Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
W A I T I N G
Kishanje, Uganda
At 17, Brian is quiet, serious and tired.
He's a default manager for a household of four siblings and grandparents, ages 94 and 85, since AIDS claimed his parents.
And Brian is waiting.
My husband and I chose to sponsor Patience just before I left for Uganda January 30 (actually she was chosen for us; we just specified a girl from the mountain village of Kishanje where our Team Uganda would be spending the biggest chunk of time).
At 17, Brian is quiet, serious and tired.
He's a default manager for a household of four siblings and grandparents, ages 94 and 85, since AIDS claimed his parents.
And Brian is waiting.
Read his story here.
R I C H
Just recently it hit me again. Like it did when I returned the frozen Iowa tundra with red mud still on my flip flops (which I quickly exchanged for more suitable footwear).
It hit me how very little it takes to sponsor an orphan. I waste more than the dollar-a-day that amazingly sponsors a child- ensuring food, a loving, home environment, and an education.
One dollar.
It hit me how very little it takes to sponsor an orphan. I waste more than the dollar-a-day that amazingly sponsors a child- ensuring food, a loving, home environment, and an education.
One dollar.
My husband and I chose to sponsor Patience just before I left for Uganda January 30 (actually she was chosen for us; we just specified a girl from the mountain village of Kishanje where our Team Uganda would be spending the biggest chunk of time).And now we think maybe we could sponsor another orphan.
Heaven knows we get enough food each day, as the bathroom scale testifies. Come to think of it, our excess poundage probably equals the weight of a small person. An orphan, for example.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Celebration 101
I’ve been endeavoring to learn, of late, how to be less celebration-impaired; I was in the slow class. Since my journey to Kishanje, I think I may have advanced to Celebration 101.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Treasures...
Team Uganda spent two weeks in Uganda for Juna Amagara Ministries in February, 2010. The long ‘road’ there had some ‘ob-stack-les’, plenty of adventure, and a great fortune, some of which we sought, but about which we mostly didn’t have a clue.
The treasures are the place -the Pearl of Africa, the people -who God must’ve been thinking of when he pronounced his creation of mankind very good, and the possibilities.
Oh, the possibilities. What one dollar can do to build schools and orphanages is astounding.
But pssst: here’s the real treasure: sponsoring an orphan who is himself a treasure, full of wonder and gratitude. Yep. A buck a day for wonder and gratitude.
Sign me up. Again. -Connie Hoogeveen
From Team Leader, Arlene
It’s been an exciting and rewarding two weeks. We have laughed, cried, been awed by the beauty of Uganda and its people, and now return to be grateful for what we have in the USA.
Each team member is taking some great individual memories home with them as well as a sense of accomplishment for what we were able to share with God’s people in Uganda.
Melissa and I each enjoyed a “Rachel Ray” moment as we were able to instruct the Home Economics class in kitchen hygiene, some usage of spices and give them some menu ideas with the native fruits and veggies they have access to in this soil rich country.
Margaret and I played sous chefs, cutting up the vegetables as Melissa was instructing her recipe for potato/vegetable stew. Later we enjoyed eating chapatti, a thick tortilla made with ground flour, and topped with the cinnamon sugar we had brought with us. The Tones Spices donated were a real hit in the class.
Beading – making bracelets and earrings and a few necklaces – teaching the art to the class so they may continue to make and sell these at a profit, was also a hit. One class was held on the lawn at the guest house, another in the classroom.
Connie took every photo op and had almost continual dialogue with all the residents of Kishanje and wherever we traveled.
Our guys, Scott and Chad, were our real heroes. They patiently helped us little old ladies up and down the mountainsides, loaded the truck and van with our luggage, solved our computer and camera difficulties, charged all of our batteries each evening, and still had time to construct a temporary school classroom and shelving in both Kampala and Kishanje.
The treasures are the place -the Pearl of Africa, the people -who God must’ve been thinking of when he pronounced his creation of mankind very good, and the possibilities.
Oh, the possibilities. What one dollar can do to build schools and orphanages is astounding.
But pssst: here’s the real treasure: sponsoring an orphan who is himself a treasure, full of wonder and gratitude. Yep. A buck a day for wonder and gratitude.
Sign me up. Again. -Connie Hoogeveen
From Team Leader, Arlene
It’s been an exciting and rewarding two weeks. We have laughed, cried, been awed by the beauty of Uganda and its people, and now return to be grateful for what we have in the USA.
Each team member is taking some great individual memories home with them as well as a sense of accomplishment for what we were able to share with God’s people in Uganda.
Melissa and I each enjoyed a “Rachel Ray” moment as we were able to instruct the Home Economics class in kitchen hygiene, some usage of spices and give them some menu ideas with the native fruits and veggies they have access to in this soil rich country.
Margaret and I played sous chefs, cutting up the vegetables as Melissa was instructing her recipe for potato/vegetable stew. Later we enjoyed eating chapatti, a thick tortilla made with ground flour, and topped with the cinnamon sugar we had brought with us. The Tones Spices donated were a real hit in the class.
Beading – making bracelets and earrings and a few necklaces – teaching the art to the class so they may continue to make and sell these at a profit, was also a hit. One class was held on the lawn at the guest house, another in the classroom.
Connie took every photo op and had almost continual dialogue with all the residents of Kishanje and wherever we traveled.
Our guys, Scott and Chad, were our real heroes. They patiently helped us little old ladies up and down the mountainsides, loaded the truck and van with our luggage, solved our computer and camera difficulties, charged all of our batteries each evening, and still had time to construct a temporary school classroom and shelving in both Kampala and Kishanje.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
10:00pm at Entebbe Airport
We have returned to planet earth. Our flight leaves in a couple of hours. We are homesick, both for snowy Iowa and for our many new friends on Planet Uganda. We have packed many varied experiences into two short weeks.
Our posts have been few due to unavailability of email. We have thousands of photos which we are eager to post.
Our posts have been few due to unavailability of email. We have thousands of photos which we are eager to post.
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