The Dairy & Poultry Project

Hey Everyone!

So finally, after a month of planning and preparations, we are ready to begin a Dairy & Poultry project that will help support Lesperance Orphanage.  The thing is, this project will only be successful with the help from people like you.  Now, you might be wondering:  How is building a Dairy and Poultry going to help the 100 orphans at Lesperance?  I’d like to briefly explain a little bit about the situation they are currently in. 

Right now, Lesperance relies on monthly donations that come from Germany, but each year those monthly donations get smaller and smaller.  Currently, the orphanage receives 2,000,000 shillings each month which is roughly $1,000, and this goes towards everything from food, utility, and salary expenses.  Amazingly, Wilbroad, the orphanage director, has managed to keep everything running smoothly on this extremely tight budget for the last nine years.  However, Wilbroad is concerned that in the next couple of years, the donations they receive just won’t be enough to cover the expenses, or even worse, they could stop coming in altogether.  This is when he decided that a project needed to be started that could generate a steady income for the orphanage to operate on and help invest into further development of the organization. 

Wilbroad’s vision is to build a dairy and poultry house, along with a small staff house and store on a 4 acre piece of land that he just recently purchased in the country outside of Kampala.  I have gotten the chance to sit down with him and make an extensive overall plan for this project and we are now to the point where we can start breaking ground this week!  Megan, Krystin and I were able to help donate funds to get the ball rolling with the groundbreaking work, but after this week, the work can only continue as fast as the resources are available to us.  This is where we are asking for your help.

We have realized the importance of using the valuable resources available while we are here, so we don’t want to waste any time getting started on our fundraising campaign.  The three of us are dedicated 100% to see that the necessary funds are raised to get this project up and running and we have set a goal that we would like to reach before we leave in 2 months… $20,000!  Yes, we realize this goal seems WAY OUT THERE, but I have personally seen a goal like this reached before, plus some! (walkathons, merch sales, offering collections, etc… for Invisible Children). 

Now, I can see why helping raise money to help build a house for some cows and chickens might not seem like the most exciting and appealing project to support, but you have to look at how it will affect the lives of the children in the orphanage.  With the future of Lesperance Orphanage up in the air, it is necessary that they begin supporting themselves so that the children can receive the best care possible, whether that is adequate food or access to better schools.  With this Dairy & Poultry project in effect, these things can happen!  Also, it will allow for Lesperance to expand with other projects and programs that will reach out to more children in the community.

Our plan for raising this money is to get 4 schools or church groups to set a goal of raising $5,000 each, while still focusing on finding individuals that are interested in making one time donations.  The idea is to make it as exciting and personal for the students that are raising the money by providing weekly updates, photos, and videos of the work that is being done.  For example, if enough money is raised to build one of the structures, by the end of the week, they will actually be able to see photos and video footage of the finished product of what they helped build.  It is always exciting to see quick results of what you helped accomplish!  The thing is, we can only work as fast as the money is raised, so when no money is coming in, we are at a standstill and have nothing we can do.  As soon as money is raised and in our account, it can be spent on the next phase of the project.

The overall amount needed to complete this Dairy & Poultry project is about $25,000, but if we can reach our goal of $20,000 in 2 months, it will allow them to finish the necessary projects so that they can begin generating some profits.  If you are interested in the extensive plan and expectations for this project, we are finishing a grant proposal and financial plan that we can make available to you.

Thank you all for your continual support and interest in the work that we are doing and we would love to hear any ideas or comments that you may have.  Regardless of what each of you have to give, we believe that a bunch of littles can and add up to something BIG that will make a difference!

Thank you all, and keep checking back regularly for more updates!

Travis

Zuuuumah!

So you know how we posted that blog telling about our friend Zumah a few days ago? Well, not 30 minutes later, Travis' mom called to say that someone already wanted to front the money. Thank you Thomas Pyke. =) The next day, Zumah got a call from a hotel. They asked him to come in for an interview. He did and they offered him a job as long as he had his papers in 2 weeks. We pulled the money out today and hopefully, Zumah will be a happily employed man by the end of the week.

We are so excited for both Henry and Zumah as they head out into the world to follow their dreams - dreams that all of you made possible. We are sad to see them go but we know that God is working in their lives and that they will both do great things.

We have decided that we don't even deserve friends like the two of them. Just the other day, we were out of water. They hadn't filled our water tank in days so we had been showering at the director's house. While we were out, Zumah filled the ENTIRE tank by filling jerrycans up one by one and hoisting them up to our tank on a string. We came home and scolded him for going to all that trouble for us. He said, "I didn't want you and Krystin to have to walk all the way up to the director's house to shower again." (Its only like a 2 min walk.)

We decided that we would make the guys facebook pages. The main reason was so that by the time we left, they would know how to use it and we could stay in contact. The other reason was so that you guys would have the opportunity to get to know these guys. Many of you have become their friends and let me tell you, they LOVE it.

Zumah and my friend Julenne started messaging back and forth. Julenne has cancer. Well actually, she HAD cancer. She has just finished her chemo treatments and is now waiting for the final scans to tell her she's set to jet. Zumah heard that many of Julenne's friends were shaving their heads so that they could all grow their hair back with her. Zumah immediately decided to join in. Here is the footatge:








Zumah immediately broke into song, following his great and noble deed.

Death, Divorce, a Wizard and a Eunuch

Death here is like divorce in America - it's so common that there is hardly any mercy or pity for those left behind. I haven't decided if that is a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, people don't sulk here. They just keep living. On the other hand, I can't help but wonder what kind secrets lie just beneath the surface in all of the children. I have come to realize that everyone has a story. That sounds ridiculous - of course everyone has a story. But here, I guess I am sometimes afraid to hear it. I think that if I hear of their heartbreak, little pieces of my heart might start chipping away as well. That might be ok though. I already know that part of my heart will always be here.

It amazes me how resilient the children are. I'm in awe of their constant willingness to serve me, while I am from privilege and they are so poor. Then again, they might just be far richer than I will ever know. They know the "secret". They have that relentless contentment that Paul talks about in Phillipians 4. I'm kinda jealous...of an orphan. I digress.

We went to One Love Beach the other day: Krystin, Zumah, Violet and I (Travis was on a trip with Wilbroad, the director). The beach is owned by this famous singer and it is surprisingly...nice. That sounds awful but seriously, it has sand, these little huts for shade, food, a bar, a stage for bands to play at night, gardens, a pier and even a cute little pony that keeps the grass short for them. I guess it just opened in December.

Anyway, when we got there it was deserted, due to the fact that it was the middle of the work week. The only people around were the guys that worked there. After we ordered sodas from the bar, the guys came over to chat with us. They were really fun. One started rolling weed into a 1000 shilling bill and I gave him a hard time for smoking mare-jah-wana (as they say it) in his cash. He asked if I wanted any and I told him "No, I don't smoke. Plus, its illegal in America." He said it was illegal in Uganda too...except at One Love Beach. I laughed and switched the conversation over to asking him where he got his dreads done. Travis had been wanting some but Milly didn't want him to have them. She said Joseph Kony and rasta men always have dreads. We knew of Kony (head of the LRA, hence the organization Invisible Children, Inc.) but we didn't know the term "rasta". She explained it to us. Basically, it is the equivalent to the American hippy except a bit more hostile. We told Milly that all men who have dreads weren't necessarily rasta men. Go figure. I was just asking a rasta man to do Trav's dreads. He said he would when we came back the next week.

We came home and told Trav about the dreads and he got all excited. The 3 of us talked and I think maybe one of the times we go back (oh, and there will be many), we will bring my guitar and start up a little vespers. You never know.... We've been doing that a lot lately, thinking of ways to interact with "outsiders". Sometimes it is so easy to just stay in L'esperance and forget about the huge community right outside our front gates.

Just the other day, Zumah told us that Aisha and her friend wanted to come over to our house again sometime. (They were the two girls heading to see the witch that ended up rock climbing with us a few Sabbaths ago.) Zumah giggled and said, "I want for them to come so maybe we can sneak Jesus into the conversation." I laughed and told him I had been thinking the same thing.

We have been working on the little pavilion in front of our house. We are making a fire pit and some benches. We keep clearing the area out and figuring out better ways to burn our trash. Travis is building a cob oven so we can bake break and make pizza. We want it to become a place where we can invite people over for songs around the fire or a good meal. We are starting to see opportunities in places we didn't see them before. Reading Acts has changed all of us I think. Who would have thought we would be scheming about how to interact more with rasta men and muslim girls headed to see a witch? I know I didn't.

I was reading this story in Acts 8 the other day in The Message Bible. It was talking about Phillip and how he cast a demon out of Simon the Wizard. After that, Simon didn't leave Phillip's side for days. Then it went on to talk about how Phillip hopped in that Ethiopian eunuch's chariot because the Holy Spirit told him to. He ended up telling the eunuch about Jesus. The guy pulled off at the next river and was baptized. It made me wonder: At what point did we drop the ball? How come Christianity has become so religious and stories like "the wizard" and "the eunuch" have become a thing of the past? Then it hit me. There ARE stories out there just waiting to happen. All I have to do it make my faith bigger somehow. Actually, I don't have to do anything. I just have to open my eyes to what's right in front of me, and let God do the rest.

Zumah

This is Zumah. I'm not sure how it actually happened but somehow Zumah became our resident cook, bed maker and all around good friend. Often, the 3 of us wake up to Zumah knocking on each of our doors telling us good morning and that he will have breakfast for us soon. We all moan and roll over. Sure enough, we all amble into the kitchen (aka walk 5 feet) 30 mins later and breakfast is served. 

It sounds as if we take advantage of Zumah's kind spirit but the truth is that he loves it. Zumah went to a vocational school that basically trained him to work at expensive hotels. He knows how to make beds in over 5 fancy arrangements, he is a professional in culinary art, and he is more than willing to do the dirty work that the 3 of us put off. 

For example, all of our water us pumped from Lake Victoria a couple times a week. It goes into a big tank above our shower and we use that water to bath, clean, flush the toilet and wash our dishes. Sometimes the water from the lake is disgusting. Add to that the black tank it sits in.....in the hot African sun and you get really disgusting smelling water. I took a shower before church one day and I'm almost positive it smelled like straight up poop during the entire divine service. Due to the height and supposedly inaccessible location of our tank, we just assumed we would have to put up with it. Oh but Zumah wouldn't take no for an answer. While we were gone one day, he climbed INSIDE our tank and scrubbed the whole thing with bleach. Our water has smelled pretty good for the last few days...thanks to Zumah. 

Zumah is 21 and you may wonder why he has all this time to hang out at our house. He grew up at L'esperance. He went through the school system there and on to secondary and vocational school. The problem is that when Zumah came back home to L'esperance for one of his breaks, his paperwork got stolen. The paperwork proved that he had gone to school. It costs 300,000 shillings (about $179) for him to get the papers replaced and the truth is that he can't come across that kind of money. He has been looking for a job for 6 years. Just in the few weeks we've know him, he has gotten calls from multiple hotels that want him to come in and interview for different jobs. But, when they find out he has no paperwork, they send him back empty handed. 

Zumah's first ascent

Thats why Zumah loves helping us so much. He gets to practice his skills and pass the time while helping us out. Oh and does he help us out. Keeping house in Africa is an all day job and with Zumah's help, Krystin and I are free to make lesson plans, focus on fundraising, and go teach class without having to worry so much about the state of our house. In return, we give Zumah full access to our computers, he eats for free and often, he sleeps on our sofa. Our house definitely feels empty when Zumah isn't there. 

Just the other day we made Zumah a facebook page. We are helping him add friends and he is so excited to become aquainted with our American friends back home (you). So, if you sign into facebook and find a friend request from a "Zumah Kato", make sure you hit the "accept" button because Zumah is one for the best friends you will ever have. 

Valentines Day

Just to make the day special, the 3 of us decided to throw a little dinner for our African friends. We went into town and bought yellow flowers (for friendship) and came home to decorate and cook food. We made everyone leave the house while we got everything ready. When all was prepared, (with Celine Dion playing in the background) we invited everyone inside and gave them each a flower at the door.  We had an amazing time. We're not sure exactly what happened but somehow 'flower dancing' became a part of our Valentines Day adventure....

                                              The whole gang



Flower dancing at its best.

This One's for YOU.

You all should be proud of yourselves. God has been moving here and it’s been incredible to watch. First of all, last Friday, we challenged 12 of our friends to each raise $100 in one week to send 2 girls to school. To make a long story short, the girls have had a rough life and really deserve a good education. As of now, $1430 has been turned in and $200 is still on the way. (For those of you who are bad at math, that’s $430 over the goal!) Alice and Mary-Bo started school today. We know many of you were a part of our friend’s success. Thank you. Your gifts here change lives and we love to tell you all about it.

                                                    Alice and Mary Bo

Henry bought his bike last Friday. He uses it often. A special thanks to Abby’s mom and Michael for making it happen. The money for his school fees is tricking in and someone has asked how they can start paying for his sister’s school fees as well. Like we said, God is moving.

Henry in front of his house with his new bike.

Everyday, we feel like the bond between our communities in America and the community here at L’esperance grows stronger and stronger. It seems like someone is always reminding us that we are in his or her prayers. People we don’t even know ask how they can help fulfill a need. We are humbled everyday by our small faith and the greatness of God’s plan for all of our lives.

This blog entry is more about you than us. Its about what YOU’VE let God do through you. It’s about how your faith in our calling has enabled us to be a catalyst for good in so many situations. It’s about the lives you’ve allowed God to help you change. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We promise to keep you updated.    

Family Portraits

Our Friend Jen

I was listening to a podcast from This American Life the other day. It was talking about this man who got in an accident that landed him in the hospital for a couple of months. While there, he watched a ton of TV. Sometimes there would be whole chunks of time where nothing he wanted to watch would be on. So he came up with this brilliant idea. Why not make a channel for people to watch IN BETWEEN the shows they actually wanted to see? The man wanted the channel to make people happy and for there to be no storyline so they could join at anytime. He finally decided on “The Puppy Channel”. No joke. It played 24 hours a day and all it was were these puppies doing random things with music playing in the background. It sounded like a really dumb idea….at least it did until the 3 of us met Jen. 

We all decided that if there is going to be a channel to make people smile, it should have Jen on 24/7. Since the day we met her, she has become quite a fixture at our house. She has taught us to count in Luganda, listened to us babble on about our issues (which of course, she doesn’t understand) and just genuinely made our lives better. Here she is ladies and gentleman, our little friend Jen. 

Krystin and Travis just copied everything Jen did. 
http://www.mediafire.com/?5xmzndkchw2

We decided that Jen NEEDED to know spanish.
http://www.mediafire.com/?d1zhdigyn0w

Jen teaches US to count.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jwmmatqvnmn

                  Jen, watching a video herself on my little Flip camera.

Sabbath Afternoon Climbing

Hey everyone!

This is Travis and it is good to finally get a chance to post a blog for you all!  I think this post will be more exciting for all of you fellow climbers back home.  Before we left for Uganda I had heard from our friend Johnny that there were some cliffs along the lake near the orphanage, so Megan and I decided to throw in any of our climbing gear that would fit.  We brought 2 harnesses, our climbing shoes and chalk bags, a lot of webbing, and a rope.  I had been down to the lake several times since we have been here trying to scout out a good part of the wall that was climbable.  The only problem was that there wasn’t anything to make an anchor off of at the top of the cliffs.  I finally found a good sized tree that was about 50 feet from the edge of the cliff.  This tree just happened to be in the middle of one of the witch’s campouts.  No one was there but there were fire rings, spears, arrows, pots, and all sorts of little trinkets.  

 

 

 Last Sabbath afternoon we all went down to set up a climb at the place I had found.  Our friends Henry, Zuma, Viola, and a couple other guys from the orphanage came with us, eager to see how this ‘rock climbing’ worked.  Henry was especially excited to give it a try after I had shown him a lot of pictures of my friends and I climbing back home.  He was also really interested in climbing because he has been reading one of my books that I brought about mountaineering in the Himalayas.

We got down to the lake and linked all of our webbing together and anchored it off of the witch’s tree.  We were still about 20 feet short from the edge of the cliff but it was mostly grass and we put towels and a sheet of plastic over the lip of the rock to protect the rope.  I rappelled down first to make sure it was alright and Megan belayed me as I climbed back up.

 We showed Henry how to put the harness on and tie a figure-8 and how to slowly lean back over the edge of the cliff.  Imagine never having climbed before or done anything like that and then trusting your life to some foreign gear as you backed off a cliff!  He was a little nervous but he finally started down yelling, “I am strong, I’m strong!”  Once he reached the bottom, he put my climbing shoes on and started the climb back up.  He did surprisingly well for never having climbed before and having hand and footholds breaking off left and right.  By the time he reached the top, a small crowd had gathered to see the first Ugandan to probably ever climb that rock.  He climbed over the edge to cheers and a high five, all the while having a big smile on his face and his hands in the air.  Our friend Zuma finally decided that he would try it and conquer his fear of heights, but only after Krystin called him a chicken in his own language.  He kept saying, “I must try, I won’t be a chicken!”  Zuma also did very well and made it to the top of his first climb ever.  

 

 For the next couple hours, we let 4 other kids try to rock climb for the first time.  One of them was a girl named Aisha. She was there with one of her friends but they weren’t with us from the orphanage, they had just stumbled across us as we were setting up the climb.  We were kind of surprised when she shyly asked if she could try it along with the other boys.  Megan gave her a pair of pants to climb in and she walked around to the bottom along with the others.  Of everyone that climbed, I think she was the most enthused about it.  She decided she wanted to do it barefoot and leaped up onto the rock and started climbing quickly.  She reached the top quickly to the cheers of everyone watching.

I think that was my favorite part of the whole day while we were climbing; seeing the excitement of each one as they reached the top and were congratulated by everyone.  I have always enjoyed taking people climbing for the first time back at home and seeing them get excited about it, but it doesn’t top the feeling of taking kids in Uganda climbing for the first time!

 

It was such a fun day for all of us and we closed the Sabbath by having everyone back to our house where we sat around outside and sang worship songs together as Megan played her guitar.  Well, it was basically special music from Krystin, Megan and I, since we were the only ones that knew the songs.  Part of us hopes that we made a small impact on any of the kid’s lives, especially the two girls that stumbled across us down at the cliffs.  Who knows, they may have been on their way to take part in some of the witchcraft that goes on down at the lake, but instead, were introduced to a new and exciting activity and new friends in Jesus!

To all you back home, keep climbin!...and go to The Loft!

Travis

Tour de L'esperance: Take 2

Much to our dismay, our German friends left us last Sunday. On the bright side, we got to fully move into our house. At our request, Milly, the directors wife, came to grade us on our different levels of cleanliness. Here is the footage.


http://www.mediafire.com/?ogtj2yetdmj

The Art of Suffering

I’m reading this book called “Searching for God Knows What” by Donald Miller. I am almost convinced that it is better than the book he is known for, “Blue Like Jazz”.  Anyway, Miller touches on The Fall, Jesus’ life, and modern Christianity.  I know it sounds like any other book on Christian spirituality but Miller paints a picture of Jesus that is changing the way I think. A friend told me before we left for Africa that she had been struggling with the concept of suffering. And it’s not the way you would think. She can’t comprehend how the majority of the world is in constant pain, yet we have so much. Too much. What flip of the coin landed her in America vs. living in an orphanage in Africa? She said that question has really been weighting on her heart these days. I had both of these things on my mind, (how Jesus lived and the concept of suffering), the day Krystin and I met Jane. I thought I understood these ideas, but that was before all of this happened. It’s been a few weeks ago, but I think this is a story you should hear.

Today (January 25), Krystin and I met a woman named Jane. We were wandering around Kampala, looking like the biggest tourists in the world. The boys had dropped us off and we had time to roam around downtown. We had our Lonely Planet book in tow and I'm sure we looked so confused. This woman, Jane, came up and introduced herself. She asked if we needed directions. We were hesitant, thinking she was looking for some sort of compensation for her assistance. But before she even gave us the directions we needed she went on to tell us how God had changed her life. I know what your thinking, awkward right? The thing is, it wasn't. She was so inspiring. You could tell that everything she said was real. She gave us directions and told us how her husband had died, leaving her with 4 children. She told us how God had provided for her ever since. Even as she said this, I was still wondering if this was just a good scam. As we turned to leave, she told us she would pray for us, for our future husbands, that Jeremiah 29:11 would come true and that we would be safe in the city. Then she handed us a paper and walked away. Our run-in with Jane left Krystin and me in deep conversation about how awkward it would be if we started doing that back at home in the U.S. How people would look at us so oddly and how we would feel so stupid. Yet, at the same time, Jane's sincerity and total trust in God's provision was refreshing. We both wondered if maybe we should all be more like Jane.

We finally reached our coffee shop destination and opened the paper Jane had given us. It was a letter from the Ugandan Parliament that basically said that Jane is an amazing person who is involved in her community and took care of 7 children full time. The letter was saying it is ok to give her money. I think we are going to help her.

We left the coffee shop and headed the mall. The mall, titled Oasis, is in the nicest part of town. It’s the only place where being a Muzungu (a white person) isn’t an oddity. It’s in an upscale part of town, in the middle of the city, across from the parliament building. I’m telling you this because I want you to know how strange it was when Krystin and I saw a girl sitting completely naked in front of the mall. Now let's be honest. One of the first things that comes to mind when one hears the word “Africa” are those naked children and topless woman pictures from National Geographic magazines. But this is Kampala, the capital city. Everyone is dressed in business suits and nice dresses. Absolutely NO ONE is topless. Much less naked. I’m pretty sure Krystin and I just stared for a good 5 seconds before we got hold of ourselves. The girl was facing a wall with this ashamed look about her. She was probably about our age, with more pain and wisdom in her eyes than we will ever know. Though she was young, her breasts were sagging and droopy as if they alone carried the weight of her suffering - as if life had sucked away her youth. It was understood between Krystin and me that we wanted/needed to do something but we didn’t want to draw more attention to her than necessary so we past her by. We walked in silence for a few minutes, each of us wordlessly debating what to do. Finally, I broke the silence. “I just keep thinking ‘I was naked and you clothed me.’” I said. Krystin agreed, saying that the same verse had been running through her mind as well. We headed to the mall to buy the girl some sort of cloth to cover herself with. The plan was to go and offer her the cloth, and then ask if she needed anything else. We searched for 30 minutes but everything in the mall was out of our price range. We headed back out to the street, just to ask her if she wanted our help, but she was nowhere to be found. We looked around for 5 or 10 minutes but to no avail. The girl was gone.

We will never know what happened to her. We will never hear her story or what predicament landed her naked in the middle of the city. We will never find out if she could have used our help or if she had people to help support her. We walked away in a daze and couldn’t shake the feeling that we had just missed out on a golden opportunity. An opportunity to show someone who Jesus really is.

We headed back to our coffee shop, Café Javas, and spent the rest of the afternoon feeling guilty in our luxury. On our way out of the shop a few hours later, we walked by a man with no legs. He was begging on the side of the road.  As we passed, I handed him 1000 shillings, hoping that he would never know how small a sacrifice my gift actually was ($0.50).  I think I was hoping my donation would ease my conscience. It didn’t. 


Every time we go back to town, we make sure to pass by that corner and look for the man with no legs. We give him money regularly. I think I hope that some how, our small contributions will make up for the opportunity Krystin and I missed that day. I hope that the next time someone is in need, I won’t even stop to think about helping them. The response will be automatic. I aspire to have a faith strong enough that it is evident in my actions. And maybe, just maybe, one of these days I will be able to rank myself with the likes of Jane.

Surprise

When we began raising money for Henry, we knew God would bless the project, but (as usual,) God has exceeded out wildest expectations. Trav sent out a few emails and I told my mom's school and posted the "Oh Henry" blog. We would have been excited just to raise enough for the bike. But so far, over $200 has come in, which is enough for the bike AND his textbooks. More has also been pledged and should arrive in Henry's hands soon. 


We took Henry to town with us today, beside ourselves with excitement. We pulled out our flip video camera and broke the news to him. Here is his reaction. 





For the rest of the meal, we talked about all the possibilities that have opened up for Henry now that he has the way AND the means to accomplish his goals. He is still in shock I think. He opened up and told us that he had been very worried lately about all the things going on in his life. Before Travis, Krystin and I got to L'esperance, Henry said he sat down and basically told God that he didn't know what to do. His life kept getting more difficult and he asked God to help him out. Then we came. He said he thought we had come just to lift his spirits. He never dreamed that God would use us (and you) to change his life. He told us that when he goes back to school at the end of the month, he will tell anyone who will listen how good God is. How God DOES answer prayers. 


Thank for letting God use you. All of you. Whether you financially supported Henry or not, God is working through you. Your prayers, your time, your messages, comments, and emails keep us going. God is moving here. And at home. Everyday the link between the L'esperance community and our friends and family back in the U.S. grows stronger. I have a feeling that the relationship will last a life time.
 -Megan

Oh Henry!

This is our friend Henry. And with Henry, we don’t use the term “friend” lightly. Starting Day One, he has been nothing but helpful. From offering us tours of the orphanage to working with the boys to set up our plumbing system, Henry has been there for us. He has also been a huge aid when it comes to understanding African customs and traditions. You will often find him taking tea with us, showing us around downtown Kampala or staying up late, tasting our “American” creations in the kitchen. He totally gets our American humor and he always has us laughing with his jokes and stories. No one can be sad around Henry.

This is Henry, learning to flip Chips-My-Eye (potato wedges fried with 2 eggs broken on top).

Henry has been here since he was 4 years old. Now, at age 24, he is well on his way to making a name for himself. He is going to college to be a medical lab technician. Even though he is on holiday from his studies, Henry wakes up with the sun, has his devotions, does some work around the house for us, goes to his job at the clinic, and then somehow has time to come back, wash his clothes and hang out with us for the rest of the day. He jokingly said once that "a slow body is the sign of a slow mind." I don't think Henry will ever have to worry about either one. He is extremely smart and is always ready to learn.

                            Hard at work on our sewage system.

At this point, Henry’s family has pooled all their money together for his education so that when he gets a job, he will be able to turn around and pay for his siblings to go to school as well. The government pays for his tuition (because he's so intelligent). We are working to raise money for his textbooks and a bike so that he won’t have to walk the 3 hours (one way) to his clinicals everyday next semester. Already, money is pouring in for the bike. One of the kids in my mom’s 1^st and 2^nd grade class gallantly brought in $10, saying, “I want Henry to have his bike.” Henry was almost brought to tears when we told him about it. He has already written the boy an email to thank him. That’s just how Henry is. We are hoping to get him a microscope as well and find sponsorship for his sister so that he can use the money from his job to help his aging mother get settled into a good home.

The amazing thing about Henry is that NOT ONCE have any of us heard him complain about his situation. His selflessness inspires us all. We get frustrated at our lack of running water or the multiple mice and cockroaches in our house. Yet, Henry is the first to volunteer to carry water up from the lake or to make us laugh when the mouse has eaten all of our fresh produce. I wish each of you had an opportunity to meet him. Hopefully, through this post, you will catch a glimpse of who he his. I pray that you feel blessed to know him. I know we are.  -Megan

                                  Henry, Megan, Jared, and Travis

The Daily Grind

Wow! It's hard to believe that we've been here for almost three weeks now. It's been a change, but we are slowly getting used to the African routine.

This is Krystin by the way.

And like Megan said…it's going to be hard to write everything that has happened in these past weeks, but I'll try to fill you in on a few things.

 The first few days we were here,  Megan and I were eager to form the land at the front of our house into a beautiful garden. While the guys worked on our house, we set out in our dresses, tennis shoes, and plow to work the field.  Before we knew it, the guys that live near us were all standing around watching, and laughing. Of course they all wanted a try. After they all had their turn, they decided that their method was a lot better, faster, and easier for clearing a field. Their hoe.

They were right. 

It's kind of funny how we go to other countries and try to tell the people that our method of getting things done is better, or more efficient without even considering their methods. 

So we hoed. 

And it worked.  

Everyday tasks here are similar to those at home, but they take a million times longer. (For example, cooking a meal and doing the dishes could take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.)

After our job of making the garden was taken over by some of the guys, Megan and I decided to learn how to do things around the house the African way. 

Because that's what women do, right?

One of the things we just love doing (definitely sarcasm) is our laundry. Or as they say here, one word with two syllables, our cloth-es. Washing machines are hard to come by here since the power only comes on in the evening, and is off again in the morning. So, we wash by hand. 

Not so hard right? Wrong. 

It's actually pretty hard work to scrubbing the dirt out of your clothes with your bare hands. After washing for the first time, under the supervision of Wilbroad's sister Violet, Megan and I vowed that we will never wear jeans again. And that all cloth-es are to be worn until visibly dirty or unbearably smelly. 

Even then, they could probably be worn at least one more day. 

Since then, we've washed a few more times, and it's not so bad. I'm kind of growing to enjoy my time squatting in the dirt next to my basin of murky water with my cloth-es. 

Here are a few lessons i've learned from life in Africa: 

-A shower every other day is normal. And it's glorious. Even if it is in smelly lake water. 

-If the bread has mold, pick it off. If it's covered in ants, just give it a little shake. 

-I'm expected to respond to two names: Krystin and Muzunguhowareyou. 

-My arms and feet are pretty fascinating. The kids always touch them.

-As women, Megan and I cook, wash dishes, clean the house, and do the laundry. (I now understand why people here have so many kids.)

-As a man, Travis works. He was laughed at when we had him wash dishes.  

*stay tuned! =) We are trying to update this a few times a week. We'll see what happens.*

So, here's the sitch.....(uation)

Oh, where to start. I wish that we were more avid bloggers. Don't worry, once we get all caught up we will hopefully have a few posts a week. This is Megan by the way. The plan is that the 3 of us will trade off posting things on here so that all of you get a more accurate portrayal of life here.

First off, our house is totally different. OK, maybe not by American standards, but thanks to Travis and our friend Jared, we have a stove, a shower, a toilet and a sink. We cook all our own means now which has been...an experience. My first attempt at cooking African food kinda failed but its been good ever since. Jared lives in Kenya right now where he is building an orphanage. One day maybe we will share what has happened to the girls who will be staying there but for now I don't think any of us can stomach it. Jared is basically a hero. He headed back to Kenya on Sunday morning. He is greatly missed.

                                                                 Jared with the Kids

                                                                  Transition Kitchen

                                                                  The Real Thing

Somehow, it turned out that the 3 of us all separately made the decision to read the entire New Testament while we are here. The journey has been incredible. I had heard the stories of Jesus before (obviously), but being here, serving, while reading these stories has changed my perspective in so many ways. It has struck me the the New Testament is like a blog. Just go with me on this for a sec. Think of how epic it was back then. Jesus has just died, risen up and gone to heaven and he leaves these guys to tell everyone about it. They go crazy. They tell every one they come in contact with. And somewhere in there they squeeze in time to write it all down. Well, not all of it. I have to think that there is no way you could record ALL of Jesus actions in 4 short books. They just wrote down the important events and interactions so that one day people like us would read it and be changed. That we would see the work God was doing through them and be inspired. There is an urgency there. Thinking about the stories of Jesus this way has made reading them so much more exciting. As we write this blog, I can't help but hope for the same things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing myself, Travis and Krystin to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But I AM saying that I hope you are inspired. I hope the work God is doing through us here is evident in our writing and that somehow, you will be changed by what you read here. We will have to do some back tracking but here are the highlights.

                                                                              Children

The Germans are really cool. We talked to the younger German lady, Vera, for a while the other day. She has an amazing conversion story. We asked how she ended up on this trip. She went on to tell us that she used to be Pentecostal until she met Jork, (the younger German guy here) and after talking to him for a while, she became an Adventist. She lost friends, gave up her high position in children’s ministry at her church and then made a quick decision a week before the trip to come to Uganda. She only became Adventist 3 1/2 months ago. She gets baptized here this coming Sabbath. Talk about faith. I am inspired by them everyday. Anyway, Im telling you all of this because the day after that conversation, Vera almost died and Jork saved her life. I’m not even kidding. There is this fruit here called Jackfruit. It's gross. It looks like the inside of an alien. Sick. The local kids had picked some and wanted to know if Krystin and I wanted any. I turned it down but Krystin loves it so she left to go eat. Next thing I know, Krystin comes running back in the room saying Vera had an allergic reaction to the fruit and can’t breath. I ran outside to find Vera sitting on a bench wheezing pretty badly. At first I didn’t realize how big of a deal the whole thing was. Allergies are no big deal right? But T.I.A. She could totally die if we didn’t figure out how to make her breath. I was so scared. Jork is a nurse and he ran back to the house to get his supplies. Waiting for him was terrible. By the grace of God, Jork brought an IV hook up with that allergy medicine that starts with a “Q” (that I don’t know how to spell lol) and he stuck her with it. She was shaken up but ok about half an hour later. It was so scary. It's weird how things that aren’t a big deal at home are huge here.

                                                          German Women, Krystin, Megan

The witch doctor has been silent lately. I guess my mom's 1st and 2nd grade class has been praying for her to stop. Crazy right?

                                            Practicing my teaching skills on Ben and Eunice

We start teaching school tomorrow and I'm not even going to tell you what how late it is here. I'm so excited. Krystin and I are teaching English and Reading. Keep us in your prayers? Maybe the "highlights" will be spread out over a couple of days. I need to get some sleep. =)