Category Archives: Updates from Uganda

Kitchen / Dining Hall Rapid Progress

The Kitchen and Dining Hall building is progressing rapidly and all are excited.  In the last few weeks it has progressed from footer trenches to being ready for the ring beam.  The ring beam is a concrete ring, reinforced with steel that bands the building and walls above the doors and windows, we would call it a “Header”.  The ring beam can be seen in the brick walls of the building in the background.

Framed in floor foundation of large rocks, small stones, and steel mesh.

Framed in floor foundation of large rocks, small stones, and steel mesh.

Floor foundation.

Floor foundation.

PVC for drains and power lines.

PVC for drains and power lines.

Concrete poured over the foundation, one wheel barrow load at a time.

Concrete poured over the foundation, one wheel barrow load at a time.

Floor pouring complete.

Floor pouring complete.

Raising the walls.

Raising the walls in the kitchen cooking end.

Walls with doors evident in the dining hall part.

Walls with doors evident in the dining hall part.

Walls are now ready for the ring beam.

Walls are now ready for the ring beam.

Old kitchen in the shadow of the new one.

The old kitchen in the shadow of the new one.

Groundbreaking for the new Kitchen/Dining Hall

We are excited about the next step in the building process of the Stream of Hope Home in Uganda…a new Kitchen and Dining Hall which will also function as a Church building and community meeting place.  It is a 35′ x 70′ structure, the same as we built at the Lord’s Servants Home in Kenya.  We signed the construction contract during our trip there a month ago and the foundation is set.  We expect completion by July.

Footer trenches for the kitchen end of the building

Footer trenches for the kitchen end of the building.  The current dining hall / Church structure is in the background.

Dining hall end

We are using bricks made in the community helping the local economy.

Wall base on top of the footer

Wall base on top of the footer

This is the current kitchen

This is the current kitchen

Mission trip to SOH Uganda update #1

Our time at the Stream of Hope Home was only 6 days but they were very full. The kids are great. Most of the 15 member team is home now but some of us are still traveling. More updates to follow. Here are a few key accomplishments…

Hired a new Matron couple to live at the SOH home to mentor the kids and care for them. This is Pastor Moses, wife Beatrice and son Samuel. They have 10 children, some joining them at the home. Moses has been involved as a volunteer for roughly 3 years at significant personal sacrifice as a calling. This is a blessing all around.

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We signed a contract to build a new Kitchen and Dining Hall. This building will be similar to the one we built in Kenya a few years ago. It will be used for many things including church service and community meetings. It will be a life changer in bad weather.

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Team Hillebrand on the way to Uganda

Kathy and I are in route to the Stream of Hope home and will meet up with the team coming from Kenya on Saturday.
The 13 people at The Lord’s Servants Home are doing well with the projects and work that we planned. Many of them did battle illness though the week but are all well today. Several bags were also lost for 5 days, hampering progress and spirits. All is good now.
They have implemented lights, plumbing, and cabinetry in the new Guest House, harvested honey, spent a lot of time with the kids, and worked out organizational changes and needed procedures with pastor Moses and the board members.
The 13 team members in Kenya moved over 1500 pounds of goods from the US. Kathy and I have roughly 300 pounds ourselves which include Bibles, books, solar lighting supplies, tools, and child gifts.
Thank you for your continued prayers. I’ll post more when I can.