Trip 17, Update 3 Uganda

Summary of the trip accomplishments….We got a number of projects and upgrades completed even though our team was 2 and a lot was happening plus a lot of minor repairs.  The kids were out of school all week and enjoyed our attention.  Thank you for your prayers and support.  Here are some….

Drinking water storage tank for the community.

Drinking water storage tank for the community.

3 additional solar panels and newsstands, wiring, and inverters eliminating power shortages.

3 additional solar panels and newsstands, wiring, and inverters eliminating power shortages.

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Improved water distribution site.

Casey's murals

Casey’s murals

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Concrete floor for the shelter.

Stream of Hope Home - Bwasi, Uganda

Stream of Hope Home – Bwasi, Uganda

Trip 17, Update 4 Teso

After 10 days at Stream of Hope Home we traveled to Kenya and spent 2 nights with a ministry evangelizing the Teso people….a people group along the Ugandan border that is unreached in some areas and under reached in most.  Sweet people.

We left 30 audio Bibles in the Ateso language and 2 solar powered projectors with the Jesus Film in Ateso, donated by Campus Crusade for Christ, to allow this group of church planters to show the Jesus Film and start Bible study cells in remote areas.

We encouraged them at one of their churches….the shade under a big mango tree…my kind of church then showed the Jesus Film to two groups.

The Asinge group of believers

The Asinge group of believers

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Trip 17, Update 2 Uganda

It has been an emotional week at Stream of Hope Home.  Diana leaving us has been the hardest.  She was just 15 and a sister to these kids.  We had a beautiful celebration for her with the community and God was praised.  She was buried at her Grandfathers home about 1/2 km from the orphanage.  The celebration involved about 400 people, guest speakers, butchered cow and tons of food.  Interesting is that the custom is for people to stay with the family so the night before and after saw over 100 people sleeping all over the grounds with a big bonfire.  We will miss her but the kids and I look forward to seeing Diana again.

 

Diana, 15

Diana, 15

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Trip 17, Update 1

imageOur sister Ngobi Diana was cured of her long term Sickle Cell illness and is with Jesus.  she has been in pain and in and out of the hospital for years.  She would have passed years ago without Pastor Paul and the loving care she got at Stream of Hope.   Never the less this is hard for us.  I am so grateful for God’s perfect timing to allow me to spend a few days with Diana and then with the rest of the kids during this time.  I met Diana 3 1/2 years ago and her illness, grace, and warmth bonded our hearts to these kids.  The community and family showed up 400 strong to Diana’s celebration.  It helped the kids.  Please pray for all of them.

this is the last photo I have with Diana…2nd from left.  I will always remember her with a smile.

 

 

Trip 17, Introduction

Tomorrow, 26 May, Casey and I will begin Trip 17 which will ultimately include 12 people and transpire over 2 months.  We have a diverse team including teachers, college students, an eye Doctor, and us regulars.  The youngest is 16, several are first timers to mission trips, and some will incorporate the results of their work in their Graduate thesis.

We will be working at the Stream of Hope Home in Uganda, the Lord’s Servants Home and Academy in Kenya , and visiting a Pastors Training College working in the border region with the Teso people.

One of our projects will be installing a water tank that will allow treated drinking water to be available to the community around the SOH home.  This was funded by fund raising efforts from Ms. Spencer’s awesome 4th grade class at Patriots Elementary School who have been studying about water crisis’ in the world.image

We will also be installing additional solar panels at SOH, building a playground at the LSA School, several smaller projects, meetings to chart the future for the orphanages and school, lots of child educational programs, social efforts with the kids involving art therapy discipline, lots of community support activities following up on previous trips, and equipping church planters in the Teso region with audio Bibles in their language and solar powered video equipment to show the Jesus Film, courtesy of Campus Crusade for Christ.

We thank you in advance for your prayers for God’s guidance, wisdom, and provisional safety and for our families that are back home.

Look for my frequent (hopefully) blog updates.