Adventure

Over the Christmas break Farouk and I decided we felt like we needed to go on an adventure. After seeing so many facebook posts from home of people going away for the holidays, as well as having many people here going away, I started to get the taste for a little bit of a holiday of my own.
All of Youth Support Uganda's projects have finished up for the year, and Agnes has gone away on a short term mission trip, so I was feeling like now would be the perfect chance to go away for a few days, as next year will be very busy.
Farouk has been by himself at his home this Christmas period as Beatrice took their little baby to go and visit her family deep in her village.
So sitting and chatting at the office the other day we decided we should go on a little field trip for a day. What started as maybe a day exploring some scenery turned into 3 days of heading far over to the mountains of Western Uganda.
Western Uganda is a beautiful place and is shadowed by one of Africa's biggest mountain ranges, the Rwenzoris. These mountains divide Uganda from the Congo, and is full of beautiful green scenery, lush jungles, chimps and monkeys, and extinct volcano craters.
It took a full day to reach the west in public transport, and we only had our backpacks and no idea where we would stay.
There are lots of very cheap guest houses here that the locals use, which is basically a room with a bed for about $3.00 a night, so we made use of these places while during the day we took boda bodas deep into the mountains to go walking.
We got to explore a lot, and we found beautiful waterfalls that we went swimming in (even Farouk got to go for a swim, which is very rare) and there were also these awesome bright blue crater lakes that you could swim in.

We also got to see lots of wild life and there were plenty of monkeys running around.
Western Uganda really is a paradise, and we were both awe struck at the beauty of the place. I captured our little adventure on my GoPro and below you will find the link to watch our little adventure.
It was great to have a refreshing time out in creation before the busyness of next year starts. Those of you who know me, know that one of my biggest passions is exploring new places and being among wilderness.
I really get a sense of God's glory in the beauty of creation, and I feel privileged to have been able to go on a little adventure, even if it was only for three days. It was also great to take Farouk along, as he has never really traveled before and was especially taken aback by the waterfalls.
I'll leave you with some words from John Piper about creation which I think is fitting for my time in Western Uganda.

"When I look at this universe,
I am just so moved by what a work of wisdom it is, and what knowledge is displayed.
Everything that God made, speaks!
And since God never speaks in vain, everything ministers, if you have eyes to see it, and ears to hear it.
Everything ministers, because everything speaks God, and God is in ministry.
God heals, God gives hope, God gives happiness, God gives humility, in and through everything that He has made.
And you know that this was made!
This is a painting, not the painter, this is a design, it is not the designer.
And no evolutionary speculation to the contrary can shake loose the deep, primal, intuitive, normal, ordinary perception that this was made!
These stars were made. This little spider who carries air to the bottom of the lake and fills his little nest was made.
It is just amazing how God has put this world together, it should just stun us to silence as we look at how the world fits together.
In wisdom He has made it all"

You can watch me and Farouks adventure here: https://vimeo.com/82946264

A special Christmas party and getting engaged!

Christmas break has been good here! Its very busy on the roads and in the towns, as everyone has been traveling to and from their home villages for Christmas.

So far Farook and I have been searching for a new place to move into since we will have to be leaving our office in a few weeks, and I will be moving from where I have been staying as well. Things look to be ok, and we may have found a very nice double story house with lots of rooms where we will both live and have the YSU outpost as well.

Last Friday was a special day as we had our Christmas breakup party for the tailoring class! We had a big lunch of meat and rice, washed down with some bottles of coke! Farook, Beatrice, Agnes and I all gave little speeches as well to the girls to congratulate them on how they have been doing so far. During last week we designed up some little exams for the girls to do, to see how they are going and where their strengths are. All of them have been improving a lot in the 2 and a half months they have been sewing, so all of us had a lot to encourage them about. Farook had asked me to be the pastor for the day and give a short word, which I was able to prepare and do. It was special to be able to encourage these girls, and to talk about the love of the Father, and to talk about the value they have in Him, even when they feel like they don't amount to much considering some of them have gotten pregnant in the past, only to have their man abandon them. So to tell them that God is faithful to us, even when we are not, was a privilege.
After lunch we also gave out presents of sugar thanks to a donation from a schoolies revolution member! The schoolies girls also left a bunch of clothes, so in typical girly fashion they all squealed with delight as they tried on their new clothes. They also ended up blasting the radio and dancing around in their new skirts and dresses, and it was quite clear there was a lot of joy present. They even managed to get Farook up for a dance (pictured) and then pulled me up as well (not pictured) which caused them all to crack up laughing and to shout and hoot
Looking back on it, it was a really special day, to see so much joy on their faces and to be able to give them simple gifts was beautiful. I remember while eating dinner looking around at everyone present and the different walks of life represented at the table. Here was a table that was full of orphans, outcasts from pregnancies outside of marriage, single mothers, rejects, an ex gang member, former drug and alcohol abusers and those living in abject poverty, all sharing a meal together in fellowship. It felt like a feast that Jesus would be present at, all united together under the love and grace of a Glorious Father.

The other thing that I wanted to share with everyone is also pretty special! Agnes and I have really been enjoying our relationship and getting to know each other more and more as well as becoming best friends. We both entered into this relationship knowing that we were pursuing something long term. So I am happy to let everyone know that Agnes and I are going to be getting married in May next year! We really do love each other a lot and its both a strong desire on our hearts to get married and begin a family. There has been lots of fun (and scary) moments of meeting her pastor and her foster parents and being interrogated to make sure I am a decent enough guy for their lovely daughter haha.
Agnes and I are also really excited about living a life of ministry together, as our core values of faith and mission are aligned together. We know we will be staying in Uganda for a while to come, but we don't know where the future may lead us, and we are happy and willing to leave that one up to God.
We have talked a lot about marriage together, as well as reading books and hearing advice from older people. The picture of marriage that I have in my head is not some hollywood idea of finding 'the perfect one' to complete and fulfill me, to live happily ever after as we ride of into a sunset together. But instead the picture I now have in my mind is that of laying down my life for this woman I love, to serve and love each other regardless of our imperfections, as Christ serves and loves us. To hold strong to each other with Gods strength through the joyful, blissful times and also, if not especially, through the teeth gritting hard times. Ultimately I believe it to be a picture of the love of Jesus for His church, through grace, compassion, sacrifice and suffering (as I said, I have the picture in my head, but I humbly admit that now I am actually going to have to try and live it out haha)
We look forward to our life together, and we look forward to family and friends joining us in May!

                                        

               

                    Me and Aggie (who my parents happily said "outshines me a bit")

So big news and good times over here in Uganda, I have a feeling next year is going to be a very big year .. not just in the changes that will come with marriage, but also in the work God has me doing for YSU.

I want to leave you with a little youtube clip! The video really doesn't have much to do with Africa, but I guess for me, it has everything to do with Africa, as the person that the video is about is the very reason I find myself here.
God bless and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dhlqPr4eS4&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLv9GoRaYBpUV4E0t_pchCmYIj-uU_Hoz3

Skype dates, plots of land and relocation issues

It hasn't been a full week yet since my last post, but seeing as it took me almost two weeks for the last one to come out I thought why not write a little post.

                               

Another week in Uganda, full of joy and some frustrations as well, but enjoying it non the less.

I have been having a few visitors from the village of hope who want to come and check their emails and learn some computer skills, and usually when these friends come they spend a bit of time dancing around and playing with all my different types of musical instruments which is fun.

                                

I have also really been enjoying my Friday night devotion night with a few young guys here. I have seen them come along way, and this weekly experience has actually been one of my favorite times of the week. It's great to have young guys come and just be free and share their thoughts and issues and struggles, and then pray with each other. We often watch interesting videos on youtube together, and this last Friday we watched Luio Giglio's "Indescribable" video (check it out if you have some time). Two of the boys mentioned that they struggle reading the bible as they only have New King James versions, so of course I had to run to town the other day and buy some N.I.V bibles so I can give them out as a gift. This version will at least have language that these boys can wrap their heads around and hopefully get a lot of joy out of.

This week I was also able to introduce Agnes to my family over skype! It was really awesome to sit there with everyone as we joked and laughed together. Agnes was really nervous as expected (it usually is scary for everyone the first time they meet 'the parents') but she did great and she felt a lot of love coming from my family, even if it is through the computer. I know it's just a bit hard for my family as they would love to be able to spend more time with her, but due to us living in Africa its obviously a little hard.

Farook and I also purchased a small plot of land for cultivating the other day. We had been keeping an eye on a small plot of land as we are planning an agriculture project that will help young boys in poverty to learn how to start their own little micro finance venture selling crops. Farook has been making money from his own small agriculture business for a while now as well as helping and training other people in the community, so he is the ideal person to run this program. We aim to have the plot of land as a training grounds where young men can learn the basics and make a bit of an income, after which getting a small loan to start their own business to help them get on their feet. Farook will also be a part of guiding them through the first few months of doing their own small business.
The plot of land we got is in the perfect location, and we have been waiting for an opportunity to get land in this place as it has a constant water source. It is in a swampy area as there seems to be a spring that runs out of a rock and has running water all year round. This means crops can be grown even in the dry season when most people on normal plots of land can't grow.
We got really lucky as the man who owned the plot fell into some financial troubles and wanted to sell it, and seeing as he knew Farook, we were the first people he approached. The plot we bought actually has the place where the spring of water runs from. This means we have the constant supply of water, but it also means we have a bit of a responsibility, because the way we channel the water can rather mean sharing water with the neighboring plots of land, or cutting off any water supply to them. Of course there is quite a few plots of land that many people own in the swamp that depend on this water source, and there is always a constant flow (as Farook has been using it for a few years now) so of course we will want to share the water and make sure everyone gets a good chance of growing their crops.

                                 

Farook and I have also had a bit of  an issue and a shake up in regards to where we operate from. We have been having trouble with the housekeeper of where the office is for a while now. He often will tells us one thing, then say another thing a few weeks later, but today we have really been messed around.
While I have been staying at Ron and Anne house, it was always planned that during this time I would organize a place to stay once they came back in January. Farook and Beatrice rent a room in the same house that the YSU office is in, and as there are a few rooms in there I had planned to move into the house as well in January. Farook has been asking the housekeeper for a few months now and he has been reassuring me I could come and stay and rent a room in the house in January. This would be a perfect option as I am in the same house as the office and Farook, and the security is good in this place. I was even going to get a room with a small toilet and bathroom (flushing toilet) which is a big bonus.
But today when Farook went to confirm with the housekeeper, he told us that the owners of the house are coming back in January and want to renovate the house, so the offer is not open anymore ... four weeks before I am meant to be out of the place I am staying in.
So now I am a little stressed as I was supposed to use this time to organize a place to live in, and have not been doing so because it sounded like a guarantee to stay in this house. This afternoon though I went back to talk to Farook and realized things were a little worse then I first thought. It seems that the housekeeper is now saying this also means the YSU office (tailoring class) and Farook and Beatrice also have to go. Never mind that he said it was perfectly fine for us to stay a long time, and we even payed for the January rent. This happens a lot here .. people telling you things and then changing what they originally said (this is why Farook and I really look forward to having a youth center, which is our own place to run all these programs from, instead of having to rent from untrustworthy landlords haha).
So Farook, Beatrice and their little baby are also most likely going to have to find another place to stay in one months time, as well as having to move our whole YSU office.
Interestingly enough when Farook told me, I wasn't even angry or surprised, and when Farook sighed and said "this is Africa", we both cracked up laughing at the silliness of it all.
It's not a guarantee that it will have to happen, but as Farook does not trust this man, and he may very well spring it on us that we have to leave in 2 days time or so, Farook isn't going to risk it and will start looking elsewhere for relocation.
As much as it is a big mess around we both trust in God, and what will be will be.
It really made me think though, as I often don't agree with the prosperity gospel, and will often speak against it .. but in a sense we all have a love of the prosperity gospel in us don't we! Because when something doesn't go your way, it can cause you to get upset and frustrated .. as if we are entitled to having everything go our way when doing Gods work.
But it has been a good reminder that I am not entitled to anything, and everything that I have and has been achieved with YSU is purely from Gods grace, and is most appreciated.
So I will continue to try and be joyful through it all and thank God for all things, and to know and trust that what will be will be.
So your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

God bless you all, and much love from Uganda

Holiday Season

Sorry to everyone who is a regular reader, I have been a bit slack and it has been close to two weeks since my last post.
Holidays are on its way, as a result I have found myself having a bit more free time as a lot of my programs are finishing up for the year.
With holidays on I am not doing any classes in the schools, and the Tailoring class will finish up for the month at the end of next week.
One of the film groups have also finished up their film which they are all very super happy about! We are now in discussions on where we want to show the film. The boys want to approach TV stations here, as well as suggesting they play the film in schools to educate youth. This would be a great opportunity to get this group of youths to get up and speak about the film and the things that they learnt about social issues while making it.
The Schoolies team also left last Wednesday morning. It was good to be able to catch up with Johann and Joely Poppenbeck, as well as the team, and say good bye to them. Of course an in depth Theological discussion on the state of the church with Joel P last Sunday afternoon at a cafe in town was in order, always love a good deep talk with that guy!
The Schoolies team also left some dresses and skirts for the girls in the tailoring class, which we are going to hand out next Friday on the Christmas break up. This is going to be a blessed time, and I know the girls will love these new cloths.

We also had an anonymous Schoolies member donate some money towards the tailoring class which has been most appreciated. Farook and I discussed that we will use half of this towards some supplies for the girls for the Christmas break (soap, rice) and a nice meal for them, and then save the rest for an investment in the girls when they finish the course in April next year.

I have also had the chance to meet lots of Agnes family and friends this month, even having a lovely dinner with her foster auntie and uncle (who is the mayor of the local town near here). Her foster family have been so accepting and embracing, and it has been really special to feel welcomed. Her foster Aunt and Uncle in particular seem like amazing people who have spent a lot of their time, energy and money into running a foster home for young people in need.

The last few days here have been very rainy and cold, which has been a bit of a change. I don't mind it but the mud gets a bit annoying sometimes! But I know people are loving the rain for the crops, and people are always giving praise to God for the rain.

Yesterday Farook and I were given a chicken from a close friend of ours. So in African style Farook and I ended the chickens life (sorry chicken) and had a big feast last night with friends. It was a special time, as we laughed and joked and all tried to battle through the mountains of rice on our plates, all while sitting in a leaky room and listening to Ugandan Gospel music blaring through the little radio. What a lovely time of fellowship with my friends here, and while its only little that they have, they always wear a laugh and smile and are not far away from giving thanks to God for everything they hold dear in their lives.

                               

God is here and present as usual. It was great to have one of the schoolies leaders "Pete" give a sermon in the local church last Sunday.
He talked about how everyone is important to the body of Christ, and it doesn't matter what your position is, everyone has a unique purpose and calling. I thought this sermon was beautiful, especially when often it's thought of that a 'Godly' person has to be a pastor. It was all the more special for me when Michael, the farmer of the village of hope, came up to me that Tuesday holding his hand on his heart saying that the sermon was really special for him. Here is a man who never really had an education, and works as a laborer and a farmer, a position not seen here as vitally important or special. Yet he was holding his heart understanding that he is important to God, and the way that he does his work and carries himself can glorify God as much as someone who seems to have a 'higher' position in society.
I continue to love how the name 'Jesus' is so ingrained and knitted into society here. Coming from a place where the name of Jesus can easily turn people off or cause a mocking and sneering look thrown your way, it's nice to see the affection on peoples faces when this great name is mentioned. Jesus is more then a possible historical figure to many people here. Here He is often everything, and at the core of life for everything.
I will leave you with a little youtube clip I have been showing lots of my friends here. Every time I show it to my Ugandan brothers they well up with tears and start talking about how great God is.
Do enjoy and God bless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB835wkz1Tc

Film shoots and Schoolies visitors.

Another week gone by in Uganda! Its now December and the end of the year is near.
I have had a bit more free time this week as some programs are coming to an end. Looking back over the last few months it has been good to see what has been accomplished so far.

YSU has been running the tailoring class with success, its been beautiful to watch these girls really shine.
Drug and Alcohol education classes have been run in one school through out all the year levels there.
Two film making projects are underway and the films are coming out looking very good if I do say so myself.
Devotion and bible study nights every Friday with my group of boys which has been really rewarding.
Having three people working for YSU, getting for themselves a small income that helps them.

I look forward to the years to come, the work is very exciting, and although keeps you busy and at times stressed, it is very rewarding.

Both film groups of youth I have been working with have been filming their videos. One of the groups is creating an artistic looking short film showing the lives of three different students at a school. We have been having a lot of fun together, walking around the local community doing the film shoot, laughing and acting.

                                  

My film group in Njeru have been great to work with. They are a little older and have different ideas for films. Instead of focusing on a script and acting, they have decided they wanted to make a documentary focusing on alcohol abuse in the communities here. On there own time they have been going around different communities and inquiring about different types of people to interview, including local alcohol brewers, ex alcoholics, community leaders and youth who are users.
Last Saturday we spent the afternoon interviewing local brewers. This was an interesting experience, and something I wouldn't of been able to do just on my own without the youths initiating help. The place where the cheap local alcohol is brewed and fermenting is hidden down in a little valley amongst some trees, just in a run down little hut. As alcohol causes a lot of issues here (especially the home brewed stuff) the brewers are usually out of the way and hidden from sight. The place we went to was a small shack with these big tanks, or vats, of fermenting, stinky, raw booze. The stuff they were fermenting comes from sugar cane, and the place was really hot from all the fire, burning and cooking. It also had a strong repugnant smell, the place certainly felt seedy. The brewers had said they would be fine with the group of young people filming them and interviewing them, so we had bought them some sugar as a small gift to say thank you. The main woman brewing didn't want to be interviewed though, as her daughter had married into a pastors family and she was ashamed of being seen. A lot of people who brew alcohol are outcasts and ashamed, but often it is women who brew, because it is the only way for them make money to help their children. It did make me think, if Jesus was here in person today, would he be spending time with the suited up, high esteemed, church folk here ... or perhaps down amongst the stinky dirty compounds of the alcohol brewers with their torn clothing and bloodshot eyes, casted out and hidden away ... or perhaps he would of been with both parties!
It was an interesting experience none the less, and the documentary looks to come out really good!

                                    

Last Friday the young women's tailoring group had a very exciting day as the Schoolies Revolution team came and visited. For those of you who don't know about Schoolies Revolution, it is a HopeBuilders project that takes young Aussie schoolies to third world countries to give them a taste and experience of life with the poorest of the poor. It offers an alternative to what can often be a crazy time of self worship and indulgence (And I cannot judge, I certainly did not get involved with such a selfless thing like Schoolies Revolution during my year 12 break, so I really do have respect for these young school leavers).
Often the schoolies guys are really impacted as they laugh, cry, dance, worship, pray and work alongside the local people here. Schoolies was created by a good friend of mine 'Joely Poppenbeck', who has been a great friend back in the One Hope community at home, so it was awesome to see him again and have a bit of catch up.
Joel had asked me if I could so something with the schoolies, with YSU, so I had arranged for them to come and spend some time with the tailoring group of young women.
I do admit I didn't sleep much that night, and when I did, I even dreamt of the encounter. I guess I was a bit nervous about my first time hosting a team from Australia as they interacted with a YSU project. I was a little nervous at how the tailoring girls would react, as they come from very poor communities, some have been taken advantage of by boys, and some have not had a high education and as a result they can be shy and quiet.

All my nerves vanished as we approached the office and the tailoring girls came striding outside and embraced the schoolies team with big hugs (Agnes had come early to the office to prepare the girls, and when they saw us approaching outside she had encouraged them to all go outside and greet them ... lucky to have her on my team)
After first greetings we all stood in a circle and introduced our names. We then played a few games that had everyone laughing, including some very strange game that Agnes had jumped in and started to facilitate.
Afterwards I formally introduced the schoolies and what they were about to the tailoring group, and then Farook, Agnes and I all explained what we did. It was great to work alongside as a team with Farook and Agnes, and even one of the young girls stood up and explained how much she had been loving the tailoring class.
Afterwards Joely gave a short devotion to everyone. His devotion was perfect for the young woman, as he talked about our value, worth and identity within God. Many of the young girls really lack confidence in themselves, so it was something valuable to them, as well as hearing the Gospel message presented in there as well.
Afterwards the schoolies guys broke up into pairs and spent time praying with all the girls. After praying the laughter started as the young women spent time showing the schoolies their tailoring skills, as well as many people trying on the paper dresses the girls had created, even strutting and posing for the cameras.

The smiles on the faces of the girls was fantastic to see, and especially seeing them get so excited and interacting with the schoolies, as some of them cannot even communicate in very good English.
Afterwards we all got a group photo before saying good bye and leaving.
Later that day I had a chance to see the tailoring women again, they had been talking non stop about the encounter all day and most likely will be talking about it for weeks to come. I have never seen them so full of energy and with such big smiles before. Many of these girls would just not expect visitors to come and spend time with them due to their low position in society, it really was a special day for everyone, and I know I went to bed smiling that night.

It's amazing what joy simple interactions between people can bring, even when there is differences with culture and language. Love has no boundaries and can break through anything.

So another great week here in Uganda.

Enjoy some photos.

                                         
                                             
                                
                               

Community requests, water well fun and a hair cut.

So far there has not been anything majorly new during this week, so I thought I would just write a short post and put some pictures up.

Everything is running fine at the moment, all programs are going well and I am enjoying daily life.
Farook and I are in discussions of trying to start up an agriculture program for young men who need a source of income, so they can start their own cultivating business.

The other day I was awoken at 7.00 am to an old window outside my house. The school guard had let her in as she wanted to talk to me.
I really didn't know who this women was, but I am guessing she knew me. She then proceeded to tell me (through the school guard translating) that she was an old widow who was looking after many children and had a teenage boy who needed help in sponsorship for high school. Over here there is a steady flow of children who can not go to school and need help in school fees, and basically if you tried to support them all you would run dry of any money very fast. It can be hard to simply tell them you can not do it, but at the same time you don't want to give false hope, so you do need to be direct, but with empathy. It really is hard, because I already have people I personally sponsor here that I am committed to, and I simply can't sponsor everyone.
Some days you just have to offer prayer and tell people you are sorry but you just can't help. The best I could offer this woman is that the boy may potentially be able to enter the agriculture program so he can work in a small business for maybe a year to raise money for his school fees.

The other day I had another similar experience where someone I know here sent their young cousin to come and see me. The teenage girl goes to a local high school here and is doing her exams, but has been refused to sit them as she has not payed her final fees. She came to ask me if I could please help. At first I did the usual routine that I have become used to, explaining that I don't have the money at the moment, only to see her eyes well up with tears and then thank me as she turned away. I stood in that moment for a few seconds and realised what I said was a lie. The money needed to pay the exam fees was really not that much (in comparison to a sponsorship like the old widow had asked for) and although my monthly budget money has been running low, I do have savings in my bank account. Knowing that she would fail this year and all her effort would be a waste got the better of me, so when I went to town that day I had to withdraw a little bit of money and then go to the local school to pay the exam fees directly.
Although I do not have a lot of money, in comparison to these people I am filthy rich .. and to say I just don't have anything really is a lie ... perhaps we can be fast to do that, justify why we can not help someone because we think we don't have the resources. But in the end we will find that if we are willing to sacrifice some things, we really can help others.
It still is a balancing act on where do I help out, and where do I just say it is not possible. The demands and requests from living a community like this are in your face, and although back in Australia poverty is only really in front of you on the TV or computer screen, here it greets you every morning.
There is also a real need to be careful with handing out money. Handing out money can do more damage then it does good some times and can create dependence, so a balance of paying things directly to school institutions, or creating micro finance programs that empower people to be self sufficient is important.
Needing the wisdom and discernment in all these matters leaves me needing to rest in God. I am just a human who is weak and can make mistakes, but by setting myself on God, he can use me in a way that I trust is right.

Otherwise life goes on here, I feel very much a part of the community here and I have lots of fun times as well.
The other day during our film making program, me and a friend took some young children from local organisation Nurturing Uganda to have some fun at the water well.
Below is a link to a short film I made using my Go Pro.

I also had a hair cut the other day, which was fun .. and scary. Agnes and my friends Juliet and Anne Marie from Australia all had a crack at cutting my hair (I am glad Anne Marie was there to supervise, as Africans are not the best at cutting Muzungu hair).

Enjoy some of the photos and God bless.

                                          
                                                           Avocado Helicopters

       

                                                               
                                                    Hair cut time (feeling scared)

       

                                                                The result!

Check out the link to the short film I made here..
https://vimeo.com/79699226

Weekly life

Another week goes by in Uganda and I have been busy as usual.
I have been continuing to run different programs in the community, at the moment I am running two film making programs with a mixed group of guys and girls.
This program has been really interesting as we have been looking at local issues in the community. One of the group has decided they want to make a documentary focussing on alcohol and drug abuse here in Uganda.
There is a local alcohol brew here called wairagi which is basically bootleg moonshine. Its made from sugar canes rejects or fermented bananas and is a very powerful drink. There has been huge amounts of social problems as a result of the addiction to wairagi, and most people in the communities here would know of someone who has been affected by it.
A few years ago the world health organisation even did a report on alcohol consumption around the world and labelled Uganda as the number one country for alcohol consumption per capita.
That is a pretty big thing if you think about it ... and mixed with extreme poverty, can cause some devastating effects.
The group of young guys and girls I am working with here are really passionate about making a documentary that can be played in schools. They have even begun researching people they can interview, including community workers, alcohol brewers, young people who are drinking and elderly people who have overcome alcohol addiction. I actually see this little documentary becoming a very interesting project, and the passion and interest the young group are showing in initiating the film is great to see.
Young people here really have talent and ideas, they just need the resources to bring it out.

                             
                          Some boys get together to practise using the video cameras


On the topic of drugs and alcohol, I had an interesting incident happen in one of my drug and alcohol education classes on Monday. I teach one hour lessons at a local school here on Mondays and I have been going through the different year levels. The senior ones and senior twos have been great ... now that I have reached the senior three's though, things are a little tough haha.
This is the year level that the headmaster said need it the most, they are really the most rowdy, and it doesn't help that there are about 60 of them in one class ... you imagine what that would be like to teach.
In my classes on Mondays, before I run my program on drugs and alcohol, I always make it very very clear that no one is to judge others or start calling out classmates name. Of course some of the boys couldn't contain themselves, pointing to class mates and saying they take drugs. When this behaviour happens I instantly become very stern with these people and make it clear it won't be tolerated. But about 15 minutes into the program two boys started punching on near the back of the circle (I get everyone to come in and make a circle when I teach). I managed to jump in and pull them apart, and luckily it wasn't too serious. One of them was quite upset, because the other was provoking him about his drug use. After talking with the boy who was upset and having him cool down, and asking him if he still wanted to join us in the program, we managed to get back into it and finish everything relatively unhurt haha.

Even though this class is very rowdy, the students are still very interested in the program and have so many questions to ask ... they basically have had no education on alcohol and drugs, and are very ignorant around the facts. All the students ask me to please come back as they really enjoy the program, even once it is finished. Living in the community here I see a lot of the students in the villages around here, so they are always keen to stop me and have a conversation. Many times I get personal questions asked to me, and quite often they are phrased as "so I have a friend of mine ..." haha I am sure I have heard those kind of questions before.
Many of the students who see me here call me pastor .. which is funny .. because I am not a pastor, some even saying they thought I was about 35 .. maybe it's time to shave.

Everything is running smooth otherwise, it's been great fun to invest into the young people here. I still run a devotion group every Friday night with a group of boys, and we really look into the deep topics of life. These Friday nights have actually been a growing experience for me. I notice as they ask me to focus on a topic for the coming night, I spend some time in the week researching and preparing for the Friday night class. Often I will end up learning something myself.

I have been having some good lessons in organisation as well after having some interesting hiccups with the tailoring group. Small things like students taking home the office pens and not bringing them back, or people inviting friends into the class all need to be addressed. The class has also been getting messier and messier with the girls just throwing their material offcuts on the floor. We never really laid down some guidelines and ground rules, so Agnes has been helping me in suggesting I write up policies for students, for teachers and for the class in general. We held a meeting with the class on Friday and Farook explained all the new rules (including cleaning rosters) and we had the list laminated and placed on the wall.
All a learning experience and it has become apparent that guidelines, policies and expectations are so important, even for something that doesn't seem like a big project.
It has been great to have Farook and Agnes by my side with this stuff. Agnes has a very practical, logical mind and can help me with organisational stuff, and Farook is great at delivering and communicating rules and guidelines to the young people we are working with.

Damele, one of the tailoring class girls

 

I am looking at starting up two new groups for teenage boys, mainly focussing on agriculture and brick making as small business ventures, as well as incorporating social issues education within the projects.

I am enjoying life here very much, and there is certainly a very big sense of home. I love all the lessons in patience and humility that God is always teaching me as well. When living in a community like this, there are constant demands, requests and unexpected visits .. you can really begin to see how inpatient and selfish you actually are. When you set of on something like this you can have this passion and vision of sacrifice and suffering and helping the poor and being like Jesus. But I know since being here for the last 3 months, I have noticed how much selfishness I can actually have in my heart, I am certainly not a Mother Theresa haha. The constant demands, and things going wrong really help me in growing in patience and grace, and to hopefully become more like Jesus. It's not like I am blowing up or getting angry over here, more that I notice that many times I need to take a breath and pray for grace. This mission is just as much about my own sanctification it seems, as it is about loving and helping others in need here.

In saying that, I love it here so much. And I love this way of living so much. I wouldn't trade in all the little problems for anything ... It's all apart of the mission, and after a long hard day, it really is satisfying to be going through this for my God. It puts everything in perspective for me. As I once heard bible teacher Tim Keller say:
"Aim for holiness, and you will get happiness thrown in as well. Aim for happiness, and you will most likely end up with neither"

God bless

A visa scare, horrific accident and finding love.

Another week has gone by in Uganda, and so another blog post is due.

I managed to get a 3 month extension on my visa .. but it came at a large cost. Me and Robert (Uganda HopeBuilders director) went to the Jinja immigration office together, where Robert had some contacts. Everything seemed like it would be fine and after Roberts friends rang the immigration office, they said that I would be able to get at least a 3 month extension with no problem.
So we went down to immigration and saw the woman attending at the desk. A problem begun when she informed us that my visa was expired, this of course shocked us all because I had not been here for 3 months yet, and when I came into the country I paid the standard $50 US for the 3 month visa. After trying to explain it has not been three months yet, the woman told us that I only had a 2 month visa.
When I had arrived in Entebbe I had approached immigration with my $50 US and asked for the 3 month visa. The man simply asked my intentions in Uganda, which I told him that I was planning to go to Kampala to apply for the NGO visa. Nothing more was said and he simply said no problem and handed me back my visa. I didn't think anything of it, but he had not written in the expiry date on the visa ... so I just assumed I had a 3 month visa. What I never realised is that he had scribbled, in barely readable writing, VP 2M ... which apparently stood for Visa Pass 2 Months.
So I had been staying in Uganda illegally for 10 days.
This was very serious, as there is a very large fine that comes with this, as well as the risk of deportation. I have even heard stories of the same thing happening to people who thought they were given a 2 month visa .. with the consequence of not being allowed back into Uganda.
You could say that me and Robert were a bit worried.
So after running around to the bank to get money out, Robert gave my passport, with $350 US inside of it, to the woman at the desk and asked her to please go to her boss to pay the fine and get an extension ... no questions asked kind of thing.
After waiting and stressing in the car for 10 minutes, the women came back with my passport and a new 3 month visa inside it ... we gave her what Robert referred to as "a tip", for her good service and we where on our way.
To say I have been having lots of issues and stress over this visa stuff would be correct. But it seems things had to get a little worse before they got better.
What is interesting is that last week when I went to Kampala they got very angry at me and refused to give me the visa extension, or to give me the working visa ... If they had accepted they would of looked at my visa which was expired (and I was unaware of). Being in Kampala by myself with no Ugandan to vouch for me, and considering the foul mood of the immigration officers I dealt with there, things could of gotten very bad if they had seen the expired visa .. perhaps including being told to leave.
I had been so disappointed that day, not being able to get the visa extension ... but perhaps what I saw as something very bad, God was using as something good!
I really thank God that it all went ok, because it could of been a lot worse.

On a tragic note there was a terrible accident just outside where the YSU office is this morning. I had just come early to the office on my bike to find farook sitting on the seat in the front yard looking a bit stunned.
He then started to tell me about the horrific accident he had just witnessed. Farook had been digging in his garden (just near the office) that morning when he heard a large crash and people starting to yell and scream, so he ran to the site of the crash to see what had happened.
Apparently a taxi van had a head on collision with a truck. The taxi vans here are usually crammed full with about 20 people.

 

The taxi van got completely obliterated, flying through the air and then crashing into a ditch. Farook then explained the horror of what he went through.
Instantly five people had been killed, and everyone else was rather near death, or missing limbs. Farook explained how he had to help carry the dead mutilated bodies out of the car and try and help save the dying people. One young boy was completely missing his head, which Farook and some other men tried to look for but could not find. Another man lay dying while his torso had been ripped from his body, Farook said it was something that human eyes are just not meant to see.
Farook also explained that straight away after the crash many people ran into the van, amidst the blood and bodies, and started stealing money and mobile phones from the dead, and dying, people. This was later reported on the news, which has made it very hard to identify people, as their faces had become beyond identifiable. Meanwhile Farook and some other men, who were all disgusted at these acts of theft, were trying to save lives and comfort the people dying. Farook explained that he had pulled an old man out of the van who was missing his arm and screaming, while Farook tried to comfort him and stop the bleeding.
Talk about bringing out the worst and the best sides of humanity.
I had a good chance to sit with Farook and hear him talk it out and tell how he was feeling, as well as pray with him. He was feeling pretty down as you could imagine. I saw the place where the crash was, and there was large amounts of blood stains on the road.
About an hour later it started pouring down with rain, some of the heaviest rain we have had in a while. In some sense, it almost felt like God was washing away the stains of a horrific accident.
It really makes you think about life, as well as having a number of deaths happen else where around the community this week. It makes you revaluate what you do, and makes you think about how you are living ... are we really making the most of our time here .. and our we ready to meet our maker?

Life does go on here in Africa, amidst the pain and the suffering, there is also hope. People who have barely anything are able to smile and live with Joy, because they cling to hope ... the hope and promise that God has given them ... to be around so much death and life can change what you view as important.

After writing about some of the hard realities of life here, I would like to leave you with a piece of good news.
After being a single man for a long time, and growing in my faith walk, I have found myself in a relationship with a lovely woman here in Uganda (I write 'found myself' as if I didn't play any part in keeping an eye open for it haha).
Her name is Agnes, and she is a local woman who I have been friends with for over a year or so now, and have been talking with everyday for about 7 months, developing our friendship. She is a lot of fun and also a community development worker, with a passion for social work, especially amongst young girls.
The best thing about her is that she loves God and has a real heart for missions and ministry.
I don't take a relationship like this lightly ... I am not the casual dating kind of guy, so you can say we are both taking this seriously and pursuing something lasting.
Otherwise we are very happy, we are great friends, love working together in helping youth, and very much in love.
So amidst the troubles and sadness, there is always happiness and joy ... I guess that is life.

So let me leave you with a picture of our lovely faces!

                             

Thieves in the night, class room fun and visa troubles

It has been a while since I last wrote a blog post, due to having lots of things to sort out and being busy here in Uganda (which seems to be the case all the time).

The tailoring class has been running great, the young women are all so enthusiastic and continue to come to class half an hour early, cleaning the office space. During their one hour lunch break they tend to hop back onto the machines to keep practising, it has been amusing to see how much they want to learn. Farook and I joke about having to drag away the girls form the tailoring machines once the class has finished up.
On the first full day of class we had four extra girls turn up to the office asking to join. We had to let them know that we are full and not beginning a new class until April next year, and since then we have had so many requests from young women. It seems word has gotten out around Wairaka about the class, and many young women are keen to get in on the action. There has been some amusing confusion, where people have approached us thinking we are running some sort of trade school, asking if they can enter into a driving course, hair dressing course, computer skills course etc. After some explaining they realise (somewhat disappointedly) we are not a school institution and we only have this tailoring class running. It can be funny how rumours can spread throughout the villages around here.
All in all it does show the willingness for young people to learn a trade, and it shows the lack of opportunities that they have, I pray that God will be able to use YSU to be able to address some of these needs. God has been so good already in helping out these nine young women to be empowered.

Last Saturday night I had an interesting situation happen. I awoke early in the morning to the sound of walking around on the front porch right outside my window. I was a bit groggy from waking up and it didn't really register that people were outside so I rolled back over to sleep, checking my phone and seeing that it was 3 am. About one minute later I heard the night guard yelling and running up to the house, and then calling out for me.
After nervously unlocking the front door and walking onto the veranda, I noticed my nice blue sports bicycle, that always sits under the light on the front porch, was missing. It seems a number of thieves had surrounded the property on the outside of the fence, and had played around with the night guard, by throwing rocks and flashing torches at different points around the compound. They managed to lure the night guard to the furthest point of the property, and then jumped the fence close to the house I am staying in, grabbed my bike and threw it over the fence, and then were gone. I have to admit they were very clever about it, and were very stealthy and fast.
The night guard certainly seemed more upset about it then me, feeling like he was a failure. It took a few days of reassurance that he did his best and he did nothing wrong. The night guard really takes his job seriously here, and I know he doesn't sleep on the job because I often wake in the night hearing him walking around the house at one, two or four in the morning.
So my lovely bicycle was taken. Many people here have suggested that the thieves would of been watching me for well over a week, stalking me and timing everything to be right.
I do have a new bike now, and I have learnt my lesson .. the bike gets locked in the store room every night.
The other day a few little children that I sponsor here were asking me what happened to my bike. After I explained to them what happened they told me that "You forgive those thieves, Jesus tells us to love and forgive", to which I told them I certainly had forgiven them, and even prayed for God to bless them the next day, after it had happened. After hearing different reactions, even suggesting that "those thieves should be killed", I love that it is little children that are preaching love and forgiveness (Jinja Christian School, you seem to be doing a good job with them).

All other projects have been going well and I have started to finish up the social education programs in the schools here. The students have been hassling me to sing them a song throughout the program, so I promised them on the last session I would bring in an instrument to play for them.
So my instrument of choice was my didgeridoo (that won't surprise those who know me). To squeals of delight I played the didge for this class of high school students .. often having them in hysterics to the strange new sound that was coming out of this weird instrument. It would of been a great sight to see 50 Ugandan high school students banging a drum beat on their desks and clapping their hands, while I stood in the middle of them playing along on the didgeridoo. A few of the other classes and teachers heard the commotion and all inquisitively came to peek through the windows to see what was making this strange sound. I guess I caused a bit of a stir.
It was really sweet to be able to tell the young people at the end of the sessions that I really care about them and want them to make wise decisions in their lives, sharing a little bit of my own journey with them. It is rewarding when afterwards they all yell out thank you and that they have loved the classes so much, asking me to please come back to talk to them. Often after the classes young guys and girls have come up to me in private asking personal questions around things in their, or their friends, lives. As much as the micro finance side of things is of huge importance, it is quite clear that the guidance on the social side of life here for young people, is extremely important as well.

I went to Kampala the other day to try and obtain my volunteering visa. I didn't really know what to expect, I was trying to go exactly by the book, and doing everything that I had been told to do, but you can never really know for sure how it will work out.
It ended up going very badly, with the immigration officer yelling at me saying that "I am lying about my intentions for being in Uganda, and that I have jeopardized my chance of getting a visa extension". It is a lot of detail to explain but basically the frustrating thing is that as much as I can enquire before hand about getting the volunteering visa, and following all the directions I get from the emails I got back from the immigration office, and also the Ugandan embassy in Australia, when I get to the immigration department in Uganda, I get told I am doing it wrong.
Sometimes it all depends on who you know, or what kind of a mood the immigration officer is in at the time.
It also is annoying because I could of easily lied and said I am not volunteering, and easily got an extension on my tourist visa, saved myself $200 and made things a lot easier for myself, but I thought I would do things the right way .... which doesn't always work out in Uganda.
So after feeling very flat and coming back to Jinja, I revaluated everything with some guidance from friends here and in Australia (thanks Andrew and Robert K).
Basically I will try some different tactics, and this time going with Ugandans with a bit of pull and authority.
I have faith it should be ok ... and whatever happens I trust God is good and in control, and what will be will be.

Robert Kafeero (director of Uganda HopeBuilders) was explaining to me that immigration officers are very tight and stressed at the moment, as there has been a lot of problems with foreigners working here illegally. Especially amongst the Pakistani community, including a horrific incident of illegal Pakistani workers, kidnapping and gang raping a young Ugandan women for a few days, leaving her in a wheelchair and with a fistula .. it has been all over the news, and the immigration department have been copping all the blame. Robert suggested this is why they have been very tense with people coming to Uganda to work, even if it is volunteering, and it really is a case of going with Ugandans who have a bit of pulling power.

Things are never really dull here, there are always challenges, stories that you hear that can make you cry, moments that can give you a bit of a fright, and the risk of theft or worse. On the opposite side there are great moments of joy and beautiful moments where God shines rays of light onto situations and people here.

Thank you for all those who have been praying for me, it is most appreciated and I really feel the love.

I will leave you with two photos I took when I rode my bike down to the lake yesterday (to sit amongst all the rasta's and youth gangs blazing up on weed while staring at me suspiciously with bloodshot eyes, and then cracking big smiles when I waved to them warmly).
It started to rain as I rode back on my bike, and on one side the sun began to set while on the other side a big storm cloud rolled in causing a rainbow to form from the sun shining onto the clouds.


God is good.

Tailoring class

This week we managed to move everything into the new office and start the tailoring and business class, which was exciting and tiring.

On Monday Farook and I spent the whole day (from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm) running around town, getting materials, buying equipment and shifting into the office. It took a long time as we had lots of heavy furniture and tailoring equipment to move.
In the end we still needed to do some final touches on Tuesday and Wednesday to get everything in order.

It was really exciting to see the office come to life, and although starting up new projects can be tiring and draining, it is also a satisfying experience. We had our first class with the young women yesterday which went really well. We started with introductions and explaining what we were all here for, as well as explaining to the girls that the point of this class is to practically demonstrate Gods love to them.
The girls then went on to start their first business training class and getting an idea of what they will be learning over the next six months.

Most of the young women have also shown a lot of interest and commitment, being at the office half an hour before class time (which is a rare blessing in Uganda). Many of them have also been around the last two days, cleaning the floors, windows and furniture purely on their own free will. It really shows ownership over the project, and an appreciation that has been great to see. The young women in the class have seemed to all really get along well (as they didn't know each other before hand) and they all seem to enjoy being around the class room. I wonder if the course is also a bit of an escape for them, as many of them do not enjoy a safe home life. Farook mentioned that they told him they are sick of being at home so that's why they love coming here to help out and to come early. I think the support of each other will also be a very valuable thing for the young women.

So a good week, I love the lessons in patience! We can become so obsessed with control sometimes that it seems God gently reminds us to lean on him and trust that he has things working for the good of those who trust him.

A short blog post today as I still have lots of things to do. Just want to say a big thank you to all those people in Australia who helped make his tailoring course happen (HopeBuilders, One Hope Community Church and IM Group)

Another week

This week has been an interesting one, I have to say it hasn't been the smoothest of weeks. It has been full of little challenges that build up together to make it feel like a bit of a frustrating week.

Farook and I have been draining ourselves this week to prepare for the tailoring class, which we had planned to start Monday next week.
Problems started with the office we had rented not being up to scratch to what it was advertised to us as. Mainly the office had water and power included in the price, but being that the office is inside an old run down house, we found out that every power outlet, and the lights, did not work in the office. The rest of the house has power, just not the office we are renting. We had also had a small kitchen that is attached to the office thrown into the deal, only to find someone living in our kitchen this week. So now we have to board up the small window that connects the kitchen with the office, since we will be having expensive tailoring equipment in the office and this window is easy to jump through. On top of that, locks for the doors were promised to be installed. Of course the owner of the house, and who we are renting from, is no where to be found (Farook, and the other teachers who are renting some rooms in the house, think it is because he is avoiding us). So this has delayed our moving day as we have had to hire electricians and builders to fix up the place. Once we get a hold of this man we are going to say we want one month rent free (seeing as we have spent our own money to fix up the place to the standard of which it was offered to us).
Finally after getting everything sorted (and shifting back the registration day for all the eager young women) we went into town today to go buy everything and move into our office. Of course when we got to the shop where we were supposed to be buying all the expensive tailoring equipment, it was closed.
Never mind that we had called the man the day before to inform him, and arrived at the shop at the time he told us to come. We ended up finding out he had apparently gone for family business that day. We ended up being led to another big electronics store (which actually owns the first one we went to). This store is run by an older Indian couple who have a few chains. After we explained everything they said that we actually had to pay a deposit and then in 3 days time they will order all the machines from the capital city, Kampala. Never mind that the first man we talked to a week prior, and knew we were coming, had told us they had everything in stock ready for us and there was no need to pay a deposit. Many times people here just tell you want they think you want to hear, even if it is not true.
So after talking and negotiating with the Indian couple (who were actually rather helpful, and straight to the point, honest, business people) we paid the deposit for all our things, with a promise that they will be ready for pickup on Monday morning. So this means cancelling our arranged pick up truck transport, and delaying our registration day again. We will have to make the course starting date on Tuesday now, which means more money spent on phone calls to the young women, and transport money too and from town.
On top of all this I have been feeling very sick this week. Starting around Sunday I have been so weak and dizzy, often with bad headaches and very bad joint pains. These are all the symptoms of malaria, so I went and got checked up last Tuesday (a little pin prick to the finger and some checking of the blood). The problem is I only stopped taking my anti malarial tablets a week and a half ago, so I may very well have malaria, but they wont be able to pick it up until a month or so after I have stopped taking the anti malarial tablets (as these seem to hide the parasites from view). I ended up getting some antibiotics to help me through, and in a months time I will get checked again to see if the parasites are still there (as the antibiotics don't kill the virus, just keeps it at bay I am told).
So a bit of a stressful week, while having to push through with some serious sickness, all while 9 eager young women, who are in desperate situations, are very keen to start this course.

 

Its times like this that I just have to take a deep breath, say a prayer, and give all my frustrations over to God. Honestly it's my faith that gives me peace and keeps me grace filled when I am feeling irritable from all the stress.

Otherwise my time has been filled up with this project. I did get to start a program with a group of young men (between the ages of 18 to 23 ) last Saturday morning.
It is really interesting when I learn something new from the youth here, often I realise I can go into these programs thinking I know exactly what the issues will be amongst the young men, only to learn something new. The boys were all keen to study the main subjects like H.I.V and drug and alcohol issues, but a few of the boys were really keen to explore relationships with their parents, or adults. It seemed that many of these young men really ached for their parents to be proud of them, and to have a better relationship with them, even asking me if it would be possible that I go and speak to their parents to tell them that their boys are involved in a educational program. It just helped remind me of the depth and different levels to a young persons life, these young men really valued the opinions of their parents and the adult community, and wanted to do a project that would make them feel proud.

Another humbling moment this week was when a friend of mine approached me to talk. He simply wanted to tell me how his younger sister constantly gets beaten up by her drunk husband, and is practically starving alongside her children, due to the husband spending all their money on booze. This friend of mine was going to go approach the husband to his sister the next day, and he was simply asking me if I could please pray for him, his sister, and the husband.
It's little reminders like this that make you see the devastation that alcohol has done to families here, and I guess it makes me feel blessed at my very privileged and loved life that I have lived. I really do feel heartbroken from these stories.

There are moments of joy though.
Maybe I will end this post with a picture I took last Saturday, when I rode my bike up to the top of a mountain to read the Psalms and watch the sunset over the sugarcane fields.
Enjoy


                                 

Things on the move

The last week has been a very busy week (as usual) with the beginning of programs and activities running for YSU.

The other morning I had an accident on my bike. While I was riding down to the lake early Sunday morning I had a collision with a little flying insect. We were both traveling at speed towards each other when the bug went crashing straight into my left eyeball. Instantly I was blinded, as I hit the brakes and almost crashed, and I could not open my eye as the pain was pretty intense.
Luckily a woman was watching and came up to help me, she told me to pull my eyelid down and said she could see the insect, which was drowning in my eye juices. Using a blade of grass she gently removed the insect from my eye while a bunch of little African kids giggled and screamed merrily.
Even though there was a bit of relief after she removed the bug, my eye ended up hurting for at least another 5 hours because of the trauma of it all (physical trauma to the eye I mean .. I handled it pretty well emotional .. even continuing my ride down to the lake).
That night my friend Ivan told me of a local pastor here who had the same thing happen to him, although he was not so lucky, and ended up losing an eye.
After hearing that story I felt pretty good.

I have started a program with a group of boys here in Wairaka looking at social issues in the community, the boys will then come up with their own film and will host a little event at the end of it all. For the first session we looked at drug and alcohol abuse, mainly the abuse of the local spirit brew here called Wairagi. The boys were all pretty shocked when we watched a documentary that explored how in 2007 the world health organisation declared that Uganda was the number one nation in the world for alcohol consumption per capita. Alcohol has been a huge curse here in the communities, leading to violence (emotional, physical and sexual) neglect, broken families, propelling the cycle of poverty and more.
The boys were really interested in creating a film that looked at the two main drugs that they see as a problem here in their communities, being alcohol and kuber (a form of tobacco which is placed behind the lips or chewed on).

Running programs in the local high schools here has been good fun as well. We have been looking at drug and alcohol education, but also wise decisions when it comes to relationships, as well as some of the human rights issues around sex here in the community. It is interesting running the activities with mixed groups of girls and boys. When ever we play the agree or disagree game (where a statement is read out and everyone has to go to rather the disagree, or the agree side of the room, and then voice their opinions) the boys and girls can have very different opinions. For example when the statement is read "Women should be given more rights in the community", quite obviously the girls run to the agree side, but many boys run to the disagree side. Its great to get the girls to voice their opinions (and insist that the boys listen up hard to what they have to say) and I find it is the girls who are the most firey and opinionated, and who usually have the most questions to ask as well. Its interesting to see a shifting Uganda, where for a long time many women have been considered lower in society, and still are in many places, but also to see a Uganda where cultural views are now changing, and young girls in high schools are the ones speaking out the most.
I have to say it is pretty funny when I get introduced to the class and the headmaster is very serious and tells all the students they most be very quiet and give the utmost respect and sit still in their chairs or they will be disciplined. The funny part is once the headmaster leaves the room I get everyone to push the tables and chairs to the side and all come into a group in the middle to start playing games and activities and encourage them to have group discussions. Seeing all of their faces light up makes me feel a bit like Robin Williams character in "Dead Poets Society" ha ha.

 

I have also been running a cell group with a bunch of teenage boys every Friday night. The group is basically a forum and a platform to discuss issues and thoughts on life from a Christian perspective. Many of these young guys are hungry for discussions and questions, I don't think they get a platform in many cases in the church to express their opinions and ask tough questions. I mean many of these guys are wrestling with deep theological and philosophical questions that have never really been addressed, or at least studied and looked at. It has been great to get together and discuss some of the weightier theological topics, and I am continuously surprised at how deep the guys here actually are, and how deep they want to go. Its not all questions on sex and girls, but these guys are curious to explore what makes grace unique, what is the evidence for a creator, nature of salvation and much more.

The sewing class is also almost on its way! Farook has been working hard to find young women to join the group, and we have spent a few days profiling and talking with the ones found (He is great at this as he is a well known and respected member of the community, and has many contacts). Many of these young women are so disempowered they have a really high risk of sexual abuse from a lot of men in the communities. They basically see themselves as not worth much, so any man with a bit of money basically has a say over them. It is heartbreaking to see the many cases of single young mums, but at the same time it is awesome to see their faces when they realise this is not a course that is asking for money from them, but we are pursuing them, to offer them help, to empower them, completely free. Farook going deep into slum villages to seek them out and offer them this opportunity has made me think of God's grace in a way. To think that in our spiritual poverty God came down to us and offered us grace and love, completely free .. he seeked us out, and just like these young women, it is up to us whether we chose to accept that gift of grace.

 

It has also been awesome to hear that my church (One hope) has had a number of people willing to help in sponsoring these girls through the course. Again this makes me see that this is not my own work, none of this is possible without a community of people getting involved, and ultimately God pulling the strings.

                                                                         

 

    Farook about to go search for some young women who need help (while wearing my bushman hat)

So its all very exciting! I have recently put up a facebook page which will have all of Youth Support Uganda's updates on it.
You can check out the page here https://www.facebook.com/YouthSupportUganda

Thanks again to everyone who has been praying for me and supporting me, your love is most appreciated, and I really do feel the support of everyone, even all the way over here.

God bless