Poverty - What does it mean to you?

There are two sides to being aware of the world’s poverty. On one side, you are so isolated from poor people that you really have no idea how parts of the world are so ravaged by poverty. And the other side is that you get so accustomed to being around the poor that it no longer shocks you. When we first moved to Uganda I was deeply touched by the fact that many people in our area live on pennies a day. Living in a mud walled house, sleeping on a matt and owning only 1 pair of clothes and possibly owning no shoes is very common to the people of Uganda. In some ways I have become so accustomed to these things that they almost seem normal. Yet today sitting in church looking at a little girl wearing a dress that really was no more than a rag, 2 different flip flops that both should have been thrown into the trash I was reminded of how all around me people are desperately suffering. Here when someone says that they have no money, they really mean they have NO money. Think about that idea, having NO money, no access to money and sometimes not even a meal for the evening. It hit me again today…

The picture is of the skin from the illusive cobra that seems to live in our area. It has been seen once before and this past week we found the skin leading to a hole in our compound. We are estimating the length to be around 6 feet, the skin we found was around 4 feet yet was missing a good portion leading to the tail. ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO PRAY!

Still Alive

This picture gives you an idea of what it has been like. The photo was taken on what was supposed to be a day off trip. Well it turned out to be filled with work and much, much more business. We are glad to have our computer back after 3 weeks of it being out for repair. Thanks to some great friends it went back to the states, was repaired and returned to Uganda. All in only 3 weeks. More later, I just wanted you all to know we were still alive.

Proud of Cabbage

This past week I saw one of the most beautiful sites. A young man coming up our path carrying 4 cabbages and you wouldn't believe the smile on this boys face. Misaaki is a young man about 17 years of age who has a fifth grade education and most likely will not get any farther. One of the things I have been lobying for is young people to not be so education driven, but finding peace and contentment in the gifts and opportunities God is offering them. In a country where literally 95% of the population has no regular job, educated or un-educated the job market is tough. Yet the possibility for someone to develop their skills as a farmer or vocational worker can open the door for regular work and of course money. Misaaki is an example of how "The glory of God is man fully alive". He is confessing his desire to be a great farmer, standing before the church testifying of how good God is and working hard to see his desires come to pass. Needless to say we have bought two of his cabbages and are willing to pay top dollar to see this young man fulfilled. And actually his cabbages are some of the best we have seen in the area. Please continue to pray that the young people of Kasana will find peace in who God has made them and seek His plan for their lives.

Harvest time

Tonight we had a supper that was a taste of Ugandan culture. The local maize is coming ripe, and yesterday one of the children from Jonathan family brought us 8 ears of maize. For the most part maize is used to make posho which is like a thick cream of wheat and is a staple with most Ugandans. But during harvest time many people eat it fresh, roasted over fire. So tonight we light a fire roasted maize and enjoyed some fresh passion fruit juice. Not the most filling supper, but quite enjoyable. Over the next month the maize will be drying in the fields and people will begin the process of harvesting. This is the first of the two harvests that our part of Uganda will experience this year the sencond season comes with harvest in November. One of the many blessings Uganda has, 2 full harvest every year. Pray that this is significant spiritually as well.

Flying Ants

WEll this will be quick, not much battery left. One not so enjoyable part about living here is the termites. Often when it rains the termites send out one of their species that flies. I guess these are looking to start new colonies. All I know is they are anoying. They have 4 wings and after flying awhile, they shed their wings and crawl away. Well last night we were awakened by the sound of something flying outside our mosquito net. Well when we turned on the light, there were many flying termites in our room. Yuck!! So Geoff gets up to go and find the bug spray and as he passes the bathroom, the same noise is there, but only louder. Looking in AAARRRGH. MANY!!!!!!!! We live on a termite nest and they were coming in some holes in the floor and trying to repopulate our house. once again YUCK!!! then the power went out so we couldn't see where we were stepping, quick get some shoes on!! All this will surely wake you out of a deep sleep at 5am. Anyway, that was our night. One of the not so glorious parts of being a missionary. More on this one later

1 Year Anniversary

Yes, that is right, it was one year ago this week that we drove away from Pueblo, Colorado. Hard to believe isn't it??? So much has changed since then, one is Toby now speaks with some Hybrid Ugandan, British, American accent. And who is to blame? The boy in the picture is Joel Brown, his major influencer. They were having an 8 am meeting here, full of laughing and planning their day. Well a small price to pay for having such good friends here. We are coming home for a visit this November, so get ready to hear a 6 year old using the word trousers...

We have a winner

Congratulations Kara, you are the winner of a large bag of “Ensenene” or in our language “roasted grasshoppers”. Kara’s first guess at how many people fit in our van was 23, the actual number was 22. A tight squeeze.

I wanted to share a little more about one of the other works New Hope in doing here in Uganda. You may or may not know, but for some years there has been a rebel group operating in the northern part of the country. This has lead to thousands of “IDP” or “Internally Displaced People”, which are people who are refugees in their own country. These people live in camps that are little more than prison camps, yet are somehow safe from the night raids that are happening outside. The rebel group and their leader, Joseph Kony, mainly recruit forces by slaughtering a village and then kidnapping the children, which are then trained to be soldiers. Many of these children have been rescued or have escaped. Though they now may be free they still carry deep emotional scars from the torture they endured. New Hope is in the process of building another children’s center in Kumi district to bring hope to the future of these children. You may have heard of the “Invisible Children”, some of the children New Hope is helping are counted among them. Geoff will be traveling to this new site this weekend to attend a wedding and get a first hand view of this new project, more to come on his return.