I want to write something personal about what's been going on with me and my family this year. This is partly just to get it off my chest, partly for the record, and also for the benefit of those who have been supporting us in many ways, to let you know what sort of return you might be getting for your investment!
We are so grateful to those of you who have given up time and money and prayers and other offerings toward supporting our family and our adventures as we try to follow Jesus.
If you want to skip the first part of this and just hear about Bath, do a 'find next' for the word "gruntfuttock" and that will take you to the appropriate point in the post. If you miss this sentence and just keep reading, you'll wonder why I suddenly write "gruntfuttock".
The changes of 2012 for us really started I guess toward the end of 2011 when I started sniffing around for a new job. That sounds more pedestrian that it really was, but sometimes you have to make some practical steps - knock on some doors and see what opens. It was becoming clear to me that I needed to leave my current Youth Work position. And something in me wondered about the possibility of worship ministry.
I remember my minister in Edinburgh once prayed over me with the words "passion for his name" (he was speaking prophetically: he was praying and prophesying that I would have passion for Jesus' name). It took me a long time to step into that, but perhaps that was the start of it. Or maybe the start of it goes back further, into childhood musical adventures, certain captivations - and cringes - in the Catholic church, through all the desires and ambitions of teenhood which seeped into the perpetual adolescence of my early twenties. And with my new birth in Jesus Christ, the seeds of a Christ-worshipper were really sown. In youth ministry a weakly beating servant heart was gradually chiselled out of stony beginnings. In many ways we worked these things out together - me and some young people in Corstorphine. For that opportunity I will be forever grateful.
So I applied for two jobs - the only two worship leader jobs in the UK that I could find. I applied simply to see what would happen. No intention of moving, no real expectation of even getting an interview. These were ways of saying: "God, show me more." Much to my surprise, but also my delight, I got both interviews. One, for a job in London, came later - the first was a part-time position in Bath. I called 'em up and said: "Do you still want to interview me? I'm probably not going to move hundreds of miles away for a part-time job." They said 'yes, come down.' So I did.
I have never been more relaxed in a job interview - probably because I had almost no intention at all of taking the job! As such, from what I can remember I answered a lot of questions with humour - risky perhaps, but it did make the whole thing much more bearable to have smiles and laughter in the mix. The weirdest thing was leading worship in a small group with people I'd only just met, and who were (I guess...?) evaluating the whole thing! I sneaked a peek while we sang, and they seemed 'into it' - I breathed an internal sigh of relief and pressed on in. Phew!
I remember it was later that day that they called and offered me the job and told me about the Curate's dream. ('Curate's Dream' sounds like a prog rock band - yas!) Weeks before, having never met or heard of me, he had dreamed my name. HE DREAMED MY NAME. Mind=blown.
There were a few other signs (agonizing later, Hannah and I wrote down a big old hit list). One sign was that one of the church staff used to live about a hundred yards away from my parents' house in Limekilns. Another was that the Vicar had a Yamaha guitar, a lot like mine. That shouldn't really be a thing to base one's decision-making on, but - as a flourish of familiarity in the corner of an otherwise unknowable big picture - it helped. Sometimes I think I'm superstitious about these things - other times I think that I know a God who delights in clues, hints, games and coincidences.
Playful God.
Reactions were mixed - my Dad couldn't hide the disappointment when I told him about the offer; accepting it would mean his three-month old grandson would be swept away - 400 miles away. I could see it in his face. That was hard.
Hannah would have to give up friends, home and a job she loved. The sweetener was that in moving to Bath, she would be only an hour away from close family in Somerset. Still, I was asking her really to follow me, as I attempted to follow God. It still feels that way a little - this is a season where I need to ask her to make sacrifices for me. Hannah's Phd was her chance I guess; this is mine.
The church in Bath waited patiently for my answer. We went down for another visit in February. On our last night there, Hannah and I held a private conference in bed while Aidan slept next to us in a travel cot. We read a chapter in Tozer's The Pursuit of God. We prayed. Finally, we decided: it was to be 'yes'. The church however, was gonna have to be patient - I was fully committed in Edinburgh til the end of July.
So the promise of EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES COMPLETELY CHANGING had to remain just that - a promise - for the time being.
In November 2011, after Aidan's birth, I had taken 2 weeks of annual leave on top of my paternity leave - a month's sabbatical which did me the world of good after 5 years in full time ministry. 2012 was to be all about learning to be a Dad, and preparing to go to Uganda with my young people at church.
Aidan has brought such joy into our lives. God's fathering took on new meanings - not all of them comfortable - as I grew into my new relationship with a little person who had not existed before, except in the delighted mind and swollen heart and craftsman hands of Creator God.
Preparations for Uganda consumed much of my time and energy, but (uncharacteristically) there was not much anxiety on my part - at least I don't remember it that way. There was anxiety in other corners: there were very real fears that the partner in Uganda wouldn't be able to take us. Then were some painful moments realizing that some young people were not only dropping out of the trip, but also dropping out of the church too. There were anxieties in the church about money (big ones!). But somehow I knew that if it was God's will for us to go, then we would go.
The build up to Uganda was a year and a half of hard work, solidarity, prayerfulness, intergenerational mixing, encouragement for God's church and outpouring upon outpouring of generosity and provision. We smashed our fundraising target, and I recently heard that the young people are still raising money for the partner whose ministry we visited.
Our experience in Uganda was so monumental that it looms large in my memories of this year. For me, it was always equally about pastoring these young people as much as visiting the developing world - and who said mission and discipleship could be separated anyway? I won't tell the whole story here; you can read the previous posts in this blog.
So, 2012 has been a huge year for me. Not only did the whole experience of Uganda represent the culmination of everything I'd wanted to see come into being with my young people; not only was it a wonderful, terrifying, God-shaped period of time in the present; but it also seemed, in a way, to be preparing me personally for what was to come.
Coming to the end of my youth work position, and preparing to move on from a bittersweet church experience, I think I felt I had 'paid some dues' in the trenches of ministry. I experienced a tiny window into the global church and into the issues of poverty, sickness and injustice into which that church must speak or die. I had done it in the midst and buzz of new parenthood.
What I felt I lacked was a theological education. Youth ministry was so all-consuming that formal study at the same time as working seemed impossible.
And so God, in his wisdom, called me to a part-time job. Finally, I would have the space to study (if not the obvious source of money to live on!). After visiting and deciding against an Anglican college in Bristol, and researching a number of other options, I decided to go for Westminster Theological Centre. Theirs is a forward-thinking approach to delivering open-learning theology courses. It is academically rigorous with a crucial charismatic emphasis, but also, within that, a breadth which appealed to me.
So I signed up, ordered my books and waited eagerly!
After Uganda, there was a terrible, tingling period of letting go of things in Edinburgh and Linlithgow. My last few weeks were spent trying to leave things in a good state at my church (despite best efforts I still left a mad drawer in the youth office groaning with unsorted worship music). I wanted to 'leave well' - a pill-sugaring phrase I'd heard bandied about rather a lot in ministry circles over the years. Hopefully I did.
In the event, my last service was (pangs!) a really touching moment - a celebration of testimonies and generosity and yes, sadness. I preached a call-to-arms of sorts. A lovely and cathartic last meal with my young people was held at Nando's (spicy chicken makes at aaaaaaallll better).
Leaving friends was hard. Leaving church was too. St Thomas' Corstorphine: you have a lot to answer for! But I will never be able to repay what you have invested in me over the years; chief among these gifts being the transforming faith in Jesus which you awakened in me by your faithful upholding of the gospel, and by your acts of love, kindness, courage and patience. There is a crown in heaven with St Thomas' name.
Anyway - and so to Bath! Gruntfuttock!
We moved down in August 2012, excited, apprehensive, doubtful, determined, tired. Props to Forth Movers for doing all the donkey work.
Me and my Dad drove our old Mark 3 Fiesta down the motorway - no tunes meant that I entertained us by picking out tunes on the glorious little ukelele which my dear young people gave me as a leaving present. The car never complained once - either at the long distance or the questionable playing.
Our first hours in Bath were spent with a pencil behind the year, and a screwdriver in the back pooch, as we unpacked, fixed rebuilt, and generally got things ready for my mum's arrival with Hannah and Aidan who flew down a few days later.
All of this was punctuated by a wonderful kindness offensive by members of our new church - wonderful meals appeared out of nowhere, cards and gifts arrived on the doorstep, and God's blessings were poured out in small but eternal ways.
To add to the madness - Hannah had a job interview the week we arrived! She thought she'd done terribly badly in the interview (forgetting one of the 5 pillars of Archivism is apparently tantamount to treason) but in the end: she got the job! It's a 6-month contract with English Heritage cataloguing and archiving the photographic archive of the Laing building firm, who built much of modern Britain.
Hannah loves her job, even with its downsides: the short-term contract, and the commute to Swindon (which in any case takes about the same time as her Linlithgow- Glasgow commute back home.)
The hardest thing for her has been leaving Aidan and working full-time. This has meant a crazy juggling act with childcare and finance, but nevertheless, again God provided. We found a brilliant, happy, council-run nursery only five minutes' walk from our house. And it turned out that they could take Aidan *just* enough hours for me to do my church work and still get a few hours study in. Hannah's mum has been brilliant - looking after Aidan on Mondays while I'm at college. An unexpected upshot of all this has been that I've spent way more time with Aidan than if Hannah had been working part-time. This is both exhausting (not gonna lie) and brilliant!
Financially, our whole world has been turned upside down. It's been like learning another language - the language of dependence. We moved not really knowing where the money was going to come from. The sums didn't add up. But I'd seen God provide for Uganda, and I believed (weakly, but strongly enough to follow it through) that he would be true to his word in calling us to Bath. We were gonna have to let go of control though.
Somewhat stressfully, when we moved we still hadn't rented our house in Linlithgow. We were paying rent in Bath and a mortgage in Linlithgow: not a sustainable situation! But again, God provided. We now have tenants which cover our mortgage, and the money we received as a gift from church supplied our needs for the transition period, almost to the pound.
Dear people back home have been so generous - supporting us to the tune of... well, hundreds and hundreds of pounds. With my part-time salary and Hannah's full-time salary, means we can live in one of the most expensive places in the UK on a very modest income. God provides. And though my prayer is that we never be complacent, I am not anxious. This is amazing coming from an anxious person from a long line of anxious people!
God is good.
College started in September with a wonderful and dazzling residential study week in Telford. WTC is a unique learning environment, where each day begins with worship, where the classes are like worship, and the academic and administrative staff worship alongside the students. At the end of the evening, the academics, rather than swanning off to their ivory tower-shaped hotel rooms - actually take the time to minister to the students in prayer, with the laying on of hands. This is special. This is the life of Christ in theological education.
I will never forget the Old Testament classes taught to us that week (and every week thereafter in our hub in Cheltenham) by Stephen Dempster - a tender, humble and learned OT scholar from Canada. A passionate love for God and for the life of the Scriptures flowed in the classroom. It is what I have been dreaming about for years now, and it is SO GOOD to be studying at a deeper level, the faith which has formed and transformed my life in the last 9 years.
I have found new Biblical legs these past few months. I've had some uneasy questions answered, and had a whole lot more new ones raised, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, revealed in Jesus Christ - He remains my prize for which I will press on to win. The chase is on.
Worship ministry here has been many things - almost all of them wonderful, but still, as I write this collapsing at the end of the Christmas season, the overarching impression which remains with me is that of intense busy-ness and overactivity. Co-ordinating worship across three semi-independent congregations on 20 hours a week is a tall order in anyone's book. Training others and effective delegation are the only way to do it, and I think I am doing ok there. Accordingly, the most rewarding part of the job is a regular weekly worship leaders' training group - a great opportunity to build relationship and take time out to both hear the Lord, and to learn practically. I love these evenings, and they are the closest thing to a youth group that I have (I do miss my youth group!). Even better though, are the opportunities for multi- and inter-generational ministry here. In many ways this large church is quite segregated, but strides are being made to reconnect the generations, and the worship ministry in many ways leads the way, with those of all ages joining together to play in the worship bands. There is much more to be done here, but I have inherited a fantastic and diverse group of musicians to work with.
As far as my own worship leading goes, have been many many wonderful times of worship. I have often found myself saying that this church LOVES to worship God, and this makes my job easy! Learning new and old material, constructing song-sets, arranging music and experimenting with styles have all been hugely rewarding, and great fun. The harmony of excellence and humility is a tough call in worship ministry, but I view it not so much as an 'end-point' at which one arrives, but rather like a zone through which one frequently passes in a constant process of readjustment.
Soon after arriving I realised that my voice was taking a beating (sometimes I have to sing three services a day, plus rehearsals - starting at 8am and finishing at 10pm). So I went in search of a singing teacher to help develop some degree of vocal stamina. I did this with not a little trepidation - singing in bands for 15 years totally untutored meant I was probably full of bad habits that I would (urgh!) have to change (urgh!). But AGAIN - God has provided! Just by searching online I found a lovely, Christian singing teacher who, astonishingly, lives half way between my house and the church where I work. She has been amazing with my singing, and crucially, she also understands the spiritual dynamics and politics of church life. An amazing blessing!
It is taking time to settle in here. Hannah and I feel the pull of Scotland quite a bit, and we were quite taken aback by quite how much we loved living in beautiful Linlithgow. Bath is cool, and of course, very beautiful in a different way, but we are adjusting to living in a suburb of a bigger touristy, studenty city, rather than living in the centre of a small, manageable, touristy town. Plus, the chippy closes for the holidays!! What's that all about? Would never happen in Scotland :)
As if we hadn't crammed enough into this year, I also managed to fail my driving test right before the 'crunch' time of moving to Bath. I was bitterly disappointed, but also clearly unfit for the roads! But in order to fulfil some perpatetic worship leading work I was committed to, I needed to drive. In yet ANOTHER act of God's provision, an anonymous donor heard about my situation and paid for 5 driving lessons for me! Humbled and blessed yet again. Not only that, but the lessons would be with a great instructor who instantly sorted out some key things in my driving that turned it around for the better. I needed rather more than 5 lessons in the end, but thankfully, the money was there through blessings from St T's friends and family, and on 14th November 2012 I sat and passed my driving test in the Brislington suburb of Bristol with 9 minor faults and the biggest sigh of relief I have ever exhaled.
God is good!
As hinted, the Christmas season has been one of extreme busyness - thankfully college finished just in time to free up some space, but I have been 'pure carolled oot ma nut' for many weeks now. Christmas day itself was spend chez Hannah's family and a lovely time it was too. It has not really been holiday though - in the worship calendar things only get more intense at this time of year, so I am learning! Next year more peace, less joy! Our break really comes now as we head up to Scotland for new year - overjoyed at the prospect of being reunited with family and friends and to rest before the next chapter in our adventures unfolds.
If you have read thus far, you clearly are a very dear loved one. Thank you for all your support. Thank you Jesus.
I'll raise a glass to you all on Hogmanay!
Sunday 30 December 2012
Thursday 6 December 2012
Worship as Encounter with the Holy
Some friends down here in Bath asked me to write an article for their website Bible Reflections.
Read what I came up with here
Read what I came up with here
Thursday 1 November 2012
The Shipwreck
My dear youth group got me this ukelele which proved the catalyst for writing a song in a different style. It was meant to be a kids' story song, but it ended up being all theological (not that the two ought to be mutually exclusive mind.) My spiel on the video pretty much explains things.
Sunday 15 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 13
Sunday 15th July 2012
Our last day in Uganda!
Today we went to the church service at Deliverance Church in Jinja, where TAIP started during the time when Sam Mugote was Pastor. Now the church is led by a wonderful, gentle man named Pastor Martin (!) On our arrival, he was in the midst of a Bible study with the youth of the churc on the theme of anger. Often with these services, events will begin early in the morning and continue all through the first part of the day, with different programmes flowing into each other in a very relaxed way.
When the service proper had begun in earnest, we had various greetings followed by wonderful, charismatic, soulful worshi led by choir and soloists, plus the talented Timothy Mugote on keyboard (someone else plays keyboard 'drums' on the bottom half of the instrument - crude but effective in lieu of a full band.) About 30 minutes of dancing, singing, clapping, and shouting led into a more intimate time in the Lord's presence - very moving and uplifting. We were invited to introduce ourselves and I shared a word which came to me in the worship - that the African church is the Lion - ferocious, strong, bold - but more than that, it is the Lion of Love - with a heart breaking for the community and the desire to go out and serve. We shared briefly about ourselves, and then sang 'You're Beautiful' by Phil Wickham, with me and Jack on guitars and Clara on trumpet. It was great - and the congregation were very kind and appreciative.
A lady doctor preached on the book of Ruth - her message was about being tough people in order to sail through tough times. The Sunday School kids hilariously auctioned off some maize to raise funds for the new church building (they currently meet in a school) and everyone was full of joy. I do like the way these African Pentecostal Christians do church!
After the service, it was back to the hotel for lunch and then a chilled afternoon before heading to TAIP's offices for a time of farewell. It was great to see Sam again, and he shared in depth about TAIP's vision, strategies, successes and challenges, and it was so helpful to see how all the work we had been seeing fitted together. Sam is a remarkable man - strong and gentle and Christlike in his compassion and determination.
Next we headed to the gardens where tea, coffee and treats had all been prepared, and many of the pastors we had met had come to see us off - such a delightful surprise! Pastor Paul (Kakira), Pastor John (Mafubira), Pastor Robert and his wife Joy (Bugembe), Pastor Frederick and his wife Brenda (Walukuba), Pastor Samuel (Faith Community Church, Jinja), and representatives from Grace School were all there, as well as the full TAIP team and the Mugote family. Fred's wife Florence, a lovely young woman, had also come to greet us. We shared the most lovely time of talking and sharing, and finished with prayers, group photographs and tearful hugs.
Sam spoke, affirming us and saying thato our team had encouraged the churches with our love and care and that the body of Christ was together in a new and powerful way because of our visit. This really helped us to see what we had contributed, because it seemed to us that our role had been very small, next to the magnitiude of the challenges the Ugandan people are facing.
Florence Mugote shared a word which she felt was for me - that I would be a revolutionary - like Martin Luther!! What a great and challenging word - I will treasure it, and pray over it.
We have grown so attached to all our new Ugandan friends, and everyone was very moved and full of love for one another. A beautiful moment with which to finish a life-changing experience.
Back at the hotel, owner Elizabth and the hotel staff blessed us with gifts of Ugandan tea and coffee - so kind! We promised to come back whenever we could.
I decided to give my travel guitar to Daniel - he almost fell off his chair with gratitude! I was worried he would feel patronised, but he was so overjoyed that it was certainly God's will for me to do this. He brought out from his room a battered old hymn book, and we sang some songs of praise to God under the stars. We promised to be friends when I got home to the UK - will we meet again? I don't know, but we are brothers in the Lord, and that bond will remain wherever we are.
An early start tomorrow - 4am departure for Entebbe.
What a fabulous, heart-breaking, joyful, overwhelming, touching, beautiful trip this has been. In the words of Daniel's favourite hymn:
"To God be the glory - great things he has done!"
AMEN.
With thanks to God, to everyone at TAIP, Tearfund, all the team (especially Sarah Neville who took these amazing photos!) See the full set of photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82894987@N08/sets/
Our last day in Uganda!
Today we went to the church service at Deliverance Church in Jinja, where TAIP started during the time when Sam Mugote was Pastor. Now the church is led by a wonderful, gentle man named Pastor Martin (!) On our arrival, he was in the midst of a Bible study with the youth of the churc on the theme of anger. Often with these services, events will begin early in the morning and continue all through the first part of the day, with different programmes flowing into each other in a very relaxed way.
When the service proper had begun in earnest, we had various greetings followed by wonderful, charismatic, soulful worshi led by choir and soloists, plus the talented Timothy Mugote on keyboard (someone else plays keyboard 'drums' on the bottom half of the instrument - crude but effective in lieu of a full band.) About 30 minutes of dancing, singing, clapping, and shouting led into a more intimate time in the Lord's presence - very moving and uplifting. We were invited to introduce ourselves and I shared a word which came to me in the worship - that the African church is the Lion - ferocious, strong, bold - but more than that, it is the Lion of Love - with a heart breaking for the community and the desire to go out and serve. We shared briefly about ourselves, and then sang 'You're Beautiful' by Phil Wickham, with me and Jack on guitars and Clara on trumpet. It was great - and the congregation were very kind and appreciative.
A lady doctor preached on the book of Ruth - her message was about being tough people in order to sail through tough times. The Sunday School kids hilariously auctioned off some maize to raise funds for the new church building (they currently meet in a school) and everyone was full of joy. I do like the way these African Pentecostal Christians do church!
After the service, it was back to the hotel for lunch and then a chilled afternoon before heading to TAIP's offices for a time of farewell. It was great to see Sam again, and he shared in depth about TAIP's vision, strategies, successes and challenges, and it was so helpful to see how all the work we had been seeing fitted together. Sam is a remarkable man - strong and gentle and Christlike in his compassion and determination.
Next we headed to the gardens where tea, coffee and treats had all been prepared, and many of the pastors we had met had come to see us off - such a delightful surprise! Pastor Paul (Kakira), Pastor John (Mafubira), Pastor Robert and his wife Joy (Bugembe), Pastor Frederick and his wife Brenda (Walukuba), Pastor Samuel (Faith Community Church, Jinja), and representatives from Grace School were all there, as well as the full TAIP team and the Mugote family. Fred's wife Florence, a lovely young woman, had also come to greet us. We shared the most lovely time of talking and sharing, and finished with prayers, group photographs and tearful hugs.
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| The St Thomas' Transform Team with all our new Ugandan friends, TAIP gardens, Jinja |
Sam spoke, affirming us and saying thato our team had encouraged the churches with our love and care and that the body of Christ was together in a new and powerful way because of our visit. This really helped us to see what we had contributed, because it seemed to us that our role had been very small, next to the magnitiude of the challenges the Ugandan people are facing.
Florence Mugote shared a word which she felt was for me - that I would be a revolutionary - like Martin Luther!! What a great and challenging word - I will treasure it, and pray over it.
We have grown so attached to all our new Ugandan friends, and everyone was very moved and full of love for one another. A beautiful moment with which to finish a life-changing experience.
 |
| Joyful hugs and tearful goodbyes |
Back at the hotel, owner Elizabth and the hotel staff blessed us with gifts of Ugandan tea and coffee - so kind! We promised to come back whenever we could.
I decided to give my travel guitar to Daniel - he almost fell off his chair with gratitude! I was worried he would feel patronised, but he was so overjoyed that it was certainly God's will for me to do this. He brought out from his room a battered old hymn book, and we sang some songs of praise to God under the stars. We promised to be friends when I got home to the UK - will we meet again? I don't know, but we are brothers in the Lord, and that bond will remain wherever we are.
An early start tomorrow - 4am departure for Entebbe.
What a fabulous, heart-breaking, joyful, overwhelming, touching, beautiful trip this has been. In the words of Daniel's favourite hymn:
"To God be the glory - great things he has done!"
AMEN.
With thanks to God, to everyone at TAIP, Tearfund, all the team (especially Sarah Neville who took these amazing photos!) See the full set of photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82894987@N08/sets/
Saturday 14 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 12
Saturday 14 July 2012
Our day of departure for Jinja, and everyone was eager to get back to relative civilization - with electricity, flushing toilets and hot showers being high on the agenda! Living without these things has really helped us to appreciate what we have. The people living in this region do not have the option of leaving this way of life behind as we are. So much of their time is spent collecting water, washing and cooking, not to mention scraping a living. But this is the only life they know. I wonder how much they really understand of their relative poverty compared to the better-off Ugandans, let alone us westerners. Fred says it is a change of mindset and attitude that is needed more than anything else - and that the church can lead the way in this.
Our last visit in Mayuge us to an orphanage at Magoola Church of Calvary, led by Pastor Waisa Emmanuel. The kids here are brilliant - we had barely got out of the vehicles before they began singing and dancing for us their songs of welcome and praise to God. They set out a lovely area for us under the shade of tarpaulins stretched between trees, and with lacey doilies on each of our chairs - we took our seats, once again clearly guests of honour. At least another seven songs followed with amazing drumming from an excited girl with an infectious smile. The girls, when they are excited or happy give out a fast, high-pitched "oo-loo-loo-loo-loo" sound at the top of their voices - especially as the music and dancing grows wild. The joy of these poor orphaned kids is astounding - and can surely only be attributed to the fact they they are loved - by God, and by Pastor and his helpers.
They have a school here too - staffed by teachers who, we learn, work without salary. This is yet another inspiring community where the grace and provision of God, along with the support of TAIP, is literally all they have. The kids performed another play for us - again addressing HIV/AIDS and its impact on the community. It is amazing to see these kids use creative means such as music and drama to both learn about and communicate the key issues that they are facing as the grow up in their culture. This kind of education and self-expression is all part of the preventative work which the church is doing to try and ensure that there is not another generation of orphans created by the spread of this terrible disease.
Fun games with the children and an incredible Ugandan lunch in their special visitors' mud hut completed our visit here. The inside of the hut is covered in posters and flip chart paper which detail the journey this church has come on since TAIP began workin with them back in 2003. They are still desperately poor, and the children's sleeping arrangements terribly crowded, but they are filled with hope in God as they have seen him answer their prayers over the years. Pastor Waisa says that even if we did not know it, when we have been praying for Uganda, we have been praying for them, and God has been listening and acting. This is wonderful to hear. I can also really see how the money we give to Tearfund benefits the local communities here - by financially supporting local organisations such as TAIP, Tearfund ensures that the local church is to enabled to effect the change they need, rather than a foreign model or agenda being imported unhelpfully and wastefully. This way, we are supporting Ugandans to support other Ugandans - which seems as it should be.
As we left for the long drive back to Jinja, I was again struck by the extreme poverty of the countless kids we saw along the road - some malnourished, some carrying heavy jerry cans back from the wells and bore-holes, some in rags, some completely naked, some with beaming smiles, some with only a look of bewilderment. When I see this poverty I still feel helpless, but I cannot feel hopeless. I have hope because of the vitality of these people, and because of the transforming love of God. When these two meet, anything is possible.
Back at the Victoria Panorama, Daniel greets us like long-lost relatives! Later I teach him the 'C' chord and promise to leave him some chord diagrams so he can practice. Last day tomorrow :-(
Our day of departure for Jinja, and everyone was eager to get back to relative civilization - with electricity, flushing toilets and hot showers being high on the agenda! Living without these things has really helped us to appreciate what we have. The people living in this region do not have the option of leaving this way of life behind as we are. So much of their time is spent collecting water, washing and cooking, not to mention scraping a living. But this is the only life they know. I wonder how much they really understand of their relative poverty compared to the better-off Ugandans, let alone us westerners. Fred says it is a change of mindset and attitude that is needed more than anything else - and that the church can lead the way in this.
Our last visit in Mayuge us to an orphanage at Magoola Church of Calvary, led by Pastor Waisa Emmanuel. The kids here are brilliant - we had barely got out of the vehicles before they began singing and dancing for us their songs of welcome and praise to God. They set out a lovely area for us under the shade of tarpaulins stretched between trees, and with lacey doilies on each of our chairs - we took our seats, once again clearly guests of honour. At least another seven songs followed with amazing drumming from an excited girl with an infectious smile. The girls, when they are excited or happy give out a fast, high-pitched "oo-loo-loo-loo-loo" sound at the top of their voices - especially as the music and dancing grows wild. The joy of these poor orphaned kids is astounding - and can surely only be attributed to the fact they they are loved - by God, and by Pastor and his helpers.
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| More songs of welcome! |
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| The lovely area prepared for us by the people of Magoola Church of Calvary |
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| This drummer girl was fabulous! |
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| A sweet and tender greeting from one of the school teachers |
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| Rachel with a girl called Catherine, who is wearing a TAIP tshirt |
Fun games with the children and an incredible Ugandan lunch in their special visitors' mud hut completed our visit here. The inside of the hut is covered in posters and flip chart paper which detail the journey this church has come on since TAIP began workin with them back in 2003. They are still desperately poor, and the children's sleeping arrangements terribly crowded, but they are filled with hope in God as they have seen him answer their prayers over the years. Pastor Waisa says that even if we did not know it, when we have been praying for Uganda, we have been praying for them, and God has been listening and acting. This is wonderful to hear. I can also really see how the money we give to Tearfund benefits the local communities here - by financially supporting local organisations such as TAIP, Tearfund ensures that the local church is to enabled to effect the change they need, rather than a foreign model or agenda being imported unhelpfully and wastefully. This way, we are supporting Ugandans to support other Ugandans - which seems as it should be.
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| Thanks to God - now orphans can dance for joy |
Back at the Victoria Panorama, Daniel greets us like long-lost relatives! Later I teach him the 'C' chord and promise to leave him some chord diagrams so he can practice. Last day tomorrow :-(
Friday 13 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 11
Today's programme was a change from visiting the rural churches, with a meeting with local pastors in the morning who are linked with the TAIP-facilitated P.E.P. Programme (Participation Evaluation Programme). This brings together 40 local churches in the Molongo sub-county of Mayuge region, in order to work together in mission. They use TAIP training to learn how to empower congregations to holistically transform needy communities (that is, every community in this area). The pastors were supposed to arrive at 10am, but Fred reported that none were there when he went to check - so we turned up at 11.30am, just as the first of them were arriving (this is yet another example of 'African Standard Time' as David puts it!)
More pastors arrived over the next hour and a half and the meeting took about an hour to get past the welcomes, introductions and preliminaries which are so charming in African culture, but which can also be frustratingly slow! Many of the pastors seemed unsure of the purpose of the meeting (a workshop to share ideas and stories) and initially spoke only in generalities. Some seemed overwhelmed by the issues at hand and at the new mindset required to move their churches into 'mission mode' - it all sounded rather familiar... Fred did a great job of trying to keep things on track, as well as getting out of the way at times to allow the local pastors to run the meeting themselves. Eventually we got down to brass tacks, and we got a little more detail and information about the specific initiatives being put into practice, but it feels like this is a long-term process on the part of TAIP who are bringing sophisticated and empowering strategies to this isolated rural area. I shared a little too, and tried to encourage them that TAIP's facilitated programmes really are useful and helpful and cutting edge - rather than trying to do everything for the churches, TAIP is equipping them to use their own God-given local resources to reach people with His love.
The Y.F. struggled with this meeting, mainly because it was hard to comprehend what was going on, but I found it fascinating. The need for locally produced resources for training, Bible study, doctrine and children's work reared its head again and I am resolved to do some research into this area, as it has come up in almost every church we have visited.
At lunch time we departed for our lodgings once again, and did our final preparations for the child advocacy campaign. The flat-bed truck whihc TAIP were bringing to set up in the main street had been delayed coming from Jinja, and when it did arrive there was trouble with the generator. So there was a lot of waiting around for our slot, which we nevertheless filled with lots of chat and hanging out. Relationships have really grown on this trip - more than I could have hoped. I sometimes feel a surprisingly intense love for these young people - perhaps partly because they have the freshness and inherent beauty which characterises all those in the flush of youth - but also I think it is my pastor's heart.
We finally joined the team at the truck around 6pm, wearing our TAIP Tshirts and brandishing our placards on which were written various individual pressures which young people face today, and which when flipped over, spelled out Phillippians 4:13: "I can face anything through Christ who strengthens me."
200+ children, adults and youth were clustered around the truck, and they listened intently as we sang and shared with them. Kathryn and Sarah both gave powerful testimonies of God's hand at work in their lives and both were applauded by the crowd. They did so well. The generator conked out halfway through Sarah's talk, but she didn't let it faze her, and soon it came back on just in time for us to finish with "Mighty to Save".
It was exhilerating to share Jesus in this way. All felt full of God and full of pleasure at participating in this outreach. It also gave me ideas for back home...
A wonderful meal, great conversation and worship and prayer under the stars in the Ugandan sky wound up an amazing evening. Florence Magote shared a word with the young people that something had been born in them during this time - a vision from God that they might not even be able to recognise or articulate, but which was nonetheless going to shape their lives for years to come. It was the perfect, God-given encouragement for the team who have worked so hard and been so open to God's movement in their lives. Praise Him!
More pastors arrived over the next hour and a half and the meeting took about an hour to get past the welcomes, introductions and preliminaries which are so charming in African culture, but which can also be frustratingly slow! Many of the pastors seemed unsure of the purpose of the meeting (a workshop to share ideas and stories) and initially spoke only in generalities. Some seemed overwhelmed by the issues at hand and at the new mindset required to move their churches into 'mission mode' - it all sounded rather familiar... Fred did a great job of trying to keep things on track, as well as getting out of the way at times to allow the local pastors to run the meeting themselves. Eventually we got down to brass tacks, and we got a little more detail and information about the specific initiatives being put into practice, but it feels like this is a long-term process on the part of TAIP who are bringing sophisticated and empowering strategies to this isolated rural area. I shared a little too, and tried to encourage them that TAIP's facilitated programmes really are useful and helpful and cutting edge - rather than trying to do everything for the churches, TAIP is equipping them to use their own God-given local resources to reach people with His love.
The Y.F. struggled with this meeting, mainly because it was hard to comprehend what was going on, but I found it fascinating. The need for locally produced resources for training, Bible study, doctrine and children's work reared its head again and I am resolved to do some research into this area, as it has come up in almost every church we have visited.
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| TAIP: bringing hope to poor communities by empowering the local church |
At lunch time we departed for our lodgings once again, and did our final preparations for the child advocacy campaign. The flat-bed truck whihc TAIP were bringing to set up in the main street had been delayed coming from Jinja, and when it did arrive there was trouble with the generator. So there was a lot of waiting around for our slot, which we nevertheless filled with lots of chat and hanging out. Relationships have really grown on this trip - more than I could have hoped. I sometimes feel a surprisingly intense love for these young people - perhaps partly because they have the freshness and inherent beauty which characterises all those in the flush of youth - but also I think it is my pastor's heart.
We finally joined the team at the truck around 6pm, wearing our TAIP Tshirts and brandishing our placards on which were written various individual pressures which young people face today, and which when flipped over, spelled out Phillippians 4:13: "I can face anything through Christ who strengthens me."
200+ children, adults and youth were clustered around the truck, and they listened intently as we sang and shared with them. Kathryn and Sarah both gave powerful testimonies of God's hand at work in their lives and both were applauded by the crowd. They did so well. The generator conked out halfway through Sarah's talk, but she didn't let it faze her, and soon it came back on just in time for us to finish with "Mighty to Save".
It was exhilerating to share Jesus in this way. All felt full of God and full of pleasure at participating in this outreach. It also gave me ideas for back home...
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| Child Advocacy campaign gets underway shortly before our slot - we did our bit just as the sun was setting |
A wonderful meal, great conversation and worship and prayer under the stars in the Ugandan sky wound up an amazing evening. Florence Magote shared a word with the young people that something had been born in them during this time - a vision from God that they might not even be able to recognise or articulate, but which was nonetheless going to shape their lives for years to come. It was the perfect, God-given encouragement for the team who have worked so hard and been so open to God's movement in their lives. Praise Him!
Thursday 12 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 10
Thursday 12 July 2012
Today we are at Kitoogo - a very rural village about 10km from Nango where we are staying. A lady Pastor, whose name alas, I couldn't pick up, runs Joy Deliverance Church and school, as well as joining local council groups and running her own shop - she is a remarkable woman!
The kids here are just as poor as in Bukizibu, and perhaps have even less in terms of resources and facilities. The church building is the made of thick sticks, overlaid with cow dung to make a strong plaster. The roof is a simple but effective thatch, which is probably more about keeping the sun off than the elements out.
The children sang and danced for us. Some of the songs spoke of the amazing African welcome, but still others addressed HIV/AIDS, asking the question: 'who will look after us when our parents have died?' It's moving stuff, but again with hope and joy, both in the singing and especially in the two wee boy drummers who keep everything grooving along. The kids also performed a play they had written concerning two girls who don't go to school, one of whom ends up pregnant while out looking for work. Two 'doctors' then took to the stage to explain about HIV prevention. Amazing and sad that such young kids are faced with such issues.
We played more games with the kids, and they again loved them - their teachers did too, whooping and clapping along. 'Duck, duck, goose' became 'Chicken, chicken, turkey' and the kids really enjoyed this one. In fact, so keen are they to pick us, that I think the game could be called "Make the white person run!" Everyone shouts 'muzungu' ('white person') at us as we drive through the villages on the way home - they genuinely seem amazed to see us.
Tomorrow we will do a presentation as part of a programme of child advocacy campaigning out in the street in Nango. In the evening we spent a couple of hours preparing. I wrote a song, the young people prepared a simple teaching method with placards, and Kathryn and Sarah volunteers to give testimonies. Sarah is just being transformed - yesterday she came and laid on hands and prayed for a sick lady - something she never would have done back home. And now she is giving testimony! Praise the Lord!
Tonight finished with a wonderful, wonderful time of worship and prayer with our Ugandan brothers and sisters - God's presence was very near; everyone sang and prayed spontaneous, heartfelt prayers. Some knelt and cried. Esther read the Pentecost story. This 30 minutes was everything I've ever wanted Y.F. to be. GLORY!
Today we are at Kitoogo - a very rural village about 10km from Nango where we are staying. A lady Pastor, whose name alas, I couldn't pick up, runs Joy Deliverance Church and school, as well as joining local council groups and running her own shop - she is a remarkable woman!
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| Kitoogo's amazing (and rather stylish!) Lady Pastor talks to Esther - Fred interprets |
The kids here are just as poor as in Bukizibu, and perhaps have even less in terms of resources and facilities. The church building is the made of thick sticks, overlaid with cow dung to make a strong plaster. The roof is a simple but effective thatch, which is probably more about keeping the sun off than the elements out.
The children sang and danced for us. Some of the songs spoke of the amazing African welcome, but still others addressed HIV/AIDS, asking the question: 'who will look after us when our parents have died?' It's moving stuff, but again with hope and joy, both in the singing and especially in the two wee boy drummers who keep everything grooving along. The kids also performed a play they had written concerning two girls who don't go to school, one of whom ends up pregnant while out looking for work. Two 'doctors' then took to the stage to explain about HIV prevention. Amazing and sad that such young kids are faced with such issues.
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| The children perform for us |
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| As they brush the dust with their hands, they sing: 'who will take care of us?' |
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| This image breaks our hearts |
We played more games with the kids, and they again loved them - their teachers did too, whooping and clapping along. 'Duck, duck, goose' became 'Chicken, chicken, turkey' and the kids really enjoyed this one. In fact, so keen are they to pick us, that I think the game could be called "Make the white person run!" Everyone shouts 'muzungu' ('white person') at us as we drive through the villages on the way home - they genuinely seem amazed to see us.
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| Our games are a hit |
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| Relay races - Ugandan kids are just competitive as British kids! |
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| Chase the muzungu! |
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| Music and dancing bring us all together |
Tomorrow we will do a presentation as part of a programme of child advocacy campaigning out in the street in Nango. In the evening we spent a couple of hours preparing. I wrote a song, the young people prepared a simple teaching method with placards, and Kathryn and Sarah volunteers to give testimonies. Sarah is just being transformed - yesterday she came and laid on hands and prayed for a sick lady - something she never would have done back home. And now she is giving testimony! Praise the Lord!
Tonight finished with a wonderful, wonderful time of worship and prayer with our Ugandan brothers and sisters - God's presence was very near; everyone sang and prayed spontaneous, heartfelt prayers. Some knelt and cried. Esther read the Pentecost story. This 30 minutes was everything I've ever wanted Y.F. to be. GLORY!
Wednesday 11 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 9
Wednesday 11th July 2012
Our visit today was to Bukuzibu - a place name which means 'problems'. This gives you some idea of the sort of community we are in. Poverty, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are big problems here, but the church is mobilized and God is on the move.
The church in this area which we are visiting is rather wonderfully called "God is Able Church", and the school they have started is called "Bright Futures" - wonderful names of hope in the place of 'problems'!
The church, under Pastor Moses - a hands-on, practical man - has been partnering with TAIP for a few years now, and he is now one of their local co-ordinators. Through TAIP, his church have developed programmes of home-based care for the sick, youth life skills, and also caring for 20 orphans who are part of their 200-strong primary school.
Their resources are scant - the church-cum-classroom is a mud brick and timber construction with old exercise books stuffed in the cracks (I'm not sure if they are just stored here or whether they are actually part of the design of the building!) We were treated as honoured guests and seated on wonderful home made chairs, crafted from the local trees.
We shared worship and prayer and joined in as Pastor and pupils constructed a new plate stand for the children's mealtimes - again using timber from the local trees. You can imagine them constructing the church in just the same way. P7 boys did the hard word of sawing, with some fairly token help from us!
More wonderful children enjoyed our games. There are so many children here, and Fred tells me that when he sees them he just feels like crying. The needs are huge - many of the local kids who hang around but are not part of the school are dressed literally in rags. Fred explained on the way home for lunch that there is nothing that these poor farmers can do to improve their standard of living except to earn money through enterprise. They can grow food and keep some animals for themselves, but they have to make money by selling goods in order to pay for school fees and medicines. It makes it all the harder for the people to survive. Again I am conflicted - ancient ways of life are surely worth preserving and cherishing - but who can deny these children the right to clean water, education and proper health provision? These kids have a "Bright Future" only if "God is Able" to change the hearts of those who have the power to help.
In the evening, Esther and I talked until late with Fred, Timothy and my namesake Martin (TAIP's overall co-ordinator in this region) about many things to do with church, youth, sexuality and culture. Fred is such a gentle soul, but it was great to see him getting really passionate as we talked about these things.
"No-one cares about the people here", he told me, meaning the poor in this rural area. Thank God that he does.
Our visit today was to Bukuzibu - a place name which means 'problems'. This gives you some idea of the sort of community we are in. Poverty, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are big problems here, but the church is mobilized and God is on the move.
The church in this area which we are visiting is rather wonderfully called "God is Able Church", and the school they have started is called "Bright Futures" - wonderful names of hope in the place of 'problems'!
The church, under Pastor Moses - a hands-on, practical man - has been partnering with TAIP for a few years now, and he is now one of their local co-ordinators. Through TAIP, his church have developed programmes of home-based care for the sick, youth life skills, and also caring for 20 orphans who are part of their 200-strong primary school.
Their resources are scant - the church-cum-classroom is a mud brick and timber construction with old exercise books stuffed in the cracks (I'm not sure if they are just stored here or whether they are actually part of the design of the building!) We were treated as honoured guests and seated on wonderful home made chairs, crafted from the local trees.
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| Honoured guests with the church/classroom in the background |
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| Timber walls double as blackboards, and little faces peep through the cracks |
We shared worship and prayer and joined in as Pastor and pupils constructed a new plate stand for the children's mealtimes - again using timber from the local trees. You can imagine them constructing the church in just the same way. P7 boys did the hard word of sawing, with some fairly token help from us!
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| Making the plate stand - these boys knew one end of a saw from another |
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| Pastor Moses supervises |
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| Kathryn lends a hand |
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| The finished article |
More wonderful children enjoyed our games. There are so many children here, and Fred tells me that when he sees them he just feels like crying. The needs are huge - many of the local kids who hang around but are not part of the school are dressed literally in rags. Fred explained on the way home for lunch that there is nothing that these poor farmers can do to improve their standard of living except to earn money through enterprise. They can grow food and keep some animals for themselves, but they have to make money by selling goods in order to pay for school fees and medicines. It makes it all the harder for the people to survive. Again I am conflicted - ancient ways of life are surely worth preserving and cherishing - but who can deny these children the right to clean water, education and proper health provision? These kids have a "Bright Future" only if "God is Able" to change the hearts of those who have the power to help.
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| Rachel and Sarah blow bubbles which the children love |
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| Everyone wants to have a go! |
In the evening, Esther and I talked until late with Fred, Timothy and my namesake Martin (TAIP's overall co-ordinator in this region) about many things to do with church, youth, sexuality and culture. Fred is such a gentle soul, but it was great to see him getting really passionate as we talked about these things.
"No-one cares about the people here", he told me, meaning the poor in this rural area. Thank God that he does.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 8
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Today was a rest day and we enjoyed a lie-in and a more leisurely morning before being taken by Fred, Joseph and David to the source of the Nile at Jinja. It is beautiful and fascinating that this mighty river flows so far - it takes three months for the water to reach Egypt. We were very grateful to be doing this with Ugandans - David talked the boat pilot down from 165,000 Ugandan Shillings to 45,000!
After this we went shopping at a little Jinja craft shop run by Molly - a friend of our hosts. The young people all bought presents for friends and family. Then it was back to the hotel for lunch and to prepare to depart for Mayuge region.
Due to the truck needing repairs, we were delayed in setting off but it was a breathtaking drive through wetland, rice paddies, rocky landscapes and green forest. Uganda is a beautiful country - even with the dryness and dust. As we travelled, towns got smaller, villages poorer and mud huts the more common type of housing. These are made of bricks fired from the very soil of Uganda - the orange earth which forms the roads and cakes our clothes in its dust also becomes the home and shelter of the poorer people here. They truly are people of the earth. Roofs are mostly sticks or some kind of reeds making a teepee shape. These look pretty, but I don't think I would want to have to live in one.
David explained to me that we were now very remote - far from any major towns. This was a chance to see the real, ancient Uganda which is still unspoiled, relatively speaking, and where traditional ways of life still prevail (although it seems that all of Ugandan culture is to a large extent shaped by tradition). Boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis), bikes and cars become less numerous, and we were increasingly the only private cars on the roads. As we rolled into our destination, the village of Nango in Malongo Sub-county, I began to wonder what our accommodation would be like - I hadn't seen a power line for some time! Indeed, on arrival, we found our hotel had no electricity and no running water! A generator from a nearby shop provides occasional power, but as night fell, we were reliant on candles and torches.
The rooms were basic - about 7 feet by 7 feet with bare walls, a corrugated iron roof and a single bed. The beds thankfully are comfortable and include clean bedding, but this is as far from home comforts as we've been. Toilets are standard Ugandan issue (read: a hole in the ground) and there are no showers - just a basic concrete cubicle, 2 jerrycans of well water and a chunk of soap.
After about 45 minutes organising rooms, putting up mosquito nets and unloading our stuff, it was 9pm before we had our dinner - mercifully a delicious beef stew with rice and potatoes cooked by Florence, the mother of Timothy and Paul, and wife of TAIP director Sam. She came up especially with her friend Linda to cook for the team - a wonderful blessing!
It feels much edgier here, and this, the basic conditions, plus the darkness and a bout of homesickness brought a couple of the girls out in tears, but we all felt more human after dinner. A crazy post-Market Day party near our compound kept us awake quite late, but apart from this and other random Ugandan night noises, we all slept pretty well. We are almost always tired these days, but glad to be here, on the second leg of our Uganda adventure.
Today was a rest day and we enjoyed a lie-in and a more leisurely morning before being taken by Fred, Joseph and David to the source of the Nile at Jinja. It is beautiful and fascinating that this mighty river flows so far - it takes three months for the water to reach Egypt. We were very grateful to be doing this with Ugandans - David talked the boat pilot down from 165,000 Ugandan Shillings to 45,000!
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| The team with our wonderful hosts (l-r Sarah, Joseph, Jack, Esther, David, Kathryn, me, Clara, Emily, Fred, Rachel) |
After this we went shopping at a little Jinja craft shop run by Molly - a friend of our hosts. The young people all bought presents for friends and family. Then it was back to the hotel for lunch and to prepare to depart for Mayuge region.
Due to the truck needing repairs, we were delayed in setting off but it was a breathtaking drive through wetland, rice paddies, rocky landscapes and green forest. Uganda is a beautiful country - even with the dryness and dust. As we travelled, towns got smaller, villages poorer and mud huts the more common type of housing. These are made of bricks fired from the very soil of Uganda - the orange earth which forms the roads and cakes our clothes in its dust also becomes the home and shelter of the poorer people here. They truly are people of the earth. Roofs are mostly sticks or some kind of reeds making a teepee shape. These look pretty, but I don't think I would want to have to live in one.
David explained to me that we were now very remote - far from any major towns. This was a chance to see the real, ancient Uganda which is still unspoiled, relatively speaking, and where traditional ways of life still prevail (although it seems that all of Ugandan culture is to a large extent shaped by tradition). Boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis), bikes and cars become less numerous, and we were increasingly the only private cars on the roads. As we rolled into our destination, the village of Nango in Malongo Sub-county, I began to wonder what our accommodation would be like - I hadn't seen a power line for some time! Indeed, on arrival, we found our hotel had no electricity and no running water! A generator from a nearby shop provides occasional power, but as night fell, we were reliant on candles and torches.
The rooms were basic - about 7 feet by 7 feet with bare walls, a corrugated iron roof and a single bed. The beds thankfully are comfortable and include clean bedding, but this is as far from home comforts as we've been. Toilets are standard Ugandan issue (read: a hole in the ground) and there are no showers - just a basic concrete cubicle, 2 jerrycans of well water and a chunk of soap.
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| Hotel number 2 - much more basic |
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| Yep, this was our toilet for 4 days |
After about 45 minutes organising rooms, putting up mosquito nets and unloading our stuff, it was 9pm before we had our dinner - mercifully a delicious beef stew with rice and potatoes cooked by Florence, the mother of Timothy and Paul, and wife of TAIP director Sam. She came up especially with her friend Linda to cook for the team - a wonderful blessing!
It feels much edgier here, and this, the basic conditions, plus the darkness and a bout of homesickness brought a couple of the girls out in tears, but we all felt more human after dinner. A crazy post-Market Day party near our compound kept us awake quite late, but apart from this and other random Ugandan night noises, we all slept pretty well. We are almost always tired these days, but glad to be here, on the second leg of our Uganda adventure.
Monday 9 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 7
Monday 9 July 2012
Another day, another church! And another church combating the effects of AIDS through the love of God and through social enterprise.
Today we were in the town centre of Jinja with a small church called Faith Communty Church, headed up by Pastor Samuel and Assistant Pastor Simon. They have set up an orphanage adjacent to the church - a purpose-built home for 20 children whose parents in the outlying villages have died of AIDS, leaving them with no-one to look after them. They are brought to Jinja and the church cares for them here.
This is a wonderfully big-hearted church who have followed God's leading for these kids and are training them in the Christian life while also sending them to school and teaching them home skills and farming.
The church has a field on the edge of town currently planted with maize. We all piled into vehicles - children, older ladies, men - even a mother and baby - and roared off to work in the field. We were to clear weeds from the maize rows and pull lower leaves from the crops to aid growth. This was a great hands-on experience, and fun bit of team work with the Africans. Pastor Samuel traded his shiny shoes for a pair of wellies to join in. (This is the story of many of the pastors here - they muck in and get their hands dirty.)
I struck up a great conversation with Assistant Pastor Simon after we returned from the field, and he explained about the social enterprise elements which were helping the church to be self-sufficient rather then rely on handouts. He comes from Kenya and still has a family back there who he sees on holidays. As well as working for the church, he has a job with a timber company and also runs a second-hand mobile phone business - these Africans are an enterprising lot! During the course of our conversations, we were served some barbecued corn on the cob from the church's own crop - delicious!
In the afternoon we played with the kids. They were wonderful - singing and dancing their theme song "Children of Destiny". This was a moving expression of how they now view themselves - once they were lost, but now they are found, given a future by the love of Jesus. Our games, songs and gifts went down well - especially the little friendship bracelets which our own kids from St Thomas' had made for us to bring. We prayed and praised together, even treating the church to some of our own more grown-up worship songs.
Another wonderful day, where it feels like we have made lots more friends. It is amazing what this church is doing for these kids in Jesus' name, and we feel such love between us. Tomorrow is a rest/travel day as we prepare to spend a few days in a more rural part of the country.
Another day, another church! And another church combating the effects of AIDS through the love of God and through social enterprise.
Today we were in the town centre of Jinja with a small church called Faith Communty Church, headed up by Pastor Samuel and Assistant Pastor Simon. They have set up an orphanage adjacent to the church - a purpose-built home for 20 children whose parents in the outlying villages have died of AIDS, leaving them with no-one to look after them. They are brought to Jinja and the church cares for them here.
This is a wonderfully big-hearted church who have followed God's leading for these kids and are training them in the Christian life while also sending them to school and teaching them home skills and farming.
The church has a field on the edge of town currently planted with maize. We all piled into vehicles - children, older ladies, men - even a mother and baby - and roared off to work in the field. We were to clear weeds from the maize rows and pull lower leaves from the crops to aid growth. This was a great hands-on experience, and fun bit of team work with the Africans. Pastor Samuel traded his shiny shoes for a pair of wellies to join in. (This is the story of many of the pastors here - they muck in and get their hands dirty.)
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| Esther gets a lesson in tending maize, from an amazing lady who was out working despite being on crutches! |
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| Some of the orphans - they are just as at home in the fields as in church or at school |
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| Rachel makes a new friend |
I struck up a great conversation with Assistant Pastor Simon after we returned from the field, and he explained about the social enterprise elements which were helping the church to be self-sufficient rather then rely on handouts. He comes from Kenya and still has a family back there who he sees on holidays. As well as working for the church, he has a job with a timber company and also runs a second-hand mobile phone business - these Africans are an enterprising lot! During the course of our conversations, we were served some barbecued corn on the cob from the church's own crop - delicious!
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| The fruit of our labour! |
In the afternoon we played with the kids. They were wonderful - singing and dancing their theme song "Children of Destiny". This was a moving expression of how they now view themselves - once they were lost, but now they are found, given a future by the love of Jesus. Our games, songs and gifts went down well - especially the little friendship bracelets which our own kids from St Thomas' had made for us to bring. We prayed and praised together, even treating the church to some of our own more grown-up worship songs.
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| The "Children of Destiny" performing for their visitors |
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| Showing off friendship bracelets - brought from Scottish children to Ugandan children, with love |
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| New friends including Assistant Pastor Simon (second from right) |
Another wonderful day, where it feels like we have made lots more friends. It is amazing what this church is doing for these kids in Jesus' name, and we feel such love between us. Tomorrow is a rest/travel day as we prepare to spend a few days in a more rural part of the country.
Sunday 8 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 6
Sunday 8th July 2012
Church!
Today we rose early to get to Walukuba Elim Pentecostal Church where we were to participate in the service. I was to preach and felt more nervous about this than anything so far - ironic, since it is the closest thing to what I spend my time doing back home.
In the event, we were a little late arriving for the first 8.30am service, but no matter - as the wonderfully smiley Pastor Frederick explained: "we are on African time now, hahaha!" He proceeded to show me a carefully timed programme for the the morning which, as far as I could see, was to be completely disregarded as the services went on!
Worship was in true Pentecostal style - something new for some of our team - with African Pentecostalism constituting something of a double whammy of novel church experience! The presence of the LORD was in our midst, although things were a little loud and shouty at times for me... we could have done with a bit more space possible. Warmth and passion were present in spades though, neither of which I would want to dispel.
The preach (a message based on one I have used before using Hosea 10:12 - 'break up your unploughed ground') went well in the first service, better in the second. The Pastor made encouraging smiles and noises and quite a few people said they were encouraged by the word. A great experience, although I have much to learn.
Between the two services, four of us went to lead the Sunday School, 3 of us to the youth group and Esther went to talk to the women of the church. I elected to give a hand with the children, and our worship song and teaching on the sheep and goats when down well. The kids loved singing and dancing and making sheep/goat noises! All of our team *shone* today - very proud of them all.
The second service began with choirs and a performance from Joseph, our driver from TAIP who has a hidden talent for soulful singing! One man came to the church specifically to give his life to Christ this morning, and he was prayed for at the front as the worship went on. My sermon was shorter in this service, and as I said, better for it. Then came more worship, offerings, announcements and a visit from a gentleman called 'Apostle' Paul - a friend of the church who had some back story we couldn't quite work out but who wanted to repent and be accepted once again into the church. This was all very intense, but clearly God was on the move, even if it seemed bewildering for us (especially with only minimal interpretation!).
After the service, everyone was so kind - bringing us bananas and cold bottles of Coke and Fanta. We were able to chat to Pastor Frederick for 10 minutes or so and he explained how TAIP have helped the church to provide help for those living with HIV through a course addressing stigmatisation. He also gave us some info about Uganda, saying that 50% of Ugandans are under 15 years old - a staggering statistic, making it one of the most youthful populations in the world. He explained the utmost importance of reaching, discipling and equipping young people to live godly lives - so that another generation does not succumb to AIDS, and instead grows in the way of Jesus. How could one disagree?
After a total of five hours (!) of non-stop church, we headed back to the hotel for lunch about 2.30pm. By now we were ready to drop, so we had a chilled afternoon and evening. What a day!
Church!
Today we rose early to get to Walukuba Elim Pentecostal Church where we were to participate in the service. I was to preach and felt more nervous about this than anything so far - ironic, since it is the closest thing to what I spend my time doing back home.
In the event, we were a little late arriving for the first 8.30am service, but no matter - as the wonderfully smiley Pastor Frederick explained: "we are on African time now, hahaha!" He proceeded to show me a carefully timed programme for the the morning which, as far as I could see, was to be completely disregarded as the services went on!
Worship was in true Pentecostal style - something new for some of our team - with African Pentecostalism constituting something of a double whammy of novel church experience! The presence of the LORD was in our midst, although things were a little loud and shouty at times for me... we could have done with a bit more space possible. Warmth and passion were present in spades though, neither of which I would want to dispel.
The preach (a message based on one I have used before using Hosea 10:12 - 'break up your unploughed ground') went well in the first service, better in the second. The Pastor made encouraging smiles and noises and quite a few people said they were encouraged by the word. A great experience, although I have much to learn.
Between the two services, four of us went to lead the Sunday School, 3 of us to the youth group and Esther went to talk to the women of the church. I elected to give a hand with the children, and our worship song and teaching on the sheep and goats when down well. The kids loved singing and dancing and making sheep/goat noises! All of our team *shone* today - very proud of them all.
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| Teaching open air Sunday School |
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| Worshipping with the kids |
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| Sunday school kids goofing for the camera with their amazing painted classrooms behind |
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| All ages join in |
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| After Sunday School all the kids at once carry their chairs on their heads back inside the church - it was mayhem! |
The second service began with choirs and a performance from Joseph, our driver from TAIP who has a hidden talent for soulful singing! One man came to the church specifically to give his life to Christ this morning, and he was prayed for at the front as the worship went on. My sermon was shorter in this service, and as I said, better for it. Then came more worship, offerings, announcements and a visit from a gentleman called 'Apostle' Paul - a friend of the church who had some back story we couldn't quite work out but who wanted to repent and be accepted once again into the church. This was all very intense, but clearly God was on the move, even if it seemed bewildering for us (especially with only minimal interpretation!).
After the service, everyone was so kind - bringing us bananas and cold bottles of Coke and Fanta. We were able to chat to Pastor Frederick for 10 minutes or so and he explained how TAIP have helped the church to provide help for those living with HIV through a course addressing stigmatisation. He also gave us some info about Uganda, saying that 50% of Ugandans are under 15 years old - a staggering statistic, making it one of the most youthful populations in the world. He explained the utmost importance of reaching, discipling and equipping young people to live godly lives - so that another generation does not succumb to AIDS, and instead grows in the way of Jesus. How could one disagree?
After a total of five hours (!) of non-stop church, we headed back to the hotel for lunch about 2.30pm. By now we were ready to drop, so we had a chilled afternoon and evening. What a day!
Saturday 7 July 2012
Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 5
Saturday 7th July 2012
We spent today with another church community - this time Bugembe Miracle Centre. They run an extensive farm whcih is managed by Joy, the lovely wife of Pastor Robert who leads the church.
The church exists to bring glory to God by living those affected by AIDS. 61 orphans live with them in Begembe Children's Home, and the church also runs a Primary School. The orphans have all lost their parents to AIDS. This is so tragic, and yet the church has redeemed them through God's love.
After enthusiastic singing and dancing performances from the young people, Pastor Robert explained that they had arrived sick, stigmatised and hopeless, but that through the love of God and His church, we were now able to see the confident, happy, well-adjusted young people we met today. Truly this is a miracle of God's loving grace and transformation through his church.
The farm exists solely to fund these activitles and also to send the older children to secondary school, for which they need school fees. Pigs, cows milk, and lots of eggs are sold and pay for these children to be given a second chance in life. Joy walks three miles every day there and back to manage the farm - it is very tiring she says, but necessary to keep the whole enterprise alive. She, Robert and their Administator (aptly named Hope) are such wonderful people.
Robert explained that they are outgrowing the children's home and showed us the hillside site where they plan to build ten new homes, each of which will house 8 orphans and one couple from the church who will be their foster carers. This is a huge enterprise costing $26,000 per home (over £16.5k) per home. I expressed my amazement at the size of Pastor Robert's vision and he gave me this memorable quote:
"The size of the vision is always bigger than the visionary."
He believes that God will provide for the forgotten victims of AIDS, and for him it is not important whether it happens in his lifetime or not - the vision will come true.
We really had a wonderful and joyful day with this community - so gracious and so filled with hope despite such challenges. Our games with the children were simple enough, yet gratefully received and the kids loved performing for us. I wish there were more we could do for them, but again I think our presence was a blessing at any rate.
Tomorrow we lead a church service and so we spent the evening preparing. Bring it on!
We spent today with another church community - this time Bugembe Miracle Centre. They run an extensive farm whcih is managed by Joy, the lovely wife of Pastor Robert who leads the church.
The church exists to bring glory to God by living those affected by AIDS. 61 orphans live with them in Begembe Children's Home, and the church also runs a Primary School. The orphans have all lost their parents to AIDS. This is so tragic, and yet the church has redeemed them through God's love.
After enthusiastic singing and dancing performances from the young people, Pastor Robert explained that they had arrived sick, stigmatised and hopeless, but that through the love of God and His church, we were now able to see the confident, happy, well-adjusted young people we met today. Truly this is a miracle of God's loving grace and transformation through his church.
The farm exists solely to fund these activitles and also to send the older children to secondary school, for which they need school fees. Pigs, cows milk, and lots of eggs are sold and pay for these children to be given a second chance in life. Joy walks three miles every day there and back to manage the farm - it is very tiring she says, but necessary to keep the whole enterprise alive. She, Robert and their Administator (aptly named Hope) are such wonderful people.
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| Kathryn with one of the the farm's cows - they have 4 day old twins |
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| The farm helps to fund the orphanage and school which gives these children a loving home |
Robert explained that they are outgrowing the children's home and showed us the hillside site where they plan to build ten new homes, each of which will house 8 orphans and one couple from the church who will be their foster carers. This is a huge enterprise costing $26,000 per home (over £16.5k) per home. I expressed my amazement at the size of Pastor Robert's vision and he gave me this memorable quote:
"The size of the vision is always bigger than the visionary."
He believes that God will provide for the forgotten victims of AIDS, and for him it is not important whether it happens in his lifetime or not - the vision will come true.
 |
| Pastor Robert explains to Jack about the dream for new orphan's houses |
 |
| The view from the hilltop site. "The vision is always bigger than the visionary"- Pastor Robert |
We really had a wonderful and joyful day with this community - so gracious and so filled with hope despite such challenges. Our games with the children were simple enough, yet gratefully received and the kids loved performing for us. I wish there were more we could do for them, but again I think our presence was a blessing at any rate.
Tomorrow we lead a church service and so we spent the evening preparing. Bring it on!
 |
| What it is all about: praising Jesus with these rescued children |
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