BBC - Go Home Day

It is always sad to send people home, especially those from our home church.  They are our family and they have encouraged us so much.  But it is time.

We have been so on-the-go all week that we saved shopping for the last day.  Everyone made their lists and were checking it twice.  Even me.  I love shopping, though I rarely buy.  I could LOOK all day.  Everyone got what they wanted and we went home to pack.

Pastor Michael and Bev at the Craft Shops

Bethany didn’t get to ‘do a safari’ so Lynn and I took them to the Entebbe Wildlife center.  It is small but it has all of the Ugandan animals there.  It was a good weather day--perfect for taking pictures.

The first thing MacKenzie and I did was to ride a camel.  I decided that I am ‘making memories’ so, although it was not a comfortable ride, I can say that I did it.

Here are some of the pictures:

Free-to-roam Vervet Monkeys

Crested Crane - Uganda's national bird

Hornbill

White Rhino - one of the few left in Uganda

Pithon

Finally, we went to a good restaurant with a view of Lake Victoria and had a leizurely meal.  Their plane was scheduled to leave at 11:50pm, but didn’t actually leave until 1:30 a.m.

Perfect weather to sit outside

Lynn having Lake Victoria fresh Tilipia

Fish head anyone?

The end of a good day and a great trip for Bethany Baptist

Prayer Walking with Bethany BC

December 26

Kalerwe church

At the next church, Kalerwe, we had time to prayer walk the area around the church before the children came.  Somehow prayer walking always leads to opportunities to share with people, and today was no exception.   

The first lady we shared with wanted to know if we were “Jehovah’s”.  She was confused, as are many, about all the different denominations.  What makes one Christian and not another.  She asked that we come back another day and talk more about what it means to be a Christian.

The path my team followed

A little farther down the path, we started a conversation with a man who said he was “backslidden”.   I wanted to know what he meant by “backslidden” because I have heard others say that.  What he meant was that he had stopped going to church.  Why?  “See me,  I am a poor man.”  So?  “I do not have the right clothes to go to church”.  I tried to explain that God does not care what clothes we wear.  He cares about our hearts.  (I guess people in the church are not always in agreement with me about that).  

Paul,  Sadat,  and Abasie 

Another young man started asking questions so I asked if I could tell him a story (Creation2Christ). His two friends wanted to hear it, too.  The first man disappeared but I told the story to these three and we were soon surrounded by 10-12 other men.  

These three, Sadat, Paul, and Abasie all prayed to receive Christ.  I tried to make sure that they understood the commitment; that Christ changes hearts and lives. It is NOT an add-onto-what-I-already-do-religion. These were Muslim men so the commitment was big.

When we returned to the Church we heard the same story in the other groups.  Nine men had chosen to become Christ followers today.

Returning with a happy smile

Kids' Klub at Kasakoso (Bethany BC)

Bethany Baptist team

Dec 23   

The plan for these  days was to go to three of our network churches, do some prayer walking, and then have a Kids’ Klub for the children.  

Four of Lynn’s college students who have been wanting to get involved in ministry showed up to help out.  The church, along with our college students, led in praise and worship for about an hour before our “program” started.  

Pastor Michael and Bev told the Nativity story using  a manger scene props.  After they finished we decided to tell the story again. I wasn’t sure how this would turn out - having to translate from English to Luganda, but I have discovered that Ugandan children love acting out stories.  

Angel Gabriel

We chose some of the older children and they acted it out as I told the story.  The children loved it, their parents appreciated seeing their children, and everybody got to hear the story twice.

During the worship time I was standing at the back corner of the church and I heard a noise and turned around to see eyes at all the cracks in the wall.  There were children outside looking to see what was happening inside.

Juice in a bag

Mackenzie and Jan handing out cookies

Afterwards, the children got cookies and juice.  And every member of the church got beans and rice.   

Pastor Michael carrying in one of the heavy bags of posho

Pastor John with beans and posho

Black hands/ white hands.  Everyone working together.

Lynn handing out beans and posho to the members of the church

Other cute pictures:

Who is imitating who?

Seeing himself in the mirror

Christmas Eve, part 2

During the second half of Christmas Eve day,  we ladies spent the afternoon getting ready for Christmas eve dinner.  We  were having ham with all the trimmings and rolls and a pumpkin dessert and pecan pie.  

Last year Lynn and I had invited some young single men to join us and we had a great time.  We did that again this year, adding one new one.  Our family is far away but we have a family here to share with.

So-- two Skuzas, 5 from Bethany BC, 5 young men and  a young couple who are staying next door to us trying to finish adopting two children. (They have been here 9 months and are so ready to go home).  

16  of us together -- different races and tribes, different languages, different lifestyles--all of us together to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Awesome!

Christmas tree along with a fan

MacKenzie chatting with the guys

Ribben Family

Pastor Michael

Ivan and Erma

Lynn, Bernice and Bev

We sang, some in English and some in Luganda, and heard once again the wonderful story of our Jesus’ birth. 

Emma leading us in Worship

Pastor Dearn drumming 

Lynn sharing the Christmas Story

We shared the food baskets.

Emma

Brothers - Edson and Ivan

 Single, living alone  --  A home-cooked "muzungu" meal and food to take home.  They were appreciative.

Christmas Eve, part 1

Our project for this Christmas Eve morning  was to deliver food baskets.  The Bethany ladies and I would go to Namuwongo where “my girls” all live.  

Entrance to the Namuwongo Slum

I forgot a few things, like how hard it is to get into the slum.  One has to cross a rickety old bridge, which is repaired but not good

Mackenzie

Bernice and Erma

and then cross another smaller but more sturdy one.  None of the ground is level anywhere.

  

We first went to Winnie and Jennifer’s house.  Four of us ladies and four teenagers crowded into a small (maybe 4 x 6ft.) sitting area.  They were so welcoming and so gracious.

Friend, Jennifer, and Winnie

Winnie then took us to Prossy’s house and on the way it started to rain lightly.  Oops - no raincoats or umbrellas.  Prossy lives with her mom and 8 brothers and sisters in their grandma’s house.  It might be slightly bigger and she owns a TV and a refrigerator. (that was my first time to see a refrigerator in the slums).  We stayed only long enough to meet, greet, and leave the food basket.

By now it was pouring rain so we returned to the van and drove to Lydia’s.  Lydia had gone to the village but her mother was so excited about us coming. We sat on her bed and visited a few minutes while MacKenzie played with a little chick that lived inside the house.

Later,  Lynn, Pastor Michael and MacKenzie delivered baskets to the Naguru slum where Lynn's groups are.  He wanted to give to those who had been faithful in coming to training sessions each week during the past year.

Mackenzie and Pastor Michael giving a basket

Each of these families were blessed  -- but not nearly as much as we were.