Uganda Trip-Postscript

I suspect that I will refer to or write about my trip to Uganda in future blogs, but this will conclude my daily blogs recounting the trip. As I mentioned in the beginning of these blogs, the trip was amazing, and that is the only adjective that seems appropriate. A couple of people asked me to tell them what was the one most outstanding thing about the trip. I told them that I couldn't name one thing. My experiences on the trip were more like a mountain range with roughly equivalent peaks, not like Pike's Peak or Mt Rainer that stand out from the surrounding mountains.

I am trusting that God will guide the church in our next steps. The needs are enormous and can fell overwhelming, but we have the opportunity to make a dent in the poverty and help bring hope in tangible ways. I would encourage you to keep this opportunity in your prayers.

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Thought for the Day

The principle cannot be denied: the fiercer the struggle against the injustice you suffer, the blinder you will be to the injustice you inflict.
Miroslav Volf

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Uganda Trip-13

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, on Tuesday morning, April 8, we headed back to Entebbe Airport. After we crossed the Victoria Nile we drove by the top of Murchison Falls so we stopped to get a closer look and take some pictures. The falls drops about 140 feet and it is only 22 feet wide at its narrowest point--it really is impressive and beautiful. It was sunny day so there w have included several pictures of the falls and of the rainbow.

I have included a couple of pictures of the falls and of the rainbow.


Murchison Falls, by the way, is named after the head of the British National Geographic Society who lived in the mid-nineteenth century.
Here is one of the last pictures that I took--it is of the group including our two drivers, Santos and Jarred; Christine, our World Vision Uganda host; and Evelyn, a schoolmate she met unexpectedly at Paraa Lodge and who caught a ride back to Kampala with us. Ellen, the free lance photographer who was in our group is taking the picture.


The drive back to Entebbe Airport was about seven hours of which the first four hours were on dirt roads. It is quite exhausting to travel far bouncing around in the vehicles--our drivers were "pushing the envelope" in terms of speed at times. But we arrived safely to a hotel near the airport where we were able to shower, have dinner, and then head out for Entebbe.

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Thought for the Day

Hope...is one of the ways in which what is merely future and potential is made vividly present and actual to us. Hope is the positive, as anxiety is the negative, mode of awaiting the future.
--Emil Brunner

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Uganda Trip-12

During the last full day that we spent in Uganda and the last day at the park, Monday, April 4, we took a boat ride the 10 1/2 miles up the Victoria Nile to Murchison Falls and then returned back. After the boat ride we went on one more safari trip as well. Spending the time at the park was a blessing to us not only because of the beauty of the park but for providing us some down time to create space for us to begin to process what we had seen in Gulu. We were aware that most of the inhabitants of Gulu would never have the opportunity to see this beautiful park with its great variety of animals.

On the boat ride we saw hundreds of hippos, many crocodiles, a lot of birds, and a good many land animals drinking on the side of the Nile. Corcodiles cool themselves by keeping their mouths open.



This is as close to the falls as we could get by boat.



During the Safari that we took during the afternoon, we came across nine lion cubs by the side of the road. The guide told us that the mothers were out hunting. We kept a wary eye out for them as we stopped and took pictures. Here is a picture that has several of them in it.


On Tuesday morning we headed out on our seven hour drive for Entebbe airport. We took a ferry across the Victoria Nile by the lodge and drove past the top of Murchison Falls.

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Thought for the Day

Faith is verification by the heart; confession by the tongue; action by the limbs.
--Sufi proverb

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Sunday's Prayer

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Uganda Trip-11

By Friday night we were all pretty much "emotional toast." Over the course of the week we had seen and experienced a lot, and we all agreed that we were emotionally "topped off." We were ready to head out to the Paraa Safarai Park on the Victoria Nile by Murchison Falls. On Saturday morning we headed out for the five hour drive to the park.

The two and a half days that we spent here were a time to unwind and begin to process what we had seen in Northern Uganda. It turns out that the LRA did traverse the most eastern edge of the park, but never entered the center. Nevertheless, until very recently almost no one visited this game park. The park is 3840 square kilometers which equates to approximately 1500 square miles.

We really were not able to talk about what we had seen and experienced until a day and a half after arriving. We went on a couple of safaris and delighted on the beauty of the park and the amazing animal life that we observed. I have included a picture of the place where we stayed as well as a couple of pictures of the park and animals that we saw.

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Thought for the Day

The human being who denies his nature as a created being, ends up by claiming for himself attributes which are a sort of caricature of those that belong to the Uncreated.
--Gabriel Marcel

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Uganda Trip-10

After leaving the Children of War Center on Friday, 4/04, Christine took us to the Interpersonal Psychotherapy Therapy Group center. The purpose of this center is to help the children who are suffering from ongoing mental illness like depression. They broke us and the children into four groups and we met in smaller groups: the men met with boys and the women met with the girls.

We listened to a few of their stories, those who were willing to say anything about themselves that they felt safe sharing. Once again we heard horrendous stories about what some of the boys had endured. The story of one thirteen year old boy stood out to me. He is only thirteen and wanted to commit suicide because of some of the deaths on family members, especially his mother. Through the group therapy he no longer wants to kill himself and feels as though he has a reason to live. I have posted pictures of some of the students their and of the group of boys with whom Bob Givens and I met.


The last visit we made was to a small village where World Vision had donated musical instruments for the purpose of helping the healing and reconciliation that needs to go on in so many of these villages. The drums are large gourds called callabus and the music and dancing was wonderful. They actually pulled a few of us in to play them and I can assure you that I was not very rythmic: Bob and I were two very stiff white guys who stood out like sore thumbs!

It was a great experience and at the end the village gave us a live chicken as a gift and I was chosen to receive it. It was a very generous gift so we graciously received it and put it in the back of the van. Later we gave it to one of the World Vision staff.

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Thought for the Day

None knows the weight of another's burden.
--George Herbert

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Uganda Trip-9

The morning of the last full day that we spent in Gulu, Friday April 4th, we visited the Children of War Center. The center is the place where child soldiers come after escaping or being rescued from the LRA. The director of the center, Mark, had asked if I would lead devotions that morning so we met in a building in the middle of the compound and I gave the message to about 60 World Vision staff (many came from other sites). After devotions we asked Mark if we could anoint with oil and pray for any who would be so moved, and he gave his permission. So the eight of us stood in the front and I anointed each person with oil on their forehead and then all of us laid hands on the person and prayed for them. I believe everyone there came forward. It was a powerful experience.

After devotions we met Mama Ida, the woman in charge of counseling the child soldiers. She is a woman of great faith and wisdom, and you know that she has heard a lot heart-breaking stories. She shared a few of them briefly with us. The one that stands out in my mind is Gladys's story. She was a young mother of two, who was out working in the fields with other women and men when the LRA passed through. They killed everyone but her because she was pregnant and it is taboo to kill a pregnant woman in that area. So one of the commanders ordered one of the child soldiers to take a razor blade and cut off her ears, nose, and lips. He did so and they left her for dead. She did not die, however. Because her face was so mutilated her husband left her (it was unclear to me whether or not he took their two children as well). She has been to Germany several times for plastic surgery.

When she arrived at the IDP camp, who did she find there but the commander who had ordered her mutilation and the child soldier who had carried it out. She was understandably terrified and wanted to leave. Part of the important work of World Vision in these centers and in the villages is to help people to forgive and reconcile, not unlike the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. In one of the counseling rooms, Mama Ida showed us a couple of faded pictures of Gladys shaking hands with the commander that ordered her mutilation.

Mama Ida has adopted five former child soldiers.

After meeting with Mama Ida, we met with former child soldiers who have gone through the center. (There are no child soldiers in the center at this time because the LRA has not been active for about 3 1/2 years. The LRA which is somewhere on the border between the Sudan and the Central African Republic, still has child soldiers in it.) We met Christopher, Alice, and Jeffrey. They are all in their late teens or early 20s at this point and all of them have scars from bullet wounds or shrapnel wounds. Christopher is the last to have gone through the center and he still has a bandage on his right elbow from a bad wound that has not completely healed. Christopher was kidnapped when he was 9, Alice when she was 7 and Jeffrey when he was 8. Christopher and Alice were in the LRA for 11 years before each of them escaped during a crossfire. Alice had a baby with an LRA soldier when she was 12 years old. They both have harrowing stories of starvation, of firefights, and of their own arduous escapes. Jeffrey was left for dead about a year after his kidnapping. He still has the shrapnel in his forehead from the bombing that nearly killed him and basically has incapacitated him. In the picture I am giving Alice some dolls that Karen Bailey and friends knitted for me to take with me. Alice has two children and is taking care of her elderly parents and was thrilled to receive them. Jeffrey is in front and Christopher to Alice's left.

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Thought for the Day

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.
--Mahatma Gandhi

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Uganda Trip-8

The last place we visited in the Koro/Bobi ADP area was an IDP. We had visited several of them during the week and this one that we visited was the saddest. It was the dirtiest and the most crowded one that we saw. The reason Christine took us there was to visit a child-headed household. There were six children in the family and a sixteen year-old was the head of the house. When we arrived, she and the fourteen year-old were off getting food, but we saw the four younger children. There were a lot of children in the IDP and they gathered around us in the crowded conditions. The following pictures are those I took in that IDP. Note the small yellow "house" in the center of one of the pictures: that, according to Christine, is the shower. I have no idea how it actually worked. In one of the pictures you can see the large refuse heap at one side of the IDP. In the midst of the poverty, we still saw children with smiles.

The first picture is of three of the children in the child-headed household and the next is a scene in the camp.







Notice the picture with the little yellow "house" and the refuse pile in the foreground.

The last picture I took was of two girls, I assume sisters, and their beautiful smiles as we left the IDP camp.

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Thought for the Day

He is truly happy who has all that he wishes to have, and wishes to have nothing which he ought not to wish.
--St. Augustine

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Uganda Trip-7

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 3rd, we visited a secondary school, the St. Thomas More Secondary School, in the Koro/Bobi ADP area. It is one of two secondary schools in a very large area and is the only one that didn't close down during the Civil War largely because there were no boarding students.

When we arrived we were met by the student choir which walked into our area singing, and then greeted by the headmaster, Todo Alex, who introduced himself, the faculty, the faculty, and the parents organization. I have included a picture of the student choir and of Todo Alex.



We were impressed with Alex, his vision for the school, and his concern for women. Frequently education is not a high priority for women in Africa, and this holds true in Uganda. Girls tend not to go to school or leave after a time to help out in the house. They also tend to marry at a young age. In fact here is poster we saw at another school concerning the effort by educators to encourage girls to receive a good education.


Alex told us that there were sixteen teachers, fourteen of which are male and two of which are female. He then proceeded to say that it shouldn't be this way: it should be half and half. He talked about the importance of educating girls. To this end he has the plan to build a hostel to board eighty girls. The school needs a laboratory (a rudimentary science building) in order to receive accreditation from the state, and they also need a library and a new latrine system. He showed us the kiln on the property that is ready to make bricks for the buildings. Here is a picture of one of the buildings. The room with the torn sheets across the windows is his office.

One of the most moving experiences we had was listening to a four page poem written by one of the students entitled "Hate, Hate, Hate." The poem captured not only what hate has done in the world, but in this young man's life especially through the civil war and the atrocities of the LRA. After the formal part of our meeting was over and we were preparing to leave, the headmaster told us that the young man who had written and read the poem was an orphan, whose parents and relatives had been killed. We were all moved. Here is a picture of the young man (whose name I can't remember) and the principle and the student body president. The young man is on the left, Alex is in the middle, and the student body president is on Alex's right.


I think that this school might provide us an excellent opportunity to partner with through the Koro/Bobi ADP. They have a vision, a plan, and the resources to begin to implememt it.

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Thought for the Day

Benevolence doesn't consist in those who are prosperous pitying and helping those who are not. Benevolence consists in fellow feeling that puts you upon actually the same level with the fellow who suffers.
--Woodrow Wilson

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Thought for the Day

Where there is love, there is life.
--Mahatma Gandhi

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Uganda Trip-6

On Thursday, April 3, we visited the Koro/Bobi ADP. They invited us for devotions, so we arrived at 8:00 a.m. and shared in their devotions. They had asked if one of us would lead so Bob Givens volunteered. As always, between the singing and the sharing, it was a blessing to us all.

The director of this ADP is Christine and it has only existed for two months. Christine is a charismatic Roman Catholic with a vibrant faith. Here is a picture of her. Notice the white rabbit lying at her feet. They have about six or seven domestic rabbits running free in the yard.

We visited a couple of primary schools in the morning along with a visit to two water sources out in the bush that several villages used as their primary water supply. I have two pictures of one water supply, a pool in a little brook. Notice how white the water is. It looked terrible.




Christine then took us to another water source that was much smaller but the water looked as unhealthy as the pool of water looked.

A high priority for World Vision is access to clean water because so many of the diseases that kill people and especially children are waterborne and the function of unclean water supplies.

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Sunday's Prayer

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that I, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ my Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

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Uganda Trip-5

In this blog I want to finish sharing a story and pictures while we were in the Paicho-Bungatir ADP area. After visiting the health center, we visited a primary school which had been located in the thoroughfare of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). You can see the bullet holes in the building in the picture.






Most of the schools did not have real soccer balls for the children to play with. The most common soccer ball was banana leaves tightly rolled together and wrapped and second most commonly they used plastic bags rolled up and tied. I have included a picture of one of the plastic bag soccerballs.


Tom Slicklen, one of the two World Vision USA staff leading this trip had a lot of soccer balls that had been donated by companies that make athletic gear and we gave the school three of the balls with a pump to pump them up. When he gave it to the headmistress, she threw the soccerball on the ground and then all of the students started kicking it and running after it. They were really excited--I'm sure it is the first real soccer ball that they had ever had.


This last picture is of a classroom at the school. The teacher had the children sing a couple of songs for us. Notice how crowded this classroom is.

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Thought for the Day

The best way out is always through.
--Robert Frost

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Uganda Trip-4

We visited a primary school in the Aber ADP amongst all of the trips to sponsored children's houses and wanted to share a picture of the children and headmaster at this school as well as a building.




On Wednesday, 4/2, we visited another ADP, the Paicho-Bungatir ADP. The director of this ADP is Abok Paul and they have been in existence for about four months. It is not far from Gulu. In the morning we visited an IDP (Internal Displaced Persons) camp which was just across the street and a few hundred yards down the road from the ADP headquarters. This IDP is about one square kilometer and while houses are tightly packed together, it was one of the "better" ones that we visited relatively speaking. Following are several pictures of this IDP camp.



As you can see, they have a well with a number of water containers surrounding it which means that they have access to clean water. The women and children are responsible for getting water.

We also visited another primary school in this ADP area. These children have no desks or chairs to sit in--they sit on the concrete floor. As the headmaster noted, when it rains it makes it very difficult because the floor becomes wet. As I mentioned in an earlier post, schools do not have glassed in windows. Here is a picture of a classroom at this school.


In the afternoon we toured the Coope Health center in Bungatira. The physician there is Dr. Willy, and he were all impressed by his dedication. The health center deals with HIV/AIDs and he said that in northern Uganda the infection rate is about 13% whereas the infection rate for the country as a whole is about 9%. He gave us a brief tour and we prayed with him before we left. Below is a picture of Dr. Willy and the health center.

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Thought for the Day

The answer to the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" must always be, "No! I am my brother's brother.
--Dr. Paul Klapper

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The Amazing Work of Paul Farmer

Sunday's Boston Globe had an interesting article about Dr. Paul Farmer and the amazing job that he is doing in Rwanda (Rwanda is contiguous with Uganda on the southwest side). He is building hospitals in some of the most remote and poor areas in the country. We visited and Aids clinic/hospital in Gulu and things are basic--they could benefit greatly from someone like Dr. Farmer building hospitals in Uganda.

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Uganda Trip-3

The first ADP (Area Development Program) that we visited was Aber. Aber is probably 30 to 40 miles south of Gulu. It doesn't seem far, but the road between Gulu and Aber was terrible. It was an old paved road with millions of large potholes in it so that the driver was always zigzagging trying to drive around the largest ones. But the drive was rough--it's amazing how tired you get bouncing around in the vehicle. Above is a picture of the sign directing us off road to the ADP headquarters.

We met the director of the ADP whose name is Fred, and he introduced us to the rest of the World Vision Staff working at the Aber ADP. this ADP has been up and running for about six months. Here is a picture of the staff.

Most of the day (this was Tuesday, 4/1) was spent visiting sponsored children out in the bush. Of the eight of us, five sponsored children through this ADP, and two others met with children sponsored by friends. I was the only one who didn't have a sponsored child or a friend who sponsored a child in Uganda. As it turns out, one of the children that Beth and I sponsor is in Kenya, the next country to the east, but too far away to visit.

It is always a moving experience to visit a child that you sponsor. I have had the privilege of visiting two children that we have sponsored, one in South India ten years ago, and the other in the tiny land locked country of Lesotho located "inside" of South Africa in 2005. The children get all dressed up, and the village is there to meet you--it is a very big deal not only for the children, but for the adults as well. There are introductions, and exchange of gifts, and of course pictures. Ellen, our free lance photographer suggested that we bring Polaroid film with us for her Polaroid camera so we could take pictures and give them to the children. This was a great idea and a big hit! Most of these people have not only never seen a picture of themselves, many do not have mirrors, so they really do not know what they look like. Everyone, both children and adults, loved it when we took their picture, gave it to them, and they watched it slowly develop in their hands.

At the second village we visited there were a lot of children but there were four boys on the margin who caught my attention. They were very poor, but there was just blank stares on their faces. I gave each of them a piece of candy which they accepted but didn't change the expression on their faces. Even after Tom Slicklen gave each of them a new jersey (which for most kids would have brought big smiles) there was the same blank stare. A couple of them looked sick, and it was heart breaking realizing that some of them probably would not survive childhood. Here are two pictures of the boys, one before the jerseys and the second after receiving them. Look at their faces.

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Thought for the Day

Concentrate on today. Be a today man, not a yesterday man, nor a tomorrow man. Live today. For if you try to live three ways at once--living in worry over the mistakes of yesterday, living tensely about tomorrow, you will be living ineffectively today.
--E. Stanley Jones

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Uganda Trip-2

After spending the weekend in Kampala, we went to World Vision headquarters in Kampala for devotions on Monday morning and then headed out to Entebbe airport for our hour long flight to Gulu. Pastor Arthur led the staff and us in them and I must say gave a powerful message. His topic was trusting in God and carrying on in difficult times. He would know, because only two and a half weeks before his wife had died of complications from childbirth. She had had a Caesarian section and contracted an infection which took her life. We were all amazed that he even had the presence of mind to be able to stand up in front of everyone and speak. He is now a widower with four children. All of us were struck with the kinds of sacrifices that the World Vision staff made to carry on their important ministry. Above is a picture of Pastor Arthur.

We left for Gulu on a small propellor aircraft that seated about 20 people and cruised at about 3000 ft. The flight was pleasant if a little crowded inside and uneventful. Following are pictures of the aircraft and of the Gulu "terminal"

Following are pictures of Hotel Roma where we stayed in Gulu and of a street scene.

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Thought for the Day

It is for us to see the Kingdom of God as always coming, always pressing in on the present, always big with possibility, and always inviting immediate action.
--Walter Rauschenbusch

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Thought for the Day

We can do no great things; only small things with great love.
--Mother Teresa

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Pictures from Uganda

I want to share some pictures from my trip to Uganda over the next several weeks to give you a flavor of my trip. The picture above is of a little boy and girl who were attending a wedding at the Anglican Cathedral in Kampala. We toured a little bit of the city on Saturday and our host, Christine, took us to the large Anglican Cathedral on the top of a hill. There were many people at the top and as it turns out they hold a wedding every hour from about noon until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. These two children were standing outside the cathedral after one of the weddings and I snapped this shot.

The picture on the left is one of our host, Christine, and her husband, Johnson, and daugher, Olga. Christine is a woman of deep faith and incredible grace. She made all of the traveling arrangements for us and traveled with us over the course of 12 days that we were in Uganda. What a blessing she was to our team.

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Thought for the Day

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
--Fourteenth Dalai Lama

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Sunday's Prayer

Sovereign God, the whole universe is within your reach, and all things are ordered by your hand. You have claimed us to be your people and appointed us disciples of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. As you have protected our lives, so preserve our souls and keep before us always the vision of our Redeemer that we may see and follow and give him glory forever and ever. Amen.

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Kony Doesn't Sign the Peace Agreement

The Boston Globe has an article in today's paper about Kony's refusing to sign the peace agreement. I know that your friends in northern Uganda are disappointed by this failure to sign. The bad news is that there is no date now set to sign it. Kony apparently will not sign unless the International Criminal Court decides not to prosecute him, and I think that is unlikely give the magnitude of his crimes. Also, since he has not signed, children that he has kidnapped that he still has in his army are not free to leave. We need to keep this in our prayers so that the people in northern Uganda have the security that they need to rebuild.

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More on the Unsigned Peace Agreement

The Boston Globe has an article in today's paper about Kony's refusing to sign the peace agreement. I know that your friends in northern Uganda are disappointed by this failure to sign. The bad news is that there is no date now set to sign it. Kony apparently will not sign unless the International Criminal Court decides not to prosecute him, and I think that is unlikely give the magnitude of his crimes. Also, since he has not signed, children that he has kidnapped that he still has in his army are not free to leave. We need to keep this in our prayers so that the people in northern Uganda have the security that they need to rebuild.

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Thought for the Day

I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery that live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.
--Henry Emerson Fosdick

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Another Delay in the Peace Agreement

Kony did not sign the peace agreement yesterday. The international court has a warrant for his arrest and he wants the peace agreement to exempt him from being tried in the world court. They think that he is hiding somewhere in the Central African Republic. He is afraid to come out and sign the agreement because he believes he will be captured and taken to the Hague for trial--he certainly deserves it for all of the atrocities that he has committed.

The not signing the peace treaty discourages the northern Ugandans because they want this war to be over and done with so that they can rebuild their communities and their lives. While it is true that there has not really been fighting in the area for several years and that people are leaving the IDP camps and trying to reestablish their lives, they would like to have the security of a peace agreement. I would ask that you would keep these people in your prayers and that Kony signs the peace agreement. You can read about the latest delay at the BBC website.

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Thought for the Day

Never allow the thought, "I am of no use where I am," because you certainly can be of no use where you are not.
--Oswald Chambers

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Back Home

I arrived home safely yesterday late morning. I want to thank Bill Sobo for keeping up my blog while I was gone and for all of you who were praying for the trip. God answered your prayers on many different levels.

First, our flights went like clockwork. All of the flights were on time, including the flight from Kampala to Gulu, and our layovers in Amsterdam were only approximately 2 1/2 hours each. Second, the eight of us on the Vision trip bonded quickly and we got along well. Third, the World Vision rep from Kampala, Christine, was wonderful. She was thoughtful, kind, sharp, and truly a blessing--she traveled with us for the whole time that we were in Uganda. Fourth, the team did a lot of praying, a lot of laughing, and a lot of visiting various sites and projects. We really did care for one another and there was virtually no complaining. Fifth, I think that I found a potential project that would be a good fit for the church. The St. Thomas Moore Secondary School is only one of two secondary schools in the area. It was the only one that didn't close because of the war. I was impressed by the headmaster, Todo Alex [Ugandans put their surname first], and his vision for the school. They need a laboratory (science building) built in order to be accredited; they also need a library, a hostel to board girls, and a new latrines.

All of us on the Vision trip were impressed with the World Vision staff: they are sharp, love the people, and committed to the Jesus Creed (loving God and loving their neighbor). They always work with the local government and you can tell by the respect and the thankfulness that the local governments and the schools that we visited have for World Vision how appreciated their work is.

It is going to take me a while to unpack everything that I saw and experienced, but I am so thankful to God and to the church and to everyone who prayed for this trip--it exceeded my expectations which were high to begin with.

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Thought for the Day

It is justice which, when sprinkled by the dew of the Holy Spirit, ought to germinate good works through holiness.
--Hildegard of Bingen

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Schedule for April 8th

Today is the final day that the World Vision team will spend in Uganda as they work their way back to the airport for a late night flight back to the US. Please keep the team in your prayers as they travel home.

Morning: Breakfast and travel to Kampala via the top of the falls

Afternoon: arrive at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, freshen up and have dinner

Evening: head to airport for 8pm check in.

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Schedule for April 7th

Today's schedule includes:
Breakfast & meetings with the World Vision Team
Boat ride to the bottom of the waterfall
Lunch
Meetings & prayer

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Schedule for April 6th

Early morning game preserve drive
Lunch
relax
Phil was finally able to call home, and he reiterated how powerful this trip has been and that the needs in this area of the world are tremendous. After a week of visiting the ADPs and Children's rehab centers along with visits with individual families, usually headed by young orphan girls, the World Vision Team has had a lot to absorb. There have been some very meaningful discussions amongst the team about all that they have seen and how World Vision and the team can best serve Uganda. I'm sure that we will hear more on this upon Phil's return.
Bill

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Schedule for April 5th

Phil's schedule for the day:

8:00 am - travel to Murchison Falls Game Park

12:00 pm - arrival at Paara Safari Lodge

1:00 pm - lunch

4:00 pm - Game drive - optional

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Schedule for April 4th

Phil's schedule for the day:


Children of war and psychosocial activities



Debrief with the Gulu management team.





Notes from an April 3rd email from Phil:

It has been a powerful week so far. We have one more day in the Gulu area and we are visiting the Childreen of War Center on April 4. We just got back from visiting a displacement camp and visited a household of six children, the oldest, the 16 year old, is the head of the house. The poverty is overwhelming. Basic needs, such as water are difficult to come by. We visited a local water source, a spring which supplies the locals with drinking water. By any standard we know, this water did not appear sanitary.


One of the schools we visited had bullet holes on the side of the building - from the LRA. Another primary school we visited had no desks, chairs, or benches, and the children sit on the cement floor. We visited the St Thomas Moore Secondary School, and the needs there are just as great. While these schools subsist on nothing, they were very welcoming to the World Vision team, and we were all impressed by the leadership and vision of the headmaster.


More to come later.................





Reminder to the congregation:


Please remember that there will be a book discussion at Church this Sunday (April 6) from 2 to 4 in the Parlor - the book is "Girl Soldier" which is Grace Akallo's story of abduction by the LRA as a young girl in Uganda. Grace has been to UCC Medfield on two occcasions and her story is very inspiring.


Thanks to the dedication of many activists, the situation for children in Northern Uganda is much changed. Abductions have ceased and children are no longer walking miles at night to seek safety. However, the rebuilding and rehabilitation effort needed is immense. I would invite anyone who is interested in learning more (even if they haven't read the book) to join us in the Parlor on Sunday from 2 to 4. Books are available in the church office.










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Schedule for April 3rd

9:00 am - visit to St Thomas Moore SSS

Meetings at Koro-Bobi ADP and with Bobi sub-county officials.

Design team and ADP committees elected



1:00 pm - Lunch

Visit to Abole; satellite camp meeting with Koro sub-county officials,

Design team and ADP committees

Visit to Te-Tugu health center

4:30 pm - return to the hotel
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Schedule for April 2nd

9:00 am - meeting with Paicho-Bungatira ADP staff and committee.

Courtesy call on Paicho sub county authorities.

Visit a displaced persons IDP camp and child-headed household.

Visit one displaced primary school in Paicho sub county.

1:00 pm - Lunch

Visit to one health center in Bungatira

4:30 pm - Return to Hotel.


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