Final Thoughts

As we close our blog, we wanted to share some of our most prominent memories. We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in Uganda and thank all our supporters for making it possible and praying alongside us. We hope you enjoy the photos and videos we have added throughout the blog.

Here is a collection of the things we will never forget:

•Waking up to the squeal of giant pigs

• The smiles on the children's faces (especially the younger ones) as they donned their new tie dye shirts that they had designed themselves

• The corporate prayer. Each child sending praise to God in their own little voices, barely above a whisper, but which combined together to be a moving and powerful call to God.

• The children crying out and wailing while watching the crucifixion of Christ in the Jesus Film.

• The excitement of the children to open up the letters from their sponsors. We, as sponsors, need to make every effort to write to our children whenever possible. It truly makes a difference to them.

• The packed out church on Sunday morning and the Karamajong people's desire to know more about God

• Watching the primary children load in the back of a pickup to leave the retreat. Many were going home to difficult situations with families who can’t afford to take care of them, temptations to go back to the streets to beg or get involved with raiding cattle to support their family, and sometimes pressure from their families to help with the family rather than return to school.

• How proud Esther was to show us her small hut where she lives with her grandmother and two siblings

• Repairing a blown out radiator hose with no tools (and making it work)

• Getting to Nakayot and realizing that all the work and promises to the people in this new village were so tied into the availability of water. And how quickly things can change when the water is no longer there. We take so much for granted here.

• The hardship of life in the peace villages, yet the people endure with faith that God will provide peace in their land

• Hearing about other families' Thanksgiving traditions as we prepared that (fresh!) turkey and other foods with Val at her house

• Understanding Val's work better, both the difficulties and joys. What an amazing privilege to support Dr. Val all these years, God is doing amazing things through her obedient and very brave heart.

• Meeting the wonderful people Val works with. It was a joy to hear their stories and see firsthand what God is doing though them.

• How awesome God is to bring together a group of nine at the last minute with such loving, servant's hearts and to bind that team with the CLIDE team, unified in bringing the love of God to the children and in furthering the work among the Karamojong.

• Driving home from the Portland airport thinking, "what a smooth road!" and "there's so much room in this van!"

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it”
Proverbs 22:6

We're Home

We're back and it's great to be home. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support while we were gone. We had an amazing trip and can't wait to share with you in person when we get a chance. Below are some of our team's initial thoughts upon arriving home.

Bryan


I woke up this morning and looked around. The mosquito net over my bed was gone. The room was not warm and stuffy. In fact, I was shivering in the coolness. The dark faces with the bright eyes and smiles were gone and were replaced with light faces. My body was here in this room but my heart and soul were still in Uganda.

I wondered – Did the food shipment that was late in being delivered make it to the hungry people in Nakayot Peace Village? Did the water pipes get extended to reach down to the water table which had lowered because of the drought? Are the crops dying from lack of water? And, above all, what about the children? Has Douglas gone back to sobbing instead of continuing to smile? Have all the scrapes, boo boos, and infections that were cleaned, treated and bandaged healed nicely – including Simon Peter’s eye infections? Is Ken, who wanted so desperately to “go with the white people to America” still wearing the same tie-dye shirt he wore every day?

With all these questions – and more – I realize there is so much more work to be done in Uganda and ask myself how I could leave. The answer comes to me. God is moving in Uganda. HE is in charge and HIS work will go on with or without me. God is in control and as much as I love these people, HE loves them even more! The CLIDE team is made up of various instruments each having their own special part. God joined them and together they play a beautiful symphony orchestrated by HIM. I am privileged to be used as HIS hands and feet.

These things and more come to my mind as I try to process the events of the three weeks in Uganda. My heart aches for the difficult lives these people live. My prayer is that God will continue to cause my heart to ache. With a heart that remains broken there is little chance that it will become de-sensitized to what it has seen, heard, felt, breathed and tasted. Only then can it remain effective.

Love in Christ, Arlene


I woke up this morning in a queen-sized bed with white sheets. In a room filled with clothes… and pictures… and stuff. A far cry from the dirt floor huts of Africa. I am so privileged. I don’t know what it is like to live with nothing, just like they don’t know what it is like to live with everything. We are content with what we know – that is, until our reality is shaken, our world changed. On this trip to Uganda my world was shaken. I knew I would see children with ripped and torn clothing, sick children with no medicine or medical care, and people who have no access to what we consider basic necessities (water, food, electricity, etc). What I didn’t expect was to be so touched by the Karamojong people – by their love, their faith, their determination, their strength. I didn’t expect the children to be forever burned into my heart. I feel like I got so much more than I gave. I was going to inspire, but I was the one that was inspired. I hope you will join with me in continuing to pray for the Karamojong people and Timothy Project children. God is healing a nation, one heart at a time.

Michaella


Journal Reflections on Uganda
My highest Lord, we've been home from Uganda now for four days and I still wake up at night or in the morning thinking I'm still there. We saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt some amazing things.

The best thing You showed us was Your overwhelming faithfulness and loving kindness. You provided guidance when we were uncertain, strength when we were weary, patience when we had to wait, cohesiveness as a team and with the CLIDE team, and abundant love in our hearts, more than enough to share with everyone we met.

Lord, You also showed us how rich and materially and spiritually blessed we are. We have everything and more than we could ever ask. Yet I also saw how difficult it is for many Americans to realize their need for a personal, intimate relationship with You. Without all these things in Uganda, needs are beyond what can be attained on your own, leading to a softness in hearts toward You. Lord, you broke my heart especially when the first small group of children responded to the call to give their lives to You at the primary spiritual retreat. If nothing else had happened in Uganda while we were there but this, it would have all been worth it. Thanks You, Jesus (Yesu)!

Lord, we immediately fell in love with the CLIDE Consultancy team, not just the three we already knew personally from contact in the United States, but also the others we met in Uganda, beginning as soon as we met James. Lord, you have woven together an incredible team of talented, multi-faceted men and women who work effectively together to reach out to and serve their fellow countrymen. I am proud and blessed to have ministered alongside them. The young people we met were amazing as well. Their friendliness and awareness of You stood out strongly. Their spontaneous worship in song deeply touched our hearts.

Now my Lord, I commit these people to the care of Your loving hand and pure heart to meet their daily needs, which are many, and to prompt them to live in peace with each other and with You, and to reach out to others around them with the truth of Your word and the gospel of peace found only in personal relationship with You. Amen!

Steve



The people of Uganda have captured my heart. When I hear anything about Uganda now (and it seems so much more often than before we went), I am immediately drawn to listen and to learn more. Their challenges are continually in my thoughts, and I am prompted to pray for them. The homes, the roads, the mountains, the boreholes, the plains...but especially the people, the children, their smiles...together they are painted on the canvas of my mind.

What a joy it is to have had the privilege to meet them, and to still grow in our friendship even when we are separated by miles. It is wonderful that we can bless one another as we each seek to bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

Laurie

Heading Home

Day 19

We have just arrived in Amsterdam. A bit tired, but doing well and we're all ready to come home. We have a 5 hour layover. Arrival in Portland at 12:40 pm Saturday and then back to the church between 3:00 and 4:00. Lots more to tell. God has shown us some amazing things. I believe we'll sleep very well. It's been a very good trip.

Bryan

Hope Children's Home

Day 18

Today we spent about six hours visiting the children at Hope Children's Home on the outskirts of Kampala. As our van rolled onto their property, we were immediately surrounded by dozens of children, ranging from a few years to young teenagers. They almost literally pulled us out of the van, took us by the hand, and led us into their main building. Very soon we were each sitting with a group of children, reading them stories, showing them pictures we had brought, supervising coloring, playing card games, and generally holding and loving them.

When I sat down, I had three boys around me. When I asked them their names, two of them were named Steven. I (Steve), of course, said that's my name too. I then asked if there were any other Stevens in the over one hundred kids who lived there. Off the two Stevens went and came back with two more. So, naturally, the five of us Stevens (I was the only Stephen) had to have a picture taken of all of us.

Hope is sponsored by Show Mercy of Albany, OR as a home for orphaned children in the area. This is the same place that the Biornstads and Hoffmans visited last December.

Back in the main building we had a nourishing lunch of beans (sort of like pork and beans without the pork) and rice. Tasty and nourishing. We also had some amazing hot tea. We don't know exactly what spices were in it, but we think it had cinnamon, ginger, and cloves plus some others to be determined.
In addition to the main building, we got to see their school room (for levels P1 to P6), their church building, and several outer buildings, including, of course, some rather primitive bathrooms. I asked two of the Stevens where they lived and they took me about 50 meters (~50 yards for you US types) up the hill. Each of them had a cot on which to sleep. Above each of their beds was a picture of them and a statement like "I am a child of God. I want to be an engineer when I grow up." The other Steven wanted to be an airplane pilot.
I heard music coming from the church and went in to look, only to see a boy about eight or so playing a keyboard. His name was Jeremiah and he was fantastic. Anyone could start singing a song and he would start playing the chords to go with it. He had been taught by one of the older orphans, Vincent, whom Bryan had befriended on previous visits.

Eventually we had to tear ourselves (almost literally) away from the kids to return to our lodging. Several of us received "love" notes from the children. The only way we were able to get in the van and drive away without running over a child crowded around the van was to have someone else start passing out candy. Candy works every time!

Posted by Steve Binney

From Bryan: Going back to Hope was an amazing opportunity to spend time with the girls my wife, Barb and I sponsor. Their names are Betty and Mercy. All the children seem to be growing up so fast. It's great to see the strides they are making in learning English and just seeing them grow physically as well as spiritually.

We were able to catch up with how they are doing and it was great to just sit and talk about their lives and, of course, get caught up on photos. I let Betty use my camera and an hour later my card was almost full and now I have amazing photos of many of the kids at Hope having fun together. This is school break time, so they all have time off and they welcomed the diversion of our team coming and sharing with them. They love to be loved.

Many of these children have had horrific pasts and to see the smiles and confidence coming from them was such a blessing to me. I was disappointed in not seeing Pastor Prossy, who is an amazing woman of God who has a long list of local pastors that she continues to mentor and coach. She is the mother of all the children and is an inspiration to everyone who meets her. She was at a pastor's conference in Kampala.

Jenny was able to set up a medical triage unit and the children filed through and shared their aches and pains with Jenny, who did what she could with limited supplies, but documented the things she saw and gave that documentation to Randy and Alisa Vargas, an American couple who are helping with the oversight of the children as well as a building project that is being planned to enable the children to live in smaller family units.

Steve mentioned Vincent, who was one of the eldest of the children in the home, and is now working in a music studio as a producer of music. He has an amazing musical aptitude and has been playing keyboard in Pastor Prossy's church for quite some time. Because Vincent had such a difficult life prior to meeting Pastor Prossy, he did not have the educational opportunities that the current children have. But he has placed his entire life in God's hands and it was amazing to me to see the spiritual growth and maturity he displayed.

While many of us might think being a music producer would be blessing enough, especially in light of his difficult story, Vincent is saving his money and has already hired help and is starting a brick making business which he has named "Lamb of God Brick Making Company". It is amazing to see this young 24 year old take off on his own and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in his life. I believe we will see more of these kinds of success stories from the children of Hope. Vincent and I have become friends over the past few times I've been at Hope and it was such an amazing blessing to me to spend a short amount of time with him. He had to get back to work.

I could go on forever, but I wanted you blog-readers to meet Vincent. He needs our continued prayers and he and kids like him give great hope for the future of Uganda. It was hard leaving Hope, as it always is, but it is comforting to know the children are being cared for and God is working in amazing ways in Uganda.

As we were in the van leaving Hope, Pastor Prossy rode up on the back of a "boda-boda", which is a motorcycle taxi that everyone uses for transportation. Jenny and I jumped out of the van and greeted Prossy who was so gracious as always. Since we didn't have time to talk with her, we made plans to meet her the next day in Kampala, which we were able to do.

It was a very good day for me personally, and I watched our team, with tears in their eyes, leaving the children behind. These children captured our hearts again. It was a very good day, indeed.

Bryan

Jinja

Day 17

Today was our tourist day. We went to Jinja, which is a couple hour drive east of Kampala. In Jinja, we took a boat ride to an island at the source of the Nile. Forty-percent of the Nile comes from an underground spring, the rest from the Lake Victoria. We got out on the island near the spring and could see the water bubbling up and join with the water from Lake Victoria. It takes three months for the water to get to the mouth of the Nile in Egypt. We also got to see a variety of African bird life, a monitor lizard, and a few monkeys. Next, we went to Bujagali Falls and took pictures next to the roaring rapids.

We returned to Kampala in time to make the opening night of the play, Dick Whittington, by the Kampala Amateur Dramatics Society at the National Theatre. Karen Berg joined KADS upon arriving in Uganda and was playing a scrat rat in this production. It was promoted as a "magical musical family pantomime". Although none of us really understood the pantomime, it was an enjoyable evening.

Leaving Soroti

Day 16

Had final prayer and goodbyes with the CLIDE team this morning. What a blessing it has been to get to know them. We loaded up everything in the Land Rover and Moses drove us to the airport. He probably would have driven us right out to the plane, except it was landing as we arrived, so he parked next to the hangar. No security check on this end! We met our pilot, Brian from Guernsey (I never knew there was such a place) and loaded up to go. I love that the MAF pilots say a prayer after the safety speech. What a great way to start a flight! It was fun to fly over the beautiful countryside again. When we landed, Alex our diver was there to meet us and take us to the guest house. We were too early to check in, so went out for lunch and shopping, returning to the guest house for dinner. It seems so luxurious here: so clean and dust-free, matching linens on the beds, soft toilet paper, a regular size pillow, chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream for dessert!

Rebecca


Video: Flying over of Soroti

Moses's Village and Birthday Party

Day 15 - from Katherine and Arlene's perspective

This morning we went over to the CLIDE office and debriefed about the Timothy Retreats. Julius from the CLIDE staff recorded for us our likes. There were several! We told CLIDE that we felt they took very good care of us and were always there to meet our needs. Their love for the children was very evident. We also appreciated having people available to translate for us during the primary retreat. And we really liked breakfast! The CLIDE staff (mostly Moses and Christine) told us that our team was very unified and very mature. Our love was evident in our interactions with the children and they appreciated our smiles. They love us very much! We also were told that we were dressed very appropriately. : ) We discussed our "suggestions" which will only make for even more amazing Timothy Retreats as we continue to send out teams to serve alongside the CLIDE staff. Maybe some of us will get to go again! : )

For lunch we enjoyed a special dish of pork and potatoes. Usually they all eat from the same tray, but they didn't make us do that. We also went bead shopping behind the CLIDE office. These are the rolled paper beads that the HIV women make. Judith from the CLIDE staff works with these women. And many were purchased to be used as Christmas gifts.

After lunch five of us were able to join Moses to visit his village where he grew up. He said it would take 20 minutes to get there. Really, he meant 20 minutes x 3. The road to his village was more like a hiking path and about as wide. Very bumpy, dusty, and dirty. Moses' mother greeted us with great enthusiasm! We met his mother, father, and other family. Outside there was cassava, sorghum and maize drying on the ground in the sun. The livestock enjoyed snacking on it, including the big fat rooster that Moses says they are going to have for Christmas dinner. Moses showed us around, including the hut he built as a young man and the grainery which was composed of three smaller huts. He pointed out the cashew, tangerine, mango, passion fruit, and orange trees. Passion fruit was dropping from the tree on our heads, and we were eating them. It looked like a Garden of Eden out there; it was so beautiful! We were informed that it was time to go eat, and his niece brought the basin of water for us to wash our hands. They brought sweet potatoes, millet bread, two kinds of chicken, boiled eggs, and borehole water. It was a feast! The family sat outside our hut while we ate. Moses told us more about his family and the many ways God has been instrumental in his life. While we ate we had dinner guests-- the pig, the cat, and the chicks. The niece came in and cleaned up. His mother told us we didn't eat enough. : ) They gave big bags of charcoal and mangos for Moses to bring back to Soroti. We took pictures with his family and said goodbye. : ( The visit was very special for us! On the way out of the village he stopped many times to greet his extended family. There were many handshakes.

Earlier in our stay we met Pastor James (pronounced Ja-mez) and we discovered that he didn't know the day or month of his birth. His parents were both illiterate and were peasants. He said he had never had a birthday celebration before and has just made up a birthday date for himself. Arlene and Katherine decided he needed a birthday party! Earlier today Moses took us to buy a birthday cake and candles. We blew up balloons and decorated the CLIDE office. After dinner we tried to put candles in the concrete frosting cake. Moses had to use a knife to bore holes in the frosting. So we only used eight candles. We came out singing "Happy Birthday!" to James, and he blew out the candles. He had been feeling sick and wondered why he needed to be there at the dinner, but was overwhelmed and speechless. He thanked us all and Moses cut the cake with concrete frosting. We really needed a chainsaw! The cake inside was "soft and fresh." We also enjoyed yogurt and flavored milks like banana, strawberry, coffee, and chocolate. We passed on the bubble gum flavored milk. Arlene gave him the game of Jacks and showed him how to play. What fun to watch him learn! What a delight for us and blessing for James! It has been such a privilege to meet James and get to know him and hear his story!

Last Day of Secondary Students

Day 14

We began this Sunday with a church service with the students. Pastor Jamez would have been leading this service, however he came down with an illness and was unable to attend. We have come to love Pastor Jamez and missed him today.

The worship time was amazing as usual. Something about the way these kids worship is so uplifting, we have just been so blessed by them. God has given them the gift of worship. It is something I will never forget.

Many of the students had formed singing groups and shared their music with us. It was great just to listen and take in the harmonies and lyrics. Although we weren't able to follow all the words, it was more about the delivery that stirred our hearts. There is no mistaking the reverence and moving of the soul. Pastor Joseph provided some words of encouragement for the students. Some of us were also able to share encouragement with the students. Our NW Hills team then sang a song to them that we had learned from a man named Wellington, a former orphan who had come to our church in Corvallis from Brazil to share with us this past October.

After the service, many of the students had to catch the bus back to Karamoja, so we distributed the tie-dyed shirts, took photos, prayed for the students and soon they were gone. Dr Moses and I returned the mattresses the students used back to the Ugandan Widows organization whom they were rented from. On the way, we stopped at Pastor Jamez home to find him sitting outside recovering from the illness he had so quickly been hit with. This was not the same laughing and joking Jamez that we had all come to love. He was very ill, and had gone to the hospital for injections and medication that morning. He said he was beginning to feel better.

Upon our return to the retreat center we all loaded up and headed to a downtown Soroti restaurant for Sunday lunch. We were joined by much of the CLIDE staff. This is small place that served good local fare and we ate and enjoyed each others' company. The balance of this day was mainly relaxation, catching up on our journalling and blogging, and just hanging out. We were all exhausted and welcomed the chance to kick back a bit.

Blog by Bryan

Secondary Students - Day 2

Day 13

Amazing storm last night! With thunder booming through the night...

What joy to begin the day worshiping with the students. We are beginning to catch on to some of their songs, especially the English ones. We have also learned to dance, jump and clap like crazy! After breakfast we came back to the classroom for teaching on godly character. These secondary, college, or university students are very sharp, taking leadership readily.

Pastor Jam-ez of the CLIDE team taught from Galatians 5: there are two ways of living...producing ungodly character or godly character. He emphasized that we each have a choice. People here are drawn to the practice of witchcraft, so the pastor spoke from Genesis 41 saying that only God can interpret dreams. He then spoke to them about the "teenage crisis" that they all find themselves in: men wanting to prove they are men, and women wanting to be noticed for their beauty. This man is so wonderful in his ability to connect with the students because of his great sense of humor and his great love for the students.

Next Dr. Moses Otim spoke to them about relationships. He challenged them to keep their relationship with God strong, then finish their education, and only then to think of marriage.

Later that afternoon (before lunch), the students began washing out their tie-dye tee shirts. They have no idea how they will look, so their faces are fun to watch as they undo the rubber bands to reveal the multi-colored patterns. They were all so pleased with how they turned out. It was so much easier with the secondary students squeezing and washing their own shirts!

After lunch Barb taught on prayer. She first asked them what they thought prayer was and encouraged them to tell her what they talked to God about. She then focused on prayer as worship by going to Psalm 103 and finishing the phrase "God, You are..." making a list of what the scripture says about God. As a group we all knelt on the floor and worshiped. Voices of praise popcorned around the room as the students readily participated in speaking back to God who He is.

The group was then divided into groups of boys and girls to discuss any questions they had and talk about relationships. In the middle of this time with the girls, another huge thunderstorm broke loose, and we had to quickly grab the tee shirts from the line where they were drying. Then Judith of CLIDE shared her incredible testimony. She has been living HIV positive for 20 years! She shared the stigma given years ago to those who tested positive. She testifies of the living triumph she has known in remaining strong and healthy these many years. She has suffered much in the loss of her husband (after his repentant return to her after he met Jesus) to the loss of her grandchild at age 5. Both her daughters are positive but her 2 grandsons are negative! She spends he life helping educate about AIDS and provide opportunities for HIV positive women to improve their health and make a living. Many of us will be wearing jewelry made by these women.

Christine Otim spoke strongly to the girls of staying in their education. Some have dropped out, some have become pregnant. The girls have a more difficult time seeing the advantage of staying in school than the boys. Do pray for these teenage and adult young women that their focus can remain on God first and then on their work of education.

Each student is so grateful for the support they receive. They couldn't get an education apart from CLIDE's help and the help of those of you who support your Timothy child. Without help they would have no hope for a future since they either have no family or their family cannot afford the fees for school. This time has truly been a spiritual feast of God's love for them, empowering them to succeed. Their hearts and beautiful smiles show their gratitude.

Laurie and Barb

Secondary Students - Day 1

Day 12

We started this day like many days we had in Karamoja. Running water, but no electricity. But now we are no longer in Karamoja, but back at the guest house in Soroti. Apparently there are times, even here, where the electricity goes out. It's amazing how quickly we can re-acclimate ourselves to the comforts of home. No problem, we can do without lights... but we really miss the fans.

We greeted the Timothy Children at the retreat center today and started our day like most days here, with praise and worship. We sang, praised God, danced together, and had an amazing time. We are beginning to learn some of their songs. Rebecca started the teaching part of the day by taking us through the creation. I have quickly realized that not only is our team working well together, but we have very talented and creative teachers who continue to amaze me as they've worked with the students. Arlene followed in her expressive way and as she and the others from our team had the students singing and dancing and laughing through the Hip, Hip, Hippopotamus song (see video below). Even these older students love to act crazy. Great fun.

After our initial segment, Michaella explained how to write "life maps" and Rebecca used her life map as an example. We had hoped, by doing this, it would open the students up to sharing their lives and testimonies with us. This worked well and we were able to take in many testimonies from the kids as well as many of the CLIDE staff. I only wish we could have heard everyone's story. This might be a project for future teams to document histories to give us an opportunity to better understand these kids' struggles and how to pray for them.

We enjoyed lunch, came back to praise and worship (this is always led by the kids), and then Katherine launched back into our program in addressing the life of Jesus. She has a very effective way of involving the kids in skits as they acted out the events surrounding the birth of Christ.

I (Bryan) then addressed the events leading up to the Crucifixion. The kids were very attentive throughout all our presentations. It was nice not having to use translators. Even though our pronunciation is a bit different, they didn't seem to have any trouble following our speakers. Jenny followed with an explanation of the cross. She talked through the concepts of Substitution, Redemption, and Triumph. It was a really good transition from the difficult story of Jesus' death to moving forward to the glory of his resurrection.

Steve then presented the hope that we can have through the power of Jesus victory over death through his resurrection. Two young men stepped forward and gave their lives to Christ as Pastor Joseph led them in prayer. It is so amazing to see God work in the lives of these kids and a privilege to be a part of sharing God's love with them.

During this day we began the process of tie-dying shirts with the kids. It was nice that they are older and could be more engaged in the process than the younger kids. We had a great time and the kids seem to be excited to create their own designs.

After our tea, Pastor James and Dr Moses shared their lives and their own testimonies under the coolness of the trees outside the classroom. The afternoon sun was making the rooms quite warm.

In the evening we had scheduled to show the Jesus Film. However, we had some technical difficulties and just spent the evening having dinner and hanging out with the kids. We returned to our guest house and to our restored electricity... and our fans. However, an evening storm blew through and knocked it out again and looks like we'll now be without it for the rest of our time here. The guesthouse does have a generator but they can only use it for short periods of time... we really miss the fans. It was a great storm though and reminded me of my days as a teacher in Zaire (I am certain the entire team is weary of my Africa stories. But I see this as an opportunity to teach them perseverance as I relive my younger years. So far they've been kind. So far...)

Video: Hip, Hip, Hippopotamus

Posted by Bryan

Tuburu Village and Student Arrival

Day 11

Posted by Steve Binney (the final part by flashlight when the lights went out due to a thunderstorm).

Today we had a real treat coupled with an opportunity to minister. Ochen Martin is a student whose education is being supported by CLIDE. He is in his final year of schooling (S6) and, based on his final exam results, will find out next February what university he can attend. Martin lives with his closest relatives in the village of Tuburu about a half hour north of Soroti where we are now located. To get there, our van traveled on a paved road and then two different dirt roads. We had to convince the van driver that we could walk the rest of the hundred yards down the two foot wide footpath, rather than driving the van, to their huts (this is the same van that had mechanical problems two days ago).

When we arrived, all Martin's family was there to meet us under a shade tree--father (referred to as the "Old Man"), mother (the "Old Woman"), grandmother, brothers and sisters-in-law, the Old man's second and third wives, other relatives, and a number of younger children.

Each of them, young and old alike, came around to greet each of us. We exchanged many pleasantries with each other, followed by a walking tour to see where Martin's elder brothers lived with their families. We walked through sorghum fields and saw chicken coops, cassava drying in the sun, a pigeon roost, and a granary made of branches and twigs. When we returned to the main group, they treated us to sodas and cookies. Then came the special gift to us as we were ready to depart. As the "elders" of the group, Laurie and I each received two live chickens for our team. After leaving their home area, we all took a "bush" break, women on the left and men on the right side of the road.

What most impressed all of our team was the friendliness of our hosts, over and over voicing their gratitude to our Lord in spite of their very meager living conditions. We were blessed by their hospitality and sincere trust in the Lord.

Steve

Hello all! This is Jenny writing, finishing up the entry for Day 11.

After a beautiful drive back from the Tuburu Village we arrived around 3 p.m. at the retreat grounds of Soroti Central Secondary School. The chickens and passengers were unloaded, all alive, though one of the chickens a little worse for wear after a water jug fell on her.

Most of the Timothy Children in secondary school attending the retreat had already arrived, though some were still traveling. Many of the students traveled from Karamoja region where we were last week for the primary student's retreat. Reverend Joseph Aleper accompanied the students from this region, all of them coming on a very crowded and hot bus ride.

When we got to the grounds lunch was being served, many of the students had already eaten and were settling in to their dorms. These Timothy Children are in high school and college. CLIDE staff have informed us that they are between the ages of 15-26, however there is one dear student in his late 50s who is studying for his college diploma. They all speak English well, so the communication barrier is lessened, however our accents are quite different still, which explains the occasional blank stare during conversation.

Once we had finished our lunch we joined the students in the classroom where they had already begun singing. I am certain that we have said this before, but the singing here is marvelous! I wish you could all be here to listen with us. The students sing accapella with incredible rhythms provided by clapping hands. The singing starts with one or two students leading out and the rest echoing in worship. We join in singing when the words in English are clear, or if we can catch on to the local words being sung. If we cannot pick up the words, it is no less worshipful for us to listen to the voices of the students raised to heaven and enjoy the fellowship with them.

The classroom we met in has rows of handmade wooden desks suitable for 2-3 people , the windows are open, providing a lovely view of outside. The tin roof helped to keep us from getting cool...particularly during the warmth of the 4 p.m. African sun. :)

After the singing, prayers were prayed for the retreat and Christine Otim made the welcome. Each student stood to introduce him or herself, and before giving their name, school, and level of education they would say, "Praise God" to which all would respond, "Amen." After introductions the students nominated peers to lead them during the retreat. They elected a time keeper, a head girl, a head boy, a person in charge of cleaning, a praise and worship leader, and a person in charge of games.

Pastor James Akoko (pronounced: "Jamez") then gave a message to the students explaining the theme of the retreat. His message was on choosing the wide or narrow paths out of Matthew 7. Pastor James is an excellent teacher, he is so fun to listen to, making the students laugh, while communicating vitally important messages. He gave an invitation at the end of his message and several students stood to receive Christ as their Savior. Amazing!!

After Pastor James shared, Santos, the founder of the secondary school where the retreat is being held, came to give some welcoming remarks. He shared with the students the history of the school and some of the things God has done in this place.

I was blessed today to see some of the same students that we met last year when I was in Uganda with my family. These students are amazing, each one with a unique story and challenges that most of us can only imagine. What a blessing it is to be with them. We are excited for the things that will happen in the coming days.

Well, I'll close out the entry for now, we enjoyed a wonderful tea and supper this evening, always being well cared for! Thank you for your prayers. God is good, all the time God is good!