Grasshoppers Anyone?

Last Sunday when I went down to Soweto to pick up the ladies who were going to be baptized, I saw some kids peeling something and putting it in a bowl. I couldn’t tell what it was so I walked on. When I got to the office a man was selling bags of the “whatever” stuff I had seen. Each one was about two inches long and bright green. I thought it was some kind of vegetable I had not seen, maybe like peas. So, I stopped the guy and asked him what it was --grasshoppers. I had always seen them already fried and brown. I ran back to the car to get my camera and went back to where the kids were peeling.

When I got up close, I saw that they were taking each grasshopper and removing the wings, legs, and head and then bagging them. This week I found two of them in my house. The weird thing is that they don’t hop or fly away. Just sat there waiting for someone to pick them up and pluck them.

Post Office Adventure

Lynn and I have been in Kampala for eleven months now and would you believe that we have not had to go downtown to the post office? (Who does snail mail any more?) Today was the day for our first adventure.

And what a morning! Lynn called me from downstairs at the office and asked me to go with him and Tammy R. to the post office. Tammy went to show us the way and the procedures. Lynn had to go because the package was in his name and he had to have two copies of his passport to be able to get it. I went because there are very few parking places so they needed me to drive around until they were finished. Tammy wasn’t actually sure of the way after a certain point but we finally managed to get there. Lynn drove down there but just before we got there and while we were stopped in traffic we did a “Chinese fire drill” and all jumped out. I hopped into the driver’s seat.

I started driving but I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find my way back. I first made a “big” circle and then found a “smaller” circle to go around. There were no parking places for the first 5-6 circles, then one finally opened up not too far away. Turns out it was a bank parking area, but when I explained to the bank guard how many times I had gone around the circle he told me not to waste my gas. He allowed me to park there (for a price).

After about 30 minutes or so Lynn cell phoned me and said they had gotten to the package but it was over $100 in value so it was charged a postal tax -- 130.000UGS (about $60). The tax couldn’t be paid at the post office. It had to be paid at the Crane bank (main branch). I had passed it half a dozen times in my circling around so I was able to tell Lynn and Tammy which way to walk. When they got to the bank, they first had to pay a fee of 2,000 just to be allowed to pay the postal tax. Then Lynn had to do a withdrawal so he could pay it. Finally, they had to walk back to the post office to pick up the package.

In the meantime, the bank guard came over to my car and asked for some money so he could buy some tea. I had already been there for about an hour so I was glad to do it. I don’t know how much gas I saved but it was certainly worth 1,000 shillings (.50) he asked, but wouldn’t you know it, I only had a 2,000 bill. Oh well, just think how many circles I would have had to drive otherwise.

(We would love to get packages from home. Bubble envelopes are the best because they can come right to the office and not be charged extra. Don’t put on the package its worth-- at least not more than $50 --or it is too expensive for you and for us.) We can actually get almost anything here but we mostly “do” with the things that are here. And that is ok. :)

No Peace of Mind

Today I went to my ladies’ Bible study at Pastor Thomas’ house. I arrived before anyone else so I had a chance to visit with Pastor Thomas a little. I asked him how he was doing and he said “not too well because of his landlord”.

Here’s a little background to the problem. Back in Sept. Pastor T had told me about the problem. His landlord had come to him and wanted him to pay two month’s rent instead of the usual one. It seems that the landlord had gotten behind on his bills and he wanted to collect a little extra from his tenants. We advised Thomas not to do that because we felt that that would become an ongoing problem—that any time the landlord got behind he would demand money from the tenants. (No one has contracts here, so even though there are laws to protect the renter, very few really have much recourse).

What was worrying Thomas was that he was about to go to seminary for his 3-week term and he was afraid that the landlord would bug his wife and children. A church in the States has been helping Thomas go to seminary and they did this time as usual so I thought the problem was taken care of.

Today as we talked, I realized that the problem is far from over. While Thomas was gone to seminary the landlord had not paid the electricity bill so he demanded payment from all the tenants. He called Thomas at seminary and demanded that he pay. Thomas refused and told him he needed to study and he would talk when he got back. Thomas has refused to pay the extra money because electricity was to be included in the rent money for which he had paid and was up to date. So, two months ago the landlord had his electricity cut off – no one else’s. I don’t think it could have made that much difference. There is one light bulb, one iron, and one place to charge his phone in his house. How much electricity can that use? But, of course, it is certainly an inconvenience to Thomas and his family.

As we continued to talk about it, Thomas said that the landlord had inherited the property and had never owned anything before so he doesn’t know how to manage what he has. Now, this is the sad part. The problem began about the time that I began the Bible study at his house. The landlord saw me, a “muzungu” (in his eyes, a rich foreigner) coming every week. That must mean that Thomas has connections to money. Pastor Thomas said that he has had “no peace” almost since he started living in this house and the landlord will not listen to reason.

I suggested that our Bible study might end in a few weeks but Pastor Thomas said that would not help. First, we are already connected. Second, it will happen to me wherever I minister because I am a muzungu. If I stop, then I will have no ministry. If the ministry stops, then Satan will win.

Basketball fun

Ever since we have been here in Kampala, Lynn would look at the broken basketball hoops and want to get them fixed so everyone can play. This is really funny to me because Lynn was a wrestling coach for his whole school career and always made fun of basketball. But he saw this as a way to develop relationships.

So, Lynn went to town to look. At the store everything was way tooooo expensive so he went and bought the wood and a woodworker made the backboards, edged and painted them. He took the basketball hoop and asked if a metal worker could make another one just like it. Sure. The hard part was getting them attached to the poles. But with a little help that was done, too.

Now everyone wants to learn how to play basketball. It HAS been a great relationship builder. It has been fun to get everyone playing “horse”. We haven’t gotten all the rules down yet because it is still too hard to dribble on our rocky, grassy court. But soon. . . .

Lifeway Church, cont

Sunday morning worship.

Lynn was the guest pastor today. He is really becoming a good preacher. We are so thankful for the Christian men who are the interpreters. They know the Bible and can explain when the translation sometimes gets stuck.

This is the Sunday School. Not quite activity-based yet, but then neither are the schools. In school, children sit at their desks and copy into their notebooks the notes that are placed on the board. (even 1st and 2nd graders) But classes may have 60-70 children and only 1 teacher so it is a matter of necessity and management. We have a lack of Sunday School materials. Of course, we can always get churches to send some but that isn't the best. I have a dream that maybe we can get some Ugandan writers to start writing the materials for our classes.

Lifeway Church

This is Lifeway Baptist Church. This is a rented building but a good one for this congregation. They have room for worship and a room for Sunday School.

Who could resist a picture like this?

This is Emma and Joel. They help out with worship and Joel is in charge of the Sunday School. Here, SS is for children. Adults have Bible study. Both of these guys are going to the seminary so that they can be pastors. Joel has just gotten some training and materials that he would like to share with other churches. He has to wait for the means.

Worship always includes drums. Lifeway had 3 and their youth were playing them. The good thing about drums is that you never have to worry about electricity or technology. They always sing in a key that is good for everyone. They are always right on beat.

Ugandan terminology

I borrowed this from our summer missionary. After being here a while one forgets that the rest of the world doesn't always understand the terms we use all the time. This is pretty random but fun.

Fun Stuff We’ve Eaten:
Grasshoppers & caterpillars (grasshoppers are much better but often a little oily because they are fried)
Tilapia
Goat Kababs and Stew
Italian Ice Cream
The best pineapples, bananas, papayas and mangoes

Facts About Kampala, Uganda to Note:

· Mzungu- White person (sometimes kids are told we will eat them- so some are scared of us)

· Boda Boda- Motorcycle taxi

· Taxi – mini-buses that carry supposedly not more than 14 people.

· There are over 100 slums in Kampala

· Soweto- A slum in Kampala,Uganda- location of Pastor Thomas and the two Bible studies I teach
Naguru- A slum in Kampala Uganda. Where Lynn has a Bible study going.

Nateete – Another slum area where we work.

· Shillings are the currency here (paper money like in the US- not shells). 2,000 shillings equals about 1 USD . in May we got new paper money that is colorful and smaller. (still reminds me of monopoly money)

· Compound- a gated home usually with high walls surrounding it and barbed wire or cut glass on the top.

· Witch Doctors (yes, they really exist.) They sacrifice children (which is against the law), so in order to keep them away from children, families make them impure by piercing the children’s ears.

· Kampala the city sits on multiple hills. We live UP the hill from where we park our car on the compound. It is quite an exercise.

· Uganda is called the Pearl of Africa. It is green and beautiful .

· The women of Uganda bow to the ground on one knee to greet their husbands and guests. More true in the villages than in Kampala. Kampala is quickly becoming “westernized” in lots of ways.

· The people of Uganda always shake hands and they sometimes hold hands while you are talking until you’re finished.

· African wounds/ African Massage refers to the bad roads/ potholes that make it feel like you’re off- roading in the mountains or something, when you’re really just going to the grocery store!

· Muslims are very prevalent.

· Water heaters are necessary for showers and must be turned on(like a light switch) 1 hour before shower. (We have 3 – for the bathrooms and kitchen. Electricity is expensive so we have to remember to turn them off)

· Water must be purified in order to brush teeth and drink. Bottled water is readily available. Thanks to our WMU ladies in the States every family is furnished a filtering container.

· Milk is pasteurized in a way that it does not have to be refrigerated until after opened. It is amazing to see boxes of milk sitting on the shelves.

· It is normal for women to breastfeed their children while talking to you.

· Picking your nose in public is ok.

· American brands are used here for names of mom & pop shops- such as Disney World being a children’s day care.

· Types of bread: Salt, brown & white. No preservatives so it doesn’t last long.

· Sidedishes are the multiple women partners of married men.

· Air time is the amount of money you have on your phone. There are no landlines and no cell phone plans. You can buy cards to upload minutes – so prepaid. Good idea.

· SMS (Short Message Service) is a text message.
Flash calling or Beeping is when a person just calls and hangs up- it costs no money and notifies them that you need them.

Many kids want to be doctors and nurses.

Our Anniversary

Lynn remembered our anniversary!! He brought this beautiful arrangement home the day before. He wanted to make sure he didn't forget. 31 years of marriage. Sounds like a long time but it has passed fast. We are thankful for the good years God has given us. Three children and two grandchildren. We are truly blessed. And now we are on an adventure so our next few years will be even more eventful.

Aggie's Ladies

One of the former members of Life's Journey Church is now a missionary here in Uganda. His wife Aggie works with these ladies. They make beads and other arts and crafts. One day the team came to visit them and we were greeted in typical Ugandan style --praise and worship.

They showed us their many beads. These were just a few that they hung on a line. All the rest were on tarps on the ground and unfortunately I didn't take a picture.

These ladies live next to a huge stone quarry and many of them work there each day. They sit with their hammars and break up the rocks into smaller stones. It is tedious work and does not pay much but they are happy to have a job. Some of the team members tried their hand at breaking up the rocks. The ladies laughed at us as we struggled to do what they did easily, but they loved it that we tried.

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Alabama team

We were blessed by the team that came from Life's Journey Church in Huntsville, Alabama. They came ready to work. We went into two different slum areas, Nateete and Naguru. The first day in each area the team went door to door to share the Gospel. The next day they came back to the same area to set up an eye clinic and share the Gospel.

Pastor Keith was amazing. Whenever he started sharing he would soon have a crowd of men around him listening and asking many questions.

With the help of some of our local pastors we set up a big tent to house the people coming for the eye clinic. It was full most of the time. It was quite orderly and everyone was patient as they sat and waited their turn.

Tables were set up for testing for glasses. These were just reading glasses but they tried to be as accurate as possible. After being fitted with glasses the team then took the opportunity to share the Gospel with each individual.


Between 450 and 500 pairs of glasses were given out during the week. People were thankful that they could now see.

Miscellaneous pictures

 

 

 

Nkere Church, Kawempe

 

This was our first time to go to Nkere Church. It is on the far side of Kampala. You can only drive so far and then you have to get out and walk. Not an easy walk. This is another one of the churches that does not have a building. The landlord is a member of the church and has graciously allowed them to meet on her property. The tarps help keep out the sun and rain if it is not too heavy. Pastor Deo told us that if it rains you cannot get in or out of the area because it floods.

All of our churches start off with such a good time of worship. Today we sang. Then the older children's choir sang. Then the Women's choir sang. It was a special treat.

 

Lynn got to preach while Pastor Deo interpreted.

 

This was the children's choir. You can see the community bathroom behind the children. This was the first one I had seen built up like that. I assume it is because of the flooding.

 

After the service, everyone stayed for lunch. We didn't know about that ahead of time so it was a delicious surprise. We had matooke (cooking bananas), rice, g-nut sauce (peanut), and beef --a typical African meal.

Nateete BGR buckets

 

After we left Naguru, we drove across town to Nateete. Here we first met at a house where the others were gathered. Again, because of the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, they did not want to be seen by others in the community.

 

This lady started a support group called "Friends" where those who have HIV can come and share and encourage each other. She is one of the friends.

 

This group was gathered together We had the buckets to give to a certain list of people but we didn't say what they were for. Again, the Gospel was presented and three more became believers. Africans do everything very formally. So, as we gave each bucket to an individual we gave words of encouragement.

Shamin

This is Shamin. I want to share her story because it is typical of many people here.

First, let me give you a little background. Our team works with Manna Ministries here in Kampala. They go into a slum area and the community itself picks about 50 people/families who are the poorest of the poor. Those people receive food for about a six month period as well as hear the Gospel. Our friend Douglas has been ministering to Shamin for the last six months and on the day that we went to deliver our Home Care buckets he asked us all to visit Shamin.

Shamin is living with her extended family now. We all gathered into her room which was relatively larger than most homes in the slum. We all found a spot on one of the three beds in the room. Douglas asked her to tell us her story but she was too emotional. So this is the story that he related.

Shamin has just recently become a believer. She was Muslim before and her family still is. She is also HIV postive along with three of her children, one of which just recently died. Having HIV carries a big stigma here and anyone having it is usually shunned. Shamin has it so she mostly lives out her life in her bedroom. Her son was in the bed while we were there and he is not doing well either. No one comes to see her and even her family ignores her most of the time. Shamin does not feel well enough not to go out very often, so like the lepers in Bible-times she is separated from the community. Being a believer has not helped her with her family. That is another offense she has committed.

Douglas had wanted us to visit her so that we could encourage her and show her the love of the Lord. He also wanted her family to see that we could visit her and touch her and hug her and visit with her and that it was ok. Shamin was encouraged and she was so happy to have someone to come and tell her that she is still valuable and that God does indeed love her. It certainly doesn't feel that way to her much any more. We told her that we would pray for her and ask our churches at home to pray also. That,too, was encouraging.

There are many others like Shamin. While the statistics for HIV/AIDs was down for a while, it has started to rise again. Please join us in our prayers for Shamin and the many others in the same situation.

Home Care Buckets

Our whole Kampala Urban Team gathered this morning to go and deliver the Home Care Buckets we have received. The buckets are intended for selected people in Nuguru and Natete infected with HIV.


We have 50 buckets to deliver.




The buckets went to people who were in need of them and there was no requirement to receive them. It was an opportunity to share the Good News with them.

Victoria Falls

Since 40/40 training was in Zambia, when we finished we decided to go to Livingstone to see the Falls. It was an 8 hour bus ride down but Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and so worth seeing.

 

We were lucky on the timing. Right after the rainy season it is difficult to see the Falls at all because there is so much water going over that there is a mist that actually hides the Falls. This was about a month later and the mist would rise and fall. We had to wear raincoats and still managed to get soaked.

 

This baboon was searching out all the cars to find food. She wasn't a bit shy. In fact, when she saw that one of the children in our group had a peanut butter sandwich she ran over, reached over his shoulder, and had that sandwich before any of us could do a thing.

 

This was our reward for making it through our training.