Kalangala Island

The first Sunday in December Lynn and I had the opportunity to go to Kalangala Island to visit.  A church was started out there a few years ago by a missionary couple who has since returned to the States.  Our purpose for going was to see what is still there and what the opportunities might be.

We planned to have a Children's Bible Club in the morning.  In the afternoon Renee and Jan would meet with the ladies while Lynn and David would meet with the men.

Our journey started off in Entebbe by going to church with Renee and David, hearing him preach, and having a potluck lunch.  (We haven’t had one of those since we left the States.) On the way to the church two camels were strolling down the road.  We had not seen that here either.  Lots of new things on this trip.

These camels acted like the road belonged to them.

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We took all of our supplies and walked onto a ferry for the three-hour ride to the Island. 

Lake Victoria is HUGE.  It feels like being in the ocean.

Kalangala Island in the distance

When we arrived we went to the hotel, left our supplies, and walked to the nearby village to find the church.  Eva was our guide.  She worked on these islands before and still has a heart for the people there.

Lynn walking toward the village

Jan and the rest of the team walking to the church in the nearby village

 

Lutoboka Baptist Church

The church was a pole building, an almost-covered tin roof and a floor that they had put fresh straw on.  The building was no more than 20x20 but it was covered and would keep most of the rain or sun out.

Pastor Moses in front of his house.

Monday morning we woke up to the sound of rain.  The girl at the desk thought the rain would be gone by 10:00 but it looked  like it might stay until afternoon.  As we were seated at breakfast I thought that the dining area would be a much better place for the children since it was totally enclosed and was about 3 times bigger. We were the only ones present and the hotel staff was happy to rent it for the day.

Hotel dining hall

Soon the children came.  We filled up the room, wall-to-wall, with somewhere between 125-150 kids of all ages. We divided them into 9 groups and then handed out coloring pages to go along with the Bible story and let them work on that for a time.  Then they heard the Christmas story from the very beginning.

 

Photos from the Bible Club:

 

 

 We also got a surprise.  A group of children from the church had prepared a special presentation of songs and dance for us.

At the end when the children were leaving, everyone got cookies and juice.  

We had planned for the ladies and men to meet separately in the afternoon, but that, too, changed and all of them met together at the church.  David storied a couple of the stories from Matthew 1.  It was amazing how attentive they were and how they were so eager to hear all the story and then figure how it applied to them. 


The whole day spoke to me.  We have our plans, but it is God who is in charge.

Return home on the ferry

Practicing Obedience

Sunday, November 27

Today we started across town to go to Pastor Deo’s church.  Lynn showed me the “short-cut” which I am not fond of.  This one seemed really bad especially because of all the rain we have been having.  But it did avoid what is usually the daily road congestion and it got us to where we needed to be.

Rain has rutted the roads and filled the potholes with water.

 When we got “there” we couldn’t park because it was under construction so our plans changed. 

Instead, we would go to Lugoba Church, Pastor Dearn’s church nearby.  I had not been there in a while but knew that they recently rebuilt their building with stronger poles, a better roof, and reused iron sheets for the siding.

Pastor Dearn Katende

Lugoba Baptist Church- rebuilt but not finished.

 

Lynn preached about the blessings we receive when we are obedient.  

 

Jackie and Joanna praying to receive Christ

At the end of the service two ladies, Jackie and Joanna, decided to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  It is true.  When we are obedient, we do receive blessings.  Today has been a blessing!

 

Trip to the Island, part 1

Trip to the Island, part 1

Coworker Tammy and I went to the Island with a Medical team this week.  Our purpose was to go and watch and see how we could possibly come along side and help.  Our leaders were a nurse, Diana, who feels called to help the people on the islands since the government has a “no help, nor resources” attitude for them.  The other was Jane who goes to conduct a Bible club for the children while the clinic is going on.

Tammy and I in a huge canoe traveling to the island

Carrying in the Supplies

They had not been there on a consistent basis lately because of lack of funds so the first thing we did while the clinic was being set up was to walk to the island’s school and see children and let them know that we were there.  It was about 3 miles in and then back.

Jane leading us to the island's school

The clinic was well organized with four stations: the first was where the ladies came and found their own medical records.  Records were in stacks and the ladies had to sift through them to find their own.

The second station:  little ones got their shots.

Third and fourth stations:  other issues with the Moms and children were taken care of.  We were very impressed at the quality of work and how well things flowed.

I stayed with Jane to watch what she did with the Bible club.  It was everything that one would expect:  singing, Bible story, memory verse, coloring pages, snacks.  We even plaited banana leaves to make a jump rope.

Getting everything Ready

Games

Coloring Pages to go with the Story

Lots of Singing

Making our own Jump Rope

Eager Faces

Team member Renee told the Creation-to-Christ story for those who were waiting.  One young mother, Zulaika, invited Jesus into her heart.  Another lady, Gertrude, was visited and she too heard the story and invited Christ into her life.

Renee Storying Creation to Christ

Zulaika Praying 

It was a full day and we were tired but so glad we had gone.  Two new sisters in Christ and many sick taken care of.  

Trip to the Island, part 2

Trip to the Island, part 2

A little background to our involvement.  Calvary Chapel started in Entebbe about 6 years ago and it has little by little been adding to its ministry.  They have a church, a school, and now 15 acres of land that has been donated to them on the island for ministry there. 

The island has a lot of witchcraft and is very dark.  One of the pastors and his wife were sent to stay there and start a work.  They came back in a few days and said they could not stay there because of the evil.  But the land is excellent and a garden is growing to feed the children of their school.  They also have pigs and are wanting to expand to be able to take care of needs.

The first rototiller I have seen

Back on the mainland at the school they are trying to add one more grade level each year as they are able.  The have a craft room where about 20 or so Moms are learning to sew (they don’t use patterns here) and do other crafts.  They had only 6 sewing machines for all of them.  Tammy and her people from Arkansas donated one more to them.  Great excitement!

Children come to school free, which is almost unheard of in Uganda.  Parents are required to work in some way at the school a few hours a week in order for their children to be able to attend.  It has worked out very well. 

Coworker Tammy in the School play yard

So many schools here lack supplies, good teachers, good organization.  It is wonderful to see one that is on the right track.

Flip-flop Problem

As a missionary (I think this also includes Moms everywhere) we learn the word “flexible” and get to use it a lot.  There are times when we need to be creative with what we do.

Taylor children and Grandpa at the airport

Coming back with us from Texas to Uganda were the Taylor kids.  They have practically become family (We are Aunt Jan and Uncle Lynn) so it was no problem to bring them home from the Grandmas’.  We met them at DFW airport just a couple of hours before we flew out.

Karis had on flip-flops and in the first few minutes we were there the toe strap broke. Flip-flops without a toe strap to hold them on are pretty worthless.   Bags had already been checked and she had no other shoes with her.  So what to do?

We checked at all the stores in the airport and while there were adult flip-flops at a couple of places there was nothing for a 7-year old.  We had an 18-hour flight ahead of us with a 9-hour layover in London.  Going barefooted probably wouldn’t be a very good option.

How can we fix the flip-flop?  How can we make the toe strap stay in?  Finally, I figured out a possibility.  I had a safety pin in my carry-on and I thought maybe we could use that to keep in the strap in place.  Sure enough, I stuck the pin through the rubber strap underneath the shoe and it held the whole way home.

Funny remedy, but, it worked.  

OBU Students - June

Our Kampala team received word this week that there was a team of 7 students from Oklahoma Baptist University who were stranded here in Kampala.  We invited them over to hear their story and see what they needed.  

Back in the States, Ben had located a small mission here in Kampala run by a gentleman from South Africa.  His organization has been here about 7 years  and it looked interesting.  Ben contacted him and decided that it was worthy to come and help out this summer.  He then enlisted 7 other students to be a part.  Three of them are studying to become physical therapists and two of them are in medical fields.  They thought they would be able to use their skills as part of their assignment.

When they got here they found that things had changed because that gentleman was sick and had been in a car accident and there was no one else to take over.  Ben’s grandfather had been a missionary in Africa, so he called him.  Through his grandfather’s connections they contacted us.

There are many ways to minister here in Kampala so we gave some options to see what they would like to do.  They have already been to house churches in two different slum areas, helped paint walls in an orphanage, and interacted with university students. Though their plans were disrupted they are willing and eager to be “out there” serving.

For me, this story is about God’s sovereignty.  Our team had requested summer missionaries and through some miscommunication, that fell through.  Our Father knew that these 8 students would need a place and a mission.

Pray that our Kampala team will see the places of need that will most fit their skills and interests and help them to grow.

Mid-term Break in the States

In August we took our mid-term break in the States. We spent the first two weeks in Washington state, staying in Tacoma with Lynn’s mom.  She is doing well after having broken her neck last April.  She has a few complaints --but then, who wouldn’t at the age of almost 95.

Lynn was ordained in our home church, Bethany Baptist, the first Sunday home.  It was so good to visit our church family and catch up on the ‘happenings’ in Elma.  Friends had a cook-out with fresh salmon and halibut they caught in Alaska.  That was good:  the fellowship was better.

Our children, including our daughter’s finance′, all drove or flew in to visit.  We packed in the activities:  Pike St. Market and wharf in Seattle,  Mt. Rainier climb, family get-together, and church together at Mom Skuza’s.  They all flew out Sun. afternoon and we followed them to Texas the next day.

In Texas the BIG event was the marriage of our daughter Charissa to Nathan Ikel.  I am not bragging, nor am I prejudiced (well maybe a little), but it was one of the most beautiful weddings I have seen.  We feel so privileged to have Nathan in our family and to be connected to his family.  Our daughter Amye sang and our nephew Josh performed the ceremony.  Everything was perfect!

My (Jan) mother missed the wedding because she was in the hospital so we drove to OK City to visit her.  She was on the road to recovery but sure hated to miss her granddaughter’s wedding.  

In all too short a time we had to pack up and go back home.

Good Samaritan Orphanage Center

My colleague Renee recently told me about this orphanage in Entebbe.  She had been so upset about the needs there that she wasn’t sleeping well at night.  Today my Kampala team members, Tammy and Angela, and I went to visit.

It is a small orphanage/school that has only about 22 children who live there with the orphanage “mama”.  The other 100 students live locally or come across the lake on a ferry from the islands.

We visited each class and greeted the students and teachers.  

We gave out avocados to each student.  They had no other food. 

 They are able to cook porridge when there is money but often there is not.  The kitchen area was almost empty.  There was a charcoal pot to cook on but very few utensils.

They had only one bathroom for the whole school.  Three others are being built but are not yet completed.  There were only two bedrooms for all of those 22 students and the mama.  More rooms are being built but still have a long ways to go.

Mama and Girls' room

Boy's room had 3 double-bed bunk beds and a single.

My friends and I decided that this might be a place where we can help.  Most of the orphanages in Kampala are connected to other organizations and really haven’t needed help.  Today we brought a 120 kg (250+ pounds) gunny sack full of beans.  We left it at Sandy’s house to distribute in smaller portions throughout the week.  

120kg bag of beans

We plan to meet with school personnel to see what can be done, even if it is only to help feed the children.