Pollution

By Sara:

Sometimes I get really stressed out thinking about the problems of pollution in the world today.  While we were on our retreat in Kenya in July, we found all sorts of rubbish washed up on the beach every evening and morning.

I'm sure this dump pouring into the ocean in Mombasa doesn't help.

Although the problem seems overwhelming, it does push me to continue guiding people to the truths in Scripture of God's care for his creation so we can all work towards being better stewards of it.

Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

By Sara:

World Renew not only does development work, but also works in the area of relief.  In Uganda, there has been a need for relief for the many South Sudanese refugees who have fled from their homes into Uganda.  In northern Uganda, World Renew has partnered with an organization called Here is Life to help care for these refugees.  We recently had the opportunity to visit with Here is Life and see one of the refugee settlements near Yumbe, Uganda.  The main work Here is Life has been doing with the refugees is to help build nice latrines - mainly for people with disabilities or child-headed households, as well as training some leaders to be counselors to their fellow refugees to help them heal from the trauma they have experienced.

We are so grateful to Here is Life for sharing with us what they were doing.  We learned a lot and saw the many challenges they face in their work with refugees.  There are no easy answers for solving refugee crises in the world, but the people who are working in these areas are certainly working hard to do what they can.

The refugee settlement we visited is called Bidibidi.  The refugees living there all arrived between August and December of 2016, so they have been living there for two years now.  As a result, while you may envision a field full of tents, Bidibidi in fact, looks more like a Ugandan town.  There are close to a quarter of a million people living there (80% of whom are women and children) and it is very neatly divided up with roads (with road signs), schools, health centers, shops, and plots allocated to each family/household.

Below is one of the latrines being constructed through Here is Life's work:

And here is an example of someone's home plot - each family is given a 30x30 meter plot for their home and then one the outskirts of the camp another 50x50 meter plot for a small farm.  This is part of a 30x30 home plot: 

Here is a street of shops, similar to what you might find in a village center in other parts of Uganda:

You can see that there are trees in all of these pictures, but we were told that the area used to be pretty forested.  All the trees which are remaining have an X painted on them so people know not to cut them down.  The trees that used to be there were used to build houses and for firewood.  Now, people have to go searching in the surrounding area for firewood to cook with.  They receive a monthly ration of food: maize, beans, and cooking oil.  Maize and beans don't cook very quickly, so lots of firewood is necessary.  Hopefully, Here is Life will be able to try out the fireless cooker with me to see if we can make it work for the people living in the settlement.

Water is also a challenge.  In the picture below, you can see a water truck delivering water to that big tank and all the people waiting to fill their jerrycans with water.  There are wells throughout the camp, but we were told that during the dry season many of them eventually dry up, making water more scarce.

But despite all the challenges, children are going to school and there are health centers for people to get treatment for their sicknesses.  There are two pictures below of schools.

The Ugandan communities are also benefiting from all of the NGOs working with the refugees.  The Ugandan government requires that 30% of the money/resources spent on helping refugees goes to help the Ugandans living around them.

Below are some videos from our drive through Bidibidi.  These can give you more of a feel for the size of this settlement and for what is happening there.

TLT Testimonies from Amuria!

By Anthony:

Soon after we moved back to Uganda, we went around with Edward, our colleague from World Renew, to my three Timothy Leadership Training groups in Amuria, Katakwi, and Kaberamaido, in order to collect testimonies about how Timothy Leadership Training has continued to impact them and their churches since the graduation back in January 2016. I am humbled and amazed at what God has done through these leaders and the changes he has brought in their lives. Please continue to pray for them, especially as they start up new TLT groups in the near future. This post includes testimonies from the Amuria group.

Eselu George William is in charge of education of pastors in the pastorate (picture below). He has taught TLT in a church assembly and is now leading the TLT Amuria Area Coordination team to lead other graduates in starting more trainings in other places. George has also been working with World Renew to lead a TLT group with Church of Uganda in Nebbi. He learned a lot about planning and scheduling from TLT. From the ideas he got at TLT, he helped to start a nursery and primary school which now has 120 students. It is located near his home. He also learned from TLT how to have a healthier marriage. He tries to spend most nights at home and always calls his wife to tell her where he is.

Here is a video of the school that George started:

Ebiru William is an evangelist. Through TLT he learned how to read and understand English much better than before. After graduation, he went to the prisoners in jail and talked to them about stewardship. That began a good relationship with them. Now he goes to meet with them every Sunday and preaches the Gospel to them.  

Egwalu Andrew is a church leader in Amuria (picture below). TLT has taught Andrew to be a good steward of time, to know how to teach his children God's Word, and the importance of planting trees. He also learned in TLT to treat family members fairly, so now he has taught his boys that it is also good for them to help wash dishes, and not to leave all the work for the girls, even if the culture expects the girls to do all of it. 

After graduation, he started a TLT group within his church training church members. They have done the first four manuals. The members from his group also came to our meeting and shared their testimonies. They are very excited about TLT. In Andrew's group, one person learned how to be a good pastor not only on Sunday, but also during the week by caring for people and visiting people. Others said that they learned how to preach the Gospel effectively. They have seen the financial giving at their church improve through TLT, and they have also seen that the church members are becoming much better at caring for the sick. Through TLT action planning, they were also able to put up metal shutters on the windows of the church.

Oriokot Stephen is a pastor (picture below). TLT has helped him to plan well for the future, and to make sure to keep enough food at home to provide for his family. Because of TLT, he has also planted 25 trees. He wants to train all the youth of his church in TLT. Through the planning method he learned, he helped the youth to start a poultry project to give the youth productive work to do.

Ocen Peter is a pastor (picture below). Through TLT, he learned to care for God’s creation. He learned that men and women are created equally, and learned to treat his wife as well as he treats himself. He taught four of the TLT manuals to his church members. He had the youth of his church start projects for productive work like poultry, goats, and savings groups. Amazingly, he also started a primary and nursery school using the SMART method of action planning he learned in TLT. The school has 11 teachers, and 240 children already!

Praise the Lord for how he has worked through this program! Continue to pray for me and the other pastors who are working with me as we train new TLT groups.

Solar Cooking for Fun

By Sara:

I recently bought a solar oven from another missionary in Soroti and have been trying it out for fun.  I found that the way it is designed, it doesn't get all that hot, so I made my own reflector panels (see the second picture below), which helps it get hotter inside.  (Note that you can make hard "boiled" eggs in a solar oven, it just takes way longer than on a stove)

Every time I would decide to cook something in the solar oven, I would look outside and see not a cloud in the sky.  Unfortunately, by the time I'd put the oven out and get the food inside 15 minutes later, it would be cloudy.  So...I have decided that I need to be doing my experimentation more during the dry season, like from December - February, to be safe.