At Home

We  are really appreciating being back in the states.  We take so much for granted!  Our trip home went well, except–we got so excited in Amsterdam when we learned that the Twins won the playoff game with Detroit, that we left Jolene’s purse set.  And “someone” apparently “claimed” it as their own.  Thankfully, I had the passports and credit cards, but when we got home we did have to change our checking account, get a duplicate driver’s licence and a replacement cell phone.  We figure that if that is the worst thing that happened, we did pretty well.

We have spent quite a bit of time going through pictures.  I am guessing that I took over 2000 and kept some 600.  We then printed off about 200, and had to narrow it down to 120 to fit an album we could show family members.  And then we concluded that there is no way pictures can begin to tell of our experience.  But we will keep trying.  My next project is to pull them into a slide presentation for my first weekend back, November 1.  We will have a combined Bible Class on that day.  I will also be putting material together for a longer Bible Class to follow.

After only a couple of nights in our own bed, we set off to see family on the weekend.  We saw Jolene’s parents on Saturday, then Tony and Sarah (looking more and more pregnant), before staying overnight at my parents’ home.  We worshiped with my parents on Sunday morning, and stayed a little longer so we could look in on their later serivice which is primarily in Hmong.  We got home in time to grieve with many others as the Twins lost to the Yankees.

A Sabbatical is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation–and I really hope to finally do a little of that in these next two weeks.  The time has gone quickly, but it has been inspiring, and I pray that this experience will prove to be of benefit to the congregation as well as myself.

At the Beach

Yes, we have been living in somewhat primitive conditions and have had some challenges, but feel sorry for us no longer.

Yesterday we flew to Nairobi Kenya and then on to Mombasa on the Kenyan coast.  We are at the Bahari Beach Hotel and our room overlooks the Indian Ocean.  As someone said “this isn’t Africa”– for most of the guests are German.  While the place is not fancy by Caribbean standards, it is a whole lot more luxurious than the last serveral weeks.  We have heard that the weather has turned colder in Minnesota, it is about 85 here!

We had our first session with the missionaries this morning. They are a great group, and we are glad to be able to help them out by providing the program.  This is supposed to be a time of R and R for them, and we are glad to take in some of that as well!

We will be here until Monday, when we will fly back to Uganda for one night, and then back to the U.S.  The time has gone quickly and we give thanks to God for his protection on this awesome adventure.

On to Kenya

What a joy it was to talk to so many of you today in the Adult Bible Class through the marvel of Skype.  As you know, we were not sure this would work, but are very thankful it did–the Gillards were amazed that we went the entire hour without a dropped connection.  We would have liked to see more of your faces up close–but we could tell you were there–and look forward to seeing you all in person.  Thanks for your continued prayers.

At 7:30 am we will leave for Kenya, to join the East African missionaries’ retreat.  I have spent the last several days preparing for my presentations as the chaplain.  We look forward to getting the perspective of missionaries on the field in Kenya and South Africa.  And we might even take a dip in the Indian Ocean!

I am hoping we will have internet access  for the next two days yet, but I am not sure of that.  Will update you once more if I can.

Africa–Land of Surprises

We have had an exciting few days—more adventures—and several surprises.

Pastor Jacob and Michelle and the kids picked us up at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, for the drive to Masindi.  I knew that I would be sharing Holy Communion at the Masindi church, and there could also be baptisms and/or confirmations. Pastor Jake would continue on to a church five miles further. But I did not know until we were on the way that I was also preaching (surprise #1).  I should have known that that was part of the package—I guess I am still thinking like an American.  The Lord provided.  I shared on a passage we had studied the day before at TEE.  We did have six baptisms, eight confirmations, and communion (remind we when we get home to remember how important the altar guild is).  Following the service, members of the MMP (Missions Made Possible) team washed the feet of all the congregants.

I spent Sunday afternoon with the men from the MMP team assembling some sewing machine consoles they had purchased here.  No directions whatsoever!  The stuff they get from China is much lower quality than what we are used to.  At the same time Jolene accompanied Pam Beadell to the Good Hope school for an afternoon “something.”  They learned that it was a chapel service for the boarding students, and with about one minute notice Jolene was volunteered to share the devotion (surprise #2).  Sounds like she did fine.

We spent Monday with the MMP team, dispensing donated eyeglasses (160 or so) to students at St. Teresa’s Academy for girls.  I was the guy who pointed at letters on the eye-chart.  Jolene had the more skilled task of trying to match reading glasses to the appropriate students.  In the afternoon, we joined the team for their fourth afternoon of VBS at the Good Hope school.

On Tuesday we left at 5:00 a.m. for our trip to Murschison Falls National Park for our 9:00 boat ride.  That seemed like plenty of time for a 50 mile trip, until we learned it was on a narrow winding dirt road. It had been raining for several hours before we left, and so at 5:45 we found the bus sliding back and forth on the road which had been graded the day before.  Finally it slid to the side and we were stuck (surprise #3).  The guys tried to push, but with no success.  We retreated back to the bus to wait for daylight to come—about 6:45.  Once again, we got out to push, but “kindly” also asked the ladies to get out to lighten the load.  We thanked God that we got it going, but it was still slipping from side to side, so we ended up walking behind the bus for about an hour until we got to a spot in the road with some gravel base.  Before boarding we each had to scrape an inch of slimy clay off our shoes.

We finally got to the boat launch at 9:45.  We got on the boat for our cruise up the Nile.  Wow!  We saw hundreds of hippos, about a dozen crocodiles, a few elephants, lots of water buffalo and much more.  We have pictures!  After lunch, a guide (with a big gun) boarded our bus for our land safari.  We saw lots of small dear, impala, warthogs, giraffes, and even two lions.  After the safari, we were in the bus waiting for the ferry back across the Nile.  Jolene was holding a glass of juice and all of a sudden it flew all over.  A baboon had jumped up, reached through the window and tried to grab it (surprise #4).  Since the road had dried and we did not get stuck, our bumpy ride home took “only” 3 ½ hours. It was nearly 10 p.m. We were tired but it was a great day.

We traveled back to Kampala with the MMP team on Wednesday.  It was tough to say good-bye to them as they left to return to Minnesota.  They are a great group of people with a heart for service.

Going Up North

Last Sunday I preached for the Sunday morning services at the tent church here in Kampala.  The tent church was packed—not because I was preaching but because the service also included a wedding. In the picture you see Pastor Charles Bemeka translating my sermon into the local language.  (Yes, the official language in English, but most are more comfortable in Luganda.)

 I really have enjoyed the fresh air setting—until yesterday morning, when we arrived for TEE (Theological Education by Extension) in the heavy rain—and the water was flowing though the church.  (Reminded me of the days we used to go tent camping.)

The subject for the TEE session these last two days was “Law and Gospel.”  I spent quite a bit of time reworking a class that I taught at Redeemer last year.  Most of these men are preaching in their congregations so it is important that they faithfully proclaim God’s word.  I did some lecturing and also had them work in small groups identifying law and gospel in upcoming Sunday lessons, with the admonition that you cannot have a real sermon without Gospel!

We will leave at 7 in the morning with the Gillards to drive 3½ hours to the Masindi area to conduct Sunday services.  I will be officiating at Holy Communion, and likely doing some baptisms and confirmations at the church in Masindi, while Pastor Gillard will continue on to do the same at a church five miles away.  These are things they need an ordained pastor to do.  We will stay in that area for the next 3 days.  On Monday we will link up with the “Missions Made Possible” group from Minnesota, helping them as we can with their eyeglass clinic and VBS.  On Tuesday we will join some of them on safari in Murchison Falls National Park.  We will let you know what we see.  Then we will return to Kampala on Wednesday.  The Gillards will host the group on Wednesday evening.  Rumor has it that we will have roast goat! (The goat was a gift to Pastor Gillard and it has been grazing at the LCMU headquarters blissfully unaware of its big day.)

We are thankful that things have been very quiet here in Kampala the last week and we expect that to continue.  We did have a chance to call and wish my parents a happy 61^st wedding anniversary today.  And just to clarify, in case anyone has gotten the wrong idea from Jolene’s last post, she has actually only had one motorcycle ride—and I expect that will be all!

Thanks to all for your continued prayers.  We will have lots more to share when we get home.

Jolene’s turn

It has been an interesting past week for me.  Two days before we left for Iganga, we decided that it was time for us to ride the taxi system here.  When I say taxi what I really mean is a 14 passenger minibus that runs along a certain route.  You see them at least every 30 seconds along Ggaba Road, the main road that passes fairly close to our hotel.  Jim was going to the Lutheran Media Center to meet with Pastor Gillard.  I was going the opposite way to see Michelle and the girls at their home.   So off we went, each in our own direction.  I had gotten the info from Michelle and knew that I had to transfer taxis at one point.  Explaining in slow and careful English is very important especially when you do not know exactly where you are going.  I managed the transfer just fine, but unbeknownst to me overshot my stop, because either I was not clear or the taxi driver thought he would make an extra fare off of me.  To make a long story short, I eventually got off the taxi.  Imagine me, by myself, asking people for directions and hopefully walking in the direction I needed to go.  Eventually I called Michelle and she came on a boda boda (motorcycle with a hired driver) to rescue me.  Little did I know that life would get even more interesting as we experienced the events on the way to Iganga that Jim described in his last post.

Saturday, we were invited to the Gillard’s home to celebrate Evangeline Gillard’s 3^rd birthday.  Her grandparents, Greg and Kathy Gillard had flown in the night before so they were able to be there as well as Vicar Shauen Trump and his wife Krista.  Many other neighborhood children also came.  We celebrated Liney’s birthday much as people do in America.  There were games for the children such as pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs. We demolished pineapple/ham pizza lovingly made from scratch by Pastor Gillard, Michelle and her 2 helpers.  As in America there was birthday cake, decorated by Krista Trump.

Last night, we stayed up late to welcome the Missions Made Possible team that spent the night at the same hotel we are at.  This morning we got to spend some time with them as they visited a school here in Kampala and shared God’s love with a mini VBS for the 60 or so children gathered.  We sang songs with motions just as the children do in the USA.  Some of the team stayed at the Kampala church and handed out eyeglasses to people who needed them.  There are not many people in Uganda who wear glasses because of the cost.  After lunch, the team left for Masindi where they will also do these same activities along with some other things.  We hope to connect with them after Jim teaches his next session of TEE on Friday and Saturday.

An Unforgettable 24 Hours

It started simply enough at about 4:30 p.m on Thursday.  Noah, the President of the Lutheran Church Mission Uganda, picked us up at our Hotel.  We were planning to go to his house, about 3 hours east of Kampala, and come back the next day on public transportation.  With him was Henry, the past president of the LCMU.  He had just been visiting in Minnesota.  It was fun to hear his impressions.

Noah had come to Kampala to buy tires.  The first place we went to did not have the proper size.  We then went to another place near downtown, but is was all blocked off by soldiers.  Had been some demonstrations.  I do not understand it all, but in Uganda there are many tribes which do not always get along with each other.  The Buganda people were upset over how their king was being treated by the government.  Since some roads were closed, it took forever to get out of town.

Finally, we got out of town, but as we approached a smaller village (maybe 10 miles out) we saw that traffic was stopped because  the road ahead was closed.  We could see black smoke coming up from a huge fire.  Noah turned off on a side street to go around.  When I say “street” keep in mind I use that term rather loosely.  We traveled (perhaps 25 miles) over some of the roughest roads I have ever experienced, frequently asking directions of those along the road.  I wondered if there was some kind of stream or other natural barrier, that we could not have turned back sooner.  And of course it was dark.  Well, we finally got back to the main road, and got stuck in traffic.  There was a loud noise, and everyone in our van ducked.  We thought it was gunfire, but it was just a rock that had been thrown.

Then we started to learn what was happening. Everyone in the van had been speaking rapidly in the local language.  The fire had been set by rioters to stop traffic.  They had also strewn rocks and logs on the road.  Some of the people had given good directions, others false.  Now, we were soon into the next district where peace prevailed.  Then just to make life interesting, when we were stopped at a service station, all kinds of smoke gushed from the engine.  Turned out to be just steam from an overheated radiator, but our nerves were pretty shot by then.

Our three hour trip took twice that.  We got to Noah’s house about 11:30 p.m. and met his wife Susan, the only deaconess in the LCMU. They were wonderful hosts. The next morning was very, very interesting as Noah showed us ministry in that area.  “Redeemer Lutheran Church” is on their property.  They have 50-60 communicants.  Noah and his wife have also started a vocational boarding school at their house.  They house about 10 boys learning carpentry and 50 girls learning tailoring. These are mostly orphans.  They also have a HIV-AIDS outreach.  We visited three other churches in the area.  One of them has a school for 250 children, about 3/4 of them orphans.  On this day they were moving into their new facility, about 1 mile or so down the road.  We saw the students carrying their benches down the road.  We then took part in a spur of the moment assembly in which the teachers told of their work and I had a brief word of greeting to them.

Unfortunately, as we were doing this, we were wondering how we were going to get back to Kampala.  We kept in touch with the Trumps and Gillards, who warned us not to come into downtown Kampala.  We were considering staying another night, but also heard that the next day might be worse.  We were going to eat lunch with Noah and his wife and son, and then see the source of the Nile.  But we decided to cut short our visit that we might get back before dark.  We learned that the buses were going through, and eagerly accepted Vicar Shauen Trumps offer to pick us up at a site before downtown to avoid the worst of it.

While we were quite anxious setting off, the trip was blissfully uneventful, and we arrived back at our hotel about 6 p.m.  We could not correspond that night since we had left our computer at the Gillard’s house for safekeeping.

It is now Saturday afternoon, and we are at the Gillard’s awaiting the celebration of Evangeline’s 3rd birthday.  I will be preaching at the Kampala church in the morning.  I am not sure if the riots are continuing, but we are in a very “non-political” part of town, far from the action.

We appreciate all your prayers.  While we would not have gone on the trip if we had known of the danger, we both agree that it was quite an adventure, and 24 hours we will never forget.

Flashback–Wedding and Services in the West

Here are some things from our first weekend, that I started to add then, but stopped after encountering technical difficulties.

After arriving on Wednesday night, we left for the Ibanda region on Friday morning.  A highlight was crossing the equator for the first time.  They  tried to demonstrate the old fable that water swirls the opposite way in the southern hemisphere (not true).

On Saturday, I preached at the wedding service of James and Karen.  They were legally married 15 years ago and have 4 children.  But church leaders are now encouraged to also have “Christian” wedding in the church.  I had not met them previously so had to be very basic in my message:  “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” from Ephesians 5.  We began to learn of “African time.”  The bride arrived for the 2:00 wedding at 3:10.  There was no rehearsal, we just played it by ear (not my preference).  The service also included several baptisms, confirmations, and Holy Communion.

After the service we traveled to the reception, which was at the bridal couple’s farm about 30 minutes away.  I was amazed to see three huge tents set up, and perhaps 150 people seated there in the beautifully decorated setting.  (The region is very poor, but the people will go all out to have a proper wedding.)  There were quite a few rituals observed, which were as mysterious to me as some of ours would be to an African visitor.

We were humbled to be seated at a place of honor and to be about the first to eat.  We were served in a generous buffet line.  I am not exactly sure what (they do eat the whole cow) since it was fairly dark.  I was surprised to learn that we would eat as God created us–with our fingers.  Keep in mind, they provide soap and water before and after you eat.

On Sunday, our team from Kampala spread out to five village churches. Our translator and guide was a remarkable young man by the name of Moses.  We were warmly welcomed in the little village of  Ishongororo.  Two young lay leaders led the service in the local language.  I shared the sermon and bapized two babies.  I also had the privilege of baptizing and confirming a young woman who had been a convert from Islam.  I then officiated at the Communion service, their first in a year, since they do not have an ordained pastor.  All of my words were translated by Moses.

We then had dinner with about 6-8 of the lay leaders before heading back to Kampala after a remarkable weekend.

My First TEE

I spent most of the last two days teaching the “Theological Education by Extension” class at the Kampala church.  About twenty men from all over the country come here twice a month for these sessions which are designed to help them be better leaders in their congregations.  Some of these men will eventually go on for Seminary training.

My session was on 1st Corinthians.  When I taught this last year at Redeemer, I think I subtitled it  “Living as a Christian in a Sinful World.”  While that is valid, after teaching that class I thought a better theme was, “Using our individual gifts to serve the entire church, ” and I used that here.

I did enjoy the sessions which were taught outside under the tent which serves as their church. The students were attentive, and  had lots of questions, especially on the topic of “speaking in tongues” in chapters 12 and 14. There are lots of Pentecostals here in Uganda who try to tell them that they are not really Christians unless they have received the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues.

I will be teaching this group again in two weeks, the topic being “Law and Gospel.”

We worshiped here this morning.  Because of the rainy morning, attendance was quite light, about 50-60.  While it may seem odd to us that rain  would make a difference, keep in mind that most people do not have cars.    We were grateful that the Gillards picked us up.  Compare it to a big snowstorm.

 They followed Divine Service II (second setting) from Lutheran Worship.  The liturgy was spoken.  The singing would put us Americans to shame–some old hymns and some contemporary.  The sermon was given in English and translated into Swahili.  It was based upon the Epistle of James, encouraging us not to treat some folks better than others.  I could not help but thinking that we are sure being treated better than most.

A Word from Jolene

Now its time for me to give you some insights into my experiences over the past week or so.   For me it was very stressful before we left trying to cover all of the bases and make sure that things flowed smoothly at home while we were gone.  We didn’t have much time to relax before we left as we spent Monday trying to fill our suitcases to the max and not leave out anything important.  So far it seems that we have done a pretty good job of guessing what we would need over here. 

The flight over was long as I had anticipated, but actually went fairly smoothly.  I’m not a huge fan of flying so was very happy that we experienced very little turbulence.  We arrived at Entebbe Airport near Kampala on time, tired but ready to go.  Thankfully Pastor Gillard was there to pick us up and after a 45 minute or so ride through Kampala’s crazy traffic, we arrived at his home and were soon able to go to bed, covered with mosquito netting for the first time in our lives. 

The next day was somewhat relaxing for me, getting to spend time with Michelle, Pastor Gillard’s wife and their two daughters.  We also got packed up for our drive to Ibanda the next day.  We traveled to this western village with Vicar Shauen Trump along roads that were mostly paved, but sometimes very bumpy.  I thanked God for my seat-belt whenever we hit a speed bump that sent me flying upward.  After driving most of the day we got to our lodging for the next 2 nights, a relatively small Ibandan hotel where there were reservations for our group.  I was surprised to discover that we did not have a hot water shower, but could ask to have some hot water delivered to us.  Quite a procedure just to wash my hair, a problem that my husband did not have. 

The next day we went to the church at Ibanda where the wedding was to be held.  The people were so very gracious.  They would shake our hands and say, “Most Welcome”.  I will always remember their joy as they sang to the beat of a drummer.  At the Sunday worship service the next day I was able to recognize the melody to their closing song as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

What amzed me about the worship service was the attentiveness of the children.  About 35 of them were sitting in front of me on a mat that was perhaps 10 feet by 12 feet.  They were so very quiet and respectful, the older ones holding toddlers in their arms.  The ones closest to me would touch my foot–when they saw me smile they would smile back in return.

After the service we were served a meal in the sacristy along with half a dozen of the church leaders.  The meal was sacrificially prepared for us and we were treated as honored guests.  Next came transportation to a home where we along with our translator Moses were to wait for Vicar Trump to return to pick us up.  He was conducting services at a further distance away.  I was in for the scariest time so far in our trip–a 2 mile motorcycle ride, wearing a long skirt no less!  The driver had mercy on me and I’m sure did not drive as fast as he usually does.  I remember praying that God would keep me safe so that I could return home to see our new grandchild coming in January.  After I got over the shock of having to do this, I do remember for a few moments the thrill of the wind rushing through my hair. 

After Vicar Trump picked us up, we had a long drive back to Kampala arriving around 11 that night.  The next morning, the Trumps lovingly fed us breakfast and then helped us check into our hotel.

The last few days have been very peaceful and stress-free for me as we make this hotel room our home.  I have had time to read and relax and enjoy the fact that there is no alarm clock to wake me up.  I have actually slept better than I usually sleep in America, a pleasant surprise.