Today it seemed like the skies were not going to clear yet the rain did not discourage us from our travels.
The rain was a welcome gift so they can fill up the water tanks they use for water at the houses. There is one for the guest house and a back up. The Bethany house uses the back up one and only has a regular supply of water if the 1st tank is full. They have an underground tank but it is cracked and this will take a large amount of money to repair. If they could fix it they would not worry about their water supplies but since they can’t store more they are very grateful when the tanks fill from the rain. As we took our showers this morning, we each thought it would be nice to take just a little bit longer one since it was raining. Yet the water is so valuable they ask everyone to conserve as much as possible.
Ed went on his 2nd trip with the prison ministry. He seemed to enjoy it more and came back with pineapples and bananas. We laughed and wondered where he picked them up. He explained that they had gone to the first prison but they were told it was not secure enough so they wouldn’t let them visit. They turned them away. Then they went to a 2nd one and there were around 100-150 men and 4 women. They took turns speaking and the nurse even spoke part of the time. He said it took a long time because if you stop the guards think you are done and will take the prisoners away. So they preach the messages until all the prisoners get through the line for medicine, soap, and bread. They were excited to share with us that 38 men + 1 Muslim man were saved. On the way home the nurse needed help with some errands so they stopped off and while there purchased fruit for Esther to cook her amazing meals.
Today Esther was asking about Elliott kulp. We told her about how his parents were helping him know his heritage and words from Uganda. Bethany showed her pictures of him which she adored. She misses him and hopes to see him again.
We still do not have our missing bin. We are hoping it arrives before we go home. Also please accept my corrections from the mornings note - the motorcycles at Boda Bodas not botas. Porsha’s favorite baby is Jeremiah and he has new parents completing the process and hopefully will have a new home next week. Tawnie’s favorite is our big boy, Matthew.
Today we took Rennie shopping! We went to many stores and purchased her top priority supplies with donation money for the Bethany house. By the end of the trip we came home with wastebaskets, hampers, bug netting, a beautiful wall hanging that was a fraction of what we thought we could find, materials to create a center piece for the table - these items were from us to make the house even more like a home. They have had no music so we found a CD and cassette player, and 2 shelves she needed. We also picked up a water cooler / dispenser so they wouldn’t need to boil water, fans, a child mattress, a stepping stool for Sanyu to be able to wash her hands easier, and ordered a rug for the main room so the babies could play more on the floor. We couldn’t find all the list and didn’t have any more room. We joked about how we could squeeze in a goat if we wanted to pick up one on the way home. We’re confident that on our last day here when we go shopping one more time we will be where we can find the other items. We’d like to get her some material to create some privacy curtains for the bedroom windows, another work table for the kitchen, and a missing part that will make it so they can use their stove.
Tomorrow we will go off to two churches. Bethany, Porsha, and Tawnie will stay close to the guest house and going to the church on campus. Ed, Laura, and Billie-Jo will be going to a church a short distance away to visit. Bethany and Ed have the opportunities to speak the main message and introduce our team. The rest of us will go teach the children for the rest of the service. Then at 2PM, Rennie is hosting a luncheon in honor of Bethany and another key person here who got the Bethany house up and running. She invited 30 guests including many of the wonderful people we have been meeting this week.
Have an incredible Sunday!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday
Good Morning all. It’s Saturday in Uganda. And I can hear rain outside. We’ve had some rain but not a lot and it ends quickly. If you have clothes drying on the line you better get them. We were at the Bethany house and several of our clothes were still hanging up at the Guest house. It started lightly raining and Bethany had gone up to get something. We laughed as we thought we should text her to ask if she could get the clothes and realized we couldn’t.
Yesterday we spent the entire day with the babies. Have you noticed yet from the pictures that we all have a different favorite which works out well because then we each have one to give extra love to . Next week they are expected two more. Bethany just loves Johnny. He’s our comedian. He laughs and has a huge smile with the biggest bright eyes. He loves it when she helps him fly. Porsha’s favorite is a little one who is doing great since he came to Bethany House. He just loves all the attention she gives him. Tawnie seems to attract kids who like to spit up. None of us have had as many moments as she has yet he is so cute. Billie-Jo and I love the two sisters. She looks for Hope the littler one and loves to make her smile. I love Sanyu (Joy) who we think is 5 years old. She’ll be going to the school, we visited, next year and in the mean time she is the little helper around the house. She loves to get in every picture and sings to us. Porsha and Tawnie were trying to teach her a song and were dancing with her yesterday.
Rennie showed us the various needs in each of the rooms and we made a list to take back with us. Some of the items are not as important as building the upstairs. Some we can prepare or purchase in the U.S. over the next few months. Other items we want to facilitate Rennie with setting up the work here or pricing them out and purchasing here. Today we’re going into town to take care of the top priorities and what we can do now! It’s going to be a fun day and to get these things done will be another blessing to the women and babies.
Yesterday we prayed on the cement slab of the upstairs. This is currently the roof but will be the main floor of the house once finished. The view is incredible. Rennie has told us that some of the locals have called the Bethany House “The Light on the Hill” because from down in the valley you see the light of the house at night and they are learning this is the place for the babies to go.
Ed had a lot to share about his prison visit yesterday. They traveled south and they turned on a dirt road for another 100+ miles to reach the prison. You see cell phone minutes sold everywhere. He said he would see just a hut or two and one would have a sign for minutes sold here. There are many here yet they have no fences and barriers like we would see at ours. Just the knowledge that the guards have large guns keep them there. He saw forests and huts where neighbors would be spread out for miles. The road becomes one path that only a Boto (motorcycle) would go before.. Now, when two cars meet they quickly decide which one goes in the ditch and which stays on the road like a game of chicken. On the way he said they came up to a large gathering of men and trucks and learned it was a meat market where they sold cattle, chickens, and goats to bring into the city. At the 1s prison there were only about 30-40 prisoners. He was surprised to learn they were mostly 14-17 years of age. He was told that some had committed crimes but many of them were just those who couldn’t find work and became homeless and were arrested for vagrancy. The ministry gives each one a bar of soap when they visit because they are not given any at the prison. They also feed them fresh bread which is more than they usually eat. A nurse travels with the team and they interview each prisoner to provide any care on the spot. Most of the time it’s medicine but sometimes the nurse sews up wounds as well. He said a Ugandan pastor starts preaching and ministering then translates for the foreign visitors who work on the team. Then they provide prayer and it is usually mixed with those who accept Jesus for the 1time and those who seek prayer for their needs and situation. Today they will be going out again and visiting 2 more. He was told one will be a large prison of 800 or so men and women.
Another interesting fact we’ve learned. The #1 cause of death in Uganda is malaria but not because it’s incurable. The medicine cures it within 3 days and we would consider it inexpensive, it’s just about 7 dollars a dose. The main reason is because everything is very remote. If you are sick you are not going to be able to get up and go see someone to get the medicine. If you tried, by the time you reach the medicine it is too late. Also the 7 dollars is very expensive for them. Most families would not be able to afford it and if they could it would be a choice of paying for medicine or food - without either they will die so they do not go purchase the necessary medication. One of the nurses told us that Malaria medicine is their #1 medical need. The 2nd cause of death is from the Botos. They can be very dangerous and the traffic in the city is so crowded and fast. The vehicles travel not within inches of each other but often within fractions of an inch.
Tomorrow we split into two teams and are visiting two churches. Pray for our teams as we take messages and work with the children there.
We’re hoping for a another great day today. The rain hasn’t stopped and there is thunder and lightning outside. Hope it ends soon. Have an incredibly blessed day.
Yesterday we spent the entire day with the babies. Have you noticed yet from the pictures that we all have a different favorite which works out well because then we each have one to give extra love to . Next week they are expected two more. Bethany just loves Johnny. He’s our comedian. He laughs and has a huge smile with the biggest bright eyes. He loves it when she helps him fly. Porsha’s favorite is a little one who is doing great since he came to Bethany House. He just loves all the attention she gives him. Tawnie seems to attract kids who like to spit up. None of us have had as many moments as she has yet he is so cute. Billie-Jo and I love the two sisters. She looks for Hope the littler one and loves to make her smile. I love Sanyu (Joy) who we think is 5 years old. She’ll be going to the school, we visited, next year and in the mean time she is the little helper around the house. She loves to get in every picture and sings to us. Porsha and Tawnie were trying to teach her a song and were dancing with her yesterday.
Rennie showed us the various needs in each of the rooms and we made a list to take back with us. Some of the items are not as important as building the upstairs. Some we can prepare or purchase in the U.S. over the next few months. Other items we want to facilitate Rennie with setting up the work here or pricing them out and purchasing here. Today we’re going into town to take care of the top priorities and what we can do now! It’s going to be a fun day and to get these things done will be another blessing to the women and babies.
Yesterday we prayed on the cement slab of the upstairs. This is currently the roof but will be the main floor of the house once finished. The view is incredible. Rennie has told us that some of the locals have called the Bethany House “The Light on the Hill” because from down in the valley you see the light of the house at night and they are learning this is the place for the babies to go.
Ed had a lot to share about his prison visit yesterday. They traveled south and they turned on a dirt road for another 100+ miles to reach the prison. You see cell phone minutes sold everywhere. He said he would see just a hut or two and one would have a sign for minutes sold here. There are many here yet they have no fences and barriers like we would see at ours. Just the knowledge that the guards have large guns keep them there. He saw forests and huts where neighbors would be spread out for miles. The road becomes one path that only a Boto (motorcycle) would go before.. Now, when two cars meet they quickly decide which one goes in the ditch and which stays on the road like a game of chicken. On the way he said they came up to a large gathering of men and trucks and learned it was a meat market where they sold cattle, chickens, and goats to bring into the city. At the 1s prison there were only about 30-40 prisoners. He was surprised to learn they were mostly 14-17 years of age. He was told that some had committed crimes but many of them were just those who couldn’t find work and became homeless and were arrested for vagrancy. The ministry gives each one a bar of soap when they visit because they are not given any at the prison. They also feed them fresh bread which is more than they usually eat. A nurse travels with the team and they interview each prisoner to provide any care on the spot. Most of the time it’s medicine but sometimes the nurse sews up wounds as well. He said a Ugandan pastor starts preaching and ministering then translates for the foreign visitors who work on the team. Then they provide prayer and it is usually mixed with those who accept Jesus for the 1time and those who seek prayer for their needs and situation. Today they will be going out again and visiting 2 more. He was told one will be a large prison of 800 or so men and women.
Another interesting fact we’ve learned. The #1 cause of death in Uganda is malaria but not because it’s incurable. The medicine cures it within 3 days and we would consider it inexpensive, it’s just about 7 dollars a dose. The main reason is because everything is very remote. If you are sick you are not going to be able to get up and go see someone to get the medicine. If you tried, by the time you reach the medicine it is too late. Also the 7 dollars is very expensive for them. Most families would not be able to afford it and if they could it would be a choice of paying for medicine or food - without either they will die so they do not go purchase the necessary medication. One of the nurses told us that Malaria medicine is their #1 medical need. The 2nd cause of death is from the Botos. They can be very dangerous and the traffic in the city is so crowded and fast. The vehicles travel not within inches of each other but often within fractions of an inch.
Tomorrow we split into two teams and are visiting two churches. Pray for our teams as we take messages and work with the children there.
We’re hoping for a another great day today. The rain hasn’t stopped and there is thunder and lightning outside. Hope it ends soon. Have an incredibly blessed day.
Thursday
One of the wonderful surprises was on the first morning. We woke up to the nearby school singing and learned they sing every morning at 5:30. When unpacking at the Bethany house one of the little ones started singing too. Here they normally don’t have Cds and music players so naturally sing. We look forward to waking up each morning and listen to their voices. I can hear them now as I type this to you.
We’ve learned why Uganda, as a nation, is in the state it’s in. It is a land locked country. On the right is the Sudan, in the south is Rwanda, To the left are mountains of the Congo. The only airport is Entebbe yet the nation is the size of Oregon. Lake Victoria is a large body of water yet is not a port and only reaches the southern to middle parts of the country. To the north is the most rural parts because of the lack of infrastructure and there is extreme poverty there.
In the 70s, you had the corrupt illiterate leader, Edie Amean. He ordered anyone who was educated to be killed. That included even if all you could do was read. After his rule the country had no way to rebuild - no teachers, builders, or anyone with sound knowledge. This opened the door for more corruption. They have had a series of poor leaders yet the country is improving. Today it has been two generations since that occurred. The average life expectancy is age 45. There are very few people who have grey hair and. yesterday was the first time we saw any - 2 men on the side of the road and one woman at the school. The average age is 15 so by the time you reach adulthood you are middle ages here. They are building their country and need leaders of education, values, and integrity.
There are many Christians here in Kampala area and you’ll see evidence of this in slogans and churches around the area. Yet there are still powerful witchdoctors in the hills who have political connections. This reminds us of the mafia or gang activity we would see at home or in other countries. The missionaries have worked one at a time in breaking these strongholds and have told us they know of many children of the witchdoctors who have turned to Christianity.
The story behind the church we visited at the school. I’ve heard before but this time we had the opportunity to see the church. It is made in the shape of a cross to signify Christianity. It was established in an area in the south of Uganda that is more traditionally Muslim. We had passed several Mosques on the way there. When the land was being acquired, for the school and church, the neighboring people told Papa Ron and his partner at the time that they could build the school but not the church, no one would sell the land, and that no one would attend because they were “born againers” as they call the Christians here. They built the school and prayed for the land to build the church. Finally one day they saw a man on the road side bent down crying in distress. They stopped and asked him what was wrong. He said his son had just died in a car accident and he had no way to reach him and bury his body. It is a Muslim belief that you must bring the body home and bury them within a 24 hours of death. They did not preach to him or refuse but instead offered to help him. They took him to his son and brought the body home and stayed with him to prepare his son for burial. Finally when all was done they returned home. A few days later, they were notified and told that the owner of the property wanted to see them. They had no idea it was the same man. He told them since they helped him in his time of need, even though they were not Muslim and were Christians, he felt obligated to sell them the land. He added that though his neighbors were not happy with the decision he knew it was the right thing to do and he was confident they could build a church but no one would come. He sold the land at a fair price. They told him that they would build anyway because God told them to So they built the church and now they are thriving.
.
Today we're going to work at the Bethany house and Ed is already off with the prison ministry team for the day.
We should hear news about the missing bin or receive it today
Yes, Carie tawnie is safe and doing Fantastic
Love you all!
We’ve learned why Uganda, as a nation, is in the state it’s in. It is a land locked country. On the right is the Sudan, in the south is Rwanda, To the left are mountains of the Congo. The only airport is Entebbe yet the nation is the size of Oregon. Lake Victoria is a large body of water yet is not a port and only reaches the southern to middle parts of the country. To the north is the most rural parts because of the lack of infrastructure and there is extreme poverty there.
In the 70s, you had the corrupt illiterate leader, Edie Amean. He ordered anyone who was educated to be killed. That included even if all you could do was read. After his rule the country had no way to rebuild - no teachers, builders, or anyone with sound knowledge. This opened the door for more corruption. They have had a series of poor leaders yet the country is improving. Today it has been two generations since that occurred. The average life expectancy is age 45. There are very few people who have grey hair and. yesterday was the first time we saw any - 2 men on the side of the road and one woman at the school. The average age is 15 so by the time you reach adulthood you are middle ages here. They are building their country and need leaders of education, values, and integrity.
There are many Christians here in Kampala area and you’ll see evidence of this in slogans and churches around the area. Yet there are still powerful witchdoctors in the hills who have political connections. This reminds us of the mafia or gang activity we would see at home or in other countries. The missionaries have worked one at a time in breaking these strongholds and have told us they know of many children of the witchdoctors who have turned to Christianity.
The story behind the church we visited at the school. I’ve heard before but this time we had the opportunity to see the church. It is made in the shape of a cross to signify Christianity. It was established in an area in the south of Uganda that is more traditionally Muslim. We had passed several Mosques on the way there. When the land was being acquired, for the school and church, the neighboring people told Papa Ron and his partner at the time that they could build the school but not the church, no one would sell the land, and that no one would attend because they were “born againers” as they call the Christians here. They built the school and prayed for the land to build the church. Finally one day they saw a man on the road side bent down crying in distress. They stopped and asked him what was wrong. He said his son had just died in a car accident and he had no way to reach him and bury his body. It is a Muslim belief that you must bring the body home and bury them within a 24 hours of death. They did not preach to him or refuse but instead offered to help him. They took him to his son and brought the body home and stayed with him to prepare his son for burial. Finally when all was done they returned home. A few days later, they were notified and told that the owner of the property wanted to see them. They had no idea it was the same man. He told them since they helped him in his time of need, even though they were not Muslim and were Christians, he felt obligated to sell them the land. He added that though his neighbors were not happy with the decision he knew it was the right thing to do and he was confident they could build a church but no one would come. He sold the land at a fair price. They told him that they would build anyway because God told them to So they built the church and now they are thriving.
.
Today we're going to work at the Bethany house and Ed is already off with the prison ministry team for the day.
We should hear news about the missing bin or receive it today
Yes, Carie tawnie is safe and doing Fantastic
Love you all!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A Dream Come True! Visiting The Bethany House
Hi friends and family from Kampala, Uganda!
We are having an amazing time so far and our team is fantastic.
Our flights went well. The only challenge was when we first checked in baggage at LAX. They would not allow our large bins full of supplies. After working through with a supervisor, all was approved and we were on our way.
Our stop in New York was fun. Saw the quick walking tour of the sites and enjoyed great food and friends. London was quick yet we had time to enjoy the best ramen dish. We arrived in Uganda late at night and lost one of our tubs. Finally reached our destination around 2:30 am on Tues.
Wednesday we enjoyed visiting with Rennie and saw the Bethany House for the 1st time. It was nothing like the last photos we had seen. They had completed the downstairs with beautiful hand crafted doors, frames, and ceiling. The walls were painted and it looked like we had walked into a home. The babies are full of smiles and loved all the attention we gave them. Then we couldn't wait and began unpacking all the supplies we had brought from formula, blankets, bibs, clothes, medicines, Bumbos, swings, toys, teaching supplies, and more. Rennie was completely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. The two women who work with her are wonderful with the babies.
Next we got to go into Kampala for the first time to exchange dollars and buy a few items. Leaving to go to town is an adventure as the guest house and ministry compound is located on top of one of the hills surrounding the area. The roads are very bumpy and made of dirt off of the main roads. Here the rain makes the roads muddy and difficult to go up hill.
We have enjoyed the best food. The ministry team here take excellent care of the visitors.
Today we left early in the morning with a plan to arrive at the schools and orphange the babies will go to when they turn school age. We were to arrive around noon and be back by 4PM. Instead we got back around 7PM but they kept dinner for us! It was an amazing time. We traveled across the equator and along very rural roads. The school serves at this time around 740 children but has had numbers in the 800s 900s. The principal told us that represents a couple hundred families in the area/ region and it is a Christian school. When we arrived we were greeted by all the children who came running during their lunch break. I had about 5 children ask me to adopt them and told them we were here to visit. We were also greeted by the most wonderful man - Pastor James who pastors a church in the area but also oversees many ministry programs including the school and the orphanage. The orphanage has 111 children. He had all the children come into the church (which has a great background story). They sang songs and worshiped in Ugandan. We laughed when all we could understand were the words Hallelujah and Glory. Then the staff introduced us while Pastor James translated. We shared the vision of the Bethany house, sang a song, and briefly spoke into their futures. Then they served us a traditional Ugandan meal and sang several English songs to us to entertain us. We had brought gifts of candy, pencils, stickers, and bracelets from the states which we shared with them. It was so incredible to see the children so joyful.
We finished dinner and found the internet up!
That's our trip so far.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
(Written by the wonderful Laura White)
Check out Facebook for many photos of our trip so far!
We are having an amazing time so far and our team is fantastic.
Our flights went well. The only challenge was when we first checked in baggage at LAX. They would not allow our large bins full of supplies. After working through with a supervisor, all was approved and we were on our way.
Our stop in New York was fun. Saw the quick walking tour of the sites and enjoyed great food and friends. London was quick yet we had time to enjoy the best ramen dish. We arrived in Uganda late at night and lost one of our tubs. Finally reached our destination around 2:30 am on Tues.
Wednesday we enjoyed visiting with Rennie and saw the Bethany House for the 1st time. It was nothing like the last photos we had seen. They had completed the downstairs with beautiful hand crafted doors, frames, and ceiling. The walls were painted and it looked like we had walked into a home. The babies are full of smiles and loved all the attention we gave them. Then we couldn't wait and began unpacking all the supplies we had brought from formula, blankets, bibs, clothes, medicines, Bumbos, swings, toys, teaching supplies, and more. Rennie was completely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. The two women who work with her are wonderful with the babies.
Next we got to go into Kampala for the first time to exchange dollars and buy a few items. Leaving to go to town is an adventure as the guest house and ministry compound is located on top of one of the hills surrounding the area. The roads are very bumpy and made of dirt off of the main roads. Here the rain makes the roads muddy and difficult to go up hill.
We have enjoyed the best food. The ministry team here take excellent care of the visitors.
Today we left early in the morning with a plan to arrive at the schools and orphange the babies will go to when they turn school age. We were to arrive around noon and be back by 4PM. Instead we got back around 7PM but they kept dinner for us! It was an amazing time. We traveled across the equator and along very rural roads. The school serves at this time around 740 children but has had numbers in the 800s 900s. The principal told us that represents a couple hundred families in the area/ region and it is a Christian school. When we arrived we were greeted by all the children who came running during their lunch break. I had about 5 children ask me to adopt them and told them we were here to visit. We were also greeted by the most wonderful man - Pastor James who pastors a church in the area but also oversees many ministry programs including the school and the orphanage. The orphanage has 111 children. He had all the children come into the church (which has a great background story). They sang songs and worshiped in Ugandan. We laughed when all we could understand were the words Hallelujah and Glory. Then the staff introduced us while Pastor James translated. We shared the vision of the Bethany house, sang a song, and briefly spoke into their futures. Then they served us a traditional Ugandan meal and sang several English songs to us to entertain us. We had brought gifts of candy, pencils, stickers, and bracelets from the states which we shared with them. It was so incredible to see the children so joyful.
We finished dinner and found the internet up!
That's our trip so far.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
(Written by the wonderful Laura White)
Check out Facebook for many photos of our trip so far!
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