Surprised by Hope Blog

Monday, February 24, 2014

Bibles and Bags for Pastors in the North

All 28 pastors in Paidah at Ojiga Presbyterian Church were very excited to receive their first Bible in the Alur language along with a simple tote bag made by a lovely and obedient woman from Lamont CRC. If that wasn’t enough, 14 pastors in Nebbi received two Bibles each with the commission to give them to active church members who didn’t already have a Bible for themselves.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to spread the Word in the local language because of the sacrificial giving of those loving friends and family at Beaverdam Baptist Church in SC. I pray that God would return your gift tenfold!

Vision for Rural Pastors

Our WAY overloaded pickup stopped in front of Pastor Amos’ house in Nebbi and Emma stood waiting to greet me. Emma is the lovely woman who takes care of all the pastors while we’re lodging with Pastor Amos, but I feel like she is taking care of me alone. Every personal detail was lodged in her memory as she attended to my bed, my food, and my daily ministry needs.

My second time with this group, the pastors were looking forward to our personal ministry time again. We focused on the topic of church budgeting and by the end of our three days together they were easily able to answer their own questions about solving the problems associated with people and money management.

The Financial Management Series was welcomed by all, almost 50 participants (not quite the expected 100+). We studied what the Word says about money management before learning about using a simple cash book. Following a very clear demonstration of understanding, we added the three main financial statements for businesses. Fearing they’d get lost in transitioning from the cash book to the income statement, we took it slowly.

These kids had some seriously adult-sized drum rhythm
going on these empty containers.

When finished, one person testified that even though she was taught such things in school and never understood them she was now able to fully grasp the concept and believed they would help her in her business. Another person testified that math disliked him but that by the end of this teaching he felt confident that he could indeed apply what was learned successfully.

Praising God for revealing what the people need and how to root that teaching in his Word.

The end of the paved road in Paidah demanded that our overloaded boda bodas climb some serious hills in north western Uganda. More than 10 kilometers away, Pastor Charles and I were safely delivered into the hands of a very welcoming pastor. My little mud hut was expertly prepared by single mother Olivia who undoubtedly had the gift of hospitality. Perhaps the only roll of toilet paper within 10 kilometers rested innocently on my bedside table.

The next morning 28 pastors (both from Congo and from Uganda) eagerly waited for their personal ministry time before the bigger workshops began. I love having personal time with pastors. These men of God often feel isolated and bringing them together in this way offers a time of ministry and fellowship with other men like them who have similar trials and triumphs. I feel so blessed to play a small part of facilitating this union.

Our four-day workshop from the Entrepreneurship Series proved invaluable for these pastors. They raved about its usefulness and ease of application before promising to return with powerful testimonies of successes both in their personal lives and in the church. I love the encouragement these men received and am thankful for the opportunity to deliver the Word of God through business teaching.

Ishongororo Community Church

Nestled in a small gully next to the busy highway leading back to Mbarara town, this small church was filled with eager participants. Time keeping proved to be the biggest challenge in a community where time has very little value – you dig in the garden, you go home. As a result, we didn’t cover all that we’d hoped but we still had some very engaged, eager people grasping concepts that were entirely new and entirely useful.

Look what I found on the side of the road.

Pastor George had another opportunity to co-facilitate as he gained confidence and experience in preparation for independent teaching ministry on behalf of Surprised by Hope. Pastor Gerald was a great help to us all as well. We struggled a bit with the translator – just knowing English doesn’t necessarily qualify a person to translate…let alone translate business terms. Pastor Gerald became quite good at helping in this area given that this was his third time in the same week having attended the training.

Pastor Yoram's Termite House

The land where his dilapidated temporary house was erected proved impossible for brick making. Being a creative thinker, Pastor Yoram asked a nearby neighbor if he could chop down the termite mounds covering his plot. A welcome service, the neighbor agreed.

Pastor Yoram used that clay from those termite mounds to make bricks and build his house. Proud of his accomplishment, he wanted the muzungu to sleep in that house at least once before departing. We all shifted to the beautiful mountainside where the unfinished house rested almost four kilometers from the church. Four kilometers may not seem like much but when you hand carry two 20 liter containers of water uphill and downhill to provide for the family every day…you might change your mind.

The first muzungu to visit the entire clan, so says Pastor Yoram’s 80+ year old father, we were gifted with Julia who quickly became the responsibility of Pastor Gerald given that he was already keeping Frank the rooster. Pastor Yoram’s wife had a badly infected finger – probably from using an unclean knife (see the water issue noted above) and so I left all the medicine that remained for getting the last of the glob out of my leg. I told Pastor Yoram that he would most certainly need to take her to a doctor as the infection seemed to me to be bad enough to quickly lead to infection of the blood and finger amputation and all those other nasty possibilities. He received the news graciously and I suspect he wondered how exactly he would manage to get her the needed medical treatment.

Sitting atop one of many beautiful rolling hills in the Mbarara area, Michenyi Community Church boasted stained glass windows (of sorts) which offered a stark contrast to its mud walled exterior. That contrast made this church feel so very beautiful, that and the lush green landscape surrounding it on those rolling hills.

The evening before our scheduled workshop the people gathered inside the church for a time of worship. I joined them with a few worship dance steps and a greeting of welcome. Most attendees traveled for several kilometers to be here and would sleep inside the church that night in anticipation of our time together the following day.

Frank the Rooster has now been consumed.

Between 40 and 50 participants gathered while Pastor George and I co-facilitated the first two workshops in the Entrepreneurship Series. When teaching about asset-based development, Pastor Yoram offered a personal testimony as to how this approach benefited him.

Kishabya United Pentecostal Church

Our night time arrival netted a beautifully lit crusade grounds.

Lights edged the white tents where people gathered for an all night crusade. More than 100 people danced and worshiped the Lord as Pr Gerald and I entered through the flower-filled arch. Pastor Cornelius and his wife are wise to operate an events business where tents, decorations, cakes, and the like are rented and made. Their double use for church related events is most certainly advantageous. The nighttime beauty of this place was awe-inspiring.

These balloons really challenged participants to think creatively.

Two days of Entrepreneurship teaching held on the same site where the crusade took place was thought to make the venue perfect. And yet we learned that all night crusades welcome the morning teaching far too early and that while many Christians are interested in beginning or improving their businesses, these are not always the same people as those who attend a crusade.

From inside the non-venue church, you can see the flag walls.
Beautiful but not stable.

None the less, we saw God moving among the people both during the crusade and during the teaching. Participants enjoyed the exercises to help reinforce learning – especially the balloon animals – and demonstrated an ability to transfer that reawakened creative thinking ability to their business project ideas. We all look forward to their testimonies of what the Lord has done.

Windows for Mountain of Glory Church

Before

After

First, take a look at the blog post that describes how and why Mountain of Glory church in Marikebuni was selected to receive a gift from Surprised by Hope and all of you. In short, the church pastor applied what he learned from the Entrepreneurship Series of workshops and built a permanent structure for his church.

http://blog.surprisedbyhope.org/2013/11/50-boy-and-girl-dollies-to-finish.html

The tomato farm in its early stages
overlooking the church.

Tomatoes ready for the market.

Second, take a look at the progress Pr Ephantus made as a result of the wisdom of the Lord and the hard work of him and several church members.

Third, take a look at the 50 Christmas Dollies and the children from Mountain of Glory church who received them on a Christmas day celebrarion.

http://blog.surprisedbyhope.org/2014/01/50-christmas-dollies-in-marikebuni.html

Fourth, take a look at the windows the funds raised from your 50 Christmas Dollies purchased for that church.

Pull the Net

Seated on several benches outside a small church in Buwenge town, more than 15 pastors waited for my arrival. These pastors formally organized themselves under the name Pull the Net for the purpose of improving entrepreneurial opportunities in their churches and communities. They invited me to meet with them and talk about how we might work together. My sense that God has led me to focus more on development for pastors was reinforced by this invitation and by this great group of leaders. All we need to do now is plan the dates and the event. Please pray that pastors from far and wide would come for the ministry teaching and that every one of them would see God moving in this neat group of leaders.

The whole building is painted w Airtel branding.
Inside you'll find office equipment ready for use.

A stationary shop made sense for Pastor Fred and his wife, given her desire to work and her secretarial skills. A small gift from outside and the Surprised by Hope entrepreneurship teaching enabled them to easily identify this as the proper financial investment. They’ve started with some bigger equipment and will add inventor as income is generated. Please pray with us that this inventory will come quickly and that Pastor Fred and his wife would have the wisdom and knowledge needed to make this s

hop a success.

They’ve Moved! I couldn’t stand the idea that all these little kiddo’s were now sheltered and loved somewhere I didn’t know. So, I made the trip to find them happy and healthy in their new home just up the road from the old home. So thankful for “Uncle” who loves these kids so purely. The number of children living here continues to grow…how can you say “sorry I already have six children with no parents, I just can’t take one more”? And so, money is tight but the Lord is good and continues to use you and others to provide for them. Thank you!

The temporary structure must be maintained and added to
for those students beginning school Jan 20
at least until the new structure is complete.

With God’s help, Shared Hope for Orphans is building their permanent school structure using the assets they have along with a few income generating projects. A few short years ago I was privileged to work with the team to improve focus and develop long- and short-term goals as well as teach entrepreneurship skills. They’re realizing the benefit of that planning as they see attendance increase in their temporary school structure. The added school fee income educates and feeds orphans from the Jinja area. They’re also realizing the benefit of that planning and teaching in seeing their permanent school structure become a reality.

The new structure is currently three classrooms and is in a beautiful location.

In August, I was privileged to have been invited to pray over the land that was donated for the purpose of constructing a permanent school structure for Light Academy, a branch of Shared Hope for Orphans. I’m proud to show you the progress they’ve made in building since that time. There’s still a long way to go, so please pray with us that the creative ideas needed to generate the income will flow and that God’s favor would continue to rest upon these leaders.

Stockings are for More than Feet

Stockings have always been my favorite part of Christmas and apparently I’m not alone. My aunt and her family love stocking gifts too. But this year they decided to sacrifice their own stockings and bless my neighbor kiddos with “stockings” instead. For a few precious minutes I got to remember the Christmas of my youth…you know…the grabbing, crying, and hitting.

Look at Sheffar's eyes! So big!

Oh the fun.

Even Sheeba knew she was getting something fun.

Maama Farida has as much fun as the kids.

Sheffar is ready to brush her teeth.
After eating the bouncy ball she probably needs to.

Stoic kids but thankful none the less.
Tiny baby is on maama's back. She got a stocking too.

The rest of the stockings will be distributed when the kids return from the village where they spend off-school holidays.

Don't Fence Me In

As I recline on my living room sofa pondering the events of the day, a pair of brown eyes shaded by a ball cap peek into my kitchen window. Several pairs of eyes pass by that window – and my front door and every other window on two sides of my house – every hour. Back and forth between the water source and the construction project, they’re hauling two very heavy jerry cans full of water each time they pass. It seems the distance and weight requires several resting breaks for even the strongest arms and my kitchen window happens to be the spot…for everyone.

Land planning is pretty much nonexistent in more rural areas of Uganda, which means pretty much anything goes. Walking through someone’s compound is perfectly acceptable even if there is a road by which to pass…which there isn’t. And so every day these construction helpers along with scads of random adults, children, and animals pass within three feet of my front door on their way to who knows where. Some of the bolder even step up onto the veranda and cup their hands around their eyes to peek inside my door…only to find me staring back at them (at least when I’m home…I don’t know who stares back at them when I’m not home).

When the house was originally built, I was urged to build a fence…and I absolutely refused. Fences are typically intended for security purposes and I just didn’t want to keep friends and neighbors out. (Note the friends and neighbors part.) Then I agreed to at least receive a quote for building a fence, and quickly added cost to my list of reasons to avoid a fence.

Once the heavy traffic patterns were evident, I began pondering the idea of a fence, however distasteful, and realized how very American I was in thinking that it was so rude for people to trespass. The number of times a stranger…or even someone I know…passed through my yard in Ada could be counted on one finger. And yet, I’m not in America anymore now am I. As I began reflecting and observing I realized it’s perfectly acceptable to pass through anyone’s plot for any reason at any time. Well…maybe that’s not true, but it happens all the time without any noticeable consequence.

Now that I can count more than 25-50 unknown people and animals passing within three feet of two sides of my house every day…I’m thinking more about creative solutions to redirect these passersby without making me untouchable, violating cultural norms, putting a social barrier between me and neighbors, or costing an arm and a leg.

I’m thinking a half-height chain link (eventually covered in flowers, likely to be eaten by the goats) on three sides…just enough to redirect passersby to alternate routes and not become a giant eyesore in the hood. Now if I could just keep the neighbors from hitching their cows and goats thereby effectively removing the posts from their cement hideaways.

Mountain of Glory Church in Ganda

The church lit up as community members had their “ah-ha” moments during the teaching about creative and critical thinking. Laughter filled the church as we practiced problem solving skills with an amusing exercise. It’s not easy to get the culturally quiet, reserved crowd to make noise unless specifically praising the Lord…but we did it.

Bishop Joseph Kilifi graduated from Bible School in a Briefcase in Malindi about three years ago. He invited Surprised by Hope to deliver the first two of four in the Entrepreneurship series workshops as a precursor to delivering the other two workshops in early 2014. More than 30 people attended every day of the workshops.

These are only the ladies wearing a kanga for my FB cover photo.
Apparently I am "American" height.

Sometimes at the beginning of the workshop I see lots of blank looks and wonder if people understand the teaching, the examples, and the questions. But as time progresses they light up. They connect the dots. They have their “ah-ha” moments. As a teacher there’s not much better…except, when you ask at the end of the teaching what they learned and they say they learned that they are created in the image of God or that God will equip them to work for his Kingdom. Such comments send me soaring. I praise God for his work in these hearts and minds.

50 Christmas Dollies in Marikebuni

Take a look at the adorable kids who received dollies for Christmas. Pr Ephantus and a few adult leaders were so helpful in organizing the children to receive dollies and have their pictures taken. The children were even well behaved, no grabbing or pushing. A little more like...what's going on here. Thank you for the opportunity to love these kids on your behalf.