Friday, February 15, 2013

Life in Africa

The main path to Charlie’s house is a dusty one and finding dusty children along the way is no surprise. This week, though, the children called out in their very best English “babies.” They remembered me as the giver of 100 Christmas Dollies and were trying to acknowledge that gift. When asked “babies ali wa?” (where are your babies) they all just stared at me. Maybe next time they’ll be ready to show me how their babies are keeping themselves.


The Battlefield of the Mind still epitomizes the struggles I see in so many people in Uganda. I brought ministry about the passive mind to these ladies to help prepare them for post-teaching work. I want them to see right now that they need to fill their minds with God’s Word and that they will have to be active in finding work. I want them to avoid the trap of the enemy…the expectation that money will just fall down from the sky or be handed out by some white person. We’ll continue to add ministry and business teachings each time I visit. Please pray for open and receptive minds.

The ladies continue to gather daily for tailoring teaching and their progress is wonderful. They’re learning to sew the last skirt style and we’re told the next project will be dresses. Teacher Carol has assured us all that we’ll get to learn all the different pieces of clothing before our time is up. I’m already thinking about how we can continue the teaching by adding non-clothing items to their skill set (curtains, pot holders, diaper covers, and the like).

Would you like to come to Uganda on a short term mission trip? We’ll focus on learning to sew from patterns, identifying those items saleable in Ugandan markets, and learning how to take the knowledge they have and make something new. Contact me if you are interested, I’d love to have three or four people invest their time and talents in these women and in this community.