Tag Archives: mission trip

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.

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Most of the kids at The Stream of Hope Home

Church structure with trusses installed

Church structure with trusses installed

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Pastor Paul and the kids playing tetherball

New sport here, volleyball

New sport here, volleyball

Dr. Randall checking eyes

Dr. Randall checking eyes

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

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.

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

 

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.

 

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.

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.

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

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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.

Centrine and Bridgitt are leading a worship time on Monday night, all by themselves. Really pretty and joyful sounds.

Centrine and Bridgitt are leading a worship time on Monday night, all by themselves. Really pretty and joyful sounds.
Movie time...they love The Jungle Book!

Movie time…they love The Jungle Book!

Greg leading a team to improve road drainage and eliminate mud near the orphanage.

Greg leading a team to improve road drainage and eliminate mud near the orphanage.

Trip to LSH and SOH – August, 2013

Greg Perkins, frequent visitor, and the Thomas family, Dr Randall, his wife Cheryl, and daughter Susan, and I will leave on August 1st and return on August 17th.  We will all go to Kitale, Kenya and stay at the Lord’s Servants Home.  The children will be out of school on break during this time.  Cheryl and Susan will have lots of opportunity to love on and do activities with the kids and community.  Randall is an eye doctor and will use his skills among the children and community who likely have never had their eyes cared for.  We also have several projects planned around the home as well as work to prepare the new Lord’s Servants Academy for opening in September.

Greg, Randall, and I plan to take 3 days and travel to Uganda, visiting the Stream of Hope Home.  The kids will be out of school as well and we plan eye, teeth, and basic health checks.  Several facilities and operational improvements should be under way at this new orphanage and we will help facilitate them and plan for the next 6 months.

Of course our primary goal is to encourage the Pastors and Children and share the love of Jesus Christ in a real and practical way.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for wisdom, stamina, and provisions as we prepare.  Thank you!

46 Precious Ugandan Children…

We met this brave new mercy ministry…an orphanage that Greg, Moses, and I visited and served in Uganda.  Through friendships that God put together over the years, I was introduced to Pastor Isa and the Stream of Hope for the African Child (SOHAC) ministry in a small town about 75 miles north of Jinja, Uganda called Nawantale.  It was a brutal trip to get there from Kitale, nearly 10 hours total by vehicle plus a border crossing.

Pastor Isabirye Paulous and his team started a church and children’s home because of the needs in this community for spreading the Gospel and for children to be defended.  Traditional worship and belief in the spirit world is common.  An undefended child is at risk for exploitation in many ways.  The church building is a simple structure with open sides and grass roof but full of joyful worship.  It is the only church in the village center.  We spent a great Sunday giving messages and in worship with them.

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Stream of Hope worship

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Moses and I with the team at SOHAC Ministry

Rented house for the orphans

The kids and few caretakers are existing in a very cramped and basic way.  They can get clean water at a community well 1/2 mile away but all the children wake at 3:00am to stand in line at the hand pump so they can get water for the day, before walking over 3 miles to school.

Village hand pump

Village hand pump

Stagnant water many use for washing

Cooking and facilities need improving.

Kitchen facility

Kitchen facility

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Sleeping quarters are safe but too cramped and on an unfinished floor with no mosquito nets.

20 boys sleep in this room

20 boys sleep in this room

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SOHAC funding is inadequate and they are just surviving.  We brought them medicine to treat the children for intestinal worms and diarrhea, we left some mattresses and mosquito nets, we bought a 2 week supply of food, we performed field dentistry and removed many teeth, and we purchased school books and supplies so the kids could go to school.  They were so excited to go to school that they did not sleep.

Administering de-worming medicine

Administering de-worming medicine

School supplies so the kids can attend school

2 weeks of food and supplies

2 weeks of food and supplies

Field dentistry to relieve pain

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Pray with us for the guidance and provisions for SOHAC Ministry, for the health and well-being of the kids, for God to be honored in all things, for the lost of Nawantale to see Jesus in the flesh through this work and wish to know Him, and for us to know how God wants us to proceed as Mission Servants Ministry to serve this mission.