Brenda is a tiny little sweet-spirited pastor’s wife who gave a short message of introduction at New Song Christian Fellowship church on Sunday. She told a story about Sarah, a talented young Kenyan woman currently working for her at Jacaranda Creations. When Sarah was just a few weeks old her mother died. A short time later, as is so common in Africa, her step mother hid Sarah in an ash dumpster and covered her with ash intending to snuff out her life.
A very old granny lady sensed something...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Eunice's Story
Eunice is a young married mother of two who lives in Kitui, Kenya. The dimple in her right cheek adds this adoring kind of look to her already sweet demeanor. During the 2009 Bible School in a Briefcase held there, Eunice served as cook for the 38 pastor-students. These pastors raved of her abilities even after being served.
Over the past several years Eunice has been moved to tears by the conditions...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
10 Steps to Doing Your Own Laundry
1. Prepare materials: 1 jerry can, 2 clean basins, laundry soap, laundry scrub, semi-clean bathroom (i.e., move all of Lauren’s “soaking” laundry out of the way).
2. Fill one jerry can full of water from across the yard where the faucet shoots water in every direction while filling the can…but the water is free. Replace the red cap.
3. ...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Ssese Island Honey
Another organizational development ministry opportunity came in the form of honey. The beekeeping group began in 2006 with three members. Vickie’s Aunt Robina started the group from her home in the Kalangala District of the Ssese Islands. She has notebooks full of visions, plans, notes, agreements, goals, expenses, sketches, and more. The women started with a system of contributing money and that...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Three Jajjas
As we emerged on the other side of this hilly paradise called Bubembe Island, we came upon Vickie's three jajja’s (grandmothers). The middle jajja is her biological grandmother, but all are treated with the respect. These 80-something ladies warmly welcomed us. Jajja Ida prepared her elder and younger sisters for our arrival – visitors are unheard of beyond the wood-housed, lakeshore camp.
We...
Bubembe Island
We life-vest clad passengers carefully balanced our way across the wooden seats of one rickety canoe to step into another rickety canoe so as to avoid getting our feet wet on the shores of Lake Victoria. Eight people tagged along on this missionary-sponsored ride to Bubembe Island along with enough gear (food) to sink a ship. The one hour ride under cover of grey mist was undertaken on choppy waters....
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Day in the Life of a Girl
A blue plastic basin with a just enough water in the bottom served as the starting point for this girl. She carefully scrubbed her green plastic shoes to remove what looked like three years worth of dirt. Very likely, however, the dirt was only from today. She proceeded to scrub her feet and her lower legs – no point in putting dirty feet into clean shoes.
After dumping the basin full of dirty...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Bubembe Children
We could scarcely come to Bubembe Island without visiting Vickie’s jajjas. Because there is no communication on the island, they were completely surprised and delighted to see us. They fussed over us for hours as we rested and chatted after having climbed the island to reach their hilltop retreat.
During the last visit I delivered a blanket to each of the two older jajjas (the eldest is in...
VKids Trust Uganda
Ida was a teacher, her daughter Rose is a teacher, and her daughter Vickie is a teacher. Vickie is a Ugandan woman who was raised by her jajja (grandmother) Ida. During her formative years, Vickie saw her jajja looking after a number of needy people. During her teen years, Vickie saw her mother looking after orphan children. Vickie grew up thinking that everybody has to help others.
Vickie...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Dolly on Lake Victoria
One promising young handful of a girl entertained us during the long ride. The story picks up where she tried desperately and only partly successfully to drink from her adult-sized bottle of orange pop. She wrapped her tiny lips around the giant mouth of the bottle and tipped her head back. I fully expected her to gag and pull the bottle out of her mouth thus dumping its contents down her front...
Traveling to Ssese Islands
Character-filled old fishing boats lined the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe. Little did I know one of those very boats (pictured) would be the one to take us on the three-hour ride to Bugala Island. Thankful for the canopy even with the overcast sky—so as to avoid adding sunburn to my list of miseries over which I have triumphed—the atmosphere underneath was stifling.
Although...
Ssese Islands
Organizational development seems to me to be a rather unusual approach to ministry. Yet God continues to affirm this direction by putting people before me who have a heart to serve but would like help in some aspect of developing their ministry. Vickie is one of those people.
Vickie grew up in this archipelago called Ssese Islands, in the northwest corner of Lake Victoria, Uganda. Of the 84 islands,...
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Dolly in Kajjansi
When visiting Olivia at her new school – All Saints Primary School – for the first time, I happened to have a dolly in my bag. I don’t usually carry the dolls around town although I often regret that choice. On the way up the stairs a small girl clung to her momma’s apron as she worked to sweep and scrub the floors of the open air staircase.
With giant eyes that tiny girl looked at me and accepted the gift. Hauling out the camera, for some reason, didn’t seem appropriate. Of course, now I wish...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Malaria for Leslie
Fever, body aches, loss of appetite, chills, confusion, head pressure. I lay in bed almost moaning because of the discomfort. Before Lauren would give me medicine from Dr. Ds stash (thank you in advance, Becky), she wanted me to be tested. She called Gabriel and assigned him the task of delivering me safely to a medical clinic. He arrived via boda and instructed the driver to take me to the Edwardo Medical Clinic where he would meet me. Surprisingly, he was there waiting when I arrived and had...
Ride Home from Karamoja
Henry and Gabriel predicted a 10 hour ride home rather than 14 hours. Wrong. A young woman was seated in the aisle next to us with three teenage girls and a toddler who was her son. I thought how sweet these sisters are traveling together. Henry informed me instead that this woman was taking these girls from Karamoja to sell as house girls and that she would be paid well. One chicken breast was all these girls had to eat in the 14 hour I watched them on this bus. No drinks. I suppose the idea was...
Monday, January 17, 2011
Karamajong Feast
The ceremony concluded with a pumping of the well by the most high government official in attendance, after which we were all invited to a special feast sponsored by the elders of the community. Goats are common livestock in Karamoja and having one for this feast was a great sacrifice for this small village. Little did Lauren know that the goat she watched get butchered would be on her plate later...
Karamoja Well Dedication
An anonymous donor sponsored a well for the Karamojongs living in Kokorio, one of the villages visited in September for a medical clinic. An official ceremony will be held in May when Laura, the founder of Mercy Uganda, is here. We held an unofficial ceremony this week so that the members of parliament responsible for this region and district could be present to witness the investment we’re making...
Welcome to Kokorio
Notice all the Musivini t-shirts,
incumbent presidential campaign
to a group who would have no political views
Getting to Kokorio was just a little different this time around. We had no rented taxi, no bus, and no car to get us to and from this place where no roads (and almost no paths) lead. I was enlisted to renew my boda driving skills and carry one of the four team members to Kokorio while...
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