Great first week!

It’s just now become Saturday, July 25th, here in Uganda. What a week it’s been! Our trip is now a third of the way done and I’m glad to say the progress we’ve made in sharing the vision of our partnership and moving forward on our water project has been better than expected.

It’s always a joy to arrive at Glory of Christ Primary School. The kids see the car bumping down the “road,” scatter and start calling to their friends. The teachers begin appearing from their slat board, tin-roofed classrooms and warmly shake hands with you. Sometimes the kids even form a tunnel and clap as you walk up the hill. There wasn’t any tunnel this time, but the warmth and hospitality were high as usual. The children were all assembled and the headmaster welcomed us. We were treated to a special dance, which we were once again invited to join (Ted and Austin wussed out and just did chest bumps in the back). After the assembly, we toured the classrooms (overcrowded and under-resourced) and were impressed with how well the teachers were doing with what little they have.

Finally, we were given a chance to meet with the staff of the school. They presented on the progress of the school and informed us of various needs, which provided an opportunity to share the vision of OJM and our value of self-reliance. For the first time as a group, the teachers were able to hear our commitment to not increase their monthly support amount but to assist the school in establishing income/resource generating programs that will break the dependency the school currently has on Western funds. Afterwards, Pastor Geoffrey Mukisa thanked us for being so open with the staff.

On Wednesday were honored to participate with a home cell group (think small group). We worshiped under a tree in front of one of the homes in the village and Ted shared the gospel through a translator. There is something so electrifying about joining with brothers and sisters in Christ in worship and hearing the Word. It was a real joy to be a part of.

On Thursday morning, we had a board meeting scheduled for 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, where we would again share the vision of OJM and present a new project loan scheme, which we had been developing with Paul (OJM Uganda Country Director) and Pastor Geoffrey. It’s a way to maintain the Ugandan’s dignity by making loans for business development and rewarding repayment through a repayment matching donation scheme. Basically, as Glory of Christ Community Development Initiative collects on the loans, OJM will match the repayment amount with donations to the general fund. Over time the match ration diminishes until the community has reached it’s basic development goals. The leadership was very excited about the program and we hope to get started after a final discussion by the OJM Board.

Thursday afternoon we drove back to Kampala and took Nikki to the airport for her flight out at 10:40pm. Although the power at the airport failed two or three times, the plane was able to take off without a hitch. Nikki enjoyed her first trip to Africa, but was ready to see the girls.

Today, we had a very productive morning meeting with bore hole (well) drilling companies. We met with three different drillers and each one got a little bit better. We made great progress in determining which kind of well to drill and will be working with the GOCCDI Health Committee this upcoming week to make final decisions on who will be awarded the contract.

After we got the business portion of our day done, we grabbed a late lunch. For the first time, I got to see Paul laugh so hard he cried, thanks to Ted setting a record four near catastrophic events in 20 minutes. These included 1) kicking a begger’s change dish on the way to the restaurant (for which he apologized profusely and emptied his pockets of Uganda change into the dish as penitence), 2) smashing his head into wall-mounted television, 3) knocking over his chair at the table and 4) one other involving a trip to the restroom that I will not describe. It was quite the dining experience. We then took in a Ugandan soccer match where the Ugandan Cranes took on the 1994 World Cup Championship Team, Brazil. Uganda 4 - Brazil 1...I think.

Then we ran some errands, came back to Paul’s and prepared for heading back to Ddwaniro tomorrow morning. This will begin a two week living arrangement where we will stay in a rented house right in the village. I was planning on trying to cook for ourselves, but to Ted and Austin’s delight, the Lord had mercy on us and one of the board members who considers cooking and serving her ministry to the Lord will be preparing our dinners. We have so much to learn from these people and their hospitality.

Please pray for this upcoming week as we will be meeting with the various committees of Glory of Christ Community Development Initiative to continue training in project development. Pray that the water project continues to move forward smoothly. Also pray for safe travel and for protection against any illegal action (mainly thievery) as we stay in the village. As always, pray for the children, teachers, leaders, and community members of Ddwaniro, Uganda!