Tragic news

Sad news from Pastor Lewi. One of the orphan children at the Emmaus Global Outreach primary school has drowned while swimming in the lake with some of the other children. The child was 13 years old and his name was Gisamaza. At last report his body had not yet been recovered. 

Please be praying for the children and staff at the school as they deal with this tragedy.

Gisamaza's body has been recovered and the funeral has been completed.

Africanisms and learned nuggets

Africanisms and learned nuggets 

Beware of stairs. It really doesn’t matter whether your at someone’s house or a hotel, restaurant or

steps to church stage

Hotel stairs

just walking the streets. A set of steps or stairs can be an obstacle. Normally you’ll find the center section of a set of stairs fairly regular, that is with the steps and riser in the same proportion. But at either end can be a difficulty if you’re not paying close attention. The step may be 2” high or 10”. And I can almost guaranty, first few time you navigate a set of these that you’ll either trip going up or nearly fall forward very hard when coming down. It will be the same all over East Africa, with the exception of the very best hotels. You’ll also find stairs with longer or wider treads, which will throw off our normal rhythm, beware of stairs.

Our driver has been having trouble with the bank for a period of time. They have messed up his paperwork then when going back to get it resolved they were out of the forms he needed. I know how frustrating it can be when dealing with government agencies. But when I asked him if he had gotten the issue taken care of, he said, “no, the thing is disturbing me even up to now”.

For some reason the lights in hotel rooms are very dim. There may be only one or two lights in the room and those will be of a very low wattage. The bathroom is especially bad. If you want to see when you shave then carry a decent flashlight with you. And there will be no electric outlets in the bathroom so if you use a plug in electric razor you may be out of luck. Even in the hotel room there may be only one outlet, so you must prioritize which device you want to charge in what order.

The traffic can drive you crazy and/or scare you to death. I do not know why there aren’t bodies lying everywhere. Lane marking are only suggestions, as are any traffic control devices. 

Drivers will come up behind a vehicle they want to overtake and you can see that it is clear to go around, but instead of keeping up their speed and pass the vehicle, they will slow down behind and then pull out and try to regain the momentum they have lost. Most vehicles are underpowered for the loads they are carrying so trying to build up that momentum again is difficult and takes a lot

Bad Asphalt 

more road length. It can be frustrating for you sitting there in the vehicle and not being in control. It seems they will follow a vehicle all the way across a nice straight and flat piece of road just to wait for the next blind corner to pull out and pass on.

Always have bottled water with you. If you are low buy more before running out. Use the bottled water for brushing your teeth. You just never know how or if the water coming out of the tap has been treated, never trust it to drink. Bottled water is cheap and can be the cheapest insurance against a nasty stomach problem. Don’t be like most of us that have had to learn this lesson the hard way. Another important reason to always having water with you is to stay hydrated, the sun is intense near the equator and it is a dry climate. Your body will require a larger amount of liquids than normal. You will need to drink, drink, drink, do not wait until you are thirsty. You should be taking in 2 or 3 liters minimum every day.

Bring high SPF sunscreen with you and use it. Again the sun is very intense here. A wide brimmed hat is also a good idea. I use a high SPF lip balm, if I don’t my lips will blister and become very painful. Bring a small medicine kit; Advil or Tylenol, antibiotics, anti nausea meds. Don’t forget any of your normal medications that you take. It is also a good idea to bring a copy of your medications and eye glasses prescription. A good pair of sunglasses is a must have item. 

If you do have a medical issue your normal insurance procedures will not work here. You will have to pay with cash and then try getting reimbursed from your insurance provider when you return to the States. Of course it would be a good idea to inform your insurance agent that you are having problem and get their suggestions. Another good idea is to purchase travel insurance prior to leaving the USA on your trip. Many places offer travel insurance, if you belong to AAA they can arrange it for you. Travel insurance will not only cover the cost of your tickets if you have to cancel your trip but also will cover Air Ambulance in case you should need to be medivac’d to a hospital or back to the USA.

It is a long plane ride from the states to Africa no matter which airlines you use. Some are better than others and over the years we have used most of them. Like airlines so also there are huge differences in airports. Some of the airports in Europe are like maneuvering through a very large shopping mall. They can be places you look forward to flying into to spend a lay over. Others, especially in some of the African countries are not so nice and in my opinion I will avoid them if at all possible costs. It may make a difference to you which airline you would prefer to fly on based on what frequent flyer program you belong to. You have to look for their partner airlines. 

I have a theory on jet lag, besides just saying it sucks. I try to maintain my sleep pattern according to my destination. I will try to stay awake during daylight hours and sleep over night. That sounds simple but airline schedules do do fly on our sleep schedules, so I use an enhancement. If I’m getting on an overnight flight, I wait until we have wheels up, then take a sleeping pill. This does not work for everyone, but it seems to work for me. 

As example the flight from the US to Europe is over night so I will take a pill when we take off and

sleep most of the way there. Then the next flight from Europe to Africa is during the day, so I will try to stay awake. Then when I get to my destination I will take another pill that night and maybe the next night. I have found that I have very little negative effects from jet lag using this method. A word of caution, do not take the pill before your plane actually takes off. There are just to many times when flights are cancelled or delayed, and you do not want to be walking around in a fog trying to figure out what you’re to do next.

Children are very interested in Muzungu’s, white folks. The further away from a city you get the

more interested they become. There are very few whites on the Nakivale Refugee Settlement Camp. So some of the babies will actually be terrified of you and your white skin. But most of them will be yelling at you as we ride by, just announcing your presence, some will ask for money, but all are very precious. When you get out of a vehicle many will want to touch your skin or hair and hold your hand as you walk along. 

As I have said about the children wanting to hold your hand, when you greet elder members of a church or village group, many men will shake your hand but not let go. It takes awhile to start to feel comfortable standing talking with a man and he is holding your hand. It is part of their culture, so be careful not to offend them buy feeling uncomfortable and pulling away to quickly. It is not odd to see two men walking down the street talking and holding hands.

That is but one of many observations you will make that is foreign to you and our culture. Always give people the benefit of the doubt, many people you meet will seem gruff or a little hostile, that feeling almost always is the wrong impression and as soon as you speak to greet them their whole countenance changes. They are warm and welcoming if you are. Do not expect an American experience, expect the unexpected and enjoy the African experience and participate in their culture.

Be ready to have many of your senses invaded with different sounds, sights, and smells. One of the

Bags of charcoal forsale

first things you may experience on your arrival is your eyes burning and watering. The vehicle

Road dust

exhaust in traffic can be especially challenging and combined with all the wood smoke and charcoal fires it can be a real assault on your eyes. Carry a supply of eye drops or eye wash and wash your face when ever you get to your hotel. Also pack a few bottles of hand sanitizer and use it frequently.

This project is far from being completed. This is only the first phase and we are thanking God for the provision of this water. But we need to continue the project in order to get the water up the hill to the school and clinic. That will require a solar pump, piping and a water storage tower. Please continue to pray for this project and consider what your part may be in helping to bring this project to completion.

I have given information on how you can help below, but you can also further designate your gift to specifically helping the water project. On your check or in the comments for Palpal or Egiving, write in “Send It Ahead Project - Water” or Teachers or Food. That way your funds will go totally in

support of the project of your choice.

Remember that you cannot take it with you, but you can “SEND IT AHEAD”.

If you can help we have a way for you to donate to these children’s needs. Go to www.watchtherefore.tv click on the donate button at the top of the page and please make sure you designate your tax deductible donation to the “Send It Ahead” program. While you’re at the web site please click on the Send It Ahead button at the top of the page to look for more updates and photos from the school.

I am hoping to update these posts with photos when I get home. So come back often and check for any updates. Thank you for praying for and financially supporting these children. Good health and a good education can be the step out of poverty for these children.

Part 2: Remaining issues

Part 2: Remaining issues.

Teachers

The continuing challenges for these children are overwhelming. The mere fact they are alive is a miracle when considering most have traveled hundreds of miles through some very hostile environments just to be in a refugee camp in southern Uganda. Many have had to witness atrocities we cannot even imagine. With your help we can give them a chance for a better life, a way out of the abject poverty they now live in. 

Please pray for the children, for the teachers, and the staff, for continuing funding for the much needed projects yet to be accomplished. Please ask God if you should be a vital partner in financially helping these children. The book of James says that pure and undefiled religion is the caring for widows and orphans. 

Last post I said there were a number of remaining issues that need to be met.

Teachers is one of our main issues that remains to be funded. The water was definitely a blessing in helping them to stay healthy and the next issue of food will also help them to live a healthier life. But stable salaries for the teachers are desperately needed in order to give these 600 children a chance of a better life. Education is their only hope of breaking free of the abject poverty they are now living in. There are now 11 teachers and 2 nurses taking care of these 600 children. Their salaries are only $100 per month, we have no money coming in on a consistent basis to pay them. In the past 8 months there has been a couple of teachers that just had to leave to find a more stable pay check. (And who can blame them when some months they get 1/2 salaries and some months less than that). 

Wouldn’t it be great to see teachers taking care of teachers and nurses caring for nurses. Could it be that God is leading you in that direction? One hundred dollars a month, that’s about $3.33 a day, about the same as that latte you’re sipping. That latte will taste good for a few minutes, but a sponsorship for a teacher or nurse can give you a warm feeling all month as you pray for them. Maybe you just don’t think you can afford $100 every month, God has a way of multiplying your blessings if you give him a chance and trust him. But if you cannot, what about getting 2 or 3 others and go in together for a sponsorship.

The morning food or feeding program is another basic need that these children need. We are not speaking of what most of us would consider as a full breakfast. This is simply a cup of sorghum porridge. It is made with sorghum flour, sugar and water and cooked in a large kettle. Right now they get nothing in the mornings. We all know how important it is to start the day with some kind of nourishment, it gives us that jump start to get our brains in gear. That is even more important when your trying to concentrate on your lessons.

I do not have hard figures as yet and probably won’t until we can actually start this program. But in talking with the teachers and the school director, Pastor Lewi, we believe we could feed 600 children a cup of porridge in the mornings for about $100 a week. Again there may have to be some adjustments when the program is actually up and running and there are some start costs, buying a large cooking pot and cups for the children, but I believe we are in the ballpark.

Nurse Immaculee

The medical clinic they have now is a small dirt floor room with a few shelves for a very few basic first aid supplies. Pastor Lewi is in the process of building a separate building that would have a supply room, an exam room and a room with a bed for a sick child. He is building the clinic on faith, as they have no money to outfit or staff it. 

New projects: goats, chickens and cows.

Raising animals would help with funding the school as these would be a commercial ventures. The young calves and goats would be sold at market and eggs from the chickens could also be sold, as well as some of the chickens themselves.

You can be an vital part of this ministry. These children are so grateful for your help in getting them the water they desperately need, but as you can see there are a number of other on going issues that need to be addressed. The Bible tells us not to store up treasures houses here on earth. I know right now there are some of you that need to open your store houses and give to God’s work for these children in Uganda.

Remember that you cannot take it with you, but you can “SEND IT AHEAD”.

If you can help we have a way for you to donate to these children’s needs. Go to www.watchtherefore.tv click on the donate button at the top of the page and please make sure you designate your tax deductible donation to the “Send It Ahead” program. You can further designate your funds by adding; Water, Teachers, or Food. While you’re at the web site please click on the Send It Ahead button at the top of the page to look for more updates and photos from the school.

I am hoping to update these posts with photos very soon. So come back often and check for any updates. Thank you for praying for and financially supporting these children. Good health and a good education can be the step out of poverty needed for these children.

Homeward bound (pt 1)

Homeward bound (part one)

It is with many mixed emotions that I am leaving Uganda and the wonderful people at the Emmaus Global Outreach primary school in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement area. It has been such and honor and privilege for me to fellowship with this group of Christ loving people for the past couple of weeks. We have been able to give glory to God in his goodness and faithfulness to these brothers and sisters now living in the Refugee Camp in Uganda. It is heartbreaking to hear their


individual stories of the horrors that made them leave their families and homes to escape to a place of safety. But at the same time incredibly uplifting to hear them praising God for what they still have.

Wow, what a trip this has been. I am praising God for all that has been accomplished in this past two weeks in our continuing efforts to bring water, food and teachers to the children at the school. If asked what was the biggest achievement, I would have to say it is the water well. The water well has been drilled and the hand pump install, the water has been tested and it is good clean water that should last for many, many years. This, in it self, will save lives and reduce the spread of disease. And along with having the clean water was the health presentation by Living Water International. If the people will simply implement the procedures taught to them it would drastically improve the health of the residents of that area.

Of course there are still many issues that need to be addressed. The well is 275 meters downhill from the school and clinic. Which means a pump, piping and storage tank still need to be provided. The yield from the well, although adequate for the families, school and clinic may not be enough for irrigation. But we were able to identify some alternatives for possible solutions to that issue.

We also need to install fencing of some kind and hire a guard to keep the area near the well clean and secure. We do not want the unit vandalized or have children playing around the well or have animals potentially polluting the immediate area. This will become even more important when we are able to add a solar pump. I was able to meet with some experts in the solar pump technology and was amazed at the number of solar panels it will take to run the pump. The solar panel array will cover a significant area and is very susceptible to vandalism and thieves. One possible solution is to build a guard house around the well and place the solar panel array on the roof.

The issue of crop irrigation will have to be discussed further but one possible solution can be pumping water from the lake, about a 1/4 mile away, into a storage tank above the garden area and using drip irrigation from the tank.

The Jesus Film was shown 6 times during the two weeks to over 1000 people in two separate congregations. The film was shown in three different languages, English, Kinyarwanda, and Kiswahili depending on the majority of the audience at the time. Each time the film was shown it was received with enthusiasm. I was also able to train some of the teachers in the operation of the projector and sound equipment. That equipment was left with them to utilize on a continuing basis.

Thanks to the many people and dental clinics who donated around the Vancouver WA area, we

were able to give toothbrushes and toothpaste to all of the teachers and staff and to the 600 students. A number of students were missing for one reason or another but we left the remaining supplies with the nurse at the school’s clinic so she can give them out later. We were blessed to have even more tooth brushing supplies given to us than I could transport at one time, the remaining supplies will be taken over on the next trip. God orchestrated that the oral hygiene issues, represented with the toothbrushes, and the water health issues, taught by Living Water, dovetailed into a pretty comprehensive disease prevention program.  

So as to keep this post from not turning into book, I’ll save the other issues for the next post.

Clinic:

Teachers:

Food:

New projects:

There are still many vital needs remains for this “Send It Ahead” project. That is where you can be an indispensable part of this ministry. These children need your continuing help in getting the  water to the location where it can be most ready used and a fence is also part of that need. There is also a need for a sustained wage for a guard that will live near the well for security and needed for maintaining the pump. As well as the salaries for the teachers and nurses.

The Bible tells us not to store up treasure houses here on earth. I know right now there are some people that need to open their store houses and give to God’s work for these children in Uganda.

Remember that you cannot take it with you, but you can “SEND IT AHEAD”.

If you can help we have a way for you to donate to these children’s needs. Go to www.watchtherefore.tv click on the donate button at the top of the page and please make sure you designate your tax deductible donation to the “Send It Ahead” program. You can further designate your funds by adding; Water, Teachers, or Food. While you’re at the web site please click on the Send It Ahead button at the top of the page to look for more updates and photos from the school.

I am hoping to update these posts with photos when I get home. So come back often and check for any updates. Thank you for praying for and financially supporting these children. Good health and a good education can be the step out of poverty for these children.

Water well dedication and school supplies

Water well dedication and school supplies 

What a glorious day this has been. We are all praising God for his goodness and faithfulness. All

praises and glory are to him who is above all else.

The day started early as we loaded the car with our school supplies we purchased yesterday and headed out to Nakivale Refugee Settlement and the Emmaus Global Outreach Primary school. When we arrived we unloaded a car load of much needed supplies for the teachers and students. I wish you could have seen the teachers faces as we unloaded boxes of textbooks, readers, Bibles, world maps for each classroom, a case of chalk and paint and sealer for the woodwork. 

These teachers are very dedicated to the students and the school. Many months they are not receiving their full salary of $100.00. Add to that they have very limited resources to teach from. Their classrooms consist of a dim room, as there are only a couple of windows (no glass), dirt floors, chipped plaster walls with a painted blackboard on one wall. The students sit in rows on short wooden benches, 6 to 10 students per bench.

A student representative from each class gave thanks to all of you who have given to make this project possible. I was able to visit each class to take a few photos and video. It is interesting to see them in class as they have no textbooks or writing implement; pens, pencils, paper, or notebooks. The teachers asked questions and the students answer. It is all done by memory. At least the teachers will have access to a textbook for each subject. One of the biggest hits was a large dictionary, the school has never had a dictionary before. All the subjects are taught in English, which will be good for the students down the line but think about trying to do all your school work from memory and in a language that is not your native language. These children are amazing.

There was a number of students missing today as this is the day for their sector to receive the U.N food distribution. Which means they have to walk a couple miles to the distribution area for their sector than carry the food back to their homes. These are very heavy loads and it takes most of the day to complete the task.

We were just finishing up with the school supplies when the three member team from Living Water International, Uganda arrived at the school. They came with a team to teach the people who will be using the well how to operate it and maintain it. They also did a health class that was very interesting and they had a pastor to give glory to God. Pastor Lewi also thanked God and all the sponsors who have given to this project. You just cannot imagine what a blessing it is for these people to have access to a near by clean water supply. When the speeches and teaching ended everyone walk down to the well.

The Living Water team reactivated the pump and the first water was pumped. It was a very exciting time for the people. There was a crowd of maybe 500 people who were there to witness the first of the water to come from the well. The Living Water personnel gave more instructions on caring for the well pump and for securing it with a fence to keep animals away. The people elected a team of representatives that would oversee the well was maintained and secured. An added expense item will be a watchman that will live near the well. 

After the details were worked out with the oversight committee the people started to bring there jerrycans to fill with water. Again there was a lot of ceremony that took place with prayers of thanksgiving and singing of hymns. The gratitude shown by the people was nearly overwhelmingly. This clean water this close to their homes with greatly impact their daily lives in such a positive way. Getting clean water in the past could be an all day affair as they had to walk a couple miles to wait in a very long queue and then haul the jerrycans full of water back to their homes. The alternative was to get the dirty water from the lake, which was much quicker and often could be deadly as it is ridden with disease and parasites.

This project is far from being completed. This is the first phase and we are thanking God for the provision of this water. But we need to continue the project in order to get the water up the hill to the school and clinic. That will require a solar pump, piping and a water storage tower. Please continue to pray for this project and consider what your part may be in helping to bring this project to completion.

I have given information on how you can help below, but you can also further designate your gift to specifically helping the water project. On your check or in the comments for Palpal or Egiving, write in Send It Ahead Project - Water. That way your funds will go totally in support of the the water project.

Remember that you cannot take it with you, but you can “SEND IT AHEAD”.

If you can help we have a way for you to donate to these children’s needs. Go to www.watchtherefore.tv click on the donate button at the top of the page and please make sure you designate your tax deductible donation to the “Send It Ahead” program. While you’re at the web site please click on the Send It Ahead button at the top of the page to look for more updates and photos from the school.