Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Arrival!

Now on North Main Street in Jamestown! Meet at the church in 5 minutes!
Sally

One More for the Road

Well, as to be expected from this trip, the motto is still, "Be Flexible!"
The flight from Newark to Buffalo was delayed one hour, three minutes. They were waiting for an inbound plane. The status says the Team boarded at 8:21pm and is estimated to arrive in Buffalo at 9:36pm. If you can join us around midnight, we will welcome them home.
Can you believe they're actually talking about another trip?! The Lord must have done something really exciting!
Expectantly,
Sally Ferguson

Flight Progress

The trip log shows the plane over North America now and landing in Newark, NJ at 3:37pm our time. Soon we'll have cell phone communication again!
Thank you to all for your prayers. I've had contact with people from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Utah, New Hampshire...and all over New York. It means soooooo much to the Team, to know that so many are following their story!
We would love to have a group ready to welcome them back to the church at 11:00pm tonight. If you're a night owl, come join us! I'll post later, if there are any flight delays on that last leg to Buffalo.
Blessings,
Sally Ferguson

On Our Way Home!

Our second parting from Kampala was much more relaxed and organized than our first. We had plenty of time to pack, say our good-byes, and navigate the roads and the airport. The flight into Amsterdam was smooth and there are lots of things to look at in the airport.

We are already experiencing some re-entry shock. The "bling" and airport prices are sharp contrasts to what we've known in the past 3 weeks.

We have made some real friends in Uganda; leaving them was difficult. The anticipation of all that waits at home is what is sustaining us on our long journey home.

We are coming!

Joyce

Monday, April 26, 2010

Another lesson on trust

As we awoke on Monday morning we prepared to go with Tim on a two hour boat ride to one of the islands on Lake Victoria (about the size of Lake Superior)which extends from Uganda to Kenya. In fact, on the other side of Lake Victoria in Kenya is Mt. Kilamanjaro (sp). However, as with every trip we have made, Tim informed us at breakfast that it would be a while and quite possibly we would not make the trip if he could not get in touch with the people he needed to meet with on the island.

Tim and Colleen bought 20 acres on this island, 15 of which they want to develop for a personal family retreat, and 5 that they donated to the Church of God Youth in Uganda for a retreat center. He hadn't been there in a year and wanted to simply survey the property to see what condition it was in and to touch base with the people from whom he bought it.

Tim mentioned that if he couldn't be in touch by 11:00 or 11:30, we probably wouldn't go. Well, 11:00 came and went, and 11:30 came and went and at 12:15, Tim announced that we were indeed going. So, we loaded up the van and truck and drove about 1 mile to the place where the boat is kept. When we got there we discovered that the boat was a very long and wide canoe with an 8 hp engine on the back of it. Not exactly what we were thinking when he mentioned a boat ride on the lake. But we loaded onto the boat at about 1:30 pm, put our life jackets on and away we went.

We were not prepared for the journey that lie ahead. Tim said it was a 2 hour trip, but because of the choppy waves, it ended up being a 4 hour trip. The choppy waves not only doubled the length of our trip, but by the time we got to the island, we were all soaked from the splashing of the waves into the boat! In spite of being wet and the trip taking longer than we expected, the views were spectacular. While the lake is not a clean lake, much of Kampala's sewage ends up in the lake, the coast and the islands are a lush green, full of palm trees, mango trees, banana trees, and so much more vegetation that it would be impossible to name everything we saw. Sprinkled in with all of that was an occasional Accacia tree.

On the way we saw Kingfisher birds, at one point I saw a monkey scurry down a tree and hop up on a rock, and then scurry back up the tree as if it were trying to get a glimpse of these white people cruising across the lake. I saw a couple of snakes pop up out of the water for a brief glimpse of our boat. As we moved past various islands, there were sections of land, maybe 5 acres on which huts were practically on top of each other and people were washing clothes or children were playing near the water. Fisherman were out in their boats casting their nets hoping to land a big catch to bring back to their island for a big evening meal. We also passed a few "taxis" that were taking people to their respective islands. Some of the boats had motors and some were being rowed by hand.

At about 5:30, we arrived at the island, got out of the boat and began a short hike that featured a very narrow path on which the rocks were very uneven and unusual in their composition. After we arrived at a little peninsulla, Tim told us that the rocks were lava rocks. Where they came from, I don't know as we did not see anything that looked remotely like a volcano. Our hike through this rain forest of sorts was similiar to the one we went on when we were trekking chimpanzees on the first day of our game park trip. The walk was not easy and there were many unfamiliar insects that made the hike a little disconcerting for some, but we made the trek and back again to the path that led back down to the boat. While several made there way back to the boat, a few of us continued on following Tim to look at more of their property. We hiked down to a stream and then through a thick brush that required one of the natives of this island to lead the way with his machete so that we could get through. After almost an hour on the island, we made our way back to Kampala.

By now we knew that it would be dark in about a half hour (the sun sets at 7 pm nearly every night of the year) and many of us were quietly wondering how we would get back in the dark, since we had no lights on our boat, nor did anyone else's boat for that matter. Tim must have read our minds because he informed us that our boat driver knew these waters like the back of his hand and had made the journey at night on many occasions - nothing to worry about. To be honest, I wasn't as worried about the lack of light as I was that it seemed we had used 2/3rds of the fuel we had brought and I was wondering just how far we would be from shore when we ran out of gas. It's amazing how better your prayer life gets when it seems like life is a bit out of control.

The ride home was spectacular! As expected 30 minutes passed and we witnessed an incredible sunset and as the moon replaced the sun as our light, the full moon illuminated this body of water as if there was a spotlight following us back home. The water was like glass and as we passed the same island villages, the activity at the shore had clearly moved inland as we saw billows of smoke come from various places, which signified that the fisherman were successful and fish was being smoked for all to enjoy.

It's hard to describe the multitude of colors that filled the sky as the sun went down - pinks, lavenders, light blues and yellows created hues that remind us of the wonderful artist that God is as He painted the sky for us to enjoy. There were a few clouds that were strategically placed to add to the contrasting beauty that filled the sky. Off in the distance, maybe 70- 100 miles, lightning would occasionally add a flash of light to the already picturesque horizon. Because thunder didn't accompany the lightning, I never worried about getting an unwanted shower. As we cruised back to shore in Kampala, the temperature on the lake dropped and many of the group looked for towels or jackets or anything they could find to cover up with to keep warm. Never did we imagine that we would need jackets in a land that straddles the equator. Speaking of which, on the way to the island, Tim mentioned that at some point we would cross the equator. We looked for the line that you see on the maps, but the water must have erased it because we never saw it. :)

While there were certainly parts of the trip that some could have done without, this trip was another reminder of what a great designer our creator God is.

We did make it back without having to row, also reminding me that I can trust those who have gone before me, who know the way, and what it takes to get there and back. That's the beauty of being a fully devoted follower of Christ. There is no place that He hasn't been, no struggle He hasn't encountered, and there is no challenge that is new to Him. We can trust that He knows how to lead us, where to lead us, and what it's going to take to complete a successful journey.

This will be my last post while on African soil, Lord willing, but the memories that we have, the sights, sounds and smells that we've encountered, I'm sure will live within each of us for all the days we have on this earth. I pray that God allows us to return, only next time I hope to bring my whole family, but until then I have been blessed beyond measure as God has taught me much that I pray can be applied over and over and over again in my endeavor to live my life holding on to things a little more loosely, trusting in God for even the small, mundance things of life.

I hope the next time we communicate, it will be face to face, as I dearly miss each of you, my family and friends!

With love,

Roy

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Adults Day Out & Worship at Kasubi

Saturday became adults day out as the ladies went shopping and the men went golfing, while the girls stayed at the Stevenson's and took naps and played games. Everyone seemed to have fun with the change of pace and the younger ones enjoyed their time alone.

Us guys experienced something very different. On the first hole Zach hit a shot that almost clipped a monkey that was scurrying across the fairway. We teased him that the goal was to get birdies and not monkeys. On the second hole we saw a rhinoceros! Only in Africa. Actually, the course was next to a zoo and the rhino was fenced in. Nonetheless as we walked up to our ball and saw a rhino grazing to our left it was a bit disconcerting. The most interesting part of our excursion though was having our own personal caddies. These guys have eagle eyes and between the four of us, we only lost 1 ball! That doesn't mean we played exceptionally well, but our caddies were masters at finding stray golf balls. We all felt like we were professionals with someone carrying our bag and giving us advice on what club to use, where to hit the ball and how to read our putts.

This morning, we went to church in Kasubi, which is the same place where we participated in the ordination service for 17 pastors in our second day here - it seems like a lifetime ago! It was a really nice service with lots of music, a wonderful children's choir which was preceeded by some of the kids reciting scriptures they had memorized from the Psalms. I preached again, and there was a wonderful response at the end of the message. Several people stood, asking for special prayer for God to work in their lives, and our team members divided up and stood by those individuals, laid hands on them and prayed for them. The service was then brought to a close when the pastor asked all of us to come forward and he prayed a powerful prayer that included the Scripture which tells us that through Christ we have the power to bind on earth what is bound in heaven and loose on earth what is loosed in heaven. He bound the volcano and loosed our ability to be able to fly home safely on Tuesday. We left very encouraged and renewed with the power of God!

Tim and his son Logan then took us to an Indian restaurant where we experienced authentic Indian food. For most of us it was our first time. After naps, Nancy led us in a great devotion on patience, quoting the fruit of the Spirit passage in Galatians. She reminded us that God wants us to learn to wait on Him, to trust Him, and how patience - even in times when we feel we've lost all control - is one of the characteristics that God wants us to learn.

Each one of us have had our down moments this past week, but overall, God has done a wonderful thing in teaching us to lean on each other, to encourage one another, and to love each other, even when all we want to do is be reunited with the ones we love, sleep in our own beds, and be able to get back to work and school.

We do not yet know completely why God allowed us to be here for a third week, but we are learning to trust His ways even when they don't coincide with what we think is best. After all, His ways are higher than ours and His knowledge is greater than ours.

Again, thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement, and the love we have felt thousands of miles away.

Tomorrow, we are going with Tim to one of the island villages on Lake Victoria. We will be going on a 2 hour boat ride to the island, visit one of the churches and schools as he meets with some of his colleagues, and then we will take the 2 hour trip back to Kampala.

Tuesday we are planning to leave by 5 pm for our 9:50 flight to Amsterdam. We are excitedly counting the hours until our plane lifts off for home. We have an 8 hour layover in Amsterdam before flying to Newark. We are scheduled to arrive in Buffalo at approximately 8:30 pm on Wed night. Please pray that we are able to make all of our connections.

We love you and feel very blessed having each one of you as our prayer partners!

With love,

P. Roy

Friday, April 23, 2010

Another trip to a village

Yesterday morning we all loaded into the vans and headed out to another village just outside of Kampala to visit a well developed church, school, and health clinic. It was the kids' last day of school for a month as they are now on holiday. The kids here go year round, so their schedule is 3 months on and 1 month off. Unlike at home, however, not all of the kids looked like they were excited about being off school. In fact, as the top student's names were called to come up and receive awards for the academic achievement, some of them looked downright sad.

The school choir sang several songs for us and again did a beautiful job. All of their songs were focused on welcoming us as visitors. This, we have found to be most common, at least in the places we have visited. The head teacher and the pastor gave us a historical background on the school and then we had an opportunity to give out some more school and medical supplies that we had brought.

As we toured the facility we saw a very well developed health clinic, at least by Ugandan standards. They showed us a new incubator that the government had given them, and we saw a delivery room as well as some of the other rooms in this clinic. These clinics not only serve the school and church members, but it is a terrific ministry to the surrounding community to help meet the physical needs of people who are sick, need first aid, or who are about to deliver a baby. Because of the rampant birth rates, this clinic also provides counseling on family planning. One of the challenges is that in Uganda, a woman takes pride in her ability to give birth, especially to boys, and yet many will have so many children that they cannot possibly support them and therefore contribute to the mounting issue of poverty and malnutrition. That is why so many schools try to build boarding houses for the children, so that the kids have a place to live where they will be fed and generally taken care of. Colleen has pushed hard for the family planning piece wherever they travel, providing training and support. If children are going to have a chance to break the cycle of poverty and create opportunities that will enable them to get an education and eventually support a family of their own, they obviously have to have their basic needs met.

This community is a key piece in their village, providing services that many villages would give their right arm to have.

After we left the village, Tim took us back to Kampala for lunch at the I love New York Kitchen restaurant. Many of us had a hamburger and fries - yes I had my first french fries in almost 2 years. I won't fall off the wagon, just needed a familiar taste from home. It was brilliant on Tim's part as he sensed that we needed a taste of home to help us keep morale up.

Again, the group is doing well realizing that Tuesday is fast approaching, and then we will be on our way home. Please keep praying that the volcano stays calm and that we can get across the Atlantic into Newark. Just knowing that we are in the air towards Newark will be a relief after so many days of uncertainty.

Though we have been well taken care of here in Uganda, especially by the Stevenson's and all their employees, this has been a great challenge on many of us who had to leave family at home. Not only on us, but on our families. Please continue to pray that God will give all who are affected by this unfortunate change of circumstances the strength and grace to get through the next several days.

One last note: Yesterday was Anna's 16th birthday, which meant that we were planning to go the DMV so she could take her test to get her learner's permit to drive. Needless to say, she was pretty bummed that we wouldn't be able to do that. However, I made arrangements with one of our drivers to give her a lesson on driving a stick shift and then let here drive up and down the road in front of the Stevenson's (One of the few roads that is not busy). She was so excited to get to drive a vehicle with the steering wheel on the right side and drive on the left side of the road. As she pulled up in front of the Stevenson's house, Hannah Schwob presented her with a homemade learner's permit. It was neat to see the smile on her face as she may be the only student at Southwestern High who can say she drove a jeep in Africa!

We have celebrated several birthdays since we arrived, Molly Angelo's, Patsy Lindsey's, Norma Jean Angelo's, Anna's, and Dan Schwob's is the day after we return followed by Mike Angelo's on the 30th. Also, Mike and Norma Jean will celebrate their anniversary on our last travel day (28th). So we had Christy and Lancy make a cake to celebrate all these birthdays last night. It was a nice way to once again take our minds off not being home, and on the blessing of life.

Thank you for your prayers and comments as they provide great encouragement to us!

Love,

P. Roy

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Bowling for the first time

Today we had a pretty laid back day spent at the local mall combined with a trip to the adjacent bowling alley. While we didn't need to shop so much for souveniers, though I think a few were purchased, there were some other things like batteries and familiar treats like Pringles, and microwave popcorn that we wanted to pick up. As always, our new friends Moses and Sande (prounounced "Sunday") drove us there. As we split up and started to move about the mall, someone asked me "Where are Sande and Moses?" Then someone else said that they were waiting at the entrance until we were done shopping. I walked back down the ramp and asked them to join us. They were pleasantly surprised and came with me.

We stopped at a place that called itself Pizza Hut, and it was really good pizza, at least most felt so. Sande and Moses loved it, as they rarely get pizza. It's too expensive to eat (about $13 US or 26,000 shillings for a large pizza). After lunch we told Moses and Sande that we were going to take them bowling. Neither had ever been, but they were willing to try it.

We had a blast! Sande and Moses both have very contagious laughs and they are always smiling and positive about everything we do. I've yet to see them frustrated or discouraged - they are very upbeat guys. They watched us as we showed them how to bowl, and they thought it was the funniest thing, and were excited about trying it themselves.

I don't know if any of us have laughed that much and had more fun bowling than we did today with two guys who were elated that they had been invited along, not to mention getting to do something they had never done before.

Much like with Christy and Lancy, these two guys have become a part of us as a group, and events like today, where they were included as one of us, is helping to communicate to them our genuine love for them. We also hope that by extending our love to them that they experience more deeply God's love for them.

They both have incredible stories of heartache that you will have a hard time believing when we have time to tell you the whole story. And yet in spite of the heartache and tragedies that these guys have overcome, they trust God to light their paths everyday. They are both leaders at church and are fully devoted followers of the God they trust to give them hope in the midst of what many of us would call hopelessness.

A quick update on our travel plans, while I am communicating. I was on the phone for over an hour tonight, giving Joyce a break from the nightly routine, but I too was unsuccessful in getting an earlier flight than what we've been given. We are getting close enough to our departure date, that it looks like we are going to have to accept that Tuesday is the soonest we can get home.

We look forward to a joyous reunion with all of you, and the opportunity to tell you the stories of our great adventure!

We love you all!

P. Roy

Dan here. Greetings from Uganda!

God has blessed us. I would like to talk to you about some things I was not prepared for.

City Traffic: It is strange to see in the city of Kampala no street lights, no stop signs, and what appears to be chaos all around you. But drivers just wait their turns at the street corners and then go. The roads are not very good. There are potholes everywhere and people on the side of the roads makes travel slow. It is strange to see goats, cows, and chickens running loose on the side of the road.

Mountain Villages: The mountains are incredible, such beauty I have never seen anywhere in the US. There are no dead trees anywhere for they are quickly used as a fuel source for cooking fires. There are no lights in the mountains -- the stars at night are extremely bright. And from where we are the big dipper is tipped over like a hat, very cool. It has taken me 3 or 4 days to adjust to the sounds, smells and the food but all is well.

The way of life here is considerably different from what we have at home. The land here is unbelieveably beautiful, the people are also beautiful and willing to learn, to play and to be our friends. We are learning from them as well.

Dan Schwob

Bicycles and Sewing Machines

One of the projects that we decided upon as a group was to use the additional project money we had raised to help pastors and widows to do their jobs more efficiently and help them create an income to support themselves.

As I spoke to pastors in a conference our first day in Uganda, I learned that one of their greatest challenges is transportation. So we were able to purchase 16 bikes for pastors who are also district supervisors and keep up with dozens of churches. We were able to personally present 2 of the bikes, which was exciting. Especially watching one of the pastors jump so high with excitement that I think he could have jumped over the bike!

Tim and Colleen have also helped start a program with the local Church of God leadership to equip widows with sewing machines and training in how to use them so that they can earn an income and provide for their children, which are usually many in number. Our resources enabled us to purchase 15. One of my desires is that we will be able to present some of these personally over the remainder of our time here in Africa.

Along with being able to pour 3 cement floors at a school in the village, and starting the roof (which we have since learned is now ready for metal sheeting), we were able to provide funding for the floor, roof, doors, and windows for another church. And finally, for the church that was devastated by the mudslide, we were able to provide the money to purchase a good sized chunk of land where they can rebuild in a safer place.

We originally thought that we would be physically building that church while here, but because of the fact that you still have to walk many miles due to washed out roads, it is not physically possible to get to where they want to rebuild.

Visiting the displacement camp where survivors are located was a very humbling and sad experience. Though they have very nice tents and are being fed, it is also a haven for bad things to happen because of the idle time these people have. AIDS is such a rampant problem even still, and when little girls discover that they can purchase things they want by giving sex to men who have some money, it just perpetuates the problem and brings more heartache to families and communities.

We have met face to face how overwhelming the need is everywhere we've been and have spent much time asking God what He is trying to show us and teach us through all that we've seen. It's amazing how often we drive through our respective towns and don't even see things that are right in front of our eyes. But when someone else is driving, as is the case here, and all you have to do is look and take in all that is around you, we see so much more. It is humbling to say the least.

God, please use us in whatever way you see fit, and help us and our friends and families to see what you want to show us even in our daily, routine lives.

Love to all,

P. Roy

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Travel Update

I'm sorry to say that after Joyce spoke with Continental Airlines again tonight, we are still traveling on the 27th and 28th and no sooner. We are going to continue trying to move our itinerary up by calling everyday hoping for an opening somewhere - even if just a few could go home sooner.

Please pray that the volcano(s) stay calm so that our flight will go out as planned and that we could get slotted sooner than next Tuesday.

We love you all and look forward to seeing you next week!

Blessings,

P. Roy

Painting at Murchison Bay School


Today we got to go back to Murchison Bay School. This time, however, it wasn't just for a quick concert from the kids, but we got to spend the whole day there painting the interior and exterior walls of the hostels that will house kids and teachers who live on campus. We began by priming the walls and then painting an orange finish coat.

We also ate lunch there and got reacquainted with matooke, posha and rice. We also got to see our friend Moses Abasoola again. We had a lot of fun, maybe too much fun as we splashed water and rolled a little paint on each other. Dan made two special little friends who wanted to take his hands and mimic everything he did. When he skipped, they skipped. When he squatted, they squatted. We laughed as Dan's imagination never stops and these kids could have been entertained with his creativity for hours on end.

One of the things that we've experienced as we've visited various schools is that each time we leave, the kids get a piece of our hearts. They are so precious and they love so freely. There is so much to learn from these kids as they remind us how important it is to simply love. They just want us to show them real love in return.

These kids literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs but when they have the attention of someone in our group, it seems like they see themselves as the richest person in the world. Oh to be satisfied with the simple things of life rather than always looking for more as we so often do.

It was good to be active again serving in some capacity after a couple of down days. Tomorrow we are scheduled to go to a mall and maybe a movie or bowling, so everyone is looking forward to that. Friday we are going to another village to give out the last of the school supplies that our Vacation Bible Schoolers donated last August. We also may get to pass out some more Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes as well.

We are going to make another attempt to get an earlier flight back tonight. This morning, Joyce spent 2 hours on hold when the minutes on our borrowed phone ran out - making it a frustrating effort. Please continue to pray that we would have favor to get on a plane home earlier than Tuesday.

Until the Lord sees fit to bring us home, we will continue to find ways to invest in the incredible people of Uganda.

Thanks for all your support and love,

P. Roy

It means a lot. . .

We have been told that folks at home are hanging on our words and anxious to get updates on the blog and on social sites like Facebook. Please believe me when I tell you that your words to us are just as precious!

There are 13 people sharing a single computer with a very slow connection. Taking 15 minute turns means that we might each be able to check in just once or twice a day. Having words of encouragement waiting for us gives us such a lift!

We are not "suffering" physically except for an occasional headache or stomach bug. The waiting and the inability to change our circumstances conflicts with our typical desire to control our own lives; when we will eat, when we will work, what we will do, who we will communicate with, where were will go, what we will spend. All of these things are beyond our control now. I will not claim to have mastered this yet, but I am choosing to view this time as a gift and to fill it with things that I never have TIME to do -- read, study the Bible, have deep conversations, maybe even write something.

These are just temporary circumstances, but please don't tire of writing to us. It means a lot.

Joyce

Monday, April 19, 2010

The tale of Christy and Lancy

Hello everyone!

A couple of us are stirring as it is 6:45 am on Tuesday. After Joyce got off the phone last night we did what we've done each time we have faced a challenge in our time here - we prayed. We prayed that God would show us favor and open the door for us to be able to come home much sooner than the airlines are telling us we can. We also prayed that God would continue to use us and teach us as we face this particular set back. We need you to help us by praying a similar prayer.

Yesterday, though filled with letdowns and disappointments regarding our travel home had one particular highlight that I want to mention. Tim and Colleen have two girls that work in the kitchen preparing the meals for us each day that we have been here. They are sweet young ladies, but for the longest time they were very bashful and it seemed almost afraid of us.

Yesterday, when I got back from going to the airlines office downtown, Anna was sitting at a kitchen bar stool with one of her legs extended over two other stools and Christy and Lancy were hovered over her. My immediate reaction was "What's wrong!" It looked like she had gotten hurt and they were tending to her wounds. Anna started laughing and said, "Nothing, I'm just teaching Christy and Lancy how to make bracelets!" The two girls also laughed and excitedly told me that they were happy that Anna had shown them how to make these bracelets because they could sell them and earn some more money to help them financially.

Later during our devotional time as a group, Anna mentioned that in her conversation with them while making bracelets, they told her that most groups simply ignore them and kind of take them for granted. They were so happy that our group was not only taking an interest in them, but trying to include them in the group wherever possible.

In fact, later on, after devotions, the girls talked Christy and Lancy into jumping on the trampoline with them. Nancy took pictures of these two girls laughing and having the time of their lives. Believe it or not, they had never been on the trampoline!

Relationships are a a big deal to God, and sometimes He puts people in our path who we can sometimes forget about or who blend into the background and we don't give much notice to them. Again, this is another lesson that God is teaching us - to always be looking for people into whose lives we can pour ours. Sometimes to do so just means listening to their story. Sometimes it means lending a helping hand, but regardless, God has put us all together because we really do need each other.

We need you too, and have been humbled that you are following our adventure so closely. Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement.

We love you!

P. Roy

The latest travel info

Joyce just got off the phone with Continental Airlines after an hour of waiting and conversation and helped us to get a better situation, even though it is not desirable. As of now, If KLM (Delta) agrees to the plan, we will leave Uganda on April 27 and arrive home on the 28th. This is 48 hours better than what they had given us this afternoon. We will be calling them daily to see if we can do better, with hopes that we will arrive this week rather than next.

This is clearly disappointing to all of us, as we are ready to see our loved ones desperately, but at the same time we could be in a much worse situation as many are in stranded in airports all throughout the world. We have read of situations where people are out of money and being sustained by bottled water, crackers and a coupon for 1 free shower a day. We are getting 3 meals, a bed, and whatever else we need for $20 a day per person. No where in the world can you get a deal like that!

Please keep praying for favor as we emulate the Bible story of the persistant widow who finally broke the judge down and got what she needed. We are doing everything we can to wear the airlines down to expedite our return home.

We love you and hope to see you soon!

Love,

P. Roy, speaking for the whole team

Quick Update on travel info

Hello everyone!

It's 7:30 am in Jamestown and the updated information that I received from our air provider this morning is that they were meeting in Amsterdam to discuss future air travel and they would know more by 4 pm our time, which is 9 am in Jamestown. We plan to call them at 9 and as soon as we know something we will update again.

Thank you all for your prayers. We are doing very well, had a chance to sleep in today, take a nap, play a game, watch a video, and of course we are eating well. Continue to pray that we can safely travel home soon, as we cannot wait to see all of you.

With love,

P. Roy

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Temporarily Delayed

Greetings from Uganda!

Last night we drove to the airport through the chaos of Sunday night traffic in Kampala. You cannot even imagine and we certainly will have difficulty adequately describing how nail biting a simple drive through town can be. With 6 million people moving about, mostly on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle, combined with taxis and other vehicles literally pushing their way in and out of traffic. And if that isn't tenuous enough, having to dodge the crater size potholes makes the ride an adventure of a lifetime. I will try to never complain about Jamestown roads and I86 again! Want more adventure? Do you want more? Even in downtown Kampala, vendors are lined up along the street and some even meet you at your car window while stopped at a red light trying to sell you sunglasses, tennis raquets, cards that have cell phone minutes on them, not to mention beggers - some who have leprosy and other disabilities. Then there are the cows, sheep and goats that are tethered to the side of the road and sometimes decide to move out into the road, which prompts the honking of horns like you have never heard.

We got a late start and traffic was much heavier than normal and we were sure that we would miss our flight because we arrived only one hour prior to departure. What normally takes 45 min to an hour to get to the airport took us over 2 hours!

When we arrived everyone was put into motion with their individual jobs and in a blink of an eye all the luggage was unloaded and on carts ready to check them in when we found out that our flight had indeed been cancelled due to the volcanic ash pluming over Europe. We were disappointed for missing our flight and relieved that it had been canceled rather than missing it due to our tardiness. We have decided that we are leaving 4 hours ahead of time the next time we go to the airport.

We are indeed blessed because while many travelers might be scrambling to get a hotel room, our "hotel" is still available to us and they will extend us credit if we need it. :) Tim and Colleen have been the most phenomenal hosts. We couldn't have asked for better people to help us through a challenge like this.

The other blessing is that we earned enough money that we were able to take extra and we planned very conservatively and as a result overestimated our expenses for this trip and still have money that should last us several days.

We have been joking that we feel a bit like "Indian givers" because we have given our clothes away and taken them back twice. Thankfully we only gave a portion of our clothing away in the village and saved some to leave here in Kampala. So we are doing some laundry but don't have to go and buy a new wardrobe (Of course there are some on our team that wouldn't see that as such a travesty!).

I know that you are probably seeing the most extreme and difficult of circumstances on the news reports at homes. I can only imagine what the television is showing you. However, we are being treated like royalty and we have very comfortable accomodations here in Kampala. Everyone has a bed, we're eating 3 meals a day and it's only costing us $20 per person per day - way better than sleeping in an airport and buying their food!

I am going to the KLM office this morning with one of Tim's drivers to discuss what is happening and what we can expect as far as a departure time home. The others are excited about sleeping in as all but 1 morning has started from 5:30 - 6:30 am. That wouldn't be as bad, but our days rarely have ended before 11:30- midnight, and not all of us do well with little sleep. This afternoon, we are going to help assemble bicycles that we were able to purchase for pastors who have no transportation to move about, and then hopefully we will be on our way to the airport at 5:30 pm tonight (10:30 am your time).

While we are certainly disappointed to be delayed in coming home as we miss you all so much, we are thankful that once again, God has provided everything we need reminding us that his timing is always best.

We cherish the fact that so many are praying. We ask that you continue to pray for all of our team members that we can handle this change of plans with grace and love in our dealings with each other and those whose paths we cross.

We love you and look forward to seeing you soon!

P. Roy

Notes from Nancy

Wonderful Lord's Day to everyone! It's 7 AM the sun is up and most of you are just beginning your sleep. We will be worshipping in a Church of God in Kampala today.

Our mission trip is nearly over and our emotions, feelings and excitement are hard to put into words.

It has been incredible and awesome the way the churches have welcomed us, children so eager to be near us and to sing for us, big smiles, teaching bible stories, the majestic mountains, making friendships, doing home visits to grandmothers in humble one-room abodes, giving simple gifts that are recieved like you have given them Christmas, the safari WOW, and so much more. We have been so blessed by the country of Uganda and its people.

Anxious to see you all and tell you so much more!

Love you all,
Nancy

Flight Delay

It looks like this Icelandic Volcano eruption has canceled all flights in and out of Amsterdam today and tomorrow, and therefore we may be delayed in coming home. We are going to the airport tomorrow afternoon to see what our options are, but the fact that we have 13 traveling in our group makes rerouting more difficult. I have contacted our travel agent and he said that they cannot help us with this issue. We have to make any alternative arrangements ourselves.

We will convey information as soon as we have it. We will have internet access for the remainder of our time.

Sorry for the bad news. I guess our mantra of "Be flexible" is going to continue for a bit longer.

Please be praying as well.


Roy

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Safari Time!

Despite the rain on Tuesday and the greasy roads and a flat tire, our amazing drivers got us down safely from the mountain. We ate breakfast at the home of one of the pastors which consisted of bananas, bread, rice, matoke, chicken, and tea.

We visited 2 churches, one on the mountain and the second near the mudslides. We left gifts at each and they were all so appreciative. In fact over the course of our many visits in the villiages Tim and Colleen were given a lamb, 2 chickens and a goat. Believe it or not they were bound and tied to the roof rack along with our luggage (the livestock not Tim and Colleen)!

We were able to see the mudslide from a distance and drove through the refugee camp
Where 5000 are staying. It is hard to see people who did not have much to begin with lose their homes, land and family members.

We travelled on to the home of Moses Abasoola. This is the man who visited us last summer and a leader to the pastors in Uganda. They provided us a delicious meal but we were running late and needed to cut our visit much too short.

We arrived back in Kampala around 10:30, ate PIZZA and did our devotions. It was well after midnight when went to bed. We were packed and loaded in the vans at 6:30 AM.

So we have left the Stevensons and are travelling in 2 vans with our new guides/drivers for our 3 day safari. It will be a 6 hour drive. We will be trekking today to see rhinos and chimpanzees!

On the way home last night we got a taste of wildlife -- there were baboons alongside the road. We stopped and one came right up to the car. It has us excited to see more animals.

Stay tuned,
Joyce

Monday, April 12, 2010

Jambo!

We are in such a beautiful place making many new friends. No one should worry for us because we are treated as special guests and they can't wait to greet us.

Friday, we traveled all day and it was quite a journey. In the city of Mbale, we drew a lot of attention. I have seen a LOT of people but only 5 of them white!

By a lot I mean 50,000 easy.

People come just to look at us and the children giggle when we talk to them. The children learn English in school so the older students understand us better and the adults do pretty well, but we need to speak slowly.

Today the men are working on pouring a floor for the new school they are building (3 rooms). Most of the ladies spent a couple of hours teaching at the existing school. Nancy taught a lesson, Cindy and I led the children in coloring pages in Sally's coloring book, Norma Jean and Anna did games, and Patsy and Mariah lead them in singing. Molly helped out in a couple of stations.

We just ate lunch and some will be going on home visits. It is sprinkling. We have had no rain which is good. Rain makes the roads very hard to travel, so pray against the rain. So far God has made every provision for us so I am sure all will go well.

Gotta go, break time is over!

Love you,
Joyce
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 8:14 AM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Bukaywa

We travelled over 150 miles (it felt a lot further) to the mountain village of Bukaywa. We arrived late on Friday night. The roads grew narrower, steeper and more rutted as we neared our destination. It was so dark that it felt like we were truly in the middle of nowhere.

The rear wheel of our van got stuck in the mud where a small spring crossed the road. It was buried about half way up the tire and the other vans had already gone ahead.

Out of the darkness people came to assist. By the time they got it out about 20 people were there. We continued up the mountain and each gully and bridge was a new thrill.

The stars are amazing! But waking with the light was even more amazing. We are overlooking the most beautiful valley I have ever seen. It is green and lush with banana trees, coffee plants, mangos oranges and more. What is also surprising is that I am connected to the internet!

We are staying in a house with 3 small bedrooms, a seating area and a small room for bathing. It is close quarters but we are all getting along well. Hannah said this morning that she is "over the whole vanity thing". It is hard to be vain or unappreciative when those who are welcoming us are so generous and humble.

Words can not express how blessed we are to be here and to greet these people on behalf of our family in Busti.
We are preparing for church. I have been looking forward to this all week.

Love to all,
Joyce

Friday, April 9, 2010

Greetings from Kampala!

Wow! What an emotional time I'm having here! The friendly children, thankful adults, smiling faces - it's all quite overwhelming. We have been treated like royalty by all. Yesterday, we got a taste of the local cuisine for lunch. But I did have a Fanta Orange soda to go with it. Most of my family and I visited T.A.P.P. families. These were single women with children who are living with aids. They rent little 6' rooms by working odd jobs like doing laundry and making jewelry. They were so grateful for the little bags of goodies we brought them such as shirts, toothbrushes, colorbooks, candy, sugar, salt, etc. Molly and Charity, her Compassion friend, helped Cindy paint a beautiful mural on the wall of the church we were visiting. They did an awesome job and Charity enjoyed her day with us all. It was her first visit outside of her village. She doesn't speak only a few words of english, but her enterpreter helped keep the conversations flowing. Today, we are headed out to a village to work for 5 days. Out goes the luxury of the cabin and outdoor toilet and shower we were using here. Unsure of what exactly to expect makes me a bit anxious and excited too. I feel so blessed by God to have this experience. Praise God for his goodness! Love to all, Norma Jean

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Muzungu! Muzungu!

This morning, we set off to see a few schools here in Uganda that Tim and Colleen have a huge part in helping out and running. The first was Murchison Bay. The classrooms were small were we gathered to greet each of the kids with a handshake, a hello, and a huge smile returned by a shy hello and a smile that is just priceless. By the time we left the school, each of us had at least one small buddy that would grab onto our hands and follow us around. Once our tour of the school was over, the children had few songs prepared for us to sing. When they started to sing, personally, it moved me to tears that they would for us and just the singing and dancing was beautiful to watch.
The other part of the day that really touched me, was visiting a home with a mother of three that has aids. I went along with Colleen, Dan, and Hannah to the home of Espiosa. On our way there, Colleen and the other lady that came with us stopped to buy food to bring while Hannah, Dan, and I waited. Kids came from everywhere chanting muzungu! muzungu! which is what they call a white person. We all loved it and after failing at doing their handshake, Dan taught them how to high five. The kids all howled with laughter and loved it. Once we got to Espiosa's house, she invited us in to sit on her benches while she sat on the floor. She told Colleen who then translated to us that she makes mats for a living and sells them. She can make one a week and sells them for 15,000 schillings, about $7.50 for us. In order to pay her rent of 50,000 schillings a month, she would need to sell about 5 mats. She was just overwhelmed when we gave her the food and package we put together which included clothes, soap, toys, and other nessessities. She cried and thanked us over and over again. She put the skirt and a t-shirt on over her clothes and was just estatic. Hannah wanted to buy a mat but didnt think it would fit in her suitcase. When they found out it would fold, she bought it, and Espoisa began to cry again. We took a picture with her outside her home and took her back to TAPP with us.
I am so bleessed and thankful to be on this trip with people who have hearts to searve others and prayers would be much appreciated as we are going into the village tomorrow and are unsure of what to expect.
Much love, Anna

Thank you so much for visiting, thank you so much.

I have had the experience to study other cultures in college. I have read in text books that grandparents raise their grandchildren because the parent's generation have died from AIDS. Words written on a page do not give it justice, as I am sure my words will fall short. I had the experience of visiting grandmother houses. It broke my heart. The first lady that we visited had difficulty standing, I do not know what was wrong but she said her legs were bad. She cared for 8 grandchildren under the age of 9 and one great grandchild. Her great grandchild was there when we visited- the rest of the children were in school- The poor boy. He was malnurished and could have been the face of a child you see on tv, asking you to donate money. He clung to his grandmother and found no comfort when put down. "Thank you so much for visiting, Thank you so much" She said this over and over again. The need is so great. We gave her some food and a gift bag. "Thank you so much". We then went to another house. This experience was equally as heartbreaking. This woman's trade was rug weaving, but her eyes are bad now. It takes her a month to weave a rug. A rug sells for 15,000 shilling, equavelent to approximately $7.50 US currency. That is her only source of income for an entire month and she cares for 8 grandchildren. We gave her food and a gift bag as well. Thank you so much for visiting, thank you so much.

I wonder where these children would be if they didn't have a grandmother to care for them. I also wonder where the grandmother would be if she didn't have to care for her grandchildren. The selflessness is amazing. These grandmothers are literally starving because they are caring for so many children-- they might eat everyday if they didn't have 9 mouths to feed. They do not turn their backs on their family.
-Patsy

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Pastor's Conference in Kasubi - April 7th

After an adventure filled drive to Kasubi where the Pastor's conference and ordinations are taking place, Cindy and P. Roy taught the Pastor's and their spouses. It was a blessed time to get to encourage these Pastors and more importantly to hear them share their greatest challenges in ministry. While many of their answers spoke to a lack of resources, they shared some things that are very similar to our challenges in the U.S. We left with a clear idea that not only were we able to pour into their lives, but they added to ours in a significant way by simply sharing their hearts with us.

Another blessing was seeing our brother Moses Abasoola again. He hosted us for the day. We got to eat lunch with Moses and Tim - Matooki and beef. Matooki is plantain (like a banana that is steamed in a banana husk. It was very good. It was such a humbling experience to be treated like royalty. I will now give way to Cindy,

P. Roy

Hi, Cindy here!!!

Well, speaking to men is not my favorite thing, but it was a mixed group and Tim said go ahead, they are easy and they all want to learn. I had a talk put together from Psalm 9 for the ladies but it was really non gender. I wrapped it up with the idea that we have a benefit of knowing God, we can be satisfied, no matter what is going on. We can praise Him and do these people know how to praise!!! Many of the songs, I did not know the words but I felt the Love and Praise to our Lord and Saviour. When I praise I like to close my eyes and I did from time to time but I wanted to see and remember their beautiful smiling faces!!! To God be the Glory!!!

Roy and I got a tour of the school, the children are so beautiful and some of them came up and said "Your welcome"!!! Such a great day and such a gift from God to love and be loved by these precious people! We all get to go there tomorrow and be a part of an ordination. It looks like Molly and her Compassion sister with my help will do a mural in the church. Blessings, thanks for all the prayers!!!!

Joyce here. The rest of us got to enjoy an afternoon in a market area. It was difficult at first to get the hang of the currency exhange and then the "haggling". But. . . once we figured it out, we had a very good time buying all sorts of things that would have cost 3-4 times as much at home. I could hardly carry all that $50.00 could buy. The people were very nice and welcoming.

Our first morning in Uganda

We have awakened to the sounds of birds, tree frogs, and other noises that we will likely get used to as we acclimate to our surroundings. It is a beautiful morning - the sun is out, it is quite warm and everybody seems to be feeling better after sleeping in the prone position and getting a shower. We were all feeling a bit grimy after 30+ hours of traveling.

Some women we have yet to meet are preparing our breakfast as I speak, while still others are beginning to stir. Today is going to be a "catch our breath" day for the most part. We are going to have an orientation with Tim and Colleen this morning and then Cindy and I are scheduled to go into Kampala for a conference with women and pastors, respectively, while the others begin to pull together the supplies we will need for our trip into the village.

This afternoon we are going to go shopping in Kampala and again, just try to slowly get acclimated to this beautiful new culture.

Thank you all for your prayers for safety. Now please pray for us that we might continue to humbly approach our calling to be here with diligence to live for our Audience of One as we meet and serve the people who will become our new friends and colleagues.

Blessings,

P.Roy

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Arrived!

We are landed in Entebbe. It is about 85 degrees and 10:30 at night. We are tired yet still excited. We are waiting to clear immigration. Then it's off to find our luggage and 13 totes full of items for our projects.

We watched the sun go down in Newark and back up over Brussels. We flew over the alps, Italy, the Mediterranian sea, the Sahara desert and watched the sun go down again over Sudan.

Nancy drew attention yet again through security. We are going to let her go first next time!
We met so many nice people on the flight who are also doing great things for the people of Uganda and Rwanda! God is here

Love to all,
J

Brussels

We have completed the second of our 3 flights and are in Belgium. It is 9:30 AM here -- 3:30 AM at home.

Even those of us who managed to get some sleep on the plane are feeling some sleep deprivation. We feel a little out of our element as most communications are in French and the currency is in Euros.

We are challenged by this journey but all are doing well and can't wait to get there!

Monday, April 5, 2010

First Leg Report

Roy called and said they made it through their first leg of the trip safely! They are now in Newark, waiting for their connection to Brussels.
The sun came out on the drive to Buffalo, giving the luggage a chance to dry up after our shower this morning. The airport crew were very helpful in getting all of the tubs situated, and even complimented the Team on being so organized! (At the Packing Party Friday night, they labeled every item put into the bin, put a copy inside and kept a copy in Roy's file folder.)
A few pieces of luggage were close on the 50 pound weight limit, but they sailed right through.
However, Nancy did not sail through. Her hip replacement set off the machines! The Team got pictures of Nancy being searched with the wands by airport security. That will be one for the Scrapbooks!
Thank you to Boyd Lawson and Phil Lindsey for driving our crew to the airport. And thank you to all who came to see them off from the church. It really meant a lot to the Team, to see you there!
Blessings,
Sally Ferguson 3:30pm Monday
There are 13 of us in the Newark airport decked out in the brightest glowing yellow T-shirts I have ever seen. (Thank you Jeanie! We look awesome) We have drawn a lot of attention. It's really a handy way to find members of our group from 50 yards away.

We will be taking off for Brussels at 6:15 PM.


Joyce

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Last Fundraiser!





It is 7:07 pm on Sunday, April 4. In less than 14 hours we will be pulling out of the church parking lot on our way to the airport. Please pray for each of us as we do our last minute packing. We are finding it to be a challenge to get everything we think we need into our suitcases! :)

On Friday night we gathered for pizza and wings and also to pack our tote bins with all the supplies and tools that we will be taking for our projects while we are in Uganda. We were alarmed to get a phone call from Patsy Lindsey telling us that as she was preparing to pull out of her driveway, her car caught fire and all her luggage, passport, and carry on items had to be rescued before her car was completely ruined by the fire. We thank God that she is okay, and all her belongings were rescued (though not without smelling like smoke and wet from dousing the fire.) She had to do all her laundry over again, but any attempt by our enemy to keep her from going were covered by the Holy Spirit.

We so appreciate all your prayers and we will post a blog as soon as we get to the Stevenson's to let everyone know that we have arrived safely. We will then post blogs as often as we can (probably no more than one per day at the most). While we are in the village, we are not sure if we will be able to communicate through the blog, but will make an attempt.

Blessings to you all - please pray for the Lord to use us and work in us in mighty ways!

Thursday, March 11, 2010



This is the funeral service of the pastor who was killed in the mudslide. There were at least four others who died in this tragedy. Please pray for this village that the grace of God will overwhelm them in their time of grief.



This is a picture of the site where the church in Maboona was located. It was flattened by the mudslide.



This is a picture of the mudslide that took place on Sunday, February 28 that destroyed the church at Maboona, the village where we will be going on April 9-14.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Attention Prayer Partners!

Just as we were getting excited to see our fundraising coming to a successful end, I received the news from Dan Schwob, one of our team members, that there was a mudslide in Uganda, near the Kenya border that killed upwards of 100 people.

Two days later I received the following message from our missionaries in Uganda, Tim and Colleen Stevenson:

Monday evening we received a phone call from our District overseer, Stephen Kutosi in Eastern Uganda, situated on the slopes of Mount Elgon bordering Kenya. He told us that our church near Bududa town had experienced tragedy. On Sunday morning as one of our congregations was meeting, a landslide carried the church away along with many other homes and buildings down the mountain side. Due to the heavy rains and deforestation, a massive landslide swept through 3 villages devastating anything along its path. Our information at this point is that 5 congregational members have died including the pastor (one of our few lady pastors), as well as many people in the community. But, due to the thick mud and debris, many are still not found. They are literality digging them out by hand! Please pray for this area as it struggles with the coldness, mud-logged houses, and the demoralizing effect on the community. The government of Uganda has declared many dead (and are providing over 100 coffins) and many missing due to this enormous calamity, and for sure they need our support.

Our request is for you to pray for our church family as they deal with loss of life and property as well as health and stamina while they continue looking for survivors. The Church in Uganda is sending representatives there today to assist with blankets, household items and food relief.

It seems there are many disasters happening these days – but, one thing we know – when we have Christ – we have hope and a future no matter what the circumstance (Prov 23:18)! As a church family, let us keep each other in prayer!

In His service –

Tim and Colleen

I wrote her back confirming that our team would be willing to go to this region to help with relief efforts if they felt it necessary. Then this morning, 3/4/10, Colleen emailed back and said that this is where we were planning to go for our village visit and work detail.

Please pray for those who have been affected by this tragedy, and for our team as we gear up to help with these relief efforts.

On another note, one of our team members, Molly Angelo, has a severely sprained ankle with possible broken bones in her foot. Please pray that her healing will be swift as our departure date is one month from tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Six weeks to go!

This is our initial entry to create a way to communicate to all of our prayer partners as we prepare to leave on our first trip to Uganda, East Africa for a short term mission trip to work with Tim and Colleen Stevenson.

First of all I want to thank everyone for their prayers as we are very close to being fully funded. Many of you have also supported us financially and for that we are humbled and extremely grateful.

While we are in Africa, we will have opportunities to update you on the things that are happening and what we are experiencing. We will have photos to share and this, we believe will be the best way for us to share with you.

So feel free to log on to get the most recent updates and to communicate with us as well. While we are in Africa, we may not be able to respond to everyone's questions or comments, but they will certainly be appreciated as a source of encouragement.

God bless you as you partner with us in our adventure!

Pastor Roy