5/27/2010 9:50PM
Uganda; day 149
Today was our last full day in Uganda, it was a busy day. We started this morning with white water rafting, we’d planned on going earlier but the company kept having to reschedule it, so it ended up being today. I have to say it was a good way to spend our last day here. We rafted for about 4 hours going between calm waters all the way to grade 5 1/2 rapids. Our raft flipped over twice and a big wave took Kurt out on his own once. It was a ton of fun, and only a little scary a couple of times. We ended our rafting adventure around 6:00 which gave us just enough time to take our last trip to the the home. It was strange going through our normal routine of walking to the taxi park, getting a local taxi to Wanyange and walking the dirt road to the home knowing it was the last time. The children all greeted us with hugs and many more hugs followed as we said our goodbyes. We’re leaving our hotel at 10:00AM tomorrow for the airport. I don’t think it’s sunk in quite yet that this little part of our lives is coming to an end.
The airways have had all kinds of problems lately so keep us in your prayers as we travel home. Pray for safe flights and no delays!
-Brandi
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Homestretch
5/24/2010 1:30PM
Uganda; day 146
We said goodbye to our new friends from Cal Baptist University yesterday. They went home after three busy weeks of doing God’s work to their best. They made our last month here very eventful and encouraging.
I’ve learned many things during our time here, and my life has truly been changed because of those things, but last week after being in Uganda for 140 days I finally realized why God sent me to this specific place. We had a job to do here, and we’ve been doing parts of it without even realizing it, and finally God opened my eyes to see. I’ll spare the details, but the situation has reminded me that God’s timing is perfect, and all we have to do is trust him and do what he leads us to do.
We go home in 4 days, the thought of leaving the children is a sad one for me, at this point I don’t know if God will call me back to this place. I will miss their little smiling faces, and their big hugs. But it will also be so wonderful to be with family.
Prayer points:
-that we will finish our last 4 days here well.
-that we will have a safe trip home
-that God will direct us in our next step
-that he will continue to protect and provide for the children at the home
-that he will guide the people in charge of the home as they make decisions.
-Brandi
Thursday, May 13, 2010
5/13/10 9:38PM
Uganda; day 135
Things have been so busy lately it’s hard to keep track of all the wonderful things I’ve been able to share in.
We went to a small church yesterday and the team did a VBS for about 30 children. It was a much smaller group then any of the previous have been but I think it was a blessing for the team to be able to relax a little and get to work with the kids on a more personal level.
This morning we started off at Revival Center Church, we worked with the children there with our team in January and really enjoyed it so it was really cool to be able to go back again with this team. They did the creation story for the VBS and it went great. The presentation, and crafts they brought were both really cute and they did a couple sing-a-long songs that brought back many memories of my sunday school days. I loved watching the kids sing them. Once the team was done Moses, one of the local pastors did an awesome job presenting the gospel and we were blessed to welcome more little ones into the family of Christ.
One of the most surprising things about today was that we actually finished on time. It was a really good day for that to happen because we had to be at Calvary Chapel by 1:00PM to help with the youth conference. So after we stopped by the hotel to have a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches (made with G-nut butter) we headed to Calvary. The first day of the youth conference was even better then I’d hoped it would be. The lessons were good, discussing being doers of the word. Our small group was AWESOME I was working with the oldest group of girls, and they had much more bible knowledge then I’d expected. It made for some very engaging and challenging conversations. I think how much they know is a good testimony of the work the people with Calvary are doing with their normal bibles studies. I’m totally excited about working with them over the next two days.
Today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I can see so much fruit coming from the hard work people have been doing in different ministries here, and I’m confident God will reward them for their faith.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 135
Things have been so busy lately it’s hard to keep track of all the wonderful things I’ve been able to share in.
We went to a small church yesterday and the team did a VBS for about 30 children. It was a much smaller group then any of the previous have been but I think it was a blessing for the team to be able to relax a little and get to work with the kids on a more personal level.
This morning we started off at Revival Center Church, we worked with the children there with our team in January and really enjoyed it so it was really cool to be able to go back again with this team. They did the creation story for the VBS and it went great. The presentation, and crafts they brought were both really cute and they did a couple sing-a-long songs that brought back many memories of my sunday school days. I loved watching the kids sing them. Once the team was done Moses, one of the local pastors did an awesome job presenting the gospel and we were blessed to welcome more little ones into the family of Christ.
One of the most surprising things about today was that we actually finished on time. It was a really good day for that to happen because we had to be at Calvary Chapel by 1:00PM to help with the youth conference. So after we stopped by the hotel to have a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches (made with G-nut butter) we headed to Calvary. The first day of the youth conference was even better then I’d hoped it would be. The lessons were good, discussing being doers of the word. Our small group was AWESOME I was working with the oldest group of girls, and they had much more bible knowledge then I’d expected. It made for some very engaging and challenging conversations. I think how much they know is a good testimony of the work the people with Calvary are doing with their normal bibles studies. I’m totally excited about working with them over the next two days.
Today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I can see so much fruit coming from the hard work people have been doing in different ministries here, and I’m confident God will reward them for their faith.
-Brandi
Monday, May 10, 2010
VBS day 1
5/10/10 9:00PM
Uganda day 132
If I had drawn a picture of what I imagined ministry in Africa was like before I came here, it would have been very close to what I saw today. There were little mud huts, around a small mud church, reached only by an overgrown dirt road. The church was full of children when we arrived, and soon after there were many more outside. Most of the children were orphans, and those that had parents had little more.
They’d expected 80-100 children, but about 250 showed up. The team did a great job working with the children, and thankfully they had enough supplies for everyone. Once the team was done with their craft, message, and song one of the local pastors shared the Gospel. 100 children and 4 adults prayed to accept Christ as their savior. That’s such a large number it’s hard to absorb the impact such a small amount of time in ministry can have. I would have been thrilled to hear even 1 person accepted Christ, but apparently God had bigger plans. I was also happy to hear that all of their names were written down by the pastors in their area and they will be discipled.
I love working with the people that are already believers, but it was so awesome to be able to reach out to the lost today. I’m excited to do more of both in the future. It was an unforgettable day.
Prayer points
-That God will continue to use the team for His purposes this week.
-That He will continue to prepare the hearts of the people we will be ministering too.
-Brandi
Sunday, May 9, 2010
5/10/10 7:30AM
Uganda; day 132
Yesterday the team went to Calvary Chapel with us, it was nice to be able to share where we’ve been going to church during our stay here with them. They played some awesome songs, that made you think about serving God with all your heart, which was a great way to start the day. The message was also good, he talked about Romans 13 which is a hard one for some of us to follow.
After church the team headed to the home to work with the children there. We were able to hand out the bibles the team brought with them, so now every child at the home has their own bible. It was really great to see how excited some of them were, and I pray they put them all to use. After we handed out the bibles we split into three groups separated by age and taught them some basic bible study tips, and spoke to them about how important it is to read daily, and to apply it to their lives. It was the beginning of a week of study groups we have to do with them, I’m really excited to be working with them on some of the issues we’ve noticed during our stay here. We’re blessed to have a great team to work with, full of people with different gifts for different ages, which is really perfect, not only for the ministry at the home but also for the VBS that we’ll be starting today.
Having the team here makes such a huge difference with the ministries we’re able to do and it’s been such a blessing to have people here to relate to.
Prayer Points
that the ministries we will be doing in the villages this week will be effective and we will be able to touch the lives of the children there.
that the study groups we are having at the home will break through some barriers, and help the children to grow more in their relationship with Christ.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 132
Yesterday the team went to Calvary Chapel with us, it was nice to be able to share where we’ve been going to church during our stay here with them. They played some awesome songs, that made you think about serving God with all your heart, which was a great way to start the day. The message was also good, he talked about Romans 13 which is a hard one for some of us to follow.
After church the team headed to the home to work with the children there. We were able to hand out the bibles the team brought with them, so now every child at the home has their own bible. It was really great to see how excited some of them were, and I pray they put them all to use. After we handed out the bibles we split into three groups separated by age and taught them some basic bible study tips, and spoke to them about how important it is to read daily, and to apply it to their lives. It was the beginning of a week of study groups we have to do with them, I’m really excited to be working with them on some of the issues we’ve noticed during our stay here. We’re blessed to have a great team to work with, full of people with different gifts for different ages, which is really perfect, not only for the ministry at the home but also for the VBS that we’ll be starting today.
Having the team here makes such a huge difference with the ministries we’re able to do and it’s been such a blessing to have people here to relate to.
Prayer Points
that the ministries we will be doing in the villages this week will be effective and we will be able to touch the lives of the children there.
that the study groups we are having at the home will break through some barriers, and help the children to grow more in their relationship with Christ.
-Brandi
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The team has arrived!
5/6/10 10:15PM
Uganda; day 128
The team is here! They arrived yesterday morning. While we were waiting for them to show up at the airport I got so excited Kurt had to tell me to calm down for once instead of me telling him.
After their long journey they were all pretty worn out, so Kurt and I came back to the home after lunch and left them all to catch up on some much needed sleep. They were all refreshed and ready to go this morning though! We all went to one of our favorite cafe’s in town for some yummy sandwiches and fresh juice, and then after a quick trip down main street we headed to the home.
Watching them, and listening to their reactions and thoughts on being here has brought back so many memories of our first few weeks here. It also made me realize how different everything is now, it’s almost like seeing a before and after picture, sometimes you forget how drastic the change is until you have them side by side.
They hit it off with the children at the home pretty quickly, it wasn’t long before the children were teaching them songs, and games, and vice versa. My favorite part of today I think was watching the team teach the kids the Macarana. They’ll be here working with the children at the home all day tomorrow, and then next week we’ll be doing vacation bible schools for children in different villages. It will be a great opportunity for us to reach out to some of the children that don’t know Jesus yet.
It’s so great to have people from home here, and I’m sure we’ll be doing some awesome work together!
-Brandi
Uganda; day 128
The team is here! They arrived yesterday morning. While we were waiting for them to show up at the airport I got so excited Kurt had to tell me to calm down for once instead of me telling him.
After their long journey they were all pretty worn out, so Kurt and I came back to the home after lunch and left them all to catch up on some much needed sleep. They were all refreshed and ready to go this morning though! We all went to one of our favorite cafe’s in town for some yummy sandwiches and fresh juice, and then after a quick trip down main street we headed to the home.
Watching them, and listening to their reactions and thoughts on being here has brought back so many memories of our first few weeks here. It also made me realize how different everything is now, it’s almost like seeing a before and after picture, sometimes you forget how drastic the change is until you have them side by side.
They hit it off with the children at the home pretty quickly, it wasn’t long before the children were teaching them songs, and games, and vice versa. My favorite part of today I think was watching the team teach the kids the Macarana. They’ll be here working with the children at the home all day tomorrow, and then next week we’ll be doing vacation bible schools for children in different villages. It will be a great opportunity for us to reach out to some of the children that don’t know Jesus yet.
It’s so great to have people from home here, and I’m sure we’ll be doing some awesome work together!
-Brandi
Friday, April 30, 2010
The beginning of the end
4/30/10 12:00PM
Uganda; day 122
The teams arrival is just around the corner! I’m so excited they’re almost here, not only because it will be awesome to have some company from home but because of all the ministry opportunity’s we will have while they’re here. We’re going to be able to work with a couple different churches, doing a vacation bible school at one, and helping with a youth conference at Calvary Chapel, which I’m totally looking forward to. There’s also a chance we might be able to do some ministering in one of the villages, and of course we’ll be working at the home. I’m so ready to be busy doing God’s work!
For those of you that aren’t aware we’re in our last month here. We leave for Seattle in 28 days. I think this month will be a great ending to our trip, and I’m so going to enjoy spending time with my family in WA when we leave. What comes after that, only God knows . . . I sure hope He fills us in soon.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 122
The teams arrival is just around the corner! I’m so excited they’re almost here, not only because it will be awesome to have some company from home but because of all the ministry opportunity’s we will have while they’re here. We’re going to be able to work with a couple different churches, doing a vacation bible school at one, and helping with a youth conference at Calvary Chapel, which I’m totally looking forward to. There’s also a chance we might be able to do some ministering in one of the villages, and of course we’ll be working at the home. I’m so ready to be busy doing God’s work!
For those of you that aren’t aware we’re in our last month here. We leave for Seattle in 28 days. I think this month will be a great ending to our trip, and I’m so going to enjoy spending time with my family in WA when we leave. What comes after that, only God knows . . . I sure hope He fills us in soon.
-Brandi
Friday, April 23, 2010
Soft Power
4/23/10 12:40PM
Uganda; day 115
We are at the end of another week, which brings us one week closer to the teams arrival! Yesterday Kurt and I volunteered with an organization called Soft Power. We heard about them about a week ago and it seemed like a good use of our time. They have a program where you can volunteer anywhere from one day to three months. After touring one of their preschools and their education center I have to say it’s the most organized thing I’ve seen in Uganda. They originated out of England about 10 years ago so they’ve had some time to get things together but I was impressed non the less with everything they are doing. They have multiple projects, they have two preschools, an education center where they offer training for local trades, computers, agriculture and various other things. They also work with 45 primary schools (middle school) they rotate the students through the education center for their special training, and they also refurbish, or if necessary add to the buildings, as well as keep up the maintenance on them. And they do community work teaching family planning, conservation, hygiene and health classes. Needless to say it’s a huge project. They have quite a few universities that participate in their volunteer program and it appears that’s where most of the funds come from, as each volunteer is asked to make a donation to help cover the cost of the work they’ll be doing and they have about 1,000 volunteers a year. So after we toured the facilities we spent a few hours at one of the schools they work with in Bugembe painting a classroom. We got a good tip for making a mud stove for the home that will cut the firewood usage down about 75%. So it made for an interesting day, and a good learning experience.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 115
We are at the end of another week, which brings us one week closer to the teams arrival! Yesterday Kurt and I volunteered with an organization called Soft Power. We heard about them about a week ago and it seemed like a good use of our time. They have a program where you can volunteer anywhere from one day to three months. After touring one of their preschools and their education center I have to say it’s the most organized thing I’ve seen in Uganda. They originated out of England about 10 years ago so they’ve had some time to get things together but I was impressed non the less with everything they are doing. They have multiple projects, they have two preschools, an education center where they offer training for local trades, computers, agriculture and various other things. They also work with 45 primary schools (middle school) they rotate the students through the education center for their special training, and they also refurbish, or if necessary add to the buildings, as well as keep up the maintenance on them. And they do community work teaching family planning, conservation, hygiene and health classes. Needless to say it’s a huge project. They have quite a few universities that participate in their volunteer program and it appears that’s where most of the funds come from, as each volunteer is asked to make a donation to help cover the cost of the work they’ll be doing and they have about 1,000 volunteers a year. So after we toured the facilities we spent a few hours at one of the schools they work with in Bugembe painting a classroom. We got a good tip for making a mud stove for the home that will cut the firewood usage down about 75%. So it made for an interesting day, and a good learning experience.
-Brandi
Saturday, April 17, 2010
4/15/10 11:00AM
Uganda; day 107
Well our time since returning from Kenya has been pretty uneventful. We’re back to our daily routines that don’t ever seem to change much here. There are times when I enjoy having free time, and times when I crave the busy life of being home. Once we’re back home I’ll have to find some middle ground between the two.
It feels like we have a very short amount of time left here. It keeps coming up as we try to make different plans that we won’t be around much longer. One of the things about Uganda that you have to get used to pretty quickly is that nothing happens on time here. Now that we’re leaving I think people are starting to realize if we don’t get it done very soon they’re going to be on their own, which seems to have motivated some action from them, though still not enough to keep us very busy.
Our next adventure here will be white water rafting grade five rapids on the River Nile. Kurt and I went white water rafting together years ago on the Kern River in California, it was a lot of fun, but I was hoping for something a little more exciting. Well, I don’t think it gets much more exciting then grade five rapids on the Nile so I’m totally looking forward to this little adventure before we leave.
The team from Cal Baptist University will be arriving in less than three weeks, I love working with teams. I’m really looking forward to being able to do that for our last three weeks here. We will certainly be busier then we are now when the team arrives, which will be nice.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 107
Well our time since returning from Kenya has been pretty uneventful. We’re back to our daily routines that don’t ever seem to change much here. There are times when I enjoy having free time, and times when I crave the busy life of being home. Once we’re back home I’ll have to find some middle ground between the two.
It feels like we have a very short amount of time left here. It keeps coming up as we try to make different plans that we won’t be around much longer. One of the things about Uganda that you have to get used to pretty quickly is that nothing happens on time here. Now that we’re leaving I think people are starting to realize if we don’t get it done very soon they’re going to be on their own, which seems to have motivated some action from them, though still not enough to keep us very busy.
Our next adventure here will be white water rafting grade five rapids on the River Nile. Kurt and I went white water rafting together years ago on the Kern River in California, it was a lot of fun, but I was hoping for something a little more exciting. Well, I don’t think it gets much more exciting then grade five rapids on the Nile so I’m totally looking forward to this little adventure before we leave.
The team from Cal Baptist University will be arriving in less than three weeks, I love working with teams. I’m really looking forward to being able to do that for our last three weeks here. We will certainly be busier then we are now when the team arrives, which will be nice.
-Brandi
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Back from Kenya
4/3/10 10:40
Uganda; day 95
We’re back in Uganda. The trip to Kenya was one of the best trips we’ve ever had. Meeting Paul and his family turned into a whole cultural experience because his family is Maasai, so they live in a Maasai village. We went to the Compassion project center first and were welcomed by all the staff, some of the kids, and a very shy Paul. We spent some time there touring the small compound, talking to the staff and hearing what they do, and looking through Paul’s folder. It was really cool to see his church, and school, and get a feel for what he does during the day. Once we were done at the project we went to his home, where we were welcomed by many Maasai people singing and doing their Maasai dance, they escorted us into the families small home where we got to meet the rest of Paul’s family, and exchange some gifts. They gave Kurt and I Maasai bead necklaces. We gave them the gifts we brought for the whole family, and then I gave Paul his soccer ball, after that he didn’t seem to care much what else we had for him. He held onto it for the rest of the time we were there. After spending some time in their home talking to the family they took us outside to show us the animals that Paul has because of the special gift money we were able to send to them. He has a heifer that he named Moosa and five sheep. The Maasai measure wealth by how many cows they have, so that Paul already has his first cow at six is pretty cool. After seeing the animals we headed back to the project center and had lunch, and then it was time to say our goodbyes. After thanking everyone and giving Paul a hug we got back in the car and started our 4-5 hour trip back to Kisii. We found out we were the first sponsors they’ve had visit that project, I hope that they continue to welcome people like they did us, because it was an unforgettable experience.
The next day our safari adventures began. Edwin, our driver picked us up at 7:30 in the morning to start our trip to Maasai Mara. We ended up going on the same very bad, long dirt road we’d taken to Paul’s home, just a little past his village is the west side of the Mara. We entered the Mara there and drove across it for a couple hours to get to our camp. It was an awesome drive, we saw so many animals right away, including a whole family of lions with nine cubs walking around. Edwin couldn’t believe it, he said it’s not unusual to see one or two lions but to see all of them together in the open is very rare.
Our camp was basic but nice. It didn’t have any of the luxuries of the larger lodges, or luxury camps, but we had warm showers and flush toilets, and the food was really good. We got to the Mara on Wednesday and left on Friday. We had so much fun watching all the animals, and the only ones we missed seeing were Rhinos and Leopards. We even saw a cheetah, which is also rare. On Friday we started our trip back home at 6:30, it had rained the night before which didn’t seem to be a problem until we got to one of the small rivers on the Mara that had flooded the road. We sat there for a few minutes while Edwin talked to another driver and then a park ranger, I figured he was probably asking how to go to get around it. After he was done talking he looked back and said “there is no other way” I thought for sure that meant we were going back to the camp and would miss our bus home but just as I came to that conclusion he said “do you want to try it?” I didn’t even think that was an option, but it’s his van, if he’s ok with it I’m all for it. So with everyone watching us, cameras ready we went for it. The water came almost all the way to the window on the van, and once we were in the middle it seemed even more impossible then it had from the road but the van just kept right on going and we made it out. Everyone got really excited, including the people from the other side watching us, I’d love to have the pictures they took. We were almost out of the Mara when we passed another safari group and they pointed at the grill on the van with very confused expressions, turned out to be a casualty from the river crossing, we hit a catfish. Out of all the possible animals you could hit on a safari, a catfish would be the furthest from my mind.
After we left the Mara we were back on the horrible dirt road, which was now a mud road. After some pushing, making new roads, and praying we finally emerged onto pavement 2-3 hours later. All of the problems only added to the adventure of the trip. I loved the Mara, the land is beautiful, the animals are awesome, and I hope we get to go again sometime.
-Brandi
Monday, March 29, 2010
Off to Kenya!
3/29/10 10:15AM
Uganda; day 90
Yesterday was a great day! We went to church in the morning and afterwards we headed to a place called Jinja on the Nile with some new missionary friends we met at church. It’s a little resort overlooking the Nile, once you walk through the doors it’s hard to remember you’re still in Uganda. We had a good lunch, and got to hang out with a lot of great people. Just hanging out, playing games and talking is probably the thing I miss most about home so I really enjoyed getting to do that yesterday. We also got to hear a lot of things that people are working on in the area, some of which sound pretty intense. We’re hoping to have a chance to check out the work their doing here when we get back from Kenya.
Today is the day! We leave in a few hours for Kisii Kenya, by this time tomorrow I’ll be talking to Paul and his family. This is going to be such a great experience!
-Brandi
Uganda; day 90
Yesterday was a great day! We went to church in the morning and afterwards we headed to a place called Jinja on the Nile with some new missionary friends we met at church. It’s a little resort overlooking the Nile, once you walk through the doors it’s hard to remember you’re still in Uganda. We had a good lunch, and got to hang out with a lot of great people. Just hanging out, playing games and talking is probably the thing I miss most about home so I really enjoyed getting to do that yesterday. We also got to hear a lot of things that people are working on in the area, some of which sound pretty intense. We’re hoping to have a chance to check out the work their doing here when we get back from Kenya.
Today is the day! We leave in a few hours for Kisii Kenya, by this time tomorrow I’ll be talking to Paul and his family. This is going to be such a great experience!
-Brandi
Friday, March 26, 2010
3/25/10 11:00AM
Uganda; day 86
The past week has been a good one, the Wednesday night bible study did turn out to be a good, we went again last night. It’s really cool how much information you can get out of a seemingly simple verse.
This week we’ve been able to start gathering information on how the home can become more self sustainable. It’s one of the goals of Raining Hope to help the people here become less dependent on the states. I got some good information on some local crafts they can make at very little cost, and even found out they will train them how for free. So that was pretty cool, we’ll continue looking for other things they can do while we’re here.
I’ve learned a lot about the children and their families that I didn’t know this week. I’ve been updating their profiles, so I’ve been asking them a lot of questions about their backgrounds, most of them have 6 or more siblings that live in other places. It’s sad to see families split up so much.
I’ve also been getting ready for our trip to Kenya this week, we leave on Monday. I can’t believe how hard it is to find simple toys, coloring books, or story books here. We went all over town without much luck, but I was able to find a few things. Thankfully Paul’s favorite game is soccer, and there are plenty of soccer balls here. I’m so excited that the trip is just a few days away now.
The first school term is coming to an end the second week of April. When the term ends most of the children leave to spend their holiday with families, or guardians. I was surprised to hear the term was ending so soon, it seems like it just started. So the home will be very quite for their 4 week break. The next team from California should be arriving about the same time they get back. Which is another thing to look forward to!
-Brandi
Uganda; day 86
The past week has been a good one, the Wednesday night bible study did turn out to be a good, we went again last night. It’s really cool how much information you can get out of a seemingly simple verse.
This week we’ve been able to start gathering information on how the home can become more self sustainable. It’s one of the goals of Raining Hope to help the people here become less dependent on the states. I got some good information on some local crafts they can make at very little cost, and even found out they will train them how for free. So that was pretty cool, we’ll continue looking for other things they can do while we’re here.
I’ve learned a lot about the children and their families that I didn’t know this week. I’ve been updating their profiles, so I’ve been asking them a lot of questions about their backgrounds, most of them have 6 or more siblings that live in other places. It’s sad to see families split up so much.
I’ve also been getting ready for our trip to Kenya this week, we leave on Monday. I can’t believe how hard it is to find simple toys, coloring books, or story books here. We went all over town without much luck, but I was able to find a few things. Thankfully Paul’s favorite game is soccer, and there are plenty of soccer balls here. I’m so excited that the trip is just a few days away now.
The first school term is coming to an end the second week of April. When the term ends most of the children leave to spend their holiday with families, or guardians. I was surprised to hear the term was ending so soon, it seems like it just started. So the home will be very quite for their 4 week break. The next team from California should be arriving about the same time they get back. Which is another thing to look forward to!
-Brandi
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
3/17/10 12:07PM
Uganda; day 78
We’ve crossed the halfway point, we only have ten weeks left in Uganda. That’s not very long at all really. The first half of the trip was full of getting used to a new country, and learning a new culture, which I’ve enjoyed doing. Now that all of that is out of the way, I’m curious what the next ten weeks will be like. We have our trip to Kenya in less then two weeks, I’m sure it’s going to be awesome on so many different levels.
I cut Kurt’s hair yesterday, if it hadn’t looked so bad to begin with that would have been a scary thought. But we both agreed even though I had no experience cutting hair it couldn’t look any worse. We were right, it looks much better, not perfect by any means, but better.
We’re going to a bible study at Calvary Chapel tonight, it’s supposed to be a really good in-depth study. We’ve avoided going to town at night ever since our first encounter with it, which was a little unnerving. But now that we’re more comfortable with our surroundings, and the people in them, we’ve decided to venture out more
Unfortunately the situation at the home has only gotten worse in the past week or so. Three schools that the children attend have sent them home because we have no money to pay the school fees. Things just seem to keep getting more behind with every week. We did receive money this week, it was just enough to get beans and firewood, which is a relief.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 78
We’ve crossed the halfway point, we only have ten weeks left in Uganda. That’s not very long at all really. The first half of the trip was full of getting used to a new country, and learning a new culture, which I’ve enjoyed doing. Now that all of that is out of the way, I’m curious what the next ten weeks will be like. We have our trip to Kenya in less then two weeks, I’m sure it’s going to be awesome on so many different levels.
I cut Kurt’s hair yesterday, if it hadn’t looked so bad to begin with that would have been a scary thought. But we both agreed even though I had no experience cutting hair it couldn’t look any worse. We were right, it looks much better, not perfect by any means, but better.
We’re going to a bible study at Calvary Chapel tonight, it’s supposed to be a really good in-depth study. We’ve avoided going to town at night ever since our first encounter with it, which was a little unnerving. But now that we’re more comfortable with our surroundings, and the people in them, we’ve decided to venture out more
Unfortunately the situation at the home has only gotten worse in the past week or so. Three schools that the children attend have sent them home because we have no money to pay the school fees. Things just seem to keep getting more behind with every week. We did receive money this week, it was just enough to get beans and firewood, which is a relief.
-Brandi
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
3/8/10 12:50PM
Uganda; day 69
We woke up last night to the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard, it’s been raining off and on ever since. We went to town this morning anxious to get answers on some things from the states, but still no word. Almost everything was closed for a holiday. I guess it’s national women’s day today. After battling the muddy road to get back to the home we’ve decided to remain indoors for the day.
The needs of the home seem to get more desperate everyday. They’re almost out of food, the firewood (for cooking) is almost gone, and five of the children have malaria now. I feel badly for the foster father here, he has so much on his shoulders right now. I can do nothing but pray, and try to encourage people here that God will provide. I know He will, it is just a matter of time. That brings me to prayer points, for all of you wonderful people that have been keeping all of us in your prayers here are some things to focus on.
-Shadrach (the foster father) pray that his faith will remain strong, and that God will take the burden off of him, and give him peace.
-Pray that the children that are sick will be healed quickly, and that the rest will remain healthy.
-Pray that God will use Kurt and I to encourage, and bring the focus back to him at all times.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 69
We woke up last night to the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard, it’s been raining off and on ever since. We went to town this morning anxious to get answers on some things from the states, but still no word. Almost everything was closed for a holiday. I guess it’s national women’s day today. After battling the muddy road to get back to the home we’ve decided to remain indoors for the day.
The needs of the home seem to get more desperate everyday. They’re almost out of food, the firewood (for cooking) is almost gone, and five of the children have malaria now. I feel badly for the foster father here, he has so much on his shoulders right now. I can do nothing but pray, and try to encourage people here that God will provide. I know He will, it is just a matter of time. That brings me to prayer points, for all of you wonderful people that have been keeping all of us in your prayers here are some things to focus on.
-Shadrach (the foster father) pray that his faith will remain strong, and that God will take the burden off of him, and give him peace.
-Pray that the children that are sick will be healed quickly, and that the rest will remain healthy.
-Pray that God will use Kurt and I to encourage, and bring the focus back to him at all times.
-Brandi
Sunday, March 7, 2010
3/6/10 7:34PM
Uganda; day 67
So today we went back to town to find out why our wireless modem wasn’t working, and found out that we were misinformed when we got it. We had been told that you buy a certain amount of “airtime” and you use it until it’s gone, or two months time has passed. Well, we’ve had it for one month, and we were being careful not to use it to much so that it would last two months, unfortunately now they’ve changed that so it expires after one month. So we’re back to no internet at the home. We will see how we do with waiting to go to town to get news from the states. The connection was so slow we couldn’t do anything but check our email anyway.
After that we went to the Source Cafe for my dose of caffeine in a yummy mocha latte, and to check my email for any sign of hope that money would be coming soon for the needs of the home. Unfortunately there was no such hope. Maybe there will be tomorrow when we go to town for church.
We tried a new spot for lunch today, it’s called Ozzie’s. It was pretty good, the prices are cheap and the food, including hamburger buns is all homemade. They had some homemade chocolate cake that looked delicious but I managed to restrain myself . . . this time.
As soon as we got back to the home we decided to go for another long walk. We were just going to do this on days we didn’t go to town, so we could get out of the house and stretch our legs, but we’ve enjoyed them so much we’ve been going everyday. Today we decided to go all the way to the top of the hill we walked up a few days ago. It took about an hour, and we got to see a bunch of monkeys hanging out in trees along the road. There were even some baby monkeys hanging onto their moms for dear life. So cute! We got about halfway down the hill when it started raining. By the time we got back to the home we were completely drenched, it was coming down so hard we weren’t sure if it was rain, or hail. It may not sound like it but we had a lot of fun! We were laughing the whole way, and I felt like a kid again, running through mud puddles.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 67
So today we went back to town to find out why our wireless modem wasn’t working, and found out that we were misinformed when we got it. We had been told that you buy a certain amount of “airtime” and you use it until it’s gone, or two months time has passed. Well, we’ve had it for one month, and we were being careful not to use it to much so that it would last two months, unfortunately now they’ve changed that so it expires after one month. So we’re back to no internet at the home. We will see how we do with waiting to go to town to get news from the states. The connection was so slow we couldn’t do anything but check our email anyway.
After that we went to the Source Cafe for my dose of caffeine in a yummy mocha latte, and to check my email for any sign of hope that money would be coming soon for the needs of the home. Unfortunately there was no such hope. Maybe there will be tomorrow when we go to town for church.
We tried a new spot for lunch today, it’s called Ozzie’s. It was pretty good, the prices are cheap and the food, including hamburger buns is all homemade. They had some homemade chocolate cake that looked delicious but I managed to restrain myself . . . this time.
As soon as we got back to the home we decided to go for another long walk. We were just going to do this on days we didn’t go to town, so we could get out of the house and stretch our legs, but we’ve enjoyed them so much we’ve been going everyday. Today we decided to go all the way to the top of the hill we walked up a few days ago. It took about an hour, and we got to see a bunch of monkeys hanging out in trees along the road. There were even some baby monkeys hanging onto their moms for dear life. So cute! We got about halfway down the hill when it started raining. By the time we got back to the home we were completely drenched, it was coming down so hard we weren’t sure if it was rain, or hail. It may not sound like it but we had a lot of fun! We were laughing the whole way, and I felt like a kid again, running through mud puddles.
-Brandi
Saturday, March 6, 2010
3/5/10 7:20PM
Uganda; day 66
It has been one of those days, when one thing goes wrong it seems that everything goes wrong.
The water was shut off at the home, there was no money to pay the bill so they disconnected it. The power has been out all day, and the internet is also down. Just as I was discussing using the last of the home’s emergency money on beans for the children, and water that they can buy and carry back in containers. I was told one of the girls has a serious case of malaria and needs treatment. The children will be out of beans in 3 days, which leaves them with maize flour, they boil it in water to make porridge, or posha. It’s not very nutritious, or good, but at least it’s better then no food at all.
It is discouraging times like these where I have to keep running James 1: 2-4 through my head “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
I definitely feel that we’re being tested here at the home. I do have faith that God will provide, as He has promised, and proven repeatedly. I just pray that it is sooner rather than later.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 66
It has been one of those days, when one thing goes wrong it seems that everything goes wrong.
The water was shut off at the home, there was no money to pay the bill so they disconnected it. The power has been out all day, and the internet is also down. Just as I was discussing using the last of the home’s emergency money on beans for the children, and water that they can buy and carry back in containers. I was told one of the girls has a serious case of malaria and needs treatment. The children will be out of beans in 3 days, which leaves them with maize flour, they boil it in water to make porridge, or posha. It’s not very nutritious, or good, but at least it’s better then no food at all.
It is discouraging times like these where I have to keep running James 1: 2-4 through my head “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
I definitely feel that we’re being tested here at the home. I do have faith that God will provide, as He has promised, and proven repeatedly. I just pray that it is sooner rather than later.
-Brandi
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Quick update and prayer request.
3/4/10 2:15PM
Uganda; day 65
The rainy season has officially begun. I actually had to wear a sweater the other night, which I thought would never happen here. It’s been raining almost everyday, anywhere from a quick shower to all day long. From what I’ve been told the rainy season here is only one month. I was also told that February is the hottest month of the year, so next month should be pretty good weather. I keep hearing news that the states are getting hit with one storm after another, I have to admit I wouldn’t mind seeing some snow right now. It sounds like the snowboarders at home are getting quite the season.
Kurt and I took a little nature walk up a hill/mountain yesterday, it was a great walk with a really rewarding view of the whole area, and Lake Victoria. It took about two hours, and was very refreshing, so we will be doing some more exploring whenever the weather allows. At some point when I get to an internet connection that isn’t working at the speed of a snail I’ll upload some more pictures.
After we got back to the home we spent some time playing with the kids. They had a long jump rope, and Kurt decided even though he was three times as tall as the people swinging it he would try to jump it . . . as you can imagine it didn’t work so well. I got my camera out which I haven’t done enough since we’ve been here and started taking pictures of the kids. They LOVE having their pictures taken, they always get excited when I take their picture, and then run over to see what it looks like.
I have a special prayer request for today, I received it from a friend earlier, I don’t know the family personally but I know most of us have felt how devastating cancer can be. So I just ask that you keep this family in your prayers.
-Brandi
Prayer request for Gary and Cindy Hogman by way of Faith Presbyterian Church.
Gary is serving in Iraq while his young wife is fighting cancer here. See his Request below.
My name is Gary Hogman. Some of you receiving this know me, some do not. My wife, Cindy, is 32 years old and has just been diagnosed with stage 4 Cervical cancer. Her chances for survival are very slim. She was pregnant with our second child and had miscarried recently at 3 Months; and now we know why. This is a request for you to forward this e-mail to everyone you know asking for prayer. The more people that pray for her to be healed, the better. Pray and forward. It only takes a second to hit 'forward.' Please do it and don't delete this. Your prayer can, and perhaps will, save her life. Please pray and ask everyone you know to pray for the HEALING of CINDY HOGMAN And the removal of all cancer from her body, so she may enjoy all that life has to offer, and to continue to be the wonderful mother to our 5-year-old son Michael. The power of Prayer is unsurpassed. I want the whole world to have her in their prayers the next few weeks. God will hear our cry. Please do not be offended by my plea. This is only a request for your help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this and helping with our request for healing! No words can express the power we have when we each do a little to come together.
Regards, Cindy's husband - Gary Thank you,
and please send it to the far reaches of our world
Uganda; day 65
The rainy season has officially begun. I actually had to wear a sweater the other night, which I thought would never happen here. It’s been raining almost everyday, anywhere from a quick shower to all day long. From what I’ve been told the rainy season here is only one month. I was also told that February is the hottest month of the year, so next month should be pretty good weather. I keep hearing news that the states are getting hit with one storm after another, I have to admit I wouldn’t mind seeing some snow right now. It sounds like the snowboarders at home are getting quite the season.
Kurt and I took a little nature walk up a hill/mountain yesterday, it was a great walk with a really rewarding view of the whole area, and Lake Victoria. It took about two hours, and was very refreshing, so we will be doing some more exploring whenever the weather allows. At some point when I get to an internet connection that isn’t working at the speed of a snail I’ll upload some more pictures.
After we got back to the home we spent some time playing with the kids. They had a long jump rope, and Kurt decided even though he was three times as tall as the people swinging it he would try to jump it . . . as you can imagine it didn’t work so well. I got my camera out which I haven’t done enough since we’ve been here and started taking pictures of the kids. They LOVE having their pictures taken, they always get excited when I take their picture, and then run over to see what it looks like.
I have a special prayer request for today, I received it from a friend earlier, I don’t know the family personally but I know most of us have felt how devastating cancer can be. So I just ask that you keep this family in your prayers.
-Brandi
Prayer request for Gary and Cindy Hogman by way of Faith Presbyterian Church.
Gary is serving in Iraq while his young wife is fighting cancer here. See his Request below.
My name is Gary Hogman. Some of you receiving this know me, some do not. My wife, Cindy, is 32 years old and has just been diagnosed with stage 4 Cervical cancer. Her chances for survival are very slim. She was pregnant with our second child and had miscarried recently at 3 Months; and now we know why. This is a request for you to forward this e-mail to everyone you know asking for prayer. The more people that pray for her to be healed, the better. Pray and forward. It only takes a second to hit 'forward.' Please do it and don't delete this. Your prayer can, and perhaps will, save her life. Please pray and ask everyone you know to pray for the HEALING of CINDY HOGMAN And the removal of all cancer from her body, so she may enjoy all that life has to offer, and to continue to be the wonderful mother to our 5-year-old son Michael. The power of Prayer is unsurpassed. I want the whole world to have her in their prayers the next few weeks. God will hear our cry. Please do not be offended by my plea. This is only a request for your help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this and helping with our request for healing! No words can express the power we have when we each do a little to come together.
Regards, Cindy's husband - Gary Thank you,
and please send it to the far reaches of our world
Friday, February 26, 2010
Reflections. . .
2/26/10 7:30PM
Uganda; day 59
This week has been one of reflections, and realizations. Having been here for about two months I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions. There have been some good days and some challenging days. The challenging days are the ones where I find myself questioning if we’re really doing any good here. If what we’re trying to teach them on budgeting is really going to stick, or if they will return to their old ways as soon as we’re gone. If I’m making any impact in the girls study group, or if they’re just sitting through it to humor me. I didn’t have clear expectations for what a mission trip would be like, but I didn’t expect it to be like this. I pictured having more impact on people’s lives, on making a significant and noticeable difference. I came because I felt like God was telling me to come, i didn’t know why, but I was willing to do whatever he put in front of me. . .
Two months later, I find the only thing in front of me is His word, and a lot of free time. I’ve come to understand what it’s like to meditate on His ways day and night. To give glory to Him even in the small things. I have a deeper understanding of the relationship that’s possible with Him. And most importantly, I feel like I’m beginning to understand in a way I’ve never seen before, the love He’s given to us, and the love He commands we return, and share with others. If you had asked me two months ago if I needed to go across the world to figure these things out I would have told you no, I probably would have even thought that I already knew about those things. But that’s just it, I knew “about” them, I’ve read the bible, I know the greatest commandments of love, I’ve followed the rules, I’ve talked to God, but I wasn’t grasping the fullness of it. Now I realize that the significant and noticeable difference i was looking to see in other people has happened within me. That though I had a plan of helping others, apparently God had a different plan for me first.
I may go home wondering if I’ve really helped anyone on this trip, but I will leave with a renewed heart and mind for God.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 59
This week has been one of reflections, and realizations. Having been here for about two months I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions. There have been some good days and some challenging days. The challenging days are the ones where I find myself questioning if we’re really doing any good here. If what we’re trying to teach them on budgeting is really going to stick, or if they will return to their old ways as soon as we’re gone. If I’m making any impact in the girls study group, or if they’re just sitting through it to humor me. I didn’t have clear expectations for what a mission trip would be like, but I didn’t expect it to be like this. I pictured having more impact on people’s lives, on making a significant and noticeable difference. I came because I felt like God was telling me to come, i didn’t know why, but I was willing to do whatever he put in front of me. . .
Two months later, I find the only thing in front of me is His word, and a lot of free time. I’ve come to understand what it’s like to meditate on His ways day and night. To give glory to Him even in the small things. I have a deeper understanding of the relationship that’s possible with Him. And most importantly, I feel like I’m beginning to understand in a way I’ve never seen before, the love He’s given to us, and the love He commands we return, and share with others. If you had asked me two months ago if I needed to go across the world to figure these things out I would have told you no, I probably would have even thought that I already knew about those things. But that’s just it, I knew “about” them, I’ve read the bible, I know the greatest commandments of love, I’ve followed the rules, I’ve talked to God, but I wasn’t grasping the fullness of it. Now I realize that the significant and noticeable difference i was looking to see in other people has happened within me. That though I had a plan of helping others, apparently God had a different plan for me first.
I may go home wondering if I’ve really helped anyone on this trip, but I will leave with a renewed heart and mind for God.
-Brandi
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Calvary Chapel
2/21/10 9:10PM
Uganda; day 54
It has been a wonderful Sunday. Kurt and I started the day off by taking a taxi to town, and then walking about 25 minutes to Calvary Chapel of Jinja. We got there just in time, and were pleased to see that there were no electronic sounds coming from the band. We got to listen to songs we were familiar with for the first time in two months, and the message was in English. Aside from just being happy that I could understand it, it was also a great service. We will definitely be going back. It also gave us a chance to meet some other missionaries that are living in the area, and we’re excited to get to know them better.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 54
It has been a wonderful Sunday. Kurt and I started the day off by taking a taxi to town, and then walking about 25 minutes to Calvary Chapel of Jinja. We got there just in time, and were pleased to see that there were no electronic sounds coming from the band. We got to listen to songs we were familiar with for the first time in two months, and the message was in English. Aside from just being happy that I could understand it, it was also a great service. We will definitely be going back. It also gave us a chance to meet some other missionaries that are living in the area, and we’re excited to get to know them better.
-Brandi
Saturday, February 20, 2010
2/20/10 3:45 PM
Uganda; day 53
It’s a rainy day here in Jinja, one of those days you just curl up inside and enjoy the sounds while staying dry. The power went out again last night around 1:00 AM which was actually before it started raining. It just came back on a few minutes ago. It was to hot for sleep, even after 53 days of getting used to the heat, sleep is impossible without a fan. Being here has definitely made me appreciate all of the comforts of the states that much more.
The kids received a truckload of supplies this week, it’s unusual for them to receive things from the states because the cost of shipping is so high. But it was wonderful to see them get so many things that they truly needed, there were clothes, bibles, shoes, towels, and toys. There were even some Tom’s shoes in the bunch, which made me smile. It was great to see how excited they get over getting such basics, and how grateful they are for them. Unfortunately when it comes to buying food, or clothes for the kids we have to go with the more immediate need and buy food, so it’s good that God is providing their needs in other ways.
I’ve contacted Compassion International and they are arranging my visit to see Paul in Kenya. I’m really excited about it. We have it set up for March 29. Our 3 month Visas expire on March 28 so if there are any problems with renewing them we will be able to go to Kenya that day on the visas we will have there. I would have done it sooner but they require 8 weeks notice which I wasn’t aware of. They’ve been really helpful and are making an exception to let us meet that soon. We’re also going to take advantage of being in Kenya, since they are known for their safari’s we’re looking at a 3 day 2 night camping safari which sounds awesome. It’s at one of the best reserves in Africa, the Masai Mara Reserve. So I’m really looking forward to that little adventure.
-Brandi
Uganda; day 53
It’s a rainy day here in Jinja, one of those days you just curl up inside and enjoy the sounds while staying dry. The power went out again last night around 1:00 AM which was actually before it started raining. It just came back on a few minutes ago. It was to hot for sleep, even after 53 days of getting used to the heat, sleep is impossible without a fan. Being here has definitely made me appreciate all of the comforts of the states that much more.
The kids received a truckload of supplies this week, it’s unusual for them to receive things from the states because the cost of shipping is so high. But it was wonderful to see them get so many things that they truly needed, there were clothes, bibles, shoes, towels, and toys. There were even some Tom’s shoes in the bunch, which made me smile. It was great to see how excited they get over getting such basics, and how grateful they are for them. Unfortunately when it comes to buying food, or clothes for the kids we have to go with the more immediate need and buy food, so it’s good that God is providing their needs in other ways.
I’ve contacted Compassion International and they are arranging my visit to see Paul in Kenya. I’m really excited about it. We have it set up for March 29. Our 3 month Visas expire on March 28 so if there are any problems with renewing them we will be able to go to Kenya that day on the visas we will have there. I would have done it sooner but they require 8 weeks notice which I wasn’t aware of. They’ve been really helpful and are making an exception to let us meet that soon. We’re also going to take advantage of being in Kenya, since they are known for their safari’s we’re looking at a 3 day 2 night camping safari which sounds awesome. It’s at one of the best reserves in Africa, the Masai Mara Reserve. So I’m really looking forward to that little adventure.
-Brandi
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