Until we meet again

As time nears for us to leave this place, we want to thank God for the privilege of coming here. We pray that we will honor Him with all He has brought before us; that we have been the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of Uganda and we, too, will be transformed by this experience. To each and everyone of you, thank you for your prayers and financial contributions that made this trip possible. Your words of encouragement and prayers have blessed our team and we look forward to sharing more of our journey with you. We are due to arrive back in the states over the weekend. God bless you all. Sara

Jinga

On Monday evening, we gathered with the World Vision staff for a closing dinner. We reflected upon the ministry that we had done during our stay in Gulu. Handshakes, hugs and parting gifts were exchanged. Susan, our sweet, charismatic WV staff member, was dressed in her best for this dinner. When she was ready to leave, she hiked up her dress, hopped on her motorcycle and did a wheelie out of the parking lot. You go girl!

The next morning, we were packed into the van for our 8 hour journey to Jinga, the source of the Nile. Jinga was our paradise. We will start debriefing here before our reentry to the US.

Some of the team, the more spiritual part of the team, wanted to retrace the footsteps of Moses by riding the rapids on the Nile. Scott and Elizabeth were able to personally experience the ride in the Nile without the protection of the boat or the luxuries of air under the boat. No worries, they both resurfaced to tell about their escapades. James, being inpatient to live by his motto, "Taste death, live life," fell off the front of the boat while just floating along. Gene powered through and showed them all how it was done and remained in the bottom of the boat the entire trip. You are the man, Gene!

Torrey, Sheryl and Tami went on a float trip experiencing three 0.5 class rapids-about the magnitude of standing water. Better safe than sorry though they did spend time floating around the Nile, too...but the difference being, they chose to!

We said goodbye to one of our dearest team members, Tami, as she departed for the US a couple of days early. Shooty-dooty (one of Tami's favorite expressions)! She will be missed!

WV Children of War Rehabilitation Center

This is Elizabeth. Our group was able to visit this center that provides counseling and care for former abducted children and others who were victims of the war and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The atrocities committed against these children included rape, young marriage, servitude, forced killing, cutting off of limbs, and forcing children to be soldiers. Children were abducted from their homes over a twenty year period, so many of the children grew into adulthood in captivity.

We also heard about some of the issues these young people face as they seek to reenter the community. Because children were often used to kill or abduct other children, tensions in the villages could run very high. Often the child's community and even their own parents feared and/or mistrusted those who returned. The children must deal with their emotional and spiritual pain, including guilt and shame over the past, in addition to their physical injuries.

Though at one time the facility held many more children, now much of the work is done within the communities. There were approximately eight young men currently residing at the facility; we were able to briefly meet four of them. They had all been former members of the LRA.

It just broke my heart to think of these young men spending a decade in horror, and they represent so many more: a generation that has experienced brokenness most of us can not begin to imagine.

Praise be to the Lord who has the power to redeem all things.

Global Day of Prayer

Sunday May 31 saw the eight of us divide into three teams to celebrate in three locations the Global Day of Prayer! In a stadium and in two large outdoor school yard venues each team gathered with 500-800 nationals about 10 AM for 5 hours of singing, dancing, preaching and guided prayer in many forms. James, Gene and Torrey spoke or led prayer in their venues and had their messages translated into Luo, the language of most of the attendees. There is something very special about praying with Christian believers who have undergone so much suffering yet who now praise the Lord with exuberance as peace has finally returned to this part of Uganda! Twenty years of war have left over 1,000,000 men, women and children dead and everyone else with deep emotional scars from the trauma. How this land needs the certainty of long term peace now! It is still somewhat uncertain. How these dear people need trained Christian leaders! Many have been killed. How they need to know that people are with them in prayer and in resources. We were so humbled and honored to represent all of you who are both praying for and giving to these people! Despite the fact that we were the learners and have had lives so filled with material blessing, these people treated us as honored guests and thanked us a hundred times for our willingness to be with them in this great day of prayer. - Torrey Olsen / World Vision Director of Christian Engagement

Meeting and interacting with the Farmers' group

At the end of yet another long, bumpy road stood a local village man welcoming us to his home. Behind him and a grove of palm and mango trees lay ranging farmland. We followed the farmer along a narrow path lined with tall grasses into the heart of the main field. Because of donations to World Vision's gift catalogue, the co-op group of farmers who work this land were given seeds and other supplies that enabled them to plant a crop able to sustain the farm itself, the surrounding the community, and even enough produce to sell at the market for additional income. Cabbage, eggplant, kosovo (a local, potato-like food), okra, and peanuts are the farm's primary crops. A couple local women showed us a dozen fat, purple eggplants they had just harvested with pride.
Our journey covered at least a quarter to a half mile of farmland and we were blessed to see God blessing this community with a sustainable source of food and income. The visit encouraged us by providing a first hand look at the results of our gifts made from home. It was only because of U.S. donations to the World Vision gift catalogue that this farming co-op is able to exist. We loved seeing the farm, tromping over the countryside, and watching Gene accidently step in a big puddle up to his shin. James

Constructing shelters

On Monday, with gloves in hand, we headed to Paicho to help lay the foundation of a home for a vulnerable family of a sponsored child. This area of Africa is savannah grassland with LONG grass and tall trees scattered all over. Many families are now returning to their original villages after living in IDP camps for the past 20 years to find that their homes no longer exist or are in deplorable condition. We assisted the local community members, using their tools and materials, to begin this project. As you can see by the pictures, we all had our jobs. Elizabeth and I did our very best to haul water on our heads from the spring @ a 1/2 mile away. I will admit, Elizabeth was much better at this than I. By the time I had walked back to the work site, I was soaked. The locals had a good laugh!

From there, we visited with pastors who were building a hut for a group of OVCs (orphan and vulnerable children). These 3 children lost their parents (the father was killed by the LRA in 1999 and the mother died from AIDS in 2003) and are being cared for by their aunt and uncle who have 6 children of their own. Sara

Beading Community

After meeting and visiting Elvis, Meron and Mercy, the team traveled to meet with a group of 80 women and 10 men that make and sell beautifully handcrafted paper beads as an income generating activity. The major source of income in Uganda is subsistence farming but that has been greatly affected by civil strife for the past 20+ years. The average household income in these two ADP's is about $.90/day US. We did our very best to stimulate their economy by buying a vast amount of their inventory. For the team that visited in September, this is the same beading community except they have broadened their beading making to include earrings and purses in addition to the necklaces. Sara