Update on my nearby road and a cultural perspective

So remember back in April or so, I said that I came home one day and they had plowed the not-so-smooth tarmac road near my house. Well, all this time the dirt has been sitting and basically drying out (it is dry season), causing more dust (I mean MUCH MORE!) and just being a nuisance. Well, once in a while they actually do come back and plow it some more, adding another inch or so of dirt. But it isn't like they're working on this thing daily. I think it is a side job for someone and when they feel like plowing for an hour, they come over and re-plow.

So part of the problem, besides the massive dust, is that at on part of the road 2 properties had actually built their security walls into the road itself, making a 2 lane road into 1 1/3 wide. You can technically squeeze 2 vehicles through there, but not if one is a big truck.

I assumed with corruption as rampant as it is at times here, someone had been paid off and the city was going to leave the "stolen" meter or so in the hands of the 2 people who had put their cement walls there. Nope. This week, I came down that road again and- well- talk about a mess!

The 2 walls had been plowed out! Cement, stone, rocks, etc. were scattered all over the road and those 2 walls were completely knocked down! The mess was still there, and a lot of people were standing around kind of staring and discussing the situation. Either the 2 neighbors didn't pay a bribe to keep their walls, or they didn't pay enough... either way, the City Council (in charge of roads here, amongst other things) knocked the walls out.

While I was pleased to see the road would finally be the right width (well, when the road is actually finished), I felt bad that the people's walls were seemingly destroyed in such a callous way. So I stopped, which is culturally appropriate, to say "Oh, sorry for this mess" and hadn't gotten to the "What happened?" (of course we know what happened, but that is the way to communicate here- let them tell you the story). Just after I expressed my sympathy to the guy standing there, he turned and said, "Yeah- there is a water leak!". He didn't even seem to notice that well, um, like 80 yards of wall were completely crumbled into the street! It just seemed so comical to me that he was only focused on the water leaking from a pipe the bulldozer must have hit. The ruined wall was not even on his radar. Interesting (and to me, comical!) perspective.

Now, I bet as they continue to clean up this mess, those 2 plot owners will scrape any bit of advantage they can. I can easily see them putting new walls up, and leaving the mess of rock and cement behind in the roadway, in order to "teach the city council a lesson". Sometimes it seems that is how things get done here, so that is why I say it that way. I'll keep you posted. And you know I'll be celebrating if they ever actually do pave the road again and not just push the dirt around!

Another cultural reflection...

There is a man nearby who (three times now) has sung – sort of chanted- for literally 5 or more hours on end at night. He must be somewhere over in the direction of the lake (Lake Victoria). I can hear him inside my house the entire time he is out there yelling/chanting.

I finally asked Abel my night guard what was up. He said the druggies have found a new place to get high and maybe drunk. Nice. They hide in the bushes to get high, and then sing to the world their location. Not so bright, I’d say. But of course, taking drugs has never been on the intelligence scale anyway!

Happy Anniversary Jean Jean bo bean!

I'll have to post a new photo of Jean later (don't have a new one- yet, but others are posted lower here in my blog), but today is her 1st year anniversary in Uganda!

She is a WGM VIA (Volunteer In Action) who is serving for 2 years as our Heritage First grade teacher. She is AWESOME and I'm so thankful for her! Check out her blog (it is listed at the right here...) and see how Jesus is using and teaching her in ministry here in Africa. And pray for her in those ministries, in living here, in her classroom, her health, her friendships, and her walk with Jesus. Thank you, Jean, for your dedication and love for Christ!

McDonald's, Ugandan style- sort of

Along the roads here you see these guys making chapatis, a greasy-ish tortilla, baked over yes, a wheel rim cooker. This photo has a lot of cultural points. The not-too-clean counter where he rolls out the chapati, the wheel cooker (open BBQ grill of sorts), the overhang covered with bits of plastic to keep the rain away a bit, plus anything heavy thrown up on that "roof" to hold the plastic down from the wind, the rocky ground where they only need to move the stones around a bit to make a smoother surface for standing, the building (usually this type of building is where squatters live or work) and the woman washing dishes outside for either herself or for the chapati guy. It really says a lot about the culture here, so I thought you'd like to see a little of reality, African style.

FYI we make our own chapatis inside our homes, on clean surfaces, with a stove and a frying pan. They're good with anything wrapped in the middle, or on their own with hot tea (a typical breakfast here is chapati and hot tea).

Cultural signs

"Wash Me" isn't just seen on dirty vehicles in the USA. Here, we have another example of someone hinting for that result. I think the picture drawn on the side is actually of a house. It may look odd to you, but in African terms, that round hut is really quite accurate.



Yes, driving in Uganda you can find all sorts of interesting signs and expressions. This one may seem funny at first (who wouldn't want to avoid child sacrifice?) until you know that witchcraft and the like are COMMON here in Africa, with abductions ending not in ransom but in human sacrifice to supposedly obtain wealth or some other thing. Not a week goes by, or so it seems, that someone isn't taken and killed for these purposes. Pray that Jesus will penetrate the hearts and minds of the people here in whatever ways He can and will move!

MK girls July 2009

During the summer with families traveling for furlough, other meetings, and vacations, there are often few people here on the field. This summer we had only 2 families here for a while (plus Rick & Teresa- see next blog entry) besides me. One family, the Coppedges, serve in Arua (NW Uganda). Lucy Mae arrived through a home birth in Arua, and Coppedges had to come to the city to register her with the US Embassy. So we got to all visit for a little. Lucy's older sister is Elsie Jayne, and she is pictured here with the Bourne girls (Rachel on left, Haley on right).

the Michael story

In early April, our WGM friends, Rick & Teresa, came to begin the adoption process for a baby boy. At the orphanage where they found Michael (named by a "momma" who works at the orphanage), they found him basically dying. He was having allergic reactions to milk so they'd tried goats milk and still he was WAY underweight for his age. They guessed he was around 5-6 months at that time. He had been left in a bus after the mom asked a seatmate to watch the baby while she went to the bathroom at one of the stops. The mom never returned. There is no way to trace where Michael came from except they can guess by facial features and where the bus came from and the region of Uganda it covered. So maybe they could guess a tribe for Michael, but nothing more.

Anyway, once they got him on special formula (ridiculously expensive here in Uganda, so when Rick & Teresa came to meet Michael, they brought a lot with them), he soon began to respond. But not until they took him from the orphanage and gave him daily and unlimited care did he really start to develop and respond. At 6 months he could barely hold his head up.He certainly couldn't sit up yet (most babies can at that age), and he was super-skinny especially in the arms and legs. Over the past few months, as his new parents cared for him and worked on guardianship papers (that is the first step in their adoption), WOW did Michael develop! He became super -responsive to people, food, and outside stimuli. It was pretty exciting to watch. Literally this baby was saved from death!

Once, Teresa, Michael and I went for dinner at a local Indian restaurant where we met a nice waiter. We were discussing ideas for Michael's middle name. Rick & Teresa wanted an African middle name, and the man suggested some good ideas, including the name "Kisakye" (pronounced Chee-SAH-chay, but they're using Key-SAH-chay which is okay to do). It is a Luganda word, although they are sure Michael is not from that tribe. Essentially it means "This is one who was once dead and is now saved by grace". How cool is THAT for a middle name? So Rick & Teresa agreed to keep that as Michael's middle name.

Anyway, after a lot of trips to the lawyer's and to the courts and to the Ugandan offices for his passport and to the USA embassy for a visa and on and on... Rick, Teresa and Michael (now about 9 months old) travelled to the USA last night. From there, they will continue the adoption process, and Michael will continue to be blessed and be a blessing to others. It has been a long process but a wonderful one to watch. We have other friends here who have gone a different route in the adoption process and it has taken more than 3 years. Ugh. Oh, and the photo above is of Michael meeting Elsie Jayne Coppedge, when she and her family visited Kampala (from Arua) in June.

Before they left, Michael had not only learned to sit up, but he is now crawling and had very strong legs. He even climbed a step the other day (watch out!). What a different baby he is now- not just with time passage but with the love and attention poured out on him. It all has made an amazing difference!

Sorry I didn't say this before!

I was thinking through the past several weeks and the various things that have gone on. I know on email and even Face Book I have asked people to pray for my Mom. She had thyroid cancer and they removed the thyroid. That is so "easy" to simply state now, but yes, there was anxiety and she had some little complications (lots of blood lost in surgery plus a BIG dip in her calcium levels), but over all, I want to state here that she is cancer free! The surgeons were able to remove the whole tyhroid, the cancer was contained, and she is on the appropriate meds for this type of situation now, but PRAISE THE LORD!

Certainly there are situations where the person does have cancer extensively and they enter eternity (i.e. my Dad for one!- who entered eternity in Jesus' care, PTL). Could you praise the Lord still? Even in the midst of that testing fire? I pray I could, do, and will...

And for this one situation where He delivered my precious Mom (so we can continue to enjoy her "down here" a little longer), I can simply say Thank you, Lord.

A Nail in my Sprite

So I'm not such a big fan of soda. Maybe sometimes I'll have a float, but those are pretty rare. I'd bought a crate here for the May team, and after they left we were clearing the unused sodas out of my fridge. Guess what we found? A LAWSUIT! Of course, here in Uganda, this is merely a souvineer I'll never be able to do anything about, except show you all, of course. Nice.

My guard Peter gave the worst scenario for here- imagine living in the village and you have enough money to buy your family some drinks. Imagine letting your little kid drink some soda one night when light isn't so good. Imagine said little guy not knowing he is about to somehow swollow either lead-filled soda, or bits of a nail. Nobody can see it is coming because it is dark... not a cool scenario.

I guess on the "lighter side" you could drink it to add a little iron to your diet?

Oh, and let me say that to try to do something about this here, I got all kinds of tips. Most people (Ugandans and expats) said that the Coke company here would do nothing, to keep the bottle, and use it as a conversation piece from time to time. That is what I've done. Because to take the soda to anyone who MIGHT be able to do anything about it would too often involve corruption. So people here just say, "why bother?".

I say... "What's in YOUR soda?" A thought to ponder, for sure!

Nice spelling (additional culture stuff)

Sometimes as we drive around the country, we see some botched spellings in English. This "Wornning" was posted just a few weeks back. Apparently the property people keep getting asked if they are willing to sell.

More Cultural Things... "Whatasuit!"

Dressed up for a special event, this man walked by me and I just had to take the picture. Guys out there, anyone want me to order a suit like this for you?

Don't like the food? Bang!

My night watchman, Abel (here they say "ahh-Bell"), just returned from helping bury his 16 year old brother, Markson, in southern Uganda. Markson attended a larger boarding school (boarding is VERY common here- due to British influence). He and some friends complained to the headmaster (principal) of their school that the food was bitter and could they get the corn millet from some place else so the kids would be able to eat it? He roughly refused them. So they planned peacefully to ask the cook (here called the master cook) if he could do anything. But the headmaster found out, hired the local police (some are decent, some are corrupt) and those local police waited and ambushed the boys outside their dormitory. Instead of using rubber bullets, they used a real one. One shot was all it took.
Markson was the number one student in his class all through school. He was peacefully going to request help for a frustrating situation. But he was murdered in cold blood.
Do you want to know how Abel and his family found out exactly what happened? The headmaster, audacious and aggressive, went to the family funeral with a contingent of body guards (made up of some police, plus others) and told the family it wasn't his fault that Markson died; he'd asked for it. Ummm. What?!? The headmaster went with body guards because they lynch people here and he was afraid the family would kill him on the spot. But he says he had nothing to do with the hiring of the police.
FYI supposedly a small group of police were arrested and are being interrogated. Nobody has yet determined who shot their gun and so far, there is further confusion. But meanwhile a family and a school mourn the loss of their top senior boy. What a waste.
Corruption is common in many parts of the world. But I think that until we know a personal story, we remain aloof and disengaged. By knowing a firsthand story, how do you feel now? I feel sick and angry.
And yet I'm trusting Jesus to do His thing. It may not be in this world. And I am not being dismissive or simply using a cliche when I say that God knows and He cares. He is trustworthy to care for even these types of situations. Pray He will bring justice in His way. And pray for Abel and for his family. Thanks.

Mugisha Emmy Graduated!!

Although Mugisha finished his classes in November, traditionally in the British style (it affects a lot here), the graduation ceremony wasn't held until this past Friday. I was honored to be invited to the graduation, joining Mugisha's wife Winnie as we enjoyed the ceremony. Mugisha even got to share a special speech. The school where he graduated is called Kampala Evangelical School of Theology (KEST) and about 70 people graduated that day. Congratulations, Mugisha!

The most unique thing about this accomplishment for all 70 is that only 1% - yes, ONE PERCENT of Africans get to attend university. These people are the next church leaders in Africa and potentially the WORLD! Will you pray for each one to be faithful and strengthened by the Lord as they step out to lead in ministries here in Africa?

Oh, and the reason only 1% get to attend university is simply that education is expensive and many people can't finish grade school, let alone attend university, simply because of poverty. Africans are so passionate and hungry to learn, able to quickly grasp concepts and yet limited by poverty and corruption (in many cases corruption causes poverty!). Pray more people will one day be able to finish their schooling and achieve all God has in store for them.

The Class of 2009

Heritage had it's graduation on May 29th with 4 students graduating. Mischa is from Holland and will soon be returning there. He wants to be a nurse-anesthesiologist. Cleopatra is from Uganda and she wants to study interior design. Yang is from Uganda and wants to study law, possibly in Great Britain. Haley is from the USA and is our first WGM Uganda Missionary Kid to graduate here. We were all very excited for her big day! She wants to study forestry.




Haley celebrates with her sister Rachel and other friends from Heritage.


Christina and Jean at grad.

Ohio Christian University team in Uganda!!!

LeeAnn and Tim Daniel led a team to Uganda during May. I got to be their host on this end. LeeAnn is a WGM Missionary Kid from Honduras. She came here a few years back to minister as our field finance office manager, and in January she married Tim. Tim I knew from more than 10 years back when he was a Volunteer In Action in Bolivia. They'd met in college, and for me to host them along with the other team members it was like a mini-family reunion.

The team did a ton of things while in Uganda. Following you'll see some photos of their time here. They worked on Buvuma Island putting a floor foundation in (and pouring cement on 1/4 of it; the rest is ready for the next team to pour more and begin building walls)! They also ministered to many people- especially kids- as they worked there on the island, in Kampala area churches, and even simply by meeting folks daily in shops, at Heritage, etc. By helping us at HIS, they did about 2-weeks' work in 2 days (!) organizing our book room, and MAN I was so blessed to have them help with our Youth Bash (read on below).

Why don't you join WGM in ministry by coming on a work team yourself? There is a lot to discover and there are so many ways to minister. The times are exausting, honestly, but it is a time of joy, blessings, and wonderful Kingdom Building!

OCU Team on Safari

MK Day with the OCU team!

Years ago someone started the tradition of MK day in Bolivia when I was there. Then I arrived in Uganda and they do it here too! MK means Missionary Kid, and we have some pretty wonderful ones! Not all of them on the Uganda field are pictured here, but I can tell you they had a great time with the OCU team, who took them swimming on a Saturday. The team was so awesome- they brought floats, water guns, and special American snacks that the kids hadn't seen for a long time. How kind and considerate!
MK Day is simply time spent with the MKs to minister to them, help them have fun, and make them feel loved and special. The kids LOVE it- at any age!

A Trip to Buvuma Island

It is no easy trip to "run" out to Buvuma, a 2 hour boat ride into Lake Victoria. When teams commit to go, they are committing to a lot. But the results are heavenly with eternal results.

First, the OCU team drove 2 hours through Kampala and Uganda traffic, arriving at the "launch site" (where boats dock) in Masese. The photos show how muddy and messy the site is. They don't put docks out into the lake, but instead every one and every thing is carried to the boats.

We keep things stored at our Masese Africa Gospel Church, such as mattresses, mosquito nets, food items for the time on the island, cooking supplies, cement, etc. All of these are hauled out to the boat from the church, a good 10 minutes walk away. Yes, even the boat motor is stored when not in use. Otherwise it would be stolen. And yes, it weighs a lot yet the men habitually carry it back and forth to keep it safe.



Jimmy, one of the team members, really displayed a gift with loving and entertaining kids. Here he is at the launch site trying to connect with more children. They LOVE the attention!



Once the team reaches the island, the items in the boat must be hauled again up the hill to the school site. On the island, in order to put rocks in the floor foundation of the newest building being built, men helped transport rocks from the lake edge and from other island parts to the site- on bicycles. It takes HOURS to transport these heavy or bulky items, and yet with no cars or trucks on the island, this is the main mode of transport other than walking!