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.