Greetings from Uganda!
This will be our last post from this beautiful country. It is safe to say that each one of our team members now holds Uganda dearly in our hearts.
We left Bukigai on Saturday morning with sadness having to leave our new friends and family behind. However, we were happy with the progress that was made on the church. We also completed both the murals on friday and the parenting seminar received positive and constructive feedback. We have no doubt we had tangible and intangible impact on the community!
Saturday we spent visiting Alex's home village of Miganja where we were received by over 100 kids and tons of happy screaming from the local women and men. It was so warm and happy and loving. And slightly overwhelming! We felt blessed to have made the trip out there to meet a lot of Alex's friends and family.
Sunday we spent in Mbale at Pastor Richard's church. We shared testimonies and encouragement, as well as sang two brief songs for the congregation. The day was spent visiting pastors and learning about the vision for transforming Mbale. It was busy, busy day!
We will be posting again after our return. Please be praying for our safety and energy. We will be traveling for over 30 hours!! eeek.
thank you !!
Love,
The Team
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
Our last days in Bukigai
Greetings all --- as we approach our last day in Bukigai, we are happy to report we have had a blessed 10 days, even through a couple difficult situations. The church/community center walls are nearly completed, the primary and secondary schools have two really cool murals which the students designed, our positive parenting training was well received and positioned to expand, and we are being expanded by participating in evening crusades. You have not experienced the depth of corporate workshop until you have worshiped with African Pentecostals!!
So we are grateful for all of God's provisions and blessings. Tomorrow we are off to Muganja, Alex's home village, then Mbale on Sunday and then back to Kampala.
We hope we are all doing well, and we look forward to giving you a complete report upon our return.
God bless from Bukigai,
The UCC Uganda Team
So we are grateful for all of God's provisions and blessings. Tomorrow we are off to Muganja, Alex's home village, then Mbale on Sunday and then back to Kampala.
We hope we are all doing well, and we look forward to giving you a complete report upon our return.
God bless from Bukigai,
The UCC Uganda Team
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Programs are under way!
Greetings!
We still have internet, praise God!
On Monday we started our programs here in the Village of Bukigai. Most of the team are working on the art projects at the local primary and secondary schools. Our main goal is to create a mural at each school, as well as lead the kids in different art projects throughout the week.
The first day we had introductions. At the primary school we went to each class room and were greeted by a warm welcome. They treat us with a lot of respect and honor. As soon as we start walking up the hill to the school, the kids stop what they are doing to look at us. Yesterday, they recognized us and ran up to greet us with handshakes. In Uganda, it is normal for girls and woman to greet others by kneeling, so a lot of the little girls will do that. We have all learned the word "Mulembe," which is pronounced Ma-lem-baye. It means "peace to you." Everyone stares at us but as soon as we smile and wave at them, they break into their beautiful white smiles.
At the secondary school, the principle or head teacher gather the first three levels of students into one room for us. It was at least 70 students in a relatively small room. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but it was easier to transition because they all speak enough English to understand us. We just have to remember to talk slow! With them, we are mostly going to focus on the mural, as well as hopefully teach them some problem solving and creativity! Overall, it is going well and we are excited to continue to build relationships with all the kids!
Greg is flying solo running a "positive parenting" seminar for some of the local church members and leaders. He has reported that he has had some great discussion and questions. He is hopeful that the week will continue to bless the seminar members and himself!
Tonight we start the crusades, which are evangelist events that are aimed at the community at large. Our team will be playing a big part in it by sharing testimonies, leading songs and maybe even a skit. We are all being pushing beyond our comfort zone and have confidence that God will lead us in those unknown areas!
Prayer requests:
- the church building: it is going so fast! Prayer for safety and continued success.
- communication across all situations! Most adults speak basic English, but prayer for clear communication and understanding.
- the art program! We are experiencing success and building relationships. Prayer for engaging conversations, boldly sharing Jesus' love with them, and two finished murals!
- the crusades! Hopefully people will come to know Jesus these next three days. Prayer for our courage to share fearlessly and for the hearts of those who come.
Thank you all for everything!
Love,
The Team :)
We still have internet, praise God!
On Monday we started our programs here in the Village of Bukigai. Most of the team are working on the art projects at the local primary and secondary schools. Our main goal is to create a mural at each school, as well as lead the kids in different art projects throughout the week.
The first day we had introductions. At the primary school we went to each class room and were greeted by a warm welcome. They treat us with a lot of respect and honor. As soon as we start walking up the hill to the school, the kids stop what they are doing to look at us. Yesterday, they recognized us and ran up to greet us with handshakes. In Uganda, it is normal for girls and woman to greet others by kneeling, so a lot of the little girls will do that. We have all learned the word "Mulembe," which is pronounced Ma-lem-baye. It means "peace to you." Everyone stares at us but as soon as we smile and wave at them, they break into their beautiful white smiles.
At the secondary school, the principle or head teacher gather the first three levels of students into one room for us. It was at least 70 students in a relatively small room. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but it was easier to transition because they all speak enough English to understand us. We just have to remember to talk slow! With them, we are mostly going to focus on the mural, as well as hopefully teach them some problem solving and creativity! Overall, it is going well and we are excited to continue to build relationships with all the kids!
Greg is flying solo running a "positive parenting" seminar for some of the local church members and leaders. He has reported that he has had some great discussion and questions. He is hopeful that the week will continue to bless the seminar members and himself!
Tonight we start the crusades, which are evangelist events that are aimed at the community at large. Our team will be playing a big part in it by sharing testimonies, leading songs and maybe even a skit. We are all being pushing beyond our comfort zone and have confidence that God will lead us in those unknown areas!
Prayer requests:
- the church building: it is going so fast! Prayer for safety and continued success.
- communication across all situations! Most adults speak basic English, but prayer for clear communication and understanding.
- the art program! We are experiencing success and building relationships. Prayer for engaging conversations, boldly sharing Jesus' love with them, and two finished murals!
- the crusades! Hopefully people will come to know Jesus these next three days. Prayer for our courage to share fearlessly and for the hearts of those who come.
Thank you all for everything!
Love,
The Team :)
Monday, June 23, 2014
Learning about Time
Dear Friends and Family
We are well and we are learning so much, moment to moment. We have been humbled by the immediate love and hospitality that is standard in any interaction with the people of Uganda. There have been unbelievable accommodations made to make us comfortable. God has sprinkled in many opportunities to remind us that He is in control and has plans for us that we cannot understand. Learning to operate on African time (which a friend from Rwanda affectionately termed AST African Standard Time) has been a challenge for many of us. We are learning to release expectations and add 2 to 5 hours to any planned timeline. God uses everyday distractions and mishaps to His Glory.
Prayer Mountain
The Plan: Village members will leave at 8:00 am in the van or walking and the van will return for our group at 8:30 am. We will have a worship service at the top from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. We will be home by 2:00 or 3:00 pm.
Actual: We left as the first group in the van at 9:15 am, became stuck in the mud only a short way from Bukigai and thanks to generous farmers and passing community members we were out of the mud and all cheering together after one hour. We made it about 2/3 of the way up in the van and hiked for 2-3 hours the rest of the way up. We arrived around 12:15 to begin the service and finished around 5:00 pm. The last of us returned to Bukigai around 7:30pm in the dark.
What would we have missed if not for the delays. As we hiked through the foothills of Mount Elgon we encountered breathtaking scenery and unbelievable people. One group of us was invited into a church service and the church members joined us on top of Prayer Mountain. Even the relationships within our group were strengthened as we related and learned from each other along the way. It was a beautiful adventure.
In addition we have been experiencing new foods (cassava) and re-experiencing old ones like bananas, beans, ground nuts (peanuts), pineapple. The community members are very curious about agriculture in American and our relationship to it. We have had many conversations learning about each other's cultures and appreciating the differences and celebrating our unity in Christ. We are all indeed one family.
Love,
The Team
P.S. Be looking for new additions hopefully everyday, thanks to Pastor Richard's creativity in connecting to the internet!
We are well and we are learning so much, moment to moment. We have been humbled by the immediate love and hospitality that is standard in any interaction with the people of Uganda. There have been unbelievable accommodations made to make us comfortable. God has sprinkled in many opportunities to remind us that He is in control and has plans for us that we cannot understand. Learning to operate on African time (which a friend from Rwanda affectionately termed AST African Standard Time) has been a challenge for many of us. We are learning to release expectations and add 2 to 5 hours to any planned timeline. God uses everyday distractions and mishaps to His Glory.
Prayer Mountain
The Plan: Village members will leave at 8:00 am in the van or walking and the van will return for our group at 8:30 am. We will have a worship service at the top from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. We will be home by 2:00 or 3:00 pm.
Actual: We left as the first group in the van at 9:15 am, became stuck in the mud only a short way from Bukigai and thanks to generous farmers and passing community members we were out of the mud and all cheering together after one hour. We made it about 2/3 of the way up in the van and hiked for 2-3 hours the rest of the way up. We arrived around 12:15 to begin the service and finished around 5:00 pm. The last of us returned to Bukigai around 7:30pm in the dark.
What would we have missed if not for the delays. As we hiked through the foothills of Mount Elgon we encountered breathtaking scenery and unbelievable people. One group of us was invited into a church service and the church members joined us on top of Prayer Mountain. Even the relationships within our group were strengthened as we related and learned from each other along the way. It was a beautiful adventure.
In addition we have been experiencing new foods (cassava) and re-experiencing old ones like bananas, beans, ground nuts (peanuts), pineapple. The community members are very curious about agriculture in American and our relationship to it. We have had many conversations learning about each other's cultures and appreciating the differences and celebrating our unity in Christ. We are all indeed one family.
Love,
The Team
P.S. Be looking for new additions hopefully everyday, thanks to Pastor Richard's creativity in connecting to the internet!
Sunday, June 15, 2014
We leave this week!
Dear Friends and Family –
We are humbled and honored at the generosity and support from
each of you for the trip to Uganda.
THANK YOU! Knowing you are all
supportive and praying for us makes us feel as if you all are traveling with
us. We have learned so much through this process and it has reinforced the reality that
we are all in this together. This truth
is at the core of our purpose for going.
Thanks to the generosity of friends and family of each of the 13 members
of our team, almost $8,000 of the $10,000 needed to complete the next phase of
the church/community center has been raised. These contributions are currently
being used to purchase supplies to support the work already under way.
We will be leaving for Kampala Tuesday June 17th and will travel to Bukigai on Thursday June 19th. So far, we anticipate our days will be spent
assisting with construction of the church/community center, conducting art and
parenting classes with families, and taking a couple day trips to other
churches in the region. We are also
expecting the unexpected. Electricity
and internet connection will be spotty, so our updates may be infrequent while
we are there. Please be assured that we
will be taking a lot of photos and videos, and writing about our
experience. It just might take a while
to get them to you. We hope all of your
summer beginnings are wonderful and look forward to telling you all about the
trip upon our return.
With much love and appreciation,
The Team
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Preparing, Praying and Praising!
Hello friends and family!
We are please to report that our fundraising is going very well! One of our team members has exceeded her individual support goal, so she is essentially helping the rest of the team with all the money that she is receiving. Praise God- He is providing abundantly!
We had a training meeting last sunday with all the mission teams from UCC and FBC! It was a time to talk about culture and the book "How Helping Hurts." It was nice to come together and learn more about all the countries, cities and cultures our brothers and sisters will be experiencing this summer!
We are not there yet, though. Our next important day is May 3rd, which is UCC's annual mission fundraiser! It is a night full of music and entertainment, along with a silent auction that include very practical and fun packages to bid on! I believe there is one that includes a years worth of pies...YUM!! Please bring your friends and family to this event. It is FREE, but there will be cheap dinner you can purchase or you can bid on an auction item. Also- if you can perform or donate an auction item, please contact: michellemathew1891@yahoo.com. All the proceeds go to the UCC mission teams.
Thank you all for your love, support, PRAYER, and encouragement. You bless us so much :)
Love,
The Team!
We are please to report that our fundraising is going very well! One of our team members has exceeded her individual support goal, so she is essentially helping the rest of the team with all the money that she is receiving. Praise God- He is providing abundantly!
We had a training meeting last sunday with all the mission teams from UCC and FBC! It was a time to talk about culture and the book "How Helping Hurts." It was nice to come together and learn more about all the countries, cities and cultures our brothers and sisters will be experiencing this summer!
We are not there yet, though. Our next important day is May 3rd, which is UCC's annual mission fundraiser! It is a night full of music and entertainment, along with a silent auction that include very practical and fun packages to bid on! I believe there is one that includes a years worth of pies...YUM!! Please bring your friends and family to this event. It is FREE, but there will be cheap dinner you can purchase or you can bid on an auction item. Also- if you can perform or donate an auction item, please contact: michellemathew1891@yahoo.com. All the proceeds go to the UCC mission teams.
Thank you all for your love, support, PRAYER, and encouragement. You bless us so much :)
Love,
The Team!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Preparing for 2014 Trip
Hi All:
We are all preparing for a trip to Bukigai mid June to early July 2014. Stay tuned.......
We are all preparing for a trip to Bukigai mid June to early July 2014. Stay tuned.......
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