On Wednesday night, the very same evening
of the Egyptian revolution, Uganda had not one but two earthquakes (the first
at 5.7 and the second at 5.4)! There was one on Tuesday too, but we didn’t feel
it on our side of the country; the epicentre is in a western district called
Hoima.
Kids on the steps of the “Low Club
Boys” dormitory
Visitors from
the Ministry of Education
We’ve had four visits from the district
assistant inspector of schools, who is a personable man who laughs joyously
every time I speak Lusoga. He checks up on whether we have qualified teachers,
if there are hand washing facilities outside the latrines, how big the gaps
under the doors are (for snakes to fit under; considering the doors are open
all day I don’t entirely see the point, but whatever), and so on. On one visit
he came with representatives from the Ministry of Education in Kampala, in
order to continue the process of getting Kasozi Nursery and Primary School
fully licensed. The school is registered, but needs to be licensed to hold
national exams onsite. Businesses and organisations are licensed differently in
Uganda than in Australia. In Australia you do all the paperwork first; in
Uganda you need to prove you’re doing the work, and then you get the go ahead
to start the registration process.
Alamo Grace pumping water
Visitors in
June
Our director, Duncan, has come and gone
again. This time he came along with a guy called Danny, Danny’s 10 year old
Taylor, and Duncan’s friend Scott. They spent two and three weeks here,
respectively; Duncan extended his stay by a week so that Bryan and I could have
a break. The presence of Duncan and Kateh in Kasozi Village transforms the kids
– relieving us from the moods and games.
Too cool for
school
Oyet
is one of our older boys. Like many of the kids, he does not care about
participating in home life or obeying rules. I managed to get him and his
friend Okema to sit through church by confiscating Okema’s radio, leaving their
other friends in hysterics as they slipped away from the discipline. When God revealed that not only were kids
stealing food from the garden, some had private plots on the UOF land (which is
obviously for the Home!), Oyet’s moods were particularly sour. After quickly
communicating to Duncan, we met with the two employed gardeners and
re-explained the purpose of the garden, then stated the same at the Village
Fellowship on Friday. (One of the gardeners quit shortly after.)
Having administered a lot of discipline
lately, Bryan and I have had opportunity to explain the difference between unforgiveness and discipline; and to emphasise to the kids that they largely determine
whether the Home is a positive place to live in or not. So we might not be the most popular people
right now, but we are going to leave when we’ve put in every effort to instil a
sense of: responsibility, thinking of the future, contributing to community,
and discipline in character development. Many days we are too busy or
overwhelmed to have that personal impact, but it remains our desire. By God’s grace we will fulfil our little
piece in the puzzle.
Back to Oyet: his desire is to be a driver.
UOF is all about equipping the kids to take the direction for the future that they want. When Oyet finished primary
school at the end of the year, we will send him to driving school, and then he
will be free to find work and move on with adult life. Pray for us as we prepare him mentally and
practically for the transition. (You may be wondering why we have such old
kids, such as Oyet who is 20, still in primary school. It is common among poor
families because they can’t afford to send the kids to school, thus they start
late, and the child will likely stop and start school along the way, depending
on finances. In Oyet’s case, he is also from the previously war-torn region.)
The next Home
manager is about to arrive!
This month a lady called Beckie is going to
start her six month stay. We’ll have about four months (depending on when my US
visa is approved) to guide her in Ugandan culture and the running of the Home. Duncan will be back for part of that time, in
September.
Bryan continues to put his practical skills
to use by cutting down a tree, sorting out electrics, and the unending task of
vehicle maintenance. I’m not sure Beckie
will know how to do those things, so hopefully nothing goes wrong until a
mechanic comes to UOF or someone who knows how to negotiate the maize of local
labour. (Anyone want to come and look after maintenance over Christmas?!)
We have lots you can be praying for with us:
- - The children and staff to
contribute to a homey environment
- - Our wisdom in transitioning the
young adults like Oyet
- - Finding the right times for
‘duties’ so that we can enjoy the kids or rest, uninterrupted
- - Continued health of the 120
kids
- - Opportunity for one-on-one
conversations, particularly with the teenagers
Thank
God, there has been a bunch of answered prayers too:
- - We got more teachers, who seem
good. The morale of head teacher Mr Odida has hugely picked up and he is
working well with the new teachers
- - Duncan came with intentional and
likeable visitors (one became a board member and the other was key in finding
out key players in the ‘games’)
- - There have been few medical
emergencies, though malaria has been reasonably prevalent
- - Bryan and I are on a break
- - And a personal bonus – I got to
play with the twin girls of one of the Jinja Pregnancy Care Centre ladies,
Harriet, on Sunday evening while she was in hospital with the baby brother,
Kiiza Joshua if you remember the bubs, who sadly has sickle cell anemia (horrible!).
Finally, let me leave you with a
foundational verse; a truth that puts life in perspective and reminds me of
God’s nature, regardless of how well I see His work in my present
circumstances. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 1:20-25
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was
preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks
look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness for Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of
God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s
strength.”
And in His wisdom, God gave us choice. The
kids have choice, and we have choice. When we all follow the commandments to
love God and love one another, life is sweet; in the meantime, let us use our
choice to be obedient and love people (because we know God works through
people) enough that, at minimum, they have the chance to live life to the full.
Peace.
