September 6, 2013

August 1-19. Trip Report 1st Post

Our trip to the orphanages in Kitale, Kenya and Nawantale, Uganda was fantastic. We met our goals and delivered blessings. First timers, Randall and Cheryl had a great time and were a blessing to many people. I will make several posts over the next week to present photos, video, and stories.

To start I want to give God the Glory and point out how we were under His protection and grace…

The Nairobi international airport terminal burned into a nearly complete loss while we were in Kenya throwing travel to and from East Africa in turmoil. If our trip started a week earlier, our departure would have been messed up. If our trip started a week later, it would have been delayed or worse. Amazingly our plans were unaffected.

My Father went to be with Jesus somewhat unexpectedly a week before our departure. I was able to see Dad a lot before that, celebrate his life with family after, then continue with the plans on our trip. A timing change could have easily caused me to cancel my trip. Serving orphans was the perfect way for me to process my Dad going on ahead of us. The Holy Spirit used this in messages that I shared with churches on the Sundays we were there.

I broke a molar tooth 2 days before departure and my Dentist was on vacation. The back-up Dentist used a procedure to numb my lower jaw. I learned the procedure on YouTube while in Kenya and was able to use it and help 3 people in Uganda by removing painful teeth. Basically, I would not have been able to attempt that if my tooth had not broken. Of course, timing changing a few days and a broken tooth on my trip would have been very unpleasant for me.

Our timing in becoming involved with the Stream of Hope Orphanage in Uganda is amazing. There are 2 little girls there that are alive now because we were called to become involved. The other 38 children now have hope for a life, and a church has a roof due to God bringing timely provisions to us. Much of this in memory of my Dad.

Greg’s son Nicholas had surgery on his nose and upper palate a week before we left. Early in our trip while we were in Kenya, he developed serious bleeding complications which were life threatening and further surgery was required. Greg had the opportunity to trust God with his family from the other side of the world and involve hundreds of people in Kenya in praying for Nicholas. A small timing change and that would have altered our trip. God is faithful.

We had car trouble on our trip to Uganda. While I was annoyed over a 3 hour period searching for parts and a new tire, Greg and Randall walked the streets in a neighborhood and found a little girl with a life long eye infection. Dr. Randall was able to make arrangements for treatment to relieve the pain this girl had her whole life.

On a personal note, my sweet 14-year-old Basset Hound Sarah waited for me to return from our trip before saying goodbye. I am so thankful!

I’ll be sharing more with stories, photos, and video about how God worked through us but I wanted to share how God faithfully cared for us first. Thank you Father!

Us with the staff and younger kids at the Stream of Hope Home

Posted in Updates From Kenya, Updates from Uganda
Tagged 2013, 2013 Trip, mission trip, Stream of Hope Home

August 16, 2013

On our way Home. Blessed Trip.

We’ve completed our work in Kenya and Uganda and are on our way home. We are in Nairobi now and leave tonight for Brussels then Sunday for the USA. It’s been a good trip and we are all feeling that God blessed us by putting us in position to impact people.

Besides our project work and efforts with the children at the Orphanages, School, and Churches which all went well, Dr. Randall and assistants Cheryl and Greg screened a few hundred people for eye health and blood pressure, correcting issues with reading glasses and advice and referring them to sources of help. Randall helped me pull teeth from 6 people in Uganda that were in severe pain, and I even was in the right place to take 2 people to the hospital who just had a motorcycle-automobile accident in Kitale.

God is Good. Thank you for your prayers! I look forward to updating everyone better when I get back next week.

Posted in Updates From Kenya
Tagged 2013, 2013 Trip, Kenyan People, Lord's Servants Home, mission trip, Stream of Hope Home, Ugandan People

August 13, 2013

We’re Back from Uganda…Great Trip!

Thank you very much for your prayers. Greg, Randall, Moses, and I got back to The Lord’s Servants Home in Kitale, Kenya last night just before dark and we had the nice non-rain weather and safety all during our trip that we were praying for. We were out of touch with Cheryl as we left her alone back at the Lord’s Servants Home with 60 kids. Us 3 guys laughed about what kind of condition we would be found in under that circumstance but Cheryl is awesome with the kids and would have had it no other way.

The Stream of Hope Home in Nawantale, Uganda is so much better now than it was in February that I can hardly describe it. Greg and I remember these pitiful kids huddling together looking scared, hungry, and lost yet now they are a happy family with a home, valued kids that are fed, clothed, and sent to school, and beautiful children of God that worship Him with all their hearts. I wish everyone could have seen the transition that Greg and I have. An outpouring of love, kitchen with food, latrine, clothes, shoes, school, and beds seem to have made the difference. All praise to God.

We worked on the new church building and when we left, the roof trusses were all up and the roof sheets purchased. This week they merely need to paint the trusses and install the roof sheets and they will be worshiping under roof and out of the sun and rain for the first time in 4 months. This is a big deal since services last 4 hours. I got my head sunburned giving a message Sunday.

Greg bought lanterns, pots, water containers and supplies to immediately improve their lives. Dr. Randall served a lot of people and changed a few lives with glasses and help. A couple of ladies were reading the Bible in Church with their glasses that otherwise would not have been able to. I helped 6 people in severe pain by removing some teeth. We gave them clothes, underwear, books, medicine, book bags, tooth brushes/paste, candy, and other things. We installed a tetherball, volleyball net, and soccer balls and played with them. They did not know how, sadly, but caught on. Moses was a great encourager and mentor to them. There was lots of singing, drumming, and dancing and we left them very happy and loved and able to look forward with hope.

It is a long trip to get there, over 10 hours each way, and it was a struggle with some mechanical difficulties, border crossing, and delays, but we were blessed…and we have stories…lots.

Most of the kids at The Stream of Hope Home

Church structure with trusses installed

Pastor Paul and the kids playing tetherball

New sport here, volleyball

Dr. Randall checking eyes

Dr. Randall, Greg, Pastor Paul, Pastor Moses, Me, Pastor Chua Moses

Pastor Paul and the kids dancing and singing worshipfully. New shirts and handmade dresses.

Posted in Updates from Uganda
Tagged 2013, 2013 Trip, mission trip, Stream of Hope Home, Ugandan People

August 8, 2013

Heading into Uganda to visit The Stream of Hope Home

We leave first thing in the morning tomorrow on an 8 to 10 hour road trip to the Uganda border at Malaba, through Jinja on Lake Victoria, then north to Nawantale. We will arrive tomorrow evening, spend Saturday and Sunday there, then return on Monday. We will not have internet access, so I will next report after we return.

While passing through Jinja, we will visit one of our kids, Diana, who is ill with Sickle Cell complications and in the hospital there.

Saturday we plan to help roof the new church structure, conduct eye exams, perform dental work, deliver supplies brought from the US and Kenya, and picking up needed items to improve the conditions at the home.

Sunday, we will worship at the church, share a message and encourage them, continue with eye exams and dental work, administer some medicine, and have some fun with the kids. We have soccer balls, a tether ball, and a volleyball net.

Monday we will visit the kid’s school and head back to Kitale.

We are bringing all the supplies we can fit in our truck. This includes 80 pounds of medicine, 50 pounds of clothing, 50 pounds of books, and lots of balls, book bags, underwear, and very importantly, a bundle of letters written from individual kids at The Lord’s Servants Home in Kenya directly to individual kids at The Stream of Hope Home in Uganda. How cool is that?

Please pray that the weather is good and it doesn’t rain so that we will have travel safety and successfully roof the church.

Posted in Updates from Uganda
Tagged 2013, 2013 Trip, mission trip, Stream of Hope Home

August 8, 2013

Trip Update, Thur. 8 Aug.

We’ve had a great couple of days and all are doing well. First of all, praise God for His timing, we could have come here a week earlier or a week later and been in trouble…the Nairobi airport had a major fire yesterday and is shut down to International travel for an unknown period. We leave through there over a week from now and should be OK.

We’re enjoying the kids who are now out of school.

Here’s a few highlights…

I’m drinking water from the tap in Kenya thanks to our well and chlorinator.

Greg installed a hot water heater for the shower and we have enjoyed a real luxury of a hot shower. It has been cold and rainy here and the warm water is appreciated. This is a long way from the bottle of water and bucket we used a few years ago. (No photo available 🙂 )

Randall and kids doing some home beautification projects. Our 4x4 Isuzu is in the background. I love it.

Randall and kids doing some home beautification projects. Our 4×4 Isuzu is in the background. I love it.

People from the community waiting for Dr. Randall to inspect their eyes as a service.

Caroline, Cheryl, Dorothy, and Mama Rose. Cheryl’s project installing an oven and expanding the kitchen opens up a new world of baking to the home. She is going to try a cake today.