Missions

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 UGANDA 2012

Sunday January 15-

Around 5:30 we were picked up and taken a short distance to “Two Friends.” It was a beautiful garden restaurant and we had a buffet style meal of traditional Ugandan food. It was a great time of winding down the week and getting better acquainted on a casual basis. There was a lot of laughing and sharing during the meal. We also had a little surprise from Vern and Sandy Sivige, International Mission Board missionaries serving at the Uganda Baptist Seminary. They happened to be at the restaurant for dinner. It was great to visit with them for a while. We only had a short time to visit on Saturday when we stopped by so it was great to catch up for a few more minutes.
We spent the rest of the evening straightening up and packing because we would need to leave for our two-day trip to Murchison Falls.

Monday January 16-

We were up and on the road a little after 5:30 a.m. We only caught a portion of the traffic in Kampala and once you are north of the city, then there is actually a paved, relatively straight road with very little traffic. We made good time and briefly stopped at the Masindi Hotel for restrooms and cold drinks. We then took the forty mile, bone jarring drive on the dirt road to the Red Chilli rest camp. We arrived a little before the boat tour up the Victoria Nile, so we went down to the shore of the Nile to catch the boat and off we went for a three-hour tour.

We saw a diversity of animals along and in the Nile from Hippos to Nile crocodiles, to elephants and warthogs. The trip culminates near the base of Murchison Falls.

Our trip was captained by a four year old named Teddy. Teddy and his family were from Canada. His dad was working on a PhD. researching TseTse flies. So while we were taking pictures of wildlife along the shore, Teddy’s dad was trying to photograph the flies in the boat.

The Ugandan crew allowed Teddy to sit on their lap and steer the boat for about half the trip, quite a thrill for a four year old. The guys were having a blast with the diversity of wildlife and the fact that we were on the Nile!

During our orientation at the rest camp the guide informed us that hippos frequently have come up out of the river at night and graze in the camp. Now you need to understand that the hippo is the most deadly animal in Africa. More people are killed by hippos than any other animal in Africa. He seemed nonchalant about it and said to just be aware of your surroundings at night and not startle them.

The rest of the team was able to stay in a banda, a small cabin. I, on the other hand, stayed in a canvas tent. I fell asleep early and then awakened at 9:30. I sat up slightly and looked out of the screened window of the tent that looked toward another small banda. However, my view of the banda was blocked by something just a few feet outside the window. At first, I thought someone had set up another tent in front of the banda, but then “the tent” raised its head and I realized that the small tent was actually a young hippo grazing just outside. I could hear him chomping on the grass as he worked his way across the crude yard for nearly an hour. Eventually, I put on my headphones and listened to my ipod so I did not have to hear the chomping of grass approach and recede from my tent walls.

Tuesday January 17-

We arose before sunrise, grabbed our breakfasts which had been bagged for us, and headed down to the river to catch the ferry that would take us across the Nile to the game reserve. After crossing the river we picked up a game warden that rode in our van and helped to identify and find the various wildlife. The team was thrilled at some of the great shots of the wildlife including some extreme close-ups of a pride of lions, herds of giraffes, water buffaloes, elephants, and an assortment of gazelles and antelopes.

We also had a close-up of a pond of hippos on the Lake Albert side. We then crossed back over the Nile and headed out of the park. We grabbed some lunch back at the Masindi Hotel and then headed for Entebbe to spend the night at the Imperial Beach/Botanical Gardens Hotel.

We were able to clean up and relax until Wednesday afternoon when we were taken to the airport to catch our flight to Dubai and then our connection to L.A. I am writing this section while aboard the sixteen-hour flight over the Arctic. Although we had a great time we are certainly looking forward to coming home.

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 Thursday , January 12, 2012

Another great day at the conference. Each day the presentations are more focused and refined. The team is getting used to working with an interpreter. At first, it can be very uncomfortable. You have to break up your speech into bite size chunks and by the time they have interpreted what you have said you are trying to remember what you were going to say next. I guess, in other words, your mind works so much faster. The constant waiting to say what you are going to say can be unnerving. It’s hard to believe that we will be finishing the conference tomorrow.  The conference session was finished off by a stirring message by Jeff Steele. Jeff constantly made adjustments all week to focus and shorten his presentations. If I were to give a “most improved” award he would receive it hands down! It is not that his stuff was bad, it was just so in depth and so much! He did a powerful message on Hebrews and after each point showing the supremacy of Christ he proclaimed Christ is Better! Christ is greater! The people loved it and were cheering. A great way to end the day.

We have been enjoying the end of the day by going down near the pool, cooling off and ordering dinner. It has been a highlight of our day to share about the day and what we had learned. We had to adjut our presentations for the next day because we needed to complete and summarize our teachings before lunch, so that we could present their certificates of completions (thanks Darla for putting those together). Many had a long ways to travel and we needed to leave time for them to arrive at home hopefully before dark.

 

Friday January 13, 2012

Each day,beginning Tuesday, we had a question and answer period. We asked them to write down questions that they had and give them to us before we left for the night. Then we would read them and decide who would answer them. So we began the day with Q and A and then off and running with our sessions-summarizing or finishing up our last lesson for the week.

 

The certificates are a big deal. With very little formal education the certificate of completion for participating in training is a high honor. It is a highlight. After many fair wells and pictures we were able to get back to the hotel-still shocked at how fast the week had passed. The hours had been intense. We would get back to the hotel in the evening-have dinner and begin to work on the next days presentations. Then in the morning, spend more time finishing up and packing our things for the day. Then from 9-6 we would be involved with the conference.

 

Finally, today we could relax and got back to the hotel a little after 3. We changed clothes and hiked down to the bridge that crosses the Nile and crossed over to the other side. It was the first bit of sightseeing we had done other then the drive from Entebbe to Jinja and our trips to the villages that we preached at on Sunday.

We decided this would be a good night to walk over to the other hotel in the complex and eat at their restaurant. They had a different menu then the restaurant and café over on our end of the hotel complex. One whole side of the restaurant has windows that overlooks the Nile. It is an amazing view especially at sunset. We had the restaurant all to ourselves for most of the time until another mission group from Georgia showed p . they had been leading a traing conference at one of the Methodist churches in a village in the Jinja area. It is amazing how God’s people have been responding to the heart cry of God’s people in Uganda.  All week long, a team of doctors, businessmen, and pastors from a Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma had been holding health clinics, business training, and pastor training throughout the area.

 

Saturday January 14, 2012

This was an amazing day. First, we could sleep in!!! We didn’t have to rush off somewhere and prepare. Then I met with Agnes who had received the Peacemaker training the last time I was here. She had shared that since Dickson Ogwang (a Ugandan attorney who I team taught with on my last trip) had been assigned to the Ugandan emassy in Washington D.C., they had not received the advanced training in mediation. She was encouraging me to consider bringing a team to come and complete that training. Then at 10, Samuel Magumba  picked us up and took us to the Uganda Baptist Seminary. We met with Vern Sividge the Academic Dean at the Seminary and presented him with study Bibles that we had brought to present to their graduates. We were given a brief tour and explanation of the philosophy and operation of the seminary. They are doing an amazing job. This is one of the seminaries that are supported by our Southern Baptist International Mission Board.

Then we were off to find a children’s home run b a young girl by the name of Katie Davis. After graduating from High School she went on a summer mission trip and came back convinced that God was calling her to invest her life into the people of Ugnada. As a single young lady she moved to Uganda and adopted thirteen girls and began a children’s home. Her book “Kisses for Katie” is a must read. Her ministry is called “Amazima” meaning “truth” in Lugandan. Do a web search for Amazima.org or google Katie Davis-Uganda and find out more about her.

Jim Gustin had heard about her ministry before he left for Uganda and found out that on Saturdays they had a big feeding for the children of the village and he wanted to volunteer to help. So we were able to find their location and we were able to find out more about their ministry and participate in the feeding of 500 children! We were just so overwhelmed by the humility and compassion of this young lady and how her love and courage has been such a powerful testimony.

 

We then had some time to go to the “Source of the Nile” and take a short boat ride to the actual location where the Nile begins at the edge of Lake Victoria and some naturally occurring springs that bubble up from the bottom of the river. The Nile travels over three thousand miles and it takes a three month journey to reach the Meditteranean  Sea.

 

We then returned to the hotel for a nap and then the team decided to go into town and  do some shopping. I stayed back for some much needed quiet and alone time. I went down to the café by the pool that overlooks the Nile had a soft drink and something to eat while enjoying the view. I was then able to return to my room, read for awhile, and work on this blog.

 

Tomorrow we preach in different churches, meet with the Jinja leadership team, and pack up to leave early Monday morning for our game reserve trip in Northern Uganda (Murchison Falls. Tuesday evening we will be dropped off in Entebbe and fly out the next day.

Thanks for your continued prayers. It is amazing what the Lord has done on this trip.

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SUNDAY JANUARY 8, 2012

Today was a big day for the team.  After breakfast we were picked up at 9:30 in the morning and were taken to our various churches that we were to preach at. I was picked up by Pastor Herbert of the Living Faith Center and taken about twenty minutes away on the outskirts of Jinja.  The church building was basically loose boards nailed to the side of the building. The interior had a dirt floor. I was to find out during the service that they were raising the money for a new building.

We arrived just at the end of their first service and when the second service began we had about fifty people. It is always a treat to worship in an African church. The Ugandan people speak very softly, but worship is loud and enthusiastic. This church had no electricity and the only instrumentation were two drums on the front row.

They received me graciously and showed that they had been listening carefully by repeating the four points of my message. After the service, I was taken to a member’s home for lunch. Their living room was no bigger than our walk in closet at our apartment. As is typical they fed you well and with food they normally can’t afford to buy on a regular basis.

The pastor had arranged for me to meet with some of the pastors in the local district. There were seventeen pastors that showed up and we had a brief time of getting acquainted and answering a few questions and inviting them to attend the conference for the week. They all agreed that they would be attending.

Upon returning to our hotel we changed clothes and met to share the various experiences we had at the churches. We were mostly sent to the outskirts of Jinja where many lived in real poverty. However their love and trust in the Lord was encouraging to us. There were two things that always disturbs us when we do this. The first is looking at the meal they prepared for you and realizing that they seldom ever eat this much and yet they would be offended if you turned it down. The second is, it is customary for many of the women and girls to literally bow on their knees to you out of honor. It is uncomfortable for us because we are not used to this practice of showing respect in this way. I did however, try to implement this custom at my church when I got back from my last trip, but it did not work out well!!!

 

That evening we were invited to Raining Hope children’s home, run by a friend Eydie Miskel. She served as the Church secretary at Grace Church in Ventura and deaf ministry director while I served there as Intentional Interim Pastor. She was on one of the first trips to Uganda that was led by Scott Harrell from Ojai Valley Baptist Church. While in Uganda they identified a need for a children’s home along with another member of the Ojai Church.

 

She happened to be in Uganda at the same time we are and staying at the same hotel. The last time we had communicated with one another was nearly a year and a half ago and there was some confusion of communication and I offered to meet to clarify some issues. The offer was basically followed by silence. We were able to meet and share and reconcile with one another. It is interesting that God had to arrange for us to meet half way around the world to do it- go figure!

We had a wonderful time at the home. The children performed several songs for us, we learned more about the future vision for the ministry, and celebrated with a wonderful meal-then back to the hotel for final preparations for the conference the next morning and a good nights sleep.

 

Monday January 9, 2012

The first day of the Conference- We were up early for breakfast and final packing for the conference. We got there a little early to set up the projector and computer to operate the powerpoint presentations.  The tricky part is electricity here is 240 volts. Some electronic equipment are to designed to operate on 110-240 volts, but some don’t. So we had to be careful to check and find adapters or converters. The power ended up going out a few times (very typical in Uganda), but the church had a small generator that they had to fire up a couple of times.

Throughout the day more and more arrived. We estimated well over three hundred people by the end of the day. I have been impressed by the team the Lord has put together. They are diverse, but very experienced. A great surprise  for me has been Jim Gustin. He is the worship leader at Heart of the Canyons church in Santa Clarita California. He is a big guy,  about 300 pounds, and is a natural attraction here in Uganda. He led a section on the heart of worship this afternoon and then led the church in singing a Third Day song along with a praise team that he rehearsed with from Uganda. It was absolutely awesome and sounded better than the original group. Everyone else did a great job on their presentations and we are looking forward to and preparing for the next day. 

 

 

 

 

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Preparation- Things began early on Tuesday January 3 as Jim Rich graciously dropped me off at the airport to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Los Angeles. I arrived at 10 a.m. Pacific time and was picked up by Doug Spriggs a long time friend and one of the team members. We spent the day finishing final details, shopping for last minute supplies, running off copies and packing everything in our bags. We had made a stop at one of the Lifeway stores to pickup Study Bibles that will be presented to Uganda Baptist Seminary (one of our Southern Baptist seminaries.) By the way, the weather was 74 degrees with crystal clear air quality. Quite a change from the snow flurries on Monday.

 

Departure-We started early Wednesday with packing the car and a trip to the airport in rush hour traffic; an adventure all by itself. We arrived in plenty of time to check in, go through security, and wait for our flight. We used the time to have a team meeting and prayer before we were shuttled out to and boarded the plane.

We chose to fly Emirates because they had the best combination of affordable flights and excellent service. Each seat was equipped with its own private viewing screen where you had selections of movies, t.v. shows, music, and current flight status- all of these are important when you are on a 16 hour nonstop flight to Dubai. We had decided to try and stay awake the entire time so that when we reached Dubai we would be ready for a good nights sleep before our flight to Entebbe the next morning.

 

Dubai- We arrived in Dubai-checked into our hotel, had lunch, and then hired a taxi van for two hours to take us to some of the sites in Dubai. If you are not familiar with Dubai; Google it on line. It is one of the most modern cities in the world with perhaps the largest collection of five star hotels in the world and even seven star hotels!!! The city is designed to be THE destination hub of that part of the world. The beach area, along with all of the fast food chains that we have here including Starbucks, reminded me of one of the many beach communities of Southern California.

 

As the sun set we started to head across  town to the tallest building in the world, (recently made famous by the movie “Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol”). Within minutes of the sun setting  all five of us had the “nods” and were asleep. Since the building won’t officially open until Sunday anyway and we had taken pictures of it along the skyline before dark, we headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

 

ARRIVAL IN Entebbe Uganda-The 7 hour 30 minute flight the next day included a one hour layover( we had to stay on the plane) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is quite a paradox seeing this modern aircraft landing in the middle of what amounts to grazing land for cattle and goats. Then we were off to Entebbe where we arrived on time, went through customs, collected our bags and were greeted by Samuel Magumba and Paul Muwangala. We made a brief rest stop at the Imperial Beach/Botanical Gardens Hotel and then on to the adventure of the nearly three hour drive to Jinja.

 

This route takes you through the outskirts of Kampala, the capitol and the largest city in Uganda. It is crowded with traffic and you crawl through town. Then when you are on open roads, the real adventure begins. Visitors almost always face immediate culture shock, first with driving on the left side of the road, which can be disorienting, and then the frequent passing of cars that threatens head-on collisions until the last second when the drivers duck back into their lanes!!! It always and immediately improves our prayer lives.

 

ARRIVAL IN JINJA-We arrived after dark and settled into our rooms for the night. The next morning we met with the Executive committee of the Jinja Christian Leaders Fellowship. They arranged a wonderful breakfast at one of the Christian travel homes. They shared with us their challenges and hopes about this partnership and it assisted us in understanding how best we can focus our presentations for the week.

We were then able to introduce our team, share a brief testimony and what topics we would be covering.

 

Then we were off to run some chores: we went and exchanged money at the bank, viewed the church where the conference is to be held, bought some presentation supplies, and visited Pastor Samuels church.

They sponsor a children’s home. The team had a wonderful time visiting with the children. The children even sang a song for them!

 

We then headed back to the hotel to take naps, prepare messages for Sunday and our presentations for the week. We had a brief meeting to schedule out how we would approach the presentations, grabbed some dinner and then met briefly with Pastor Samuel to go over where each of us would be preaching in the morning. Finally off to our rooms for additional preparation and a good nights sleep-well for some of us. I fell asleep early and slept soundly until 1 a.m. And now I am sitting in the dark with only the light of the laptop on typing this blog while Doug is snoring way.

We value your prayers for this week.

Pastor Jim

 

 

 

 

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