Pinafore Project

Arms stretched wide on both young and old, another pack of children ran toward me for welcome hugs. These children belong to the families somehow associated with the Life in Africa group. As I reflected on why exactly this arms-wide-open welcome is so common to me – but would never likely be expressed so openly with others – I gave thanks. I gave thanks that God would use me to show these children...

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Dolly of Three Dresses

Sloping down from the somewhat main road toward the Life in Africa gathering place, the familiar children began calling after me about their 100 Christmas Dollies. This time when I stopped to greet them, I demanded to see how they were taking care of their babies. Sandra was the only one who could produce her dolly as her older sister ran to retrieve that baby. Somehow, this dolly must have...

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Prisoner-Student-Pastor Geoffrey

Geoffrey and Carpenter John The space Geoffrey occupies ends right at the door. A small mud room measuring 8’ x 10’ is the place Geoffrey calls home. No longer does he reside in Bugembe Prison, sleeping with dozens of other men on the hard concrete floor, but instead he lives as a free man in the town of Bugembe. He proudly showed me his tiny place, where he now sleeps on a mattress set upon...

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Sanctuary School

Michael and Silvia have about 20 resident orphans living in their two-room home – The Sanctuary Babies Home – and twice as many attending the small school they started. Most of the children are in what we call “baby class” which means they are preschoolers but as time progresses so do the children. They recognized that so many children in the neighborhood could not attend school because fees were...

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Bugembe Bricks

Remember there is a "no photos allowed" rule.This picture doesn't include prisoners or the prison. Smoke filled the air as I neared Bugembe Prison. Benjamin – the in-house chaplain replacing Geoffrey, and guided by Carpenter John – waved me down before I passed too far. Without supervision, Benjamin worked alongside four other men to hone their prison-acquired brick-making skills. He reported...

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Jjaja Omukyala

The hard but cool cement of the veranda is home to this beautiful old jjaja omukyala (grand woman). Every day I pass by on my way to the main road and again on my way home. Without fail, she is there keeping her hands and her mind busy. I wave and shout out, “Wasuse otya, jjaja” and she waves back and shouts her reply. About once each week I stop and sit with her while we exchange the few words...

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The Docks at Gaba Beach

The cockswain watches over the landing site. Bags of charcoal coming from the islands to the mainland. The wooden boat piled high with charcoal, a layer of fish, and on top a layer of passengers. Three guys heft these giant sacks of charcoal. The littleguy in red didn't need any help. Man these guys havesome serious muscles. These guys lined up to stare at me.Should have taken the...

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Praise and Worship Church of All Nations

Pastor Gerald's jjaja, and now mine. Bricks formed from the red clay earth depict the outline of what is now called Praise and Worship Church of All Nations. As is common, when the bricks run out the building stops. A temporary structure sits inside that foundation – rough hewn timbers support an iron sheet roof – to protect from sun and rain. Alex leads part of the problem-solving exercise. Inside...

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The Art and Science of Thinking

Teaching The Art and Science of Thinking – addressing creative and critical thinking along with problem solving and decision making – has become a standard workshop from which to begin all workshops. Sometimes we are trapped simply because of the way we think – often influenced by culture, education, experience, and opportunity (or lack thereof). Learning how to change the way we think – about our...

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Caring and Sharing Dollies

The tiny children collected themselves under the iron canopy that is the church roof. It was as if they were waiting for me…knowingly. But there were certainly more than 10…what to do? Gathered in the shade of the partially finished brick wall, 10 of about 20 children received dolly gifts from a lovely group of women in Florida who call themselves Caring and Sharing. Though, my American heart worried...

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Hope Sings

This tiny one up front? Amazing! Voices lifted high as they rang out from the temporary wooden structure Shared Hope for Orphans uses as a school. This particular Sunday the children were practicing the songs they intend to record and sell as a means to raise funds for the school. I love hearing about the creative ways leaders of this organization find to raise funds. The prayers and determination of...

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Lucky to be with the Luckeys

The plane landed on time and delivered two of three passengers successfully…um, how does passenger number three get separated from the group and end up on another flight? I was so blessed to have the opportunity to serve another missionary family here in Uganda by picking up their guests at the airport and delivering them safely to the motel. Planes arrive late and the Luckey’s live very far away...

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Victory Family Center Preaching

I arrived at the town center in Buwenge before Pastor Fred was ready for me. After purchasing a bottle of water at the supermarket I stepped outside. An invitation from Achmed resulted in my sitting on a bench next to him and several other men who were speaking in Lusoga. Had they conversed in Luganda I might have had a chance to understand and participate in the conversation, but it was not to...

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