsors. The second bus started up the driveway and Joan heard its engine. She turned and looked toward the bus and the excitement slowly returned to her eyes. Susan watched her as she studied the bus. The door opened and we started to file off the bus. Thats when she noticed me. Susan said she flashed a big smile and instantly started cutting her way through the crowd to get to me. This is when I remember seeing her; her eyes were fixed on me. She was showing me her pretty smile as she moved in my direction until finally I had the little girl that I sponsored 6 years ago in my arms. I think every year I am a little taken by the way that these children love us. If only I could show them what they have done for me in my life...

 

Okay, so like an idiot, I decided to wear a cutoff the second day here and didn't apply any sunscreen, I got a little more sun than I was thinking, which I think is always the case, and got a nice red color on my shoulders. They have peeled already and now I'm left with the skin that doesn't look like it should be doing its time yet. I a little afraid to wear cutoffs again, but I think I might bust them out tomorrow morning while we are tossing brick and put on a shirt mid morning when the sun really starts to get hot.

 

Today is Tuesday June 26th

We have been doing a great job teaching the curriculum to the children in VBS. It is called Evangelism Explosion. And what it is doing is helping the children to see just what Jesus did, and how He is the only way to heaven. I got to teach the memory verse to my little group today; Romans 6:23. We are discovering that some of the mums and the children here are really focused on doing works to earn their salvation. It is amazing to see how they respond when we tell them that it is not something that is earned or deserved.

 

We had the leaders of Evangelism Explosion in Uganda come to the school today to start instructing the teachers with the curriculum, and have had several teachers re-dedicate their lives to Christ. It has been a time where God has been glorified. We have 1 week to go before part of the team goes north to have a little fun on a Safari trip and then fly home. I have really appreciated everyone on the team this year. Talking to some of the members, they have told me that they would rather stay at the orphanage than go on safari, they think that they safari would be fun, but that it would mean more for them, and for the children to just spend the time at the orphanage instead.

I have had the pleasure of working with a few of the guys on the team in prayer each night. What we do is while our meeting is going on, I pass around my notebook and have people put down their prayer requests and their name. Then after the meeting all team members who want to be a part of it can stay a little later. We worship together and end in prayer. We make sure to not only cover the requests on the list, but also anything that God has been placing on our heart. I have had time to pray for my brothers and sisters in Italy, and back home. It really is amazing what prayer does. We have had sickness go away, people have given their lives to Christ, and even had mosquito bites disappear. Back injuries have been relieved and joy has been restored. The team is performing as a well oiled machine. I have been really impressed by our team with the unity and the willingness to serve without complaint. It really is a joy to serve God. We do it because we love him.

 

Holly is one of the girls on our team who shared a testimony tonight during our meeting at the hotel. I thought I might share a little of what she said, because though the team was laughing at her gestures and the way she explained things, what she had to say was really good. She was talking about the beauty of the children here, and what it is about them that gives them that beauty in her eyes. She spoke about their purity. They have been so un-polluted by the world. They have a confidence that just inspires and baffles her because they walk around with clothes that are tattered, buttons are missing, their sandals just about to break, scabs all over their bodies and in need of a bath. Yet, somehow they walk with a confidence that in America would be shunned and scorned. ...because they don't see what we see back home. Their souls are not connected to the magazines and TV shows that tell us what we need to be in order to have confidence. They have a natural confidence that is not afraid to show its face for fear of scorn. They are beautiful.

 

She also talked about her experience when she gets back to the hotel after a day at the orphanage, she turns on the hot water in the shower and it just barely trickles from a spout that you have to kneed down into the tub to get to. She cherishes the little trickle, and values it so much. She starts to think about how the children and even the mums get excited about what in our eyes is the smallest thing. Our team does some of the children's studies with the Mums and they cherish the little paper crowns that they make, the tiny little paper crafts that we would just throw away. We have so much, and they have so little. Never has she loved that little trickle of warm water as much as she does now. We are so rich.

July 1

We are now the remnant. Most of the team has gone on their trip to Merchison Falls up in the north and we have had some of our people that travel to Lira with us fly in. We will be in Seta until Thursday and then we go north.

We had a great day yesterday. Tiffany Gosvener and Chris Ratzlaff had their Uganda wedding. All of the children from Lira were bussed into the orphanage, all of the secondary students were brought back, the mums, pastors, and even the Ridar Hotel staff were brought to the village for the ceremony. As we waited for the bridal party to show up, all the students lined the red carpet that they had strung out on the path that leads down to the pump house. The ceremony was to take place on the cisterns that we had built back in 2008. Standing around trying to figure out where the vehicles were going to drive in from, the clouds covered the place and God opened up the floodgates of heaven for a moment. The children and adults scattered to the nearest shelter to get out of the rain. A few days earlier we had noticed, while doing inspections of the homes, that one of them had a room that was full on umbrellas. I ran with one hand holding my camera, and the other covering my lens to get an umbrella that was up the hill. The rain never fully went away, so the crowd slowly came back out when they had gotten umbrellas. It actually made the wedding very beautiful. Umbrellas of purple, blue, green, and red speckled the crowd of children that watched from the hillside. After the ceremony we had a wonderful party and saw the children off; back to their schools.

I am getting excited for Lira. I love and miss those children so much.

 

Out of Italy into Uganda

Before you read, you must know that I have been wrestling with about 100 other people for bandwidth since I have been in Africa. If that weren't enough, you cant stay connected for more than about 15 minutes at a time. I may have one more post in me, but when I go north to Lira in another week, I may not have access to internet until I stay in a Hotel in Italy.

 

Friday 6/15

-somewhere in the air between Italy and Ethiopia

 

I have been silent for some weeks now. Though I have been doing many things, I seem to have had no motivation to type. I finished my time in Florence and moved on to Naples. It seems to me that I don't ever want to leave when I start to spend time with people. Its almost like my heart just clings on, and the idea of leaving makes it want to be bitter, but then it soon latches on somewhere else. We had a few days in Naples together before the Quicks split off to stay with missionaries Justin and Jenn Powell in Barcelona for a few days

 

Pastor Marco and his wife Maria allowed us to stay in their spare apartment, which is a huge blessing. After the Quicks started their journey to Barcelona I was left to myself in the apartment. I don't really take pleasure in being alone but if I have to I can. Fortunately for me, I found a friend. I met Gabriella Martucci a few days prior at church and was surprised to hear an American accent. She was actually staying in the apartment that was adjacent to mine, so she and I were able to go and see Naples and entertain each other since we are the only ones that had nothing to do during the day. I think, however, our little two person team was largely one sided, because she is the one that spoke italian so I depended on her greatly. She came to Naples not knowing anyone; just wanting to be used by God to strengthen and encourage the worship teams of the church in Italy. She is quite talented and I know that God will use her in a great way. My prayer for her is that she will be encouraged herself and that she would be allowed to impact the worship teams of the Casoria and Arzano Church. If you would like to pray for her in that way too, I'm sure that she would appreciate it.

 

Right now I am flying from Rome to Ethiopia with on a plane full of Italian people. It is so funny, because when the lights go out, a plane full of Americans gets really quiet and sleepy, but it only seems to get louder on this plane. There is an Italian lady in front of me that has been standing, talking for nearly two hours taking breaks only to sip on her little bottle of airplane wine. There is also a man sitting next to me that has been waving his hands around vigorously in conversation since he got on the plane. Out of the side of my eye it looks as though he is trying to get my attention, and after the 3rd or 4th time of looking and taking my headphones out, I decided to try and ignore it.

 

The pilot says that we are about 15 minutes behind schedule, but they will do everything they can to make up the time. My watch says 8:00pm and I should be hopping flights onto another plane in another hour or so.

 

Saturday June 16

 

I made it to Uganda... Without my luggage; it is somewhere between Addis Ababa and Entebbe. The flight from Rome to Ethiopia, being late, resulted in my bags not making it onto the plane headed for Uganda. I packed only a few items in my backpack either to make the travel easier, or to ensure that they were handled with care. As I stood in front of the conveyor after nearly 30 minutes, it occurred to me that I might not be getting my bag. The frenzied scurry to wrestle bags off the conveyor had ended and I was left standing there with another couple that had come from Rome. I thought through the flights and figured there was no way that my bag would have had time to get onto the new plane due to the delayed flight. I went to report a missing bag and walked out the door of the airport only to be barraged with 12 taxi drivers all interested in getting me somewhere. I asked them, "Are any of you from the Ridar Hotel?"

"Ridar Hotel, yes I know it."

"No, no, did you come from the Ridar Hotel to pick me up?"

"Yes, I know where it is"

I thought to myself, "you have got to be kidding me"..

One of the other taxi drivers understood what I meant and asked me if I had the number for the Ridar Hotel. He called them and handed me the phone. I spoke with a woman named Margret who said that she was expecting me. Then out of nowhere, an arm reached around my neck from behind and put me in a choke hold... Andrew Millikan, that dirty dog. My driver and Andrew had been sitting in the car out in the parking lot waiting for me. We made the fastest trip to the hotel I have ever done and finally arrived at the hotel at 3:40am. The decision to figure out what I was going to put on in the morning wasn't real hard because the only clothes that I had were the clothes that I was wearing... That makes for an aroma, but what can I do? I will just have to go shopping.

 

Morning came, and I slept till about 9. Then I got to reconnect with the team here and there around the hotel until we all hopped on the bus and headed for the orphanage. As usual, the children put on a welcoming party that was wonderful and exciting. The road was lined with children waving palm branches displaying enormous smiles that periodically burst into laughter and shouting. A cluster of children regulated the speed of the bus by proudly and beautifully displaying their tribal dance down the middle of the road. We turned the corner into the village and encountered an eruption; cheering and clapping for the bus as we passed by the Mums. The children shouted even louder as we opened the doors and Mark Gosvener stepped off the bus. He was engulfed in a sea of little smiling faces. One by one we all got off the bus. I will never forget the feeling of having 40 children all trying to hug me at the same time. I felt someone run into me and latch onto my side. It was my girl Florence. There is nowhere else on earth I would rather be.

 

The day was filled with joy. I spent time eating with my house of girls during lunch, arm wrestling and tickling the boys in the afternoon, and walked back to the hotel on the dirt roads that wind through marketplaces and fruit stands. I finished off the day connecting with a friend from Festival Arzano 2011 in Italy, who called out my name as I walked past her down at the hotel restaurant. This world really is a tiny one...

 

Monday 6/18

 

I have a bag!! I received a call from Ethiopian airlines today and they told me that my bag has been found. They transported it to their Kampala office where they do much of their booking.... The team went to the orphanage this morning for their first day of work and bible school. We had a wonderful morning working on the 2nd floor of the school in the sun while the children in the classrooms periodically recited various things aloud. I think my favorite was when they all sang "Father Abraham". It is one of those moments when you hear what is happening and all you can do is just smile. They are singing their hearts out... and you know that God is smiling too.

 

We passed quite a bit of brick for the workers; getting it to the places that would be the most helpful for the masons. We had multiple lines tossing brick from the ground up a few levels of scaffolding to the second level. It is a good work out; lots of sweat and brick dust. I love it. I had to bail just about lunch time to go into Kampala with Robert, our bus driver, and get my bag back. Oh, how I long for a clean pair of underwear. The Ethiopian Airlines office was quite full and I feared that I would be waiting for some time. We mentioned to someone that we were here to pick up a bag and were ushered into a back room where bags were being stored and I handed them my baggage claim ticket. I noticed my bag as soon as I walked through the doorway. The lady went to the bag and checked to see if the numbers matched, and wouldn't you know it; they didn't. "Oh my gosh, I swear this is my bag! I can tell you exactly what is in it!" the lady looked at me and smiled, she said "I believe you." she tore the tag off and gave me the bag.

 

On our way back to the orphanage I was looking out the front window and noticed a taxi cab. They decorate the taxis quite a bit here. On the front and back of the taxis you will see these huge words and they will say things like "GOD IS GOOD", or "KING OF GLORY". This taxi had written on the back "NO ONE IS PERFECT", however, the government had required a registration sticker that was right on top of the "NO". One is perfect.

 

I finished the day getting to talk to some of the construction workers, and teachers. I saw Florence standing off to the side looking at me and held out my arms to her, and she came running.. I gave her a giant hug and a note that I had written for her. I told her teachers that she was my sponsored child, and my daughter. She told me that tomorrow if i would come to her house she would show me her reports from school to see how well she was doing in school. I cant it to see her tomorrow. It was late in the day at the orphanage. I looked for my team members and noticed the bus backing up and getting ready to pull away. I looked at my watch and it said 5:34pm, so I said my goodbye to Florence for the day and sprinted to the bus. Mark later told me that he had said on the bus, "Adam is going to be our first example of what happens when you are late for the bus." He said that of all the people on the team, I was the one person that he would be comfortable leaving in that situation because he knew that i could take care of myself here. I brought a smile to my face. I love every moment I spend at the orphanage. I always will. it is one of the places on earth that I truly feel at home.

 

Tuesday, 6/19

 

I laughed at Andrew yesterday because he burned in the sun with his tank top.. Well today I wore a cutoff and God is showed me that I too can be burned. The team was amazing today; everyone worked so hard moving bricks. Yesterday we had two truckloads of brick dropped at the work site and our team was able to get the whole pile moved up to the second floor. At some point in the morning I sent half our team up to the third floor and had them help move some tiles that are used to lighten the weight of the slab when they pour the concrete. We got the whole floor covered. My arms felt like rubber and my face was coated in brick dust, and so was my hair. I sat in on the bible school for the kids and got to help out with the small groups when they split up. It reminds me of back home helping at the church on Wednesday nights with the youth.

 

Afterwards I saw a large gathering of kids on the soccer field, and I heard the children singing. Every day after school the children gather for prayer and worship. There are several children among the village that act as pastors and provide a short message. The singing is beautiful and the prayers are amazing. Today one of the mums came out and told the children that they need to go to one of these people who come from far away and pray for them. "Thank the Lord for your parents that God has provided for you. Thank Him and Praise Him for them aloud with your lips and with your words so that His name might be praised!" and just like that I had 20 children grabbing my hands, touching me, and praying for me. It is truly amazing. we left the village just overwhelmed with love. These kids earn a place in your heart more quickly than you would expect. Just watch them pray and you will be changed.