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!

Day of Resting

Day 10

For the past week we have been going non-stop from very early morning until well after dark, so today was a much needed day of resting. When we returned to Iriiri after visiting Nabwal last night, our van would not start, so it was after midnight by the time we arrived at our guesthouse in Soroti. It was a long, bumpy, and dusty ride, so we were thankful to have a day to recoup, refocus, and prepare for more busy days ahead. Some of the team went to "the center" to get a few things from the market in the morning. But mostly, the day was spent catching up on sleep, reflecting on the past week, and just relaxing at the guesthouse.


In the evening, we took a walk over to the location of the Timothy Retreat. On the way, we passed through several neighborhoods of Soroti. You could hear a faint "Muzungu" (white person) being called out, but unlike in the villages, the children did not surround us or want to shake our hands. Some would wave, some would smile and laugh, some would shy away, and others would just stare. Also unlike the villages of Karamoja, the people of Soroti live in brick and cement buildings with tin roofs. Rather than manyattas, the land is divided into plots (or lots) along dusty streets, some with high fences and gates. The sun was beginning to sink low in the sky, coloring everything a warm orange color. Cows, pigs, and goats were roaming around grazing on the roadside grass or rummaging through the trash-laden streets for scraps of food.

The location of the retreat is Soroti Central Secondary School. The school was founded in the 1970's by a man named Santos as a place for orphans and vulnerable children to get an education and be trained in Christian values. This was in the wake of the Idi Amin reign in which hundreds of thousands Ugandans were killed in one of the worst genocides in Africa. He also took on 150 children who were orphaned when LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) rebels raided the Teso region in 2003, as well as has other students from the surrounding area.


The most memorable thing of the day started with a poster. Hanging on the door of the main building, it read "Stop Child Sacrifices" with instructions such as don't go with someone you don't know and shout loudly if taken by force. We surmised that it was a mistaken translation and would have read "Stop Child Abductions" if it was in the US, but we found out later that it was much darker than that. Just last month, a boy from the neighborhood behind the school was lured away and killed as a sacrifice. The people here are so desperate that they seek the advice of witch doctors in how to get rich. The witch doctors tell them that they will get rich quickly if they make a sacrifice to this god or to that god. These sacrifices can be animals, children, the elderly, etc. Last year, three boys tricked a teenage girl into coming with them. They slaughtered her, removing several of her organs and leaving the rest to rot. Authorities later found her head at one of the boy's homes (the witch doctor wouldn't except it because she had pierced ears). As horrifying as that sounds, this is real here. Things beyond what we can imagine or comprehend. This is the fight they are fighting. A fight against ancestral beliefs and spiritual powers. This is a land and a people who need healing.

Michaella

Peace Villages

Day 9

Greetings from Rebecca! Many of us started our medication today for a touch of “travelers’ sickness,” but over all we are in remarkably good health. Thank you for your prayers!

Today Val was able to join us as we left Kangole and visited the peace villages. Near the border between Karamoja and Teso regions, we left the main rode and drove around Mt. Napak to Nakayot where the second group of peace villages are being established. I rode with Val (though not in Landy which currently needs repairs), but those in the van want me to tell you that they broke down 7 times along the way in and out.

27km off the main road, we came to the two bore holes (one on a solar pump) and their brand new drip irrigation garden. The drip buckets were all empty because both bore holes were “broken.” After discussion, Val’s best guess is that the bore holes pipes were not long enough and the water level has gone down now that the rainy season is over. They are able to get about a quarter of a jerry can out of the hand pump if they wait an hour or so for the water to replenish. The new drip garden is vulnerable as the seedlings have just come up. The more established garden is also at risk, without the solar pump working these plants will also wither and die. Many people, young and old, came to greet us and shake all our hands. We drove on to the main village and greeted even more people.












The people tell us (through CLIDE members) that their food has not been delivered (it is at least 2 weeks late). Some women start singing and we each take a turn jumping with them in the hot sun (see video below), but our time is short and we must go. The people look thin and dusty and needy—3,000 people scrounging for food and water in this hot, dry place. We are all sad as we leave. In Val’s vehicle we spend some time praying for Nakayot as we drive. Later we realize it is December 1st so we sing Christmas carols with Val, and Steve breaks out a (melted) chocolate bar to share. It is very festive, though a bit surreal as we drive through the dry grass, thorn bushes, and acacia trees in the bright, hot sun.

Back at the main road, we drive a short way to Iriiri for late lunch. The van will not come with us to Nabwal, the site of the first peace villages, because the road is worse, so we crowd into the 2 CLIDE vehicles, leaving some staff behind, and take another road around the other side of Mt. Napak. It is greener on this side and the grass is high most of the way. This road has many more large rocks, deep ruts, and steep places. The van would never have made it. As we get close, we see more people spread out along the road. There are 62 villages on this side—9,000+ people. The people are excited to see us and happy. Some break into song praising God and thanking Val. We stop several places briefly: outside the main village, at a bore hole (it needs repair), at the church they have built out of large sticks, at the place they have collected piles of rocks for building a school.

As the sun sets (about 6) we reach the land the people have set aside for CLIDE. Soon CLIDE will have some huts here and not have to camp in tents when they visit. Some day they hope to build a Peace Center on the land to commemorate God’s work here and tell the history of the peace. We stand on a little hill with the crowd of villagers that collect every time we stop, and we pray. Though there are still many challenges and difficulties on this side of the mountain, I am encouraged by how much progress we see. I am filled with hope that God will finish the good work He has started. I have faith that future visitors to Nakayot will see thriving villages growing their own food and praising God for all He has done for them.

Video: Dancing in Nakayot

The Last Day

Day 8

We woke up in our guesthouse/retreat center to the now familiar sound of our new friends, the giant pigs, some nearly the size of a small country.

We headed back to spend our last morning with the kids. When we arrived, they were already in the church busily writing letters to their sponsors. It was great to watch these children working together to write, as their teachers, who were with us the entire retreat, walked through the maze of children, encouraging them and helping them write their letters. Some of the children are very young, and their English is not so good, yet. But you could sense it was important to them to do their letters well.

After completing the letters, the children went to breakfast (breakfast happens between 9:00 and 10:00 each morning. While the children were eating we met with their teachers, who in many cases, have these children in their homes and teach them in the schools and lead Bible studies for the children. These teachers were amazing and so dedicated to the children. This was a part of the retreat we weren't expecting.

After breakfast, we gathered up the tie-dyed shirts and met with the children in front of the church. As always, they were waiting there patiently, as we handed out each shirt. You could sense that they really did love the shirts. They put on their shirts and then came back, as a group, for photos. At they time they also received letters from their sponsors. The glow of their faces as they opened their letters was so moving. We had explained that not all the sponsors had been contacted and were unable to get letters to us before we left. I would encourage all sponsors reading this blog to do what they can to get letters to future teams. To hear from their sponsors was very important to them. I believe they understand, even at their young age, just how important your sponsorship is to them.

Along with the CLIDE staff, pastors and teachers, we encircled the children and prayed Gods blessings on them. The kids got into pickups and vans to be taken to the bus or back to their villages. It was a bittersweet time for us, to send these children back to their villages. There was a significant change from the first day, when they seemed somewhat wary of us, but now they were waving happily to us as they returned. They had become our friends at so many levels.

In the afternoon, several of us followed Pastor John (a local evangelist) and one of the young Timothy Children, Esther, to visit several local manyattas. A manyatta is a small cluster of huts surrounded by an impregnable fence structure made up of very gnarly branches with thorns. The doors to the manyattas are so low that anyone, especially someone like myself who is not particularly flexible would have difficulty in entering (the children waited behind me just to watch and laugh). And there are two exterior walls. And getting out wasn't any easier than getting in. The design of the manyatta is obviously to keep out unwanted raiders or warriors and a good defense.

We visited Esther's grandmother, whose husband had recently died. Both of Esther's parents had also passed away and could tell it was not an easy life for her grandmother who took care of Esther and her siblings.

Later that day, Dr Moses took us to the town of Moroto (20 miles north) where CLIDE has its main offices which it currently rents. He also showed us some amazing property that CLIDE had purchased and will be building an office on. We were also able to visit the home of Judith, a CLIDE employee who was so amazing in providing a history and overview of the Karamajong people at our orientation.

In Moroto, I purchased and Ekicholong, a one legged chair that the Karamajong men use that has a seat about 12 inches off the ground. Another challenge in flexibility and balance. Needless to say, I need practice.

This was another amazing day in Karamoja. This truly is an amazing place.

Posted by: Bryan Hoffman