Final visit to Naggalama Hospital

Our return visit to Naggalama Hospital was a little frustrating as it didn't end quite as we'd expected. 

The initial plan was to deliver Ja Ja Justine to her hospital bed, pay the necessary costs for her overnight stay, surgery and medication (about 250,000 shillings) and return to Kyampisi. 

What transpired was many, many hours of waiting for hospital staff (including a doctor) to establish that Justine would need to return to the hospital the following day with the required surgical mesh (which we would need to source and which would cost up to 500,000 shillings) and then be admitted for 2 further days within which time she would undergo surgery (another 500,000 shillings). Apparently Justine requires two operations, both of which are quite complicated. 

These plans were made all the more frustrating as Dale and I needed to board our plane to return to Australia the very next day. 

Thanks to the generosity of Jemima and the willingness of Anna and Jamie to collect the required surgical mesh and deliver Ja Ja Justine to Naggalama hospital, I'm pleased to report that all is well for Justine. 

I pray she'll make a full recovery and I look forward to seeing her back at Kyampisi next year. 

Gift giving

It was such a blessing to be able to take a number of gifts to Uganda. 

We took 9 iPads (for members of KCM and Barnabas Project), 30 Redlands College broad-brimmed hats (for children at Kyampisi and Busoke Christian Schools), 40 Redlands College performance music uniforms (for the KCM Children's Choir), 2 Sidlow Baxter devotionals (for Peter and Edwin), a bracelet (for Hufsa) and a number of 'Australiana' items including stuffed toys, shells, book marks and food - Tim Tams, Milo and Minties - as the Lord leads. 

It was great to witness the spontaneous reactions of those who received. Ugandan's really value relationships and appreciate receiving gifts. 

Gideon Bibles

As both Dale and I are Gideons we decided to take a number of Bibles (8) and New Testaments (30) to Uganda. 

It was a joy to be able to pass these on to people who needed them more than us. 

We gave them to security guards, police, shop keepers, pastors, waiters, teachers, Borda Borda drivers and members of the Busoke, Bbira and Kyampisi communities. It is absolutely wonderful to witness their hunger for God's word. 

My prayer is that His word will go forth and accomplish that which He desires and purposes. God only knows the ripple effect of placing these. 

And the heavens opened as we left

Although technically 'the wet season' in Uganda, the rain has been remarkably absent - until this morning when the heavens opened. 

We woke to the sound of 'pitter patter' but quickly realised that it was actually 'cats and dogs' or given that we're in Uganda, 'lions and tigers'. 

On seeing the rain, we quickly set our minds to our drive down our narrow dirt access road en route to the airport - which becomes very slippery at even the hint of rain. 

Our fears were well-founded, as we nearly slid off the road and into the deep gutter. Praise the Lord we didn't and we arrived safely at Entebbe Airport in one piece - although I was feeling a little car sick! 

As I close this blog I thank the Lord for His provision to us over the past 20 days.  True to His nature, He was faithful throughout our time in Uganda. 

Thank you Uganda. We'll meet again. 

Thank you Lopez, or should I say Dell or Dale - you've been an amazing travel companion and I'll cherish our time together. I think we should do it again! 

Visit to High Standards Christian School

Tuesday saw Dale and I pick up Fred Mukasa and drive him to High Standards Christian School at Kateera, three-quarters of the way to the town of Hoima along Hoima Road.  

The 90 minute drive meandered its way through picturesque hill country. The school itself is set between lovely green hills. It was formally a commercial coffee manufacturing plant. 

There are over 450 students and 25 teachers in the O and A Level Secondary School. 

We were hit by the number of students packed into each classroom. The first room we visited had 66 students in a room a little smaller than the average Australian classroom. An interesting feature of each classroom was the cement blackboards. The cement is plastered onto the wall a little like a very thick but smooth render and painted black. It works remarkably well. 

We were also quite impacted by the staff room and library, neither of which resembled their counterpart in Australia. 

Having said that, the high standards of dress and behaviour exhibited by the staff and students was inspiring. It's amazing how important the little things are valued by staff and students in Uganda - I guess staff and students are able to control these variables - and good on them!

Another point of impact was the Girls Accommodation. Triple bunks were tightly squeezed into a room a little bigger than an Australin classroom. There would have been about 60 or 70 girls living in dark and crampt living conditions. 

The centre of the school was a dirt netball court - which was the pride of the school. 

We were thrilled to be able to attend a full school assembly. We were particularly impressed that the school 'band' (consisting exclusively of boys) played the Ugandan National Anthem, the Austrralian National Anthem, the Buganda Anthem and the School Anthem. I was also invited to address the congregation of staff and students - which I did. I reminded the students that God has a plan for their life and to discover this is one of the most important questions to answer. I also said that to establish a personal relationship with Jesus is the most important decision to make in your life. I thanked them for their welcome and encouraged them to aim high in their studies. 

To be honest, we were both a little taken back by the lack of computers in the school - they only have 4 computers and they would have been at least 7 years old. Perhaps we need to send some of our surplus computers at Redlands College to Uganda? 

The drive home saw us play 'chicken' with a Hoima Coach. They travel along the road at extremely high speeds and use their air horns to ward off unsuspecting drivers. The reason we were playing 'chicken' is that we kept overtaking them as they pulled over to accept new passengers or as passengers alighted... but within a minute or so, they would overtake us again at high speed (and around a blind corner) until again coming to a stop.  I enjoyed using the little horn on the Corolla as we respectfully overtook the coach - after the second time, the driver of the coach reciprocated (and some of the passengers waved)!

On our way out to the school we came across an overturned truck. As Fred wanted to 'take a closer look' we found out some of the details.  Apparently the driver had taken the corner a little sharply and lost his steering. There were bags of rice and beans everywhere - and LOTS and LOTS of bystanders. Interestingly Fred knew the driver - a past student. 

On our arrival back in Kampala we picked up Jemima from St Paul's House and took ourselves to the two craft markets. Our respective families will benefit from these purchases. 

A day of preaching

Sunday saw me preach at Kyampisi in the morning and in Kampala at night. 

As usual, I drove to Ja Ja Margaret and Ja Ja Justine's homes to collect them (and their immediate families) and to take them to church.  As was the case last week, Ja Ja Justine was unable to join us at church as she was feeling weak from complications further to surgery following a hernia some years ago. 

The morning service at Kyampisi included a lot of the usual singing and celebration. As Peter was married the day before the service, there were a number of references to his wife, Joeline and their marriage together. They are certainly very loved by the Kyampisi community. 

I was given the privilege of cutting the tier of wedding cake given to the Kyampisi church community. I invited Chairman Enoch to help me. 

The evening service at Christ the King Community Church was an unexpected blessing. Although there was only about 30 people in attendance, the spirit was incredible. There was a deep hunger to fellowship together and a deep desire to learn from the Word of God. Those attending were absolutely focused on worshipping the Lord. 

The church building is currently under construction and sits up upon one of Kampala's highest hills. The view was absolutely amazing. There would have been 270 degrees of uninterrupted views looking down on Kampala. 

KCMs recently-appointed IT Manager, Leah, lead the service with her siblings and parents who founded the church back in the 1980s. To get to the church one has to drive up a steep and narrow little road and past a rubbish tip. 

It was such a privilege to share the Word of God at this little church. 

Peter's wedding

Saturday saw us drive into Victory Church to attend Peter's wedding. The service was held at Joeline's father's church. The church was FULL - probably close to 1000 people. 

We were met by Moses, Board member from KCM, who drove us to the church. As the service was scheduled to commence at 12 noon we decided to leave at 10.45am to give us plenty of time to travel. Unfortunately we were met with a traffic jam on Entebbe Road and didn't arrive until 12.30pm. As the service didn't actually commence until 12.45pm our delay didn't really matter. 

The service commenced with singing and worship prior to the arrival of the bridal party of 13. It took about 30 minutes for them all to make their way to the front of the big church. 

The next 45 minutes saw the Minister welcome guests, but especially those who were leaders in their respective churches. Each was asked to stand with their spouse and the congregation applauded them. 

The service included two sets of Bible readings (I read one of them), a Gospel presentation centred around the theme of 'Covenant' and the usual formalities (the exchange of rings, kissing of the bride and the signing of the Marriage Certificate). The difference was that each of these traditions took a lot longer. The full service took nearly four hours but was beautiful. 

Following the service Moses, Dale and I drove behind the official cars (four black Mercedes Benz) to the Sheraton Hotel for official photos. These took place in the grounds. 

The reception was held at the Kampala Golf Club beside Garden City. The room was set out in tables of 10 with the bridal party at the front. While it all looked quite traditional, it was very tastefully done with fairy lights and flowers everywhere. It looked a little bit like a set from a wedding scene from a Hollywood movie. 

There were about 600 guests, and each looked beautiful - especially the ladies who wore Gomezis. It would have been a lovely photo to capture all the guests standing together. 

Following the welcome there was entertainment in the form of live performances - mostly singing. To be honest, the quality of these performances was first-class and professional. 

The meal was AMAZING. I have NEVER seen so much food. It was a buffet style arrangement and nobody would have missed out. The menu included both traditional and western style food - and LOTS of it. I can assure you that Dale and I were well catered for! 

The cake was also a sight to behold. It was six tiers high plus two individual cakes on the side. On the side of the middle 6 tiers were the letters 'L O V E' and on the two side cakes were the words PETER and JOELINE. 

Following the cutting and distribution of the cake, which took some time, each of the tiers were boxed and given away to representative groups of people - the community of Kyampisi, the community of Victory Church, guests of the groom etc. 

As with all receptions there were speeches - from both sides of the family - and from the bride and groom - Joeline spoke before Peter. 

Like the wedding, the reception was long, but very memorable. It was quite spectacular and the memory will live on for many years. It was a blessing to be able to share in the occasion. 

To be honest, the whole day was AMAZING! 

Visit to Sanyu Babies Home

Tuesday saw me drive team members to Sanyu Babies Home. We departed St Paul's House a little after 7am. To be honest, I was quite pleased that I was able to navigate my way across town based solely on my memory from 2 years ago. 

On our arrival at Sanyu Babies Home, the oldest orphanage in Uganda (established in the 1920s by the Church of England), we were met by the Administrator who gave us a quick history lesson and welcomed us to the facility. 

Following this we were divided into two teams - men outside and ladies inside. While the ladies were busy feeding the babies and folding the washing, the men were outside moving a stockpile of logs and a mound of dirt. 

After about 3 hours under the hot sun, we were certainly ready to come inside and spend a little time with the babies. 

On our return trip to the Jesus House, we  found ourselves in the middle of a traffic jam - although not completely unexpected, it certainly added about an hour to our trip home. 

On arrival at the Jesus House, Dale and I kept working on the Report KCM is presenting to the Ugandan Parliament early next month. 

Please join with me in praying for justice to be done in relation to this report.  

Visit to Prince Jonathan and Princess Lukia

Wednesday night saw Dale and I drop into Jonathan and Lukia's for supper. We met Jonathan at a nearby church and he escorted us to their humble home. 

Their home is on the northern side of Ntinda Road, a little west of Tusky's - not far from Hardware World. 

Their home included a communal lounge room, a kitchen and a bedroom. We sat in the lounge room and watched their Introduction DVD. 

It was great to hear a local perspective and explanation of the various components of the day - while smaller in scale than Peter and Joeline's Introduction, there were many aspects that were the same. 

We enjoyed the conversation, ginger tea and a bun loaf. 

They are expecting their first child on October 9. 

Visit to Parliament House

Three days of compiling a very graphic and descriptive Report to the Ugandan Parliament on the reality of child sacrifice in Uganda came to a climax on Thursday and Friday. 

Peter asked us to accompany members of the End Child Sacrifice (ECS) Team from KCM to present a draft Report and Documentary on the work of the Team to Glorious, the Private Secretary of the Honourable Minister for Children, Ethics and Crime Prevention. The idea was that Glorious would offer constructive criticism for the ECS Team to respond to prior to the final Report and Documentary being presented to the Full Parliament.  

To cut aong story short, we spent many hours waiting around, only to be told that Glorious would meet with us the following day - which did happen, but without Dale and I, as we were required at Kyampisi for our day of PD. 

The issue and associated issues of child sacrifice in Uganda is an absolute blight on this beautiful country. Please join me as I pray for Peter and his ECS Team as they work in this very difficult area. 

Teacher PD at Kyampisi

Friday saw Dale and I drive to Kyampisi for a full day of PD with the local teachers (similar to the day we ran for Barnabas Project at Busoke Christian School). As we were expecting to commence at 9am with 30 participants, we arrived a little before 8.30am to make sure everything was set up and ready to go. 

To cut a long story short, we didn't end up commencing our training until around 11am and there were only about 8 teachers. Interestinglly we had close to our full measure of participants by about 12pm. It was actually quite difficult welcoming new teachers every 15 minutes while also keeping the program moving along.

Another challenge took the form of lunch - about 30 minutes prior to the time we had planned to break for lunch I was becoming increasingly concerned that I hadn't seen anyone cooking outside. When I enquiried into this I discovered that there was a good reason for this - the ingredients were yet to be purchased. After a quick dip into my wallet, the matter was resolved. 

At close to 2pm we were able to break for lunch. I think everyone was pretty tired after such a long first session. 

Following lunch Jamie, Anna, Dale and I ran a planning session with the assembled teachers. In an attempt to facilitate  some strategic planning, we asked them to draw the design of a new school at Kyampisi. The teachers worked in small groups drawing their design on butchers paper. After about 45 minutes of discussion, each group presented their design and explained the reasons behind their respective decisions. 

The day concluded in prayer. 

Visit to Bbira village

Thursday saw Dale and I drive to Bbira, a Watoto village about 40 minutes from Kampala. 

The road to Bbira is mixed. The bitumen section is excellent - including a new section that was being upgraded when we were here 2 years ago - but the dirt component requires much patience as it needs to be driven VERY slowly. 

On arrival at Bbira, we met Maureen, the  Principal of Hope Secondary School. Maureen took us on a quick tour of the Secondary facilities. As always, the quality of the Watoto buildings and the positive attitude of the Watoto students is striking! 

Following this we met up with John, the Head teacher of the I D Reymer Primary School. John took us on a tour of the primary facilities - again, very impressive. 

John also took us down to one of the P7 classes - where we met Hufusa, our Watoto Sponsor Child. It was amazing to see the spontaneous delight on her face when she came to the classroom door and saw  who was there - she ran up to me and gave me the BIGGEST of hugs. To be honest, it was quite an emotional experience. 

Hafusa took us on a tour of the Watoto village, including her cluster of homes. She introduced us to Eddy, her brother and Freida, her Watoto mother. It was great to sit with Hufusa and see the excitement on her face as she read letters from Sonia and Hannah. She was speechless (and teary) when she opened her gift box.  I think she'll have lots of fun showing all her friends her new silver bracelet. 

As we'd promised John that we'd return Hufusa to her classroom at 6pm for her practice Examination as a Candidate for Secondary schooling (marking the end of her Primary education) we quickly made our way back to her classroom. On our arrival we were met by three P7 teachers. We prayed with Hufusa and said goodbye.  We also prayed with the three teachers. 

As I'd promised John that I would drop into his office before leaving, we also did this. Two hours later we were on our way home. We had a very interesting chat with John about his upbringing and his passion to see his students excel whilst under his care. He also shared a little about his work as Head teacher. One of the interesting things we found out about his work was that he wrote the Watoto Anthem - which he happily sang for us. 

Our trip home was fairly uneventful except that I took one too many left turns, which resulted in a much longer trip home and the need to access Google Maps as I wasn't quite sure where we were and I was certain that I hadn't been down some of the roads before. 

Eventually we made it home - safe and sound. 

Peter's Introduction

Trying to explain a Ugandan Introduction is quite difficult, as we don't have anything quite like it in Australia.

The Introduction constitutes the Traditional wedding and usually falls one week before the Western wedding service - usually in a church. In the case of Peter, who comes from the Kingdom of Buganda, it is also full of tradition and custom.  For many Ugandans, they view themselves as officially married following this celebration as it constitutes a formal wedding service. 

The Introduction is held at the home of the bride and includes the presentation of the dowry to her family. There is a lot at stake in this regard, as the father of the bride can refuse his daughter's hand in marriage if he's not sufficiently impressed. Peter was required to provide 2 cows (I paid for one @ 1.1 million shillings), 2 goats, 10 chickens, 300kg of rice, 300kg of maise, 1000+ 500mL bottles of soda, a butchered hind leg of a cow, 75 hand-woven baskets filled with fresh fruit, vegetables, butter, tea bags and tinned food, 50 bags of powdered milk, outdoor furniture, flowers, suitcases, clothes, umbrellas, a map of the Kingdom of Buganda, a print of the King of Buganda and a large amount of freshly picked leafy-green vegetable that constitutes the 'muckertay' or deal-sealer. 

Joeline's parents live on the outskirts of Kampala on a large parcel of land. As there were around 1000 guests, there were probably more than 300 cars parked on the block. There were also four large tents - one for Joeline's family (holding approx. 75 people), one for Peter's family and guests (holding approx. 150 people), one for Joeline's guests (holding approx. 750 people) and one for much of the official proceedings (in the centre). The three tents faced the smallest tent in the middle. 

As guests of the groom we were asked to meet at the Ndere Cultural Centre at 12 noon. Vincent led the formalities which included speeches, prayers and instructions for the day.  After hearing these messages we drove to Joeline' house. We parked on their back yard and walked to the official tents. 

According to custom, we were asked to enter the celebration in 2 rows - one for men wearing Kunzu's and one for women wearing Gomezi's. We entered to the sound of traditional music, traditional dancing and traditional drums - courtesy of the Ndere Dance Troupe from the Cultural Centre. 

The official ceremony commenced with a Family 'Speaker! (or MC) from both families competing for the affection of the crowd - to and fro with jokes and prayers. 

Following this, six bridesmaids danced into the ceremony followed by six flower girls. According to custom, the groom's Speaker and his Assistant gives each of these girls gifts. I understand the significance of their arrival is to 'tease' the groom - as none of these girls are his 'wife to be'. The ladies were all wearing matching Gomezi's and looked AMAZING! 

Following this, a selected number of guests - the 'elders of each family' - entered Joeline's home for official photographs, prayer, private gift giving and a family meal.  This lasted about 1 hour. 

For fhs first half of the ceremony, Peter 'hid' amongst his guests. Once it was established that Peter and his family were credible, Peter moved to the front of his guests and was accompanied by an aunt from Joeline's side of the family, the one who vouches for his good character and noble intentions. They sit on a lovely leather lounge suite facing the middle tent. 

Following this, all guests were invited to enjoy lunch. This was served buffet-style. We entered the home and sat around large round tables set in a very large lounge room. We were served matoke, rice, G-nut sauce, chicken, beef, casava, pineapple and coleslaw - and plenty of it! 

During inch, there was more dancing, more girls and more gift-giving outside. This was repeated multiple times - with one exception - when six men came into the centre tent and were given gifts from the bride's Speaker. 

Following lunch, ALL guests from the groom's side were ushered outside to a waiting pick-up truck full of dowry gifts. One by one we carried them into the celebrations and presented them to Joeline's side of the family by placing them on the ground in front of their family tent. There were two lines of people walking in the gifts - one for men and the other for women. 

Following formalities between Peter and Joeline, selected guests of the bride walked the gifts into the family home. I understand these gifts will be distributed throughout the family. 

Towards the end of the ceremony, the groom's Speaker and Assistant invited selected guests of the groom to present framed pictures to Joeline's parents. These included a framed print of the King of Buganda and a framed map of the Kingdom of Buganda. As this is quite a significant part of the service, I felt very honoured to be asked to participate in this. 

Throughout the celebrations there was lots of traditional dancing and traditional drumming. 

Joeline and her brother then cut the Presentation cake - a traditional design, but five-tiers high. Apparently Peter wasn't able to do this as he wasn't fully married as yet. This was distributed to all guests. It was a traditional Ugandan mixture - a little like a heavy ginger sponge. 

Prior to the formal speeches from Joeline's father, Peter's sister gave Joeline a 'love' gift on behalf of Peter. Annette explained the symbolism behind the various gifts. Following this, Joeline gave Peter a 'sustaining' gift as she and Peter will live apart for a further week. This was a very intimate and romantic moment. 

The celebration finished in a similar way to a Western wedding - the couple (and their bridal party) stood together while guests walked past and gave them hugs and greetings.  

The 'official' photographer sold a large collection of photos he had taken throughout the course of the day. Bridesmaids also gave guests a bottle of sparkling Apple Juice to help commemorate the special day. 

We returned to Kisaasi well into the evening. The celebration took about six hours and was very memorable. For the record, all proceedings took place in Lugandan. 

May God bless Peter and Joeline - and their respective families. 

Borda Borda Ride

Our ride home from Nandos on Friday night was a little adventurous. 

Once we'd selected our Borda Borda driver, based purely on observation - we chose him not the other way around - we negotiated our fare. Given that we were travelling from the city centre to Kissasi, I thought 12,000 shillings was quite reasonable. 

En route our rider asked us to hop off as we had a flat tyre - to be more precise, he kept saying 'pressure' while pointing to the wheel. He hailed down another Borda Borda driver and we re-negotiated our fare - 10,000 for the first driver and 5,000 for the second driver. 

Interestingly and probably due to the shorter seat on the second bike, Dale's level of comfort was compromised - Dale sat on the back!  Having said that, we both really enjoyed the exhilaration of being on both bikes. 

Visit to Naggalama Hospital

Friday saw Dale and I drive to Kyampisi to collect Ja Ja (Grandma) Justine and Joseph as both needed to be taken to Naggalama Hospital, a 30 minute drive north of Kyampisi. 

As Justine was unwell last Sunday, I had promised to take her to the nearby  surgery for examination. The community believes she is suffering complications from a hernia operation nearly 40 years ago. 

Joseph on the other hand, is a 16 year old teenager who I've been told has become increasingly lethargic and listless over the past few weeks. 

Luckia, Head teacher from Kyampisi Christian School, drove with us to the hospital. I was keen for her to join us as she speaks both Lugandan and English. 

En route to Naggalama Hospital we dropped into St Peter's Secondary School at Kalagi to pay the outstanding school fees for John (630,000 shillings) and Angel (450,000 shillings). 

On arrival at Naggalama Hospital we met in an open waiting room. Justine and Joseph were ushered forward for an initial consultation with a nurse and were required to pay a fee of 10,000 shillings (at the cashier) prior to seeing the doctor (in her consulting room).  Justine, Luckia and I met with the doctor in her consulting room for well over an hour. She appeared to be very thorough in her examination. She gave me a copy of her notes and her list of suggested medication. The conversations between Justine and the doctor were conducted in Lugandan whereas the conversation between the doctor and me were conducted in English. We repeated the process for Joseph. 

Following these conversations I paid for the required medication. It seems Justine will require further surgery ASAP whereas Joseph will need an assessment from a Psychiatrist as he may have Autism. 

On our way back to Kyampisi we dropped into Hardware World at Kalagi to buy 4 bags of cement (27,000 shillings each) for the work being completed on the Kyampisi Church. 

On arrival at Kyampisi we spent time meeting the students and teachers at the Kyampisi School. There are about 150 students working in 5 classrooms. Each of the rooms are very small. One of the rooms would be about a third of the size of a typical Australian classroom but hold close to double the students. 

After returning from Kyampisi Dale and I decided to drive to Watoto Central to meet with Dorcas to discuss a possible Teacher PD at Suubi and Bbira next week. 

Following this we decided to have an early dinner (late lunch) whilst in town. We bought a large Peri Peri Chicken pizza at Nandos and a cup of coffee at Mateos, both in the city centre of Kampala. 

Bogged outside St Paul's House

Our return trip to St Paul's House on Thursday night ended with us getting bogged. 

Our young driver felt the best way to travel up the slippery and wet dirt road was quickly. What he hadn't factored into the equation was side-ways slippage. With encouragement, he quickly realised that we were about to slide off the road and into the deep drain on the edge of the road. With some further encouragement he decided to engage 4WD. Unfortunately I think we were already bogged, but more importantly, we were on the edge of the drain. 

To cut a long story short, we invited a number of onlookers to assist us - which they did. We manually maneuvered the ute to the centre of the dirt road and encouraged our driver to slowly reverse down the hill. He successfully managed to reverse the car back onto the bitumen - and the whole exercise only cost us 12,000 shillings! 

End Child Sacrifice Campaign

One of the strategic ministry areas of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM) is the End Child Sacrifice (ECS) Campaign. 

Each year hundreds of children in Uganda are reported as 'missing' - sadly, many will have been sacrificed. Members of the KCM ECS Team have been documenting as many of these cases as possible. The details of these are too graphic to represent here. 

Thursday saw Dale and I working on these reports in readiness for preparation to the National Parliament next week. This has been an ongoing task, one Sonia and I worked on while we were in Uganda in 2012-2013. 

The work is very confronting as the respective reports need to be as descriptive as possible. 

Peter Sewakiryanga, Director of KCM has been working with a number of professional associations to bring this practice to the awareness of the international community.

Praise the Lord that there are people from all over the world working together to bring this practice to an end. 

Mary's blood poisoning

As mentioned previously, last Sunday we attended the burial of little Mary. What I hadn't mentioned was the tragic circumstances surrounding her passing. 

Mary was a typical 8 year old girl. She was a student of Kyampisi Christian Community School and was one of the keen singers in the Kyampisi Children's Choir. 

Unlike many Ugandan's, Mary's teeth were infected. From my experience Ugandans have AMAZING teeth. Clean, bright and straight - probably due to their simple diet. 

To cut a long story short, it was decided to remove Mary's offending tooth. I'm not exactly sure how this was done, but it was probably a little primitive and resulted in a lot of blood loss. She was taken to a local Clinic to stop the flow of blood - which failed. 

She was then taken to a local Hospital where she was given a blood transfusion. Unfortunately she was given the wrong type of blood and she died of blood poisoning. Apparently doctors worked on her for some time before she was pronounced dead. 

Even though this situation was avoidable, it does highlight the frailty of life in Uganda. 

Teacher PD at Busoke

Wednesday saw Peter Sewakiryanga drop in to St Paul's House for a short devotion. I took the opportunity to give him a small gift - a Sidlow Baxter devotional book. 

Edwin came to collect us at 8.30am. As we hadn't been able to copy the Teacher Worksheets yesterday (due to there being no electricity across the city) we needed to copy them en route to Busoke today. What we hadn't factored in was there being no power this morning either. To cut a long story short we made our way to Makerere University, where Edwin had organised a generator so we could print off and copy the required pages. 

While waiting at the University we observed the Ugandan technique for replacing photocopier toner - pull apart two cartridges; tip the toner from a full cartridge onto a sheet of A4 paper that has been shaped like a funnel and pour it into the empty cartridge. 

Given that we had quite a wait at the University, Edwin bought us some freshly cut and cooked potato chips with tomato sauce and coleslaw. 

After leaving Makerere University we made our way out to Busoke. En route we stopped at Gayaza to pick up 11 bags of cement (27,500 schillings each) and pay for 2500 bricks (500,000 schillings) and one load of sand (80,000 schillings) - all needed to build the new foundations at the teachers quarters. 

Given that we were scheduled to commence our PD session at 10am and we were still negotiating building materials at noon, we knew there would need to be an adjustment to the timing of our PD. 

As we arrived at Busoke close to 1pm we changed our schedule as follows:

Session 1 - 1pm-2pm

Lunch - 2pm-2.30pm (rice and meat)

Session 3 - 2.30pm-5pm

The sessions took place in the P1 classroom. The 14 participants sat on double timber stools (like our grandparents would have used). They walked and rode bicycles from four nearby schools - some were teachers and others were Head teachers but all were keen!

Before the session officially commenced there was about 20 minutes of formalities and introductions led by Edwin and Edward, Head teacher of Barnabas Christian School. 

To begin the PD, I unpacked Ephesians 4:1-16 - highlighting the need for unity in the body of Christ and the nature of the 'calling' of teaching.

To break the session up a little bit I invited participants to join me outside for a few minutes to play a little game. I wanted them to start reflecting on their teaching practice and why they do what they do. 

Throughout the sessions we unpacked the seven teacher skill areas in the Avenues to Teaching Excellence rubric. Under each skill area there are a number of descriptors that help to define a Christian teacher's professional practice. 

The teachers asked many questions to help them clarify what we were saying. They engaged with the whole process and appeared very interested in the application of what we were suggesting to their school context. 

During the session I was amazed how everyone seemed to be hanging off our every word. They were certainly very keen to learn as much as they could in the short time frame we had... and their faces were so excited. It was great to hear them reflect on how they could use the Bible in their teaching. I was amazed how creative they were with such new information. 

About half way through the second session, the rain that had been threatening all day decided to fall... and fall it did!  Given that the classroom had a tin roof, I really needed to project my voice and call upon all my teacher skills! 

Interestingly, at the end of the session the teachers invited us back to undertake a week long PD session during school holidays. I wonder if Australian teachers would be so keen to give up a week of their school holidays? 

Another indicator of their level of engagement was their desire to keep the session running well beyond our agreed finish time. Initially they were very keen to conclude the PD session at 3.30pm, but as the session progressed, we were the ones who brought it to a close at 5pm as we needed to get back to the building site before it got too dark. 

In our wrap-up at the end, one participant said words to the effect of 'I will leave today as a changed man. Prior to today, I had no idea how I could incorporate Christian perspectives into a strict National Curriculum'. It seems he felt unable to blend Biblical truth into the craft of teaching a secular Curriculum - one of the goals of our PD. 

Another good outcome was a commitment from the teachers  to establish an Association of Ugandan Christian Teachers. Edwin seems to be particularly keen on this concept (which I had discussed with him last time I was in Uganda) as it could also facilitate the sponsorship of teacher wages. 

After the PD session we enjoyed about an hour at the building site. As the ground was wet and slippery, there wasn't much opportunity to lay bricks. We decided to head back to Edwin's for dinner. 

Our drive home was punctuated by a little stop as we ran out of petrol about half a kilometre north of Gayaza. Edwin, Dale and I walked to the nearest petrol station to buy some fuel. As we walked along the road we were assisted by fire flies who lit the way. We were also assisted by the headlights of Boda Boda's (motor bikes) as they shoot along the side of the road in quick succession. All assistance was appreciated as there were no street lights where we were walking and the moon wasn't up for the night. 

Thankfully Edwin had a container that we took to the petrol station and the petrol attendant gave us a cut plastic bottle which we used as a funnel. 

Given that I was pretty tired, I decided to have a little rest on a chair beside the fuel bowser. Unfortunately the seat wasn't attached to the frame and I ended up on the ground! I think the whole experience tickled Dale's fancy - apparently my face said it all! 

After adding the petrol, we drove home to Edwin's for dinner - meat, gravy, chippette, mutoke and pineapple while watching a Ugandan sitcom on their little TV. 

On our arrival at St Paul's house we showered and went to bed. Very tired. 

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share with the local Busoke teachers the integration of the Bible into their teaching. I'm looking forward to hearing many stories about their 'new' approach to teaching and learning. 

Building at Busoke

Monday saw Dale and I drive to Busoke District with Edwin to commence the building of five teacher quarters - a strategic part of the ministry of Barnabas Project. 

Prior to departing for Busoke, we dropped into Edwin's home and met Doreen and baby Rebecca. Edwiin also took the opportunity to share his vision for Barnabas Project and his current priorities. 

The 50 minute road trip to Busoke travels through the township of Gayaza (on the way to Kyampisi) and includes some spectacular scenery - lush green pastures, rolling hills and a number of fruit and vegetable markets. 

On arrival in Busoke we inspected the four classrooms of Barnabas Christian School (P1, P2, P3 and P4). The temporary classrooms are similar to those at Kyampisi except that they have an open and light feel, have cement floors and are only 12 months old. The school also includes an office for the Head teacher and a staff room for his teaching team.  The area directly outside these rooms has been stripped of grass and is fenced as the dirt access road to this isolated community runs beside the school. 

Interestingly, the small number of traditional homes adjacent to the school are a 15-20 minute drive off the main road (unlike Kyampisi which is only about 7-8 minutes from the main road). 

Following our introduction to each class (and a short conversation with each teacher, three of whom are men) Edwin gave us a tour of the current project before we commenced the building of the teachers quarters. 

On very close inspection from Edwin it was decided that we weren't able to commence the brickwork as previously planned (as the foundations needed to be re-designed). By 're-design' I mean remove the recently constructed but defective internal walls and re-align the internal trenches. According to Edwin, the initial foundations weren't up to his required standard. New contractors were employed and the process commenced afresh - courtesy of our money and our assistance. 

We were also a part of a planning meeting to discuss the expansion of the current pig pens and the construction of a new stream of income - a 500 head chicken farm. 

Both Dale and I gave Edwin 670,000 schillings today to purchase the required materials for the building of the teachers quarters. I'll give Edwin some more money on Wednesday as his estimates are a little on the low side. 

Dale and I decided to practise our footy passing during the afternoon - albeit with bricks - but it certainly provided lots of entertainment for everyone, including us. We were asked to move a pile of bricks from A to B and felt it was the best way to do so. 

As the day progressed we started to wonder if we were actually helping the local builders or only acting as comic relief. Our tag-team digging wasn't quite as efficient as the locals. 

We left Busoke at 5pm and returned to Edwin and Doreen's home for 'lunch', although we called it dinner as it was close to 6.30pm and we were VERY hungry. Doreen served Irish potatoes and we added a pineapple that we'd picked up on our way home. 

Edwin kindly drove us back to St Paul's House for showers and an early night. On our arrival home we were met with quietness as team members had gone our for the night. 

Tuesday saw Edwin meet us at St Paul's House and drive us back to Busoke. We dropped into a hardware store en route to pick up a plastic jerry can - which we cut in half to use at the building site. We also stopped at a street side nursery to pick up two Ugandan natives to plant at the Barnabas Christian School. 

We decided to give Edwin three iPads and 15 Redlands College student hats this morning - he was very moved by this and was very appreciative of our generosity. 

On our arrival at Busoke we were met by the children of Barnabas Christian School. We enjoyed a number of brief conversations with them - I was particularly interested in learning some of their names. We also enjoyed meeting with the teachers again - who are looking forward to our PD session tomorrow. 

As the temperature was rising, we thought it wise to start our building work. 

Our first task today was to plant the two native trees on the eastern side of the new teachers quarters. Edwin certainly has a vision for what he's doing and he's very strategic in planning towards this. 

After planting the trees, we commenced down at the pig pen as we were given the responsibility of re-cementing the floor of one of the pens. It seems the piglets entertained themselves the previous night digging a very large hole into the floor of their pen. 

The re-cementing process began by collecting unwanted rocks of dried cement from the stockpiles around the foundation site, wheelbarrowing them down to the pig pen, placing them on the current slab and hammering them into very small pieces. The process also involved spraying water on the slab and sprinkling some cement powder on the wet slab to help bind the new surface to the old. We then made concrete - using water and sand collected from the local area) and applied it to the top of the drying slab. One of the local builders then levelled it all off and the job was complete. 

Following this job (which took a good part of the day) we returned to the foundations of the teachers quarters. We were again digging trenches and, after Edward had used a plum line to position the respective corners of the structure, we started to lay bricks. 

I really enjoy laying bricks, especially when working closely with someone who builds the bed of mortar on which I lay them.  

At about 6pm we decided to call it a day. We drove back to Edwin's home for dinner - rice, beans, pasta, carrots and pineapple, which we again picked up on our drive home. 

After dinner we had planned to drop into a local printing shop to photocopy 20 copies of the Teacher Marix that Dale and I are using tomorrow in our Teacher PD at Barnabas Christian School. Unfortunately, as the power was 'off' AGAIN we returned to St John's House for showers and bed. 

Both Dale and I are feeling a little sore tonight, but due to what we've achieved, we also feel very satisfied. 

May God bless the community of Barnabas Christian School.  

Visit to Kyampisi

Sunday morning saw me drive Jamie, Anna, Barbara, Maria and Dale to Kyampisi for church. En route I bought 50,000 schillings worth of petrol. 

On our arrival at Kyampisi we were met with personal cheers and laughter. It was lovely to see the spontaneous response from people when they recognised who was driving Peter's Prado. At first it seemed they were thinking 'that looks a lot like Mark... wait a minute, it is Mark'. 

Prior to the service commencing at 11am Lawrence, Dale and I drove to the respective Ja Ja homes to see if they wanted a lift to church. Ja Ja Nalongo and her grandson joined us but Ja Ja Margaret and the other blind Ja Ja weren't in a position to come with us on this occasion. Ja Ja Margaret agreed to join us next week and bring the whole family!  

As is the custom for those who are new at church, Peter invited Jamie, Anna, Dale and me to address the assembly - which we did. Jamie and Anna are a couple who are working at Kyampisi for 2 months to FINISH the Health Clinic. 

As Peter had invited me to preach while on this trip, I was honoured to be able to give the message. 

The service included the usual segments of Kyampisi Children's Choir, Kyampisi Boys Dance Troupe, Tithes and Offerings, corporate singing and prayer and Testimonies. Barbara gave testimony to Mary, one of her choir members, who had tragically died the previous day. 

Following the service I enjoyed catching up with many of our Kyampisi friends - all of who wanted to know about 'mummy' 'Eli' and 'the girls'. I was pleased that I had organised photos of the family in my wallet. These were passed around for all to see! 

Following a beautiful time of catching up with everyone, including Hudson, Chairman, Cockroach, Angel, John, Juliet, Rita, Lukia and the many Kyampisi 'mums' and 'children', I drove a car-full of friends down to the funeral service and burial of Mary. 

When we arrived, the service had just commenced. There was easily about 300 people in attendance - nearly half of those living in the Kyampisi district. A friend of the family was thanking everyone for their support of the family at this difficult time. Following this, the local Catholic Priest shared a few words and led the 'official' part of the service. To be honest, I can't be sure what either men said as they both spoke in Lugandan throughout the proceedings. While they were speaking a number of the local men were preparing materials for the burial. They were mixing cement, stones and water while also reinforcing the mesh that would be placed on top of the dirt to seal the burial pit. As they were making so much noise, it was extremely difficult to hear what was being said. 

As the family walked the coffin to the burial pit many of the locals were singing hymns, again, in Lugandan. 

Following the service we enjoyed a meal of rice, beans, matoke, casava and beef and some further conversations with friends from the Kyampisi community. I particularly enjoyed chatting with John about his time at a local boarding school. It seems he is doing extremely well but is struggling to pay his fees. I offered to pay his outstanding fees so he could return on Monday with no debt. 

Prior to returning to St Paul's House, I took Jamie, Anna, Peter and Dale up to Prayer Mountain. Interestingly, we found evidence (grass baskets and large seed pods) of witch doctor practice while walking on the mountain. In the course of my conversations with Peter, it came out that he actually purchased the mountain earlier this year. 

Following our drive home we dropped into the cafe beside Ntinda Shopping Centre (opposite Tusky's) and enjoyed some further conversations with Jamie and Anna and a cup of Ugandan coffee. 

On our return to St Paul's House, we enjoyed a meal of rice, noodles and fruit. Part way through the meal Simon Forbes arrived - father of Eddy. 

After everyone had gone to bed, I enjoyed a conversation with Jamie and Anna about the vision God had given Peter when he first commenced at Kyampisi five years ago. 

Peter has been a little distracted the past couple of days - not surprising as he has been busy planning his 'Introduction' this Saturday and his wedding next Saturday. 

Touchdown in Entebbe

After 23 hours of flying and 6 hours waiting at airports, we arrived at our Ugandan destination - Entebbe International Airport. 

We were greeted by a gun-wielding  security guard who handed us two cards - the usual Entry Card and a Health Assessment Card - obviously a response to the Ebola outbreak. 

After collecting our bags we made our way out of the arrival lounge and searched for Peter Sewachiryanga. After waiting for about 20 minutes I rang Peter to enquire into his whereabouts. He was supporting a Kyampisi family who had tragically lost their daughter earlier that day. Colin met us in the car park about an hour later. 

Colin drove us to our home away from home, 'St Paul's House' via Garden City as we wanted to exchange some $US into Ugandan Schillings and organise our phone and SIMS card.  After arranging these, we arrived at St Paul's House where we were met by Barbara and our KCM hostesses. 

After discovering that we needed gas for the kitchen stove and a few groceries, we drove Barbara to a nearby service station and to Tusky's Supermarket. 

On our return to St Paul's House we were met by Peter and Joeline, his fiancée. We enjoyed some lovely conversation and a meal of omelette, rice and fruit. 

As we were both tired, we also enjoyed an early night. 

Medication prior to departure

I organised to have my various 'shots' with Dr Preshy during the first week of Term 3. These included Meningococcal, Typhoid and a Hepatitis booster. Dr Preshy also organised the Prescriptions for my Cholera and Malaria treatments, both of which I will need to commence prior to departing on September 12. Although I felt a little like a pin cushion, having the shots in the muscles of my shoulders, it's good to know I'm protected.

Interestingly, Ebola has recently broken out in Western Africa (initially in Ghana) but as there is no vaccination for this disease, and Ebola is only caught through bodily fluids, I'll just need to be careful while over in Uganda.