Today, friday, was my third day at Zana school. Wednesday was my first day, and it definitely wasn't what I thought it would be. But my second day went alot better, and today did as well. I am teaching english, specifically reading comprehension to P-5 and P-4, which is equivalent to fourth and fifth grade. But in my P-5 class, there are a four or five students who are older than me. Working at Zana school is like being vaulted back in time a hundred and fifty years. I talked to the teacher I work with, and this weekend I am going to create my own lesson plans for next week, so pray for me this weekend!
Last night we said goodbye to Naomi Hill. In the past couple days, we got to spend alot of time together and I really enjoyed her friendship. It was really sad to see her go, one of the hardest parts of living with the Eby's are the constant goodbyes. She took us all out to dinner before she left. We ate at a pizza place on the way to airport on the bank of Lake Victoria. It was one of the prettiest places I have ever eaten. It looked like it should have been a hollywood movie set.
Rose, a Ugandan woman, had been living with us for the past week and she went home today as well. It's pretty quiet here now. After having two big teams in the Eby's house, having the place empty seems pretty strange.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday
Today was a really nice day to relax. Most of the Montgomery team left this morning to go rafting on the Nile, so the rest of us got a much needed day of relaxation. Naomi Hill, a doctor from the South Carolina team, left after our week in Jinja to do some medical work up in northern Uganda near the Congo border. She just got back today, and will be staying with us until Thursday, and its been fun getting to see her again.
We got a really amazing and encouraging phone call today. A pastor we worked with in Jinja named Jehosaphat left to start a church in an area of Uganda that is 98% Muslim. He brought his family with him, and they had their first church service in their home on Sunday. They had 21 people!! That is an amazing number, this is the first church of it's kind in that area, and now his home is too small to work as their gathering place! So he is trying to rent an old disco hall for their church building. God is really working through Jehosaphat!
We got a really amazing and encouraging phone call today. A pastor we worked with in Jinja named Jehosaphat left to start a church in an area of Uganda that is 98% Muslim. He brought his family with him, and they had their first church service in their home on Sunday. They had 21 people!! That is an amazing number, this is the first church of it's kind in that area, and now his home is too small to work as their gathering place! So he is trying to rent an old disco hall for their church building. God is really working through Jehosaphat!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
A week in Kigadi
Hey guys! I am back in the world of flushing toilets and showers! This week has been so amazing. I left last Saturday with a young team from Montgomery, and our 5 hour drive turned into an 8 hour adventure. The road is 2 hours on paved road, and the rest is on a dirt road through the wilderness that is Uganda country side. About 5o minutes into the dirt road, our bus broke down. We got out of the bus, and wandered around a tiny, tiny little village. They had never had 'muzungu' visitors before, and were pretty excited. We broke out the bubbles and the bible story book and had a great time. Some of the guys went into the crowd of onlookers and started sharing the gospel. It turned out to be a really good time, but we were all really relieved when our driver finally came back with a mechanic 2 hours later.
We stayed on the grounds of a women's college. We all lived in huts, with toilets, though ours didn't flush. My shower was a red bucket. Our life was definitely rougher in Kagadi than in Masese. We had a lot of bugs and slept under mosquito nets, though it brought back memories of Heidi's net at Murchison Falls, mine had a big hole in it too. The food was fun, it was authentic Ugandan food. Lots of rice and beans! And a boiled egg for breakfast every morning.
We did a lot of amazing things this week. We worked one day at a special needs school and spent a lot of time with kids who are deaf and mute. These kids are unwanted by their families and shunned by their community. First, one of the girls read a story to them, and then I presented the gospel and used the wordless book to teach them the 'colors' and gave them the bracelets that went with it. We spent a lot of time playing with them, and just trying to show them the love of God. They also performed some songs for us in sign language and danced for us. We saw where they lived while at school, and even by Ugandan standards, it was bad. All 60 live in three rooms. These rooms were made for commercial purposes, to store produce. There are some mattresses on the floor, very few, and no windows, and no light. Even during the day they were pitch black. The doors lock from the outside, so if there were a fire, those kids wouldn't have a chance. They are trying to build new accommodations for the kids, but funds are limited, and the kids are grateful just to be able to go to school.
We also went to an AIDS hospital, and that was probably the most intense and emotional experience I have had in Uganda. We toured the hospital, and then we went to the waiting room that held about 150 to 200 people (in America it could hold maybe 20), and shared testimonies and then Dave Eby preached to them and encouraged them. It was really emotional, and the people there were just so receptive and sweet. Many were obviously ill, and all of the little kids with AIDS had really bad coughs because of their immune systems. We got a chance to talk one on one with some of them, and I don't think anyone made it out with dry eyes. It was emotionally draining, but just so encouraging. We had quite a few people who were really interested in finding out how to get plugged into a church and how to become a christian. I had a man and his daughter come up to me after and ask me to pray with them for their test results. They were being tested, but the daughter had shown many symptoms of HIV. She was 14. I never found out the results, but they came to the crusade that night, which was so so encouraging.
Every night we had a crusade, where 2 or 3 of the team members shared their testimonies and then we sang for a long time, and then Dave or Pastor Aaron from Montgomery would preach, then we would sing more. It was always a fun, though long, time. It was held outside, in front of the New Life Presbyterian church of Kagadi. The second time of singing was like a giant dance party, they would move all the chairs and benches out of the way and sing and dance and it was really fun. By the time we got to dinner at the college every night, we were exhausted and ready for bed.
Some other things we did: A soccer game between the Kagadi Presbyterian church and USA team versus the local school team, which brought over 400 onlookers, we lost haha. Door to door evangelism. We visited a prison, where everyone there was facing a life sentence. Many had never had trials. The girls and women got a chance to speak with the three women in the prison, and we were shocked by their stories. Two had become believers in prison, the third accepted prayer. One woman was in prison because her husbands lover had died, and the family said that she killed the husbands lover through witchcraft. The other two were in prison because their husbands had kicked them out, and eventually they took new husbands. They will spend the rest of their lives in prison because it. Unfaithfulness in women is punished with life in prison if the first husband pays enough money to have them arrested.
Coming back, our bus broke down again, making our trip 9 hours. It was pretty funny having it happen again, though thankfully it broke down while we were still in Kagadi. Today, Sunday, it's raining and storming pretty hard, and Uganda is thankful for the rain. It was a really great week, pray for me this week on wed. It will be my first day teaching in Zana school. I miss you all!
We stayed on the grounds of a women's college. We all lived in huts, with toilets, though ours didn't flush. My shower was a red bucket. Our life was definitely rougher in Kagadi than in Masese. We had a lot of bugs and slept under mosquito nets, though it brought back memories of Heidi's net at Murchison Falls, mine had a big hole in it too. The food was fun, it was authentic Ugandan food. Lots of rice and beans! And a boiled egg for breakfast every morning.
We did a lot of amazing things this week. We worked one day at a special needs school and spent a lot of time with kids who are deaf and mute. These kids are unwanted by their families and shunned by their community. First, one of the girls read a story to them, and then I presented the gospel and used the wordless book to teach them the 'colors' and gave them the bracelets that went with it. We spent a lot of time playing with them, and just trying to show them the love of God. They also performed some songs for us in sign language and danced for us. We saw where they lived while at school, and even by Ugandan standards, it was bad. All 60 live in three rooms. These rooms were made for commercial purposes, to store produce. There are some mattresses on the floor, very few, and no windows, and no light. Even during the day they were pitch black. The doors lock from the outside, so if there were a fire, those kids wouldn't have a chance. They are trying to build new accommodations for the kids, but funds are limited, and the kids are grateful just to be able to go to school.
We also went to an AIDS hospital, and that was probably the most intense and emotional experience I have had in Uganda. We toured the hospital, and then we went to the waiting room that held about 150 to 200 people (in America it could hold maybe 20), and shared testimonies and then Dave Eby preached to them and encouraged them. It was really emotional, and the people there were just so receptive and sweet. Many were obviously ill, and all of the little kids with AIDS had really bad coughs because of their immune systems. We got a chance to talk one on one with some of them, and I don't think anyone made it out with dry eyes. It was emotionally draining, but just so encouraging. We had quite a few people who were really interested in finding out how to get plugged into a church and how to become a christian. I had a man and his daughter come up to me after and ask me to pray with them for their test results. They were being tested, but the daughter had shown many symptoms of HIV. She was 14. I never found out the results, but they came to the crusade that night, which was so so encouraging.
Every night we had a crusade, where 2 or 3 of the team members shared their testimonies and then we sang for a long time, and then Dave or Pastor Aaron from Montgomery would preach, then we would sing more. It was always a fun, though long, time. It was held outside, in front of the New Life Presbyterian church of Kagadi. The second time of singing was like a giant dance party, they would move all the chairs and benches out of the way and sing and dance and it was really fun. By the time we got to dinner at the college every night, we were exhausted and ready for bed.
Some other things we did: A soccer game between the Kagadi Presbyterian church and USA team versus the local school team, which brought over 400 onlookers, we lost haha. Door to door evangelism. We visited a prison, where everyone there was facing a life sentence. Many had never had trials. The girls and women got a chance to speak with the three women in the prison, and we were shocked by their stories. Two had become believers in prison, the third accepted prayer. One woman was in prison because her husbands lover had died, and the family said that she killed the husbands lover through witchcraft. The other two were in prison because their husbands had kicked them out, and eventually they took new husbands. They will spend the rest of their lives in prison because it. Unfaithfulness in women is punished with life in prison if the first husband pays enough money to have them arrested.
Coming back, our bus broke down again, making our trip 9 hours. It was pretty funny having it happen again, though thankfully it broke down while we were still in Kagadi. Today, Sunday, it's raining and storming pretty hard, and Uganda is thankful for the rain. It was a really great week, pray for me this week on wed. It will be my first day teaching in Zana school. I miss you all!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Busy morning
It was really interesting to be on the other side of short term missions team today. I sat down with Dave and Dar to prepare for the next team to arrive, and we worked on things like calling for transportation, getting shopping lists ready and menus for the time they are at the Ebys. We worked on sleeping arrangments and money issues. I got to see a glimpse of how hard they work getting ready for each team that arrives, as well as all they have to do once a team leaves. And when you only have a few days in between one leaving and one arriving, life becomes a constant laundry cycle of sheets and towels. Im really enjoying getting the chance to work with them and really see what life is like for them here. The new team arrives tonight and we leave tomorrow morning at eleven for a long bus ride to a village in the northwest.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
goodbye team
The NCPC team left for home last night. It was hard to say goodbye to them, as well as all the new friends from the South Carolina team. It was such a great (and difficult) two weeks. The team has so many good stories, so pester them at church. They will probably sleep for a week though. Im not sure I have ever been as tired as I was during the week in Masese.
This morning is just a relaxing morning for me, and then it's time to get ready for the next team. The last team of the summer arrives friday night and then leaves saturday morning for a village about 5 hours north. I will be going with them, so that means no communication for all of next week. But when I get back I will be able to update more frequently.
I miss you all, and I am praying for you all back home. Pray for the NCPC team as they travel home today.
This morning is just a relaxing morning for me, and then it's time to get ready for the next team. The last team of the summer arrives friday night and then leaves saturday morning for a village about 5 hours north. I will be going with them, so that means no communication for all of next week. But when I get back I will be able to update more frequently.
I miss you all, and I am praying for you all back home. Pray for the NCPC team as they travel home today.
Monday, July 13, 2009
The end of a long week
Hey everybody! Sorry for the lack of communication, we have not had any access to the internet since last saturday. Last Sunday, our combined teams left for a village outside of Jinja called Masese. We went on a cramped two hour bus ride through Ugandan villages and some countryside to get to our hotel, The Victoria Panorama hotel. Our hotel was lovely, Katie, Abby and Niki had their own room. Dan and Scott shared a room with two of our friends from South Carolina, and Nate and Cale shared a room. Our first experience in the village was a church service with Dave Eby preaching, translated into three other languages. The church is pastored by Henry Kimera. The church is open, there is a tin roof and a dirt floor, and no walls. We sat on wooden benches and plastic chairs. We were warmly welcomed.
Monday morning was the first day of the clinic, we had breakfast at 8 am and got to work immediately. Most of us had a lot of problems sleeping, so we were excited but tired. The 5 am call to prayer is really loud in the village, and there were quite a few roosters who decided not to wait for daylight. But we walked to the village and started setting up the clinic. We had to use sheets and tarps and chairs and tables and duct tape to create a makeshift clinic. It was pretty hard to figure it all out the first day, but we perfected it by the end of the week. The boys became experts, and Dan ended up with the nickname "Duct-tape Dan." They worked really hard every morning to get it set up and quickly as possible.
Every morning, our team began the day with evangelism. It was during this time that we really got a feel for the village, and we were all struck with the poverty. Masese is a fishing village next to lake victoria, and it is very, very poor. Homes are made of dirt and sticks, kids play with pieces of glass and metal. Farm animals walk around everywhere, it was not uncommon to be sharing the gospel at someones home and be brushed by chickens, goats or cows. Families live in one dark room, with mats for beds. It was as if we had stepped into a completely different world.
I dont have any more time now, but I will finish the update when I get back tonight. Miss you all!
Monday morning was the first day of the clinic, we had breakfast at 8 am and got to work immediately. Most of us had a lot of problems sleeping, so we were excited but tired. The 5 am call to prayer is really loud in the village, and there were quite a few roosters who decided not to wait for daylight. But we walked to the village and started setting up the clinic. We had to use sheets and tarps and chairs and tables and duct tape to create a makeshift clinic. It was pretty hard to figure it all out the first day, but we perfected it by the end of the week. The boys became experts, and Dan ended up with the nickname "Duct-tape Dan." They worked really hard every morning to get it set up and quickly as possible.
Every morning, our team began the day with evangelism. It was during this time that we really got a feel for the village, and we were all struck with the poverty. Masese is a fishing village next to lake victoria, and it is very, very poor. Homes are made of dirt and sticks, kids play with pieces of glass and metal. Farm animals walk around everywhere, it was not uncommon to be sharing the gospel at someones home and be brushed by chickens, goats or cows. Families live in one dark room, with mats for beds. It was as if we had stepped into a completely different world.
I dont have any more time now, but I will finish the update when I get back tonight. Miss you all!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
We are here!
Happy fourth of July! We have arrived! After hours and hours of traveling, it was a relief to arrive at the Eby's home friday night. The traveling went well, no delays or lost luggage, praise God. Scott made friends with a rugby team on the way, and Katie made friends with members of the Ugandan parliment. We met up with the South Carolina team in Detroit, and got to know them a little bit.
The Eby's met us at the airport, and we got everyone home (and all the luggage) in three vehicles. After a good nights sleep (for some of us) we woke up this morning and had a great breakfast of eggs, muffins, the best pineapple we have ever had, and some passionfruit juice and coffee. Then Gerald, the pastor of the Ebys church, came and gave us an orientation, where we learned how best to share the gospel with Ugandans. We learned about the 6 problems in Uganda, Lies, dishonesty, sex, lack of work ethic, inability to resolve conflict, and lack of teamwork. We also learned about Gerald's life, and the Do's and Don'ts of Ugandan culture. This afternoon we will have a fourth of July Picnic, with real american hot dogs and hamburgers. We miss you all, and are praying for you. Please pray for us as we depart tomorrow for Jinja.
The Eby's met us at the airport, and we got everyone home (and all the luggage) in three vehicles. After a good nights sleep (for some of us) we woke up this morning and had a great breakfast of eggs, muffins, the best pineapple we have ever had, and some passionfruit juice and coffee. Then Gerald, the pastor of the Ebys church, came and gave us an orientation, where we learned how best to share the gospel with Ugandans. We learned about the 6 problems in Uganda, Lies, dishonesty, sex, lack of work ethic, inability to resolve conflict, and lack of teamwork. We also learned about Gerald's life, and the Do's and Don'ts of Ugandan culture. This afternoon we will have a fourth of July Picnic, with real american hot dogs and hamburgers. We miss you all, and are praying for you. Please pray for us as we depart tomorrow for Jinja.
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